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

As the anger simmers, Kubrick’s camera remains detached, patrolling the trenches, pacing the courtroom. Terse and remorseless it may be, but the final flourish is perhaps the most fitting gracenote in all of cinema.

Possibly Lean's most complicated movie, Kwai is a towering work.

Effective melodrama with some satisfying emotional confrontations, particularly from Lana Turner.

One of the most legendary tear-jerkers of the 20th century.

In its best scenes, it adds dynamism and British grit to a genre that had previously tried to get by on atmospherics and mood alone. It manages to be shocking without being especially frightening, and its virtues of performance and style remain striking.

It's not as poetic as My Darling Clementine or as historically accurate as Sturges' sequel-remake, Hour Of The Gun, but it is a wonderful evocation of the brassy Westerns of the 50s, when Burt and Kirk demonstrated more machismo than a whole posse of Arnies or Slys.

Sidney Lumet's dazzling debut, based on Reginald Rose's teleplay, delivers a masterclass in the pure dynamism of acting, as Henry Fonda's reasonable doubt gradually sways the 11 other jurors from their various prejudices.

Whilst paranoid in a very 1950's way and a little downbeat at times this is very enjoyable.

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

Though glossy, Sirk's film is tightly structured, with a creative manipulation of light and reflection, and heavy with the symbolism of male destructiveness. Unflinching in its often ugly revelation of character and consequence, it's an intense and powerful film.

Entertaining Sunday afternoon stuff.

Despite half-a-dozen recent attempts to "correct" this biopic, Minnelli's agonised portrait of the life of Vincent Van Gogh remains the definitive movie word on the subject.

Who could ever buy Atticus Finch as the demonic Ahab driven by hellfire to hunt down that dreaded white whale?

Even though he was just staring out, Kubrick instantly mastered the crime genre. A stunning film.

Hitch's remake of his own film results in an equally compelling action thriller with sterling performances from Stewart and Day.

In 1956 audiences flocked to The Searchers precisely because it was a John Wayne western, and lapped up its mix of Injun-fightin' action, rough comic knockabout and intense, emotional storyline. Seen now, it is all that and much, much more.

A number of decent performances and a gritty realistic view of London makes this little sci-fi spin-off still worth a look.

A raw, blood-soaked glare into the seedy underworld of sport, with terrific performances by two of Hollywood's heavyweights.

The film's amazing strengths easily outweigh the odd outbreak of hammery.

Meticulously constructed, beautifully played and poignant.

A 50s horror classic that remains a gem of allegorical paranoia.

Romance novel in narrative this transcends its genre with visual depth and perceptive socio-cultural insights.

Still one of the most thrilling and thoroughly entertaining of all musicals.

More Damon Runyan than Irvine Welsh, but as entertaining as it is important.

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

A brilliant musical that still looks fresh today.

A lighter film for Hitchcock but with a wonderfully sewn narrative and some good performances.

Lesser Hitch, but still superb entertainment.

Ignored for a long time, this film is now impossible to ignore. Mitchum is magnetic.

With cracking music, a rollicking pace and dialogue that stands up to scrutiny, Lady And The Tramp really is among Walt's very best.

Enormously influential, it spawned Hollywood's interest in smaller scale, prosaic dramas, few of which failed to match its resonance.

Steinbeck himself praised it for reaching the parts his book couldn't. Need a better endorsement?

Originating the genre of 'dedicated teacher reaches troubled kids in a ghetto school', this is still affecting although heavy-handed.

Mason's urbane genius and Douglas' dimpled two-fistedness (and stripy sailor shirt) beef up a floppy script.

1954 musical that is woefully miscast in places and extremely dubious in its portrayal of African-Americans but does boast an on-form Dorothy Dandridge.

Hollywood over-indulgence at its best.

Great songs, gentle humour and a dose of syrup which is not to everyone's tastes, but worth buying to keep that Christmas spirit going until next year.

Entertaining satire from a talented cast.

Overdone and not particularly tasteful musical stuff and nonsense.

Flawless, essential viewing that would earn more than its five stars if only Empire would allow it.

Great songs, great set pieces and solid performances in this colourful and infectiously enjoyable musical.

We must salute screenwriter Budd Schulberg (his speech for priest Karl Malden in the loading bay is still stirring). Add the acting/writing heroics a restrained score by Leonard Bernstein and a striking, charcoal look by cinematographer Boris Kaufman, and you have an elegiac portrait of labour relations that feels like a kick in the slats.

Still gripping after all this time.

A magnificent comic performance and a film of genial hilarity.

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

A classic horror that warms the heart and wets the pants.

