The Film Programme Recent recommendations by contributors

a

1. ALICE IN THE CITIES

   Wim Wenders’ portait of an unlikely friendship between a photographer and a young girl is the choice of Walter Salles, the director of Linha De Passe and The Motorcycle Diaries, who calls it "sublime and unique".
   Listen again to Walter Salles' comments.
   Alice in the Cities on IMDb

2. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN

   Alan J Pakula's drama about the investigation that uncovered the Watergate scandal was one of the major inspirations for Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan
   Listen again to Peter Morgan's comments.
   All the President's Men on IMDb

3. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON

   John Landis’ horror/comedy/love story is the perfect movie, according to Lost creator and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams, who cites it as a major influence on his work.
   Listen again to J.J. Abrams's comments.
   Find out about this film on IMDb

4. AND SOON THE DARKNESS

   This British thriller about two girls on a cycling holiday in France is the choice of novelist Jonathan Coe, who regards it as one of the best examples of the wave of British psycholigical chillers made in the late 60s and early 70s.
   Listen again to Jonathan Coe's comments
   And Soon the Darkness on IMDb

5. APOCALYPTO

   Mel Gibson's Mayan-language action movie is the choice of Danny Boyle, the director of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire.
   Listen again to Danny Boyle's comments
   Apocalypto on IMDb

6. THE ARMY OF SHADOWS

   “It doesn't get any better than Army Of Shadows”, according to The Escapist director Rupert Wyatt about Jean-Pierre Melville’s thriller about the French resistance movement.
   Listen again to Rupert Wyatt’s comments
   Army of Shadows on IMDb

7. AZUR AND ASMAR

   One of Frank Cottrell Boyce's choice of children's film, this "dazzling" animation focuses on two childhood friends who have the same wet nurse but grow up to become deadly rivals.
   Listen again to Frank Cottrell Boyce's comments.
   Azur and Asmar on IMDb

b

1. BADLANDS

   Terrence Malick's stunning debut was chosen by Jeremy Thomas, the producer of Eureka, The Last Emperor and The Naked Lunch, who describes it as a "perfect film full of creativity, modesty and emotion".
   Listen again to Jeremy Thomas' comments.
   Badlands on IMDb

2. BARRY LYNDON

   Stanley Kubrick's stunning adaptation of Thackeray's novel was a major influence on The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and its director Andrew Dominik, who has seen the film at least once every year.
   Listen again to Andrew Dominik's comments here.
   Barry Lyndon on IMDb

3. THE BILL DOUGLAS TRILOGY

   The autobiographical series about the Scottish film-maker's upbringing is the choice of Duane Hopkins, the director of Better Things, who says they're as good as anything made by Robert Bresson or the French New Wave.
   Listen again to Duane Hopkins' comments.
   The Bill Douglas Trilogy on IMDb

c

1. CIAO MASCHIO

   Marco Ferreri's controversial fable about the son of King Kong is the choice of actor Willem Dafoe.
   Read more about this film at IMDb.
   

2. COOL RUNNINGS

   The Hollywood comedy about the Jamaican bobsleigh team who entered the Olympics is the choice of writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who believes that it's one of the great screenplays of all time, and one of cinema's best sporting movies.
   Listen again to Frank Cottrell-Boyce's comments.
   Cool Runnings on IMDb

d

1. DOUBLE INDEMNITY

   This Billy Wilder thriller is the choice of film noir fan Rebecca Hall, the star of Vicky Christina Barcelona and Frost/Nixon.
   Double Indemnity on IMDb

2. DECASIA

   Matthew Sweet's choice of silent movie is a film poem by Bill Morrison, composed entirely of decaying bits of silent film.
   Listen again to Matthew Sweet's comments.
   Decasia on IMDb

3. DEEWAAR

   Yash Chopra's phenomenally successful Bollywood crime picture is the choice of expert Anil Sinanan.
   Listen again to Anil Sinanan's comments here.
   Deewaar on IMDb

4. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

   Julian Schnabel's unique take on the life of Jean-Dominique Bauby is the choice of Nic Roeg, who found it "marvellous" and "extraordinary".
   Listen again to Nic Roeg's comments.
   The Diving Bell and the Butterfly on IMDb

e

f

1. FAUST

   David Thomson's choice is a masterpiece of German Expressionism from the 1920s by director F.W. Murnau, who "could have had an outstanding career" if he'd lived for another 10 years.
   Listen again to David Thomson's comments.
   Faust on IMDb

2. FEAR EATS THE SOUL

   A major influence on Hanif Kureishi, Fassbinder's tale of a Moroccan immigrant's love affair with a West German cleaning lady is one of the first, and most important, European films about racism and multi-culturalism.
   Listen again to Hanif Kureishi's comments.
   Fear Eats the Soul on IMDb

