Chaplin's last American film is a masterful meditation on the highs and lows of fame. Set in London in the summer of 1914, Limelight begins with washed-up pantomime performer Calvero (Chaplin) saving young ballerina Thereza (Bloom) from committing suicide and, by the time the credits roll, Chaplin's taken us on a self-flagellating trawl through the highs and lows of success, failure, old age and celebrity. Tackling the sad business of being funny with an unflinching, often sentimental, gaze, Cha find out more...

Adapted from the novel by George Barnanos, 'Mouchette' tells the story of the alienated teenage girl of the title. Neglected by her terminally ill mother and her abusive, alcoholic father, ostracised at school, with the insinuating glances of the villagers and her gruelling domestic duties, Mouchette's chance encounter with a local hunter sets her on a downward spiral that can only end in tragedy. An angry yet compassionate denunciation of a rural society corrupting and undoing an unorthodox ang find out more...

Manipulative English mercenary Sir William Walker is posted to a Portuguese colony in the Caribbean and, once there, he uses his skills to engineer a slave revolt as part of his calculated plans for the English to seize control. 'Queimada' is a fine example of Pontecorvo's unique filmmaking talent and Brando's portrayal of a man who is both a gentleman and a scoundrel, a revolutionary and a colonialist, ranks amongst his best performances. Ennio Morricone's haunting music underscores a very powe find out more...

The John Huston classic about the prim missionary lady forced to team up with a drunken ne'er-do-well for a dangerous journey when the war comes to their remote bit of Africa. Their trying odyssey downriver, of course, gradually sees the two incompatibles falling in love, with the as always detached Bogart finally discovering commitment and attacking a German gunboat. find out more...

A young Robert Redford plays the escapee from prison whose expected return to his Texan hometown stirs up a maelstrom. Brando plays the honest guy, a small time sheriff trying to do the right thing and stay above the enemities and loyalties that rive the community. Penn deftly handles many issues that were exploding into the 60s USA, including racism, adultery (everyone's at it in this small town) and Saturday nights out on the razzle. find out more...

Don Birnam, long-time alcoholic, has been "on the wagon" for ten days and seems to be over the worst; but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother Wick and girlfriend Helen, he begins a four-day bender. In flashbacks, we see past events, all gone wrong because of the bottle, but this bout looks like it's going to be his last...one way or the other. A dark, gritty depiction of the ravages of alcohol and winner of 4 Oscars including Best Actor, B find out more...

Legend has it that whoever is the last person to die on New Year's Eve will be destined to drive the Phantom Carriage collecting dead souls for a year. When a drunkard is found at the stroke of midnight, the victim of a vicious fight, he is forced to relive his past to see how he and those around him have been destroyed by his selfish and destructive ways. Directed by pioneering Swedish film-maker Victor Sjöström "The Phantom Carriage" is arguably the most influential, especially on the legendar find out more...

Tense thriller set in wartime London. Sammy is a man in a mess; he's lost a foot, has woman trouble and is hitting the bottle rather too hard, but his work as a bomb disposal ace throws him a new challenge and lust for life in the shape of a German super-bomb. find out more...

Ex-child star Jane is a has-been losing her looks, who lives in a decaying Hollywood mansion with her younger sister, who had previously surplanted her as a movie star. An absolutely brilliant study of sibling rivalry, shattered dreams and power dynamics within relationships. Davis and Crawford at their best in this adaptation of a classic Henry Farrell novel. find out more...

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs might be Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse's finest hour, a delicate, devastating study of a woman, Keiko, played heartbreakingly by Hideko Takamine, who works as a bar hostess in Tokyo's very modern post-war Ginza district. Sly, resourceful, but trapped, Keiko comes to embody the conflicts and struggles of a woman trying to establish her independence in a male-dominated society. A profoundly moving masterpiece. find out more...