My Top 50 British Comedy Films Page 2

I like a lot of them on that list. Good to see some love for Steptoe and Son Ride Again which is possibly my favourite film spin-off of a sitcom.

I don't have a definitive list or anything but some of my favourites off the top of my head not there are The Full Monty, Four Weddings And A Funeral (the only Richard Curtis film I like), Withnail and I, Oh, Mr Porter!, Passport To Pimlico, Laughter In Paradise, Without A Clue, A Fish Called Wanda, Little Voice, Still Crazy, Life Of Brian, and League Of Gentlemen (1960).

Wow, I welcome it. I'm also not very well versed in films. How much of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy's are in there? These, I feel, are important. I would also have Nuts in May, Gregory's Girl, Educating Rita, Local Hero, Withnail and I, The Commitments and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and I would want to ask that Being There is allowed although it probably wouldn't be. It's kind of weird, this. I never considered myself to be in any way leaning towards America but I have a feeling that most of the comedy films in my Top 50 or 100 would be American. I am sorry about it even to myself. Incidentally, my least favourite film of all time - comedy or otherwise - is Four Weddings and a Funeral. I like it even less than Return of The Sex Life of Hitler's Stalinist Goldfish. Which is amazing because that doesn't exist. Yet.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 9th March 2018, 1:20 AM

my least favourite film of all time - comedy or otherwise - is Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Yes, when I returned to the UK in 1994, everyone was raving about how great it was. So I watched it at the cinema and was very underwhelmed by the nice, gentle, cloying PC nature of it. Never been an Andie MacDowell fan. Would have preferred watching Mike Leigh's Naked again.

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 8th March 2018, 3:04 PM

despite being a massive Goons fan I struggled with The Great McGonagall

As a child, I found it hilarious. Many years later, watching it on DVD, I began to have doubts about the wisdom of my younger self. Still some great stuff there.

I've only ever seen highlights of Four Weddings etc... ,no highs and very light on laughs.

I would heartily recommend Only Two Can Play,a Sellers film set in Swansea with the usual array of excellent comedy actors.
And Mai Zetterling for the glamour.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 9th March 2018, 1:20 AM

How much of Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy's are in there? These, I feel, are important.

None, they're American productions. :) And no shorts included.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 9th March 2018, 1:20 AM

I would also have Nuts in May, Gregory's Girl, Educating Rita, Local Hero, Withnail and I, The Commitments and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and I would want to ask that Being There .

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 7th March 2018, 11:34 PM

Favourite not best. Just my personal favourites to watch, haven't included animations, shorts or TV movies as they belong in other lists.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 7th March 2018, 11:34 PM

33 Educating Rita 1983

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 8th March 2018, 8:22 AM

There are top rated films I have on DVD but still haven't watched like Local Hero. There are also mistakes I made like cutting Gregory's Girl to move it up higher but forgetting the paste bit so it isn't even there.

All W&G stuff would be in my animations list and Nuts In May would be high on my TV movies list, Horse. Being There WON'T be there on my US Movie list when I get round to it. Also it was just a personal favourite list, not a critical best movie list. Maybe Bean would've crept on there too but it didn't because I thought it may be an American production being set there and didn't check it out but just googling the dates was a chore.

Quote: Bill Poster @ 9th March 2018, 2:39 AM

I would heartily recommend Only Two Can Play,a Sellers film set in Swansea with the usual array of excellent comedy actors.
And Mai Zetterling for the glamour.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 7th March 2018, 11:34 PM

10 Only Two Can Play 1962 b&w

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 9th March 2018, 7:34 AM

All W&G stuff would be in my animations list and Nuts In May would be high on my TV movies list, Horse. Being There WON'T be there on my US Movie list when I get round to it. Also it was just a personal favourite list, not a critical best movie list. Maybe Bean would've crept on there too but it didn't because I thought it may be an American production being set there and didn't check it out but just googling the dates was a chore.

Rather than Googling dates, you can put tags around the titles and they'll link to our Guides automatically, which should already have the dates in them, and often synopses and photos too.

(Bean was definitely not an American production.)

Alf - Thank you for your replies. Points noted.

I think mine will have to be a combined British and American comedy film list of 50 when I do it.

I'm also thinking of doing a British Radio Comedy List - 50 programmes of all kinds and a Television Comedy List of not sitcom programmes, all kinds, 50, which while it might not be wholly British will mainly be British.

None of these will be done with the thoroughness of the sitcoms 100s as I'm less involved in them and will also be going purely from memory. Of all of these categories it is BBC Radio Comedy that I have most knowledge of next to sitcoms but there are bound to be glaring gaps.

Quote: Bill Poster @ 9th March 2018, 2:39 AM

And Mai Zetterling .

Ms Zetterling worked with Ingmar Bergman, who was known for his slapstick, jolly, romping japes of movies.

Quote: Bill Poster @ 7th March 2018, 11:54 PM

Good to see The Wrong Box charting at 42,a lot of people forget that one.

On TCM next Monday morning (17 Sept) @ 11.20 am.