Movies

British films are definitely among the best in the world. Not only do such films emphasise and embody artistic taste and finesse, such films do also highlight the cultural and historical identity of the British. In addition, British cinema in general also expresses a sense of global character specifically, the presence of foreign actors and actresses, especially during the beginnings of British cinema, has become an undeniable characteristic of such films (Leach, 2004). Furthermore, British films also reflect political and societal needs and trends in Britain. In fact, the cinema may even be perceived as an attempt to empower the population and to attain worldwide relevance. The establishment and continuous progress of British cinema may be regarded as a means to maintain a substantial similarity with Hollywood and art films as well (Leach, 2004). Assessing and ranking British films should be accomplished while taking into consideration its properties as aforementioned. Therefore, it would certainly be a worthwhile pursuit to discuss whether Britains 100 Greatest Films as released by the British Film Institute (BFI) is a suitable ranking of such films.  

Upon browsing through this list of films, it is rather interesting to note that a number of films near the top of the ranking are rather commonly shown and viewed throughout various means. Personally however, having appreciated a number of films included in BFIs list, it is still undeniable that appropriate knowledge regarding a vast majority of such films is still lacking. Thus, although the rankings should be considered as a list of the most excellent examples of British capabilities in relation to media and the cinema, it does not imply that such films are among the most viewed. A probable explanation for such would be in terms of the time wherein certain films have been made and released for public appreciation. Whilst certain films may have attained unparalleled acclaim during premier release, if it was originally shown decades ago then it would only be appropriate to expect that the chances of individuals to view it is quite lower. In general and from a personal standpoint, personal viewing may encompass certain timeless classics, but it would indeed be impossible to be able to appreciate all the British films that are considered to be among the greatest.

To be more specific, it is necessary to further expound upon the films that have been appreciated firsthand. Based on the modules, the movie We are the Lambeth boys (K. Reisz, 1959) is one of the films included in the rankings that have been personally viewed at least once. The movie was rated abased on their views directing viewers attention and sympathies and also indicates disinctive affluence. Most of the movies in the old times are said to be  interms of exploitation anf social problems, which means as to how such films have been viewed quite differ though. Another example is the The Blue Lamp (Basil Dearden, 1950) which represented a community under threat from Americanised youth who are out of control living only for their own pleasure and interests. This movies have shown the actual locations that were able to provide the explosive violence and sexuality linked to signify the Americanisation. Some of the more recent films, on the other hand, have of course been seen in theatres as there was an opportunity to do so. Intentions for watching the films listed above also differ. Specifically, decisions to watch certain films either depended on personal interest as brought forth by public perception and opinion or the continuous and specific suggestions from family and peers. Hence, seeking out such films may indeed be a common endeavour. One may not necessarily decide to watch the aforementioned films due to individual decisions for appreciation but instead opting to view such films is mainly due to suggestions.

Given that the rationale behind the ranking process is simply to arrange films according to impact not only within the film industry but throughout the country (BFI, 2006), then it may be appropriately stated that the manner of selection and ranking may have been properly driven. In relation to this, it is vital to further determine whether the inclusions are indeed worthy of praise so as to be considered to be among the best and most relevant of British films. In order to do so, browsing through the views of critics and experts in the field of British cinema would be required which would be properly accomplished through the use of literature. For instance, Mayer (2003) pointed out certain films as among the most notable throughout the history of British cinema an example of this can be those films that showed importance to differect aspects of humanities, such as Teddy boys (1950s), Expresso bongo (V. Guest, 1960), Beat girl (E. Greville, 1960) and Sapphire (B. Dearden, 1959) as among the best examples of British film success and acclaim. Of course, such films are interestingly part of the BFIs rankings as well. To further expound upon the appropriateness of the list, it would also be essential to further emphasise the global success of David Leans works. It is undeniable that the top 10 of BFIs list is dominated by Leans pursuits, which has even gained considerable praise even and garnered awards in the Oscars (Levy, 2003).        

Whilst the inclusions may be considered as justifiable if not entirely appropriate, it would still be vital to further assess the lists exclusions. The main criterion which may delimit the results of the survey, from which the ranking would be established, was the span of time. Specifically, among the main instructions of the survey was that the films to be considered should have been produced within the 20th century (BFI, 2006). Hence, films which may have been produced and shown throughout the 1800s would not have been included in the list. Understandably though, British cinema was still at its earliest or initial phases throughout the latter parts of the 19th century furthermore, perfecting the motion picture technology or rather attaining efficient functionality was still the theme of endeavours from this point in history (Low  Manvell, 1997). In this sense, limiting the list to films made throughout the 20th century and not considering works which may have been developed outside the aforesaid period would not have possibly resulted in detrimental outcomes. As a matter of fact, experts claim that the greatest sales and activity in British cinema took place prior to the 1950s to further expound, it is also an established fact that such success was mainly due to the support of the working class to the film industry (Nelmes, 2003).

