A film mode detection method which uses a successive pull-down mode detection module as well as a look up table that contains a plurality of pull-down mode correlation patterns, which are ordered according to criteria comprising a-priori probabilities of pull-down modes, amount of risk on the wrong choice of each pull-down mode, pattern distances between two consecutive pull-down modes under test and pattern lengths, different impact levels of motionless scenes on different patterns and impact of noise, wherein said look up table further contains pairs of outer threshold values (OTh_H, OTh_L), each pair being associated with a pull-down mode correlation pattern, said method comprising the steps of: - Computing a frame difference (f n - f n-1) between two consecutive frames of a frame sequence by computing the difference between pixels in a given computation region map of said frames, wherein said computation region map contains the addresses of edge and texture regions and is computed in a video enhancement module for each frame, - Comparing the computed frame difference with an inner threshold value (ITh), which is calculated by a threshold computing unit by using the information about smooth area and noise variance, - If the computed frame difference is higher than said inner threshold, assigning for each pair of consecutive frames a frame difference decision value as 1, otherwise assigning for each pair of consecutive frames a frame difference decision value as -1, - Selecting the first pull-down mode correlation pattern (s) in the look up table as pull-down mode under test, - Correlating said pull-down mode correlation pattern (s) of the pull-down mode under test with a sequence of assigned frame difference decision values ( r j), in a sliding manner and, fort each sequence of assigned frame difference decision values, calculating two correlation values (c max,m,c min,m) during a test specific period, - Comparing the first correlation value (c max,m) with a first outer threshold (OTh_H) and the second correlation value (c min,m) with a second outer threshold value (OTh_L), wherein said first and second outer threshold values correspond to the pair associated with the pull-down mode under test, - Deciding whether the pull-down mode under test is active or not according to the result of the comparison of the correlation values and said outer threshold values, - If active, performing a temporal median filtering among the active pull-down modes, and deciding the final pull-down mode, - If not, turning back to the correlation step and repeating the following steps with the next pull-down mode correlation pattern in the look up table as a pull-down mode under test. - Computing a frame difference (f n - f n-1) between two consecutive frames of a frame sequence by computing the difference between pixels in a given computation region map of said frames, wherein said computation region map contains the addresses of edge and texture regions and is computed in a video enhancement module for each frame, - Comparing the computed frame difference with an inner threshold value (ITh), which is calculated by a threshold computing unit by using the information about smooth area and noise variance, - If the computed frame difference is higher than said inner threshold, assigning for each pair of consecutive frames a frame difference decision value as 1, otherwise assigning for each pair of consecutive frames a frame difference decision value as -1, - Selecting the first pull-down mode correlation pattern (s) in the look up table as pull-down mode under test, - Correlating said pull-down mode correlation pattern (s) of the pull-down mode under test with a sequence of assigned frame difference decision values ( r j), in a sliding manner and, fort each sequence of assigned frame difference decision values, calculating two correlation values (c max,m,c min,m) during a test specific period, - Comparing the first correlation value (c max,m) with a first outer threshold (OTh_H) and the second correlation value (c min,m) with a second outer threshold value (OTh_L), wherein said first and second outer threshold values correspond to the pair associated with the pull-down mode under test, - Deciding whether the pull-down mode under test is active or not according to the result of the comparison of the correlation values and said outer threshold values, - If active, performing a temporal median filtering among the active pull-down modes, and deciding the final pull-down mode, - If not, turning back to the correlation step and repeating the following steps with the next pull-down mode correlation pattern in the look up table as a pull-down mode under test.