A razor blade slicing across a woman's eye -- this spine-chilling image is indelibly burned into the brain of anyone who has ever seen "Un Chien Andalou" (1929) by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. This short film -- which also features a man poking at a severed hand and ants emerging from a hole in a m

Dreamy, Fantastic, Psychological, Surreal, Surrealist film

Akira Kurosawa fits easily in the pantheon of preeminent directors of the century. His films have exerted unforeseen influences on post-WWII film. George Lucas used his 'Hidden Fortress' as a model for 'Star Wars"; Sergio Leone adapted his samurai tales to the spaghetti western; John Sturges transfor

Classical japanese, Epic, Psychological, Self-reflection, Violent

Fran'ois Truffaut's name is by now synonymous with the French New Wave. The movement's birth was heralded when Truffaut printed his official manifesto against "le cinema de papa" in the journal Cahiers du Cinema. "A Certain Tendency in French Cinema," appearing in 1954, rocked the French film world's

Epic, French new wave, Lyrical, Psychological, Sensual

After the crash of the French New Wave had subsided into an uncertain lull, critics complained that French cinema was dead. In reality, it was merely taking a rest. Enter Olivier Assayas, son of a respected pre-New Wave scriptwriter. Although schooled in literature and painting, Assayas maintaine

Dark, French new wave, Psychological, Self-reflection, Tragic