Ever the disappointed idealist, Agee offered grudging praise to such compromised efforts as Meet Me in St. If debarred, then the 2000 edition of the Time Out Film Guide, being less bulky than it has since become.

Overflowing with riches, it’s something of a scandal that Mitry’s summa went untranslated until the 1990s while the canon was packed by scores of philosophers manqués. No one else seems to get the point of film criticism as well as Rosenbaum, or to pursue it with such prickly independence. For a reference book, am I allowed to put forward The Oxford History of World Cinema, despite being its editor (OUP, 1996)? Its arguments as to how Germany’s national cinema portended the rise of Nazism might seem a bit oversimplified, but this book still provides a fascinating insight into the rise and fall of one of the world’s greatest film industries.O’Brien’s prose textures alone bear testimony to the power of film to galvanise the creative impulse. Sometimes, especially after you’ve just stumbled out of the remake of Clash of the Titans, that seems an intellectually responsible position. This account of a year at Twentieth Century Fox during the dying days of the dream factory is the best of the ‘inside Hollywood’ books by dint of Dunne’s peerlessly dry prose. Ronald Bergan was a British film historian, critic, and regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper. This ultimate movie guide profiles more than 100 of the most significant films ever made and brings cinema to life in true blockbuster fashion.

Though he could get it wrong (as in his cranky dismissal of Citizen Kane), Agee’s intense moral engagement with cinema sets him far above critics who merely get it right. This guide to the horror (1983 edition), science fiction (1984) and Western (1984) genres is addictive, exhaustive and unsurpassed. From the history of the art form to techniques, and then the films themselves, The Film Book provides an overview of cinematic styles and genres; the industry's greatest and most influential directors, and their key works; as well as looking at filmmaking around the world, from Hollywood to Bollywood. Fortunately, thanks to the gifted Russian-Australian scholar Julia Vassilieva, this project is on the way.

Another Jane Austen movie makes the list because…well, there are just so many good adaptations of her work. Covering every national school of film-making from Hollywood to Bollywood The Film Book has something for everyone. Andra Day was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her portrayal of legendary singer Billie Holiday in this biographical film, which was based in part on Johann Hari's book about the history and impact of drug criminalization. Judging from this survey few, if any, colleagues seem to share my enthusiasm for Ray’s attempts to break out of the cul-de-sacs of postmodern film theory, but I find his use of surrealist randomising and brainstorming games to generate new perspectives on classic Hollywood and other material stimulating, imaginative, informative and very entertaining, both here and in his more recent The ABCs of Classic Hollywood.

Along with Bazin’s unfinished Jean Renoir this is one of the best monographs I know on any director. The books that most influence you tend to come early in one’s life – whether one likes it or not, everyone is a product of their generation. Also, in French: Nul mieux que Godard, an anthology published by Cahiers du cinéma on Godard and edited by Bergala.Test your knowledge with the essential trivia section - how much do you know about Oscar winners, biggest flops, banned films, and more?