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Post by london777 on Jun 2, 2017 21:19:50 GMT
In response to overwhelming public demand (well, OldAussie did mention it once), here is the second part of my British Directors poll. The purpose of this thread is to stimulate a discussion of British films and hopefully encourage members to watch some with which they are not already familiar. If you have not already voted or, even better, contributed in Part One you can find it here: British Directors A to JPlease choose five from my suggestions and/or suggest your own titles in the thread. Many thanks to those who pointed out serious omissions in Part One or suggested less obvious films to watch. I learned a lot, and I hope there is equally fertile ground here. I have one big confession to make. I have been totally illogical about including or excluding movies by British directors who moved to the US and by American directors who moved to England. I was groping for a quality of "Englishness" (I do not believe in cultural "Britishness") but that was too elusive for me to be consistent in my choices and the result is a bit of a mess. And frankly, I just do not know enough about these people and movies. I am neither an industry professional not a film critic as are some here, just a punter trying to pass on his enthusiasm for certain movies to others.
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 2, 2017 21:36:10 GMT
Lawrence of Arabia The Third Man The Devils Don't Look Now Far From the Madding Crowd
As with the first list, I limited my votes to one per director. It feels strange to be unable to find a spot for Powell and Pressburger.
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Post by london777 on Jun 2, 2017 21:51:48 GMT
It feels strange to be unable to find a spot for Powell and Pressburger. Yes, and after I dropped a strong hint by listing seven of their films! Never mind, you have chosen well, I think.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Jun 2, 2017 22:03:36 GMT
Boulting ?
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Post by london777 on Jun 2, 2017 22:26:28 GMT
I am using the Tasmanian alphabet.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Jun 3, 2017 0:47:49 GMT
I am using the Tasmanian alphabet. Tasmania ? where's that ?
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Post by manfromplanetx on Jun 3, 2017 0:48:12 GMT
a few lesser knowns starting with S with some great film credits
Charles Saunders , quite a few notable film credits among his low-budget potboilers and melodramas... One of my all time favourite British films is Meet Mr. Callaghan (1954) Based on the 1938 novel The Urgent Hangman by Peter Cheyney, Notable for Co-producer and star Derrick de Marney who had played the part of Cheyney's Private Eye Slim Callaghan in the original stage version. The theme music and score from Eric Spear are also notable for the fact that they became a best-selling record. I think it is De Marney's best role, his tongue in cheek performance of the disreputable private eye is an absolute classic, it seems to go over the heads of many critics of the film.
Victor Saville , Victor Saville produced a string of comedies, musicals and dramas for Gainsborough and Gaumont-British, including a few for that talented & popular, eccentric live wire, Jessie Matthews. Sing , dance and act Matthews could do it all and with such enthusiasm, great entertainment ... It's Love Again (1936), First a Girl (1935)
Vernon Sewell , Worked chiefly in B-movies, however some of which were, "well above the usual cut-price standards of film-making at this level". The Silver Fleet (1943) is an excellent flag waver. Uneasy Terms (1948) is a great thriller the first film adaptation of crime novelist Peter Cheyney's character private-eye Slim Callaghan. Cheyney also wrote the script and Michael Rennie stars as Slim.
Some extra thoughts of mine on the poll list My favourite Roeg The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and personally for what its worth Roeg's Don't look Now is among my picks for The Most over-rated, over-hyped film ever.
The wonderful romantic comedy, I Know Where I'm Going! would also have got my vote from Powell & Pressburger had it been there.
A favourite Mike Leigh is Nuts in May from 1977 a hilarious comedy which turns decidedly dark, the film tells of a middle-class new-age couple Keith & Candice-Marie who go camping in Dorset looking for a peaceful retreat...
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Post by movielover on Jun 3, 2017 0:49:37 GMT
Angel Heart
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Post by london777 on Jun 3, 2017 15:42:42 GMT
Funny, I always thought that was a Pressburger film without Powell. I see I was wrong. Googie again! Are you her love-child? I have seen both only once, when they first appeared. Time for a re-watch to see if I reverse my assessment. But I am prejudiced against sci-fi. Yes, I love that film too but I already have seven P&P films in the poll. I thought that was more than enough for our (mostly American) membership. Not seen. I will look out for it.
