Jane Campion's lush study of repression, "The Piano," contains an enduring image: high cliffs tower over a deserted beach, waves crashing and rolling upon the cold sand. Deposited in the tide is a black piano, a misplaced presence seemingly dropped from heaven. It is a solitary signifier of humanity

Dissonant, Enigmatic, Erotic, Film down under, Intense, Tribal

Viewed from one angle, Alain Resnais functioned as a condensation of film production -- writing, directing, shooting, and editing his own films. But looked at from another angle, Resnais embodies a kind of schizophrenia, a multiplication of roles dispersing his voice and being through time and space.

Complex, Dreamy, Enigmatic, French new wave

A vocal faction insists that Welles never produced anything worthwhile after his milestone directorial debut, "Citizen Kane." Even those who find a hint of brilliance in "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Touch of Evil" dismiss the last decades of Welles' life as a sad parade of impractical projects an

Anxiety, Enigmatic, Epic, Excessive, Huge, Voluminous, Witty