Come and See: Orphans of the Storm
With extraordinary immediacy, Elem Klimov’s magisterial final film brings to life the barbarity of war, a subject of which the director had firsthand knowledge.
Stalker: Meaning and Making
During a period of personal turmoil, Andrei Tarkovsky created this enigmatic masterpiece, which explores spiritual and metaphysical mysteries through the prism of a science-fiction epic.
Here Is Your Life: Great Expectations
As visually and sociopolitically expansive as it is intimate in its details of a boy’s coming of age, Jan Troell’s film is one of the great cinematic debuts.
Master of the House: In the Corner
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s spare and modern visual style perfectly complements this comic and soulful domestic comeuppance story.
Babette’s Feast: “Mercy and Truth Have Met Together”
Gabriel Axel’s exquisite adaptation of Isak Dinesen’s short tale of grace through art provides spiritual and sensual sustenance.
Wild Strawberries: “Where Is the Friend I Seek?”
Ingmar Bergman’s classic character study is a moving depiction of aging and regret but also joy and forgiveness.
Sansho the Bailiff: The Lessons of Sansho
More than eighty films into his career, Kenji Mizoguchi made this emotionally devastating masterpiece, from a story by Ogai Mori.
The King of Marvin Gardens: A Killing
Red Desert: In This World
Vampyr’s Ghosts and Demons
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s elliptical and dreamlike vampire film defies definitive shots at interpretation.