'City of War' tells the story of Nazi Party member John Rabe now considered a German war hero for organising the protection zone that almost certainly saved the lives of over 200,000 Chinese whilst the Japanese killed a further 300,000 outside in the infamous Nanjing Massacre of 1937.
This workmanlike film is based on Rabe's diaries, but is somewhat loose with the truth and, it's interesting to note, was produced with the co-operation of the Chinese authorities, won lots of awards in Ger find out more...

One of the very finest epics produced, equally impressive in terms of script and spectacle. Heston is aptly heroic as the 11th Century patriot destined to die in the fight to evict the Moors from Spain, Mann's direction is stately and thrilling and Miklos Rosza's superb score perfectly complements the crisp and simple widescreen images. Sobriety and restraint, in fact, are perhaps the keynotes of the film's success, with the result that a potentially risible finale, in which Cid's corpse is born find out more...

An authentically bloody chronicle of the last Apache leader as recorded in the memoirs of one of the cavalrymen who hunted him down. The film covers his fight to preserve the lands of his people and the growing admiration and understanding of his white adversaries. It's all enough to make the red earth of the Moab desert curdle with blood and shame. Fine play from Patric, Duvall, Studi and Hackman in this great biopic. find out more...

The somewhat sensationalist title belies what is at heart an earnest attempt to realistically portray the descent of Hitler into madness, paranoia and megalomania. While the recently made ‘Max' focused on the young Hitler from a ‘What Could've Been' angle, ‘Hitler: The Rise of Evil' tries admirably to stick to the facts as it traces his career in politics (as a rising star, darling of both the poor and the powered gentry), to his self-destructive end. While the film portrays a truncated view of find out more...

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Sofia Coppola brings to the screen an undeniably sympathetic addressing of the short life and times of France's last queen, creating a ravishing picture of Marie's life. This visual feast is an entertaining slice of historical re-jigging, telling the tale of a naive and opulent monarch in a time of revolution, one who breathed in full the last gasp of a dying age of decadence. But historical accuracy or analysis - forget it. find out more...

Liam Neeson surpasses himself with his portrayal of the legendary Irish folk hero in this stirring historical drama. The controversial patriot's life, from his advent after the Easter Rising to his untimely death, is vividly depicted by a sterling cast in this passion-packed biopic. Excellent. find out more...

The first half of an exhaustive and lush dramatisation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from ambitious Corsican soldier at the end of the 18th Century, to his imprisonment on the Island of St Helena by the British, less than twenty years later. If anything "Napoleon" is almost overly dramatic, but it's still an enthralling look at the great man, both publicly and privately, his military achievements, and the turning of a divided France into the most powerful nation in the Western world. find out more...

The second half of an exhaustive and lush dramatisation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from ambitious Corsican soldier at the end of the 18th Century, to his imprisonment on the Island of St Helena by the British, less than twenty years later. If anything "Napoleon" is almost overly dramatic, but it's still an enthralling look at the great man, both publicly and privately, his military achievements, and the turning of a divided France into the most powerful nation in the Western world. find out more...

Supposedly a biography of Michelangelo, it is much more that of Pope Julius II, who, when not on the battlefield uniting Italy, nags Michelangelo, in an engaging and witty script, to speed up his painful work painting the Sistine Chapel, and wonders when he will finsh. The transformation of the chapel ceiling, which was originally dotted with stars, to an opulent statement of high renaissance is engrossing. find out more...