BFI Top 100 British films

List of greatest British films of the 20th century

In 1999, the British Film Institute surveyed 1,000 people from the world of British film and television to produce a list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were "culturally British".^[1]

List breakdown

• The 1960s head the list with 26 films of merit for the decade.
• The most represented years, with four films each, are 1949, 1963, and 1996.
• The earliest film selected was The 39 Steps (1935), and only two other 1930s films made the list.
• David Lean is the most represented director on the list, with seven films, three in the top five and The Bridge on the River Kwai in eleventh place.
  • Michael Powell follows with five entries, co-directing four of them with Emeric Pressburger as part of the Powell and Pressburger ("The Archers") filmmaking partnership.
  • John Schlesinger also directed four.
  • Alexander Mackendrick and Tony Richardson each directed three films.
• Ealing Studios produced seven films on the list, all between 1949 and 1955.
• Alec Guinness is the most represented actor, with nine films – six in starring roles and three in supporting roles.
• Julie Christie is the most represented actress, with six films on the list.

Top 10

See also

• Time Out 100 best British films
• Films considered the greatest ever
• BFI TV 100 – a list of the best British television programmes
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies
• 100 Italian films to be saved
• In 2004 the BFI compiled a list of the 100 biggest UK cinematic hits of all time based on audience viewing, the list was released as a book. The top 10 are available in this BBC News Online story.

References

1. BBC. 23 September 1999. Entertainment: Best 100 British films – full list. Accessed 30 January 2014.