Subgenre Sampler

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Dune: Part Two (Dune 2) (2024): Dir. Denis Villeneuve
Feat. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya , Austin Butler…; The mythic journey of Paul Atreides continues as he unites with the indigenous Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who…
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024): Dir. George Miller
Feat. Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke…; As civilization collapses and tyrannical brutes battle over dwindling natural resources; a young girl is snatched from her paradise, the mythical…
Avatar: The Way of Water (2023): Dir. James Cameron
Feat. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver…; Epic sequel to "Avatar" (2009) that follows a blue–skinned humanoid Na'vi (Sam Worthington) and his family who, under renewed human threat,…
Last Duel, The (2021): Feat. Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer…; Grand historical drama from director Ridley Scott, set in medieval France, where King Charles VI declares that a knight (Matt Damon) settle his…
A Hidden Life (2019): Dir. Terrence Malick
Feat. August Diehl, Matthias Schoenaerts, Valerie Pachner…; Historical drama of distinction from writer director Terrence Malick (THE THIN RED LINE), depicting the life of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian…
Peterloo (2018): Dir. Mike Leigh
Feat. Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Pearce Quigley; Elaborate historical drama directed by Mike Leigh (MR TURNER), portraying the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where British army forces attacked a…
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017): Dir. Guy Ritchie
Feat. Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Allwyn, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey…; Charlie Hunman plays the Arthur of legend, unaware of his royal lineage until drawing the sword Excalibur from the stone. Director Guy Ritchie brings…
Ben-Hur (2016): Dir. Timur Bekmambetov
Feat. Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro…; Leaden re–imagining of the classic tale with Jack Huston as young prince sold into slavery, and his quest for redemption.
Lost City of Z, The (2016): Dir. James Gray
Feat. Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller…; James Gray (THE IMMIGRANT) directs this Amazonian adventure based on a true story and adapted from the novel by David Grann. The early 20th…
Jupiter Ascending (2015): Dir. Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Feat. Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne…; A defiantly outlandish sci–fi epic from the Wachowski siblings (THE MATRIX, CLOUD ATLAS) that tells the tale of a young woman who discovers her…
Tut (TV Mini-Series) (2015): Dir. David Von Ancken
Feat. Ben Kingsley, Avan Jogia, Nonso Anozie; Melodramatic mini–series covering the rise to power of the extraordinary Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Ben Kinglsey hams it up as Tut's…
Dead Lands, The (2014): Dir. Toa Fraser
Feat. James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka…; After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, a Maori chieftain's son, must avenge his father's murder in order to bring peace and…
Exodus - Gods and Kings (2014): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro…; Ridley Scott directs this biblical epic in which a defiant Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses and sets 600,000 slaves on a monumental…
Hobbit, The - Battle of Five Armies (2014): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Spectacular concluding chapter of the trilogy has Bilbo and company forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely…
Interstellar (2014): Dir. Christopher Nolan
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain…; Christopher Nolan's space epic has a team of explorers travel through a wormhole in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.
Noah (2014): Dir. Darren Aronofsky
Feat. Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone…; This thought–provoking religious epic from dir. Darren Aronofsky tackles the biblical story of Noah's Ark with seriousness and gusto.
Hobbit, The - The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Chapter two of Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of The Hobbit, which sees the party's quest to reclaim their homeland from Smaug continue. Bilbo…
Hobbit, The - An Unexpected Journey (2012): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage…; Peter Jackson returns to Middle Earth with this epic first chapter in The Hobbit saga, which follows Bilbo Baggins' quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf…
John Carter (2012): Dir. Andrew Stanton
Feat. Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton…; Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic sci–fi novel is the basis for this hulking intergalactic adventure extravagantly financed by Disney studios,…
Lord of the Elves (Clash of the Empires) (2012): Dir. Joseph J. Lawson
Feat. Christopher Judge, Ling Bai; A bargain bin knock off of LORD OF THE RINGS featuring has–been actors, lame–ass direction, and a cast of Thai midgets, this is best…
Red Eagle (2012): Dir. Jose Ramon Ayerra Diaz
Feat. David Janer; Based on a popular Spanish TV show about a dashing teacher, who by night is a sort of Ninja–Zorro, fighting injustice and saving King and…
World Without End (TV Series) (2012): Dir. Michael Caton-Jones
Feat. Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Nora von Waldstätten…; Thinly drawn companion piece to THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH nonetheless makes for essential viewing for fans of the original historical series. Also…
Beginning of the Great Revival (The Founding of a Party) (2011): Dir. Sanping Han, Jianxin Huang
Feat. Andy Lau, Chow Yun-Fat, Daniel Wu…; In the tradition of unashamedly jingoistic cinema comes this state–sanctioned celebration of ninety years of Chinese Communist Party rule.…
Eagle, The (2011): Dir. Kevin MacDonald
Feat. Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland…; Rousing, decidedly old–school epic with Tatum as a Roman soldier who journeys to occupied Britain to discover what caused the disappearance of…
