David Parkinson

A time capsule now of all that was considered controversial and gutsy in 1966.

A brave effort from Richardson with another outstanding performance from Foster.

Campion's grasp of her material is intellectually and emotionally assured, while Fox's extraordinary performance demonstrates an honesty, courage and power that's rarely attempted, let alone achieved.

A hauntingly beautiful film.

The performances are credible, but set-pieces like the water-cannoning of a procession of burkha-clad protesters are also impeccably judged.

Olivier's classic and personalised version of the troubled Prince of Denmark is still highly atmospheric and intriguing.

Although there are fine homages to Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Eisenstein and Harold Lloyd here, this is a scattershot offering full of apolitical mockery.

Plenty of mileage is derived from Dujardin's dismissal of everything Arab, Michel Hazanavicius also throws in some supremely silly running gags, while keeping the plot moving at a clip and establishing a rapport between the hapless hero and his insouciantly accomplished assistant, Bérénice Bejo.

Simmering study of a petty hood-cum-wannabe pianist succumbing to his innate violent side - but there might be a touch too much ivory tinkling for some.

Edwards and Andrews insisted on using the picture to drive another nail into her detested Mary Poppins image.

Creaky, Aged and utterly enchanting. One to be seen on a proper print if you can.

The prototype for now ubiquitous 50 best blabla clips ever shows is well worth a look. They really are a bunch of the best ever.

Packed with cultural references and sly satire, this is also a hugely entertaining comic romp.

Elements of self parody from the master of slapstick leave you yearning for the early work that made his name. But it's worth a watch to see Chaplin and Keaton in one of few on-screen appearances together.

Hitchcock's coldest, hardest movie until its controversial ending.

Insightful as ever but a little dated in the set-up and treatment of the shooting.

Nostalgic and charming romance with special moments in the extra-narrative action.

Superbly played and realised, this stays with you.

Love Jones is fun, at least for the first hour, after which the melodrama takes over and the characters stop being witty and become schmaltzy instead.

A bit theatrical in places, which is not surprising when you consider its provenence but it suffers for it.

This lesser known Kurosawa feature is worth a look, with outstanding performances and stunning cinematography.

Marx brothers anarchy that makes up for plot inconsistencies with infectious humour.

Rarely has screen satire been so bleak or so mercilessly funny.

Sour as month-old milk and with a tang of off-screen animosity in its mouth, Robert Aldrich's melodrama is still hysterical in every sense of the word.

This has a lot of good ingredients but just doesn't quite manage to pull it off. It's looks dated and Shirley Maclaine doesn't quite capture the sympathies of all audiences.

Intriguing and visually atmospheric melodrama with Dietrich doing her sultry thing.

A neo-realist fairy tale that charms without losing sight of its key themes of exploitation and truth to one’s self.

The music, even after a quarter of a century, is the film's redemption.

Pascale Ferran as the first female director to adapt this notorious novel absorbs her successful vision with a uniquely romantic vibe.

Wrongly branded misogynist by PC kneejerkers, this is a scathing assault on the exploitative nature of pornography and the emptiness of sex without love.

Accomplished and assured.

Louis Malle, possibly at his best here. The drama is subtle but affecting.

A smart and incisive look at race, identity and dysfunction in modern French society.

It might be lesser known, but certainly not deservingly so. This is a cracking piece of Brit cinema.

If you only ever see one silent film, this is the one it should be. A masterpiece.

Deftly played and beautifully photographed, this may lack depth, but its observations on human transience are deeply moving.

Warm and thought-provoking portrayal of a journey and a man coping with the onset of age and all that might mean.

This looks and sounds superb. Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Gregory are splendid. But the over-archingly smug sophistication of the enterprise robs it of some much-needed human interest.

Director Pablo Trapero seals his enviable reputation with this exceptional study of isolation and grief.

A rich and imaginative evocation of a family in turmoil.

With Pendleton inhabiting three different bodies in the course of 93 minutes, this was quite an intricate storyline for a Hollywood comedy. But Alexander Hall (an unsung journeyman whose credits included Shirley Temple's Little Miss Marker) kept the action briskly accessible, even where Death was involved.

Curious allegorical epic which was supposed to speak to Allied spirits during the second world war but was a trifle obscure in its symbolism even then.

A tight plot that's enriched by wonderfully crafted characters that each have their own key weaknesses.

Alec Guinness shines in this hilarious British comedy.

Not as depressing as the subject matter might suggest, this tackles heavy themes of modern life.

