Film choice

On the Waterfront (1954, b/w) BBC TWO, NOON ★★★★★

A mesmeric Marlon Brando plays failed boxer and have-a-go hero Terry Malloy, who takes a stand against the Mob on the docks of

New York and finds nobility in the process. This is a flawless, deeply troubling vision by director Elia Kazan of working-class people jaded and degraded by the Mafia’s insidious presence. It includes the immortal (and now much-overused) line, “I could have been a contender.”

Mulan (1998) DISNEY CHANNEL, 5.35PM ★★★★

A fifth-century Chinese poem may seem an unlikely source of inspiration for a Disney cartoon, but the girl who disguises herself as a boy so that she can join the army and fight against the Huns provides one of the studio’s feistiest animated heroines. Eddie Murphy voices her dragon sidekick and Donnie Osmond provides the singing voice for the Chinese army captain. It’s a fantastic treat for the whole family.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) ITV4, 9.00PM ★★★★★

Clint Eastwood rides into town with a gun and a cigar to make a few quick bucks, settle some scores and invent a whole new genre of movie. Sergio Leone’s first “spaghetti western” set a high standard (albeit one later surpassed with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) with its sparse direction, epic landscapes and magnetic star. Ennio Morricone’s score is one of the most recognisable in cinema. Gian Maria Volontè and Marianne Koch also star.