| Made in the UK |
 |
Film directors
From Brief Encounter to Trainspotting, British directors have
made some of the world’s most cherished films. Ed
Colley profiles the UK's greatest film-making talents |
| Old masters |
The UK produces talented, new
directors each year.They will
have to work long and hard to
match the achievements of
these UK cinematic greats
|
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980)
Cinema’s master of suspense, Hitchcock was
born in London in 1899. Although he produced
his most famous films in Hollywood (Psycho, The
Birds) his early efforts in the UK included such
classics as The Man Who Knew Too Much and
The 39 Steps. A film-maker loved by critics and
audiences alike, Hitchcock’s genius is still the
yardstick against which thrillers are measured. |
Michael Powell (1905-1990)
After working on low-budget ‘quota quickies’,
Powell teamed up with Hungarian Jewish
immigrant Emeric Pressburger, and together
they would make some of the great films of
the 1940s, including A Matter of Life and Death,
Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes. Powell’s
reputation suffered with 1960’s controversial
Peeping Tom, but he was saved from obscurity
after being championed by young American
film-makers of the 1970s, including Martin
Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. |
David Lean (1908-1991)
David Lean is responsible for some of the most
famous and cherished films ever made by a
British director, including Brief Encounter, Great
Expectations, The Bridge on the River Kwai and
Doctor Zhivago. Lean reached his cinematic
apotheosis with the much-feted Lawrence of
Arabia, which won seven Oscars. Although Lean
is often associated with the ‘epic’, he was also a
great cinematic poet who has influenced a great
many directors, most notably Steven Spielberg. |
|
|
