UK & Ireland Challenge (Official, September 2023)

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

I just noticed that I hadn't picked up Mario's Bonus Challenge tags. I've added them in now. Apologies about that. There's a chance I'll miss retroactive edits to posts, so do point out any oversights that need attention.

[Silga]

5. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe, 2021) 7/10 - #England
6. Keeping Mum (Niall Johnson, 2005) 8/10 (rewatch) - #IsleOfMan

Spoiler

1. Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (Adrian Shergold, 2005) 7/10 - #England
2. Quartet (Dustin Hoffman, 2012) 5/10 - #England
3. One Chance (David Frankel, 2013) 6/10 - #England
4. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) 7/10 (rewatch) - #England
5. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe, 2021) 7/10 - #England
6. Keeping Mum (Niall Johnson, 2005) 8/10 (rewatch) - #IsleOfMan

[AB537]

14. Disobedience (Sebastian Lelio, 2017) 7/10 ... #England

[AdamH]

1. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England

First film in "The List Magazine's Best Scottish Films" list but I'm not sure if it's a Scottish film or English. Is there any solution to find where it belongs?

I would definitely count it as Scottish. The vast majority of the film is set in Scottish islands.

[AdamH]

9. Filth (2013) #Scotland
Not a single bit of my six months living in Edinburgh back in 2005 included any of the depravity seen here, though I’m guessing that speaks more to the limitations of my own experience than any shortcomings in this movie’s authenticity. It’s based on a novel by Irvine Welsh, the man who also wrote the source novel for Trainspotting, and it’s easy to see the similarities between this movie and that: foul-mouthed Scots wandering about Edinburgh getting up to endless no good and fueled by abundant quantities of drugs. And like Trainspotting, Filth is funny and horrifying in equal measure. If the story eventually spins out of control, the overall result is still an exciting, compelling movie.

I should mention, as an aside, that it’s certainly a pleasure to see places I recognize from my own days in Edinburgh, both in this movie and in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which I watched a few days ago.

Like any city in the world, there are deprived areas in Edinburgh but these are not areas I'd expect a visitor to go to.

The author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Muriel Spark) attended my old high school (although back then it was an all-girls school).

[AdamH]

Thanks for including many of my Scottish lists, Roger! This is almost inspiring me to get back into Scottish films and complete the lists/search for more lists. All of the Scottish lists in the OP were added by me haha.

I'm at:

47/55 on the LIst Magazine (One Life Stand and Four Eyes are unavailable as far as I know but the others should be able to be found)
21/22 on Richard Mowe (Tickets to the Zoo can't be watched online)
22/22 on Brian Pendreigh
18/18 on Whatculture.com
19/22 on The Telegraph (all should be available)

I went through a big watch of Scottish films many years ago when I added the lists but definitely motivated to try to find some new lists/complete the ones above. Apologies for hijacking the thread! Back to the challenge...

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10

12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min

13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10

[DudeLanez]

4. Whisky Galore! (1949, Alexander Mackendrick) 5,5/10 #Scotland
5. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, Charles Crichton) 6/10 #England
6. The Pumpkin Eater (1964, Jack Clayton) 7,5/10 #England

England: 5 / Scotland: 1

1. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England
2. Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh) 6,5/10 #England
3. Ray & Liz (2018, Richard Billingham) 6/10 #England
4. Whisky Galore! (1949, Alexander Mackendrick) 5,5/10 #Scotland
5. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, Charles Crichton) 6/10 #England
6. The Pumpkin Eater (1964, Jack Clayton) 7,5/10 #England

[gunnar]

13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene - An interesting documentary filmed in color. It's a travelogue that was originally shown in 26 short parts, but joined together into a feature length film.

14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman - The audio is well done and the idea is kind of interesting, but this really wasn't my thing.

15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins - This docudrama reenacts and covers the Battle of Culloden using modern documentary techniques, including a narrator and numerous interviews.

16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller - Documentary footage of London is used along with a narrator who tells a tale of returning to London after a long absence and his friend Robinson who is trying to solve the problem of London.

