Brian

These are Best Picture winners from the 1960s - 'On the waterfront' or 'Casablanca', for example, are not from that decade. 'The Sound of music' is not among my favourite films - and I can't assess 'Tom Jones's, not yet having seen it.

But it does seem a fair attempt at assessing the films. 'Oliver' is a good musical, but it pales when compared to David Lean's film of the non-musical 'Oliver Twist' or even the 'Oliver' director Carol Reed's masterpieces, notably 'The Third man'.

I love so many of the other films - 'A Man for All seasons', 'West side story', 'My fair lady', 'Ben Hur', 'The Apartment', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'In the heat of the night'. 'Lawrence of Arabia' could only have been number one of that list - Peter O'Toole's most memorable film and a masterpiece in every way. It is hard to say anything except nice things about the other films mentioned in this paragraph.

I regret the modern tendency to underrate 'A Man for All seasons' . Though modern interpretation of Sir Thomas More is different from the dramatist Robert Bolt's use of him as a man of conscience, the Fred Zinnemann film showcases a powerful central performance by Paul Scofield of lovely, memorable language in beautiful filming of the English countryside.

I agree that the remake of 'True grit' is not a masterpiece. The original had the memorable John Wayne gallop in it. It is hard to pick out anything memorable in the remake - except a quirky sensibility.

Memorable films strangely absent include 'High noon ', 'The Magnificent seven', 'Red river'.

But it is good to see the range of Western types and periods of production - and so many choices are excellent.

Memorable films not included are 'High noonç

Why do mistakes find their way into things like this? I will not argue about the list - it is good, and perhaps right. But it was not 'Joseph Campbell' who wrote 'Heart of darkness' ('Apocalypse now'); it was Joseph Conrad.

You have mentioned two films that I really love - 'A Man for all seasons' and 'Chariots of fire'. And your comments are very incisive.

'A Man for all seasons ' is brilliantly filmed and features a wonderful central performance from Scofield. The language of Bolt's play is magnificent, but Zinnemann has produced a beautiful film, not just a filmed play.

I read David Puttnam once say that 'A Man for all seasons' was a major influence on 'Chariots of fire' - which I also love. As you say, the film explores so well the motivations of two quite different athletes, running for reasons not just related to pleasing the crowds. Harold Abrahams' reasons are explained so well - an outsider to the anti-Semitic British elite. And the Christian Eric Liddell is portrayed sympathetically also - as one character said you could not force him to do something contrary to his convictions because those convictions are a part of himself and bound up with the reasons for his running. Later life proved that - he died a missionary to China, imprisoned by the Japanese and unable to be with his family in his last days.

Two really great films about three people of conviction, forced to stand against popular opinion.

Probably it's in the order that I would have expected.

I saw 'A Passage to India' on its cinema release, and wonder if it's better than 'Doctor Zhivago' - I love it. And when I arrived to live and work in India for some years, I often thought of it. But certainly, 'The Bridge over the River Kwai' and 'Lawrence of Arabia' are cinema milestones.