The best British movies of all time, according to Quentin Tarantino
Looking at the plethora of film movements that emerged in Europe over the course of the 20th century, British cinema is easily ignored. It was never quite as chic as the French New Wave nor as organic as the work of the Italian neorealists. But that’s not to say pre- and post-war British cinema isn’t worth our time. In fact, it would be a great injustice to write off British cinema as staid and artificial when it is far more diverse than that. Quentin Tarantino would agree.
Here, the Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood director names his favourite British films from 1939 to 1966. As an extra nod to Tarantino’s love of British cinema, we have also scoured his many, many lists of essential movies to pick out some British gems.
Back in 2021, Tarantino and Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Last Night in Soho director Edgar Wright sat down to discuss all things British cinema for the Empire Film Podcast. When the episode aired, Wright took to Twitter to share a list of the British films mentioned by Tarantino. For any potential moviemakers in the British Isles, hoping to get a view on what one of the best modern directors loves to watch from Britain, this was a goldmine.
This list includes gritty gangster movies, globetrotting wartime dramas, and noir thrillers set to pulsating jazz soundtracks. When read in order, Tarantino’s selection seems to trace the evolution of British cinema from the war to the swinging ’60s. So, let’s take a closer look.
The first film Tarantino mentions is 1939’s The Saint In London, directed by John Paddy Carstairs, the son of revered stage actor Nelson Keys. Incredibly prolific, Carstairs worked on a dizzying 24 films in the 1930s alone, mostly as a screenwriter. He also directed a total of 37 films. The Saint In London is one of eight British crime dramas starring George Sanders as Templar, a private detective who, on returning to London, enlists ex-pickpocketer Dugan and socialite Penny to investigate a seedy gambler called Bruno Lang. What starts out as an enquiry into a potential counterfeiting racket soon evolves into a case to solve a high-profile kidnapping. It’s bloody glorious.
Tarantino also discusses 1944’s Action In Arabia, released a year before the end of the war. Also starring George Sanders, who moved to Britain with his family following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Action In Arabia takes place in Damascus, where an American reporter is investigating the death of a colleague. With the help of spy Yvonne Danesco, Michael Gordon discovers that the killing is linked to a Nazi scheme to alter the course of the war.
Further down Tarantino’s list, we have All Night Long, which stands in stark contrast to the gun-ho cinema of the war era. Boasting a sultry jazz score, the 1962 picture is essentially a retelling of Othello in ’60s London, where a smoky jazz club is hosting a celebration of musical partners Aurelias Rex and Delia Lane, who just so happen to be romantically involved. When jealous drummer Johnny, our transplanted Iago, decides to destroy their relationship, things start to fall apart. Daring, socially conscious and littered with appearances by jazz alumni such as Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus, All Night Long is a nuanced distillation of early ’60s London.
Tarantino discussed many more British films during his conversation with Edgar Wright, all of them well worth a watch. But, notably, one that he didn’t include, perhaps because of the more cinephile-focused energy of the discussion, was Wright’s own movie Shaun of the Dead.
It follows the life of everyman Shaun, played by Simon Pegg, as he tries to navigate his way through the work/life balance, personal relationships and familial problems – all amid a world-ending zombie apocalypse. When speaking on the film, Tarantino was clear and concise, explaining: “My hands down favourite British movie that has come out since I’ve been making movies: it’s Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead.”
Elsewhere, across a number of different interviews, Tarantino has paid tribute to movies like Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, which was entirely filmed in Britain, so can sneak into the list on our watch. The epic The Long Good Friday is another favourite of the action-packed director, who likely enjoyed the quick wit of Bob Hoskins married with the intense crime drama. A Douglas Hickox double, 1972’s Sitting Target and 1979’s Zulu Dawn have also been noted as some of Tarantino’s favourite pictures ever made.
You can check out the full list below.
Quentin Tarantino’s favourite British films:
- The Saint In London (John Paddy, 1939)
- Action In Arabia (Leonide Moguy, 1944)
- The Hidden Room/Obsession (Edward Dmytryk, 1949)
- Murder Without Crime (J.Lee Thompson, 1950)
- Pandora and The Flying Dutchman (Albert Lewin, 1951)
- The Yellow Balloon (J.Lee Thompson, 1953)
- The Night My Numbers Came Up (Leslie Norman, 1955)
- The Guns of Navarone (J Lee Thompson, 1961)
- Johnny Nobody (Nigel Patrick, 1961)
- All Night Long (Basil Dearden, 1962)
- Strongroom (Vernon Sewell, 1962)
- The Idol (Daniel Petrie, 1966)
- A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
- Sitting Target (Douglas Hickox, 1972)
- Zulu Dawn (Douglas Hickox, 1979)
- The Long Good Friday (John MacKenzie, 1980)
- Local Hero (Bill Forsyth, 1983)
- The Hit (Stephen Frears, 1984)
- Comfort and Joy (Bill Forsyth, 1984)
- Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986)
- Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
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