HIDDEN TREASURES - BLEAK MOMENTS, THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE, MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN

While the 1970s is celebrated by so many as the greatest decade for film in the history of the art form, the dominance of American cinema in that argument can obscure one's view of the quality of movies elsewhere in the world, particularly in Europe. Three films in today's Hidden Treasures feature from 1970s European cinema.

BLEAK MOMENTS (1971) - MIKE LEIGH

Mike Leigh's debut work of filmed drama came before he made such a big name for himself in the British theatre and television circuits, and 17 years before he'd return to cinema. It's classic, possibly even stereotypical Leigh, and you need look no further than the film's own title to work out how. But what too is classic Leigh is the outstanding acting and writing, and that perfectly pitched note of naturalism, sustained throughout.

THE MEMORY OF JUSTICE (1976) - MARCEL OPHULS

The great documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls' great work, or one of several. Examining the nature and impact of justice in relation to wartime atrocities in the 20th Century, particularly those committed in World War II, The Memory of Justice is certainly not a fun film, but nor is it a tough film to endure, and it's enormously enlightening. A monument among documentaries.

MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN (1975) - RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER

Most definitely one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's best. It's typically lean and cold, but also one of his most astute and least indulgent works, and it features terrific performances from Brigitte Mira and Ingrid Caven, and the consistently excellent cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does some of the strongest work in his career. Rich pickings for film fans, and surely worthy of at least one watch.