Throwback Thursday: To mark 'Brexit', immerse yourself in these British films

On Thursday, 23 June, millions of Britons begin voting in the historic referendum popularly known as “Brexit” that will decide whether or not Britain will continue to be part of the European Union. With 23 June being the deciding day that will shape British-European relations in the years to come, what better way to mark the occasion than by immersing yourself in these true-blue British movies?

Other than Shakespearean soliloquies and the many versions of Sherlock Holmes, here are a few films that will help you understand the land of Harry Potter a whole lot better:

Kes (1969)

Kes, based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, tells us the story of a working class preteen, whose life turns around when he starts taking care of and training a kestrel falcon. Caught in the biased educational system, the kestrel is a symbol of hope for his freedom.

Kes, directed by Ken Loach, was a very low budget production, made using local people as his actors. Although it was a commercial failure, Kes’ story of the coming-of-age of a poverty-stricken boy coupled with Loach’s impressive storytelling make it a definite hit.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange was set in a dystopian future Britain, with the charismatic protagonist Alex DeLarge in jail. A sociopath by nature, he volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in a bid to solve society’s crime problem. The therapy doesn’t go as planned and DeLarge sets out on a crime spree with his group of friends. Though the film glamourises a sort of amoral violence, it ends with a vague Orwellian warning — this can be the future.

John Alcott’s cinematography helped set the tone of future Britian: It’s dismal and bleak, showed by the sparsely lit scenes that mirror noir movies. Violence, which is the central theme of the film, is filmed in a glamorous and distorted way to match Alex’s detachment from his psychopathic behaviour.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

The British comedy crew reunite with Michael Palin, leading the group’s first cinematographic attempt at satire. When King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Holy Grail, they encounter many obstacles. While the production values are definitely low-budget, the film has become a benchmark for comedians to base their satire on.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Nothing could possibly be more British than Hugh Grant, Richard Curtis, John Hannah, Kristin Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson, all together in one movie. The only thing that could have given this film more Brit value is if Colin Firth was in it, in full Mr Darcy regalia. Not that we mean this film has a stiff upper lip and all that; there’s lots of disarming emotion in there, and not just of the sappy Charles-loves-Carrie sort. To rewind, for anyone who hasn’t watched Four Weddings And A Funeral, this charming film is about a group of friends who we keep running into at social events — the four weddings and a funeral mentioned in the title. Against that backdrop, there’s also the story of Charles (Hugh Grant) a pretty shy guy, who isn’t having a very successful time of pursuing an American woman called Carrie (Andie MacDowell). There’s an iconic scene in which he expresses his frustration with a string of swear words… in a church, no less. But an even more affecting scene is one in which Charles’ friend Matthew is delivering an eulogy at his partner Gareth’s funeral: After lots of dry British humour, he recites WH Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues’: “The stars are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood, For nothing now can ever come to any good…”

Snatch (2000)

In a movie with characters named Turkish, Franky Four Fingers, Bullet-Tooth Tony, Boris the Blade and Brick Top, there comes a point where the following exchange takes place,

Eighty-six carats. Where? London. London? London. London? Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup o’ tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary f*cking Poppins… LONDON.

Arguably Guy Ritchie’s best, Snatch. is so inherently British, you will have a hard time just understanding the various accents.

In one of the finest editing job executions, the stylish 2000 film follows ‘unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewellers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.’

With memorable characters, complex-but-easy-to-follow plot, smart dialogues, some brilliant acting and directing job, Snatch. is what most comedy-crime movies aspire to be.

The icing on the cake is that Brad Pitt plays a gypsy fighter with a beautiful accent.

Four Lions (2010)

Considering the global political climate over the past decade, Christopher Morris’ 2010 film Four Lions was always going to be controversial given the subject matter: Radicalisation, jihad, Islamic terror, training camps, bomb-making and the rest of it. This blacker-than-black comedy is the story of a group of men from Sheffield — much like The Full Monty — who want to do something different with their lives — also like The Full Monty — and decide to become jihadis — nothing like _The Full Monty._Do they succeed? Find out for yourself and watch out for the ‘rubber dinghy rapids, bro’!