British Invasion

British Invasion [films featuring performers born in Great Britain]

39 Steps, The 1935, Spy, 87 mins Starring: Robert Donat Maltin Says 4 stars: Classic Hitchcock mystery with overtones of light comedy and romance, as innocent Donat is pulled into spy-ring activities Advise and Consent 1962, Political, 139 mins Starring: Peter Lawford, Charles Laughton, Henry Fonda Maltin Says 3 stars: Long but engrossing drama of Washington wheeling and dealing, from Allen Drury novel. Airport 1970, Disaster, 137 mins Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seaburg Maltin Says 3.5 stars: ultraslick, old-fashioned movie that entertains in spite of itself, detailing hectic winter night at metropolitan airport. Alfie 1966, Drama, 114 mins Starring: Michael Caine Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Well-turned version of play. Caine is superb as philandering Cockney playboy who can't decide if bachelor life is so bloody marvelous. Algiers 1938, Crime, 95 mins Starring: Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamar, Charles D Brown Maltin Says 3 stars: Boyer as Pepe Le Moko falls in love with alluring Lamarr visiting Casbah district of Algiers: Calleia as police official, Lockhart as informer, stand out in well-cast romance. All This, And Heaven Too 1940, Romance, 143 mins Starring: Boyer, Charles Maltin Says stars: All Through the Night 1942, spy, 107 mins Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Judith Anderson Maltin Says 3 stars: Bogart's gang tracks down Fifth Columnists in WWII NYC. Interesting blend of spy, gangster, and comedy genres And Then There Were None 1945, Mystery, 98 mins Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson Maltin Says 4 stars: Highly suspenseful Agatha Christie yarn of ten people invited to lonely island where one by one they're murdered Anna Karenina 1935, Drama, 95 mins Starring: Greta Garbo, Freddie Bartholomew Maltin Says 4 stars: Tolstoy's tragic love chronicle makes excellent Garbo vehicle, with fine support from March as her lover, Rathbone her husband, and Bartholomew, her adoring son

Anne of the Thousand Days 1969, Historical, 145 mins Starring: Geneviève Bujold, Richard Burton Maltin Says 3 stars: Often inaccurate but totally engrossing, well-acted historical drama centering on Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. Lovely scenery, brilliant performance by Bujold Arsenic and Old Lace 1944, Comedy, 118 mins Starring: Cary Grant Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Hilarious adaptation of hit play about two seemingly harmless old ladies who poison lonely gentlemen callers. Frantic cast is excellent Arthur 1981, Comedy, 97 mins Starring: Dudley Moore, Liza Minelli Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Spoiled millionaire Moore must choose between continued wealth (in a planned marriage) and true love (with working-class waitress Minnelli). Awful Truth, The 1937, Comedy, 92 mins Starring: Cary Grant. Irene Dunne Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Hilarious screwball comedy; Cary and Irene divorce, she to marry hayseed Bellamy, he to wed aristocratic Molly Lamont. Each does his best to spoil the other's plans. Bachelor Mother 1939, Comedy, 81 mins Starring: David Niven, Ginger Rogers Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Rogers unwittingly becomes guardian for abandoned baby in this delightful comedy Barefoot in the Park 1967, Comedy, 105 mins Starring: Charles Boyer, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford Maltin Says 3 stars: Plotless, entertaining Neil Simon comedy finds Fonda and Redford newlyweds in five-story walkup apartment Becket 1964, Historical/Drama, 148 mins Starring: Richard Burton, Sir John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole Maltin Says 4 stars: Stunning filmcenters on stormy friendship between Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas à Becket and his English King, Henry II. Superbly acted and magnificently photographed Birds, The 1963, Horror, 120 mins Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Hitchcock's classic about a woman and mass bird attacks that follow her around isolated California community. Not for the squeamish; a delight for those who are game. Blithe Spirit 1945, Fantasy/Comedy, 96 mins Starring: Rex Harrison Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Delicious adaptation of Noel Coward's comedy-fantasy about a man whose longdead first wife appears to haunt—and taunt—him in his newly married life. Bringing Up Baby 1938, Comedy, 102 mins Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn Maltin Says 4 stars: Hepburn plays a madcap heiress—"Baby" is her pet leopard—who sets her sights on absentminded zoologist Grant and inadvertently (?) proceeds to make a shambles of his life. Now considered the definitive screwball comedy and one of the fastest, funniest fil

