So interested that Sandy mentioned IKWIG. Anything by Powell and Pressburger (otherwise known as the Archers) tends to be fabulous. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The 49th Parallel (although a little too obviously war propoganda), A Canterbury Tale, A Matter of Life and Death, and of course The Red Shoes are all fascinating and deeply artistic (along with IKWIG). They had the gift of assembling the best actors and technical crew available --Roger Livesey, Anton Walbrook (marvellous Austrian actor), Wendy Hiller, Deborah Kerr, John Laurie, and the fantastic Technicolor cameraman Jack Cardiff. Powell's early film The Edge of the World, although clearly in the Flaherty school of documentary realism, is also of interest for its touches of early lyricism. However, I find their later expressionist period (with its wonderful use of early Technicolor) the most exciting phase of his career. Criterion have actually put out some of their films on DVD, when they were previously unavailable in North America, and I see that A Matter of Life and Death is coming out on DVD soon.

Some other great out of the way films are David Lean's Brief Encounter, early British Hitchcock, and Pygmalion.

Sorry for the long-winded message.