Lost Bladesman, The (2011): Dir. Felix Chong, Alan Mak
Feat. Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang; Yet another big screen reinvention of the 'Three Kingdoms' legend, this time from the perspective of talismanic figure Guan Yu, whose exploits on the…
War of the Arrows (2011): Dir. Han-min Kim
Feat. Hae-il Park, Ryoo Seung-beom; A fast–paced period epic centred on the resistance of a group of villagers against the Manchurian invasion of Korea. Like THE HUNGER GAMES, an…
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (2011): Dir. Te-Sheng Wei
Feat. Ching-Tai Lin, Umin Boya, Masanobu Ando; An indigenous clan–based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture…
Mysteries of Lisbon (Mistérios de Lisboa) (2010): Dir. Raul Ruiz
Feat. Adriano Luz, Clotilde Hesme, Maria Joao Bastos…; Sprawling, utterly beguiling tribute to the power of stories set in 19th century Lisbon where an orphan boy discovers the truth about his birth and…
Pillars of the Earth, The (TV Mini-Series) (2010): Feat. Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew MacFadyen…; A fierce rivalry for the English throne provides the cut and thrust of this heady 12th century melodrama. Though less dramatically credible as the…
Avatar (2009): Dir. James Cameron
Feat. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver…; James Cameron’s record–shattering 3D epic is a woozy mix of allegory and special effects (developed at Wellington's Weta studios), set on a…
Baaria (2009): Dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
Feat. Raoul Bova, Margareth Made, Francesco Scianna…; Giuseppe Tornatore directs an autobiographical saga covering sixty years of turmoil through the eyes of three generations of a peasant family. Those…
10,000 B.C. (2008): Dir. Roland Emmerich
Feat. Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis; Beasts, behemoths and flesh–eating emus prowl the prehistoric landscape in another of Roland (INDEPENDENCE DAY) Emmerich's effects–heavy…
An Empress and the Warriors (Kong saan mei yan) (2008): Dir. Ching Siu Tung
Feat. Donnie Yen, Xiaodong Guo, Zhenghai Kou…; Jazzed up historical drama with a young woman thrust into the role of Empress upon her father's death, and fight for her kingdom. Conventional…
Australia (2008): Dir. Baz Luhrmann
Feat. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham…; Aussie golden boy Baz Luhrmann's larger–than–life epic sees an English aristocrat and cattle driver attempt to save an inherited outback…
Love in the Time of Cholera (2008): Dir. Mike Newell
Feat. Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt…; Javier Bardem's outstanding performance cannot shore up this florid, largely faithful adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's universally adored novel…
Red Cliff (The Battle of Red Cliff) (2008): Dir. John Woo
Feat. Tony Leung (Chiu-wai), Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang…; A gargantuan Han Dynasty epic from Hong Kong's action movie grandmaster, John Woo, in which two kingdoms must form an unlikely alliance to stave off…
Three Kingdoms (Resurrection of the Dragon) (2008): Dir. Daniel Lee
Feat. Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q…; Rousing take on a Chinese literary classic rehashes the legendary Han Dynasty power struggle between three warring kingdoms (recently given the royal…
Beowulf (2007): Dir. Robert Zemeckis
Feat. Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins…; Originally earmarked for 3D IMAX cinemas, this groundbreaking animation brings to screen the Old English epic of hero Beowulf (Winstone) and his…
Joy Division (2007): Dir. Reg Traviss
Feat. Ed Stoppard, Tom Schilling, Bernadette Heerwagen…; Ed Stoppard, son of Sir Tom, stars as a young German boy who becomes a KGB agent in this ambitious wartime saga that sweeps from WWII to swinging,…
Nightwatching (2007): Dir. Peter Greenaway
Feat. Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes, Eva Birthistle; Ambitious re–telling of the creation of Rembrant's famous 1642 Nightwatch, the controversial painting that ultimately lead the Dutch master to…
Partition (2007): Dir. Vic Sarin
Feat. Jimi Mistry, Kristin Kreuk, Neve Campbell…; Epic cross–cultural romantic drama set during the partition of India and Pakistan, told through the touching relationship between an ex British…
Pathfinder (2007): Dir. Marcus Nispel
Feat. Karl Urban; Finding a path to Hollywood, local boy Karl Urban pumps up for this grunting and gory Viking spectacle, that bases its story on the Oscar nominated…
War and Peace (TV Mini-Series) (2007): Dir. Robert Dornhelm, Brendan Donnison
Feat. Alexander Beyer, Clemence Poesy, Alessio Boni…; Extremely lavish – the most expensive mini–series produced in the EU – adaptation of Tolstoy's classic story of five aristocratic…
Warlords, The (Tau ming chong) (2007): Dir. Peter Chan
Feat. Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro…; Spectacular, if now commonplace amongst a legion of Chinese historical epics, this tale of feuding warlords relays its angst, betrayal, and gory…
Goya's Ghosts (2006): Dir. Milos Forman
Feat. Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard…; A lavish, if ill–designed costume epic based around Spanish artist Francisco Goya (Skarsgard), his closest acquaintances, and the eventful late…
Last Monk, The (2006): Dir. Sudipto Sen, Abhinav Tiwari
Feat. Rachna Shah; Sumptuous Indian epic revealing the life of a newly married woman, whose journey into the Himalayas for research into Buddhism unearths in her a…
Beowulf and Grendel (2005): Dir. Sturla Gunnarsson
Feat. Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, Sarah Polley; A rousing medieval adaptation of the Anglo–Saxon epic poem in sweeping fantasy tones. Filled with constant action in a strange, otherworldly…
Kingdom of Heaven (2005): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Eva Green…; Arch–epic of the 12th century crusades, this follows an honourable French blacksmith (Bloom) into the maelstrom of Jerusalem,…
MirrorMask (2005): Dir. Dave McKean
Feat. Gina McKee, Stephanie Leonidas; Inventive fantasy drama in which a teenage girl – born into a circus family – is traumatised by her mother's sudden illness and retreats…
Nomad - The Warrior (2005): Dir. Sergei Bodrov, Ivan Passer
