"Actor: Jean"

• William The Conquerer | DVD | (31/07/2017) from £4.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The dramatic retelling of the life and loves of one of history's most feared and admired leaders, William The Conquerer.

• Death Warrant | Blu Ray | (21/03/2016) from £14.49   |  Saving you £1.50 (10.35%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as maverick cop Lou Burke, the only lawman tough enough to go undercover in a prison recently plagued by suspicious deaths. Posing as a prisoner, Burke encounters brutal inmates, corrupt guards, death and betrayal at every turn. But when he unearths the shocking secret behind the penitentiary's inner workings, Burke must attempt a daring escape that pits him against not only hundreds of murderous inmates...but also a deadly enemy from his own past.

• Le Trou | Blu Ray | (21/08/2017) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Influential director Jacques Becker's final film, Le Trou is also amongst his very best. Hailed as a masterpiece by Truffaut, it remains a compelling work, superbly directed and photographed with a remarkable attention to detail. 1947. A young man, Gaspard Claude (Marc Michel), is convicted for the attempted murder of his wife, although he is innocent of the crime. He is sent to the notorious Santé Prison in Paris and is placed in a cell with four hardened criminals. The latter have decided to escape from the prison by digging their way out of their cell. Reluctantly, they take Gaspard into their confidence and labour digging their way out of their cell. Then, just when escape appears certain, Gaspard is called away to see the prison governor

• Girl on a Motorcycle | DVD | (01/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  Caught midway between 1970s soft-porn clunker The Story of O and Bunuel's sado-masochistic fantasy Belle de Jour, the 1968 erotic curio Girl on a Motorcycle is one of Marianne Faithfull's chief claims to notoriety. She stars as Rebecca, a leather-clad, former bookstore clerk in search of sexual fulfilment who flees her dependable schoolteacher husband for a dangerous liaison with Daniel (Alain Delon), a dashing Professor addicted to speed. The story is told entirely in flashbacks as Rebecca rockets along the road, having donned her leathers and walked out on her sleeping husband at the crack of dawn. It all must have seemed fairly daring and provocative in 1968, providing viewers with ample opportunities to view a naked Faithfull at the height of her allure. But today the existential musings of the lead character seem achingly pretentious, the erotic symbolism merely gawky and unintentionally amusing: the sight of Alain Delon with a phallic pipe dangling from his mouth is like something out of a Rene Magritte painting. The sex scenes between Delon and Faithfull are all swamped in a polarised visual effect that, while garish and psychedelic, is dated and distinctly unerotic. Director Jack Cardiff is better known as a cinematographer on classics such as The African Queen and Black Narcissus. Among Cardiff's other directorial credits is a worthy adaptation of DH Lawrence's Sons & Lovers, but Girl on a Motorcycle is a saucy road movie with no final destination. On the DVD: This DVD version is misleadingly presented as being the fully restored and uncut version of the film. Yet it was the US version not the European one that was heavily cut (and titillatingly re-titled "Naked Under Leather"). The restoration certainly does not refer to the print quality: although the colours are vivid and bright, the print used to master the DVD (in 16:9 anamorphic format) is extremely grainy and, at times, speckled with dirt and scratches. Included as one of the special features, a theatrical trailer loaded with innuendo shows just how much the film was marketed to a prurient audience. Director Jack Cardiff provides an audio commentary but has few revelatory things to say about his film beyond technical considerations, and even makes several clunking errors (recalling his casting decisions concerning a scene that takes place in a provincial German café, he raves about how he strove to find authentic French locals!). He does reveal that the film's use of a voice-over was inspired by the internal monologue that forms the basis of James Joyce's Ulysses. Given Cardiff's age and experience one feels that he must have more interesting anecdotes and insights, making this commentary feel like a wasted opportunity. --Chris Campion

• Le Mans | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £6.98   |  Saving you £9.01 (129.08%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A classic auto-racing movie starring Steve McQueen, Le Mans puts the audience in the driver's seat for what is often called the most gruelling race in the world. McQueen plays the American driver, locked in an intense grudge match with his German counterpart during the 24-hour race through the French countryside even as he wrestles with the guilt over causing an accident that cost the life of a close friend. McQueen is his usual stoic magnetic self, and the racing sequences are among the best ever committed to film. A solid character-driven story combines with raw visceral power to make Le Mans a rich tapestry of action and thrills. --Robert Lane

