"Actor: Jean François Balmer"

• Cosmos | DVD | (17/10/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  When two young men arrive at a family-run guesthouse in rural France, their anticipation of a few days' peace and quiet is undermined by a variety of sinister occurrences. A small bird is found murdered, its neck in a tiny noose, a strangely sexualized stain appears on a wall, and a slug crawls across the breakfast tray. Are these all signs comprising a portent of truly cosmic significance, or merely bizarre coincidences? And is it any wonder that one of the visitors, Witold (piercing-eyed Jonathan Genet) has such difficulty writing his novel, or that his companion Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) prefers to find solace in earthier pleasures? The final film by the late Andrzej Żuławski, director of the legendary Possession (the only Cannes-winning arthouse film to be officially classified as a video nasty), Cosmos adapts Witold Gombrowicz's legendarily challenging novel into a beguilingly witty combination of (deceptively) lighthearted French farce and a complex, knowing reflection on the absurdities both of humanity itself and the way that we define our notion of the universe according to our individual hang-ups. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfer of the film supervised by Andrzej Żuławski New subtitle translation approved by Żuławski Hanging Sparrows: A retrospective making of interview featurette including cast (Jonathan Genet, Victoria Guerra, Jean-Francois Balmer, Clementine Pons), crew (cinematographer Andre Szankowski and others) and archive footage of director Andrzej Zulawski A Brief History of Gombrowicz - An interview with Rita Gombrowicz and on the life and work of Witold Gombrowicz Bleurgh - Daniel Bird on the films of Andrzej Zulawski and adapting Cosmos into English Trailers Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options

• In The House | DVD | (22/07/2013) from £5.39   |  Saving you £13.60 (252.32%)   |  RRP £18.99

  Offbeat French drama from director Fran�ois Ozon that explores the relationship between a literature student and the talented pupil whose gift for description he attempts to nurture. Germain (Fabrice Luchini) usually despairs about the quality of the creative writing his pupils produce so when he receives a piece from the previously unremarkable student Claude (Ernst Umhauer) that displays promise he is moved to pledge assistance to the boy. Complicating matters somewhat is the fact that Clau...

• Cosmos | Blu Ray | (17/10/2016) from £16.98   |  Saving you £5.00 (33.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When two young men arrive at a family-run guesthouse in rural France, their anticipation of a few days' peace and quiet is undermined by a variety of sinister occurrences. A small bird is found murdered, its neck in a tiny noose, a strangely sexualized stain appears on a wall, and a slug crawls across the breakfast tray. Are these all signs comprising a portent of truly cosmic significance, or merely bizarre coincidences? And is it any wonder that one of the visitors, Witold (piercing-eyed Jonathan Genet) has such difficulty writing his novel, or that his companion Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) prefers to find solace in earthier pleasures? The final film by the late Andrzej Żuławski, director of the legendary Possession (the only Cannes-winning arthouse film to be officially classified as a video nasty), Cosmos adapts Witold Gombrowicz's legendarily challenging novel into a beguilingly witty combination of (deceptively) lighthearted French farce and a complex, knowing reflection on the absurdities both of humanity itself and the way that we define our notion of the universe according to our individual hang-ups. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfer of the film supervised by Andrzej Żuławski New subtitle translation approved by Żuławski Hanging Sparrows: A retrospective making of interview featurette including cast (Jonathan Genet, Victoria Guerra, Jean-Francois Balmer, Clementine Pons), crew (cinematographer Andre Szankowski and others) and archive footage of director Andrzej Zulawski A Brief History of Gombrowicz - An interview with Rita Gombrowicz and on the life and work of Witold Gombrowicz Bleurgh - Daniel Bird on the films of Andrzej Zulawski and adapting Cosmos into English Trailers Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options

• Madame Bovary | DVD | (24/08/2009) from £15.13   |  Saving you £4.86 (32.12%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Gustav Flaubert's celebrated novel of obsessive ardour undergoes a dazzling retrofit for the screen, courtesy of French neurosis-master Claude Chabrol. The basic story (a woman's selfish quest for happiness ends up obliterating all she holds dear) may be the same but Chabrol's talent for biting through to the dark marrow of passion makes this a startling experience, even for people familiar with the source material or the numerous other cinematic adaptations. Casting Isabelle Huppert in the title role (she's at least a decade older than the standard conception of this wilfully tragic heroine) was a potentially risky gambit that paid off big; underneath her glorious surface lies a startling foundation of brilliant ice. The same can be said about this stunning film. Viewers intrigued by this potent actress-director pairing may also want to check out The Story of Women and the wonderful La Ceremonie. The film is in French with English subtitles. --Andrew Wright