Cabaret 1972, Musical/Drama/Dance, 128 mins Starring: Michael York, Liza Minelli Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Stylish film based on Broadway musical, vehicle for Minnelli as Sally Bowles, American girl caught up in phony glitter of pre-war Berlin California Suite 1978, Comedy, 103 mins Starring: Michael Caine, Dame Maggie Smith Maltin Says 3 stars: Four Neil Simon skits set at the Beverly Hills Charly 1968, Drama, 103 mins Starring: Claire Bloom, Cliff Robertson Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Robertson won Oscar for fine work as retarded man turned into super-brain in scientific experiment Diamonds Are Forever 1971, Spy, 119 mins Starring: Sean Connery Maltin Says 3.5 stars: After a one-picture hiatus, Connery returned as James Bond in this colorful comicbook adventure set in Las Vegas Dr No 1962, spy, 111 mins Starring: Sean Connery Maltin Says 3.5 stars: First James Bond film is least pretentious, with meatier story, better all-round production of Ian Fleming caper. Dr. Strangelove or; How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964, Black Comedy, 93 mins Starring: Peter Sellers Maltin Says 4 stars: U.S. President must contend with the Russians and his own political and military leaders when a fanatical general launches A-bomb attack on U.S.S.R. Sellers plays the President, British captain, and mad inventor of the Bomb in this brilliant black comedy, Eagle Has Landed, The 1977, War, 123 mins Starring: Michael Caine Maltin Says 3 stars: Action-packed wartime adventure taken from fanciful Jack Higgins best-seller about Nazi plot to kidnap Winston Churchill. Hardly a dull moment, Easter Parade 1943, Musical/Dance/Comedy, 103 mins Starring: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Delightful Irving Berlin musical about Astaire trying to forget ex-dance partner Miller while rising to stardom with Garland. Too good to watch just at Eastertime. Entertainer, The 1960, Drama, 97 mins Starring: Albert Finney, Laurence Olivier Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Seedy vaudevillian ruins everyone's life and won't catch on. Film captures flavor of chintzy seaside resort, complementing Olivier's brilliance as egotistical song-and-dance man. Father Goose 1964, War/Comedy, 115 mins Starring: Cary Grant, Trevor Howard Maltin Says 3 stars: Grant goes native as shiftless bum on a South Seas island during WWII, who's persuaded to become a lookout for the Australian navy—and finds himself sheltering Caron and a gaggle of schoolgirls fleeing the Japanese

From Russia With Love 1963, Spy, 118 mins Starring: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Second James Bond film is one of the best; plenty of suspense and action, and one of the longest, most exciting fight scenes ever staged Georgy Girl 1966, Drama/Comedy, 100 mins Starring: Lynn Redgrave, James Mason Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Delightful, adult British comedy of modern-day morals, with Redgrave as uglyduckling Georgy, Mason as the wealthy, aging married man who wants her for his mistress Gigi 1958, Musical, 116 mins Starring: Hermione Gingold, Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier Maltin Says 4 stars: Charming turn-of-the-century musical based on Colette's story of a French girl who's groomed to be a courtesan. Grease 1978, Musical/Dance/Comedy, 110 mins Starring: Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta Maltin Says 3 stars: Energetic, imaginative filming of long-running Broadway show that fantasizes life in the 1950s; spirited cast, clever ideas His Girl Friday 1940, Comedy, 92 mins Starring: Cary Grant Maltin Says 4 stars: Splendid comedy remake of THE FRONT PAGE with Grant as conniving editor, Russell as star reporter (and his ex-wife), Bellamy as mama's boy she's trying to marry amid hot murder story. Houseboat 1958, Comedy, 110 mins Starring: Cary Grant Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Loren becomes Grant's housekeeper and takes his three motherless kids in hand. Predictable romance ensues, in this delightful comedy Lemon Drop Kid, The 1951, Musical/Comedy, 91 mins Starring: Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell Maltin Says 3 stars: Hope is hilarious as racetrack tout who owes big money to gangster and must pay or else. Lifeboat 1944, War/Drama, 96 mins Starring: Tallulah Bankhead Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Penetrating revelations about shipwreck survivors adrift in lonely lifeboat during WWII. Bankhead remarkable as spoiled journalist, Slezak fine as Nazi taken aboard. Only Hitchcock would take on the challenge of such a film—and succeed Lion in Winter, The 1968, Historical/Drama, 135 mins Starring: Peter O'Toole, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Dalton, Katharine Hepburn Maltin Says 4 stars: Brilliant, fierce, and personal drama of Henry II deliberating over a successor on fateful Christmas Eve. Look Back In Anger 1958, Drama, 99 mins Starring: Richard Burton, Claire Bloom Maltin Says 3.5 stars: John Osborne's trend-setting angry-young-man play, with Burton rebelling against life and wife, realistically filmed and acted; dialogue bristles.

