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...

Based on the letters of Colonel Robert G Shaw, this is the Oscar-winning story of a regiment of black soldiers who voluntered to fight the Confederates in the American Civil War and must cope with the racism of the era. Marching across open fields amid cannon-shot, or plunging into hand-to-hand combat, the battle sequences, in particular, are truly impressive. find out more...

The original big screen romantic epic that fired the hearts of generations to come. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War and telling the tale of the love between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, it's the history of a selfish woman who doesn't want to admit her feelings about the man she loves, and finally loses. Won Best Picture at 1939 Academy Awards. find out more...

'High Noon' works on many levels; the second-to-none screenplay, the subtle direction, the clock, Gary Cooper's Oscar-winning performance... It's about a small town sheriff who must basically stand alone to defend the people from a wild gang of outlaws, who have just been let out of jail and will arrive on the noon train. Although he does not have to, and the town does not deserve saving, Cooper decides that he will do the job that he was hired to do. A classic amongst Westerns, it strips the ge find out more...

Leone's superb all-encompassing epic portraying the death of the mythical 'Wild West'. A superb cast, the collaborations of Bertolucci and Argento, and Morricone's brilliantly atmospheric score all add to the incredible style and weight of Leone's creation. A true cinematic masterpiece! A candidate for greatest movie ever made, if you haven't... then you must. find out more...

A man deformed by a rare illness is taken up and patronised by fashionable London society - another freak show for the elephant man to be exhibited in. David Lynch's highly individual style here perfectly complements the film's material. A dark and brooding, yet sympathetic and sentimental film. find out more...

One of the finest of the genre, this classic western follows two men whose initial contempt for each other's methods, one a hard man rancher, the other a naively honest lawyer, develops into respect when faced with the the town's local hoodlum. Tense, absorbing and not without wit. Superb. find out more...

Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London two gifted young magicians competitive relationship descends into a bitter rivalry that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, their mutual loathing and jealousy in danger of destroying not just themselves but everyone around them. Prestige is, though at heart a drama, so tightly bound it puts many a conventional thriller to shame, and marks yet another intelligent, populist tour de force from ‘Memento' Christopher Nolan. And if you li find out more...

Much vaunted tale of mens' greed; sacrificing family, friends and principles to gain profit in the early years of the 20th Century. Danny Day Lewis is superb, as always, as the sinister Daniel Plainview. find out more...