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  • Sky Arts

Classic Movies: The Story Of

  • 2023 – 2025
  • Returning Series
  • Documentary
  • ~44m / ep
  • 5 seasons
  • 7.2/10

Movie critic Ian Nathan goes in search of the cinematically sublime and explores the ingredients that went into making a classic. With each episode devoted to a single film, their story will be told with detail, affection, looking for the truth behind the myth, and all the trials and triumphs that went into forging the classic.

Latest: Series 4 · 2025

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  1. E1. The 39 Steps

    Oct 16, 2025 · 44m

    Embark on a journey to discover what makes The 39 Steps not only a quintessential thriller but also an espionage thriller.

  2. E2. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

    Oct 23, 2025 · 44m

    Released in 1943, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, is an extremely exceptional epic, which is exactly what makes it a masterpiece.

  3. E3. Passport to Pimlico

    Oct 30, 2025 · 44m

    One of the great British comedies the plot of Passport to Pimlico is gloriously absurd. A combination of fantasy and realism told with a light touch.

  4. E4. Highlander (1986)

    Nov 6, 2025 · 44m

    Highlander is one of a kind, a strange and haunting fantasy epic about immortality and sword fights. Rediscovered again and again since its release in 1986.

  5. E5. The Railway Children

    Nov 13, 2025 · 44m

    Adapted from the book by legendary children's author E. Nesbit, it is a cinematic rite of passage that makes us remember the mysteries of childhood.

  6. E6. Escape from New York (1981)

    Nov 20, 2025 · 43m

    In the dystopian future of Escape from New York, the island of Manhattan has been turned into a maximum-security prison.