Manchurian Candidate, The 1962, Political/Thriller, 126 mins Starring: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Tingling political paranoia thriller about strange aftermath of a Korean war hero's decoration and his mother's machinations to promote her Joseph McCarthy-like husband's career Marnie 1964, Thriller/Romance, 129 mins Starring: Sean Connery, Tippi Hedren Maltin Says 3 stars: This story of a habitual thief whose employer is determined to understand her illness was considered a misfire in 1964 … but there's more than meets the eye, especially for Hitchcock buffs Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House 1948, Comedy, 94 mins Starring: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy Maltin Says 3 stars: Slick comedy of city couple attempting to build a house in the country; expertly handled, with Cary at his peak Murder By Death 1976, Mystery/Comedy, 94 mins Starring: Alec Guinness, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith Maltin Says 3 stars: Capote invites world's greatest detectives to his home and involves them in a baffling whodunit My Favorite Blonde 1942, spy/comedy, 78 mins Starring: Bob Hope Maltin Says 3 stars: My Favorite Brunette 1947, Mystery/Comedy, 87 mins Starring: Bob Hope Maltin Says 3 stars: Better-than-usual Hope nonsense with Bob as a photographer mixed up with mobsters Network 1976, Drama, 121 mins Starring: Peter Finch, William Holden, Wesley Addy Maltin Says 4 stars: Paddy Chayefsky's outrageous satire on television looks less and less like fantasy as the years pass; uninhibited tale chronicles fourth-place network that will air anything for a big rating Nun's Story, The 1959, Religious/Biography, 149 mins Starring: Peter Finch, Audrey Hepburn Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Tasteful filming of Kathryn Hulme book, with Hepburn the nun who serves in Belgian Congo and later leaves convent Of Human Bondage 1934, Drama, 83 mins Starring: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis Maltin Says 3 stars: Smoothly filmed, well-acted version of W. Somerset Maugham's story of doctor Howard's strange infatuation with a vulgar waitress Operation Petticoat 1959, War/Comedy, 124 mins Starring: Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Marion Ross Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Hilarious comedy about submarine captain Grant who's determined to make his injured ship seaworthy again

Petrified Forest, The 1936, Crime, 83 mins Starring: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Solid adaptation of Robert Sherwood play, focusing on ironic survival of the physically fit in civilized world. Bogart is Duke Mantee, escaped gangster, who holds writer Howard, dreamer Davis, and others hostage at roadside restaurant in Arizona. Picture of Dorian Gray, The 1945, Horror, 110 mins Starring: George Sanders, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Haunting Oscar Wilde story of man whose painting ages while he retains youth. Young Lansbury is poignant, Planet of the Apes 1968, Science Fiction, 112 mins Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Modern near-classic sci-fi. Heston leads a group of surviving astronauts in shocking future world where apes are masters, humans slaves. Only liabilities: somewhat familiar plot, selfconscious humor; otherwise, a must-see. Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The 1969, Drama/Comedy, 116 mins Starring: Maggie Smith Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Smith as eccentric teacher in Edinburgh school who wields a spellbinding influence on her "girls." Rebecca 1940, Thriller, 130 mins Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson Maltin Says 4 stars: Hitchcock's sumptuous production of Daphne du Maurier novel of girl who marries British nobleman but lives in shadow of his former wife. Rio Grande 1950, Western/War, 105 mins Starring: John Wayne, Victor McLaglen Maltin Says 3 stars: The last of director Ford's Cavalry trilogy and the most underrated: a vivid look at the gentlemanly spirit of the Cavalry during post-Civil War days Road To Bali 1952, Musical/Comedy, 90 mins Starring: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jane Russell Maltin Says 3 stars: Only color ROAD film has lush trappings, many guest stars and good laughs, as Bob and Bing save Dorothy from evil princess and jungle perils Romeo and Juliet 1968, Romance/Historical, 138 mins Starring: Zeffirelli, Franco (director) / Hussey, Olivia Maltin Says 3.5 stars: One of the best cinematic versions of Shakespeare's immortal tale of two young lovers kept apart by their families Rope 1948, Thriller, 80 mins Starring: James Stewart, Farley Granger Maltin Says 3 stars: Two young men kill prep-school pal, just for the thrill of it, and challenge themselves by inviting friends and family to their apartment afterward—with the body hidden on the premises. Separate Tables 1958, Drama, 99 mins Starring: Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Wendy Hiller, Deborah Kerr, David Niven Maltin Says 4 stars: Terence Rattigan's pair of romantic playlets set at English seaside resort are reworked here into superb drama

