Genre: Drama
Drama draws its power from conflict between people — the choices, betrayals, and reconciliations that test who characters are. The stakes are emotional, and they land hard.
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Paths of Glory (1957)
Kubrick's 1957 WWI French army drama. Kirk Douglas defends three soldiers court-martialed for cowardice. Banned in France for decades. -
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Yoji Yamada's 2002 late-Edo samurai drama. Hiroyuki Sanada as widowed petty officer. Domestic samurai life. Academy Award nominee. -
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Sidney Lumet's 1975 Brooklyn bank heist. Pacino, John Cazale. Real 1972 incident. Attica, Wyoming, sweltering New York summer. -
Brief Encounter (1945)
David Lean's 1945 British middle-class adultery drama. Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard. Railway station meetings. Rachmaninoff score. -
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Wong Kar-wai's 2000 1960s Hong Kong romance. Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung. Unfulfilled longing. Cheongsam parade. Slow motion. -
Before Sunrise (1995)
Richard Linklater's 1995 single-night Vienna romance. Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy. Spawned two sequels every nine years. Walking and talking. -
The English Patient (1996)
Anthony Minghella's 1996 wartime romance epic. Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas. Won nine Academy Awards including Best Picture. -
Out of Africa (1985)
Sydney Pollack's 1985 Karen Blixen Kenya romance. Streep, Redford. I had a farm in Africa. Won seven Academy Awards. -
Papillon (1973)
Franklin Schaffner's 1973 Henri Charriere memoir. Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman. French Guiana penal colony. Multiple escape attempts. -
Midnight Express (1978)
Alan Parker's 1978 Turkish prison drama. Brad Davis as American imprisoned for hashish. Oliver Stone screenplay won Oscar. Brutal.