Feat. Kuno Becker, Mark Dacascos, Jason Scott Lee; Historical war epic set in Kazakhstan centred around the life of the prophesied warrior destined to unite the Kazakh peoples. With its awkwardly…
Promise, The (Wu ji) (2005): Dir. Chen Kaige
Feat. Hiroyuki Sanada, Dong-Kun Jang, Cecilia Cheung…; Visually exquisite, if utterly frivolous Golden Globe–nominated romantic epic from the director of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE relays the story of…
Shinobi (2005): Dir. Ten Shimoyama
Feat. Joe Odagiri, Yukie Nakama; Set in an ancient Japan complete with magical trappings, this action epic posits a forbidden love story between members (Odagiri and Nakama) of two…
Aviator, The (2004): Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale…; Top flight cinematic biopic of fascinating 20th century figure, Howard Hughes, told with consummate skill and style by Martin Scorsese, marking a…
Jasmine Women (Mo li hua kai; Blossoming Jasmine; Jasmine Flower) (2004): Dir. Yong Hou
Feat. Joan Chen, Wen Jiang, Zhang Ziyi; Intergenerational Chinese weepie about women who are unlucky in love, set during the 1920s, '50s and '80s, and based on the book by Su Tong (also the…
Trilogy 1: The Weeping Meadow (To Livadi pou dakryzei) (2004): Dir. Theo Angelopoulos; The first part of an intended trilogy of films dealing with 20th century Greece, this monumental epic depicts the travails of a Greek refugee family…
Last Samurai, The (2003): Dir. Edward Zwick
Feat. Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, William Atherton…; Swathed in the scenery of New Zealand, this enactment of the Japanese civil wars of the late 19th century is an ambitious, though…
Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (2003): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen…; Peter Jackson's adaptation of J R R Tolkien's fantasy trilogy of 'Middle Earth' reaches its spectacular climax, drawing the story–threads…
Singing Behind Screens (Cantando dietro i paraventi) (2003): Dir. Ermanno Olmi
Feat. Bud Spencer, Davide Dragonetti; Visually opulent Italian epic directed by Ermanno Olmi (THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS) set in coastal China and centred on a plucky widow who takes her…
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Tian di ying xiong) (2003): Dir. He Ping
Feat. Wen Jiang, Xueqi Wang, Vicki Zhao; A lavish post–CROUCHING TIGER epic derived from a Chinese folktale about an Imperial assassin who is sent forth to the Gobi desert to eliminate…
Devdas (2002): Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai; The most expensive production in Bollywood history to date is this gorgeously extravagant soap opera based on one of India’s most widely–read…
Gods and Generals (2002): Dir. Ronald F. Maxwell
Feat. Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang, Robert Duvall…; Prequel to GETTYSBURG, this American Civil War drama follows the career of Confederate general 'Stonewall' Jackson. Filled with the same epic…
Legend of Suriyothai, The (2002): Dir. Chatrichalerm Yukol; A lavish historical epic financed by the royal family of Thailand (and directed by a prince) and centred around two powerful women – a princess…
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen…; Peter Jackson’s mammoth adaptation of J R R Tolkien’s fantasy classic continues in grand fashion, with increased visual panache and…
Asoka (2001): Dir. Santosh Sivan
Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa; Scintillating, hallucinatory epic of ancient India that’s perhaps the first ‘Bollywood’ film to reach international audiences, telling the…
Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) (2001): Dir. Zacharias Kunuk
Feat. Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia Ivalu, Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq; A ‘cause celebre’ of recent film festivals worldwide, this filmed folktale from the ice–bound Innuit communities of northern Canada,…
Lagaan (2001): Dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Feat. Aamir Khan, Gracey Singh, Paul Blackthorne…; Bollywood epic that broke through to international awards and audience with its ‘test–match’ running–time, lavishness and periodic…
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler…; Monumental fantasy–epic and filmmaking accomplishment for local–boy–made–good Peter Jackson, transmutes the first part of J R…
Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition) (2001): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler…; Monumental fantasy–epic and filmmaking accomplishment for local–boy–made–good Peter Jackson, transmutes the first part of J R…
Bichunmoo (2000): Dir. Young-Jun Kim; Boasting the biggest budget of any Korean film, this period epic, a kind–of "Once Upon a Time in Korea", blends the usual ingredients with…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): Dir. Ang Lee
Feat. Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi…; A fantasy–fuelled, Chinese feudal melodrama laced with jaw–dropping combat sequences (arguably the best ever staged), this represents a…
Gladiator (2000): Dir. Ridley Scott
Feat. Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris…; As good a Roman Sandal epic as ever there was, with a stoic and be–sandalled Russell Crowe refusing to carry over his loyalty to the new…
Sunshine (2000): Dir. Istvan Szabo
Feat. Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Deborah Kara Unger; Expansive and immaculately crafted epic of the last 100 years of Hungarian history, with Ralph Fiennes playing three roles – Grandfather,…
Emperor and the Assassin, The (Jing Ke Ci Qin Wang) (1999): Dir. Chen Kaige
Feat. Gong Li, Zhang Fenyi; Vast, gilded historical spectacle set in the 3rd Century BC, centred on China's legendary first Qin emperor's struggle to consolidate a unified…
Green Mile, The (1999): Dir. Frank Darabont
Feat. Michael Clarke Duncan, Tom Hanks, David Morse…; Following THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, the director adapts another Stephen King prison–set story as a melancholic epic of injustice and…
Joan of Arc (1999): Dir. Christian Duguay
Feat. Jacqueline Bisset, Powers Boothe, Maximilian Schell…; The French heroine, brought to the small–screen with a big name cast.
