"Actor: Giani Esposito"

• The Flashing Blade | DVD | (24/09/2001) from £15.98   |  Saving you £11.00 (78.63%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Flashing Blade is a tale of high adventure set in 1630 as the dashing Chevalier de Recci (Robert Etcheverry) undertakes a dangerous mission across occupied territory to avert war between France and Spain. This 13-episode serial was made for French television in 1967, and in dubbed form regularly shown on the BBC during school holidays from 1969 through the 1970s (usually when 1965's Adventures of Robinson Crusoe was having a rest). This release is aimed at that generation who, from the spine-tingling theme song onward, remember the show with tremendous affection. Like the classic Hollywood movie serials, each 23-minute episode packs in a couple of action sequences; some plot twists, a little comic relief and very variable acting and costumes. For a children's programme the story is remarkably complex, and takes a while to gather pace. The colours have faded, the use of classical music is clumsy, but the dubbing is surprisingly accomplished. The swashbuckling action is at odds with the more serious historical drama, but viewed with nostalgia The Flashing Blade is thoroughly entertaining vintage TV. --Gary S Dalkin

• Paris Nous Appartient | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Paris Nous Appartient was 'Cahier Du Cinema' critic Jacques Rivette's first film as is regarded as one of the foremost examples of the movement. A young literature student studying in Paris Anna Goupil (Betty Schneider) is drawn to the mysterious suicide of a young Spanish man Juan following a discussion with his friends at a party. Taking a role in an amateur performance of Shakespeare's Pericles Anna uses the rehearsals to try to uncover the reason why Juan took his own life.