Mark Kermode

How did a low-key prison drama which was considered a box-office flop on its original release become one of the most popular movies of all time? Mark Kermode traces the history of this unexpected audience favourite, from its source in Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, through the icy corridors of Ohio's Mansfield Reformatory (whose imposing gothic architecture...

A visually stunning and heartfelt riposte to the emotional sterility of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Douglas Trumbull's eco-themed Silent Running (1972) became one of the defining science-fiction films of the seventies. Bruce Dern excels as lonely hero Freeman Lowell, cast adrift in deep space with three robotic 'Drones' who become his 'amazing companions' on a journey 'beyond imagination'. Mark...

Inspired by an alleged real case of demonic possession in 1949, The Exorcist became an international phenomenon on its release in 1973. A blockbusting adaptation of a best-selling novel, it was praised as ‘deeply spiritual’ by some sections of the Catholic Church while being picketed by the Festival of Light and branded ‘Satanic’ by the evangelist Billy Graham. Banned on...