Watching

Critic Tom Sutcliffe unwraps the mystery of cinema in his new six-part series. This edition looks at the importance of a film's opening, with contributions from directors Danny Boyle , Nic Roeg and Patrice Leconte.

The new series that unwraps the mysteries of cinema continues as Tom Sutcliffe explains how size can emphasise the importance of objects. From the maggots in Einstein's Battleship Potemkin to the infinite vistas in Blade Runner, and from David Lynch 's magnified expanse of lawn in Blue Velvet to the opening shot of the battle cruiser in Star Wars, directors Danny Boyle, Atom Egoyan and Peter Bogdanovich discuss why size matters.

This week, through films such as All That Heaven Allows and Videodrome, Tom Sutcliffe explores the way cinema has depicted television as a sinister and dangerous medium. With contributions from Sydney Pollack, Atom Egoyan and Terry Gilliam.

Tom Sutcliffe talks to directors Terry Gilliam , Sydney Pollack and Peter Bogdanovich about the elemental drama of the screen fight and examines the emergence of new fashions in brutality and violence. With clips from Red Riverand Raging Bull, the programme reveals how cinema manages to pack the punches.

In this exploration of the power of off-screen action in the cinema, Tom Sutcliffe looks at clips from Jaws, Alien, The Shining, Halloween and Taxi Driver and talks to John Carpenter and the makers of The Blair Witch Project.

The final part of the new series that unwraps the mysteries of cinema. Tom Sutcliffe explores the emotional impact of slowing or stopping the action altogether. From the freeze frame at the decisive moment of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to that of Casino, cinema has proved beyond doubt that its power to move audiences can be stronger when the image itself ceases to move. Directors including Danny Boyle and Mike Leigh explain why the moving image .will always envy the still.