Mickey One (1965, U.S.A.)

Considered ahead of its time — and perhaps it still is — this unusual drama, inspired by the French New Wave, brought Warren Beatty and producer-director Arthur Penn together for the first time — two years before their landmark Bonnie and Clyde. Beatty stars as a Detroit night club comic who incurs the wrath of The Mob (he doesn’t know why) and flees to Chicago to start life anew — but still living in fear. But the plot is secondary to the look and sound of this film (a favourite of Martin Scorsese), which boasts a score by Eddie Sauter and stunning photography by Academy Award®-winner Ghislain Cloquet (1980, Best Cinematography, Tess). Alexandra Stewart, Hurd Hatfield, Franchot Tone and Jeff Corey co-star in this one-of-a-kind motion picture. Incidentally, much of it was shot in what is now Oprah Winfrey’s studio.