Favorite Films (lists up to participating site members)

[Aldebaran]

Besides "The Remains of the Day", I believe Merchant-Ivory also did Hopkins' film of E. M. Foster's "Howard's End".

Jeff

"The Remains of the Day" is my favorite Hopkins film. Just excellent on every level.

[Robert]

A couple more :

Noel Coward
Michael Wilding

[Mayerling]

He started in 1967 with a short film called "The White Bus" in the UK, did "Lion in Winter" next, followed by five more films that were either British or internationally produced, including "Young Winston", but by the late 1970s seemed to be alternating between US films or UK & US or international co-productions. I would mention "The Remains of the Day" as a very British film.
L

Besides "The Remains of the Day", I believe Merchant-Ivory also did Hopkins' film of E. M. Foster's "Howard's End".

Jeff

[Mayerling]

I recently watched City Streets the Gary Cooper gangsta flik from 1931. I'm always finding new gangster movies from 1931 I havent seen yet. 1931 is the single most important year in film history. The gangster picture is the ultimate movie. The Talking picture was fresh, raw and frankly everything after 31 is somewhat of imitation. Movies slowly became more and more of a joke until today when they are just pure garbage. It's incredible how many amazing gangster movies were banged out in 1931. Little Caesar, Public Enemy, Scarface, Quick Millions, City Streets. I'm waiting on a copy of The Secret Six, also from 31 which has Wallace Beery playing Capone. Does anybody know any other early gangster flicks that I might have missed? I've seen all the cagney and robinson ones. I learned about Quick Millions on here and it's awesome! Outside the Law and Widow from Chicago are really dope too and they predate the 31 flicks

If I can think of any (especially Cagney - I know he's your favorite) I'll let you know. There is his film "Taxi" which is about taxi drivers and taxi owners being muscled on by David Landau's gang of thugs, but I think it was 1932. "Taxi" is famous because in it Cagney (bread in the melting pot of Manhattan Island) spoke Yiddish in one scene.

By the way Rocky, I don't know where you reside, but this summer there is an off-Broadway musical called "Cagney". It's in previews right now.

Jeff

[caz]

Some more from me:

Michael Caine
Alastair Sim
Patrick Macnee
Michael Gambon
Ralph Fiennes
Bob Hoskins
Mark Rylance
Tom Hiddleston
Ben Whishaw

Love,

Caz
X

[Robert]

I remember seeing David McCallum in the series "The Invisible Man" - or at least sometimes seeing him.

[Pcdunn]

I'm not sure about the bulk of Hopkins films at the start of his career. Aside from his Richard the Lion - Hearted in "The Lion In Winter" where were the bulk of his films prior to the 1990s (when he got the Oscar for "The Silence of the Lambs")?

Jeff

He started in 1967 with a short film called "The White Bus" in the UK, did "Lion in Winter" next, followed by five more films that were either British or internationally produced, including "Young Winston", but by the late 1970s seemed to be alternating between US films or UK & US or international co-productions. I would mention "The Remains of the Day" as a very British film.
L

[RockySullivan]

I recently watched City Streets the Gary Cooper gangsta flik from 1931. I'm always finding new gangster movies from 1931 I havent seen yet. 1931 is the single most important year in film history. The gangster picture is the ultimate movie. The Talking picture was fresh, raw and frankly everything after 31 is somewhat of imitation. Movies slowly became more and more of a joke until today when they are just pure garbage. It's incredible how many amazing gangster movies were banged out in 1931. Little Caesar, Public Enemy, Scarface, Quick Millions, City Streets. I'm waiting on a copy of The Secret Six, also from 31 which has Wallace Beery playing Capone. Does anybody know any other early gangster flicks that I might have missed? I've seen all the cagney and robinson ones. I learned about Quick Millions on here and it's awesome! Outside the Law and Widow from Chicago are really dope too and they predate the 31 flicks

[Mayerling]

Niven and Colman, with Grant, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, and many others, were part of Hollywood's colony of expatrite British actors.
Television lured additional British actors, notably David McCallum, who did the successful spy series "The Man from U.n.c.l.e."with Robert Vaughn from 1963 to 1969, later returned to the U.K. and starred in "Sapphire and Steel", made a variety of other tv appearances in the Sixties and Seventies, as well as several British and internationally produced movies, and is now back on television as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on "N.C.I.S." He shows no sign of retiring yet.

