One of the most cult films in the history of cinema, directed by genius French film maker Alain Resnais.

This is one of the films that has marked the history of cinema and that has fascinated and baffled audiences and critics alike.

When it was released in 1961, it gained huge critical acclaim, being described as a revolution in the history of cinema, and getting excellent reviews from the English magazine Sight and Sound and from the French magazine Les Cahiers du Cinema. It also won the Golden Lion (the highest prize) at the 1961 Venice Film Festival.

On 8 March 1962, Bosley Crowther wrote the following in the New York Times:

"BE prepared for an experience such as you've never had from watching a film when you sit down to look at Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad," a truly extraordinary French film, which opened at the Carnegie Hall Cinema last night.

It may grip you with a strange enchantment, it may twist your wits into a snarl, it may leave your mind and senses toddling vaguely in the regions in between. But this we can reasonably promise: when you stagger away from it, you will feel you have delighted in (or suffered) a unique and intense experience."

Far from a classic dramatic narrative, Last Year At Marienbad has been likened to a symphony, a dream or a poem. In 1961, A. Resnais said: "We [A. Resnais and A. Robbe-Grillet, who wrote the screenplay] meant to directly touch the sensitivity of the audience , showing a representation of the emotional world. (...) It is possible that the audience is a bit disorientated at the beginning of the film, not finding clear narrative lines, but we are convinced that very quickly, they understand what it is about and adapt the way they perceive the film."

Some have described it as a master-piece, others finding it incomprehensible. What do you think about it? Come along and join the debate.

Last Year At Marienbad will also be shown on Sunday 4 Nov at 7.30pm.