THE THIRD MAN (1949)

A movie of black and white paranoia that to me is one of the all-time classics, perfectly capturing a very specific time and place.

MONSIEUR VERDOUX (1947)

This “comedy of murders” starring Charlie Chaplin as a serial killer was a scandalous flop in the US but has since been re-evaluated.

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942)

Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” follow-up was cut-up by the studio but remains extremely impressive technically. I found myself mostly annoyed at the characters.

CITIZEN KANE (1941)

Orson Welles’ directorial debut survived vicious attacks to become the closest thing we have to a consensus “Greatest Movie of All Time.”