Joan of Arc (The Messenger) (1999): Dir. Luc Besson
Feat. Milla Jovovich, Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich…; The French heroine gets the big–budget splurge with a religiously inspired Milla Jovovich leading the French peasantry against the Brits, only…
Kundun (1998): Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Gyurme Tethong, Tencho Gyalpo; Not to be accused this time of repeating himself, the venerable Martin Scorsese clambers the Tibetan plateau for this unique biopic of the Dalai…
Odyssey, The (1997): Dir. Andrei Konchalovsky
Feat. Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini…; Homer's epic gets the televisual treatment as Odysseus makes his long journey home – through many an exotic location – while his wife…
Titanic (1997): Dir. James Cameron
Feat. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane; Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet cross class lines to consummate their passion just before the iceberg severs the stern from the bow in…
Les Miserables (1995): Dir. Claude Lelouch
Feat. Jean-Paul Belmondo; Widely considered the definitive screen version of this granddaddy of French literary staples. Few concessions have been allowed in staging a…
Ulysses' Gaze (1995): Dir. Theo Angelopoulos
Feat. Harvey Keitel, Maia Morgenstern; Returning from exile in America, Yugoslavian filmmaker Harvey Keitel quests after rare film footage in the wartorn Balkans. Shot under conditions…
Underground (1995): Dir. Emir Kusturica
Feat. Miki Manojlovic, Lazar Ristovski, Mirjana Jokovic; Palme D'Or–winning epic covering fifty years of Balkan history in fantastical, magic–realist style. While the brash satire may be too…
Waterworld (1995): Dir. Kevin Reynolds
Feat. Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn…; Most famous as a production fiasco, Kevin Costner made a painful public bellyflop with this MAD MAX on water. His film has many things to…
Queen Margot (La Reine Margot) (1994): Dir. Patrice Chereau
Feat. Isabelle Adjani, Vincent Perez, Virna Lisi…; A bodice–ripping yarn of treachery and forbidden passions between warring Catholic and Protestant factions in late 1500s France. Isabelle…
Little Buddha (1993): Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda; In truest Bertolucci fashion, this is a spiritual chronicle by way of history and spectacle. Time–frame is split between modern LA and 600 B.C.…
Temptation of a Monk (1993): Dir. Clara Law
Feat. Joan Chen, Zhang Fenyi; Graphic chronicle of blood–letting by a fierce warrior general in 7th century China, that hews to the visual traditions of the classic Japanese…
Black Robe (1991): Dir. Bruce Beresford
Feat. Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young; A Jesuit priest attempts to convert Shamanist Indians in the Canadian wilderness of 1643. A heady mix of explicit savagery and incomparable beauty.
Dances with Wolves (1990): Dir. Kevin Costner
Feat. Kevin Costner; Kevin Costner's finest few hours. He plays an estranged cavalry officer who befriends and learns the survivalist culture of the native Sioux. Winner…
Mahabharata, The (1990): Dir. Peter Brook
Feat. Erika Alexander, Maurice Benichou, Amba Bihler; This 'great story of mankind' forms the basis of Indian religion and mythology. Some 15 times the length of the bible, stage maestro Peter Brook has…
Mountains of the Moon (1990): Dir. Bob Rafelson
Feat. Patrick Bergin, Iain Glen, Richard E. Grant…; Ambitious saga details the quest of Sir Richard Burton to discover the source of the Nile river. Compelling personal story remains focused amid the…
Royal Hunt, The (1990): Dir. Vitaly Melnikov
Feat. Nikolai Yeryomenko Ml, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Anna Sumokhing; Erotic and exotic expose of Catherine the Great and the claimants to her throne in 17th Century Russia. Passion, scandal and lavish costumes come…
War and Remembrance (Mini-Series) (1988): Dir. Dan Curtis
Feat. Robert Mitchum, Jane Seymour, Hart Bochner…; Sequel to THE WINDS OF WAR follows trials and tribulations of the Henry and the Jastrow families amid the events after the USA's entry into World War…
Last Emperor, The (1987): Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Feat. John Lone, Peter O'Toole; Grand scale interpretation of the true life of Pu Yi (John Lone), the last emperor of China, who ascended the throne at three years–old to live…
Sicilian, The (1987): Dir. Michael Cimino
Feat. Christopher Lambert, Terence Stamp, Joss Ackland…; Still reeling from the box office catastrophe of HEAVEN'S GATE, Michael Cimino turned his attention to this Mario Puzo–scripted saga about an…
North and South (TV Series) (1985): Dir. Richard T. Heffron
Feat. Patrick Swayze, James Read, Kirstie Alley…; Heavyweight Civil War tome starring Patrick Swayze and James Read as young men caught up in the winds of American revolution, conflict and…
Ran (1985): Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Tatsuya Nakadai; The title translates to 'chaos'; it is Kurosawa's vast and bloody interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Grandiose in every sense – a…
Revolution (1985): Dir. Hugh Hudson
Feat. Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Nastassja Kinski…; Disastrous epic with Pacino almost committing career suicide as a fur trapper caught in the upheaval of the American Revolution. Some handsome…
Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, The (1984): Dir. Kar-leung Lau
Feat. Gordon Liu, Alexander Fu, Kara Hui…; Hong Kong martial arts epic set circa the 10th century, with a Mongol army attempting to overthrow the influential Yang family, defenders of the Song…
Far Pavilions, The (TV Mini-series) (1984): Dir. Peter Duffell
Feat. Ben Cross, Amy Irving, Christopher Lee…; Lavish period drama based on the epic book by novelist M.M. Kaye, centered around the romance between a young English officer and a beautiful Indian…
Samson and Delilah (1984): Dir. Lee Philips
Feat. Antony Hamilton, Belinda Bauer, Max von Sydow…; Made–for–TV Old Testament epic centred on the classic Biblical tale of power, persuasion, and love between a Hebrew strongman and a…
Right Stuff, The (1983): Dir. Philip Kaufman
Feat. Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Fred Ward; A richly detailed, down–to–earth account of the lives of the first Americans to travel into space. Top ensemble cast.
