BFI Screen Guide - British Documentaries
by TheWanderingFish | created - 15 Jan 2012 | updated - 15 Jan 2012 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 24 chasa (2000)
86 min | Crime, Drama
Feliks, professional killer, has only 24 hours to get to the distant island, where his beloved woman and the money for the custom made is waiting for him. Lyova Shalamov and his brother Garik have also 24 hours to find and to kill Feliks.
Director: Alexander Atanesyan | Stars: Maksim Sukhanov, Andrey Panin, Sergey Novikov, Mikhail Kozakov
Votes: 214
2. Any Man's Kingdom (1956)
20 min | Documentary, Short
A documentary showing aspects of long-disappeared rural life in Northumberland in 1953.
Director: Tony Thompson | Star: Stephen Murray
Votes: 28
3. Artists Must Live (1953 TV Movie)
30 min | Documentary
Director: John Read | Stars: Reg Butler, Clifford Ellis, Patrick Heron, Ivor Hitchens
6. Kitchener's Great Army in the Battle of the Somme (1916)
74 min | Documentary, War
Documentary (with some re-enacted footage) of the British army's participation in the Battle of the Somme in France during World War I.
Director: Geoffrey Malins | Star: Beauvoir De Lisle
Votes: 459
7. Beauty, Bonny, Daisy, Violet, Grace and Geoffrey Morton (1974 TV Movie)
52 min | Documentary
Director: Frank Cvitanovich | Star: Geoffrey Morton
9. Britain at Bay (1940)
7 min | Documentary, Short
Britons rally together to defend the island against the Nazis who were occupying neighbouring countries.
Director: Harry Watt | Star: J.B. Priestley
Votes: 57
10. Children Learning by Experience (1947)
Short, Documentary
Director: Margaret Thomson | Star: Bruce Belfrage
11. The Miners' Campaign Video Tapes: The Coal Board's Butchery (1984 Video)
14 min | Documentary, Short
Votes: 7
12. Coal Face (1935)
11 min | Documentary, Short
Documentary showing the dangerous working conditions of coal mining across England, Scotland and Wales.
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti | Stars: W.H. Auden, Montagu Slater
Votes: 353
13.
Cutting Edge (1990–2017)
Episode:
The Complainers
(1997)
Documentary
A look at the lives and opinions of three consumer crusaders who stand up for the rights of dissatisfied customers everywhere.
Director: Dominic Savage | Stars: Alan Birkin, Barry Ritchie, David Walsh
14. The Conquest of Everest (1953)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Adventure
Documentary that covers the famous and successful expedition of the Everest conquest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, the first climbers to reach its peak.
Director: George Lowe | Stars: Meredith Edwards, John Hunt, George Band, Tom Bourdillon
Votes: 881
15. Conservative Party Election Broadcast (1979 TV Short)
10 min | Documentary, Short
Stars: Humphrey Atkins, Barney Hayhoe, Michael Heseltine, Margaret Thatcher
16. Crowd Bites Wolf (2000 Video)
23 min | Documentary, Short
Director: Flaco Blag | Star: Flaco Blag
17. A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner (1910)
9 min | Short, Documentary
A coal miner says good-bye to his wife and children, and heads off to work. He reaches the mine, prepares his lamp, and then descends into the mine along with some other workers. As he and ... See full summary »
Votes: 295
18. Desert Victory (1943)
62 min | Documentary, War
The Allied campaign to drive Germany and Italy from North Africa is analysed, with the major portion of the film examining the battles at El Alamein, including a re-enactment.
Directors: Roy Boulting, David MacDonald | Stars: Harold Alexander, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Bernard L. Montgomery
Votes: 370
19.
The Great War (1964)
Episode:
The Devil Is Coming
(1964)
Documentary, History, War
Britain fights its first major battle, the Battle of the Somme.
Stars: Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Emlyn Williams, Marius Goring
Votes: 17
20. A Diary for Timothy (1945)
40 min | Documentary, Short
This brief documentary-style film presents the status of Great Britain near the end of the Second World War by means of a visual diary for a baby boy born in September, 1944. Narration ... See full summary »
Director: Humphrey Jennings | Stars: Michael Redgrave, Myra Hess, John Gielgud, Frederick Allen
Votes: 752
21. Drifters (1929)
49 min | Documentary
A silent documentary film by John Grierson telling the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery.
Director: John Grierson
Votes: 479
22. Drinking for England (1998)
50 min | Documentary
Explores the importance of an attitudes towards consumption of alcohol in English society by following five subjects through interviews, recitals of poetry, and song.
