Rentals
Working Class Heroes
A collection of films lit up by the charisma of working-class stars; a celebration of fine actors and remarkable leading roles.
In Britain (for a time at least) film stars came from comprehensives and council houses. The story begins in the socially mobile 1960s as young working-class talent exploded through music, fashion and film. In the hard-edged 80s Bob Hoskins became a popular male lead. Then in the 90s a new mood saw a series of inventive British films built around working-class faces. Beyond angry young men, our heroines stretched from Carol White to Katie Jarvis, while modern British cinema spotlit the junction of race and class.
This collection brings together the bold, powerful and provocative films that can be made when working-class stars have the chance to shine
Ali & AvaAli & Ava
Drama202094 minsDirector: Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard’s latest film is a tremendously warm and tenderly written love story.
LuzzuLuzzu
Drama202195 minsDirector: Alex Camilleri
Writer-director Alex Camilleri’s powerful neorealist drama is a rare home-grown Maltese production.
TrainspottingTrainspotting
Drama199690 minsDirector: Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle's exhilarating, narcotic trip follows a group of heroin-addicted friends as they navigate their way through Glasgow's seedy 1990s drug culture.
WaterfrontWaterfront
Drama195080 minsDirector: Michael Anderson
A tough and gritty drama detailing the turbulent life of hard-drinking Liverpudlian seamen, with Richard Burton in only his third film role.
Blue ScarBlue Scar
Drama194997 minsDirector: Jill Craigie
A stirring tale of love, music, and coalmining in Abergwynfi, South Wales.
Bronco BullfrogBronco Bullfrog
Drama197087 minsDirector: Barney Platts-Mills
A fascinating record of 1960s suedehead youth culture which is largely improvised by a non-professional cast of teenagers from east London
Poor CowPoor Cow
Drama1968101 minsDirector: Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s perceptive, personal, and moving debut feature film tells the story of a young mother’s struggles while her husband is in jail.
The Great MovementThe Great Movement
Drama202185 minsDirector: Kiro Russo
When a Bolivian miner becomes sick he enters a fever dream that traverses the social fabric of his home city, in Kiri Russo's extraordinary, surreal odyssey.
Mona LisaMona Lisa
Drama1986100 minsDirector: Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan's gritty thriller stars Bob Hoskins as a gangster recently released from prison who falls in love with the prostitute he is supposed to be protecting.
JourneymanJourneyman
Drama201892 minsDirector: Paddy Considine
Paddy Considine directs and stars with Jodie Whittaker in this emotional knockout - the story of a boxer rebuilding his life after a near-fatal injury.
Harry BrownHarry Brown
Crime2009103 minsDirector: Daniel Barber
Michael Caine’s storming return to an action role finds him as a retired marine confronting local hoodlums on his housing estate.
The Great EscaperThe Great Escaper
Drama202396 minsDirector: Oliver Parker
Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson deliver superb performances in this heart-warming story of a war veteran’s escape from his care home to join the 70th anniversary of the D-day landings in Normandy.
Urban HymnUrban Hymn
Drama2016114 minsDirector: Michael Caton-Jones
In the wake of the London riots, teenager Jamie (Letitia Wright) finds herself at a crossroads; until music offers an unexpected path to salvation.
The ViolatorsThe Violators
Drama201696 minsDirector: Helen Walsh
In this spiky and stylish debut from novelist Helen Walsh, two girls from different backgrounds form an unlikely bond, setting off on a dangerous course.
'71'71
Thriller201499 minsDirector: Yann Demange
A young British squaddie is caught behind enemy lines in bomb-torn Belfast, in Yann Demange’s riveting suspense thriller.
Attack the BlockAttack the Block
Crime201188 minsDirector: Joe Cornish
Aliens wage war on a tower block after one of their number is bludgeoned by a street gang in this witty, action-packed feature debut by Joe Cornish.
The Stone Roses: Made of StoneThe Stone Roses: Made of Stone
Performance201396 minsDirector: Shane Meadows
Avid Stone Roses fan Shane Meadows records the reunion of the pivotal 1990s rock band, in this heartfelt and inspiring documentary
Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyTinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Thriller2011127 minsDirector: Tomas Alfredson
Gary Oldman leads an all-star cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy, in this acclaimed adaptation of John Le Carré's esteemed spy novel.
The Proud ValleyThe Proud Valley
Drama194077 minsDirector: Penrose Tennyson
Deeply moving mining drama that provided the legendary American singer/actor Paul Robeson with his best British film role.
High HopesHigh Hopes
Drama1989112 minsDirector: Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh’s bittersweet comedy tells the story of Cyril (Philip Davis), an idealist who despairs at the societal changes of Thatcher’s Britain.
TyrannosaurTyrannosaur
Drama201192 minsDirector: Paddy Considine
Paddy Considine’s powerful feature debut, featuring astonishingly strong performances from Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan.
My Name Is JoeMy Name Is Joe
Drama1998105 minsDirector: Ken Loach
Ken Loach's intense drama boasts a majestic performance from Peter Mullan as a recovering alcoholic in Glasgow, struggling with his feelings for a local health worker.
OrthodoxOrthodox
Drama201694 minsDirector: David Leon
Stephen Graham is the orthodox Jew tempted into a life of violence by his corrupt associate (Michael Smiley), in this riveting and complex crime drama.