Given that both inclusion and exclusion criteria are properly established and allow for a broad selection of British films to be included, which as may be argued reflects the golden age of British cinema, then it is definitely correct to state that the resulting rankings or the ranking order are sufficient for its basic purpose. Despite the lack of clarifications and specific detail regarding the aspects which should serve as the basis for ranking and selection, it is still important to take into account that the individuals who were given the chance to rank the films were without a doubt knowledgeable and experienced in relation to the film industry. In this sense, considerations pertaining to the impact of a certain film would most likely be based upon general factors commonly highlighted in the industry. Creative and commercial success, two of the main aspects taken into account in the historically informal approach of film rankings by experts (Caves, 2000), would have been among the main considerations used. Therefore, whilst specific information pertaining to the ranking process may be lacking, it would still be proper to consider such rankings as correctly established.

As noted beforehand, given the length of BFIs list it would be virtually impossible for one to view and evaluate each film. As a matter of fact, from a personal perspective, the number of films viewed may not even account to a tenth of the total number of films included in the list. Despite not having seen most of the films from the list, it would still not be appropriate to immediately assume that personal preferences has been the main reason for such. In relation to this, certain films albeit being highly suggested by peers due to a myriad of reasons, are no longer as easily acquired or accessed. As one may expect though, certain films despite being available may not have been viewed due to some factors that affects the movie. For example, in the module, The Servant (J. losey, 1963)  showed anti-naturalistic acing and cinematography, that  serve as a hindrance for viewing it. Specifically, upon reading through the plot and having understood the main storyline of the film, sufficient interest upon the film still has not been established. Although this film may have been the foremost example given to express such a point, it is most likely that other films have been personally regarded in the same manner. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to reiterate that such biases could not account for all the films from the list that have not been viewed.

Questions qualification of the individuals who contributed to the establishment of the rankings, through the process of voting, would of course arise, and thus, further clarifications must be provided. In particular, a thousand respondents were involved in the voting and rank selection process such respondents were not in any way amateurs in film appreciation but were entirely composed of experts such as producers, scholars, critics, actors, and writers (BFI, 2006). Given such insights into the composition of those who voted and contributed to the rankings, it is indeed appropriate to conclude that highly qualified individuals have been solely considered throughout the pursuit to rank Britains greatest films. Of course, the most apparent reason for selecting the aforesaid individuals in attempting to establish a rank of Britains films would be to appropriately derive reliable results. Well informed and knowledgeable respondents would be able to arrive at proper conclusions regarding the question of which film is better. To explain, the act of developing a proper critique of a film is definitely unlike that of common means of reporting the films aspects it is most important that the individual would not be able to understand complex terminologies in film evaluation but also possess the ability to intelligently comprehend and respond to the underlying contexts of each film (Rosenbaum, 1995).  

To reiterate, assuming that it is indeed factual that the aforesaid experts and knowledgeable individuals in the field of British cinema have been considered as the main respondents for establishing a ranking of British films, then it can be inferred that the required competencies for such an endeavour have not been compromised. However, it would also be appropriate to highlight the significance of the evaluative criteria so as to determine whether the rankings are indeed reliable. As previously noted, the information provided by the BFI about the evaluation criteria is rather limited. Specifically, the main criteria for selection merely focus on the need for films to be evaluated and ranked based on being able to leave a strong and lasting impression (BFI, 2006). Hence, it may seem that the evaluation criteria may simply be too general to be able to generate reliable outcomes. Also, the meaning of such terms may differ from one individual to another, implying a sense of vagueness with such instructions. However, given that competent individuals solely comprise the group of respondent, then such concern would have been significantly minimised. The extensive number of respondents may have also positively contributed to the reliability of the outcome of the survey.

Basically, throughout the discussion, it is evident that considerable objections to the British film rankings released by the BFI have not been expressed. The main reason for this is that it is undeniable that the established ranking are in accordance or quite similar to the rankings of critics as derived from literature. Also, the type of respondents considered for the survey is highly qualified for such task. Personally, having seen a number of films that are included in BFIs list and being completely satisfied with such films further prove that only the best and most relevant of films throughout the history of British cinema have been included. However, as noted from the discussion, personal preferences do play a role in determining whether a specific film would either be given praise or merely left unnoticed. It would be expected that such a list of Britains greatest films would not result in unifying the views of both casual and expert film critiques alike but would instead serve as a potential means of reference for future discussions (BFI, 2006). Therefore, while it is a worthwhile and interesting endeavour to establish a ranking of British films, encompassing and integrating the views of the whole population through such means is still an impossibility.