Blue and the Gray, The (TV Mini-Series) (1982): Dir. Andrew V. McLaglen
Feat. Stacy Keach, Colleen Dewhurst, Lloyd Bridges…; Handsomely staged mini–series views the Civil War throught the eyes of a Southern war correspondent bearing witness to the war's key events.
Gandhi (1982): Dir. Richard Attenborough
Feat. Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox…; Epic retelling of the life of the inspirational Indian leader with Ben Kingsley as 'The Mahatma'. Won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The (1982): Dir. James Goddard, Trevor Nunn
Feat. Roger Rees, David Threlfall; The legendary, nine–hour stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby", performed by members of The Royal Shakespeare…
Les Uns et Les Autres (Bolero) (1981): Dir. Claude Lelouch
Feat. James Caan, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert Hossein…; Sprawling extravaganza of questionable taste is not without its devotees. It charts the impact that music has made on the lives of four…
Masada (TV Mini-series) (1981): Dir. Boris Sagal
Feat. Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, Barbara Carrera…; Epic mini–series set in the first century AD, where commander Flavius Silva (O'Toole) leads his army into combat against the remaining Jewish…
Peter and Paul (1981): Dir. Robert Day
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Robert Foxworth, Eddie Albert…; Epic account of the early spread of Christianity follows disciples Peter and Paul as they struggle against violent opposition and their own personal…
Reds (1981): Dir. Warren Beatty
Feat. Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson; A provocative political saga about an American journalist's involvement with communism, the Russian revolution and the love of a like–minded…
Kagemusha (1980): Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara; A majestic 16th century saga about a petty thief who ascends to tribal leadership on account of his resemblance to a dying warlord. Shared the top…
Last Outlaw, The (TV Mini-Series) (1980): Dir. George Miller, Kevin James Dobson
Feat. John Jarratt, Sigrid Thornton, Steve Bisley; Attention to historical detail is the hallmark of this fine account of the life of Australia's most infamous folk hero Ned Kelly. Covering the last…
Lion of the Desert (1980): Dir. Moustapha Akkad
Feat. Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, John Gielgud…; An epic account of the 'David and Goliath' battle on the Libyan desert between Mussolini's all–powerful army and the Bedouin, circa 1930.
Circle Of Iron (The Silent Flute) (1978): Dir. Richard Moore
Feat. David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall; Bizarre 80s fantasy tells the story of a young fighter who seeks a spiritual identity through martial arts, and goes on a quest to find the legendary…
Les Miserables (1978): Dir. Glenn Jordan
Feat. Anthony Perkins, Richard Jordan, John Gielgud…; Well–regarded adaptation of Hugo's seminal novel. Perkins excels as the obsessive Javert, and director Jordan does an admirable job compressing…
Jesus of Nazareth (Mini Series) (1977): Dir. Franco Zeffirelli
Feat. Robert Powell, Laurence Olivier, Anne Bancroft…; Touched by the hand of Franco Zeffirelli and a who's–who of famous thesps, this is the most respectfully detailed and complete retelling of the…
Roots (TV Mini-series) (1977): Dir. Marvin J. Chomsky et al
Feat. Maya Angelou, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Moses Gunn; Engrossing TV mini–series traces the misfortunes of an African family forcibly transported to America as slaves. The lives of subsequent…
1900 (Novecento) (1976): Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
Feat. Gerard Depardieu, Robert De Niro; Spectacular saga spans the first half of 20th Century Italy, and follows two men, one a peasant (Gerard Depardieu), the other a nobleman (Robert de…
Swashbuckler (1976): Dir. James Goldstone
Feat. Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle…; Refreshingly unselfconscious pirate yarn with Robert Shaw crossing swords with a fey Peter Boyle against Caribbean backdrops. Released at a time…
La Maman Et La Putain (the Mother and the Whore) (1974): Dir. Jean Eustache
Feat. Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Francoise Lebrun; At just over three and a half hours, this domestic chamber drama – probably the last great film of the French New Wave – is not for the…
War and Peace (TV Mini-series) (1972): Dir. John Davies
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Alan Dobie, Rupert Davies; Hugely ambitious television production of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel, told through twenty 45–minute episodes. Boasting beautiful design and…
Water Margin (Seven Blows Of The Dragon) (1972): Dir. Chang Cheh
Feat. David Chiang, Ti Lung; Perhaps the most spectacular of the 1970s Hong Kong swordplay productions by the Shaw Bros, this epic is set in 12th century Sung Dynasty China,…
Kidnapped (1971): Dir. Delbert Mann
Feat. Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins…; A dashing Michael Caine heads this ambitious adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s tales of 18th century Scotland. Grand, if ultimately unrealised…
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. Laurence Olivier, Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman…; The last Czars of Russia get an appropriately lavish send–off in this wagon–load of Hollywood corn. With Tom Baker (as Rasputin) and…
Hawaiians, The (1970): Dir. Tom Gries
Feat. Charlton Heston, Tina Chen, Geraldine Chaplin…; Brotherly relations are strained when the black sheep returns home, plantation building and pineapple stealing ensues. Bloated sequel to HAWAII…
Heroic Ones, The (1970): Dir. Chang Cheh
Feat. David Chiang, Chin Han, Ti Lung…; Martial arts film set in 1880s imperial China, where a Mogul king secretly assembles his loyal generals on a mission to take on his greatest rivals.…
Patton (1970): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates…; George C. Scott is unnervingly convincing as the real life WW2 General with whose military convictions were indeed unnerving. Co–written by…
Waterloo (1970): Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
Feat. Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles; Napoleonic epic from the Russian director of WAR AND PEACE is dramatically woolly, but includes superb, sprawling battle–scenes. Rod Steiger…
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969): Dir. Charles Jarrott
Feat. Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas…; Opulent recounting of the doomed romance between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn with a gallery of fine performances and stunning costume design.
