David Parkinson

Like "The Searchers", this is so brilliant that the only real effect of the other versions is to make you want to watch the original again.

Less visceral than the battle scene in Seven Samurai, this is more of a free-for-all, with brute force leaving no room for skill.

Suspense gives way to metaphor in a stark thriller that hints at the work to come from master Carol Reed.

It may seem flawed in a number of ways to some people but this is monumental cinema and essential viewing for true film enthusiasts.

The stinging bon mots occasionally sound handcrafted rather than raspingly spontaneous, but aspiring actress Anne Baxter’s rise to the top over the corpse of her supposed idol, Bette Davis, remains rousing and endlessly amusing.

Tense and slick, this early thriller remains a true masterpiece.

If Tom Jones now feels something of a product of its times, it still deserves credit for attempting something new - no matter how derivative.

Timeless classic. Superb performances and the infamous shower scene make this the perfect nightmare.

Comedy has rarely been so intricate, incisive and inspired.

If you can see past the heavy-handed religious overtones you will encounter an inspired and deeply intelligent Bresson classic.

This is still the definitive version of Charles Dickens' atmospheric and occasionally creepy classic.

Magnificent examination of the criminal mind and Cagney's finest moment.

An uncompromising documentary which simply lays its subject bare and dares us not be moved by the raw humanity on display.

This is Hitchcock's longest film and also his most self-referential. Little jokes abound about art and artifice, role play and reality, duty and duplicity and each viewing reveals something new to enhance the pleasure of watching the Master of Suspense at his most mischievous and assured.

Difficult love, Nazis, and a lovely soupy plot...brilliant.

The mood of the movie reflects the exuberance of youth and the wisdom of experience. New Wave gold.

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

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.

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.

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

Meticulously constructed, beautifully played and poignant.

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

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

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.

A must see.

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