"Actor: Jean Pierre Bernard"

• A Year In Provence | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Writer Peter Mayle's autobiographical adventurous account of the first year he and his wife spent in Provence is brought wonderfully to life in this BBC adaptation starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan. Having decided to leave their jobs London and the rat race behind them the Mayles head of to the South of France seduced by the prospect of the idyllic countryside the simple rural way of life great food fine wines and sun. However everything is not quite as they imagined it to be and one comic situation follows another as they brave mistral winds truffle season and mafia involvement while a succession of colourful characters constantly interrupt their plan for a quiet life...

• The Death of Louis VXI | DVD | (20/11/2017) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  August 1715. After going for a walk, Louis XIV feels a pain in his leg. The next day, the king keeps fulfilling his duties and obligations, but his sleep is troubled and he has a serious fever. He barely eats and weakens increasingly. This is the start of the slow agony of the greatest King of France death from gangrene, surrounded by his doctors and closest advisors, speaking in frantic, whispered tones about their options, in an era in which little is known of such illnesses. Albert Serra's new film, The Death of Louis XIV, is an adaptation of the Duc de Saint-Simon's memoirs, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud as the Sun-King. The cult actor, who worked with all major directors from the Nouvelle Vague after being discovered in Truffaut's The 400 Blows, plays the dying king who can barely move from his bed in the Château de Versailles. His relatives and his closest counsellors come in turns at his bedside, but he attends only a few meetings and can barely rule his kingdom. His secret wife Madame de Maintenon, and his doctor Fagon dread his last breath and try to hide it from the public, to preserve the future of France. Shot in rich colour with extraordinary lighting, Jean-Pierre Léaud, in his costume, hair and poses, fully embodies the last few days of the longest serving king of France, who, with his seventy two years in power, changed the face of the monarchy and of France.

• Three Colours Red | DVD | (29/10/2001) from £3.35   |  Saving you £16.64 (496.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The final section of the late Krzysztof Kieslowski's acclaimed Three Colours trilogy (preceded by Blue and White) is the least likely of the three to stand alone, and indeed benefits from a little familiarity with the first two parts. Nevertheless, it's a strong, unique piece that reflects upon the ubiquity of images in the modern world and the parallel subjugation of meaningful communication. Irène Jacob plays a fashion model whose lovely face is hugely enlarged on a red banner no one in Geneva, Switzerland, can possibly miss seeing. Striking up a relationship with an embittered former judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant), who secretly scans his neighbours' conversations through electronic surveillance, Jacob's character becomes an aural witness to the secret lives of those we think we know. Kieslowski cleverly wraps up the trilogy with a device that brings together the principals of all three films. --Tom Keogh

• James Bond - Moonraker (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £6.42   |  Saving you £10.57 (164.64%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Agent 007 (Roger Moore) blasts into orbit in this action-packed adventure that takes him to Venice Rio de Janeiro and outer space. When Bond investigates the hijacking of an American space shuttle he and beautiful CIA agent Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) are soon locked in a life-or-death struggle against Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) a power-mad industrialist whose horrific scheme may destroy all human life on earth!

• Irma Vep | Blu Ray | (07/05/2018) from £10.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ten years after he made his feature debut with Disorder in 1986, Olivier Assayas decided it was time to turn his attentions to the French film industry for his sixth picture. Written in ten days, and shot in less than a month, Irma Vep provides a mid-nineties' amalgam of François Truffaut's Day for Night and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Beware of a Holy Whore. French filmmaker René Vidal (Day for Night's Jean-Pierre Léaud) is commissioned by a TV company to direct a remake of Louis Feuillade's classic silent-era serial, Les Vampires. Maggie Cheung (playing a version of herself) is cast in the central role and heads to Paris for filming where she finds herself amid the chaos of artistic differences, petty rivalries and the immense egos which make up a film set. Irma Vep is Assayas at his lightest and most playful simultaneously a gently satirical dig at the state of French cinema and a love letter to his female star. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS 2K restoration from the original negative, supervised and approved by Olivier Assayas High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Original 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio Optional English subtitles Audio commentary by writer-director Olivier Assayas and critic Jean-Michel Frodon On the Set of Irma Vep, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with optional commentary by Assayas and Frodon Interview with Assayas and critic Charles Tesson Interview with actors Maggie Cheung and Nathalie Richard Man Yuk: A Portrait of Maggie Cheung, a 1997 short film by Assayas Black and white rushes Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Neil Young

• Taxi 3 | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £10.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (45.50%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A gang of thieves calling themselves the Santa Claus Gang are wreaking havoc and the police can't keep up... More high-octane automotive thrills from the pen of French producer Luc Besson!

• Gerard Depardieu | DVD | (31/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £32.99

  Features four films starring the inimitable Gerard Depardieu: The Count Of Monte Cristo: Alexandre Dumas' celebrated book 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' follows the adventures of Edmond Dants (Gerard Depardieu) a 19th-century French version of James Bond a rich ruthless and suave purveyor of homemade justice. This French production is extravagant having the distinction of being the first filmed version of the newly restored unabridged version of Dumas' classic which runs

• Bloodsport | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A well-oiled Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his starring debut in what may be one of the few kickboxing films to be based on a true story. The Muscles from Brussels plays Frank Dux, the first Westerner ever to win the extreme "whupfest" known as the Kumatai (a long-running, no-holds-barred fighting tournament in Hong Kong). While a bit deficient in the script department (to say the least), this undeniably exciting flick succeeds by letting Van Damme play to his strengths: namely, minimal acting and a lot of impossibly acrobatic splits while kicking people in the head. Bloodsport is a guilty-pleasure testosterone blast of the highest order, with a memorable villain (the massive Bolo Yeung from Enter the Dragon) and a multitude of well-choreographed fight scenes. An embarrassed-looking Forest Whitaker cameos as a hapless (and non-kickboxing) cop. --Andrew Wright