OrphansOrphans
Comedy199998 minsDirector: Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan steps behind the camera for this pitch-black comedy surrounding a family who reunite for their mother’s funeral.
HummingbirdHummingbird
Thriller2013100 mins
An alcoholic ex-special forces soldier (Jason Statham), down on his luck, assumes another man’s identity and pursues redemption.
BabymotherBabymother
Musical199877 minsDirector: Julian Henriques
Neeta and her crew rise to dancehall fame in North West London's Caribbean community, in the first Black British musical.
Shallow GraveShallow Grave
Comedy199589 minsDirector: Danny Boyle
Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle burst onto the scene with this dark crime caper about three friends and their rich, dead flatmate.
MeantimeMeantime
Drama1983107 minsDirector: Mike Leigh
Tim Roth, Phil Daniels and Gary Oldman star in Mike Leigh’s TV film about an East End family try to stay afloat during a recession.
Intimate RelationsIntimate Relations
Drama199799 minsDirector: Philip Goodhew
Julie Walters and Rupert Graves are at the centre of a sordid love triangle in this pulpy melodrama about seedy shenanigans in 1950s suburbia.
Grow Your OwnGrow Your Own
Comedy200797 minsDirector: Richard Laxton
A group of Merseyside gardeners take umbrage to the arrival of some refugees, but they find common cause to resist a devious corporate takeover.
Rita, Sue and Bob TooRita, Sue and Bob Too
Drama198793 minsDirector: Alan Clarke
A married man seduces two teenage babysitters in Alan Clarke’s mix of bawdy comedy and social comment, based on Andrea Dunbar’s Bradford plays.
Giro CityGiro City
Drama1982102 minsDirector: Karl Francis
Glenda Jackson and Jon Finch play Welsh investigative journalists covering the Troubles in Northern Ireland only to unearth censorship and corruption back home.
Brassed OffBrassed Off
Drama1996107 minsDirector: Mark Herman
Pete Postlethwaite stars in this emotional drama about members of a colliery brass band who learn their mine may soon be closing.
East Is EastEast Is East
Comedy199997 minsDirector: Damien O'Donnell
Damien O'Donnell's charming comedy-drama about Zaheed Khan (Om Puri), the patriarch of a Pakistani-British family whose children begin to reject their heritage and embrace UK life.
My GenerationMy Generation
Documentary201886 minsDirector: David Batty
Michael Caine takes us back to swinging London in this engaging documentary on the 1960s cultural revolution, featuring over 50 interviews with the key players.
Riff-RaffRiff-Raff
Comedy199196 minsDirector: Ken Loach
Robert Carlyle plays a homeless construction worker who falls for an unemployed pop singer in Ken Loach's hilarious yet potent paean to working class London life.
Made in BritainMade in Britain
Drama198276 minsDirector: Alan Clarke
Tim Roth burst onto British screens with his coruscating performance as a teenage skinhead in this TV play from Alan Clarke and David Leland.
ScrubbersScrubbers
Drama198293 minsDirector: Mai Zetterling
The borstal drama – billed as the female Scum – features Amanda York and Kathy Burke as inmates of a ruthless women’s prison.
The Angry SilenceThe Angry Silence
Drama195995 minsDirector: Guy Green
Richard Attenborough plays a factory worker who’s ostracised after refusing to support a strike, in this gritty industrial drama.
Pink String and Sealing WaxPink String and Sealing Wax
Crime194690 minsDirector: Robert Hamer
Gordon Jackson stars in a seething tale of family conflict, murder and blackmail in Victorian Brighton.
Lunch HourLunch Hour
Drama196263 minsSilentDirector: James Hill
Shirley Anne Field stars in this stylish, highly enjoyable story of simmering tensions and sexual conflict in the work place.
A Kind of LovingA Kind of Loving
Drama1962113 minsDirector: John Schlesinger
John Schlesinger makes his feature film debut with this adaptation of Stan Barstow’s novel about a factory worker (Alan Bates) and his complicated relationship to a typist (June Ritchie) who he doesn’t fully love.
Millions Like UsMillions Like Us
War1943103 minsDirector: Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat
The finest example of British wartime fictional propaganda follows a group of women who take on factory work to support the war effort.
FloodtideFloodtide
Drama194990 minsDirector: Frederick Wilson
The son of a Scottish farmer get a job in a shipyard and shows an unexpected flair for design, conceiving a revolutionary ship.
Pool of LondonPool of London
Crime195185 minsDirector: Basil Dearden
Earl Cameron plays a naive Jamaican sailor who's dragged into a botched diamond robbery when trying to help a friend.
Sparrows Can't SingSparrows Can't Sing
Drama196397 minsDirector: Joan Littlewood
Barbara Windsor’s first starring role is a paean to East End life.
The L-shaped RoomThe L-shaped Room
Drama1962126 minsDirector: Bryan Forbes
Bryan Forbes directs the Oscar-nominated story of a French woman (Leslie Caron) moving to London while unmarried, pregnant, and alone.
PayrollPayroll
Crime1961106 minsDirector: Sidney Hayers
Billie Whitelaw stars in this tough Tyneside-set crime drama about a gang of criminals who turn against each other following a payroll heist.
Cosh BoyCosh Boy
Drama195375 minsDirector: Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert’s shocking and controversial 1952 drama focuses on a gang of juvenile delinquents and their dangerous exploits in post-war London.
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