What
about Anthony Hopkins, or is he better known here?

I'm not sure about the bulk of Hopkins films at the start of his career. Aside from his Richard the Lion - Hearted in "The Lion In Winter" where were the bulk of his films prior to the 1990s (when he got the Oscar for "The Silence of the Lambs")?

Jeff

[Pcdunn]

Good choices, until you reach Niven and Colman, both favorites of mine - but they made most of their movies in Hollywood (in fact, I can't recall any film Colman actually made in Britain). The key is those British Leading Men whose main films were made in Britain, with some Hollywood films included (one I did not include was Leslie Banks, whose best known role in Hollywood was Count Zahroff in "The Most Dangerous Game", but whose major films were such productions in Britain as "Fire Over England", "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934), and Henry V (Olivier's - 1945).

Jeff

Niven and Colman, with Grant, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, and many others, were part of Hollywood's colony of expatrite British actors.
Television lured additional British actors, notably David McCallum, who did the successful spy series "The Man from U.n.c.l.e."with Robert Vaughn from 1963 to 1969, later returned to the U.K. and starred in "Sapphire and Steel", made a variety of other tv appearances in the Sixties and Seventies, as well as several British and internationally produced movies, and is now back on television as Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on "N.C.I.S." He shows no sign of retiring yet.

What
about Anthony Hopkins, or is he better known here?

[Aldebaran]

Jack Hawkins is a favorite of mine. Leo Genn was a leading man in some of his films and as handsome as Hawkins, IMO. Genn, a barrister by profession, started in Britain and was doing okay there--"The Wooden Horse" and "Personal Affair"--to name two British films--but I think his downfall was becoming an MGM player. Sure, "Quo Vadis" was great for him but after that it was downhill in a handcart. The studio didn't really know what to do with Genn who, BTW, still has young female fans to this day. I have spoken to them on the Net.

[Mayerling]

A few more :

Leslie Howard
David Niven
Robert Donat
Kenneth More
Michael Dennison
Eric Portman
Ronald Colman

Good choices, until you reach Niven and Colman, both favorites of mine - but they made most of their movies in Hollywood (in fact, I can't recall any film Colman actually made in Britain). The key is those British Leading Men whose main films were made in Britain, with some Hollywood films included (one I did not include was Leslie Banks, whose best known role in Hollywood was Count Zahroff in "The Most Dangerous Game", but whose major films were such productions in Britain as "Fire Over England", "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934), and Henry V (Olivier's - 1945).

Jeff

[Mayerling]

Hi, Mayerling.

I'd like to add Sean Connery to your list if I may. He played very much against type in the harrowing 1972 film 'The Offence', which co-stars Trevor Howard. If you haven't seen it I'd certainly commend it to you.

Your, Caligo.

Hi Caligo,

My personal favorite of Connery playing against type (and as the villain) was his film "Woman of Straw" with Gina Lollabrigida, Ralph Richardson, Johnny Sekka, and Alexander Knox. When he reveals his fangs to Lollabrigida it is definitely not OO7 but more like Ernst Stavro Blofeld that we are listening to at that moment.

Jeff

[Mayerling]

Jeff, why on Earth did you leave out Cary Grant (aka Archibald Leach), born and raised in Bristol, who has appeared in some British films. I know he did go to Hollywood and become a naturalized citizen of the USA, but we shouldn't hold that against him, should we?

Sorry Pat, it's the emphasis on basically being a star of the British cinema, though they could make films in Hollywood. Personally if the list was of film stars who were British but zoomed to the top in Hollywood films, Grant would have been number one.

Jeff

[Robert]

A few more :

Leslie Howard
David Niven
Robert Donat
Kenneth More
Michael Dennison
Eric Portman
Ronald Colman