It’s a mix of impressive on-location cycle spills (the roaring-down-the-empty-road opening is still a grabber) and embarrassingly hokey rumbles on obvious poverty row sound-stages. Lee Marvin is superbly grungy as a supporting troublemaker, and his character doesn’t sell out by reforming for the love of a weedy but decent woman.

Day is on top form as the boastful sharpshooter, but she's ably matched by her supporting cast and the music.

The spectacular last-reel recreation of the bombing makes this, Michael Bay notwithstanding, the Pearl Harbor film to beat, but the unquestioned highlight is the famous on‑the‑beach adultery scene between virile sergeant Lancaster and an unusually unladylike Kerr, with the waves crashing around them to symbolise their unrestrained passions.

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]

A perfect backstage musical.

Interesting depiction with a pretty decent performance from Holden and supported by a credible cast.

Entertaining in places, if only for the fact that unlike most 50s si-fi films, the aliens are treated with some sympathy.

Tries just a tad too hard to be a classic, with Ladd's Roy Rogers woodenness not quite getting the depths of author Jack Schaefer's fallen hero, but the support - Jean Arthur as the yearning farmer's wife, Ben Johnson as the conscience-struck bully - are excellent, and some scenes lodge forever in your memory.

It'll never be remembered as a Hitchcock classic by any stretch, but that is far from saying it's the mess that some regard it as. It's entertaining, and the visuals speak volumes more than the over-cooked dialogue. Worth a look.

Definitely a Disney classic but misses out much of the darker side of J.M.Barrie's fantasy tale.

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.

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.

Ideal Sunday afternoon fare.

Not quite as fully realised as the classic Adam's Rib, but generally good.

This is a must-see film for its unashamed romanticism, its breathtaking visual delirium, the excellent performance of Cusack as the only rational person in the county and the sheer spirit with which the fundamental daftness of the plot is served up.

Incredible set pieces and songs that have entered the culture forever, this is also extremely well-paced and beautifully played. Truly one of the greatest musicals ever made.

A perfect ensemble of cast, photography and screenplay are all subtly handled through Huston's direction, bringing out Bogart and Hepburn's performances beautifully.

Kurosawa is always worth a look but this is a particular classic that has influenced so much to come, it's almost essential.

Enough large-scale spectacle scenes to outweigh the inevitable religiose sludge that creeps in between them.

The plotting - Kelly's struggling painter falls for Leslie Caron's French waif, engaged to nice but dull Georges Guétary - lacks the pace, exuberance and wit of, say, Singin' In The Rain, but compensates with fantastic Technicolor visuals..., George Gershwin's sublime music (pick of the tunes: I've Got Rhythm, S'Wonderful and Our Love Is Here To Stay), sublime art direction from the great Cedric Gibbons and astounding choreography and footwork from Kelly.

Alec Guinness shines in this hilarious British comedy.

The intricate work of a craftsman, and a beautiful appearance by the beguiling Simone Sigornet.

This is a superbly crafted, landmark film which invested a much-derided and frequently ludicrous genre with a welcome degree of dignity and respectability.

Epic performances in a movie that seethes with atmosphere.

It's colourful, fun and as surreal as Disney is ever likely to get, this isn't as good as the books, but works as a cute introduction to them.

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

Magnificent absurdist crime drama from the master of suspense.

Great performances lifts this movie above its stilted script and production.

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.

Subtle, savage and insightful but with such a big heart it is as moving as it is informative about the value of making art that moves.

With such a strong cast, the film almost turns into an ensemble film instead of a star vehicle for Stewart in his first of many collaborations with Mann. An Archetypal Western with the required cowboys, gunfights and damsels in distress, it has become an all time favourite.

Peck's tired resignation, and the authentic atmosphere and building tension make for a compelling retribution drama of the West.

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

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.

Yes, it's beautiful, and yes, it's classic. But it's also got rather a bland pair of lead characters. That said, it's still enjoyable family entertainment, and shall remain forever so.

This was the film which fixed Wayne's image forever as a tough-as-leather patriot with a well-hidden heart.

Darker and more subtly complex than you'd expect from a 1950s crime caper.

Delightful, athletic stuff with some unusual - but wonderful - location shooting. New York never looked better.

A beautifully presented tale of love, honor and duty from a master film-maker.

This has many more plus points than critics at the time were willing to admit.

The Third Man finally endures because it offers a simple thing that so many modern films neglect: the power of story...Revolutionary film noir with a clutch of stunning central turns.

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

A 1949 for-kids version of the King Kong story still boasting a lot of charm.

A shining example of everything Hollywood falling into place, and a masterpiece of cinema.

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.