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Post by fangirl1975 on Jun 3, 2017 18:25:10 GMT
Lawrence Of Arabia- David Lean Dr. Zhivago- David Lean A Hard Day's Night- Richard Lester Far From The Madding Crowd(1967)- John Schlesinger Shaun Of The Dead- Edgar Wright
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Post by teleadm on Jun 3, 2017 20:55:20 GMT
Trying to spread it out.
Great Expectations 1946 is one of those movies I love to return to when I've been dissapointed on newly seen movies, I love all the odd characters Pip meets, from the scary Magwitch to the cunning lawyer to a freinds father (Just smile and nod and he laughs), the crazy old lady who lets rats in.
A Hard Day's Night 1964, the beginning of a new era.
Black Narcissus 1946, haunting and beautiful, where the forever windy weather can make people crazy.
The Third Man 1949, when Zither music smithens, not so much for the story but for the feeling. Joseph Cotten once said: Nobody remembers I was the hero, all they remember is Vienna, Valli and Welles.
Billy Liar 1963, one of the funniest, when kitchen sink realism meets the forever day dreamer, or lazy bum.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Jun 4, 2017 2:09:12 GMT
"Googie again! Are you her love-child? " Here is my opening to tell my personal Googie story. Many moons ago when I was a young teen early 70s my grandmother would name drop, and claimed she was great friends with Googie Withers. Well I was not into classic films my parents had no interest in cinema therefore it meant nothing to us, but off course that unusual name was never forgotten. Sadly my grandmother passed away long before I developed an interest in film, I never did find out any more detail of her relationship with Googie. But somehow I always felt connected and have since sought out all I could find with her on film. "Time for a re-watch to see if I reverse my assessment. But I am prejudiced against sci-fi." some thoughts on The Man Who Fell to Earth...Once fallen to Earth the imaginative sci-fi elements are grounded and morph into a damming and, prophetic tale, a social critique of modern contemporary life on earth. Provocative, the films setting is a colourful kaleidoscope of contemporary America, a perceived wasteland where the social and cultural rituals, playout in a manipulated & corrupted environment. An environment in which corporate interests rule where industrialisation and capitalism collude contributing to ecological destruction. The governments suspicion & hostile treatment of an alien (immigrant) is strikingly relevant. The ambitious and visionary tale is not without faults, but it is a highly creative film, a bold statement on our humanity our societies direction and impact on our own planet..
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Post by london777 on Jun 4, 2017 2:46:07 GMT
"Googie again! Are you her love-child? " Here is my opening to tell my personal Googie story. Many moons ago when I was a young teen early 70s my grandmother would name drop, and claimed she was great friends with Googie Withers. Well I was not into classic films my parents had no interest in cinema therefore it meant nothing to us, but off course that unusual name was never forgotten. Sadly my grandmother passed away long before I developed an interest in film, I never did find out any more detail of her relationship with Googie. But somehow I always felt connected and have since sought out all I could find with her on film. Thanks for the interesting story. I see nothing in it which would rule out your being Googie's love-child. In fact, it makes it rather more likely.
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Post by london777 on Jun 4, 2017 20:41:31 GMT
Not represented in poll: Anthony Kimmins Kimmins mainly directed comedies and light romances, of which the best was The Captain's Paradise (1953) starring Alec Guinness. His biggest flop was "Bonnie Prince Charlie" (1948), starring David Niven, which had the sizable budget (for the UK) of 3.5 million pounds. Three other directors shot scenes, never a good sign.