Andrei Rublev (1966): Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
Feat. Anatoli Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolai Grinko; Enthralling historical drama vividly portrays the 15th Century Russian painter who was encumbered by the political turbulence of the time.
Bible, The (1966): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, John Huston…; A sincere, if not entirely successful, attempt to transpose the Old Testament to the screen – from Adam to Isaac. Appropriately grand and…
Khartoum (1966): Dir. Basil Dearden
Feat. Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Charlton Heston…; Lavishly mounted biopic of General Gordon's defeat by Arab tribesmen in 1833.
War and Peace (1966): Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
Feat. Lyudmila Savelyeva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Irina Gubanova; The definitive version of Leo Tolstoy's gargantuan novel, set during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in the early 19th century. Nothing else quite…
Agony and the Ecstasy, The (1965): Dir. Carol Reed
Feat. Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento; Hollywood portrait of Michelangelo's struggle to paint the Sistine Chapel under the patronage of belligerent Pope Julius II. Rex Harrison fares…
Doctor Zhivago (1965): Dir. David Lean
Feat. Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Omar Sharif; Omar Sharif plays the Russian doctor exiled for writing poetry during WW1, and separated from his only love. Complex, beautifully conceived epic will…
Greatest Story Ever Told, The (1965): Dir. George Stevens
Feat. Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Robert Loggia…; Not the greatest movie ever made, however one might get a kick out of spotting all the famous faces in this reverant, picturesque epic about the life…
Lord Jim (1965): Dir. Richard Brooks
Feat. Peter O'Toole, James Mason, Jack Hawkins…
War Lord, The (1965): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth…; Charlton Heston stars in this muscular historical adventure as an honoured knight who takes over a castle tower in the swampland of Normandy.…
Becket (1964): Dir. Peter Glenville
Feat. Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud…; Stinging, fact–based epic turns the trusted relationship between King Henry II (O’Toole) and his best friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury…
Fall of the Roman Empire (1964): Dir. Anthony Mann
Feat. Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren, James Mason…; Monumental event is given a proportionate treatment with sets reputed to be the largest ever built and a literate script to boot.
Zorba the Greek (1964): Dir. Michael Cacoyannis
Feat. Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas; Keynote role for Anthony Quinn as the title–character of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel, a bawdy, womanising,…
55 Days at Peking (1963): Dir. Nicholas Ray
Feat. Charlton Heston, David Niven, Ava Gardner; Set in the turmoil of 1900 China, during the Boxer Rebellion, this splashy Hollywood epic succeeds on the strength of its stylish visuals and…
Cleopatra (1963): Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. Rex Harrison, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton; Magnificent sets and Rex Harrison's dynamic Caesar are the saving graces of this, Hollywood's most extravagant turkey. Both Liz Taylor and Richard…
Jason and the Argonauts (1963): Dir. Don Chaffey
Feat. Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack; Masterpiece of fantasy based on Greek mythology features the best stop–motion animation work from Ray Harryhausen. The skeleton…
Kings of the Sun (1963): Dir. J. Lee Thompson
Feat. Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field…; Rollicking tribal adventure has a Mayan tribe searching for new homelands while being pursued by vengeful Indians.The athletic Brynner dominates…
300 Spartans, The (1962): Dir. Rudolph Mate
Feat. Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, Diane Baker; Richard Egan leads the hardened best of Sparta into the famous battle at Thermapayle between the Greek and Persian empires in in the 5th century…
47 Ronin, The (Genroku chushingura) (1962): Dir. Hiroshi Inagaki
Feat. Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Setsuko Hara; A grand and spectacular take on a famous Japanese legend, with 47 ronin (masterless samurai) in feudal Japan seeking revenge on those responsible for…
Barabbas (1962): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Anthony Quinn, Jack Palance, Arthur Kennedy…; Lavish, literate and thrilling by equal measure, this Hollywood Roman speculation follows the wanderings of the legendary thief (Quinn) who was saved…
Lawrence of Arabia (1962): Dir. David Lean
Feat. Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn…; Superlative epic biography of enigmatic adventurer T.E. Lawrence played by a charismatic Peter O'Toole in his first leading role. The spectacle is…
El Cid (1961): Dir. Anthony Mann
Feat. Charlton Heston; The tale of the 11th century warrior–king who drove the Moors from Spain. By dint of its fine acting and avoidance of the obvious, this epic…
King of Kings (1961): Dir. Nicholas Ray
Feat. Jeffrey Hunter, Hurd Hatfield, Robert Ryan…; Faithful, intelligent telling of the life of Christ, with Jeffrey Hunter in the robes of JC, benefits from a lesser–known cast. Orson Welles…
Samson (Sansome) (1961): Dir. Gianfranco Parolini
Feat. Brad Harris, Serge Gainsbourg, Irena Prosen; Pioneering film in "sword and sandal" genre about Samson, the character from the Hebrew bible who joins Queen Mila and a rebel army to take back the…
Esther and the King (1960): Dir. Raoul Walsh, Mario Bava
Feat. Joan Collins, Richard Egan, Denis O'Dea…; The Book of Esther is retold in this minor Biblical epic, with Joan Collins as a Jewish girl saves her people from a pogrom launched by the evil…
Exodus (1960): Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo; Paul Newman stars in this epic adaptation of Leon Uris' novel about the founding of modern Israel and the plight of the Palestinians. Ernest Gold won…
Gladiators 7 / The Giant of Marathon (1960-1962): Dir. Pedro Lazaga, Jacques Tourneur, Mario Bava
Feat. Steve Reeves, Mylene Demongeot, Gerard Tichy; Two dubbed 'spaghetti epics' from the heyday of the early 1960s: Gladiators 7 (1962) Directed by Pedro Lazaga – A Greek riff on THE…
Rocco and His Brothers (1960): Dir. Luchino Visconti
Feat. Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot…; An uncompromising, richly detailed portrait of an impoverished family who travel to Milan where they are beset by violent misfortune.