17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller - Robinson is now working on the problem of England and they travel around the country with our narrator on seven journeys. I liked this one a bit more than London and liked visiting the different places.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher

[sol]

Thanks for the Week 1 Summary, Roger.

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland

10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England



Unhappy with his privileged life but insecure about leaving it, a young man is talked into one last family holiday before departing here. With snobbery rife, tensions quickly begin to flair during the trip, while the behaviour of his family soon reminds him of why he wanted to leave. There is a particularly uneasy restaurant dinner in which they argue about whether or not their food is undercooked. For the most part though, the movie just consists of the characters sitting around and talking or completing menial tasks in silence, and while shot on location in Sicily, we only get scattered sumptuous scenery shots.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

Thanks for including many of my Scottish lists, Roger! This is almost inspiring me to get back into Scottish films and complete the lists/search for more lists. All of the Scottish lists in the OP were added by me haha.

I'm at:

47/55 on the LIst Magazine (One Life Stand and Four Eyes are unavailable as far as I know but the others should be able to be found)
21/22 on Richard Mowe (Tickets to the Zoo can't be watched online)
22/22 on Brian Pendreigh
18/18 on Whatculture.com
19/22 on The Telegraph (all should be available)

I went through a big watch of Scottish films many years ago when I added the lists but definitely motivated to try to find some new lists/complete the ones above. Apologies for hijacking the thread! Back to the challenge...

A most pleasant hijack, Adam! I can't claim any great initiative though. Most of the lists in the OP were simply lifted from previous runnings of the challenge.

[sol]

Finally found a Joanna Hogg film that I liked.

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England

11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England



Experiencing relationship woes, a British lady spontaneously joins a friend's family on vacation unaccompanied, but holiday bliss gradually disappears as her reasons for leaving her partner behind become clear. I found this much more palatable than Hogg's latter features, thanks largely to a potent second half in which all of the protagonist's fears and anxieties surface. Many aspects of her tale feel relatable, from a desire to lose herself in a big group of people and not think about things, to her concerns about being permanently on "the periphery of things in life". I'm still not big on Hogg's directing style though.

[frwnk]

25. The Quiet Man (1952) - #Ireland
26. Willy Reilly and His Colleen Bawn (1918) - #Ireland
27. Man of Aran (1934) - #Ireland
28. How Green Was My Valley (1941) - #Wales
29. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - #England

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

28. How Green Was My Valley (1941) - #Wales
29. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - #Scotland

Hi frwnk. I find myself wondering about your tags for these two. Wasn't HGWMV an American-shot, American-produced film? 4W&AF Scottish? I wonder whether you mean England here.

I amn't going to disallow them out of hand, but I would appreciate any clarification.

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10

14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min

[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 = 58 min]

15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10

[sol]

A fruitful revisit after more than fifteen years:

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England

12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON



Viewed for a third time, the first act of the movie feel very slow-moving and drawn out, revolving around dialogue exchanges rather than mood or atmosphere. The final few minutes of the first act are excellent though as the tables begin to turn and more is revealed. It is really the second act of the film that absolutely soars upon repeat viewing though as we are one step ahead of the Laurence Olivier character and it is downright hilarious to watch him wriggle and squirm, becoming more and more unsettled and indignant as accusations are thrown his way. And then the third act has one hell of an ending.

[gunnar]

18 - Oliver Twist (1948) - 8/10 - David Lean - This was a nice adaptation of the Dickens classic.

19 - The Great White Silence (1924) - 7.5/10 - Herbert G. Ponting - A nice documentary about the Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole from 1910-1913 with plenty of images from the trip.

20 - Underground (1928) - 8.5/10 - Anthony Asquith - Nell sells scarves in a department store. One day, she meets Bill, a porter in the Underground and the two fall for each other. Bert is a rougher type who works in the powerhouse and he sets his sights on Nell also and will stoop to dirty tricks to get what he wants. This is a very nice film.

21 - Zulu (1964) - 7.5/10 - Cy Endfield - This takes place in 1879 and depicts a battle between approximately 4000 Zulu warriors and a small outpost of British soldiers who try to hold out. I thought it was pretty good overall.

