Made in 1984 this terrifying indictment of post-war Britain was particularly poignant at the height of the Thatcher era without sidestepping any of the issues. John Hurt perfectly captures the mood of the book and Richard Burton puts in a swansong performance. A modern British classic. find out more...

A respectable, sincere film of Robert Bolt's literate play, with Scofield as Sir Thomas More, endorsing the divine right of the Pope over and above his King, Henry VIII, who wishes to divorce Katherine Of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Watch out for Orson Welles in a marvellous cameo as Cardinal Wolsey. The film won 6 Oscars. find out more...

An intense observation of an idealistic man's descent into temptation and corruption adapted from Robert Penn Warren's 1946 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, loosely based round the career of populist Louisiana governor Huey Long, and with a selection of pretty much the best actors Hollywood has to offer. Perhaps on occasion just too worthy, All The Kings Men is a still a powerful dramatic tragedy. find out more...

Orwell's classic satire on Stalinist Russia as done by Jim Henson's workshop with added digital animation technique. find out more...

The creatures outside look from pig to man and from man to pig and from pig to man again, but already it was impossible to say which was which. The first full length cartoon ever made in the UK was financed by the CIA and, except for the more up-beat ending, sticks faithfully to the plot. Based on Orwell's profoundly wrong view of the Soviet Revolution. find out more...

In a not far off dystopian future women have become infertile and governments have forgotten that Orwell's ‘1984' was supposed to be a searing indictment of what NOT to do. Into this less than hopeful world arrives a young woman who has achieved the miracle of pregnancy, everyone wants the child as a cynical totem for the people, and those planning rebellion are as ruthless as those in power. Finding a reluctant but increasingly determined guardian in the form of Theo, mother and child go in sea find out more...

A warrior and not a politician, Coriolanus found the citizens of Rome turning against him. As he sought to wreak his anger on the city, it was left to his mother to prevent a bloody battle. A compelling study of family, loyalty, war and politics, and an acclaimed production well-served by an experienced cast. Being from the BBC stable it can be relied on as a top notch and faithful version of the play. find out more...

An impressive BBC adaptation of Dostoyevsky's tragic masterpiece, a profound analysis of redemption and a cerebral detective story of the soul. find out more...

Filmed during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Carl Dreyer's Day of Wrath is a harrowing account of individual helplessness in the face of growing social repression and paranoia. Anna, the young second wife of a well-respected but much older pastor, falls in love with his son when he returns to their small 17th century village. Stepping outside the bounds of the village's harsh moral code has disastrous results: Anna faces the stake, accused of witchcraft. find out more...

David Lean's epic romance set against the turbulant backdrop of the Russian revolution. One man's struggle for moral political and personal survival amidst the complex web of intrigue and tangled loyalties that accompanied the fall of the Tsar.

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