50 Times British Movies Decided To Add A Brilliant Little Detail

Both Mamma Mia! movies have some ABBA cameos.

Because movie details are so fun, here are 50 absolutely brilliant details in British films. That's right, get out of here, America!

Avalon Television / Via giphy.com

I understand that that GIF technically makes no sense in context, but it's so nearly applicable that it feels right.

1. The James Bond witness.

The same man has appeared in the background of 3 Bond Films; The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981). He witnesses Bond doing something heroic and then stares at his drink in disbelief. from MovieDetails

2. Hot Fuzz and the farmer's mother.

In Hot Fuzz, Detective Andies was right about everyone having guns in the country. from MovieDetails

3. The 1917 accidental collision.

In 1917 (2019), Schofield is running along a trench, when another soldiers runs into him and trips him up. This was unscripted: an extra accidentally ran into George MacKay during a particular take, but McKay recovered and kept running. from MovieDetails

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the chain mail.

In Monty Python and The Holy Grail the chain mail was actually knitted yarn. I have seen this movie about 30 times and just noticed this detail yesterday. Not sure if it was super obvious to everyone else.... from MovieDetails

5. The Mamma Mia! ABBA cameos. "In the Mamma Mia! movies (2008 & 2018), Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from ABBA have cameos in both movies."

Universal Pictures / Via Reddit

Here's Benny Andersson in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

6. The real Dunkirk boats.

In Dunkirk (2017), Christopher Nolan used eleven "little boats" that actually took part in the real-life Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, saving the lives of countless soldiers. from MovieDetails

7. Diamonds Are Forever and the very clever lurch.

Diamonds are Forever (1971); when filming the alleyway car rolling sequence, the film crew accidentally shot the car entering the alley with its left wheels in the air, and exiting with its right wheels in the air. A small shot of the car lurching to the right was included to “fix” this mistake. from MovieDetails

8. Hot Fuzz and the performance of Romeo and Juliet.

Hot Fuzz (2007) - The amateur performance of Romeo & Juliet is styled just like Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film version (the actors wear the same costumes, they use guns etc.), showing how terrible the actors really are - they’re copying a film, not actually performing Shakespeare. from MovieDetails

9. Last Night in SoHo and the twins.

Last Night in SoHo (2021) The first shot where Ellie sees Sandie through the mirror was achieved by casting twin actors James and Oliver Phelps (famous for playing twins in Harry Potter) as the coatroom attendant/his reflection from MovieDetails

10. Yesterday and the helter skelter.

2019 Movie Yesterday, in the last scene shows a Helter Skelter, which is a slide that wraps around a lighthouse. It's also the title of a popular Beatle song. from MovieDetails

Working Title Films

11. Kingsman: The Golden Circle and the fair fight.

In Kingsman: The Golden Circle(2017), after Charlie rips his robot right arm off, Eggsy also puts his right arm behind his back to make it a fair fight. In the first film, Eggsy puts his signet ring on his right hand showing his dominant arm is his right, but he fights with his left like Charlie. from MovieDetails

12. The Shaun of the Dead store name.

In Shaun of the Dead (2004), Shaun works at Foree Electric. The name is a reference to Ken Foree, who played Peter in the Dawn of the Dead (1978). from MovieDetails

13. The Dunkirk extra who was smiling in a teaser for the movie and CGI-ed to look worried in actual film.

Warner Bros.

14. The GoldenEye villain.

The villain of Goldeneye (1995), Alec Trevelyan, was named after John Trevelyan, who worked as the British film censor during the sixties. Trevelyan held a strong dislike of the Bond movies, specifically for the ‘callous sadism’ Bond’s character, such as his post-kill one-liners. from MovieDetails

15. Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the Richard Nixon sign off.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975 Richard Nixon signs off their "no characters or likeness" portrayal from MovieDetails

16. Trainspotting and the representation of Mark's mother.

Trainspotting (1996) When Mark returns home to speak with his father, even though his mother is dead, she is still represented. from MovieDetails

17. The Love Actually opening montage.

In Love actually (2003), the opening montage was real footage of passengers meeting their loved ones at the airport, shot with hidden cameras. Richard Curtis said that that when something special was caught on camera, they would rush up to people and ask for their permission to use it in the movie. from MovieDetails

18. Hot Fuzz and the swear box.

In Hot Fuzz (2007) all the swear box words are censored, except for 'cunt'. from MovieDetails

19. Dr. No and the fishtank.

The aquarium in Dr No (1962) was fake. To create it, the production team projected some stock footage of fish onto a screen. However, they only had footage of small fish, so they maximised it. In-universe, the villain explains that the glass of his aquarium has a "magnifying effect". from MovieDetails

20. Attack the Block and the arcade inspiration. "Director Joe Cornish stated that one of the inspirations for the alien creatures that descend [sic] from the sky was the silhouetted furry monsters from the original 1978 arcade cabinet artwork for Space Invaders."

Screen Gems / Via Reddit

21. 1917 and the Sikh solder's rifle.

In 1917 (2019), the Sikh soldier is seen using an Indian licensed production of the Lee-Enfield rifle, with a darker wooden stock and a golden pin/insignia near the buttstock, instead of the British Army issued Lee-Enfield. from MovieDetails

22. Notting Hill and the wedding cake.

In Notting Hill (1999), the wedding cake in the final scene has a violin playing goat. This is the a reference to the painting that both Anna and Will own. "Happiness isn't happiness without a violin-playing goat" from MovieDetails

23. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life and the Zulu reference.

During the Zulu war sequence in Monty Python’s the meaning of life (1983), Michael Caine has a cameo, in reference to his first major role in Zulu (1964). from MovieDetails

24. Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain reference.

Probably well known, but one of my favorite Easter Eggs is Michael Caine as Fortis Leader guiding Supermarine Spitfires in ‘Dunkirk’ (2017), while piloting them in ‘Battle of Britain’ (1969). from MovieDetails

Warner Bros., Spitfire Productions