British Film Gems
The best British films in glorious black and white
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- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsDana AndrewsPeggy CumminsNiall MacGinnisAmerican professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshipper Julian Karswell.
- DirectorSidney HayersStarsPeter WyngardeJanet BlairMargaret JohnstonA woman who may be a witch defends her husband from forces attempting to harm him.aka Burn Witch, Burn
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiCharles CrichtonBasil DeardenStarsMervyn JohnsMichael RedgraveRoland CulverGuests invited to a weekend in the country share their supernatural stories, beginning with Walter Craig, who senses impending doom as his half-remembered recurring dream turns into reality.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsArthur AskeyRichard MurdochKathleen HarrisonHigh jinks and chills ensue when a group of people become stranded at an isolated station and a legendary phantom train approaches.
- DirectorHerbert MasonStarsArthur AskeyMoore MarriottGraham MoffattA lowly BBC employee pulls a prank at the studio and finds himself transferred to an isolated island where he is to set up a weather station at a lighthouse. As if in a fantasy, a ship carrying a bevy of beautiful models is shipwrecked off the coast and the models wind up on the island. However, when the models begin disappearing, the "back-room boy" investigates and finds a sinister scheme involving spies and Nazi battleships.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayMoore MarriottGraham MoffattA disgraced school master, Benjamin Twist, is mistaken for a tough prison governor and assigned the charge of a prison for particularly hardened criminals. Believing he is being sent to a school rather than a prison, he celebrates accordingly only to find that his drunkenness accidently lands him on the wrong side of the prison bars. The Governorship is eventually restored to him, and he sets about popularising himself amongst the convicts by turning a blind eye to their shady dealings.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayMoore MarriottGraham MoffattWith the help of a relative, a hopeless railway employee is made stationmaster of Buggleskelly. Determined to make his mark, he devises a number of schemes to put Buggleskelly on the railway map, but instead falls foul of a gang of gun runners.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsBoris KarloffMelvyn DouglasCharles LaughtonSeeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.Note: This is a British-American Production
- DirectorCyril FrankelStarsGwen WatfordPatrick AllenFelix AylmerIn Canada, a British schoolmaster meets official resistance when he learns that his 9-year-old daughter has been the victim of the pedophile patriarch of the town's most powerful family.UK & CAN
- DirectorVal GuestStarsArthur AskeyEvelyn DallAnne SheltonTerry Arden (Evelyn Dall) travels to England to take over her half of her late father's dating service run by Arthur Bowman (Arthur Askey). An enjoyable musical comedy.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsArthur AskeyJack Hylton and His BandRichard MurdochA plot involving spies in a haunted castle gives this team of celebrated British wireless comedians plenty of scope for laughs.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayGraham MoffattMoore MarriottThe mirthful adventures of Police Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot and his two constables, Albert Brown and Jeremiah Harbottle, who stage a fabricated crime wave to save their jobs - then find themselves involved in the real thing.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayMoore MarriottGraham MoffattA hapless fire crew are given the ultimatum: put out a fire successfully or else be sacked. They fail miserably, and their ancient fire engine is stolen by criminals attempting to steal the crown jewels from the Tower of London.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayMoore MarriottGraham MoffattIn this British comedy, a professor travels up river in Africa to open schools. But his new pupils are not receptive and when the commander of the local base succumbs to malaria, he takes on his duties too. Aided by the crew of the boat he arrived on he starts collecting taxes from the locals!
- DirectorGuy GreenStarsRichard AttenboroughPier AngeliMichael CraigA young factory worker decides to stand up against his workmates and fellow union members when they want to hold a wildcat strike.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsRichard ToddPeter SellersElizabeth SellarsA cosmetic salesman sets out to prove to himself and his wife that he is not a failure.
- DirectorJohn E. BlakeleyStarsFrank RandleTessie O'SheaDan YoungThe Rogers family head off by car to Blackpool where, after a musical interlude and fun on the prom, they have an adventure in a haunted house.
- DirectorJohn E. BlakeleyStarsNorman EvansJimmy JamesDan YoungJoe and Fanny's married daughter visits them with her G.I. husband. The son of Joe's boss tries to start an affair but everything turns out all right in the end.
- DirectorTom WallsStarsRalph LynnGordon HarkerRobertson HareStaff in a jewellery store hatch a plan to catch a thief.
