LONDON, England (CNN) -- As the saying goes, "Pain is temporary, film is forever" and noone in the movie business knows this better than stuntmen.



Stunt double Terry Leonard performs a hazardous jump from horseback to a truck as Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."



Hollywood's athletes regularly defy death in pursuit of ever more extreme spectacles to keep us on the edge our cinema seats.



"The Screening Room" takes a look at some of the best stunts ever pulled off -- and a few that didn't end so well.



Don't agree with the list? Think we've missed one? Tell us in the SoundOff box below.



1. "Steamboat Bill, Jr." (Charles Reisner, 1928) Stunt: Building falls down  Stuntman: Buster Keaton



Charlie Chaplin may be better remembered, but no early stuntman was more willing to risk eternal oblivion for a great stunt than Keaton. In perhaps his most perfect stunt, the side of a building crashes down on top of him and Keaton is saved only by an open window that fits neatly around him. The window was built to have clearance of two inches around each shoulder and on the top of his head. As Keaton himself said, "You don't do these things twice."



2. "Stagecoach" (John Ford, 1939)   Stunt: High speed stagecoach jump  Stuntman: Yakima Canutt



Ex-rodeo cowboy Yakima Canutt was probably the first celebrity stuntman, best known as a stunt double for John Wayne. In this stunt -- which has since become a Western classic -- he portrays a galloping warrior during an Indian attack on a stagecoach. He jumps from his own horse to the six-horse team pulling the stagecoach, is shot, falls, and is dragged underneath the fast-moving team and stagecoach.



3. "Ben Hur" (William Wyler, 1959)  Stunt: Chariot race Stuntman: Joe Canutt



Canutt (son of Yakima) doubles for Charlton Heston in the famous chariot race. Half way through, things veer off plan and he is forced down the inside part of the track straight towards a wrecked chariot. When his charito hits, Canutt is flung over the front of the chariot, where he clings before clambering back on. The sequence was completely unplanned but made it into the film because Canutt kept a cool head even though he was injured.



4. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (Stephen Spielberg, 1981)   Stunt: Truck drag  Stuntman: Terry Leonard



This intense stunt sequence was so hazardous to perform that veteran stuntman Terry Leonard only agreed to do it if his friend and fellow stuntman Glenn H. Randall Jr. was driving the truck. A ditch was dug underneath the path of the truck to give Leonard enough room to manoeuver. Harrison Ford, an accomplished stuntman in his own right, performed an earlier portion of the sequence, where Indy hung onto the bonnet of the truck only by a bending hood ornament.



5. "GoldenEye" (Martin Campbell, 1995)   Stunt: 750 foot bungee jump  Stuntman: Wayne Michaels



This breathtaking Bond stunt was performed at the Verzasca hydro-electric dam in Switzerland and done in one take. Michaels jumped from a specially-constructed platform built to jut out from the dam to prevent him making contact with the front of the dam, which was studded with steel pegs. This, combined with his high falling velocity, could have proved fatal.



6. "Who am I?" (Wo shi shei) (Jackie Chan, 1998) Stunt: 21-storey slide  Stuntman: Jackie Chan



It's almost impossible to choose just one of Chan's stunts, but his faintly slapstick 21-storey slide down the side of a skyscraper is pretty impressive -- even more so when you find out he did it without a harness. He never uses stunt doubles or special effects and as a result has broken just about every bone in his body over the years. Now that's commitment.



7. "Sharky's Machine" (Burt Reynolds, 1981)   Stunt: Free-fall
For what is Buster Keaton saved by in "Steamboat Bill Jr"? What is Buster Keaton saved by in "Steamboat Bill Jr."? Where are they choosing the best stunts? Which Keaton film was chosen? What does the Screening Room choose? Which James Bond film was chosen? You could say bungee jumping is an art form thanks to whom?
an open window open window "The Screening Room" "Steamboat Bill, Jr." the best stunts ever pulled off "GoldenEye" Stuntman: Wayne Michaels
question: For what is Buster Keaton saved by in "Steamboat Bill Jr"?, answer: an open window | question: What is Buster Keaton saved by in "Steamboat Bill Jr."?, answer: open window | question: Where are they choosing the best stunts?, answer: "The Screening Room" | question: Which Keaton film was chosen?, answer: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." | question: What does the Screening Room choose?, answer: the best stunts ever pulled off | question: Which James Bond film was chosen?, answer: "GoldenEye" | question: You could say bungee jumping is an art form thanks to whom?, answer: Stuntman: Wayne Michaels