22 - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - 7/10 - Tony Richardson - A rebellious young man ends up in a juvenile facility where his running ability catches the eye of the Governor of the institution. The young man gets a few extra privileges and goes out on long solitary runs while preparing for an upcoming competition. During the runs, he reflects back on his life before coming to the institution. The film was okay, but I didn't totally connect with it.

23 - Whisky Galore! (1949) - 6.5/10 - Alexander Mackendrick - A freighter carrying 50,000 cases of whisky hits a reef and sinks off the coast of a Scottish island. Before it sinks, though, the islanders salvage many of the cases and hide the bottles from the excise men. There are some funny bits, mostly revolving around the various places and ways that the islanders hide the whisky, but overall the film was fairly mediocre.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher
13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene
14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman
15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins
16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller
17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller

[sol]

Two more British thriller repeat viewings:

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON

13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON



For a film built on several twists and turns, this stacks up well to rewatch, and revisited for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the stress and worry of all concerned really resonates since the characters are in the midst of a pandemic - a detail easy to forget in between viewings. Some of the performances still come off as overwrought upon revision, but the stress environment feels incredibly realistic and the film is fascinating to watch throughout as the characters keep switching between cooperating and trying to undermine one another. A neat look at human beings under pressure.

14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON



Curiously a British movie about tensions between the United States and East Germany, this could perhaps be viewed as an indictment of Cold War mistrust. The plot revolves around the East Germans returning a US agent who suffered a horrific car accident, leaving him unrecognisable and his head so severely disfigured that they built him a steel skull. The obvious question arises of whether he is who he says he is. The film is slowly paced with a single car chase actually feeling jarring and out-of-place, but the psychological aspects are fascinating and the central mystery is intriguing, as is the identity loss scenario.

[frwnk]

28. How Green Was My Valley (1941) - #Wales
29. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - #Scotland

Hi frwnk. I find myself wondering about your tags for these two. Wasn't HGWMV an American-shot, American-produced film? 4W&AF Scottish? I wonder whether you mean England here.

I amn't going to disallow them out of hand, but I would appreciate any clarification.

Hi Roger. HGWMV is in the "Total Film's 23 Awesome Welsh Movies" and "Top 10 Welsh Films (BBC)" list but it looks is a "1941 American drama film set in Wales, directed by John Ford". I don't know if it counts.

4W&AF's seemed was set in Scotland but I guess mostly in London. I will set aright. Thank you for your feedback.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

28. How Green Was My Valley (1941) - #Wales
29. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - #Scotland

Hi frwnk. I find myself wondering about your tags for these two. Wasn't HGWMV an American-shot, American-produced film? 4W&AF Scottish? I wonder whether you mean England here.

I amn't going to disallow them out of hand, but I would appreciate any clarification.

Hi Roger. HGWMV is in the "Total Film's 23 Awesome Welsh Movies" and "Top 10 Welsh Films (BBC)" list but it looks is a "1941 American drama film set in Wales, directed by John Ford". I don't know if it counts.

4W&AF's seemed was set in Scotland but I guess mostly in London. I will set aright. Thank you for your feedback.

Cheers for the response, frwnk.

I'm fine with including the Ford film, if it's on those Welsh lists in the OP. I'm not as strict on production country as some hosts would be.

It might indeed be better to go with England as a tag for the 1994 film, if you don't mind.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON



Curiously a British movie about tensions between the United States and East Germany, this could perhaps be viewed as an indictment of Cold War mistrust. The plot revolves around the East Germans returning a US agent who suffered a horrific car accident, leaving him unrecognisable and his head so severely disfigured that they built him a steel skull. The obvious question arises of whether he is who he says he is. The film is slowly paced with a single car chase actually feeling jarring and out-of-place, but the psychological aspects are fascinating and the central mystery is intriguing, as is the identity loss scenario.

Really nice to see this one among your viewings, sol. The angle of uncertainty, distrust, anguish makes for a tale of human vulnerability caught up in the wider political concerns that don't always prioritise the individual over the collective. A distinctive and deeply fascinating Cold War film. The steel man is a tragic and haunting figure.

