Its sophistication in commingling fantasy and reality, its wartime setting, its references to psychoanalysis and the 'special relationship' with the US, the centrality of Shakespeare's work to its fabric, its gentle mockery of traditional views of the hereafter, its breathtaking visuals and witty dialogue and its steadfast belief in individuality and the supremacy of the human spirit, make of it a remarkable summing up of so much that was important and exciting about the first half of the first complete film century.