33. Charles Crichton (1910 - 1999)
Another filmmaker whose career and personality was mostly formed within the confines of the small screen and not the big one, Crichton did direct two films and participated in a third that make his name on this list as obvious as dunking your biscuit in tea. First of all there's the 1950s crime comedy classic The Lavender Hill Mob which makes
BFI's 100 Greatest, and then there's the 1988 comedy classic A Fish Called Wanda with John Cleese and Kevin Kline (Oscar winner Kevin Kline because of this movie) which also makes BFI's list and is easily one of the best comedies from the last 30 years. Crichton was also part of the group of directors to contribute to Dead of Night, a film directed in segments by several prolific directors, Crichton's part "Golfing Story" being one of the best parts.
Must See: A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
32. Lewis Gilbert (1920 - )
We've been talking about the British New Wave of the 60s and the realistic approach to filmmaking like Karel Reisz's, and now it's time to pay respect to a man who was a big part of putting a stop to all that reality nonsense and asking people to escape into the magic of movies again. Directing a few James Bond films, most notably You Only Live Twice with Sean Connery and The Spy Who Loved Me with Roger Moore, and Alfie with Michael Cane before that, Gilbert crowned himself finally with Educating Rita in 1983, a very touching story about two souls kindling.
He may have hated Orson Welles, but we can forgive Gilbert because of the contribution he's made to pop culture and what he's done for Michael Cane's career.
Must See: Alfie (1966)
31. Stephen Frears (1941 - )
Here's a popular one, and though you may not know him by name you've definitely heard of his movies. He's made a cult classic in High Fidelity starring John Cusack (who must really be thankful that his filmography includes this one) that has influenced countless of films, and has been consistently making great movies since. Dirty Pretty Things in 2002 was a criminally overlooked tense drama with Audrey Tatou and Chiwetel Ejiofor and he's taken Helen Mirren all the way to the Oscar and every other award possible for her portrayal as The Queen. Though Frears isn't anything of a big artist when compared to many on this list, his movies make deep enough impact into the culture to withstand the test of time.
Must See: Dangerous Liasons (1988)