How to use the Index

All feature-length films are included in this Index, regardless of subject matter or narrative - scripted or not, dramatic, documentary, serial or experimental.

Items are included if they meet the following criteria:

• The film's running time is 40 minutes or longer. Silent films must be 4 reels in length, or longer than 3000 feet (ie. 3001 feet or more).

• The film has been commercially exhibited to a paying audience, even those items which might have played in a single cinema on a single day for one performance only.

• The film is English-friendly (native, dubbed or subtitled). Exceptions are made for entries where spoken dialogue isn't necessary for audiences to understand the narrative.

Films are listed alphabetically within each month, according to the schedule listed below, with each separate month given a blog entry of its own.

Primary sources for this Index are as follows:

1. Feb 1908 - Aug 1918
Most films in this section are listed according to the month they were first trade shown in London, or when they were first 'made available' to exhibitors, as listed in contemporary trade publications Kinematograph Weekly (KW) (1889-1971) and The Bioscope (1908-32). KW began listing trade screenings in Aug 1914. Where such information has proven elusive, I've listed them by the UK release date. This approach is somewhat scattershot, but I've tried wherever possible to accurately date titles according to their arrival in the UK.

2. Sep 1918 - Dec 1927
Again, most films in this section are listed monthly according to the dates they were first trade shown in London, according to KW. A small number of titles may have been screened earlier in other cities, but not so long before/after to make much of a difference. All other entries are listed according to the month they were first reviewed in KW. Adjustments have been made for those instances where so many films were being released at any one time, some reviews had to be held over for future issues. The Index restores those reviews to the month where they would have been reviewed if space had allowed them to be published when originally intended. The vast majority of reviews during this period were published shortly after their first trade show screening, rather than the date of commercial release. A small number of titles which appear to have been missed by KW are listed according to the month of their release date.

3. Jan 1928 - May 1985
During this period, all films - shorts, features and serials - were registered with the UK Board of Trade. This was a legal requirement, as per the Cinematograph Films Act (1927-85), and constitutes the most complete record of commercial cinema in UK film history. All feature length items from this register are provided here, month by month, as they were originally recorded. (NB. It should be noted, however, that dozens of documentary features were not registered during this period, including high profile items like This is Cinerama (1952). Many of these inexplicable omissions were reviewed in contemporary trade papers, and I've striven to plug any gaps in the original register).

4. Jun 1985 - Sep 2004
Review section of Monthly Film Bulletin and Sight & Sound. Not the most reliable resources, since both publications had a habit of excluding random titles, despite their unearned reputation as 'journals of record'. Again, I've tried plugging the gaps as much as possible, but if I've missed anything, let me know via the comments section. All corrections and additions will be warmly welcomed!

5. Oct 2004 - present
Release listing from the Film Distributors Association (FDA), combined with similar listings from the British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE, formerly the British Video Association [BVA]). These are the most complete and accurate records of recent UK cinema releases and brings this particular Index completely up to date.

Though the vast majority of titles have been properly identified and catalogued, there are many entries - particularly from the silent era - whose origins remain defiantly unknown. The info provided by contemporary sources lacks enough detail to check such items against modern references, which means their identities are lost to the mists of time. Should anyone be able to identify these entries (all of which are marked as 'unidentified'), please let me know and I'll adjust them accordingly. All such help will be properly acknowledged here in the Introduction.

The information given for each title is fairly self-explanatory, but here's a quick rundown:

• UK release title. All films are listed under the title they were given at the time of their first UK release. Where they differ from the original (eg. a US film whose title was changed for UK release), the original is given in parentheses (and italics) directly afterward. Where the US title differs from the UK and/or original title, that is also given directly afterward. All English titles are cross-referenced within each blog entry. Be aware that some titles reflect the times in which they were produced, and contain words and phrases that may cause offence. They are reproduced here verbatim, for the historical record.

NB. Many of the films listed herein were reissued (theatrically, or on TV and/or video) under a variety of alternate titles. For the sake of brevity, none of those alternates are included here.