But either side of this he directed two psycho-Noirs worth seeing:
-- Mine Own Executioner (1947), from a Nigel Balchin novel and script -- Mr Denning Drives North (1951)
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Post by london777 on Jun 4, 2017 21:26:05 GMT
Not represented in poll: Alexander Korda Alexander Korda was a Hungarian immigrant. His rare combination of business acumen and artistic vision sustained and modernized the British film industry in the 1930s and 1940s. He nurtured the careers of Powell and Pressburger, Laurence Olivier, Carol Reed, David Lean, and many other talents, besides founding London Films, the UK's most productive studio.
While his work as producer was more important, he also directed some notable films himself, including:
-- The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) starring Charles Laughton and made to show that the UK could match Hollywood for spectacle (in the longer run, probably not the best direction to take for British movies)
-- Rembrandt (1936) Laughton again
-- That Hamilton Woman! (1941) starring Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh
-- Perfect Strangers (1945) starring Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr
Not represented in poll: Zoltan Korda Zoltan was Alexander's younger brother. Of more progressive views than his imperialist brother, he was often given stories to direct which exalted the British Empire, and this occasioned many rows. His best-known movies included:
-- Elephant Boy (1937) which made a star of Sabu
-- The Drum (1938) to cash in on the same
-- The Four Feathers (1939). The fourth time this story had been filmed and still the best version despite two further remakes.
-- The Jungle Book (1942) Sabu again
-- Sahara (1943) a war movie starring Humphrey Bogart
-- Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) maybe a too stilted and respectful filming of Alan Paton's novel to be a great movie, but a very brave effort for its time. Black actors Sidney Poitier and Canada Lee were only permitted to enter South Africa for the filming under the pretext of being Korda's indentured servants.
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One of the Korda brothers' most famous movies was the The Thief Of Bagdad (1940), again a deliberate attempt to outdo Hollywood. In this case to surpass Raoul Walsh's superb version of the story (1924) which starred Douglas Fairbanks, through the use of Technicolor (the earlier film was tinted monochrome) and current "hot property" Sabu.
The chosen director was Ludwig Berger, but the Kordas interfered from the start and both brothers, plus Michael Powell, directed scenes in the finished film.
The film is uneven, but as it is a dreamlike fantasy, this does not matter too much. Conrad Veidt's superb Grand Vizier carries the movie to success.
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 4, 2017 22:25:17 GMT
The Four Feathers (1939)
I would have voted for this one.
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Post by pippinmaniac on Jun 5, 2017 1:23:24 GMT
Of the ones represented:
The Night of the Hunter Lawrence of Arabia A Matter of Life and Death Black Narcissus The Red Shoes
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Post by sostie on Jun 5, 2017 11:14:47 GMT
Night Of The Hunter Lawrence Of Arabia Life & Death Of Colonel Blimp A Matter Of Life & Death Shaun Of The Dead
Not listed:
Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie) - probably my fave British film Naked & Life Is Sweet - my two favourite Leigh films - LIS was filmed below and around my mum's flat! Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker) Hot Fuzz (E Wright) Bridge Over The River Kwai (Lean) Severance & Triangle (Christopher Smith) Dog Soldiers, The Descent & Doomsday (Neil Marshall) Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson) Carry On Screaming & Up The Khyber (Gerald Thomas) White Of The Eye (Donald Cammell) Hanna (Joe Wright) Alien (Ridley Scott) Rocknrolla (Guy Ritchie) Kick Ass (Matthew Vaughn) The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle & The Filth & The Fury (Julien Temple)
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Post by london777 on Jun 5, 2017 20:51:05 GMT
