During the Second World War, Air Commodore Waltby is flying to Allied Command Headquarters with an attaché case packed with information that could stave off an invasion by Germany. Unfortunately, his plane is shot down and he and three colleagues are left drifting in a lifeboat in the North Sea - with the vital intelligence reports still not in the hands of Allied Command. As the Allied authorities direct the search, the four men are edging closer to death and the Germans are planning their assault.

The anarchic St Trinian's schoolgirls win a UNESCO prize trip to Rome, in the second St Trinian's film. Upon arrival they become involved with a jewel thief (Lionel Jeffries) who hides out with the school, disguised as the headmistress.

During the Second World War, Air Commodore Waltby is flying to Allied Command Headquarters with an attaché case packed with information that could stave off an invasion by Germany. Unfortunately, his plane is shot down and he and three colleagues are left drifting in a lifeboat in the North Sea - with the vital intelligence reports still not in the hands of Allied Command. As the Allied authorities direct the search, the four men are edging closer to death and the Germans are planning their assault.

The true story of an English missionary (Ingrid Bergman) who led a hundred children over enemy territory in pre-WWII China. Robert Donat plays a Chinese mandarin in his final screen performance and North Wales stands in for the Chinese countryside.

Lewis Gilbert directs this British war drama starring Anthony Steel. In 1944, a group of prisoners in camp Marlag 'O' believe they have an informer among them after a series of failed escape attempts. Former artist Lieutenant Geoffrey Ainsworth (Steel) devises a plan to create a papier mâché dummy, which they christen Albert, to cover an escapee's absence and fool the German guards at roll call. But will Albert's presence be enough to secure their escape?

Based on real events, this vintage war movie charts the fortunes of a small group of British soldiers serving in the Korean war. Out on a routine patrol, the soldiers find that Chinese troop movements have cut them off from their own lines. They try to fight their way back to safety but with the enemy surrounding them on all sides, the prospects look bleak. The cast includes George Baker, Stanley Baker, Harry Andrews and Michael Caine in his first credited film role.

1950s rendering of the novel by George Orwell. In a futuristic, state-run society controlled by 'Big Brother', where love is outlawed, employee of the state Winston Smith (Edmond O'Brien) falls for Julia (Jan Sterling), and is tortured and brainwashed for his crime. Michael Redgrave and Donald Pleasence co-star.

Robert Montgomery directs and stars in this 1950 courtroom drama. Montgomery plays Adam Heyward, a successful American lawyer who travels to England to defend the man who saved his life once before. Upon arrival, he learns that a woman who was present at the scene of the crime and fled may hold the key to the defendant's freedom. Can he track the woman down and tip the scales of justice in his client's favour?

Classic British war film based on the novel by Pierre Boulle in which a group of POWs are forced to build a bridge in Burma for the Japanese. Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is the appointed leader of the men interned in the camp. When the Japanese commander, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), orders his captives to build a bridge across the river Kwai, Nicholson agrees on the basis that the project will keep his men occupied and give them an opportunity to prove, through the quality of their work, the superiority of British engineering. However, as the bridge progresses and the POWs strive to show their craftsmanship, Nicholson appears to lose sight of the fact that the ultimate object of the bridge is to help the Japanese win the war. The impending arrival of a British commando team, sent to destroy the bridge, looks set to provide a stern test of where the true loyalties of the increasingly obsessive Nicholson lie.

Powerful drama about loyalties and the industrial workplace in early 60s Britain. Factory worker Tom Arnold (Richard Attenborough) does not share the same feelings as his fellow workers in a developing industrial dispute and refuses to go on strike with them. This results in him being 'sent to Coventry' by all concerned, including his best friend Joe Wallace (Michael Craig). The newspapers soon hear about this and the story becomes a matter of national concern, with many different parties trying to use Tom's stance to their own ends.

1950s British drama directed by and starring Ralph Richardson. Richardson plays a bank clerk who goes missing for a day and returns home with amnesia, only to find that he is a prime suspect in a murder investigation...

First in the series of films based on the cartoon creations of Ronald Searle. Miss Millicent Fritton (Alastair Sim), headmistress of St Trinian's School for Girls, attempts to stave off her creditors by 'looking after' the pocket money of a wealthy sheikh's daughter currently enrolled at the school, and investing it on the sheikh's horse, Arab Boy, in the local derby. Unfortunately, Miss Fritton's bookmaking brother Clarence (also Sim) has backed another horse, and kidnaps Arab Boy to ensure his own sizeable win. Miss Fritton enlists the help of disreputable boot boy Flash Harry (George Cole), the teaching staff and the Old Girls in rescuing Arab Boy and returning him to the race.

