5th Anniversary Edition
Edited by Steve Jay Schneider
Cassell Illustrated £20

This is one of those books that almost courts the argumentative, but if you take a closer look then you will not be disappointed. There are a number of books that purport to list best films of all time, but this is not one of those. Instead it draws to your attention a number of films from across the genres and then details them for your consideration.
Those of you who read subtitles will see that this is an updated version. In other words some titles have been cut and others introduced, after all new movies come out each year, though to be honest I can only think of a handful from the past fve years that I would even consider putting onto a short list.
There is also a problem with a literal interpretation of the title. Firstly, even if you had all of these on DVD, (and some are quite hard to track down), it would take about three years (allowing for holidays etc) if you were to watch one movie a night, and secondly most local DVD stores will only have a fraction of these in stock.

This means adroit use of cable and satellite channels to track down broadcasts, or even worse you might have to dig into your pocket and buy them online. This can be expensive if you have 208 films still to see.

The fun thing about the book, and yes it is big and heavy with 960 pages, is that it is a starting point for lively discussion on the merits of those chosen for inclusion. The experts in each genre will tell you exactly why these films deserve inclusion in this definitive illustrated list, about their conception and development, and even about the most famous pieces of memorabilia associated with them. Packed with vital statistics, and
a few facts that may surprise you, this is a collector's must for the bookshelf as well as an entertaining read for all those who love the wonderful world of film