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Movie critic Ian Nathan goes in search of the cinematically sublime and explores the ingredients that went into making a classic. With each episode devoted to a single film, their story will be told with detail, affection, looking for the truth behind the myth, and all the trials and triumphs that went into forging the classic.
2023
In this opening episode, movie critic Ian Nathan examines the qualities that made this 1949 film noir starring Orson Welles an enduring classic.
Movie critic Ian Nathan examines the qualities that made this 1955 black comedy - starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers - a classic.
Movie critic Ian Nathan examines the qualities that made this 1948 gangster film noir starring Richard Attenborough, an enduring British classic.
Movie critic Ian Nathan examines the qualities that made this 1967 romantic comedy-drama starring Dustin Hoffman an all-time classic.
Movie critic Ian Nathan examines the qualities that made this 1985 epic action drama, directed and co-written by Akira Kurosawa, an enduring classic.
Movie critic Ian Nathan examines what helped to make James Cameron's 1991 sci-fi-action sequel, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, so critically-acclaimed within the genre.
2025
One of the greatest spy films ever made, The Ipcress Files begins with a kindap, a killing and a cup of coffee.
Kind Hearts and Coronets is one of a kind, a superb pitch-black comedy about gentle serial killing.
The Dam Busters begins in 1942, where a bespectacled man plays marbles with his children under a silver sky.
From Charles Frend, this 1948 drama tells the story of Robert Falcon Scott’s failed attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole.
As Mike Hodges’ flamboyant science fiction epic and Queen’s iconic rock song declares, Flash Gordon will be the saviour of the universe.
Directed by John Schlesinger in 1963, Billy Liar is one of the signature films of the British New Wave, the dynamic naturalism of the sixties.
2024
Ian Nathan returns to cast his eye over more cinematic masterpieces, beginning with David Lean's 1945 romantic tragedy starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.
Ian Nathan examines Alexander Mackendrick's 1949 Ealing comedy, in which Scottish islanders try to salvage 50,000 cases of whisky from a shipwreck.
Ian Nathan examines Mel Brooks' classic 1968 comedy, which stars Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as two men who set out to make a Broadway flop.
Ian Nathan examines the Boulting brothers' 1959 comedy, a satire on British industrial life starring Ian Carmichael Peter Sellers, Richard Attenborough and Margaret Rutherford.
Ian Nathan examines the 1974 adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery, featuring a stellar cast of train-bound suspects and Albert Finney as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.
Ian Nathan examines Michael Cimino's 1978 Vietnam War drama, which starred Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale and Meryl Streep.
2026
A look at the vivid '40s adaptation of the Dickens classic about a poor young orphan who becomes a gentleman of means thanks to a mysterious benefactor.
A look at one of Robert Downey Jr's career-defining performances in the 1992 hit from Richard Attenborough co-starring Anthony Hopkins.
This standout 70's spy classic blends paranoia, politics and tight suspense, proving how some films outlast their time.
A look at David Lynch's 2001 mystery thriller, defined by the shifting relationship between Betty and Rita.
Peter O'Toole delivers a memorable performance as King Henry II in a tale of palace intrigue bolstered by a stellar cast, including Anthony Hopkins.
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Ian Nathan
Self - Presenter
2025
Embark on a journey to discover what makes The 39 Steps not only a quintessential thriller but also an espionage thriller.
Released in 1943, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, is an extremely exceptional epic, which is exactly what makes it a masterpiece.
One of the great British comedies the plot of Passport to Pimlico is gloriously absurd. A combination of fantasy and realism told with a light touch.
Highlander is one of a kind, a strange and haunting fantasy epic about immortality and sword fights. Rediscovered again and again since its release in 1986.
Adapted from the book by legendary children's author E. Nesbit, it is a cinematic rite of passage that makes us remember the mysteries of childhood.
In the dystopian future of Escape from New York, the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison.