3. FITZCARRALDO/BURDEN OF DREAMS

   Baz Lurhmann, the director of Moulin Rouge and Australia, is "just crazy about the Fitzcarraldo documentary Burden Of Dreams". The behind-the-scenes study of Werner Herzog's odyssey in the Amazon jungle made Lurhmann "excited about making an epic on location".
   Listen again to Baz Lurhmann's comments.
   Burden of Dreams on IMDb

4. FOUR MONTHS, THREE WEEKS AND TWO DAYS

   Stephen Frears recommends the film he chose as President of the Cannes Jury in 2007 - a "stunning", "powerful" thriller about a woman seeking an abortion in 1980's Romania.
   Listen again to Stephen Frears' comments.
   Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days on IMDb

g

1. THE GOLD RUSH

   Charlie Chaplin's Klondike comedy was one of the major inspirations for Withnail And I, according to its writer and director Bruce Robinson.
   Listen to Bruce Robinson's comments here.
   The Gold Rush on IMDb

2. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW

   Pier Paolo Pasolini's neo-realist epic was recommended by Michael Radford, the director of Il Postino, 1984 and The Merchant Of Venice, who calls it a perfect movie.
   Listen to Michael Radford's comments here.
   The Gospel According to St Matthew on IMDb

3. THE GREEN RAY

   Eric Rohmer's "magical and beautiful" character study of a young girl's attempt to take a holiday is the choice of Joanna Hogg, the award-winning director of Unrelated.
   Listen again to Joanna Hogg's comments.
   The Green Ray on IMDb

h

1. THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE

   Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell and Margaret Rutherford star in this public school farce - one of the favourite films of Distant Voices, Still Lives director Terence Davies.
   Listen to Terence Davies' comments here
   Read more about this film at IMDb

2. THE HIRELING

   Alan Bridges' adaptation of L.P. Hartley's novel shared the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973, but is unjustly neglected nowadays, according to The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw, who calls it "a little gem of a movie".
   Listen again to Peter Bradshaw's comments.
   The Hireling on IMDb

3. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

   The Charles Laughton classic left J.J. Abrams emotionally devastated when he first saw it as a child.
   Listen again to J.J. Abrams's comments.
   The Hunchback of Notre Dame on IMDb

i

1. I AM CURIOUS YELLOW

   Mike Figgis urges people to watch Vilgot Sjoman's "masterpiece" from 1967, which was banned on its release in the United States, becoming a cause celebre.
   Listen again to Mike Figgis' comments.
   I Am Curious Yellow on IMDb

2. IN A LONELY PLACE

   Adrian Wootton, director of the Crime Scene Festival, says this is one of the best film noirs ever made, about a doomed romance between alcoholic screenwriter Humphrey Bogart and starlet Gloria Grahame.
   Listen again to Adrian Wootton's comments.
   In a Lonely Place on IMDb

j

k

1. KING OF NEW YORK

   Christopher Walken's star turn as a gangster and would-be mayor of New York is the choice of film-maker and novelist Iain Sinclair.
   Listen again to Iain Sinclair's comments.
   King of New York on IMDb

2. KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS

   This "magical" animation by Michel Ocelot is the choice of award winnning children's author and screen-writer Frank Cottrell Boyce.
   Listen again to Frank Cottrell Boyce's comments.
   Kirikou and the Sorceress on IMDb

3. KISS ME STUPID

   Billy Wilder's cynical take on human nature stars Dean Martin as a singer called Dino who's lured into a honey-trap by aspiring song-writers. The film wasn't a hit, but David Thomson believes that it repays repeat viewing.
   Listen again to David Thomson's comments.
   Kiss Me Stupid on IMDb

l

1. LA GRANDE BOUFFE

   Marco Ferreri's controversial comedy about a group of men who set out to eat themselves to death is another choice of Withnail And I director Bruce Robinson.
   Listen to Bruce Robinson's comments here.
   La Grande Bouffe on IMDb

2. THE LAST WAVE

   Peter Weir's ecological thriller is the choice of Sir Ridley Scott, who would love to re-make it, but admits he could never improve on the original.
   Listen again to Sir Ridley Scott's comments.
   The Last Wave on IMDb

3. LILYA 4 EVER

   Lukas Moodysson's gritty drama about human trafficking is “the saddest movie ever made” according to Notting Hill scribe Richard Curtis.
   Listen again to Richard Curtis’s comments.
   Lilya 4 Ever on IMDb

4. LOLA MONTES

   Max Ophuls' inventive biopic of The Most Scandalous Woman In The World was chosen by Mike Hodges, the director of Get Carter and Croupier.
   Listen again to Mike Hodges' comments.
   Lola Montes on IMDb

m

1. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

   John Frankenheimer's complex and prescient political satire starring Frank Sinatra is Clive Owen's favourite paranoid conspiracy thriller.
   The Manchurian Candidate on IMDb