The director left France during the German Occupation and, many critics would argue, his work never reached the same heights again. But, even with its immediate contemporary relevance softened, this film alone is enough to seal his reputation, as its playful love games, satirical bite and technical marvels refuse to diminish.

Woody's neuroses are still gloriously present, and the whole thing is made accessible by Herbert Ross' dynamic direction.

Written with great insight by Kogo Noda and filmed with painterly delicacy by Asakazu Nakai, though Ozu's touch brings the magic to this domestic drama.

Poetic, provocative and unstoppably powerful. But, depressingly, it probably won't change a thing.

Too many generic tropes for this downbeat, detached melodrama to convince as a work of social realism but a strong central performance and convincing depiction of the compartmentalisation of Argentina's women.

Wonderfully complex but warmly human, Bergman's drama is one of his very best.

Meticulously constructed, beautifully played and poignant.

Compelling morality tale that works on multiple layers.

Lemmon and Maclaine fail to reproduce the chemistry from The Apartment but this slight film is not as ignorable as reputation suggests.

A true emotional epic.

Long, but engrossing and frequently enraging drama that not only exposes the flaws in the Romanian health service, but also in modern humanity.

Unstintingly raw and cynical, this disconcerting and deeply affecting State Of The Union treatise regularly comes dangerously close to caricature.

A deeply disconcerting provocation about the future of civilisation: a powerfully performed vision of an insignificant humanity.

Seminal feature from Tarkovsky, the master of atmosphere and multi-functional allegory is truly affecting, as well as fodder for countless film studies curricula.

An epic masterpiece, albeit in need of a tweak here and there.

This is not just a treatise on post-colonialism and class. Sembène boldly uses his female characters to comment on Senegal's chauvinist patriarchy.

Whether viewed as a political allegory or a domestic drama, this is the most accessible film yet from one of Europe’s very finest filmmakers.

A joyous exploration of family life that will touch and surprise.

A bleak and moving drama with reflective performance from Jack Nicolson.

The father and son chemistry give this blackly-comic slice of social realism a dose of Ealing-lite wit.

This tale of Mexican poverty refuses to lapse into sensation or melodrama.

A very thin story stretched out for over two hours, this is a melange of the wonderful and the pompous.

It’s instilled with the bite and bark of Bilko’s capitalist fervour, and has a fun line in cool, snappy dialogue, although never intending to be quite so broadly a comedy.

Demonstrating that the greatest political evil is indifference, this appeal to a world on the verge of war has lost none of its relevance.

Winning Best Film at that year's Oscars, this John Huston film typically epic with a faithful screenplay to Richard Llewellyn's famous novel. Strong performances from Crisp and O'Hara although McDowall as the young lead, gives a particularly memorable performance while the setting shows Wales at its most beautiful.

Complemented by its black-and-white photography and a moody DJ Shadow score, this is a gritty yet often tender look at society's margins.

Well-served by a laudably authentic ensemble, the director explores both character and ethnicity with a canny wit.

A typically poignant lifestory illuminated by strong turns from Dussollier and Azéma, Alain Resnais' latest is one to stir the brain as well as the heart.

Tender and beautifully acted, it's a unflinchingly bleak glimpse of life on Australia's margins.

The formula of an innocent thrust into a nightmare would fascinate Hitch for decades to come, but here he packs the tale with strong characters and important details.

This MGM classic remains the most faithful and powerful adaptation of the great Dickens novel.

One of Woody's most aesthetically gorgeous films as well as his classic love-hate letter to the city of his soul.

Forman and screenwriter Michael Weller brought a sense of coherence to the original freewheeling structure and Twyla Tharp's choreography imparted an infectious dynamism. But, the profanity, nudity and disregard for the fourth wall that had made the stage show such a sensation were lost in the translation.

An unflinching and affecting depiction of the region’s tragic lunacies.

Interesting portrait of the shallow nature of fame but overall this fails to engage on an emotional level.

Humane and perceptive memoir from Allen, with a pleasant visual nostalgia and the usual slew of impressive performances.

Although time doesn't flatter the film much, it remains engaging and insightful.

Witty, moving and visually dazzling.

Lushly photographed by Andrei Zhegalov and impeccably played, it’s a long-overdue corrective to the kind of wildly patriotic war film produced in the Soviet era.

Powerful, personal, but bombastic.

Harrowing and complex, this study in terror is not for the faint of heart.

A must see.

Witty, warm and beautifully filmed by Franz Planer and Henri Alekan, it remains an unabashed romantic delight, with Hepburn particularly luminescent. [Review of re-release]

For all the courage and ingenuity of this extraordinary film, it's clear that Caouette has actually resolved few issues and that his life is still very much a work in progress.