- DirectorTom WallsStarsTom WallsRalph LynnRobertson HareRecently retired, big-headed, Inspector Fitzpatrick (Walls) traces priceless vase to manor house owned by the ineffectual Pye (Robertson Hare)
- DirectorTom WallsStarsTom WallsRalph LynnRobertson HareTheatrical adaptation about squabbling neighbors includes a musical pantomime dream flashback to show the same characters re-enacting their conflicts way back in the Stone Age.
- DirectorTom WallsStarsTom WallsRalph LynnRobertson HareOn a fishing holiday, irascible Sir Donald Rowley (Walls) is soon at loggerheads with neighbour Rivers. Then nephew Sidney (Lynn) falls for Rivers' stepdaughter. All kinds of complications ensue.
- DirectorTom WallsStarsTom WallsRalph LynnGrace EdwinA crowded inn means that a man and a woman must share the same room for a night. One problem is that they are both married - to other people. The other problem is that they used to be engaged to each other.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsArthur AskeyRichard MurdochLily MorrisStruggling entertainers who are trying to put on a show pose as servants to wealthy woman in hopes of raising the money.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsArthur AskeyAnne SheltonPeter GravesDuring World War II, a plane crashes on an island full of dominating women.
- DirectorJohn E. BlakeleyStarsHarry KorrisFrank RandleRobbie VincentArmy buddies help Private Trevor court the daughter of their commanding officer.
- DirectorJohn E. BlakeleyStarsFrank RandleHarry KorrisDan YoungWealthy Private Roy Desmond takes his soldier friends to his palatial home to help him get his dream girl, who happens to be adopted.
- DirectorBasil DeardenWill HayStarsWill HayCharles HawtreyPeter CroftA bumbling teacher turns out to be the double of a German general. He is flown into Germany to impersonate the general and cause chaos and hilarity in a Hitler Youth college.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsWill HayGordon HarkerJimmy HanleyWill Hay is a teacher in a prison, who applies for the Headship of Narkover, a public school. This is the first screen appearance of Hay in his (to be ) famous schoolmaster role, in a story based on Dr Smart-Alec, the character created by John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Michael Morton (J.B. Morton, "Beachcomber")
- DirectorCharles CrichtonStarsAlec GuinnessStanley HollowaySidney JamesA meek bank clerk who oversees the shipment of bullion joins with an eccentric neighbor to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsMichael RedgraveTom CourtenayAvis BunnageA young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsTom CourtenayJulie ChristieWilfred PicklesA lazy, irresponsible young clerk (Sir Tom Courtenay) in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimMiki HoodInspector Hornleigh and his assistant Sergeant Bingham are called in to investigate a murder that involves the theft of government secrets.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsGordon HarkerAlastair SimLinden TraversIt comes as no surprise when Inspector Hornleigh and his assistant, Sergeant Bingham, go to enjoy the winds and rains on their annual seaside vacation, when they run into a "busman's holiday." One of their fellow boarders at Balmoral Guest House, Captain Fraser of the Royal Navy, goes out one dismal night with his pet terrier and is found crushed and burned to death in his wrecked roadster at the foot of a cliff. Hornleigh and Bingham, residing at Brighthaven incognito and the last people to see Fraser, are taken into custody by the local police. It was impossible to identify the charred body and the dog is missing. Hornleigh, suspecting murder, identifies himself and goes to work on the case. He proves that the crash was neither suicide nor accident, and that the body is not Fraser, despite an identifying tattoo on the back of his hand.
- DirectorMaclean RogersStarsFrank RandleGeorge DoonanSuzette Tarri
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsSean ConneryHarry AndrewsIan BannenIn a North African military prison during World War II, five new prisoners struggle to survive in the face of brutal punishment and sadistic guards.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie HarrisClaire BloomRichard JohnsonHill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.
- DirectorWolf RillaStarsGeorge SandersBarbara ShelleyMartin StephensIn the English village of Midwich, the blonde-haired, glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsWillard ParkerVirginia FieldDennis PriceIn Britain, a group of survivors fights off a deadly alien invasion that uses robots and a poisonous gas to take over the Earth.
- DirectorArthur CrabtreeStarsEric PortmanGreta GyntDennis PriceA businessman plans to kill his cheating wife's lover and make it look like suicide.