2. MARY REILLY

   Stephen Frears' "grievously overlooked" horror movie is the choice of David Thomson, who argues that this take on Jeckyll And Hyde will stand the test of time.
   Listen again to David Thomson's comments.
   Mary Reilly on IMDb

3. MILLIONS

   According to Gurinder Chadha, the director of Bend It Like Beckham and Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging, Danny Boyle's children's movie is "a wonderful morality tale for our times."
   Listen again to Gurinder Chadha's comments.
   Millions on IMDb

n

1. NASHVILLE

   Eden Lake director James Watkins believes Robert Altman's award-winning ensemble peice is a "magical" film which displays a "great warmth."
   Listen again to James Watkins' comments.
   Nashville on IMDb

o

1. OPEN RANGE

   Kevin Costner's 2003 western contains one of the greatest shoot-outs in the history of cinema, according to director Danny Boyle.
   Listen again to Danny Boyle's comments.
   Open Range on IMDb

p

1. THE PASSENGER

   An alternative choice from Walter Salles, who also recommends Blow Up and Zabriksie Point. They form what Salles calls Antonioni's trilogy on identity - the loss of identity (Blow Up), the change of identity (The Passenger) and the implosion of identity (Zabriskie Point) - "wonderful films we tend to forget."
   Listen again to Walter Salles' comments.
   The Passenger on IMDb

2. PIERREPOINT

   The intimate and "extraordinary" drama about Britain's most famous hangman was chosen by actor and Oscar winning writer Julian Fellowes.
   Listen again to Julian Fellowes' comments.
   Pierrepoint on IMDb

3. PRIVATE ROAD

   This counter-culture romance stars Bruce Robinson, the creator of Withnail And I, and was directed by Barney Platts-Mills, who Matthew Sweet describes as one of the great forgotten directors of British cinema.
   Listen again to Matthew Sweet's comments.
   Private Road on IMDb

q

r

1. RAISING ARIZONA

   The Coen Brothers' cult classic is the choice of Simon Pegg because it's the movie that made him realise that the camera can be just as important as the script and performance in film comedy.
   Listen again to Simon Pegg's comments.
   Raising Arizona on IMDb

2. RASHOMON

   Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece which introduced Western audiences to Japanese cinema was chosen by film-maker Richard Jobson who describes it as "full of dazzling technique that defined a new type of acting".
   Listen again to Richard Jobson's comments.
   Rashomon on IMDb

3. THE RED BALLOON

   Chosen by Sir Alan Parker and Terence Davies, this short film about a boy and his balloon is beautiful in its simplicity, according to Parker, and Davies claims he would trade all his movies to make The Red Balloon, which is "utterly perfect".
   Listen again to Sir Alan Parker's and Terence Davies' comments.
   The Red Balloon on IMDb

s

1. SHOW ME LOVE

   Lukas Moodysson’s debut was described by Ingmar Bergman as a great work by a young master, and Richard Curtis would second that emotion.
   Listen again to Richard Curtis’s comments.
   

t

1. TELL NO–ONE

   In the words of Sir Michael Caine this French drama about a woman who returns from the dead “is one of the best thrillers ever made”.
   Listen to Sir Michael Caine’s comments here
   More about this film on IMDb



2. TO BE OR NOT TO BE

   Ernst Lubitsch's war-time comedy is the choice of Billy Elliot and The Reader director Stephen Daldry.
   Listen again to Stephen Daldry’s comments.
   More about this film on IMDb

3. TOGETHER

   This Swedish comedy about love and politics in a 1970s commune is the third choice of Four Weddings And A Funeral creator Richard Curtis.
   Listen again to Richard Curtis’s comments.
   More about this film on IMDb

4. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

   This gripping adaptation of Harper Lee's novel is the choice of actor Toby Jones, the star of Infamous, W. and The Mist, who particularly recommends the performance of Gregory Peck as both a parent and a parent of the community.
   Listen again to Toby Jones' comments.
   To Kill a Mockingbird on IMDb

5. TOUKI BOUKI

   This 1973 movie about a couple who want to leave Senegal and return to Paris is "a lost masterpiece" according to producer and director Don Boyd.
   Listen again to Don Boyd's comments.
   Touki Bouki on IMDb

u

v

w

1. WALKABOUT

   Nic Roeg’s mystical drama about two children lost in the Australian Outback is a favourite of State Of Play director, Kevin Macdonald
   Listen again to Nic Roeg's comments here.
   Walkabout on IMDb

2. THE WAY WE WERE

   "The perfect love story", according to novelist and critic Norman Le Brecht, who calls the Barbara Streisand/Robert Redford weepie a "great work of economy and therefore a great work of art."
   Listen again to Norman Le Brecht's comments here.
   The Way We Were on IMDb