Ran, Kurosawa's last great epic, is a Jidaigeki (Japanese period drama) depicting the fall of Hidetora Ichimonj, an ageing Sengoku-era warlord who abdicates as ruler in favor of his three sons. His kingdom slowly disintegrates as the sons struggle for power, murdering rivals and laying waste to the land, and Hidetora goes insane after watching his retainers slaughtered in an epic massacre, the centrepiece of the film. As the kingdom crumbles and rival warlords move in for the kill, the Ichimonji find out more...

Set in medieval Kyoto, this is an engrossing tale of rape and murder in which contradictory accounts of events are later related from the perspectives of four of those involved. A film which awakened the West to the richness of Japanese cinema. find out more...

One of the all-time great westerns with John Wayne as the small town marshall struggling to hang on to a murderer, whilst holding off a posse of villains determined to rescue him, until the state magistrate arrives. Refusing offers of assistance from sympathetic townsfolk due to their age/sex/infirmity, the tension builds as the Duke is forced to swallow his pride, realising he needs all the help he can get. Excellently acted, with some superb set pieces and even a couple of songs from Ricky Nel find out more...

The mythical "Colour of Pomegranates", the life of 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, (included in Time Out's 100 greatest all time movie list), double-billed with the "Legend of the Suram Fortress", a Georgian myth about a young boy who saves the constantly crumbling Suram Fortress by allowing himself to be covered with earth and eggs and walled up alive. Eloquent images and obscure symbols constructed in striking tableaux vivants, emblematic gestures or formalised movement. Beautiful, surr find out more...

Re-issued gem from the little master. "The Gold Rush" is acclaimed as one of his funniest by many critics, and was re-edited by Chaplin himself to incorporate sound, 17 years after it's original 1925 release. find out more...

Based on David Low's cartoon character, Major General Clive Wynne-Candy, VC, we back-track over his life, drawing us into sympathy with the prime virtues of honour and chivalry which have transformed him from dashing young spark of the 1890s into crusty old buffer of World War II. Roger Livesey gives us not just a great performance, but a man's whole life, losing his only love (Deborah Kerr) to the German officer (Walbrook) with whom he fought a duel in pre-WWI Berlin, then becoming the latter's find out more...

Laughton's only stab at directing, with Mitchum giving a stunning performance as the psychopathic preacher who, whilst in jail for a minor offence, hatches a devious plan to get his hands on the loot stashed by his condemned cell-mate. Set in '30s rural America, the film polarises into a struggle between good and evil for the souls of innocent children. Laughton's deliberately old-fashioned direction throws up a startling array of images: an amalgam of Mark Twain-like exteriors (idyllic riversid 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...

Ford turns Monument Valley into an interior landscape as Wayne, and a half breed, pursue his five-year odyssey, a grim quest to kill both the Indian who abducted his niece and the tainted girl herself. Essential viewing and generally hailed as one of the greatest westerns. find out more...

A veteran samurai, who has fallen on hard times, answers a village's request for protection from bandits. He gathers 6 other samurai to help him and they teach the townspeople how to defend themselves in return for three small meals a day. The film culminates in a giant battle when 40 bandits attack the village. Considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made and the inspiration for "The Magnificent Seven", to be enjoyed both by film buffs and action fans. find out more...