An anti-war musical satire with an all-star cast including John Mills, Maggie Smith and Laurence Olivier, Oh! What A Lovely War movingly conveys the horror of the First World War through the popular, jingoistic songs of the time. The indomitable sentiments expressed in the soldiers' songs stand in terrible contrast to the slaughter at the front - which did away with most of a generation of young British men.

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A patriotic Second World War thriller based on a discomforting Graham Greene story that asks: what would happen if the Nazis took over a small English village? Although the fil m was primarily a morale boosting piece of German bashing, it makes an effective piece of wartime propaganda with a strikingly dark interpretation of what happens when strangers enter an English pastoral paradise.

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While the American Civil War was fought to free slaves, it's ironic that heroic efforts of black yankee soldiers is often overlooked in accounts of the period. Glory seeks to address this, by telling the story of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry - which was made up of black soldiers. Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Mathew Broderick are the stars in this splendid account of the heroism which changed perceptions of black soldiers. The battle scenes are astonishingly realistic and brutal, but it is the bravery of the men involved that lives longest in the memory.

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Six hours' worth of the French legend courtesy of the revered silent film-maker Gance (designed to be watched in two parts although this is so riveting you may well find yourself viewing the whole thing in one go), taking in everything from Boney's childhood, through his escape from Corsica and the French Revolution, and ending with his 1797 invasion of Italy. Originally intended as a six-parter, financial restraints prevented Gance from making the rest, but with a whole string of breathtaking setpieces this staggering epic achievement still puts a lot of modern blockbusters to shame in terms of originality and trickery.

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Ace code-cracker Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) must race against time if he is to uncover a spy, locate his missing girlfriend and save 10,000 lives in this quality Second World War thriller. Produced by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, directed by Michael Apted and featuring a sumptuous score by John Barry, Enigma is an old-fashioned espionage thriller in the grand tradition of The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Lady Vanishes. Based on the bestselling novel by Robert Harris, it also pays tribute to the code-breakers of Bletchley Park whose tireless efforts foiled the Nazi U-boats wreaking havoc in the Atlantic.

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