THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)
Five, 6.35pm
Based on Akira Kurosawa’s feudal Japanese saga The Seven Samurai, John Sturges’s immortal western adventure brought together a mighty team of future screen superstars. As the leader of a vigilante gang defending a Mexican village against bandits, Yul Brynner was the biggest name at the time, although his fame would soon be eclipsed by his fellow mercenaries, Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Charles Bronson. Worth watching for Elmer Bernstein’s rousing, Oscar-nominated score alone. (128min)
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MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002)
Channel 4, 9.10pm
A phenomenally successful comedy based on the play by Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is lightweight but charmingly romantic. Vardalos stars as a wisecracking Chicago waitress who upsets her overbearing Greek-American parents by falling for a non-Greek teacher (John Corbett). Produced by Tom Hanks on the recommendation of his wife, Rita Wilson, Joel Zwick’s comedy broke box-office records for an independent film. (96min)
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AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982)
Five, 11.10pm
Richard Gere stars as the troubled Navy recruit Zack Mayo in Taylor Hackford’s corny military classic. During basic training at a barbaric boot camp, Mayo learns the value of discipline and wins the love of Debra Winger’s blue-collar princess. The crowd-pleasing final scene, featuring Gere in his white Navy uniform, has kept thousands of male strippers in business ever since. (122min)
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MultiChannel
L’HOMME DU TRAIN (2002)
BBC Four, 9.40pm
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An ageing bank robber and a lonely literature teacher swap lives in Patrice Leconte’s intriguing thriller, which co-stars the rocker Johnny Hallyday in a rare screen role. (90min)