Ultimately, Irma Vep doesn't quite have the courage of its convictions, but still provides plenty of scathing satire on the state of French cinema.

The scenario may be overly familiar, but the low-key approach and engaging performances make this an unexpected delight.

Has a vigour, a commitment and an intelligence that is absent from too much modern cinema.

Orson Welles second tribute to Shakespeare is an often-ignored masterpiece. Check it out.

A desperately sad look at two men whose determination to rebel against their heritage and succeed in their artform has rendered them unable to communicate. Compelling stuff, though.

An explosion of garish colour, wacky detail and surreal complications, Almodovar’s very funny, urban comedy overflows with the unexpected. See it!

Douglas' teeth-clenched, dimple-thrusting megalomaniac is among his best work, while the gossipy screenplay (another Oscar winner) is served wonderfully by Minnelli's lush melodramatics.

A rose-tinted look at American history, certainly, but still a very entertaining one.

Evocative and endearing - a worthy string to the Lean bow.

A completely merited cult favourite of the avant-garde genre. This is surprisingly compelling in places.

The red-jacketed, Method-pouting James Dean steals every scene, but the ensemble playing is nothing short of exemplary.

Bette Davis is captivating in this epic study of Southern chivalry.

Having taken such pains to establish Tom’s Finnish background and its attendant dangers, Karukoski hurtles through the sketchy American section without exploring any of its crucial issues in sufficient depth.

The life and crimes of Virgil Starkwell, a petty hoodlum who finds love with a laundress, Louise, in between botched blags and stints on a chain gang.

Clara Bow is mesmerising in this ahead-of-its-tie air force drama.

This is intelligent, admirably unsentimental and utterly involving for its full three-hour running time.

Both funny and touching, this showcases Chaplin at his best.

While it may prompt some to think again next time they're in Starbucks, this astute insight into the coffee business is better at lauding the good guys than taking the multinationals to task for the iniquities of the global economy.

Ideal Sunday afternoon fare.

Sokurov's use of space, religious symbolism and raw emotion compensate for any sense of exclusion.

Dated even at the time of release this nevertheless has a comic performance from Walter Matthau worth catching.

A typical older male mentore story...told with sensitivity and perceptiveness.

One of the Nouvelle Vague's boldest achievements.

Making exceptional use of stillness and silence, this is a rather sad study of the passing of traditional concepts of American masculinity along with the landscape that forged them.

Costa-Gravas at his hypocrisy and oppression-fighting best.

Enjoyable Hitchcock spoof with much chemistry between the leads and some cracking one-liners.

Despite Hitchcock's own reservations this is definitely worth a look. Interesting to his aficionados and darkly funny and depressing in turns.

If it weren’'t for Lost Horizon, this would have gone down in history as the Worst Musical of 1973.

A magnificent comic performance and a film of genial hilarity.

A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb at times...

A lengthy, visually impressive period piece with little in the way of new material or fresh spins on history to distinguish it.

Far from an easy watch, either in terms of its hard-hitting content, seemingly haphazard structuring or its dense symbolism. But this makes sense of the political intricacies by balancing the rhetoric and statistics with everyday occurrences that give the iniquities and inadequacies a human face.

What makes this such an affecting picture is the contrast between the wonderfully aloof camels and the interdependence of the extended family, whose smiling resilience only hints at the harshness of an existence that has changed little in centuries.

Recalling the work of Jacques Tati, this is a grim but amusing and ultimately successful effort.

Dated and a little clunky but with a few moving performances from the leads.

A riveting slice of Romanian new wave drama, haunted by shadows of the Ceausescu era and never less than thought-provoking.

Unpredictable and compelling, this draws parallels between Japanese and German cultures in interesting and moving ways.

An interesting piece from Hungary with much to enjoy, only slightly dampened by the occasional clunky device.

Impeccably mounted and played, this is gastro-cinema at its most sensual and intoxicating.

If Cassavetes' hipster cine-language has lost a little of its age and the innovative improv style won't be for everyone, the themes he tackles, riffed by a masterful group of actors, remain enthralling.

Some may find this sprawling film hard to adjust to, but for those who can, it is a real find. With an imaginative plot and an amusing direction, this charming film is a fitting way to end Cocteau's career.

Funny in places but not Allen's best writing...and its difficult to get beyond the conceit.

Bahman Ghobadi can’t be faulted for showcasing so many bands, and the mix is wonderfully eclectic, but the linking episodes aren’t always riveting.

Masterfully manipulative and bloody scary.

Not Garbo's greatest but it has a curious charm.