- DirectorPat JacksonStarsSidney JamesKenneth ConnorShirley EatonErnie's uncle has just died, but to claim his inheritance he must spend the night in the ancestral home with the rest of his relatives. Before long, the guests begin to drop dead.
- DirectorMario ZampiStarsTerry-ThomasGeorge ColeBrenda de BanzieIn this spoof on crime films, four would-be criminals manage to botch every job they plan. When they try to rob wealthy Billy Gordon (Terry-Thomas) they fail again. But the gang decides to kidnap his daughter.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsKenneth WilliamsBarbara WindsorBernard CribbinsAgent Simpkins and trainees chase STENCH (the Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans) for a stolen chemical formula, using gadgets and disguises to defeat villains The Fat Man, Dr Milchman, and Dr Crow.
- DirectorGerald ThomasRalph ThomasStarsSidney JamesKenneth ConnorCharles HawtreyThe Helping Hands agency employs some very strange people to perform some very strange jobs. Even the simplest of tasks get bungled by the incompetent but lovable staff.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsSidney JamesHattie JacquesKenneth ConnorA taxi company is threatened when an all-female firm sets itself up in business and starts to steal their customers.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsSidney JamesKenneth WilliamsEric BarkerWith a flu epidemic running rife, three new bumbling recruits are assigned to Inspector Mills police station. They manage to totally wreck the operations of the police force and let plenty of criminals get away.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsKenneth WilliamsCharles HawtreyWilliam HartnellSergeant Grimshawe wants to retire in the flush of success by winning the Star Squad prize with his very last platoon of newly called-up National Servicemen. But what a motley bunch they turn out to be.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsKenneth WilliamsLeslie PhillipsKenneth ConnorPupils run amok at Maudlin Street School in an attempt to hang on to their headmaster. He has applied for a new job, but the students like him and don't want to lose him.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsWill HayMoore MarriottGraham MoffattA bragging sea captain's maritime experience actually extends to navigating a coal barge down inland waterways. His tall tales catch him out when he is coerced into commanding an unseaworthy ship by an unscrupulous shipping agent who means to have it wrecked.
- DirectorRobert HamerHal E. ChesterCyril FrankelStarsIan CarmichaelTerry-ThomasAlastair SimA young man finds a very special school. It teaches him how to take advantage of people. He begins to put the lessons into operation.
- DirectorLeslie NormanStarsMichael RedgraveSheila SimAlexander KnoxOn a routine flight from Hong Kong to Japan, a British military transport aircraft's fate may or may not depend on a prophetic nightmare.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsRobert DonatMadeleine CarrollLucie MannheimA man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsMargaret LockwoodMichael RedgravePaul LukasWhile travelling in continental Europe, a rich young playgirl realizes that an elderly lady seems to have disappeared from the train.
- DirectorLance ComfortStarsWilliam SylvesterBarbara ShelleyElizabeth ShepherdWhen the wife of a blind composer discovers that her husband will cut her out of his estate, if he discovers that she is having an affair with a young artist, she and her lover plan to commit the perfect murder.
- DirectorGerald ThomasStarsKenneth WilliamsHattie JacquesKenneth ConnorAn idiosyncratic group of patients wreak havoc in the men's surgical ward of Haven Hospital. They decide to take their revenge on the frosty Matron, and there is even a spot of DIY surgery!
- DirectorQuentin LawrenceStarsPeter CushingAndré MorellRichard VernonA charming but ruthless criminal holds the family of a bank manager hostage as part of a cold-blooded plan to steal 97,000 pounds.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsLeslie PhillipsStanley BaxterWilfrid Hyde-WhiteForsdyke, a pathological petty thief subjects himself to a strict correction course run by a wealthy ex-con Widdowes and his Crooks Anonymous organization. Forsdyke's young and innocent girlfriend Babette, holds the hopes for his recovery and promises that she'll marry him if he'll reform. However, Forsdyke loses control when he's locked in a department store over Christmas.
- DirectorMarcel VarnelStarsWill HayMartita HuntPeter GawthorneA schoolteacher and his pupils visit Paris where they outwit a gang of crooks.
