MONTY PYTHON TOPS BRIT-FLICK POLL
AMAZON.CO.UK & IMDB ANNOUNCE TOP 40 FAVOURITE BRITISH FILMS OF ALL TIME
Monty Python and the Holy Grail has been voted the Favourite British Film of all time – knocking Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange into second place with more than double the votes – in a poll conducted by Amazon.co.uk & the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) which coincided with the BAFTA awards on Sunday 15 February.
The film was the comfortable winner taking a quarter of the total votes in the poll of over 7000 people conducted by Amazon.co.uk and IMDB (www.imdb.com). The final list reveals the public’s 40 favourite British films ranging from old classics such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and The 39 Steps to more recent British comedies such as Love Actually (out on DVD 26 March and available for pre-order now with £10 off at Amazon.co.uk), Four Weddings and a Funeral and The Full Monty.
TOP 20 BRITISH FILMS OF ALL TIME
Film Year % of Votes
1 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 24.3
2 A Clockwork Orange (1971) 12.5
3 Trainspotting (1996) 7.5
4 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 7.1
5 The Third Man (1949) 3.7
6 Shakespeare in Love (1998) 3.7
7 Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) 3.6
8 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 3.2
9 Sense and Sensibility (1995) 3.2
10 Love Actually (2003) 3.0
11 Goldfinger (1964) 2.9
12 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) 2.5
13 The Full Monty (1997) 1.7
14 Elizabeth (1998) 1.7
15 The Italian Job (1969) 1.7
16 The English Patient (1996) 1.6
17 Doctor Zhivago (1965) 1.3
18 Gandhi (1982) 1.2
19 Chariots of Fire (1981) 1.1
20 Withnail and I (1987) 0.9
FEATURED FILMS
The final list reflects the huge diversity of British films, with the top 20 featuring everything from gritty realism to surreal comedy; from majestic epics to spy films; and from classic war stories to classic Shakespeare.
“This survey demonstrates the eclectic nature of British films and here at Amazon.co.uk we aim to offer the biggest selection of these genre-spanning movies,” comments Mark Walker, DVD Product Manager at Amazon.co.uk. “I think the biggest surprise is the presence of two Monty Python films in the top 10. These films lead a strong field from the genre of The Great British Comedy – accompanied in the top 20 by recent films such as Love Actually, The Full Monty and Four Weddings and a Funeral."
British epics and war movies also dominate the list, with Lawrence of Arabia, The Third Man, The English Patient, Gandhi and Chariots of Fire all appearing in the top 20.
POLL SURPISES
Additional themes from the results include surprises relating to British cult classics in the list. The relatively low ranking of Withnail & I, clearly one of the biggest cult films to come out of the UK, is an especially big surprise. Perhaps equally surprising is the incredible ranking of A Clockwork Orange at number 2, possibly a consequence of the controversy surrounding the film and its subsequent delayed release after a 25-year ban.
007 – MISSING IN ACTION
Another notable surprise, given their universal appeal, is the presence of only one Bond film in the top 10 – though this is almost certainly down to votes being split between the films. The results may have been very different if the films had been grouped together as the Bond franchise for voting purposes. It's also surprising that no Carry On or Ealing films are included in the top 20.
RECOGNISING BRITISH FILMMAKING TALENT
However, on the eve of the BAFTAs and the Oscars, where this year British films have been largely overlooked in the nominations lists – Walker believes this poll serves as a reminder of the enormous talent of British filmmakers.
“The list alone shows that there is so much for the British film industry to hope for in the future – if it can look to replicate the elements which have been successful in British filmmaking in the past: great writing, masterful directing, unforgettable performances, and of course the eclectic British characters that makes many of the favourites so unique.”
AMAZON.CO.UK DVD SHOP
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