[sol]

14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON

Curiously a British movie about tensions between the United States and East Germany, this could perhaps be viewed as an indictment of Cold War mistrust. The plot revolves around the East Germans returning a US agent who suffered a horrific car accident, leaving him unrecognisable and his head so severely disfigured that they built him a steel skull. The obvious question arises of whether he is who he says he is. The film is slowly paced with a single car chase actually feeling jarring and out-of-place, but the psychological aspects are fascinating and the central mystery is intriguing, as is the identity loss scenario.

Really nice to see this one among your viewings, sol. The angle of uncertainty, distrust, anguish makes for a tale of human vulnerability caught up in the wider political concerns that don't always prioritise the individual over the collective. A distinctive and deeply fascinating Cold War film. The steel man is a tragic and haunting figure.

Yeah, it's a great one alright. I first saw the film way back in the day on VHS under the title "The Man in the Steel Mask" with some misleading cover art that I think helped me appreciate the film even more because most it was a pleasant surprise. With my VCR no longer plugged in, I was pleased to find a decent transfer of the film online. Definitely a film that I wanted to make time for this month when I went through the British and Irish movies that I had fond memories of and had not seen in ages.

Oh, and...

I'm fine with including the Ford film, if it's on those Welsh lists in the OP. I'm not as strict on production country as some hosts would be.

It might indeed be better to go with England as a tag for the 1994 film, if you don't mind.

Does that mean that all films included in the lists on the OP are eligible?

No judgment intended. If that is the case, then I might whizz through them again and update my watch-list for the month. I usually avoid borderline eligible movies, but if all of the films in the lists are fair game then I might go for them.

[frwnk]

From Wikipedia "List of Welsh films", English-language films set in Wales;

"1941: How Green Was My Valley was a classic directed by John Ford. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, the film is often criticised for the actors having Irish accents, as several of them were Irish, and for having a scene with an Irish jig instead of a traditional Welsh dance. Ford's response to these criticisms were simply, "It's a Celtic country, isn't it?"

I am okay with whatever you might want to do. I better don't count it. As I say before I can't find a solution.

1. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England

First film in "The List Magazine's Best Scottish Films" list but I'm not sure if it's a Scottish film or English. Is there any solution to find where it belongs?

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON

Curiously a British movie about tensions between the United States and East Germany, this could perhaps be viewed as an indictment of Cold War mistrust. The plot revolves around the East Germans returning a US agent who suffered a horrific car accident, leaving him unrecognisable and his head so severely disfigured that they built him a steel skull. The obvious question arises of whether he is who he says he is. The film is slowly paced with a single car chase actually feeling jarring and out-of-place, but the psychological aspects are fascinating and the central mystery is intriguing, as is the identity loss scenario.

Really nice to see this one among your viewings, sol. The angle of uncertainty, distrust, anguish makes for a tale of human vulnerability caught up in the wider political concerns that don't always prioritise the individual over the collective. A distinctive and deeply fascinating Cold War film. The steel man is a tragic and haunting figure.

Yeah, it's a great one alright. I first saw the film way back in the day on VHS under the title "The Man in the Steel Mask" with some misleading cover art that I think helped me appreciate the film even more because most it was a pleasant surprise. With my VCR no longer plugged in, I was pleased to find a decent transfer of the film online. Definitely a film that I wanted to make time for this month when I went through the British and Irish movies that I had fond memories of and had not seen in ages.

Oh, and...

I'm fine with including the Ford film, if it's on those Welsh lists in the OP. I'm not as strict on production country as some hosts would be.

It might indeed be better to go with England as a tag for the 1994 film, if you don't mind.

Does that mean that all films included in the lists on the OP are eligible?

No judgment intended. If that is the case, then I might whizz through them again and update my watch-list for the month. I usually avoid borderline eligible movies, but if all of the films in the lists are fair game then I might go for them.

Yes. I think that is only fair, especially for users who mightn't be overly familiar with what is and isn't a UK or Irish film. The OP is on me and I should have flagged any films that weren't to be eligible. Feel free to go back and add some edge cases, sol.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

From Wikipedia "List of Welsh films", English-language films set in Wales;

"1941: How Green Was My Valley was a classic directed by John Ford. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. However, the film is often criticised for the actors having Irish accents, as several of them were Irish, and for having a scene with an Irish jig instead of a traditional Welsh dance. Ford's response to these criticisms were simply, "It's a Celtic country, isn't it?"