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

A strange foreboding of what was to come from the Hitch.

Beautifully directed with a lovely visual lyricism, this film packs a western punch with perfect performances and a fine script.

Perfectly tense atmosphere and performances, with the sparks flying between Bogart and Bacall.

A little bit of going through the motions with this horror spoof but fans will enjoy.

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.

Sexual tension hangs in the air as the wind blows and native drums beat, but it's on a visual level that the film excels.

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

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

Although peppered with colourful, sharply drawn characters, this is Stewart's movie, instantly loveable as a small town dreamer who sacrifices everything for others. His journey to despair and back warms the cockles like little else. Enjoy it in a cinema so you can sob among others.

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

One of the greatest (and sadly most forgotten) romantic comedies ever, which has not a cracking script, but some trademark-terrific visuals.

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

Bogart as Marlowe is compelling in this classic thriller that is complex but triumph of atmospheric cool.

Beautifully monochrome rendering of a love that cannot be.

Judy Garland is magnificent in this charming musical with a number of star turns from the impressive cast.

A war movie with enough honour and heroism to make a grown man weep.

Wow! It may not be art or good taste, but throbbing melodrama doesn't come with more conviction. Even to those usually turned off by the tough Crawford, Mildred is compelling.

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

A wonderful salute to British decency and a touching portrait of a friendship that bridges national boundaries.

Superb dialogue, beautifully played and hummingly atmospheric, this is sexy, poignant and tense with some surpising humour...only the plot shows cracks...

Judy Garland's most famous role and her best performance make for entertaining viewing.

The film is a little too long, but makes up for it with a strong cast and enthralling action.

Superlative crime yarn adapted with precision and skill from the classic James M. Cain novel.

Sturges' no-holds-barred comic cristicism of American Forces abroad is still challenging and funny.

Along with the psychological intrigue there is romance and wit. And fans will enjoy Hitch's most amusing trademark cameo: photographed as before and after silhouettes in a newspaper ad for diet product Reduco.

This was understandably inspiring to wartime audiences and actually still holds up as a heartwarming story with a very decent cast.

Once the political correctness is side-stepped, this contains classic chemistry from its two leads.

Silly but enormous fun, complete with gypsy musical numbers and an insane battle royal finish.

Much more fun than its stuffy "Greatest Film Ever Made" tag suggests, with a literate script, stylish direction, a great song and cinema's most romantic couple in Bogie and Bergman.

Certainly one of Hitchcock’s most satisfying thrillers, mostly thanks to Wright and Cotten’s believable relationship.

No mere creature feature, this 1940s classic offers more subtle chills.

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

A light and lively showcase for a very under-rated double act, Road To Morocco was also unusual for its time in constantly drawing attention to itself as a movie.

A classic of the weepy genre so have some toilet roll handy.

C'mon, it's Fred and Bing! Depending on your disposition, you can take that as a recommendation or a warning.

The fun and fear, the silliness and heartbreak, are taken to vivid extremes by Walt's entwining of high art and what snobs will always deride as Disney-kitsch.

It's a tragedy that someone else' happy ending is tacked onto his tale, but the film retains enough brilliance to make us glad it's been re-released.

Winning WW II story of british pluck that manages to side-step the propaganda trap.

Not one of Hitchcock's best, but with a few creative sequences and some sharp writing from Dorothy Parker.

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

Comedy doesn't come much more classic. If you haven't seen it, it's about time you did.

An unusual epic, the first half is a knockabout comedy, but thoroughly entertaining.

Still the definitive werewolf movie.

With its genuinely cute hero and appealing storyline, Dumbo's exactly right for younger children but not too milk-soppy for anyone over eight. Indispensible.

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.

The Maltese Falcon is an unassailable triumph of script, casting, direction and editing.

The sheer audacity and delight Welles takes in flouting conventions and inventing new ones is what keeps it fresh.

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.

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

Vividly staged but sentimental extravaganza.

A wonderful picture set in a world of silly heirs and sharp-eyed dolls as remote from reality and yet wholly credible as that of P. G. Wodehouse.

Excellent casting, a great storyline and a shrp script mean that this remains a classic of the genre and one of Katherine Hepburn's best roles.

This is a very patchy affair - while some of the animated pieces work, others come across as downright insane.

Heavy-handed but still poignant patriotism in this Hitchcock thriller.

Perhaps without the shock and suspense of subsequent work, this is nevertheless another undoubted masterpiece from the atmospheric film maker, and just as essential.

This pleasant 1940 comedy-drama hit on the successful double-act teaming of crooner Bing Crosby and patter comic Bob Hope, throwing in sarong-clad Dorothy Lamour for glamour and working through a trivial plot about fleeing responsibility for a South Seas idyll.

