A successful actress employs a woman in exchange for her flattery, only to find her employee is scheming her way to the top at her own expense. An intelligent, bitchy script complements the fine acting, making this one of Time Out's top 100 films of all time. Won Best Picture at 1950 Academy Awards.

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A landmark in the history of the cinema; it was ranked Number 1 in the American Film Institute's 100 greatest films of all time in two polls (1998 and 2007) of more than 1,500 film industry movers and shakers and again by UK directors in a BFI poll. "Citizen Kane" narrates the rise and fall of a newspaper tycoon driven by a childhood obssession and is loosely based round the life of William Randolph Hurst, who tried to have it banned, but incorporates elements from the lives of other fat cats il find out more...

A landmark in the history of the cinema. The rise and fall of a newspaper tycoon driven by a childhood obssession - Randolph Hurst tried to have it banned! Unique in technique and narrative structure, if you only ever watch one 1940's movie this should be it. This edition is from a restored, remastered and generally souped-up print, with a heap of extras including a documentary on the wunderkind Welles and an analysis by, ahem, Barry Norman. find out more...

Paul Newman revels in his role as the sassy and irreverent Luke Jackson, a rebellious prisoner, (sentenced for cutting the heads off parking meters one drunken night!), in one of Florida's notorious prison chain gangs. His refusal to conform wins him the respect of his fellow inmates, but, following the death of his mother, he decides to escape. Newman's role won critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination. A witty and well-observed film, with some very funny scenes, (see the boiled egg race!) find out more...

Acclaimed and imitated, this is Clouzot's classic tale of the sadistic head-teacher who brutalises his unfortunate wife. With the help of her husband's mal-treated mistress, a willing accomplice, the two women set out to exact revenge. But when his body goes astray this macabre story truly unfolds... find out more...

Stewart is superb as the young Wisconsin senator put up to the job, who then exposes the corruption in the Senate and upholds true American values. Popular wish fulfilment served up with such fast talking comic panache that you don't have time to question its cornball idealism. A great film! find out more...

Hollywood's 'ultimate rebel' in this posthumously released teenage angst movie which made him the semi-articulate voice of a generation. This style of '50s social realism can be very entertaining, lines like: "Johnny, have you any idea why you shot those puppies?", are legendary themselves . find out more...

Based on a Tennessee Williams play and touching on all manner of depraved horrors. Taylor plays the girl driven to madness by what she's witnessed and Clift is the shrink being pressured to lobotomise her, but Hepburn steals the show as the unnervingly genteel aunt trying to sweep everything under the carpet. find out more...

A spiteful child's lie has life-shattering consequences in this daring adaptation of Lillian Hellman's celebrated play. Karen (Hepburn) and Martha (MacLaine) are the headmistresses of an exclusive school for girls. When they discipline a malicious little girl, the vindictive child twists an overheard comment into slander and accuses her teachers of having a lesbian relationship. Soon the scandalous gossip engulfs the school's community, with repercussions that are heart-wrenchingly tragic. find out more...

Beryl Reid plays Sister George, an ageing soap star, who loses her part in a long-running series, then loses her lover Alice. George's composure vanishes as her previously ordered life begins to crumble around her. A moving and powerful story given real weight by Reid's energetic performance. find out more...