I am okay with whatever you might want to do. I better don't count it. As I say before I can't find a solution.

1. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England

First film in "The List Magazine's Best Scottish Films" list but I'm not sure if it's a Scottish film or English. Is there any solution to find where it belongs?

Whatever you prefer, frwnk. I'll leave it in your hands.

The P&P film can be counted for either Scotland or England.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON

15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales



As someone who didn't dig the first two Souvenir films, I was surprised how much I dug this follow-up. Hogg still isn't a director for me (I'm not big into her tendency to rely on heavy dialogue, long distance shots and unbroken takes) but this had less of her trademarks that irk me and some decent near horror-like atmosphere with foggy exteriors, moody interior lighting and so on. Tilda Swinton is also really good in a double role here, while some of her younger protagonist's woes reminded me of the future-looking drama in Unrelated which I liked so much (compared to the relationship drama of her other films).

[OldAle1]

Britannia Rules (films, anyway)

1. The Green Cockatoo aka Four Dark Hours (William Cameron Menzies, 1937) #England
2. The Open Road (Claude Friese-Greene, 1926) #England

Paul Robeson in Britain

American Renaissance man Paul Robeson - one of the greatest bass-baritones of the 20th century, along with being a star football player, lawyer, civil rights activist, and a linguist who spoke (and sometimes sang) 20 languages - moved to London in 1928 and spent the next 10 years of his amazing career in the UK, playing innumerable sold-out concerts and along the way making several films of varying interest, from the experimental masterpiece Borderline to... well, these two.

3. Sanders of the River (Zoltan Korda, 1935) #England

A deeply problematic African adventure film; on the one hand, this doesn't strike me as being quite as outright offensive as, say, Gone With the Wind or Birth of a Nation; on the other hand, the filmmaking isn't good enough to make one even consider saying, "yeah it's racist BUT it's still an important work, and" etc etc. Robeson plays an African tribal leader with the, uh, interesting name of Bosambo, who becomes friendly with the titular leader of the British colonial forces in the area, Leslie Banks, and helps to keep the peace between otherwise warring tribes - but when false word of Sanders' death breaks out, all hell breaks loose, and Bosambo's wife is kidnapped by a rival chief, and he swears vengeance. This is not a bad adventure film for the period, and the African footage (shot separately from the rest of the film, quite obviously) is often marvellous, and Robeson manages a certain level of dignity and gravitas - but it's all pretty badly undermined by the pro-colonial, paternalistic message - the savages need the firm but benevolent British hand to rule them. Apparently the original film was to be quite different, but the censors took it out of Korda's hands and insisted on a bunch of rah-rah patriotic messaging be inserted; I doubt the film would have been anything all that special even were it more to Korda's and Robeson's intents, but it might have been something more than the curio it is today.

4. Jericho (Thornton Freeland, 1937) #England

While Robeson is only credited as an actor (and singer, of course - I think he sang in all of his sound films) here, he apparently had real control over the project as an unofficial producer, and it shows - while there are some aspects of the British imperial propaganda machine here as well, they are pretty muted in comparison with the earlier film. Robeson is a corporal in the all-black division of the American Expeditionary Forces to France during WWI, who strikes a superior who wants him to abandon his efforts to save a dozen or more men drowning on board a doomed ship. Knowing he will face the harshest of punishments, he escapes and steals a boat - and takes along it's white crewmember, who becomes his sidekick more-or-less in an adventure in North Africa, where he rises up in a desert tribe. Meanwhile, the white captain who oversaw his whole regiment has been court-martialed and sentenced to years in jail, and vows revenge. This had moments where it felt like it was really going to be something, but it's too breezy and doesn't really develop the depth it might have had. Still, significantly better than the previous film, and Robeson's singing of "My Way" (not the same song later popularized by Frank Sinatra) is absolutely transcendent.