Cyril Frankel directs this 1960s comedy starring Sean Connery in one of his final pre-Bond roles. It is World War II and layabout Cockney Horace Pope (Alfred Lynch) finds himself forced to enlist in the war effort after one of his schemes backfires. In the RAF he strikes up a friendship with Pedlar Pascoe (Connery) and the pair hatch a cunning plan to avoid being sent to the frontlines. How will they react when the peril of war finally catches up with them?

Leslie Norman directs this British wartime drama which tells two sides of the Dunkirk story. British Corporal 'Tubby' Binns (John Mills) finds himself responsible for getting his men back to Britain from the Dunkirk beaches, after their commanding officer is killed and they become separated from the rest of the Allied Forces. Meanwhile, civilian reporter Charles Foreman (Bernard Lee) follows the build-up to the eventual evacuation of British and French troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. The cast also includes Richard Attenborough, Robert Urquhart and Ray Jackson.

Powerful drama about loyalties and the industrial workplace in early 60s Britain. Factory worker Tom Arnold (Richard Attenborough) does not share the same feelings as his fellow workers in a developing industrial dispute and refuses to go on strike with them. This results in him being 'sent to Coventry' by all concerned, including his best friend Joe Wallace (Michael Craig). The newspapers soon hear about this and the story becomes a matter of national concern, with many different parties trying to use Tom's stance to their own ends.

Collection of feature films directed by Joseph Losey. In 'The Sleeping Tiger' (1954), a psychiatrist brings a criminal into his home as an experiment in rehabilitation after catching the thief red-handed trying to break into his house. The patient seems to be making progress until the psychiatrist's wife falls in love with him putting his recovery back significantly. During his three years in prison, 'The Criminal' (1960), Johnny Bannion (Stanley Baker), has been devising his next robbery. Once out of prison he pulls off the heist and buries the money, but is arrested before he can tell the rest of the gang of its whereabouts. The gang eventually spring him from jail, but make a mistake that may mean they never see the money at all. 'Eva' (1962) is a psychological drama set in Venice, where a Welsh novelist (Baker) falls in love with a scheming, gold-digging Frenchwoman named Eva (Jeanne Moreau). Realising that Eva will never love him, the novelist marries the beautiful Francesca (Virna Lisi) who in turn loses her will to live when she discovers her husband's secretly harboured desires. In 'The Servant' (1963), spoiled young British aristocrat Tony (James Fox) buys a handsome Georgian townhouse and employs Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde) as his manservant. Initially appearing to settle in well to his new position, Barrett soon begins to exert his influence over his master with the overall goal of getting rid of Tony's girlfriend Susan (Wendy Craig) with whom Barrett does not get along. In 'Accident' (1967), two Oxford students, William (Michael York) and Anna (Jacqueline Sassard), crash their car outside their professor Stephen (Bogarde)'s house. The lecturer finds William dead and Anna in shock, and the horrifying spectacle in front of him triggers memories of their previous meeting. It transpires that Anna had been having an affair with one of the professor's colleagues, and, in a flashback to a dinner party, it is revealed what part Stephen had to play in the fall-out of the relationship. In 'The Go-Between' (1970), a young teenage boy, Leo (Dominic Guard), is invited to his wealthy school friend Marcus (Richard Gibson)'s family estate and is drawn into a love affair with Marcus's sister, Marian (Julie Christie). As he discovers that Marian is engaged to be married to Hugh (Edward Fox), a viscount of high-standing in the county, Leo doubts his ethics and starts to figure out a way to get out of the affair. In 'Mr. Klein' (1976), while the Nazis are undergoing the deportation of French Jews from occupied France, a Parisian art dealer (Alain Delon) discovers that he has a Jewish counterpart with the same name, for whom he is mistaken...

Lancashire bootmaker Henry Horatio Hobson (Charles Laughton) keeps a tight rein on his three daughters, until his eldest, Maggie (Brenda De Banzie), marries his assistant Willie Mossop (John Mills) and sets him up in his own bootmaking firm. To Hobson's consternation, Willie has soon become his father-in-law's main business rival.

Lancashire bootmaker Henry Horatio Hobson (Charles Laughton) keeps a tight rein on his three daughters, until his eldest, Maggie (Brenda De Banzie), marries his assistant Willie Mossop (John Mills) and sets him up in his own bootmaking firm. To Hobson's consternation, Willie has soon become his father-in-law's main business rival.

Guy Hamilton, best known for his work on Bond films such as 'Goldfinger' (1964) and 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971), directs this adaptation of the story by Edgar Wallace. The Ringer is a feared and enigmatic criminal. Though believed by some to have died in Australia, a series of threatening notes received in London indicate to police that the Ringer is nearby - bad news for corrupt lawyer Maurice Meister (Herbert Lom), the subject of the threats, who the Ringer holds responsible for the death of his sister. A police unit is dispatched to Meister's house to offer protection. Police psychiatrist Dr Lomond (Donald Wolfit) is part of the team in attendance and tries to help Meister stay calm in the face of the threat. However, as it becomes increasingly clear that the Ringer has infiltrated the team and is within striking distance of his target, the composure of all concerned will be firmly tested...

