British Classics

The best and brightest of British cinema, from established classics to new favourites, this collection of landmark British films includes timeless masterpieces, bold social commentary and biting satire.

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  • Passport to Pimlico

    In post-war Britain following the detonation of an unexploded bomb the inhabitants of a London street discover riches and artefacts. These documents state that they are citizens of the medieval kingdom of Burgundy. When the government attempts to claim the fortune, the citizens of Burgundy declar...

  • The Cruel Sea

    Adapted from Nicholas Monsarrat's acclaimed novel, The Cruel Sea follows a Corvette, the Compass Rose, and its crew as they fight German U-Boats in an attempt to protect convoys throughout World War 2. A stark, honest, and emotionally fueled portrayal of wartime, The Cruel Sea is unusual in its f...

  • Dead of Night

    This masterful portmanteau British horror laid the foundations for a slew of similarly structured films in the 1960s and 70s. But no imitator could hope to better this superb collection of macabre supernatural tales, which take in haunted mirrors, ghostly children (and golfers), deadly premonitio...

  • Accident

    Late one night, Stephen (Bogarde) hears a car accident outside of his house. Rushing to help, he discovers that the occupants of the car are a student of his, William, and William's fiancé Anna. The accident seems to spark something in Stephen, leading him to analyse the events of the days preced...

  • At the Fountainhead (Of German Strength)

    A rich and challenging account of the experiences of a German Jewish musician who settled in Britain to escape Nazi persecution. Two of his friends are being sued by a former SS Kommandant, who denies their accusation that he was responsible for the genocide of 300 Belgians.

  • Blue Black Permanent

    Margaret Tait's tale of three generations of women in a Scottish family swirls out through a series of interlinking stories and recollections, taking place in Edinburgh and the Orkney Islands. Drawn to the sea, it appears that the grandmother and mother both drowned accidentally, and their unfold...

  • Maeve

    Pat Murphy and John Davis’ experimental film attempts to posit an alternative, feminist perspective on The Troubles and Irish nationalism. Flitting between the various pasts and present, it follows the experiences of the titular character as she grows up under the spectre of sectarianism, leaves...

  • A Private Enterprise

    Shiv, an enterprising Indian immigrant, navigates industrial Birmingham in an attempt to set up a business manufacturing plastic toys and trinkets. He negotiates the tricky differences between the expectations of his Indian community and the ambitions of his private life, switching picket lines ...

  • Speak Like a Child

    Three teenagers forge a firm friendship while living in a children's home on the remote Northumbrian coast. Linked by a mutual sexual bond, they are involved in a terrible, life-changing incident that forever ties them together. Based on some of writer Danny Padmore's childhood experiences, Speak...

  • Night Mail

    The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary. Harry Watt and Basil Wright's study of the down postal express stands as a beacon for John Grierson's original purpose for documentary - to make the working man the hero of the screen. A truly collaborative effor...