British Cinema

Who needs the red carpet glamour of the Oscars? In a tribute to the cinema of good old blighty we honour those behind...

Ridley Scott is one of the current heavyweights of championing the British cause abroad in cinema. As a director he has been responsible for classics such as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator; a grasp of cinematic knowledge that shows his diversity.

An English director with a keen eye for detail, Ridley Scott is a soft-spoken yet confident presence in the industry, comfortable with both Hollywood bombast and introspective drama.

He is not entirely without fault however, having been a harsh taskmaster in his earlier days, particularly during the troublesome Blade Runner shoot (which nevertheless resulted in a sci-fi milestone). He also has directed duds such as Hannibal, 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Somebody to Watch Over Me.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are two lesser-known but critically lauded early masters, having found their niche in producing dazzlingly colourful films during the rising popularity of Technicolor cinema in the 40s (the Jeunet and Caro of their time, if you will).

Although Pressburger was Austro-Hungarian, the films they produced have a definitively British look and feel. The duo’s masterpieces include The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), The Red Shoes (1948), Black Narcissus (1947) and A Matter of Life and Death (1946).

Michael Powell would later go solo to produce the reviled and admired horror film Peeping Tom in 1960, marking a radical change of style.

And of course, who could forget Alfred Hitchcock. You know the score. Hitchcock is the master of the modern thriller having practically invented the genre; dazzling blondes, savvy heroes with an inimitable pithy charm, double-crosses, crazy twists. As if that wasn’t enough he reinvented the concept of horror with Psycho as well. It’s hard to pick his best, but my vote goes to the inimitable North by Northwest. Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint have a sizzling chemistry, while the Bernard Herrmann score holds up to this day. Ewen Hosie

...And glance into the future

A look at what’s to come over the next year of British film making.

The year of 2007 holds some promising looking prospects coming from these British isles.

For one thing we see the return of one of British cinemas key players, Trainspotting director Danny Boyle. Boyle’s forthcoming picture Sunshine sees the director turn his attention to the genre of science fiction for the first time (following previous offers to direct Alien Resurrection back in 1997).

The film centres around the decaying sanity of a team of astronauts as they journey towards our dying sun, in a last ditch attempt to save humanity from the end of the world. Already drawing comparisons with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris from initial screen shots, fingers crossed that Britain’s golden boy could do for the genre what his previous effort 28 Days Later… did for zombie movies.

Like that film, the gorgeous Irishman Cilian Murphy, takes the lead as the stoic astronaut captain. It also features Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans (not to be confused with Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush boy) and Michell Yeoh in a highly international cast.

Talking of which, 28 Weeks Later…, the sequel to the aforementioned film, arrives this May, mixing it’s British made roots with the Spanish influence of director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Another classic or a poorly concieved sequel? It’s too early to call, still, it will be interesting finding out.

As for British comedy we’re pretty excited about The Magicians, a film starring Peep Show’s David Mitchell and Robert Webb as a pair of rival magicians.

Another exciting prospect is the news of Shane Meadows’ upcoming This is England, a story of a disillusioned 12-year old in Thatcher-era Britain who is taken in by a group of skinheads. The cameraderie is ruptured when a racist skinhead returns from prison to sour the proceedings. If it lives up to Meadows’ previous effort Dead Man’s Shoes then we are in for an absolute belter.

Si Truss/Ewen Hosie