Spartacus (1960): Dir. Stanley Kubrick
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton…; First–rate epic details the revolt of the ancient Roman slaves as led by Kirk Douglas in the title role. Production spares little expense but…
Ben-Hur (1959): Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd; Spectacular production of the Jews plight against the Roman empire, complete with landmark chariot race, awesome sea battle and a cast of thousands…
Hannibal (1959): Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Feat. Victor Mature, Gabriele Ferzetti, Rik Battaglia…; Virile extravaganza recounts the journey of Cathiginian general Hannibal as he marches on Rome in a war of revenge. Brilliant direction from…
Last Days of Pompeii / City of Metropolis (1959-1961): Dir. Mario Bonnard, Umberto Scarpelli
Feat. Steve Reeves, Christine Kaufmann, Fernando Rey; Two dubbed 'spaghetti epics' from the heyday of the 1950s and 1960s: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959) Directed by Mario Bonnard –…
Solomon and Sheba (1959): Dir. King Vidor
Feat. Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida; Colourful biblical epic with Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida as the noble rulers of Israel.
Night to Remember, A (1958): Dir. Roy Ward Baker
Feat. Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres…; Vivid re–enactment of events that led to the sinking of the Titanic, with careful attention payed to the human drama. Kenneth More leads a…
Farewell to Arms, A (1957): Dir. Charles Vidor, John Huston
Feat. Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, Vittorio De Sica…; Expensive, though wooden adaptation of the Hemingway classic set around a love story on the Italian Front in WWI. Despite a Ben Hecht script, the…
Les Miserables (1957): Dir. Jean-Paul Le Chanois
Feat. Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier, Daniele Delorme…; Adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel with Jean Gabin playing the peasant who is jailed for stealing a loaf of bread in 19th century France. A faithful…
Raintree County (1957): Dir. Edward Dmytryk
Feat. Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Eva Marie Saint…; Civil War set romance has Montgomery Clift as a schoolteacher whojoins the Union Army as they march into Georgia in the hope of finding his estranged…
Alexander the Great (1956): Dir. Robert Rossen
Feat. Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom; Earnest epic follows the life and early death of the Greek warrior who conquered the entire known world. This seismic production has Richard Burton…
Giant (1956): Dir. George Stevens
Feat. James Dean, Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor; A beautifully conceived saga of life on a Texas cattle ranch told through two generations. James Dean's final performance.
Helen of Troy (1956): Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Rossana Podesta, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Niall MacGinnis…; Homer's epic of the Trojan War is treated with Hollywood gloves in this above–average adaptation. Centering around the the ambiguous figure of…
Ten Commandments, The (1956): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter…; The director remakes his 1923 silent epic with improved results and Charlton Heston as Moses, who battles the odds to lead the Israelites to the…
War and Peace (1956): Dir. King Vidor
Feat. Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda; In treating Tolstoy's literary sprawl, Hollywood pinned its hopes on a high–profile cast and extravagant battle sequences to redeem a…
Land of the Pharaohs (1955): Dir. Howard Hawks
Feat. Jack Hawkins, Joan Collins, Dewey Martin; High–camp spectacle about treachery in ancient Egypt during the building of the great Pyramid has procured something of a cult following, with…
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954): Dir. Delmer Daves
Feat. Victor Mature; Efficient sequel to THE ROBE follows Demetrius, the Greek slave (Victor Mature), to Rome where he is trained as a gladiator. Rousing combat sequences.
Egyptian, The (1954): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Edmund Purdom…; Epic "CinemaScope" drama set in ancient Egypt where a poor orphan becomes a genial physician and is eventually appointed at the Pharaoh's court where…
Prince Valiant (1954): Dir. Henry Hathaway
Feat. James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner…; Star studded tale of a young Viking prince striving to become a knight in King Arthur's Court and restore his exiled father to his rightful throne.
Sansho Dayu (Sansho the Bailiff) (1954): Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
Feat. Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa…; One of Mizoguchi's great classics, based on an 11th century Japanese folktale elaborated into a sprawling vision of a cruel, mysterious cosmos, where…
Seven Samurai, The (1954): Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune; Kurosawa's classic 'Eastern Western' about a village who hire an elite band of warriors to fend off marauders. Compassionate storytelling with combat…
Ulysses (1954): Dir. Mario Camerini
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano…; Kirk Douglas muscles his way home in this admittedly pretty, but vacant, adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. Anthony Quinn is gets all the best lines, but…
Robe, The (1953): Dir. Henry Koster
Feat. Richard Burton; Richard Burton acquires Jesus' robe after supervising his crucifixion and becomes wreaked with fear and guilt. A lavish biblical epic, the first film…
Salome (1953): Dir. William Dieterle
Feat. Rita Hayworth, Stewart Granger, Charles Laughton…; Biblical epic loaded with Hollywood opulence and famed for its erotic dance sequence by Rita Hayworth. The star plays Jewish Princess Salome who…
Greatest Show On Earth, The (1952): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. James Stewart, Charlton Heston; Roll up for an Oscar–winning spectacle from Hollywood's greatest showmeister. The big–top excitement features a tent–load of stars.
