An award winning film full of baroque splendour. The talented composer Antonio Salieri found himself in competition with Mozart, a genius, and he couldn't understand why God favored such a vulgar creature to be his instrument. Salieri turned into a hate-filled monster, whose aim in life became to ruin his colleague, but he emerges as a tragic and sympathetic character. He alone could appreciate the perfection of Mozart's music and, perhaps, he speaks up for all of us whose talents fall short of find out more...

Inside this conventionally structured biopic resides an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man. William Wilberforce was the parliamentary spokesman for a group of radicalised young Evangelists (and Quakers), who despised the money politics and corruption of late 18th Century UK politics and who fought for many reformist policies, the most notable of which was the one this film annotates, the abolition of slavery, a process that took years of political skulduggery and the slow passage of find out more...

The young Jane Austin is a feisty, forthright young lady on the cusp of a good marriage with rich, nice Mr Wisley when the dashing, reckless, irresponsible Tom Lefroy enters her myopic world. At first repelled by his arrogance the two soon become smitten but what chance does their love have in the face of overwhelming social disdain? 'Becoming Jane' is a lush and pleasantly performed imagining of the young writer's life. Though the idea that her novels were little more than dramatized biogs of h find out more...

It's 1794 and Depardieu plays Danton the revolutionary, who returns to Paris from self-imposed exile confident in the peoples' support and that he can help bring peace to the revolutionary turmoil and stop The Terror. But first he must confront his former ally Robespierre, who is intent on victory and soon rounds up Danton and his followers, tries them before a revolutionary tribunal and dipatches them to the guillotine. Bye bye Danton. find out more...

A carnival in Venice is the prelude to a series of erotic encounters that follow Giacomo Casanova through the cities of 18th Century Europe. With an air of funereal solemnity and elegance, this forsakes realism in favour of a stylised romantic pessimism which confronts impotence, failure, sexuality and exploitation as fully as Pasolini's Salò. Although teetering at times dangerously close to Ken Russell, the visual daring and pure imagination of every image leave it as an elegiac farewell to an find out more...

The title refers to the legatee of Ludwig Van's worldly goods, and the film is a kind of musical detective story that explores the life and loves of Beethoven, who may have been the 'immortal beloved'. Exhilarating musical set-pieces from the Violin Concerto and the Eroica, amongst others, score persuasive points for classical music. find out more...

The lack of accuracy in the calculation of longitude had caused the death of countless sailors. In 1714 Parliament, worried by the loss of British ships and mindful to the military advantage of knowing where one was at sea, offered a £20,000 prize to anyone who could accurately measure longitude. This is the story of John Harrison, a brilliant carpenter, whose timepieces solved the problem that had long defeated the scientists, it was a hard fought victory and Harrison was forced to endure pover find out more...

Beginning in 1763, the film follows the Mozart family's exhausting life on the road, traveling by coach from one royal court to the next, where the nobility marvel at young Wolfgang's prodigious talent. But accomplished singer, harpsichordist, violinist Nannerl, Wolfgang's elder by five years, first held forth as the family's infant prodigy. At the film begins, she is still performing, though overshadowed and sidelined as accompanist by Wolfgang's growing fame. Her father bows to social stric find out more...

Great doco about the early days of NY hip hop and life on the projects. One of the best features of this film is that it examines the political trajectory of Nas' career through his lyrics as well as the environment and familial situation that gave rise to his stardom. Must see for fans of his music. And anyone interested in the political side of rap music.

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In 1998 Marco Pantani, the most flamboyant and popular cyclist of his era, won both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, a titanic feat of physical and mental endurance that no rider has repeated since. He was a hero to millions, the saviour of professional cycling following the doping scandals which threatened to destroy the sport. However, less than six years later, aged just 34, he died alone, in a cheap Italian hotel room.

This film is not just about cycling but an emotional expl find out more...