Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 Coronation Parade on Oxford Street, London / Photo: EMI Music
By Ray Bennett
HMV has launched a national poll on Facebook that asks fans to choose the best British movie and record album from the past 60 years to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The Best of British campaign lists 60 titles in both categories with votes open to Facebook users until May 20. Fans may select five films and five albums released since 1952 from HMV’s suggested long-lists and nominate their own titles. Results of the survey will be published just ahead of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in the first week of June. Entrants have the chance to win a complete set of all 60 albums on CD and the 60 films on DVD.
HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said, “The beginning of Elizabeth II’s reign and the bright new future it represented didn’t just coincide with a flowering of British popular culture, it helped to provide the very spark that lit the touch-paper for an explosion in music and film talent.”
The film list runs from “A Clockwork Orange” to “Zulu” with Harry Potter, the Pythons and James Bond well represented plus war pictures, art films, epics, crime dramas, comedies, and Oscar winners. The term British is extended to include Steve McQueen’s much-loved “The Great Escape”.
The album list runs from Adele to the Who with plenty of classic rock including the Beatles, Rolling Stones and David Bowie plus the Coldplay, Kasabian, Dizzee Rascal and the Smiths but curiously no Kinks.
HMV said, “The two long-lists that voters can choose from reflect our nation’s rich post-war cultural heritage, and feature a broad and diverse selection of iconic and contemporary artists, musical genres and cinematic styles.”
The retailer said it will feature many of the titles named in its poll in a Best of Britain online and in-store promotion including releases priced at two for £10. Window and in-store displays in all 240 outlets will support the campaign in the last week of May and first week of June. Advertising will highlight a special version (pictured) of HMV’s traditional dog and trumpet with a nod to the Queen’s favourite corgi instead of the traditional mascot Nipper.
This story appeared in Cue Entertainment.
The survey long-lists follow:
Diamond Jubilee: 1952 – 2012: GREATEST BRITISH FILMS
2001: A Space Odyssey
28 Days Later
A Clockwork Orange
A Fish Called Wanda
A Room With a View
Alfie (1966)
Atonement
Battle of Britain
Billy Elliot
Brassed Off
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Chariots of Fire
Control
Dead Man’s Shoes
Don’t Look Now
Dr. No
Dr. Strangelove
East Is East
Four Lions
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Gandhi
Get Carter
Goldfinger
Gregory’s Girl
The Great Escape
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Hot Fuzz
Human Traffic
If
Kes
Lawrence of Arabia
Layer Cake
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Love Actually
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Life of Brian
Moon
Notting Hill
Oliver
Quadrophenia
Sexy Beast
Shaun of the Dead
Slumdog Millionaire
Snatch
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Dam Busters
The Descent
The Full Monty
The Inbetweeners Movie
The Italian Job
The King’s Speech
The Ladykillers
The Long Good Friday
The Railway Children
This is England
Trainspotting
Tyrannosaur
The Wicker Man
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Withnail and I
Zulu
Diamond Jubilee: 1952 – 2012: GREATEST BRITISH ALBUMS
Adele 21
Amy Winehouse Back to Black
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works 85 – 92
Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
The Beatles Abbey Road
The Beatles Revolver
The Beatles Rubber Soul
The Beatles Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles The White Album
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath
Blur Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur Parklife
The Clash London Calling
Coldplay Parachutes
The Cure Disintegration
David Bowie Hunky Dory
David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Depeche Mode Violator
Dizzee Rascal Boy in da Corner
Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis
Elbow Seldom Seen Kid
Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Florence and the Machine Lungs
Iron Maiden Number of the Beast
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures
Kasabian Kasabian
Kate Bush Hounds of Love
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV
Manic Street Preachers The Holy Bible
Massive Attack Blue Lines
Mumford & Sons Sigh No More
Muse Origin of Symmetry
My Bloody Valentine Loveless
Oasis Definitely Maybe
Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here
PJ Harvey Stories from the Cities, Stories from the Sea
Portishead Dummy
Primal Scream Screamadelica
The Prodigy Fat of the Land
Pulp Different Class
Queen A Night at the Opera
Radiohead Kid A
Radiohead OK Computer
The Rolling Stones Exile on Main St.
The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers
Roots Manuva Run Come Save Me
Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks
The Smiths The Queen Is Dead
The Specials The Specials
Stereophonics Word Gets Around
The Stone Roses The Stones Roses
The Streets Original Pirate Material
Super Furry Animals Radiator
Teenage Fan Club Bandwagonesque
Tinie Tempah Disc-overy
The Who Who’s Next