Gregg Toland captures the open spaces and big skies of rural America, while the normally conservative Ford puts forward a sympathetic but radical plea for workers' rights and freedom for the people.

Not up there with the very top echelon of Disney classics, but Pinocchio will still work its magic on younger viewers.

Howard Hawke's finest moment.

Well, even if it is essentially four hours about a selfish, silly cow, it's impeccably well made, and should be seen by anyone with even a passing interest in romance or movies.

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

Typical James Stewart defeating bullies with integrity stuff.

Bogart and Cagney are gloriously dark in this gangster tour-de-force.

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

Oz’s influence is boundless. Spellbinding stuff.

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

What drew the crowds back in 1939 and what has kept them coming is not the film's simmering subtexts but the absolutely fantastic ambush sequence as the stage thunders across the salt flats of Monument Valley. With this, Ford transformed the western.

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.

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

Damn, damn funny.

This animated treatment does it absolute justice too. The spooky bits are suitably scarey - the production dates back to a time before anybody worried about mentally scarring the little mites, thus the "Have a bite, dearie" scene means a lot of excited peeping through fingers - the slapstick humour content is high and it contains none of the period references that crept into later Disney cartoons, thus doesn't appear to have dated. But largely it succeeds because it really is a great deal of fun.

Despite the luminous Lombard and the venomous March, this is perhaps better for its idea than its execution.

Drags in places and deosn't even try for a true-to-life portrait of the great theatre entrepeneur but it's shiny and big spectacle with impressive choreography.

Lavish pirate adventure that launched Errol Flynn onto 1930's screens and ensured that buckles would be swashed for a good few years to follow.

If you want only one Astaire-Rogers musical, Top Hat is obligatory for Astaire at his most debonair with Irving Berlin's title number and Cheek to Cheek in this screwball confused identities plot.

The script hasn't aged well and their's an overdose of the ominous, but when Ford forgets about religion and concentrates on squealer-on-the-run thrills, the film still has a real charge.

Whale's erudite genius brings it all together. He sculpts every nuance of self-parody, social satire, horror, humour, wit and whimsy into a dazzling whole, keeping every one of his fantastical plates spinning until the tragic, inevitable finale.

This is a suberbly structured thriller whose excellence is aided and abetted by a spirited cast.

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

The second outing for Fred and Ginger which cemented their partnership can be irritating in it's romantic machinations but the Astaire flair is always winning.

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

A must see.

The first Fred and Ginger feature is a little clunky and short on plot and character but a beautiful and atmospheric treat for all that.

The Marx brothers on top form with their quickfire comedy and banter.

If you set aside Frankenstein as more of a horror film and King Kong as a fantasy, The Invisible Man is the first truly great American science fiction film.

Cocteau has produced a bizarre, interesting although at times tedious movie.

None of the humans — not even scream queen Wray — can compete with Kong. But the film remains a perfect star vehicle. It prepares for its hero's entrance with hints of mystery, violence, eroticism and fantasy, then cuts loose with all the action, adventure.

A movie that could only have been produced by the 1930s studio system. Absolutely spectacular.

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

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

Unclassifiable odd masterpiece.

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

Great effects for its time and some incredible performances makes this a true cinema classic.

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

Beautiful photography, a heartbreaking story, and iconic moments from beginning to end. Absolutely unmissable.

Still a classic of the gangster genre, showing neither glorifying the life nor pulling it's punches.

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

There have been many Draculas. But the one against which all others are measured is Bela Lugosi. Tod Browning's 1931 film is stagey and creaky, but it also has wonderful, unforgettable moments.

Should be judged in context but even then it's a bit high on the melodrama and low on subtlety.

Despite a little dating around the edges this is a truly superb example of its genre and a cinema classic.

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

Silent stunner.

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

One of Hitchcock's earlier efforts that was hacked around a bit to take out some of the more ambiguous psychological elements by the editor but still retains the old Hitch charm.

Imaginative and surprisingly moving for a silent art movie.

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

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

Filmed on a modest budget with a subtle sense of place and pace, this highly impressive debut considers mortality with a wry compassion that's rare for such a young director.

A difficult film and one that's likely to offend in some ways. But as an elliptical, dream-logic infused visual poem, it certainly leaves a searing impression.

An ultraviolent Korean crime film with plenty of swagger and visual brio, but still too generic to really stand out from the pack.

Exploring workers' rights in an age of mechanisation and recession, this isn't always an easy watch. But it's played with spirit, filmed with integrity and is pleasingly full of surprises.

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

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