- DirectorPhilip BrandonStarsHarry KorrisRobbie VincentCecil FredericksMr Lovejoy, a struggling actor-manager returns to a small provincial town with plans to put on a show.
- DirectorWalter FordeStarsTommy HandleyGreta GyntJack TrainCon man local mayor gambles municipal treasury in a poker game and wins a broken down theatre.
- DirectorMontgomery TullyStarsHylda BakerCyril SmithJoe GibbonsA young man is accused of getting a girl pregnant. Two sets of parents tussle and then they find out who really got her pregnant.
- DirectorRobert DayBasil DeardenStarsAlastair SimGeorge ColeTerry-ThomasAn assassin is annoyed by a vacuum cleaner salesman determined to stop him.
- DirectorFrancis SearleStarsGordon HarkerAlfred DraytonRobertson HareA young girl finds herself possessed by the spirit of a mischievous demon.
- DirectorLawrence HuntingtonStarsEric PortmanDulcie GrayDerek FarrA woman becomes the target of a man who is gradually becoming insane, unable to resist his urge to strangle women to death, but who appears to be purposely leaving pieces of evidence behind.
- DirectorBasil DeardenWill HayStarsWill HayJohn MillsBasil SydneyProfessor Davis, who teaches at a correspondence school, discovers that a Nazi Agent is trying to prevent a trade treaty being signed between England and South America. The agent is posing as an economics expert seconded to the trade delegation. The professor must find the real economist and expose the agent.
- DirectorDavid MacDonaldStarsGordon HarkerMarie LohrJohn LoderThe crafty and experienced waiter Albert keeps things running smoothly at the Jolly Fiddler Hotel, and he is the only one who can placate the crabby justice of the peace who is a permanent resident there. But Mr. Finch, a representative from the chain that owns the hotel, thinks that Albert is too old and should be fired. When Finch visits the hotel, his ideas and his manner quickly antagonize the staff and guests, setting off a lengthy battle of wills.
- DirectorGeorge PollockStarsBrian RixWilliam HartnellTommy CooperA priest's nephew struggles to hide his boxing career from his uncle.
- DirectorC.M. Pennington-RichardsStarsShaun O'RiordanPeggy MountRonan O'CaseyWhen a couple from London move to the country to take over a pub they have inherited, they find that rural life isn't as idyllic as they'd imagined, thanks to the manoeuvrings of a powerful local brewery.
- DirectorGordon ParryStarsFrankie HowerdRuby MurrayDennis PriceWillie is a hall porter who is left a fortune but after living it up for a while he returns to his old hotel which is in financial difficulties.
- DirectorJohn Paddy CarstairsStarsFrankie HowerdStanley HollowayA.E. MatthewsFrankie Howard stars as Willie Joy, the man whose new greyhound causes him all kinds of trouble. First, the pooch gets poorly and then Willy has to fend off race fixing gangsters.
- DirectorRobert DayStarsPeter SellersDavid LodgeBernard CribbinsWhile in prison, Dodger plots the perfect heist: break out, steal diamonds, get back before noticed. With days left on sentence and a solid alibi, he's confident nothing can go wrong.
- DirectorRobert AsherStarsNorman WisdomEdward ChapmanJeanette SterkeMischievous Norman causes chaos at hospital after accident. Encounters traumatized mute girl Lindy who lost parents. Determined to help, he tries bringing joy back into her life.
- DirectorCliff OwenStarsPeter SellersLionel JeffriesBernard CribbinsIn London, Australian gangsters disguised as Bobbies rob the local criminals, making the panicked British mobsters seek an alliance with Scotland Yard in order to eliminate the foreign competition and return things to "normal".
- DirectorMario ZampiStarsTerry-ThomasPeter SellersPeggy MountA very British comedy about a blackmailer and his victims.
- DirectorC.M. Pennington-RichardsStarsPeggy MountRobert MorleyHarry H. CorbettThe "Ladies Who Do" are office cleaners. One of them discovers some hot stock tips and they make a fortune. They then make good use of it to save their old neighbourhoods from the wicked developer.
- DirectorRobert AsherStarsTerry-ThomasAthene SeylerHattie JacquesA weird mix of social misfits and neighbors becomes a gang of thieves stealing mink coats in order to fund local charities.