A collection of films made by Tony Palmer for the long-running ITV culture series The South Bank Show, released to coincide with the programme's demise in 2009 after a lifespan of over 30 years. Films included are: 'Maria Callas: Callas', 'William Walton: At the Haunted End of the Day', 'Margot Fonteyn: Margot', 'Stravinsky: Once at a Border', 'Benjamin Britten: A Time There Was.', 'John Adams: Hail Bop! - A Portrait of John Adams', 'Renee Fleming: Miss Renee Fleming', 'Malcolm Arnold: Toward the Unknown Region', 'Henryk Gorecki: The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs', 'Berlioz: I, Berlioz' and 'Michael Crawford: The Fantastic World of Michael Crawford'.

1960s drama starring Peter Finch as a parliamentary MP whose thirst for greater power leads him into political intrigue. Johnnie Byrne (Finch) is a Labour MP who aspires to the big-time. His hopes are raised when his party triumphs in a general election, but Johnnie is overlooked for a role on the front benches. To top it off, his wife (Rosalie Crutchley) has just left him and balancing two mistresses, including the youthful Pauline (Mary Peach), is proving difficult. When Johnny is approached by a couple of fellow backbenchers for help in a scheme that may destabilise the government but advance their careers, Johnny is faced with an important choice...

Classic collection of the early films of Alec Guinness. In the classic Ealing comedy, 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (1949), young Louis Mazzini (Dennis Price) vows to take revenge on his family, the D'Ascoynes, when he learns how they disinherited his mother. Working his way into their trust, Louis begins to bump off his distant relatives (all played by Alec Guinness) one by one, but complications set in when Edith D'Ascoyne (Valerie Hobson), the widow of his first victim, falls in love with him.

In 'Last Holiday' (1950), Guiness plays an agricultural salesman who finds out he has a short time to live. Taking a final holiday, he realises that he was actually a more interesting person than he allowed himself to be. In 'The Man In The White Suit' (1951), eccentric Sidney Stratton (Alec Guiness) is a laboratory cleaner in a textile factory, who invents a material that will neither wear out nor become dirty.

Initially hailed as a great discovery, Sidney's astonishing invention is suffocated by the management when they realise that if it never wears out, people will only ever have to purchase one suit of clothing. In 'The Captain's Paradise' (1953), Guinness stars as Mediterranean ferryboat Captain Henry St. James, who believes in the notion of 'a girl in every port'.

For Henry has a wife on both sides of the water. There is Maude (Celia Johnson) in Gibraltar and Nita (Yvonne DeCarlo) in Tangiers. Everything is perfect as long as neither woman decides to visit the other port.

In 'Barnacle Bill' (1957), Guiness plays retired Navy Captain Ambrose, who buys a decrepit amusement pier in 'Sandcastle-On-Sea' planning to turn it into a going concern. But when the local council object to the idea, planning to close the pier down, Ambrose has to use some lateral thinking to save the day.

Four films based on the cartoon creations of Ronald Searle. In 'The Belles of St Trinians' (1954), Miss Millicent Fritton (Alastair Sim), headmistress of St Trinian's School for Girls, attempts to stave off her creditors by 'looking after' the pocket money of a wealthy sheikh's daughter currently enrolled at the school, and investing it on the sheikh's horse, Arab Boy, in the local derby. In 'Blue Murder at St Trinians' (1956), the anarchic schoolgirls win a UNESCO prize trip to Rome. Upon arrival they become involved with a jewel thief (Lionel Jeffries) who hides out with the school, disguised as the headmistress. The jolly hockey sticks are being waved with malicious force once again in 'The Pure Hell of St Trinians' (1957). After they burn their school down, the girls are sent to the Middle East, where an Arab sheik tries to lure them into his harem. Flash Harry (George Cole) attempts to come to the rescue, only to find himself stranded on a desert island with a familiar member of the constabulary (Joyce Grenfell). In the 1966 film 'The Great St Trinians Train Robbery', a bunch of crooks take on more than they can handle when they decide to bury the loot from a successful robbery in the grounds of St Trinians. The high-spirited girls (or 'hooligans' as they are sometimes known) take it upon themselves to confront the highly-strung criminals, with devastating and comic effect.

Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley star in this British comedy. The Drossmouth repertory company are having enough trouble preparing for their production of the poorly-written melodrama 'Tarnished Gold' when the play's indomitable author Catherine Beckwith (Rutherford) arrives. She soon locks horns with the play's producer Harry Blacker (Morley), a confrontation which quickly escalates into out-and-out war.