NBB. Titles are arranged alphabetically on a letter-by-letter basis (ie. It Can't Last Forever before I Thank a Fool, etc.). Definite and indefinite articles ('the', 'an', etc.) are ignored, and the same goes for non-English titles ('la', 'gli', 'ang', etc.). Exceptions include place and character names, and films where the article forms an integral part of the title (eg. Les Girls). Numbers are treated as though spelled out, except in the case of films which begin with a number (ie. 2001: A Space Odyssey), all of which are listed separately in ascending numerical order. The likes of 'Dr.' and 'Mr.' are treated as spelled, which means they're placed differently than 'Doctor' and 'Mister'. If your favourite title seems to be missing, look for it under the different spellings.

• Country of origin. Most are given as abbreviations ('Sp' for Spain, 'Fr' for France, etc.), though I've striven to make them as obvious as possible.

• Copyright year. Where possible, the on-screen copyright year is given. May differ from year of release.

• Colour (col) and/or black and white (bw). All films are in colour unless otherwise noted. Though listed as black and white, many silent films featured extensive tinting and/or toned sequences. This practice became commonplace, but the films were still 'essentially' black and white in nature.

• Screen format. 3-D, Todd-AO, Ultra Panavision 70, etc. Any film with an aspect ratio wider than 2.00:1 is noted. All films with a 2.35:1 (pre-1971) or 2.39:1 (1971 onwards) ratio are given as 'scope'. Some scope films have a different ratio (2.55:1, for example), and this is noted in the relevant entries.

NB. Where no ratio is noted, most films are framed as follows:

• 1.33:1 (silent films and those originated on 16mm)

• 1.20:1 (some early sound films, between 1927 and 1932)
• 1.37:1 (following the introduction of sound-on-film)
• 1.66:1 (international standard from 1953 onwards, championed in Europe)
• 1.75:1 (international standard from 1953 onwards, championed in UK and Europe)
• 1.85:1 (international standard from 1953 onwards, championed in the US)

• 2.00:1 (international standard, championed worldwide in recent years following the near-universal adoption of digital image capture)

For details of each of the screen formats listed in the Index, please refer to our super-helpful (we hope!) glossary.

NBB. Be aware that not all 3-D films will have played in stereoscopic format in all markets, including the UK and US, at the time of initial release. Similarly, some scope films will only be available in ancillary markets (TV, video, streaming) in cropped 16:9 (or 4:3) versions, for a variety of reasons. The Index lists these films as they were meant to be seen, which allows users to make an informed choice about whatever version is subsequently available to them.

• Sound format. Silent films and multichannel audio formats (4-channel, Dolby, DTS, etc.) are noted in parentheses. Where no sound format is given, the film was released with a mono soundtrack. Again, please refer to the glossary for details of the various formats.

NB. Please note that some films were released in multiple formats (35mm, 70mm, IMAX, etc.) and were exhibited with different soundtracks, depending on the venue. For instance, 70mm release prints from the 1950s and 60s would have 6-channel audio in first-run cinemas, while their 35mm counterparts would be either 4-channel or mono. In such instances, only the 6-channel track is noted in the Index, because that's the primary audio format. Similarly, with newer films, the DCP version might contain a Dolby Atmos track along with a Dolby Digital (5.1) version for cinemas not equipped for Atmos, though only the former is noted here. Some films may have a Dolby SR track along with SDDS, but only the latter is noted because - again - that's the primary track. And where IMAX films are screened in both Laser and Digital versions, be aware that the former has 12-channel sound, the latter is 6-channel. Only the former is noted, because that's the primary audio track for that particular version.

Examples, using all the particulars noted above:

• Avengers Assemble (The Avengers) (USA - 2012) (3-D) (Dolby 7.1 / IMAX 6-track)
• Carry On Cleo (UK - 1964)
• Dracula /USA: Horror of Dracula (UK - 1958)
• The Robe (USA - 1953) (scope [2.55:1]) (4-channel)
• Wang Yu's 7 Magnificent Fights (Seaman No. 7) (海員七號) /USA: The 7 Magnificent Fights (HK - 1973) (scope)

Excluded items:

• Film series' in which each short episode comprises a self-contained storyline. Only serials which tell a single continuous story are included.

• Live performances broadcast to cinemas as they happen.

• Festival screenings.

Updated 7 Mar 2024.