The Resilience of British Cinema and Its Global Stars

By the ULTIMATE London Editorial Team

Chaplin, Hitchcock and the studios (to 1945)

Two of the greatest figures in film history were born in London: Charlie Chaplin, who learned his craft in the music halls before Hollywood made him the most famous man in the world, and Alfred Hitchcock, born in Leytonstone, who made The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes in Britain before he left for America.

Ealing Studios, which claims to be the oldest working film studio in the world, and Pinewood, opened in 1936, became the heart of British film-making, and in the 1940s Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger made The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death.

Ealing, Lean and Bond (1945–1970s)

After the war Ealing made its beloved comedies, from Kind Hearts and Coronets to The Lavender Hill Mob; David Lean made Brief Encounter, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, which won seven Oscars; and in 1962 Dr. No, shot at Pinewood, launched James Bond. In the 1960s the British New Wave of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning brought working-class life to the screen.

The modern era

Chariots of Fire and The King’s Speech have won the Oscar for best picture, Mike Leigh won the Palme d’Or with Secrets & Lies, and Ken Loach has won it twice, with The Wind That Shakes the Barley and I, Daniel Blake. Britain’s studios, from Pinewood to Leavesden, where the Harry Potter films were made, are now among the busiest in the world.

Must-watch films: the classics

To understand British cinema, start with the classics, then the modern masters.

• The 39 Steps (1935): Alfred Hitchcock’s chase from London to the Scottish Highlands.
• Brief Encounter (1945): David Lean’s tender story of a love that cannot be, at a railway station.
• The Red Shoes (1948): Powell and Pressburger’s dazzling ballet melodrama.
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962): David Lean’s desert epic, winner of seven Oscars.

Must-watch films: the modern masters

• Secrets & Lies (1996): Mike Leigh’s moving family drama, winner of the Palme d’Or.
• Trainspotting (1996): Danny Boyle’s exhilarating Edinburgh tragicomedy.
• The King’s Speech (2010): Tom Hooper’s story of George VI and his speech therapist, winner of the Oscar for best picture.
• I, Daniel Blake (2016): Ken Loach’s humane drama, winner of the Palme d’Or.

The stars

British actors are admired around the world.

• Vivien Leigh (1913–1967): twice winner of the Oscar, for Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire.
• Julie Andrews: the star of Mary Poppins, for which she won the Oscar, and The Sound of Music.
• Daniel Day-Lewis: the only actor to win three Oscars for best actor.
• Judi Dench and Helen Mirren: the great ladies of stage and screen, both Oscar winners.
• Olivia Colman: Oscar winner for The Favourite.

Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Britain

Britain’s studios and streets have hosted some of the biggest films ever made. The Harry Potter films were made at Leavesden, north of London, and King’s Cross station has its own Platform 9¾; Notting Hill (1999) made Portobello Road famous; and most of the James Bond films have been shot at Pinewood.

Electric Cinema, Portobello Road →

Where to watch in London

London is one of the best cities in the world for film lovers. BFI Southbank shows the classics of British and world cinema, the BFI IMAX at Waterloo has one of the biggest screens in the country, and the city’s independent cinemas, from the Electric on Portobello Road to the Picturehouses and Curzons, are a pleasure in themselves. Every October the BFI London Film Festival, held since 1957, brings the year’s best films to the city.

Our advice: book a classic at BFI Southbank, then have a drink by the river.

BFI Southbank →   BFI IMAX →   Electric Cinema, Portobello Road →   Curzon Bloomsbury →

Questions and answers