BFI Top 100 British films
In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of UK film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were 'culturally British'. A few of the selected films were wholly or partly produced by non-UK companies, but were perceived by voters as having significant British involvement.
List breakdown
- The 1960s came out as the most popular decade, with 26 films, and 1963 and 1971 as the most popular years, with four films each. The earliest film chosen was from 1935 (The 39 Steps), with only two other 1930s films featuring in the list. After 1935, 1974–78 was the only period of more than a year from which no films were chosen.
- The most popular director was David Lean, with seven films in the list. Powell and Pressburger ("The Archers") and John Schlesinger had four films each while Alexander Mackendrick and Tony Richardson each had three. Six of the films were produced by Ealing Studios.
- The most represented actor was Sir Alec Guinness, appearing in nine films, though three were in a supporting role. The most represented living actor is Sir Michael Caine, appearing in seven films.