British Gems

I love British Films. I love the feel of them. From their quirky strangeness to their sobering reality, their black humour to their sometimes dark sinister slants. I lived in America for many years and whenever a British film came on it felt like coming home. I remember as a child a series by Anglia Television called ‘Best of British’ wherein the greats of British Cinema would be celebrated, analysed and discussed. The show would always close with soul stirring montages; Laurence Olivier in gleaming armour atop a proud horse, Sherlock Holmes striding through a swirl of white mist that clung to his ankles, Julie Christie reaching a desperate hand through a Venetian gate, breathing the world ‘darling’ to her soon to be murdered husband, Richard E Grant, hammering out an impassioned soliloquy, drenched in whisky and ruin, Kenneth Williams nostrils flaring, Barbara Windsor bra flinging. A mishmash of iconic moments which embodied all that was glorious and great about our nation’s celluloid masterpieces. Enjoy a few of my favourite here.

Leon the Pig Farmer

A Jewish Londoner embarks on a journey to find himself after learning some shocking news about his past in this eccentric British comedy. As the film begins, Leon (Mark Frankel) is already in a time of transition, having quit his job for moral reasons and assumed a position in his mother's catering firm. His life is thrown into even more disarray when a bizarre coincidence reveals the truth behind his birth: not only was his birth the result of artificial insemination, but a lab mix-up means that his real, biological father is a complete stranger. The confused Leon sets out to find his "real" dad, and unexpectedly discovers that he is descended from a family of Yorkshire pig farmers. Co-directors Vadim Jean and Gary Sinyor move their story in fits and starts, allowing room for countless digressions, from a torrid affair with a outrageous artist (Maryam d'Abo) to the accidental breeding of a rather unique pig. While the film proves uneven, fans of the quirkier varieties of British comedy should find Leon the Pig Farmer's off-beat tone and taste for surrealistic details suitably entertaining.

Watch Now on:

Keep in touch

Click below or contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or call us on 0207 887 2211
Designed with love by Software Major