BFI Top 100 British films

In 1999, the British Film Institute surveyed 1,000 people from the world of British film and television to produce a list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were "culturally British".^[1]

List breakdown

The 1960s head the list with 26 films of merit for the decade.
The most represented years, with four films each, are 1949, 1963, and 1996.
The earliest film selected was The 39 Steps (1935), and only two other 1930s films made the list.
David Lean is the most represented director on the list, with seven films, three in the top five and The Bridge on the River Kwai in eleventh place.
- Michael Powell follows with five entries, co-directing four of them with Emeric Pressburger as part of the Powell and Pressburger ("The Archers") filmmaking partnership.
- John Schlesinger also directed four.
- Alexander Mackendrick and Tony Richardson each directed three films.
Ealing Studios produced seven films on the list, all between 1949 and 1955.
Alec Guinness is the most represented actor, with nine films – six in starring roles and three in supporting roles.
Julie Christie is the most represented actress, with six films on the list.

Rank	Title	Year	Director
1	The Third Man	1949	Carol Reed
2	Brief Encounter	1945	David Lean
3	Lawrence of Arabia	1962	David Lean
4	The 39 Steps	1935	Alfred Hitchcock
5	Great Expectations	1946	David Lean
6	Kind Hearts and Coronets	1949	Robert Hamer
7	Kes	1969	Ken Loach
8	Don't Look Now	1973	Nicolas Roeg
9	The Red Shoes	1948	Powell and Pressburger
10	Trainspotting	1996	Danny Boyle