David and Bathsheba (1951): Dir. Henry King
Feat. Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey…; The Hollywood romance as Biblical epic, with Gregory Peck as an adulterous King David who falls for the foxy Bathsheba (Hayward) – nevermind…
Quo Vadis? (1951): Dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Feat. Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov…; Lavish Roman epic, set during the decadent reign of Nero, has legionnaire Robert Taylor falling for lion–bait Christian Deborah Kerr, amid…
Green Dolphin Street (1947): Dir. Victor Saville
Feat. Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed…; One of the biggest box office hits of its time, this sweeping colonial melodrama of unrequited lovers who migrate to Aotearoa in the 1850s has dated…
Caesar and Cleopatra (1945): Dir. Gabriel Pascal
Feat. Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger, Claude Rains…; The oft–told tale of the First Roman Emperor and the Queen of Egpyt, here adapted from George Bernard Shaw's play. Stagey filming is offset by…
An American Romance (1944): Dir. King Vidor
Feat. Brian Donlevy, Ann Richards, Walter Abel…; Ambitious technicolour drama from director King Vidor about a European immigrant to the USA, who builds his fortune in the automobile industry, and…
Ivan the Terrible Pts. 1 & 2 (1943): Dir. Sergei Eisenstein
Feat. Nikolai Cherkassov, Serafima Birman, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya; Spectacularly staged chronicle of the life of Czar Ivan IV, and his struggle to consolidate the Russian empire in the 16th Century. One of the…
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The (1943): Dir. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Feat. Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook; The numerous off–beat adventures of a British soldier are chronicled over a period of three wars, with Deborah Kerr playing all three of the…
Munchhausen (1943): Dir. Josef von Baky
Feat. Hans Albers; This adaptation of the Rudolph Raspe novel about the extraordinary tall–tales of a German baron is a genuine oddity, both historically and…
Arabian Nights (1942): Dir. John Rawlins
Feat. Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Sabu…; Lavish sets and costumes distinguish this story of two brothers competing for the throne of Turkey and the hand of the fiery dancing girl played by…
Loyal 47 Ronin, The (47 Ronin) (1941): Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
Feat. Yoshizaburo Arashi; Sombre rendition of a famous Japanese legend that's both quietly dignified and overtly nationalistic, tooled as propaganda during the height of…
Howards Of Virginia, The (1940): Dir. Frank Lloyd
Feat. Cary Grant, Martha Scott, Sir Cedric Hardwicke; Cary Grant rather bumbles through this melodrama set during the American Revolution, playing a rugged surveyor who marries aristocrat and royalist…
Beau Geste (1939): Dir. William A. Wellman
Feat. Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston…; Classic Hollywood gallantry with, Gary Cooper as the eldest of three brothers who run away to join the French Foreign Legion, only to clash bayonets…
Gone with the Wind (1939): Dir. Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood
Feat. Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland…; One of the greatest examples of story–telling on film, this maintains one's firm interest for nearly four hours with its romantic story, strong…
Alexander Nevsky (1938): Dir. Sergei Eisenstein
Feat. Nikolai Cherkassov, Nikolai Okhlopkov; Eisenstein's first sound film is a patriotic epic about the 13th century hero who led his people against the Teutonic Knights. Monumental battle…
Crusades, The (1935): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Loretta Young, Henry Wilcoxon; Hollywood Heavyweight Cecil B. DeMille Directs this overblown spectacle that differs vastly from it's grisly historical origins.
Les Miserables (1935): Dir. Richard Boleslawski
Feat. Fredric March, Charles Laughton; Most faithful of the numerous film versions of Victor Hugo's novel, chronicling the lifelong harassment of reformed petty thief Ferric March by the…
Cleopatra (1934): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Claudette Colbert, Warren William; Claudette Colbert stars as the sultry Roman Empress in this baroque De Mille version. Most noted for the lavish barge scene and some startling action…
Tarzan The Fearless / Tarzan And The Trappers (1933-1958): Dir. Charles Haas, Robert F. Hill
Feat. Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Gordon Scott; "Tarzan The Fearless" is feature film stitched together in the 1960's from the first four chapters a 12–part 1933 serial starring Buster Crabbe…
Sign of the Cross, The (1932): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Fredric March, Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton…; Pre–Code Hollywood epic from director Cecil B. DeMille, based on the Wilson Barrett play of the same name. Forms a biblical trilogy with…
Storm Over Asia (Potomok Chingis-Khana) (1928): Dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin; An epic of silent Russian cinema to rival Eisenstein, this is set around a young Mongol fur–trapper who is swindled by traders and develops a…
End of St. Petersburg, The (1927): Dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin
Feat. Vera Baranovskaya, Aleksandr Chistyakov; The tensions that exploded with the 'October Revolution' in Russia, 1917 are schematised here using understated characterisations (of workers and…
Hunchback Of Notre Dame,The (1923): Dir. William Worsley
Feat. Lon Chaney; Perhaps the first classic version of Victor Hugo's novel about a hunchback who becomes lovestruck with a gypsy lass in 18th century Paris. Features…
Orphans of the Storm (1921): Dir. D.W. Griffith
Feat. Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Joseph Schildkraut…; Vivid melodrama with the sisters Gish caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution, encountering misery and love along the way.
Intolerance (1916): Dir. D.W. Griffith
Feat. Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh; Staggeringly ambitious film has a rightful place in many critic's 'all–time' lists. Its mammoth story unfolds in four parts simultaneously…
Birth of a Nation (1915): Dir. D.W. Griffith
Feat. Lillian Gish; The cinema's first major epic marked the birth of an artform – newly defining the artistic boundaries of the medium. It retains much of its…

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