Director: Brian Hill
Votes: 32
24. Every Day Except Christmas (1957)
37 min | Documentary, Short
A day in the working class market at Covent Garden in London, where fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers are sold.
Director: Lindsay Anderson | Star: Alun Owen
Votes: 237
25. The Face of Britain (1935)
18 min | Documentary, Short
Director: Paul Rotha | Star: A.J. Cummings
Votes: 54
26. The Family (1974)
30 min | Documentary, Reality-TV
"The Family" (1974) is one of the first "reality" shows in the history of television. Modelled after the US TV series "An American Family (1972), this 12-part series documents the daily life of a working-class family from Reading, UK.
Stars: Terry Wilkins, Karen Wilkins, Tom Bernes, Margaret Wilkins
Votes: 44
27. Five and Under (1941)
18 min | Documentary, Short
Childcare for working women during the Second World War.
Director: Donald Alexander | Star: Beatrix Lehmann
Votes: 22
28. Gallivant (1996)
100 min | Documentary
When British filmmaker Andrew Kotting decided to tour the perimeter of Great Britain with his grandmother Gladys and his daughter Eden, he brought a film crew along. The result is this often humorous and picturesque documentary.
Director: Andrew Kotting | Stars: Andrew Kotting, Eden Kotting, Benji Ming, Gladys Morris
Votes: 270
31. Handsworth Songs (1986)
61 min | Documentary
Documentary examining the 1985 riots in London and Birmingham's Handsworth district that erupted in reaction to the repressive policing of black communities.
Director: John Akomfrah | Stars: Pervaiz Khan, Meera Syal, Yvonne Weekes
Votes: 270
33.
Forty Minutes (1981–1994)
Episode:
The Heart of the Angel
(1989)
Documentary
This film documents one day in the life of Angel station on the Northern Line of the London Underground in the days before its refurbishment. We see the ticket collectors, station manager ... See full summary »
Director: Molly Dineen | Stars: Derek Perkins, Ray Stocker
Votes: 44
35. Housing Problems (1935)
16 min | Short, Documentary
Slum conditions, slum clearance, bright new public housing.
Directors: Edgar Anstey, Arthur Elton | Stars: Mr. Norwood, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Graves, Mr. Berner
Votes: 341
36. I Think They Call Him John (1964)
28 min | Documentary, Short
A day in the life of John, an elderly, widowed, childless, world war veteran living all alone.
Director: John Krish | Stars: Bessie Love, John Cartner Ronson, Victor Spinetti
Votes: 90
37. The Intimacy of Strangers (2005)
20 min | Documentary, Short
You use to have to make an effort to overhear other people's intimate conversations. Now you have to make an effort not to. The Intimacy of Strangers is a story of life, love, loss and hope... See full summary »
Director: Eva Weber
Votes: 20
38. The Irishmen: An Impression of Exile (1965 TV Movie)
50 min | Documentary
Director: Philip Donnellan
39. Young Children in Brief Separation: John, Aged Seventeen Months, for Nine Days in a Residential Nursery (1969)
43 min | Documentary, Short
Directors: James Robertson, Joyce Robertson | Star: Joyce Robertson
Votes: 9
40. Johnny Cash in San Quentin (1969 TV Special)
60 min | Documentary, Music
A capture of Johnny Cash's famous concert at San Quentin prison, performed on 24 February 1969.
Director: Michael Darlow | Stars: June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Marshall Grant, W.S. Holland
Votes: 223
41. Johnny Go Home: The Murder of Billy Two-Tone (1975 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary
A two part investigation of the dangers facing teenagers, who leave home for the bright lights of London. The End of the Line followed the case histories of Tommy, a 12 year-old Scottish ... See full summary »
Director: John Willis
Votes: 19
43. Land of Promise (1946)
67 min | Documentary
Described as a 'film argument' about homes and houses, this film is in three parts showing houses as they were, houses as they are and houses as they might be.
Director: Paul Rotha | Stars: Frederick Allen, Elizabeth Cowell, Henry Hallatt, Herbert Lomas
Votes: 20
44. Let It Be (1970)
G | 81 min | Documentary, Music
The filmed account of The Beatles' attempt to recapture their old group spirit by making a back to basics album, which instead drove them further apart.
Director: Michael Lindsay-Hogg | Stars: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Votes: 6,586 | Gross: $1.06M
45. Listen to Britain (1942)
Not Rated | 20 min | Documentary, Short
A depiction of life in wartime England during the Second World War. Director Humphrey Jennings visits many aspects of civilian life and of the turmoil and privation caused by the war, all without narration.
