griggs's - Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time 2022 List

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Arguably Ghatak's finniest work, The Cloud-Capped Star is dark melodrama set in late Fifties Calcutta about a refugee family and the struggle of Nita, the oldest daughter, to keep them afloat and together.

It is a bitter critique of the family as institution and also of the harsh social and economic conditions arising from Partition - the trauma that defined Ghatak as an artist. With its sparse script, audacious expressionist soundtrack and a startling cinematic elegance, The Cloud-Capped Start is undoubtedly a modern masterpiece – infinitely compassionate and human while remaining resolutely unsentimental.

One of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time, 'Days of Heaven' is a moving story about two men who love the same woman. Bill (Richard Gere), a fugitive from the slums of Chicago, finds himself pitted against a shy, rich Texan (Sam Shepard) for the love of Abby (Brooke Adams).

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In one of Agnes Varda's more provocative films she presents us with the dilemma faced by husband and father Francois (Jean-Claude Crouot) who finds himself falling in love with an attractive postal worker.

What follows is a detailed study of adult fidelity and happiness, which will ultimately end with major repercussions for all parties involved.

This vast musical fresco covers hundreds of years of history from enslavement to 20th-century immigration. Set on an enormous slave ship and boasts a dazzling array of brilliant choreography, wide-ranging musical styles and sharp satire.

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Soon after Japan relinquishes control of Taiwan in 1945, the Lin brothers face hardships from the changing culture.

Bar owner Wen-heung (Chen Sown-yung), the eldest brother, falls foul of local gangsters, Wen-sun disappears, and Wen-leung, scarred by his experiences in the war, ends up in an insane asylum. Deaf-mute photographer Wen-ching (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), the youngest brother, decides to make a stand and fight the Kuomintang government from China that is assuming power.

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'The Gospel of Matthew', in this powerful and entertaining film features a cast of thousands as it faithfully brings to life the Biblical text. 'The Gospel of Matthew' accurately re-tells the story of Jesus beginning with his birth through his ministry, crucifixion and resurrection.

Starring and narrated by Richard Kiley as Matthew, and co-starring Bruce Marchiano as Jesus this multimillion dollar production appeals to all ages, and it offers educational, spiritual and entertainment value. 'The Gospel of Matthew' has been adapted for the screen, 'word for word', based on the New International Version of the Bible.

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From acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, a stunning valentine to femininity in all its disguises, motherhood in all its glory and to classic Hollywood melodramas and their diva actresses.

A birthday treat turns into heart-rending tragedy for single mother Manuela (Cecilia Roth) when her teenage son is killed in a car accident after a performance of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' starring his favourite actress Huma Roja (Marisa Paredes). Determined to exorcise her overwhelming guilt, Manuela goes to Barcelona to finally tell his father about the son he never knew he had. There, the reason why she has kept the identity of her forbidden lover a secret for so long is revealed. He is a transvestite named Lola who is dying from an AIDS related illness. However in confronting her own past, Manuela forges a new future with Lola's transsexual best friend Agrado (Antonia San Juan), church social worker Sister Rosa (Penelope Cruz) and Huma, when her play comes to town But even as the women from different fringes of society form a bond, further heartbreak, misfortune and ultimate joy lies in store for each. Considered by critics world wide to be the finest movie Almodovar has directed in his entire glittering career, and featuring glorious acting from the cream of Spanish cinema, 'All About My Mother' combines warmth, love, tears and humour as it builds to an unforgettable emotional crescendo.

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Opening with a shot of an x-ray, showing the main character's stomach, 'Ikiru' tells the tale of a dedicated, downtrodden civil servant who, diagnosed with a fatal cancer, learns to change his dull, unfulfilled existence, and suddenly discovers a zest for life.

Plunging first into self-pity, then a bout of hedonistic pleasure-seeking on the frenetic streets of post-war Tokyo, Watanable (Takashi Shimura) - the film's hero - finally finds satisfaction through building a children's playground.

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Luis Bunuel's visceral depiction of life in Mexico's slums stunned audiences at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951, winning Best Director and relaunching the filmmaker's career after a twenty-year hiatus.

The film tells the story of an unloved teenage boy, Pedro (Alfonso Mejía), who fights to turn his life around against the circumstances of extreme poverty and the sinister influence of an older boy, El Jaibo (Roberto Cobo).

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Ten years in planning, Sergio Leone's epic 'Once Upon a Time in America' portrays 50 years of riveting underworld history and offers rich roles to a remarkable cast. Robert De Niro and James Woods play lifelong Lower East Side pals whose wary partnership unravels in death and mystery.

Strong support comes from 'Tuesday Weld', Joe Pesci, Jennifer Connelly, Elizabeth McGovern and the young actors playing the central characters as ghetto kids.

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Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas star in this quintessential film noir which catapulted Mitchum into superstardom and set the standard for the genre for years to come.

When Kathie Moffett (Greer) shoots her admirer, Whit Sterling (Douglas), a big-time gambler, and absconds with $40,000 of his money, Starling hires private detective Jeff Bailey (Mitchum) to find her. Bailey leaves New York and catches up with Kathie in Mexico. Kathie denies taking the money and after falling for her charms, Bailey notifies Sterling that he could not find her.

An 8 year old boy must return his friend's notebook he took by mistake, lest his friend be punished by expulsion from school.

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Sally Potter's dazzling adaptation of Virginia Woolf's classic novel is the tale of the apparently immortal Orlando (Tilda Swinton), who begins an epic quest for love and freedom in the court of Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp) as a man and completes the search 400 years later as a woman.

This journey takes Orlando from the frozen river Thames and central Asia, where he changes sex, through to romantic love and loss in the Victorian age, motherhood and war in the Twentieth Century, until finally arriving in the present moment.

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Described as 'a perfect film' by Susan Sontag, Jean-Luc Godard's compelling fourth feature presents 12 episodes in the life of Nana (wonderfully played by Godard's muse, Anna Karina), a young Parisian who turns to prostitution after becoming disillusioned by poverty and her failing marriage.

Stylistically innovative and boasting several of both the director's and star's most memorable moments, 'Vivre Sa Vie' is an undiminished classic of the French New Wave that is by turns both playful and sad, and which borrows the aesthetics of cinema verite to present a captivating vision of 1960's Parisian street life and pop culture.