litlover12

My excursions into the world of the British classics continue. I'm going to split this post into two parts, lest it become overwhelmingly long.

I've finished watching the top 10 films as chosen by the British Film Institute. That is, I've watched as many as I'm going to. I won't see Kes (because I don't do animal movies), Don't Look Now (because YIKES!), or Trainspotting (because, meh, doesn't sound like my kind of movie). So I've really just watched a top 7.

The last two of that group that I saw were Brief Encounter and The Red Shoes, both of which were beautifully acted (and danced, in the latter case) disappointments. A lot of the characters in both films behaved in ways that I found it hard to relate to or sympathize with. In The Red Shoes, in particular, one of the male characters did a total 180 during the last few scenes, just so that the story could end in a certain way (and presumably fit into the fairy-tale template they were using).

By the way, as I was telling goldvermilion87 the other day, it's a crying shame that Anton Walbrook (of The Red Shoes, and also the British version of Gaslight) never got to play Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend. He was born for the role. All I could think of as I watched him was Bradley! What an opportunity lost.

But getting back to business, the BFI ranks the top 10 (leaving out the three I mentioned) in this order:

1. The Third Man
2. Brief Encounter
3. Lawrence of Arabia
4. The 39 Steps
5. Great Expectations
6. Kind Hearts and Coronets
7. The Red Shoes

But if I had to rank just those seven, it would be like this:

1. The Third Man
2. Kind Hearts and Coronets
3. Great Expectations
4. The 39 Steps
5. Lawrence of Arabia
6. The Red Shoes
7. Brief Encounter

Not that I would necessarily put all of them in the top 10 anyway, but that's how I'd rank them as a group.

I've also been watching some other good British films, but more on that later. . . .