Directors: Humphrey Jennings, Stewart McAllister | Stars: Leonard Brockington, Joseph Macleod, Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen
Votes: 1,856
46. Lockerbie: A Night Remembered (1998 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
Director: Michael Grigsby | Star: Saul Reichlin
Votes: 14
47. London (1994)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
An inspiring tale through London by pictures narrated by Paul Scofield.
Director: Patrick Keiller | Stars: Paul Scofield, John Major, Norma Major, Dennis Skinner
Votes: 760
48. Sport at Heart (2005)
Short
Featuring cameos from some of Britains best loved sports men and women, film, TV and radio personalities, the film captures the heart and soul of London and helped the capital city to win ... See full synopsis »
Director: Daryl Goodrich | Stars: Ade Adepitan, Jo Ankier, David Beckham, Samantha Bond
Votes: 13
49. March to Aldermaston (1959)
33 min | Documentary, Short
Directors: Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz | Star: Richard Burton
Votes: 49
50.
Citizen 63 (1963– )
Episode:
Marion Knight
(1963)
30 min | Documentary
Director: John Boorman | Stars: James Dewar, Marion Knight, Dave Marks, David Arney
51. Look at Life: Market Place (1959)
9 min | Documentary, Short
A look into London's street markets and how they're suffering to compete with supermarkets.
Star: Sidney James
Votes: 18
52. McLibel: Two Worlds Collide (1998)
53 min | Documentary
McLibel is the inside story of the postman and the gardener who took on the McDonald's Corporation. Filmed over three years, the documentary follows Helen Steel and Dave Morris, anonymous ... See full summary »
Directors: Franny Armstrong, Ken Loach | Stars: Helen Steel, Dave Morris, Veronika Hyks, Mike Love
Votes: 134
53. McLibel (2005)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
McLibel is the story of two ordinary people who humiliated McDonald's in the biggest corporate PR disaster in history.
Directors: Ken Loach, Franny Armstrong | Stars: Helen Steel, Dave Morris, Bruce Alexander, Anita Anand
Votes: 2,168 | Gross: $0.00M
55. Morning in the Streets (1959 TV Movie)
35 min | Documentary
A study of the people of a northern city and their attitudes to the arrival of a new day.
Directors: Roy Harris, Denis Mitchell
Votes: 56
56. Moslems in Britain: Cardiff (1961)
19 min | Documentary, Short
Perky presenter Gamal Kinnay extols the joys of industrial Cardiff, in this recruitment film designed to encourage Arab workers to come to Britain.
Director: J. Fares
57.
This Week (1956–1992)
Episode:
The Negro Next Door
(1965)
30 min | News
Director: Peter Robinson | Stars: Desmond Wilcox, Bill Morton, Margaret Grogan, Edward Grogan
58. Night Mail (1936)
Approved | 25 min | Short, Documentary
Shows the special train on which mail is sorted, dropped and collected on the run, and delivered in Scotland overnight.
Directors: Harry Watt, Basil Wright | Stars: Arthur Clark, John Grierson, Stuart Legg, Robert Rae
Votes: 1,458
59. The Nightcleaners (1975)
90 min | Documentary
"Night Cleaners" is set in the context of the campaign (1970-1972) to unionize the women who cleaned office blocks at night and were being victimized and underpaid. Intending at the outset ... See full summary »
Directors: Marc Karlin, Mary Kelly, James Scott, Humphrey Trevelyan | Stars: Sally Alexander, Ann Burnett, May Hobbs, Marc Karlin
Votes: 32
60. The Punk Rock Movie from England (1978)
R | 86 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78.
Director: Don Letts | Stars: Soo Catwoman, Steve Strange, Robin Banks, Mark Perry
Votes: 313
61. A Queen Is Crowned (1953)
TV-G | 82 min | Documentary, History
A lavish documentary film of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Votes: 181
63. Strijd zonder einde (1955)
27 min | Documentary, Short
Documentary about mankind's struggle with insects. English title: The Rival World.
Director: Bert Haanstra
Votes: 44
64. Royal Family (1969)
110 min | Documentary
Intimate portrait of the daily life of the British Royal Family drawn from 18 months of filming within Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral.
Director: Richard Cawston | Stars: Walter Annenberg, King Charles III, Michael Flanders, Robert Gordon Menzies
Votes: 82
65. Seven Up! (1964 TV Movie)
40 min | Documentary, Biography, Reality-TV
In this the first installment, we get a chance to meet some of the individuals who took on the responsibility of the 7 Up project, 21-years-ago - Tony, Bruce, Suzi, Nick and Peter.
