There are too many films to name when thinking of the best of British. In fact, Britain has been responsible for a large number of popular films, being the second largest exporter of cinema content. We are a major global player in the film industry so picking the top pictures to come out of the country is no easy feat. IMDb have compiled a list of The 50 Best British Movies of All Time. Here are the top 10:

10. The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day is a 1993 drama film adapted from the Booker Prize–winning 1989 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory, and stars Anthony Hopkins as James Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton, with James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, Ben Chaplin, and Lena Headey in supporting roles. The film’s synopsis reads: “Stevens is a butler who serves his master at great personal cost. However, when he learns of his employer’s Nazi leanings, he has to make the choice to stay or leave.”

9. Doctor Zhivago

Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 epic historical romance film directed by David Lean with a screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on the 1957 novel by Boris Pasternak. The film stars Omar Sharif in the title role as Yuri Zhivago, a married physician and poet whose life is altered by the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war, and Julie Christie as his lover Lara Antipova. The film’s synopsis reads: “Amid World War I, Dr. Yuri Zhivago, a physicist and poet, tries to fight his inner demons when he is attracted to a woman despite being married to the love of his life.”

8. Don’t Look Now

Don’t Look Now is a 1973 English-language thriller film directed by Nicolas Roeg, adapted from the 1971 short story by Daphne du Maurier. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland star in the movie. The film’s story follows: “A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.”

7. Trainspotting

Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. Based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996. The film’s synopsis reads: “Renton is profoundly immersed in the narcotic circuit in Edinburgh. He endeavours to purify himself and quit consuming drugs notwithstanding the allure of the drugs and the potent influence of pals.”

6. The Third Man

The Third Man is a 1949 British-American film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. The film’s plot reads: “Novelist Holly arrives in Vienna at the invitation of his friend Harry only to learn that Harry has died. Unable to accept the inconsistent stories surrounding his death, he decides to probe the case.”

5. Brief Encounter

Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic tragedy film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life. The film stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in lead roles, alongside Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg and Margaret Barton. The film’s plot reads: “Laura Jesson, a jaded suburban wife, meets Dr Alec Harvey while on a shopping trip to a nearby town. Their relationship develops through mixed emotions and difficult choices.”

4. A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel. The film employs disturbing and violent themes to comment on psychiatry, juvenile delinquency, youth gangs, and broader social, political, and economic issues in a dystopian near-future Britain. The film’s synopsis states: “Alex, a psychopathic delinquent, is imprisoned for murder and rape. In order to reduce his sentence, he volunteers for an experimental therapy conducted by the government, but it goes askew.”

3. The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes is a 1948 British dance drama film written, produced and directed by the duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It follows Victoria Page (Moira Shearer), an aspiring ballerina who joins the world-renowned Ballet Lermontov, owned and operated by Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook), who tests her dedication to the ballet by making her choose between her career and her romance with composer Julian Craster (Marius Goring). The synopsis follows: “A young ballerina is torn between her art and her romance with a young composer.”

2. Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon is a 1975 historical drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray. It was narrated by Michael Hordern, and stars Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard Rossiter and Hardy Krüger. The film’s synopsis reads: “Barry, an Irish rogue, gets into a relationship with a rich widow and cheats his way to the top of the 18th-century British society, by assuming the identity of her dead husband.”

1. Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 epic biographical adventure drama film directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through the latter’s British company Horizon Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom (also known as Revolt in the Desert). It stars Peter O’Toole as Lawrence with Alec Guinness playing Prince Faisal. A summary of the film’s plot reads: “Lawrence, a lieutenant in the British Army, is asked by Colonel Brighton to moderately assess Faisal, their ally. Lawrence is impressed with Faisal and seeks his help to plan an attack on the enemy.”