Released in an era of widescreen epics and extravagant musicals, Delbert Mann's ode to working-class life found much favour... becoming the first film to bag both the Best Picture Oscar and Cannes' Palme D'Or.
Filtered through hindsight, the story of an Italian-American butcher (Ernest Borgnine) locked in a humdrum existence may seem simplistic and sentimental. But it also remains poignant, mainly thanks to Borgnine's performance and Paddy Chayefsky's writing.