Director: Paul Almond | Stars: Douglas Keay, Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett, Symon Basterfield
Votes: 4,364
66. The Shadow of Progress (1970)
Not Rated | 24 min | Short
Documenting the pollution of natural resources and the misuse of technology.
Director: Derek Williams
Votes: 22
67.
The Power of Nightmares (2004)
Episode:
The Shadows in the Cave
(2004)
60 min | Documentary, History
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden, Tony Blair, Jason Burke
Votes: 116
68. Snow (1963)
9 min | Documentary, Short
Documental account of trains, railway workers, passengers and landscapes in the winter of 1963 in the UK (The Big Freeze).
Director: Geoffrey Jones
Votes: 346
69. The Song of Ceylon (1934)
38 min | Short, Documentary
A short film which documents the lives of the Sinhalese people.
Director: Basil Wright | Star: Lionel Wendt
Votes: 439
70. Song of the People (1945)
29 min | Documentary, Short, History
How common people have had an influence on the history of Great Britain, told through music and song.
Director: Maxwell Munden | Stars: John Laurie, Bill Owen
71. South (1919)
TV-G | 88 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
The story of the 1914-1916 Antarctic exploration mission of Sir Ernest Shackleton. The ship sails south, breaking the ice, and ultimately getting trapped by the fast-changing weather. The ... See full summary »
Director: Frank Hurley | Stars: Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley, J. Stenhouse, L. Hussey
Votes: 613
73. Sunday by the Sea (1951)
11 min | Documentary, Short
In 1951, Southend On Sea was a popular day out for trippers from London, who are seen here enjoying a very British day at the seaside. The film has no dialogue and is set to music hall songs.
Director: Anthony Simmons
Votes: 21
74.
Life in the Undergrowth (2005)
Episode:
Supersocieties
(2005)
TV-G | 51 min | Documentary
Some invertebrates have overcome the limitation of their small size by banding together in huge numbers. Many of these societies are so fine-tuned in the way they operate it's as if they ... See full summary »
Star: David Attenborough
Votes: 97
75. Television Comes to London (1936 TV Short)
18 min | Documentary, Short
In this film, specially taken for the BBC, viewers are given an idea of the growth of the television installation at Alexandra Palace and an insight into production routine. There will be ... See full summary »
Stars: Leslie Mitchell, Adele Dixon, The BBC Television Orchestra
Votes: 13
76. Time Is (1964)
29 min | Short
Produced by the Nuffiled Foundation of Unit for the History of ideas, Time Is, directed by Don Levy (Herostratus), is an experimental collage film looking at the scientific problems ... See full summary »
Director: Don Levy
Votes: 31
77. To-Day We Live: A Film of Life in Britain (1937)
23 min | Documentary, Short
Taking a look at British rural working-class life in the 1930's.
Directors: Ralph Bond, Ruby Grierson | Star: Howard Marshall
Votes: 11
78. Touching the Void (2003)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron
Votes: 38,118 | Gross: $4.59M
79. Tracking Down Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher (1994)
87 min | Documentary, Biography
Kamikaze documentarian Nick Broomfield unleashes his bothersome Brit persona on the Iron Lady in this hilariously revealing film. The result is ninety minutes of the filmmaker being ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Broomfield | Stars: Nick Broomfield, Margaret Thatcher, Ari Ben-Menashe, Elizabeth Buchanan
Votes: 197
80. The Vanishing Street (1962)
20 min | Documentary, Short
Focus on the Jewish community in a dying part of Britain's capital.
Director: Robert Vas
Votes: 55
81. Western Approaches (1944)
83 min | Drama, War
A wartime film, made under the auspices of the Crown Film Unit, serving as a tribute to the Merchant Navy. During WWII, they kept the lifeline to America and the Commonwealth open so that ... See full summary »
Director: Pat Jackson | Stars: Eric Fullerton, Duncan MacKenzie, W. Kerr, Eric Baskeyfield
Votes: 157
82. Westward Ho! (1940)
8 min | Short, War
'Westward Ho!' (1940) was the first of many government-sponsored 'five-minuters': short, specific and urgent public information films, distributed free to cinemas. This one was made by a ... See full summary »
Director: Thorold Dickinson | Star: Donald Bull
Votes: 22
83. Wisdom of the Wild (1940)
Short, Documentary
Wartime public information film about rationing with a fun mixture of natural history.
Director: Mary Field | Star: E.V.H. Emmett
Votes: 7
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