Eurofile

The National needs to be braver in its productions, but until then this is an amusing enough divertissement

An exhibition of Frank Brangwyn’s work at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft is full of colour and life – like the artist himself

In fetishising the trainer, the devotee makes of it a transitional object: something that eases the troubling developmental stage between childhood and adulthood

Individually their fates were an immeasurable tragedy for two families, together they were a cause

A 17th-century encounter between the peoples of Newfoundland and incoming Europeans had a tragic end

Duck isn't easy to cook, but it is a bird of which we have plenty, and which is ideal when considering autumn eating

The Dutchman is just the latest Manchester United manager to struggle to shake off the ghost of Alex Ferguson

Heath Robinson’s cartoons of elaborate contraptions provided cheer during the world wars, as a new exhibition of his work illustrates

A film that has won plaudits abroad has been unofficially blacklisted in Georgia, where it was made. Its silence speaks volumes about the country’s democratic decline

Jan Kiepura's ability to break down the barrier between performer and audience meant he was a shoo-in as a leading man as the talkie arrived

Ten days before Hitler’s suicide, Felix Hartlaub disappeared. But his notebooks live on

When Weller and co went all French on us

If he'd only made Das Boot, a place in the movie pantheon would still be his. But there was so much more to the man who became the ideal studio director

A new Polish crime thriller is riveting - but also stressful, banal and not a great deal of fun to watch

Almost all big productions at the National seem to sell out sight unseen these days, but how long will this continue if they keep turning out big, unfunny flops like this?

Its creators may plead otherwise, but the world's biggest TV show rendered sex as grotesque and alienating as any puritanical religiosity

The Italian's driving walked the line between skill and recklessness but never crossed it

The use of ‘amount’ rather than ‘number’ when referring to plural nouns is on the increase. But is it actually wrong?

Unless you’re close to a credible Middle Eastern, Greek or Turkish shop in Britain, or are going out to dine, making your own hummus is perhaps the wisest move

Barcelona, heavily in debt, have managed to go on a summer spending spree

A stunning new novel captures the weight of history on a country rinsed with regrets

Ukrainian artist turned soldier Hamlet Zinkivskyi is decorating his war-torn hometown... on the orders of his commander

The most unlikely duo imaginable, Erasure are proof that genius often resides in British eccentricity

An olive tree older than the Old Testament is a reminder it is hard to get a handle on the real meaning of time

Tight, exciting and nuanced, new six-part Croatian drama thriller Four Strangers is a proper treat

In a difficult year for Edinburgh, Sir Ian provides an exhilarating spectacle - but there are joys to be found elsewhere in the city

We need the Fringe more than ever, but European comedians are finding the price of playing there beyond a joke

This year’s Lerici festival in Italy marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Percy Shelley with a celebration of British culture

Are markets ever a place's real cultural centre, asks our columnist

Celebrated as one of Europe’s leading fashion writers, the Italian was better known for her sheer presence on the scene

Many family names in Britain seem likely to have descended from bynames of Norwegian and Danish origin

This month, the fish is in the last throes of its season, but there’s still a fair bit about. Let’s make the most of it, then