The life of comedienne Fannie Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of the Lower East Side, when only her mother believed Fanny could make it in show business, to her hilarious debut as a rollerskating chorus-girl and on to the height of her career as a star with the Ziegfeld Follies. Unfortunately she fell in love, and married, the wrong man; handsome, urbane but inept gambler Nick. Streisand won the best actress Oscar in this classic musical. find out more...

Now divorced from wealthy Nick Arnstein, Fanny teams up with songwriter Billy Rose, a brash showman bursting with enthusiasm and theatrical ambitions. They make an unusual couple, the polished performer and the upstart producer, but their friendship gradually blossoms into love. Funny Lady lacks the freshness and energy of the original Funny Girl but there are still some dazzling production numbers and Caan and Streisand make a believably feisty couple. find out more...

Central India 1893, and the villagers of Champaner have just been informed by the local British commander that the enforced tax (Lagaan) is to be doubled. One young man stands up to colonial authority, pleading that any increase will cripple the community, and the nasty Brit in charge gives him one option, win a game of cricket, which the Indians have never before played, against the colonials and the tax will be scrapped, lose, and it will be tripled. Will the village cripple, the last man in, find out more...

Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, Les Misérables tells the story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption; a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit....but with over wrought songs. Ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, has been hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert after he broke parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, the lives of all involved change forever. Another find out more...

Baz Luhrmann, the man who gave Romeo and Juliet a good work over, gets his very modern, style heavy paws on the musical classic and blimey he doesn't mess about. Satine is host and star at the most prestigious nightclub in Paris, where only the very wealthy can while away their evenings. Amongst the plethora of men besotted is one struggling young writer, Christian. The two begin a passionate affair, but as their liaison becomes known it ignites a dangerous cocktail of desire and obsession. Moul find out more...

The hugely popular and award winning drama that introduced the world to the genius of Dennis Potter. Arthur Parker is a sheet music salesman in 1930s Britain, frustrated by both his wife and his job, but Arthur has ambitions, which allied to his utter lack of common decency and morality have more hope than most of achieving some kind of fruition. Pennies from Heaven is a remarkable tale, blending harsh reality and whimsical fantasy with hypnotic skill, while the central performance by Bob Hoskin find out more...

The hugely popular and award winning drama that introduced the world to the genius of Dennis Potter. Arthur Parker is a sheet music salesman in 1930s Britain, frustrated by both his wife and his job, but Arthur has ambitions, which allied to his utter lack of common decency and morality have more hope than most of achieving some kind of fruition. Pennies from Heaven is a remarkable tale, blending harsh reality and whimsical fantasy with hypnotic skill, while the central performance by Bob Hoskin find out more...

The hugely popular and award winning drama that introduced the world to the genius of Dennis Potter. Arthur Parker is a sheet music salesman in 1930s Britain, frustrated by both his wife and his job, but Arthur has ambitions, which allied to his utter lack of common decency and morality have more hope than most of achieving some kind of fruition. Pennies from Heaven is a remarkable tale, blending harsh reality and whimsical fantasy with hypnotic skill, while the central performance by Bob Hoskin find out more...

Tim Burton brings Stephen Sondheim's musical prodigy to the big screen and as you'd expect he does a beautiful and atmospheric job of it. Both Depp and Carter revel in the opportunity given to them and the tale has a gloriously dark, gruesomely humourous tone, which brings me on to my own personal issues… the modern musical; much of the the of dialogue in Sweeney Todd is sung and there is just so much lilting 'mockney' cockney I can take. I can accept this is hugely entertaining film, it's just find out more...

Peter Brook's adaptation of the John Gay opera follows the story of roguish highwayman Captain MacHeath as he awaits his seemingly inevitable trip to the gallows. It is only the Captain's studious use of a file that provides him with the opportunity of escape, but as the highwayman prepares to flee, a beggar who has written an opera of the great man's exploits waylays him. "The Beggar's Opera" is a hugely enjoyable satire on 18th Century society and says much that still rings true today. find out more...