Night Of The Hunter Lawrence Of Arabia Life & Death Of Colonel Blimp A Matter Of Life & Death Shaun Of The Dead Not listed: Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie) - probably my fave British film Naked & Life Is Sweet - my two favourite Leigh films - LIS was filmed below and around my mum's flat! Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker) Hot Fuzz (E Wright) Bridge Over The River Kwai (Lean) Severance & Triangle (Christopher Smith) Dog Soldiers, The Descent & Doomsday (Neil Marshall) Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson) Carry On Screaming & Up The Khyber (Gerald Thomas) White Of The Eye (Donald Cammell) Hi Sostie. I do not know whether to thank you for giving my thread a transfusion or curse you for exposing more of my bungles. The Long Good Friday (1980) John Mackenzie should have been included in my poll. A very good film with a distinctively English twist to the American gangster movie. Also a record of its era with the Docklands development and altered IRA strategies. Pierce Brosnan's first screen appearance in a charismatic cameo. I always had it mind. Don't know how I left it out. Thanks for the reminder. Hard to choose between Mike Leigh's films. I could not put them all in. The only one I have not liked is Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), much as I usually admire Sally Hawkins. Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone is an English movie despite its American stars, but I just do not like it. Angel Heart is an American movie. I put it in because I like it and thought it had a European vibe and could not have been made (at least, not the same way) by a US director. But a much better and more distinctively English choice would have been Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982). Parker has made some other fine films but there is nothing British about them. Even his two Irish films bridge the Atlantic rather than the Irish Sea. Hot Fuzz (2007) is a good film, as is The World's End (2013), but I think one of the trilogy is sufficient for the poll, and Shaun of the Dead (2004) is the best. I was enjoying The Worlds' End more until it turned sci-fi. From its first half-hour I think Edgar Wright has the ability to make a straight social satire. I look forward to his new one, Baby Driver (2017). I have five David Lean's in the poll so I left out The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). It is a good film but some choices made for purely commercial reasons stopped it from being a great one. I have only seen one Christopher Smith movie: The Black Death (2010) which disappointed. I am not interested in the horror/fantasy genres, but thanks for the namecheck. Neil Marshall was a new name to me, but again he seems to make films in genres which do not interest me. Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I (1987) should have been in my poll as I had intended. The poll is short on comedies and this is a distinctively English one. I think it has now progressed from being a student cult classic to win more general respect. I am not impressed with his three subsequent features. Carry On Screaming & Up The Khyber (Gerald Thomas)? Carry on 'avin a larf, sostie. Donald Cammell was a talented and charming, but troubled and troublesome character, a prominent London bohemian during the Swinging Sixties. His most lasting achievement was writing and co-directing (with Nicolas Roeg), Performance (1970). I should have included that in the poll. His subsequent films were The Demon Seed (1977), White of the Eye (1987) and Wild Side (1995). The last two suffered horrendous production problems and did not realize the director's intentions. All three can be regarded as American films. You can read about Cammell here: Donald Cammell
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Post by sostie on Jun 6, 2017 12:14:08 GMT
Night Of The Hunter Lawrence Of Arabia Life & Death Of Colonel Blimp A Matter Of Life & Death Shaun Of The Dead Not listed: Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie) - probably my fave British film Naked & Life Is Sweet - my two favourite Leigh films - LIS was filmed below and around my mum's flat! Bugsy Malone (Alan Parker) Hot Fuzz (E Wright) Bridge Over The River Kwai (Lean) Severance & Triangle (Christopher Smith) Dog Soldiers, The Descent & Doomsday (Neil Marshall) Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson) Carry On Screaming & Up The Khyber (Gerald Thomas) White Of The Eye (Donald Cammell) Hanna (Joe Wright) Alien (Ridley Scott) Rocknrolla (Guy Ritchie) Kick Ass (Matthew Vaughn) The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle & The Filth & The Fury (Julien Temple) I have only seen one Christopher Smith movie: The Black Death (2010) which disappointed. I am not interested in the horror/fantasy genres, but thanks for the namecheck. Neil Marshall was a new name to me, but again he seems to make films in genres which do not interest me. Carry On Screaming & Up The Khyber (Gerald Thomas)? Carry on 'avin a larf, sostie. If you are not a fan of genre films then I can understand if you had not heard of or seen Smith & Marshall's work. Though I think Smith's Triangle is well worth a look if you enjoy "mind fuck" movies that play with timeline etc. Marshall's film Dog Soldiers is interesting if you like Zulu - it's basically that film with werewolves, and his film Descent is recognised as a modern horror classic. As for the Carry On films - different strokes n'all that, but I'd say I enjoy these more than quite few Ealing comedies.
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