Shot in five sections "How The West Was Won" is a sprawling multi-star epic following the fortunes of one family from 1839 and New York to 1889 and Arizona. 'The Rivers' (dir Henry Hathaway); the Prescotts head west down the Ohio river. 'The Plains' (dir Henry Hathaway); Lily moves to St Louis and on to Caifornia. 'The Civil War' (dir John Ford); Linus and Zeb enlist on the Union side. 'The Railroad' (dir George Marshall); the settlers multiply and cavalry officer Zeb finds himself in a war with find out more...

Saloon singer Monroe, violence prone farmer Mitchum and the young son he hardly knows, drift down-river by raft from both immediate dangers and their immediate pasts. They must try the impossible, to restart their broken lives and return to being an ideal family. Mitchum's performance is excellent, but the film holds most interest as an early Monroe performance. There really is no return. A tale of betrayal, revenge and love in the wild Wild West. find out more...

The John Huston classic about the prim missionary lady forced to team up with a drunken ne'er-do-well for a dangerous journey when the war comes to their remote bit of Africa. Their trying odyssey downriver, of course, gradually sees the two incompatibles falling in love, with the as always detached Bogart finally discovering commitment and attacking a German gunboat. find out more...

An entertaining version of the famous book, which, while being a good period drama and an interesting comparison of moral and sexual codes, fails to match the book's post-structuralist approach to genre melodrama or its hard look at Victorian sexuality. An excellent, if slightly flawed movie! find out more...

Tom and Maggie Tulliver are a brother and sister who live in a mill beside the river Floss. Maggie is a tomboy, who gets into romantic difficulties which lead to her disgrace. A quality production which has become synonymous with the BBC and is perfect for conveying this rather modern tale of a young woman striving for independence in matters of life and love. The story is loosely autobiographical explaining the troubles that George Eliot herself had whilst in a relationship with a married man. find out more...

Set at the beginning of the end for the native peoples of North America, we follow the first white settlers to the land of the new Eden, and in particular the relationship between Pocahontas, the beautiful headstrong daughter of an Indian chief and Captain John Smith, a new arrival to her rich homeland. This being a Terence Malick film the sheer visual beauty is almost overwhelming, the story itself never clear cut or finite, focusing as it does on the machinations of individuals and their causa find out more...

Flighty upper class Londoner Kitty is desperate to escape her repressive family life and accepts the marriage proposal of uptight Shanghai based bacteriologist Walter. Quickly bored she instigates her husband's hatred by having an affair with promiscuous diplomat Charlie and, as if in revenge, Walter drags her off to work in a mountainous cholera infected province in rural China. Some couples grew apart, some together....highly recommended. find out more...

Jane Campion's outstanding and acclaimed dramatic masterpiece. Hunter turns in an incredible performance as the mute Ada, sold into a marriage with Neill. Her piano is her voice and she must earn it back from Baines, key by key, in a moving emotional bargain. Stunning - the best film of the year. find out more...

"Josephine Decker has created a new style of thriller that employs allegory, incorporates touches of David Lynch as well as Magritte -esque imagery. Decker's setting of a remote farm feels like a metaphor for what turns out to be hell. The raw and emotional (and yes, sometimes funny) dialog tells a story that can seem familiar at points but really is meant to keep you guessing and off balance. I really enjoyed how the undertones of this film came to life through her very deft contrast of the find out more...