[maxwelldeux]

I've spoken to both countries this week

1. In the Blood (2014, UK)
2. Age of Heroes (2011, UK)

3. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022, UK)
Wife didn't think this made any sense - I told her she clearly hasn't spent much time around guys. Overall, liked it, but didn't

4. North West Frontier (1959, UK)
This was just all the worst parts of colonialism on screen. And the one guy who questioned it was dismissed because he's Muslim. Might have been good at the time, but it's kinda awful now.

5. Brighton Rock (1947, UK)
Best part of this was the set design.

6. Nail Bomber: Manhunt (2021, UK)
Decent crime doc. Racial overtones to the whole story, which was an interesting take that I didn't think I would get going into it.

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10

16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10

17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10

18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min
[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 = 69 min]

[gunnar]

24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10 - Michael Winterbottom - The film follows the life of music promoter Tony Wilson starting in the mid-70s. He was part owner of a record label and popular nightclub. The film was okay, but surprisingly boring given the subject matter. I think Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson was a big part of that.

25 - Billy Liar (1963) - 7/10 - John Schlesinger - Billy Fisher works as an assistant to an undertaker and faces frequent nagging from his family at home. He also lives in his own fantasy world at times, imagining himself as a military hero or as a success in some other area. He daydreams as an escape from his reality and lies quite a bit about his life, earning him the nickname Billy Liar. He definitely seems more comfortable in his fantasy world than in the real world.

26 - This Is England (2006) - 7.5/10 - Shane Meadows - Shaun is a young boy who gets bullied on the last day of school and subsequently gets into a fight. On the way home from school, he is consoled by the leader of a group of skinheads and eventually becomes part of their group. Things are good until an older skinhead acquaintance gets out of jail and causes a splintering of the group. This was really good through the first hour and change and then I thought it started to flag a bit, though it wasn't bad.

27 - Hobson's Choice (1954) - 8/10 - David Lean - Charles Laughton portrays a bootmaker during Victorian times. He is a widower who has used his three adult daughters as unpaid workers in his shop for much of their life. The daughters want to get married, but he doesn't want to pay the customary marriage settlement and he also doesn't want to lose the help, especially that of the eldest daughter. Laughton is good in this comedy/drama as is Brenda De Banzie as his eldest daughter, Maggie.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher
13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene
14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman
15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins
16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller
17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller
18 - Oliver Twist (1948) - 8/10 - David Lean
19 - The Great White Silence (1924) - 7.5/10 - Herbert G. Ponting
20 - Underground (1928) - 8.5/10 - Anthony Asquith
21 - Zulu (1964) - 7.5/10 - Cy Endfield
22 - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - 7/10 - Tony Richardson
23 - Whisky Galore! (1949) - 6.5/10 - Alexander Mackendrick

[DudeLanez]

07. Darling (1965, John Schlesinger) 5/10 #England
08. Gregory's Girl (1980, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
09. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) 6/10 #Ireland
10. This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows) 7/10 #England

England: 7 / Scotland: 2 / Ireland: 1

01. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England
02. Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh) 6,5/10 #England
03. Ray & Liz (2018, Richard Billingham) 6/10 #England
04. Whisky Galore! (1949, Alexander Mackendrick) 5,5/10 #Scotland
05. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, Charles Crichton) 6/10 #England
06. The Pumpkin Eater (1964, Jack Clayton) 7,5/10 #England
07. Darling (1965, John Schlesinger) 5/10 #England
08. Gregory's Girl (1980, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
09. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) 6/10 #Ireland
10. This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows) 7/10 #England

[blocho]

10. Land and Freedom (1995) #England
One of the most enduring dishonors done to the international volunteers who flocked to the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War was the label that was attached to them after fascism was finally defeated in 1945. They were called “ premature anti-fascists,” people who had opposed fascism before most governments decided it was right to do so. By implication, premature anti-fascist meant communist, and such was the stigma that such survivors lived with for decades that, if for nothing else, this movie is valuable for giving those veterans a presence on the screen. Unfortunately, that’s all that recommends Land and Freedom for the first third of the story, which is dedicated to an unnecessary framing device and basic exposition that does little to develop the characters or the narrative themes. But 45 minutes in, the protagonist (an English volunteer) and his POUM militia capture a small village from the Francoists and then begin a debate about land reform and collectivization with the villagers. From that moment, the movie comes to life, and the remaining hour is an extraordinarily authentic and compelling depiction of the debates and fissures within a revolutionary struggle.

