Pain & Glory

The Genius of British Art The history of British art is the story of Britain. For centuries, artists have reflected our times and shaped the way we see ourselves. This series presents six passionate polemics on how British art makes us who we are today and gives us a vision of ourselves.

The second film in the trilogy of celebrated collaborations between director István Szabó and actor Klaus Maria Brandauer continues the examination of ambition, political intrigue, betrayal and destruction. Set during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl (Brandauer), an ambitious young officer who proceeds up the ladder to become head of the Secret Police only to become ensnared in political deception. Based on a real life figure and the subject of John Osborne's "A Patriot For Me", Colonel Redl boasts a distinguished performance by Brandauer who imbues his character with the sense of a man being overwhelmed by history. Subtly directed by István Szabó, it was awarded the Cannes Jury Prize in 1985 and nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1986 Academy Awards.

Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is devoid of bedside manner and wouldn't even talk to his patients if he could get away with it. Dealing with his own constant physical pain, he uses a cane that seems to punctuate his acerbic, brutally honest demeanor. While his behavior can border on antisocial, House is a maverick physician whose unconventional thinking and flawless instincts have afforded him a great deal of respect. An infectious disease specialist, he's a brilliant diagnostician who loves the challenges of the medical puzzles he must solve in order to save lives.

Johan and Esther have been married for years, and live with their children in a Mennonite community from the north of Mexico. Against the law of God and man, Johan falls in love with another woman.

I was amazed by Silent Light – the setting, the language, the delicacy of the interactions between the people on screen, the drama of redemption. And most of all by Carlos Reygadas's extraordinarily rich sense of cinema, evident in every frame. A surprising picture, and a very moving one as well. — Martin Scorsese

As a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, BBC4 shows this film from her visit to Britain in 2000 during which she received her damehood from the Queen. Hollywood's last great star talks for the first time in years about her career, her life, and the challenges of the future.

A hallucinatory biopic that breaks all cinematic conventions, Walker, from British director Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid & Nancy), tells the story of nineteenth-century American adventurer William Walker (Ed Harris), who abandoned a series of careers in law, politics, journalism, and medicine to become a soldier of fortune, and for several years dictator of Nicaragua. Made with mad abandon and political acuity—and the support of the Sandinista army and government during the Contra war—the film uses this true tale as a satirical attack on American ultrapatriotism and a freewheeling condemnation of “manifest destiny.” Featuring a powerful score by Joe Strummer and a performance of intense, repressed rage by Harris, Walker remains one of Cox’s most daring works.