• Hotel Du Nord | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  ""Atmosphre? Atmosphre? Est-ce que j'ai une gueule d'atmosphre?"" Hotel du Nord is the second part of Marcel Carne's ""fatalistic romantic melodramas"" following Quai des Brumes and later completed by Le Jour se Leve. Renee (Annabella) and Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont) take a room at the shabby Parisian Hotel du Nord with the intention of seeing through a suicide pact. However Pierre shoots Annabella but cannot turn the gun on himself. Seedy pimp Monsieur

• Place Vendome | DVD | (27/12/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Marianne is at a terrible crossroads in her life following the shock of her husband Vincent's apparent suicide and the revelation that his prestigious jewellery business is riddled with crippling debt. Once a promising young jeweller herself Marianne has gradually sunk into alcoholism since her marriage. However the discovery of seven magnificent diamonds secretly stashed away by Vincent rekindles Marianne's forgotten ambition. Resolving to sell them she unwittingly enters the shady underworld of the diamond trade uncovering a sinister web of intrigue that will lead to a mysterious former lover and a dangerous struggle for her own survival. An elegant and suspenseful thriller Place Vendome features an outstanding performance by Catherine Deneuve which won her the Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival.

• Le Dernier Combat | DVD | (31/03/2003) from £9.95   |  Saving you £3.04 (30.55%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Le Dernier Combat (1983) finds Luc Besson setting out his directorial convictions in vividly direct terms. He honours the French New Wave through spartan, documentary-style presentation and--save for possibly the two most meaningful "Bonjours" in cinema history--the total absence of dialogue, appropriate for a film in which devastation has robbed survivors of the power of speech. The action centres on Pierre Jolivet, good-guy in a society where vigilantism and subjugation are the primary tools of survival. Gladiatorially clad Jean Reno makes a characteristic showing as his ruthless opponent, while Jean Bouise is the taciturn doctor who comes to Jolivet's aid. Eric Serra offsets the chill austerity with a motley score of modernist clichés and easy listening soundbites. To be honest, there's little about this film that could be considered ground-breaking, but if a Mad Max scenario filtered through European surrealist sensibilities appeals, then Le Dernier Combat will make absorbing viewing. On the DVD Le Dernier Combat's 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture has a suitably stark immediacy, enhanced by the surround sound option. There are no subtitles, hardly a stumbling block in this instance, and no special features apart from the chance to see trailers for two rather different Hollywood productions. There's no directorial commentary, which is a pity, as Besson's subsequent career has been an eventful one and it would have been good to hear him discuss it from the perspective of his first feature. --Richard Whitehouse

• The Eiger Sanction | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £5.48   |  Saving you £4.51 (82.30%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Clint Eastwood held the dual role of director and star of this 1975 spy thriller, which makes up for sluggish pacing with a breathtaking climax on a treacherous peak in the Swiss Alps. The plot kicks into gear when Eastwood, playing a retired assassin, is recruited back into a secret organisation to avenge the murder of an old friend. He's then blackmailed into making a second "hit"; this time his target is one of three men who will be attempting to conquer the Eiger, a dangerous peak in Switzerland. An accomplished climber, Eastwood's character joins the expedition with George Kennedy as leader of the ground crew. Shifting loyalties, apparent betrayals, and paranoid suspicion factor into the suspenseful climax on the sheer face of the mountain. This memorable sequence--for which Eastwood performed his own mountain-climbing stunts--is effectively intense, built on a standard plot of double-cross and intrigue that was intended to combine Eastwood's screen persona with the global adventure of the James Bond films. For the most part it works--it's not one of Eastwood's better films, but it's got some first-class thrills (and a sly performance by Jack Cassidy) to grab and hold your interest. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg | DVD | (21/05/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jacques Demy's haunting romantic musical is an enchanting, one-of-a-kind musical experience. It's basically a movie operetta, in which the characters sing all the dialogue (or, rather, lyrics--by director Demy) to Michel Legrand's lovely score. The story spans five years (1957-1962) in the life of Geneviéve (the ethereally beautiful Catherine Deneuve in the role that launched her to international stardom), the teenage daughter of a woman who owns a Cherbourg umbrella shop. After Geneviéve's boyfriend Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) is drafted and sent off to Algeria, she discovers she's pregnant and complications ensue. With its dazzling candy-coloured palette, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg looks sweet and dreamy. Restored and re-released in 1995 to rapturous acclaim and the renewed delight of all who got the chance to see it. The video release is taken from the restored version. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

• Bloodsport / Enter The Dragon | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  A well-oiled Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his starring debut in what may be one of the few kickboxing films to be based on a true story. The Muscles from Brussels plays Frank Dux, the first Westerner ever to win the extreme "whupfest" known as the Kumatai (a long-running, no-holds-barred fighting tournament in Hong Kong). While a bit deficient in the script department (to say the least), this undeniably exciting flick succeeds by letting Van Damme play to his strengths: namely, minimal acting and a lot of impossibly acrobatic splits while kicking people in the head. Bloodsport is a guilty-pleasure testosterone blast of the highest order, with a memorable villain (the massive Bolo Yeung from Enter the Dragon) and a multitude of well-choreographed fight scenes. An embarrassed-looking Forest Whitaker cameos as a hapless (and non-kickboxing) cop. --Andrew Wright