11. The Horse's Mouth (1958) #England
I think many actors go their entire lives dreaming of playing a character as ribald and obstreperous as Gulley Jimson, the bohemian madcap artist of this comedy. Given the chance, Alec Guinness sinks his teeth into the role. There are some colorful side characters and ridiculous situations, but this is Guinness’ show through and through (not least because he also wrote the screenplay). And it’s a pretty good one. Underneath the comedy is a rather defiant defense of the artist as a figure who, as a necessity of their work, mocks society’s boundaries.

[OldAle1]

Britannia Rules (films, anyway)

1. The Green Cockatoo aka Four Dark Hours (William Cameron Menzies, 1937) #England
2. The Open Road (Claude Friese-Greene, 1926) #England
3. Sanders of the River (Zoltan Korda, 1935) #England
4. Jericho (Thornton Freeland, 1937) #England

two films exploring the plight of the working class in the North, ca 1961 and 1997

5. The Full Monty (Peter Cattaneo, 1997) #England
6. A Taste of Honey (Tony Richrdson, 1961) #England

A double feature, on DVDs from my local library that ended up being a pretty interesting study in contrasts; both films are on the official BFI 100 list, and the first one gave me a long-delayed Gold on the list. This is one of those lists that I've known about since long before I discovered icheckmovies and I probably had 80% of it done when I first came across it 10 or 15 years ago, but as with nearly all lists for this viewer, the progress has been slow. Strange, because I've enjoyed it much more than most. In any case I likely won't finish it up this month but maybe it's worth making the effort, we'll see. These two discs are both packed with extras which I think it will be worth taking a look at - another case for physical media IMO.

The Full Monty is set and filmed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a city of about half a million that was one of the prime movers in the Industrial Revolution but has fallen on hard times over the past few decades, with the shutting down of much of it's steel industry. I remember when this came out and what a huge unexpected hit it became, but I never was much tempted to see it - I'd heard it was a fairly mild mainstream comedy and that just wasn't going to get me to go to the cinema, and it came out on video just about the time I stopped working at the video store I'd been at for a decade, so I didn't feel compelled to see it to be able to discuss it with customers or coworkers. I won't say now that I missed much, but it's perhaps a bit more interesting than I expected, more for it's serious elements about the difficulties of divorce and the shame of joblessness than the broad comedy. The plot, for those who don't know, concerns a bunch of jobless men, several of them ex-steelworkers, who hit on the idea of stripping to make a quick bit of cash, and all the problems they go through trying to do it - including their self-image issues (one is rather fat, one rather skinny, a couple are middle-aged, etc). The humor isn't exactly sophisticated, but it's not dumbass either as I kind of expected it to be. In any case it ends up as no great shakes but I guess worth a look (once).



A Taste of Honey is on the face of it much more serious, though Rita Tushingham's star-making performancee as teenager Jo is really pretty comical at times, enough that I'm surprised it doesn't get a comedy label on IMDb. Jo is going to school in dreary, dour Manchester, living with her irresponsible and free-loviing mother, dreaming of a better world through her drawing and through the romance of the ships and sailors on the docks, one of whom she meets and falls for. Alas it doesn't last, and he ships off... but he leaves her something rather permanent, even as her mother abandons her to get married to a pretty obvious (to us the audience and Joe, anyway) ne'er-do-well, and Jo finds herself alone. It's then that she meets Peter (Robert Stephens), a young gay man who is willing to help her out and soon becomes very close. Peter being gay, and the sailor she meets being Black, certainly gives this a feel of the contemporary - and far ahead of it's time from an American context, for sure. This could have been a very bleak and depressing film, but the sarcastic wisecracking of both Jo and her mother (the equally excellent Dora Bryan) and the overall quality of the cast gives it a certain energy and zest that at least makes one wonder if life, even in the midst of industrial grime and hopelessness, might not be worth living after all. It's funny, I've always been rather resistant to the English kitchen sink realism/angry young man period of the late 50s/early 60s, but when it comes down to it I've liked all of the films I've seen that fit this paradigm - though I guess I haven't quite *loved* any of them. This film with it's obvious low budget and loose feel reminds me more than most of the French New Wave that was getting going at the same moment, though I'm not sure the generally anglophobic Cahiers crowd paid these films much mind. Excellent score by John Addison, who worked with Richardson on several films during this period.