• All Ladies Do It | DVD | (05/06/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  With its star's bottom looming large on the cover, erotic adventure All Ladies Do It is clearly the work of Italian director Tinto Brass. It is another tale of a young woman and her quest to fulfil her sexual desires, in this case Claudia Koll's Diane, who embarks on a series of casual affairs much to the interest of husband Paul who, assuming that her tales are merely the product of an active imagination, finds himself aroused by their content. In the meantime, Diane is increasing her circle of lovers before a trip to Venice threatens to bring her dual life crashing down. The plot is frankly secondary to Brass' appreciation of the female form (absolutely no opportunity is missed to focus on Koll's behind) and it all becomes a little ludicrous. The original Italian title ("Cosi fan tutte") is derived from Mozart's comic opera but, unlike the opera's convoluted sexual politics, here there is only a rather confused attempt at expressing a quasi-feminist message about female independence. All Ladies Do It is best viewed as a piece of glossy titillation and nothing more. On the DVD: Brass certainly knows how to make the best of a location and there are some exceptionally beautiful shots of Venice to be found among the carnal adventures. The extras include a filmography and photo gallery as well as a low quality but telling interview with the director, during which he expounds on a rather strange theory regarding women's bottoms and the fact that, unlike their faces, they cannot lie. --Phil Udell

• Bizet: Carmen -- film version | DVD | (13/03/2000) from £17.89   |  Saving you £2.10 (11.74%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This movie version of Bizet's popular opera Carmen was filmed on location, conveying a kind of atmosphere, a sense of space, movement, and presence that's hard to achieve in a staged performance. It takes the action out of doors for many scenes, with the opening titles superimposed on the bloody conclusion of a bullfight. Elsewhere the changing of the guard, the crowd scenes, the dance number that opens Act 2, and the panoramic scenery of the smugglers' mountain hideout all benefit from the freedom granted by movie cameras. It's an exciting Carmen, too, with a young-looking Placido Domingo in top form for a role he has sung hundreds of times. For Julia Migenes, though, it was her first performance in a role she would have trouble performing in an opera house. Her voice does not fit easily into Carmen's range, and she spent months training it, very successfully, before singing the role in a recording studio where the soundtrack was taped before the film was shot. Casting her in the role was a gamble, but it worked; she is a convincing actress. Unlike most opera-house performances this movie version uses the opera's original opera comique form with some spoken dialogue rather than recitatives.--Joe McLellan, Amazon.com

• Le Combat Dans L'Ile | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Clement (Trintignant) is part of a right-wing political movement. Although monied and comfortable he is an active terrorist. Betrayed he grabs his wife Anne (Schneider) and takes refuge in a friend's house while he plots his deadly revenge... As part of the French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) explosion of young energetic brave and brilliant directors Alain Cavalier fashioned a superb story of love loyalty and betrayal with a backdrop of political upheaval. Scripted by Jean-Paul Ra

• Le Gout Des Autres | DVD | (19/11/2001) from £12.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (53.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Castella is a successful industrialist out of boredom he allows his wife to drag him to an amateur stage show. Much to his surprise he is overwhelmed by the power of the lead actress Clara. He becomes so infatuated with her that he goes back to the play night after night. His world is turned upside down and his obession impacts on the lives of everyone around. Winner of 4 Cesars including Best Film.

• The Browning Version | DVD | (06/08/2007) from £8.79   |  Saving you £11.20 (127.42%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Public schoolmaster Crocker-Harris has become a bitter disillusioned man. Stuck in a loveless marriage with a wife who openly cheats on him the enthusiasm he once showed for his career and his pupils has long since vanished and `The Crock has become a figure of disdain among the students whose life he has made a misery. With ill-health forcing him to resign his long-standing post a simple act of kindness from one boy has a profund impact on the seemingly heartless master.

