Cocteau's version of the famous fairytale which, with its fantastic set design, set standards never bettered. The love story between woman and beast, in a fantasy world inside his enchanted castle, is both erotic and tragic, and this bewilderingly, beautiful and mystifying film is often seen as an allegory for a wounded France recovering from the Nazi occupation. Pure genius.
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MAHABHARATA PART 3 (1989)
CertificationU Our Rating
The final part of the trilogy based on the 3,500 year old Indian narrative telling the story of mankind and its near destruction by the feuding Pandavas and Kauravas. Brook has condensed his critically acclaimed stage production to create a rich vibrant and riotously colourful movie.
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MAHABHARATA PARTS 1 + 2 (1989)
CertificationU Our Rating
The first two parts of the trilogy based on the 3,500 year old Indian narrative telling the story of mankind and its near destruction by the feuding Pandavas and Kauravas. Brook has condensed his critically acclaimed stage production to create a rich vibrant and riotously colourful movie.
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MIRACLE IN MILAN (1951)
Certification12 Our Rating
Vittorio De Sica's award-winning masterpiece, Miracle in Milan, is one of the watershed films of the Italian cinema renaissance.
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ORPHEE (1949)
Certification15 Our Rating
Cocteau re-works the Greek myth in contempory terms as Death, a beautiful woman, helps the poet Orpheus rescue his lover from hell. Imaginative, memorable, baffling and beautiful. One of the most poetic movies in the history of cinema.
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PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006)
Certification18 Our Rating
Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence.
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THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (1995)
Certification15 Our Rating
From the creators of Delicatessen comes this surreal tale of Krank, whose inability to dream causes premature ageing. In order to cure this oneiric handicap he steals the dreams of abducted children. A hugely inventive blend of dream, fairytale and myth; a visually stunning delight.
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THE PIANO TUNER OF EARTHQUAKES (2007)
Certification15 Our Rating
On the eve of her wedding the beautiful opera singer Malvina is mysteriously killed and abducted by the malevolent Dr Droz. Felisberto, an innocent piano tuner, is summoned to Droz's secluded villa so that he can service the doctor's strange musical automatons and little by little he learns of Droz's plan to stage a "diabolical opera". The Piano Tuner Of Earthquakes is the breathtakingly beautiful second film from the brothers Quay, a strikingly original fairytale.
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