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Fast Eddie Felson is an ambitious young pool hall hustler who is determined to prove himself the best while making a fortune in side bets. However, Eddie learns there is a heavy price to pay if he is going to succeed…

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Set in a British military stockade in North Africa in WW2, “The Hill” tells the story of five new prisoners and the attempts by the prison authorities to re-educate them and transform them into model soldiers, using sometimes dubious and often harsh methods to instil discipline and compliance to regulations.

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Max is a taxi driver hired by Vincent to make several stops in Los Angeles one night, but it transpires that Vincent is a hitman and Max becomes embroiled in Vincent’s deadly mission, eventually forcing him to choose between action and inaction.

The film may also be viewed as a stand-off between existential humanity and nihilism, with the two main characters representing these points of view.

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This is the story of Raymond Shaw, military hero and son of political activists who appears destined for greatness, but who has also been conditioned by communists to act as an assassin on the orders of his handler in America. 

A polished thriller, the film incorporates political satire, the theme of parental influence and responsibility, the role of ego in exercising influence, and a quasi-science fiction foray into the realms of mind control. It is quirky, entertaining, thought-provoking and highly engaging.

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This is the story of a group of violent and apparently morally reprehensible thieves and anti-heroes, whose conduct is tempered by loyalty and devotion to one another, as they come in to conflict with bounty hunters, the army and a militia whose deeds and attitudes may be viewed as even more reprehensible than those of our “heroes”.

It is an existential tale which touches on themes of ageing, mortality and the desire to give value to one’s life, as well as the importance of the bond of friendship, especially in the face of doubt over the worth of the lives of our bunch.

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Unlike any other western, Jeremiah Johnson traces the evolution of the titular character as he becomes a mountain man and trapper and shares adventures and experiences with fellow mountain men, members of some native American tribes and soldiers who seek his help in finding a party of settlers.

It is also a tale of independence, responsibility and honour as Johnson abandons society to return to nature.

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This apparently simple tale of greed and prejudice among French peasants in the 1920s, involving the blocking a water source in order to force a landowner to sell his property, soon leads to a complex series of moves and countermoves with life-changing consequences. 

The tale also provides the basis for many observations on life, touching on morality, devotion, family, town and country living, the importance and value of land, as well as exploring existential fate or destiny and the way in which events can catch up with choices one makes in life.

Although largely informal and sketchy, I hope these notes that I wrote almost twenty-five years ago to help some of my pupils who were studying the films “Jean de Florette” and “Manon des Sources” are of some value to you…

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Discussion and analysis of characters and themes in Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter”, focusing on the impact of the conflict in Vietnam on the lives of a group of American friends, starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage and Meryl Streep.

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Reflections on the background, characters and especially the themes of the famous 1967 television series starring Patrick McGoohan as a security agent who resigns and is kidnapped and held in a comfortable resort-like village in so that authorities might ascertain just why this agent has resigned and whether or not he represents a threat to the security and best interests of the society he formerly helped to protect.

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Discussion and analysis of characters and themes in “The Searchers”, focusing on Ethan Edwards’ motivation and so-called racism, relationships, family, love and the place of the individual in an evolving society.