This classic satire starts with a man who appears to be Adolf Hilter gazing into a butcher's shop window in a Warsaw high street, and proceeds to explain how he got there. Lubitsch's film tells the story of a group of actors put out of work by the Nazi invasion of Poland. They become involved in the resistance movement where their thespian skills are tested to heroic levels. Dismissed as being in bad taste on its release, time and distance have allowed its genius to be recognised.

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Humphrey Bogart stars in this naval courtroom drama about the trial of a group of mutineers from the US Pacific Fleet. As the trial unfolds, we learn that the ship's Captain (Bogart) was mentally unstable, perhaps even insane, and that the men relieved him of command to save their own lives. The drama is compulsive and the starry cast make the most of a mountain of words - especially Bogart, whose final disintegration in court before our eyes has become part of movie legend.

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Boasting lavish sets, costumes and a British cast to die for, this biopic of the Protestant leader who caused the downfall of Charles I and ruled the country briefly between monarchs takes some liberties with historical accuracy, but is so well made that it gets away with it. Unusually, Richard Harris' Cromwell comes across as la fanatical God-botherer, ultimately leaving audience sympathy to rest with Alec Guinness as the doomed king whose head is destined for the block. As long as you don't rely on the film for your history essay you'll be in for a treat.

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A Bosnian and a Serb end up in the same trench, but decide not to kill each other, in this satirical war movie that lambasts the UN, the media and the stupidity of war in general. The feature debut of Bosnian writer-director Danis Tranovic. Not only does the film take us into the heart of the Balkan conflict, it also looks at the role of both the UN forces and the world media in the perpetuation of the war. Tranovic's film highlights how the Balkan conflict is defined by chaos (on the part of the local forces), bureaucracy (from the UN) and exploitation (by the media). In this sharp black comedy, the UN and the media receive the most scathing treatment.

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Set in Russia against the backdrop of the Napoleonic War, Love And Death is a highly enjoyable trawl through the travails of Allen's liberal neuroses. Allen is Boris, a useless coward obsessed with his cousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). When war breaks out he gets himself fired from a cannon and winds up a national hero, then reluctantly gets tangled up in a plan to assassinate Napoleon. A fine mix of the cerebral and the absurd, it's a rare minute that doesn't pass without someone saying something you wish you'd said yourself.

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