The Ladykillers (1955)

Classic Ealing comedy, but am I the only one who thinks it over-rated? Little old lady accidentally outwits a gang of thugs and ends up with the loot. Katie Johnson is the old lady and Alec Guinness (overplaying) is the leader of the gang. 

4.25 pm Sky Arts Sun 10 Nov

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

Troops undergo rigorous training in order to break the blockade of Bordeaux. Jose Ferrer pushes them to the edge despite Trevor Howard's opposition. Another in the long line of true war stories British cinema produced in the Fifties. It's a good one but not overly memorable.

12.40 pm Film4 Tues 12 Nov

The Sound Barrier (1952)

The attempt to break the sound barrier breaks apart a family of aviators. David Lean gets the best out of a cast that includes Ann Todd and Ralph Richardson. The flying stuff is a must for fans of old aircraft (with Comets, Vampires and others in the cast list) and for the rest of us the script provides a neat study in obsession and repression English-style.

11.00 am Film4 Wed 13 Nov

Devil Girl from Mars (1954)

An alien spaceship lands near a remote Scottish inn and its occupant terrorises the locals.

B-movie nonsense, but a lot better than its camp reputation would suggest.

11.35 pm Talking Pictures TV Thur 14 Nov

Hell Drivers (1957)

Britain's best attempt at doing a road movie. How much you rate it depends on how seriously you can take the life or death struggles of a bunch of British lorry drivers. The stars Stanley Baker and Patrick McGoohan give it all they've got and the supporting cast is close to perfect.

12.20 pm NFT4 Thur 14 Nov