Three characters: a land girl, a US and a UK sergeant, all arrive on the same train in a small wartime Kent village and set out to catch the local malcontent, the 'glue man'. The three of them start to explore the area to discover and expose him but then they get engrossed in the history of the area and the tales of The Pilgrim's Way. The local magistrate is a regional historian, and a very mysterious character, who leads them further into the mystery. A superb depiction of the tensions that ari find out more...

Ancient Inuit legend has it that two brothers set out on a quest to save their community from an evil shaman, Amaqjiuaq and Atanarjuat. When the former is killed only Atanarjuat (the fast runner) is left to continue the journey and defy the darkness that has descended upon his people. Using local cast and crew and filmed entirely on the sea ice this is a beautifully epic tale; both stunning to look at and utterly enthralling. Highly recommended and intelligent escapism. find out more...

This classic piece of early silent cinema is noted not merely for its dramatic camerawork and cast of thousands but also for its contribution as a cinematic template, particularly in the genre of horror. Set in 16th Century Prague, a monstrous creature of Jewish myth is unleashed by a Rabbi to save his people from anti-Semitic legislation; unfortunately for all concerned The Golem's taste for destruction is not sated by the demands of his master, and so begins an unstoppable rampage. find out more...

Two centuries after The Beast, a sexual monster, was outclassed by an insatiable French lady he has returned to haunt the dreams of the American fiancee of a seriously deranged aristocratic French heir. 'La Bete' is a gloriously over the top reworking of the Beauty and the Beast myth, dark, twistedly humorous and sexually obsessed tale, very silly… very saucy. find out more...

Ford's revered Western, with the superbly haunted Fonda as Wyatt Earp, forced to put on his sheriff's badge one last time. Doc Halliday and the Clanton boys want to take over Tombstone, and only Earp can prevent them. An authentically constructed movie with a melancholy atmosphere, and the famous OK Corral shootout as its climax. find out more...

A weird story, based on legend, about a mother and her daughter-in-law who survived in times of hardship by murdering Samurai and selling their armour to buy rice. A wonderfully strange and visually striking Japanese folk tale, unusual in itself, but also a beautiful and detailed character study. find out more...

Cocteau re-works the Greek myth in contempory terms as Death, a beautiful woman, helps the poet Orpheus rescue his lover from hell. Imaginative, memorable, baffling and beautiful. One of the most poetic movies in the history of cinema. find out more...

Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence. find out more...

One of the truily great adventure movies, the type that Star Wars paid tribute to, and an example of what the large studios could produce. Glorious colour, sumptuos sets, and a brilliantly choreographed climatic sword fight between Flynn and Rathbone. find out more...

Rural France, 1542; after several years of unhappiness in his village, a young man suddenly disappears, leaving his wife and farm. Nine years later he returns from a war a changed man, his story is convincing, his wife accepts him wholeheartedly, and his farm prospers, but doubts about his true identity are sown. The story is a legend in France, a fascinating tale of deception leading to a love that deserves to last, but is spoilt by the ugliness of human nature. A great re-creation of the medie find out more...