Get Carter tops British Film Poll

Mike Hodges' GET CARTER was named the Greatest British Movie in a poll of 25 British film critics conducted by TOTAL FILM Magazine, it was announced today (3). This is the second such designation for the landmark crime film, having previously been named the Best British Film by HOT DOG, another popular UK film magazine, in a critical poll they conducted several years ago.

Hodges is being accorded the major retrospective at the Dinard British Film Festival in France this week (October 7-10), where his latest film, I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD, will receive its French premiere. Charlotte Rampling, who stars in the provocative thriller along with Clive Owen, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Malcolm McDowell, will participate with Hodges in a special forum following I'll Sleep When I'm Dead's second showing on Sunday, October 10. Rampling is also honorary chairman of the festival.

GET CARTER will be screened at Dinard, along with Hodges' CROUPIER, PULP,
BLACK RAINBOW and FLASH GORDON.

The eclectic TOTAL FILM top ten list includes Michael Powell's A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH at number 2, followed by TRAINSPOTTING, THE THIRD MAN, LIFE OF BRIAN, THE WICKER MAN, KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and NAKED.

Among the other films at Dinard are Mike Leigh's VERA DRAKE, John Boorman's
COUNTRY OF MY SKULL, Michael WInterbottom's NINE SONGS and PAWEL
PAWLIKOWSKI's MY SUMMER OF LOVE.

I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD is a Paramount Classics release in the United States.
Producer Mike Kaplan's LAGOON ENTERTAINMENT LTD. is distributing the film in the United Kingdom, while SEVEN ARTS is handling all foreign sales.

© BBC News 2004