Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The script is wonderful, as is the strangely suitable Burt Bacharach music. There’s no sentimentality, but there’s plenty of wit and emotion in their relationship. A masterpiece, pretty much. I love the long pursuit scene. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are almost supernaturally charming. I also love Katharine Ross.

The ending is so sad – they know they’re doomed (and we know they’re doomed, too), but they carry on through the pain, talking about starting again in Australia. Poignant indeed.

Vertigo (1958)

Alfred Hitchcock classic. There’s a theme of how hard life is for women when men hold all the power. Worth seeing if only for the lovely San Francisco locations with no one in them. When are cities ever that empty? Also, Kim Novak and James Stewart are spectacular in the lead roles.

Rear Window (1954)

Masterful suspense thriller by Alfred Hitchcock. Confined to his room owing to an injury, a man stares at his neighbours and uncovers a terrible crime. James Stewart and Grace Kelly are unbeatable in the lead roles. I love the slow pace and play-like feel. The luxuriously lengthy, dialogue-based scenes would never be used in modern films.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Surprisingly enjoyable franchise reboot. Scientists test Alzheimer’s treatments on chimps, with miraculous effects on their intelligence. The chimps take matters into their own hands and rebel against their human captors. Meanwhile, the same medical treatment has catastrophic results for the humans who take it.

This is sometimes moving and often horrifying. It’s difficult to watch policemen gunning down animals, even if they are only CGI animals.

The Wooden Horse (1950)

Posh British officers plan to escape from a German POW camp using a vaulting horse to conceal a tunnel. This is an entertaining and exciting war film. The big flaw is that the Nazi guards are simply too nice and friendly. It would have been far more dramatic – and accurate – if the Nazis were less reasonable and more brutal, but not one gunshot is fired. It’s surprising that the film takes this approach because it was clearly made as pro-Brit propaganda. And what would show British resilience and bravery in overcoming adversity better than a truly scary enemy?