- DirectorRalph ThomasStarsStanley HollowayJoan RiceOdile VersoisA group of men from a London pub are going on a darts team outing to Boulogne. Various members of the party have different reasons for going and get involved in various adventures.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsMelina MercouriJules DassinGiorgos FoundasAn American scholar in Greece sets about improving the prostitute with whom he is infatuated.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsAlastair SimArthur YoungOlga LindoA wealthy family is visited by a police inspector, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman.
- DirectorGeorge PollockStarsMargaret RutherfordStringer DavisRobert MorleyWhen a wealthy old man appears to have been "frightened to death" by a cat, Miss Jane Marple suspects one of his four relatives, all heirs to his estate, of his murder.
- DirectorGeorge PollockStarsMargaret RutherfordRon MoodyCharles 'Bud' TingwellWhen Miss Jane Marple joins a theatrical company after a blackmailer is murdered, several members of the troupe are also dispatched by this mysterious killer.
- DirectorGeorge PollockStarsMargaret RutherfordArthur KennedyMuriel PavlowWhen Miss Jane Marple reports witnessing a murder through the window of a passing train, the police dismiss her as a dotty spinster when no trace of the crime can be found.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonJane HyltonThe return of the Huggett family. After first meeting the family at the Holiday Camp, this is on the home front. The Huggetts are about to have their first telephone installed. In today's high technology age, it is an interesting look at the late 40s, when all this was brand new.
- DirectorKen AnnakinStarsJack WarnerKathleen HarrisonDinah SheridanA family makes a lengthy and fraught journey across South Africa by truck when their son-in-law gets a job in the country.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLeon M. LionAnne GreyJohn StuartA gang of thieves gather at a safe house following a robbery, but a detective is on their trail.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsSylvia SidneyOscar HomolkaDesmond TesterA Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.
- DirectorMaurice ElveyStarsIvor NovelloElizabeth AllanA.W. BaskcombA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJune TrippIvor NovelloMarie AultA landlady suspects that her new lodger is the madman killing women in London.
- DirectorVal GuestStarsMarianne StoneLionel MurtonLisa GastoniAfter heavy fog prevents all aircraft from leaving London airport, a group of passengers take an airline bus to get them to an alternative airport. However, one amongst their number is the mastermind behind a bullion robbery at the airport... and particularly keen to escape the fog.
- DirectorRobert AsherStarsNorman WisdomJennifer JayneRaymond HuntleyNorman wants to be a policeman like his father was, but he fails the height test (amongst others). One day he gets out his father's old uniform and "walks the beat". This leads to a level of chaos that only Norman could cause.
- DirectorJohn Paddy CarstairsStarsNorman WisdomMargaret RutherfordMoira ListerNorman, a stockroom worker at a London store, aspires to be a window dresser. Pursuing his dream, he falls for a shopgirl and they uncover a robbery plot, miraculously foiling the thieves.
- DirectorJohn Paddy CarstairsStarsNorman WisdomLana MorrisBelinda LeeCivil Servant Norman becomes the favourite of the rulers of a South Seas island that the British have an interest in.
- DirectorRobert AsherStarsNorman WisdomIan HunterDavid LodgeWhen he is crossed in love, grocers assistant Norman Puckle joins the Navy, where he is recruited to man the first British rocket.
- DirectorDaniel BirtStarsValerie HobsonRichard ToddChristine NordenA writer eloping with his mistress by train has second thoughts, pulls the emergency brake, bails out and witnesses the train's collision with another train, events eventually leading to murder and a police manhunt.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsJames AubreyTom ChapinHugh EdwardsSchoolboys marooned on a Pacific island create their own savage civilization.
- DirectorGeorge PollockStarsMargaret RutherfordLionel JeffriesCharles 'Bud' TingwellAfter Miss Jane Marple is made a trustee of a merchant marine training vessel, a fellow trustee is poisoned, and ship's officers are later murdered after she comes on board.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsTony RandallRobert MorleyAnita EkbergHercule Poirot investigates a series of murders in London in which the victims are killed according to their initials.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsLeslie BanksEdna BestPeter LorreAn ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJohn GielgudMadeleine CarrollRobert YoungAfter three British Agents are assigned to assassinate a mysterious German spy during World War I, two of them become ambivalent when their duty to the mission conflicts with their consciences.
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsAnny OndraJohn LongdenSara AllgoodAfter killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.