Shadow of a Doubt 1943, Thriller, 108 mins Starring: Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotton, MacDonald Carey Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Perceptive Americana intertwined with story of young girl who slowly comes to realize her beloved Uncle Charley is really the Merry Widow murderer; Shot in the Dark, A 1964, Mystery/Comedy, 101 mins Starring: Peter Sellers Maltin Says 4 stars: Second Inspector Clouseau comedy is far and away the funniest Spellbound 1945, Thriller, 111 mins Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G Carroll Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Absorbing tale of psychiatrist Bergman trying to uncover Peck's hangups Spy Who Came In From The Cold, The 1965, Spy, 112 mins Starring: Richard Burton, Claire Bloom Maltin Says 3.5 stars: John LeCarre's potent account of a Cold War spy's existence—minus glamorous trappings of movie cliché. Burton is excellent as embittered agent at the end of his career Spy Who Loved Me, The 1977, Spy, 125 mins Starring: Roger Moore Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Rousing, lavishly produced James Bond adventure with wily 007 joining forces with a seductive Russian agent to quash arch-villain Stromberg's plans for world destruction. Star is Born, A 1954, Musical, 154 mins Starring: James Mason, Judy Garland Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Powerful semi-musical with Garland and Mason at their peaks as doomed Hollywood star couple, she on the way up, he down. Strangers on a Train 1951, Thriller, 101 mins Starring: Farley Granger, Robert Walker Maltin Says 4 stars: Walker gives his finest performance as psychopath involved with tennis star Granger in exchange murders. First-class Hitchcock Streetcar Named Desire, A 1951, Drama, 122 mins Starring: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando Maltin Says 4 stars: Stunning production of Williams' play, with Brando as the animalistic Stanley Kowalski and Leigh as his wistful, neurotic sister-in-law, Blanche Dubois, pressed together in a grim New Orleans tenement Superman 1978, Science Fiction, 143 mins Starring: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Dynamic, grandly entertaining saga of the Man of Steel, tracing his life from Krypton to Smallville to Metropolis, mixing equal parts sincerity, special effects and send-up. Great fun. Taming of the Shrew, The 1967, Comedy, 126 mins Starring: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Colorful version of Shakespeare's romp is well served by Richard and Elizabeth, good supporting cast, lovely photography,

Third Man, The 1949, Thriller, 104 mins Starring: Orson Wells, Joseph Cotton, Trevor Howard Maltin Says 4 stars: Graham Greene's account of mysterious Harry Lime in post-WWII Vienna is a bona fide classic Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines 1965, Comedy, 132 mins Starring: Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles Maltin Says 3 stars: Long but enjoyable film of great airplane race involving international conflicts, cheating, and romance. Topper 1937, Comedy, 97 mins Starring: Cary Grant, Constance Bennete, Roland Young Maltin Says stars: Delightful gimmick comedy with ghosts Grant and Bennett dominating life of meek Young; sparkling cast Trouble With Harry, The 1955, Comedy, 99 mins Starring: Shirley MacLaine, John Forsythe, Jerry Mathers Maltin Says 3 stars: Offbeat, often hilarious black comedy courtesy Mr. Hitchcock and scripter John Michael Hayes about bothersome corpse causing all sorts of problems for peaceful neighbors in New England community. Vertigo 1958, Thriller, 128 mins Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak Maltin Says 4 stars: One of Hitchcock's most discussed films. Retired police detective Stewart, who has a fear of heights, is hired by old school chum in San Francisco to keep an eye on his wife (Novak), eventually falls in love with his quarry … and that's just the beginning Walk, Don't Run 1966, Sports/Comedy, 114 mins Starring: Grant, Cary / Eggars, Samantha Maltin Says stars: Where Eagles Dare 1969, War, 158 mins Starring: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Modern-day version of Republic serial, with slam-bang cliff-hanger action that never lets up. Witness for the Prosecution 1957, Mystery, 114 mins Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power, Elsa Lanchester, Charles Laughton Maltin Says 4 stars: Fantastically effective London courtroom suspenser from Agatha Christie play. Dietrich is peerless as wife of alleged killer. Laughton at his best as defense attorney, and Lanchester delightful as his long-suffering nurse. Wrong Man, The 1957, Crime, 105 mins Starring: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles Maltin Says 3 stars: Unusual Hitchcock film done as semidocumentary, using true story of NYC musician falsely accused of robbery Young Frankenstein 1974, Comedy/Horror, 105 mins Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman Maltin Says 3.5 stars: Finely tuned parody of old FRANKENSTEIN pictures, scripted by Wilder and Brooks, with appropriate music, sets, laboratory equipment and black and white camerawork