Due to being a film buff In addition to buying physical media I have a habit of signing up for a streaming service paying a payment of £5.99 or £9.99 or whatever they charge then instantly cancelling it so I won't make another payment and just watch what they have to offer for a month.
I recently paid £5.99 to access all the films on ITVX and watch ad-free; it has impressed me.
Since Netflix seriously lacks any classics, Amazon Prime lacks British classics and so much stuff that lands on streaming platforms as "original content" is dross and nothing more than just "content".
A month of viewing ITVX for six quid is in my opinion is a must for any movie buff.
Here are some recommendations from myself on what's available on there now.
Some excellent stuff.
The first thing I would suggest is watching the documentary
“Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff” (2010)
The documentary celebrates Jack Cardiff a man who was a master of capturing images using the Technicolor 3 strip process and hails from a time when "directors of photography" were called "the cameraman"
You can then jump in and watch his three greatest works and marvel at them.
“A Matter of Life and Death” (1946)
“Black Narcissus” (1947)
“The Red Shoes” (1948)
And you can thank me later!
It's also an option to watch
“Prick Up Your Ears” (1987)
The biopic of English playwright Jo Orton directed by Stephen Frears and starring
Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina.
And if that piques your interest you can watch the film adaptations of Orton’s plays
“Entertaining Mr. Sloane” (1970)
“Loot” (1970)
If you fancy falling down a rabbit hole of some fantastic classic British cinema they currently have the cream of the crop of comedies that were made by “Ealing Studios” if you think old British comedies are all “Carry On” or “St Trinian's” you are wrong.
Ealing films are funny at times subtle, sometimes cutting and very dark comically. Many of their films are great documents of social history seeing how people lived.
“Kind Hearts and Coronets” (1949)
A comedy about murdering members of the aristocracy where Alec Guinness plays ALL the members of The D’Ascoyne family. It is an extraordinary film.
“Passport to Pimlico” (1949)
The plot is about a London-based community who discover an unexploded bomb and while it is being disposed of they discover hidden treasure and documents that indicate the area is historically part of Burgundy in France. The neighbourhood decided if they seceded from England they could exploit loopholes to have a better quality of life BUT the plan becomes totally unworkable due to the reality of bureaucracy. Yip sounds familiar!!!
“Whisky Galore” (1949)
This is slightly racist towards the Scottish but it is still funny. Very loosely based on a true story. During WW2 a ship carrying 250,000 bottles of whisky sank near an island off the west coast of Scotland and the locals gathered as many bottles as they could before the authorities could take action.
“The Lavender Hill Mob” (1951)
Alec Guinness stars in this comedy about a meek bank clerk who supervises shipments of gold bullion. He teams up with a crooked neighbour to steal gold bars and smuggle them out of the country.
“The Man in the White Suit” (1951)
Alec Guinness (actually looking his real age for a change) plays Sidney a hapless inventor who creates a wonder fabric that never needs to be washed and never wears out. This film is a satirical look at capitalism and is a very clever science fiction comedy that is very much ahead of its time.
“The Titfield Thunderbolt” (1953)
An utterly charming tale of a local community trying to save a local rail service but needing to fight the government and outsmart an unscrupulous bus company to do so.
“The Lady Killers” (1955)
Alec Guinness leads the cast in this black comedy about an eccentric criminal who moves into an old lady’s boardinghouse to plan a major heist with his rag-tag gang.
All wonderful films.
The John Schlesinger-directed classics
Billy Liar (1963)
Darling (1965)
Are available on ITVX
The stone-cold English classics
Brief Encounter (1945)
Legendary romance drama Directed by the great David Lean and written by Noel Coward
Brighton Rock (1948)
A gripping crime drama written by Graham Green and starring a young Richard Attenborough
The HAMMER horror masterpieces
“Dracula” (1958)
Directed by the hammer legend Terence Fisher and starring the unparalleled on-screen pairing of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
“The Mummy” (1959)
Again directed by Terence Fisher and starring the dream team of Cushing & Lee.
“Quatermass and the Pit” (1967)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by the amazing Nigel Kneale and starring Andrew Keir and Barbara Shelley. Simply the best old-school Dr Who episode that wasn't a Dr Who episode. It is a masterpiece! when you see it you will see how influential it has been, its DNA is all over sci-fi horror. It is one of John Carpenter's favourite movies.
If you haven't seen it watch it! If it has been a while… re-watch it!
If you are David Lynch curious you can watch
The Elephant Man (1980)
Mulholland Drive (2002)
And take it from there.
If you wanted to dip your toe into "American New Wave" cinema.
The Graduate (1967)
“Easy Rider” (1969)
“Five Easy Pieces” (1970)
“The Deer Hunter” (1978)
Are there to click on!
The wonderful contemporary western
Hell or High Water (2016)
Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine & Ben Foster
One of the best spaghetti westerns ever made
“Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968)
Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale and Henry Fonda in a rare role as a truly chilling villain.
I can talk at length about how wonderful this film is and I will at some point in the future but just now… watch it!
You can enjoy the tragically overlooked John Carpenter classic
Prince of Darkness (1987)
One of the best creature features ever made
“The Host” (2006)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
“Sightseers” (2012)
Directed by Ben Wheatley this is the blackest of black comedies. Vicious, unsettling and hilarious.
“Submarine” (2010)
Directed by Richard Ayoade with a truly dazzling cast.
This film is criminally overlooked and one of the rare films I have given 5 stars on letterboxed.
There is a fantastic documentary exploring the Australian film industry and the rise of “Ozploitation”
“Not Quite Hollywood” (2008)
The beautiful stop-motion animation films of LAIKA studio
“Coraline” (2009)
“Paranorman” (2012)
“The Boxtrolls” (2014)
“Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016)
more of an acquired taste
“Black Dynamite” (2009)
Which outrageously and hilariously spoofs 70's blacksploitation movies!
Some of my favourite movies of all time are on here! All 5 star movies.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Peeping Tom (1960)
The Third Man (1949)
The Servant (1963)
Pans Labyrinth (2006)
Don’t get me wrong there is dross on here too! I don't want to over sell it!
But there are loads of fantastic things and hidden gems on ITVX
I could easily list another 30+ titles!
Check it out! £5.99!