[AB537]

15. The Nest (Sean Durkin, 2020) 5/10 ... #England
16-19. A Spy Among Friends (ITVX, 2022, 6 episodes) 8/10 ... 68 minutes carried over

[magnusbernhardsen]

5. Brassed Off (Herman, 1996) #England

Nice little film about a coal village which is getting closed down along with the mine, where the brass band is one of the few institutions the workers have left. It is also threatened with getting closed down. I enjoyed it, but I also felt I had seen the film before. It is interesting to see the kind of working class institutions that still existed in early post-industrial society, while we now don't seem to have anything left.

6. Oliver Twist (Lean, 1948) #England

Hmmm, I see that it is a well made film, but I think I've watched and read to many versions of the Oliver Twist-story by now to really get into it.

7. Gregory's Girl (Forsyth, 1980) #Scotland

Not enough football. I had hoped for more of story about sports and gender, but it really was just a vehicle to do a quite standard boy-meets-girl story. Nice and cute, but doesn't really stand out for me.

8. Local Hero (Forsyth, 1983) #Scotland

Meh. I found this very boring. The local community needed to be much more charming for the story to work, I think.

Spoiler

1.The Angry Brigade: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Britain's First Urban Guerilla Group (Carr, 1973) England
2. Behind the Rage: America’s Domestic Violence (Khan, 2022)
3. The Browning Version (Asquith, 1951) #England
4. The Devils (Russell, 1971) #England

Shorts: 7/80
a. The Airship Destroyer (Booth, 1909) #England
Very interesting imagined future of war. Partially animated.

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10
16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10
17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10
18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min

19. TV Episodes, total runtime 80min
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011, Jeremy Webb) TV Episode 46 min
+ 34 min

[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 - 34 = 35 min]

20. A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) - 5/10

[Silga]

7. Evil Under the Sun (Guy Hamilton, 1982) 8/10 (rewatch) - #England
8. Ammonite (Francis Lee, 2020) 6/10 - #England

Spoiler

1. Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (Adrian Shergold, 2005) 7/10 - #England
2. Quartet (Dustin Hoffman, 2012) 5/10 - #England
3. One Chance (David Frankel, 2013) 6/10 - #England
4. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) 7/10 (rewatch) - #England
5. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe, 2021) 7/10 - #England
6. Keeping Mum (Niall Johnson, 2005) 8/10 (rewatch) - #IsleOfMan
7. Evil Under the Sun (Guy Hamilton, 1982) 8/10 (rewatch) - #England
8. Ammonite (Francis Lee, 2020) 6/10 - #England

[DudeLanez]

11. Comfort and Joy (1984, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
12. Sorry We Missed You (2019, Ken Loach) 7/10 #England

England: 8 / Scotland: 3 / Ireland: 1

01. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England
02. Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh) 6,5/10 #England
03. Ray & Liz (2018, Richard Billingham) 6/10 #England
04. Whisky Galore! (1949, Alexander Mackendrick) 5,5/10 #Scotland
05. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, Charles Crichton) 6/10 #England
06. The Pumpkin Eater (1964, Jack Clayton) 7,5/10 #England
07. Darling (1965, John Schlesinger) 5/10 #England
08. Gregory's Girl (1980, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
09. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) 6/10 #Ireland
10. This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows) 7/10 #England
11. Comfort and Joy (1984, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
12. Sorry We Missed You (2019, Ken Loach) 7/10 #England

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10

Nicely done!

[gunnar]

24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10

Nicely done!

Thanks!

I also managed to watch Zulu on the day that Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi passed away. He portrayed his great grandfather in the film.