• Taxi / Taxi 2 | DVD | (20/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Taxi 1: Former pizza delivery guy Daniel is speed crazy. Embarking on a new career as a taxi driver his specially modified car is so fast even police radar can't spot him! When he unwittingly gives a high-speed ride to police officer Emilien he is forced to accept a deal to keep his license: a stint as Emilien's police car driver. Now on the other side of the law Daniel becomes the unlikely mastermind behind an investigation into a gang of German bank robbers. Aided by his girlfriend Emilien's mother and a whole squad of pizza delivery boys Daniel and Emilien join forces with hilarious consequences to foil the robbers on foot on scooters and of course in Taxis. Taxi 2: The Japanese Secretary of State for Defence is visiting France on a special mission to invest in French anti terrorism expertise. At the end of his trip he will sign a contract worth several billion dollars to the French government. However he is kidnapped by a group of Yakusa. Against their better judgement Daniel the cab driver and Emilien his friend the policeman become involved in a string of adventures in order to rescue the diplomat and ensure the contract is signed. Packed with excitement and energy Taxi 2 follows Daniel and Emilien's adventures in this all action sequel to Taxi.

• Alex Cross | DVD | (06/05/2013) from £6.75   |  Saving you £13.24 (196.15%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Having cornered the market on his signature brand of inspirational comedy, Tyler Perry makes a bid for action-movie supremacy with this grisly adaptation of author James Patterson's most popular character. Loosely based on the 12th novel in the series (2007's Cross), the plot follows the early days of the title character, a genius police detective/psychologist trying to clean up the mean streets of Detroit while keeping his family out of the line of fire. As he mulls over accepting a job with the FBI, he and his team are forced to match wits with a psychotic contract killer (Matthew Fox), who displays a disturbing commitment towards seeing his job through. Director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, XXX) knows this turf well, delivering an effective mix of creeping thriller sequences and go-for-broke action scenes. Faced with the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Morgan Freeman (who played the character in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider), Perry does a credible job in portraying both the tender and vengeful aspects of his character, even if the script often falls into the trap of having other characters exclaiming how brilliant Cross is, rather than letting the viewers see the deductive process for themselves. Based on his first attempt, any future entries in the franchise appear to be in good hands. Ultimately, however, the other elements of Alex Cross pale in comparison to Fox, who goes all out--and then some--in giving the audience someone to hiss at. He's shorn down to what appears to be a negative body-fat ratio, and occasionally literally froths at the mouth--and his dedication to creating a villain for the ages quickly overpowers the material. Once this freaky beanpole starts chewing the scenery, you'll be glad that the filmmakers decided against shooting in 3-D. --Andrew Wright

• Madame de... (DVD + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (22/05/2017) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When, beset by debt, the titular Countess Louise (Danielle Darrieux) decides to sell a pair of earrings that were a wedding gift from her husband André (Charles Boyer), she unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will have serious consequences not only for the Parisian couple but for André's mistress and for an Italian Baron (Vittorio De Sica), who purchased the, by then, much-travelled jewellery. Featuring nuanced performances by all three lead actors and directed by celebrated auteur Max Ophüls, this intricately constructed and elegantly designed drama is a searing study of fateful passion wound up in deceits, deals and desires. Special Features: Fully illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film and full film credits Other extras TBC)

• Slacker (Criterion Collection) - UK Only | Blu Ray | (17/06/2024) from £22.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Slacker, directed by Richard Linklater, presents a day in the life of a loose-knit Austin, Texas, subculture populated by eccentric and overeducated young people. Shooting on 16 mm for a mere $23,000, writer-producer-director Linklater and his crew of friends threw out any idea of a traditional plot, choosing instead to create a tapestry of over a hundred characters, each as compelling as the last. Slacker is a prescient look at an emerging generation of aggressive nonparticipants, and one of the key films of the American independent film movement of the 1990s. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New, restored high-definition digital film transfer, supervised by director Richard Linklater and director of photo¬graphy Lee Daniel, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack Three audio commentaries, featuring Linklater and members of the cast and crew It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books (1988), Linklater's first full-length feature, with commentary by the director Woodshock, a 1985 16 mm short by Linklater and Daniel Casting tapes featuring select auditions from the more-than-100-member cast Deleted scenes and alternate takes Footage from the Slacker tenth-anniversary reunion Early film treatment Home movies Ten-minute trailer for a 2005 documentary about the landmark Austin café Les Amis Original theatrical trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by author and film¬maker John Pierson, an introduction to It's Impossible to Learn to Plow by Reading Books by director Monte Hellman, an essay by Michael Barker, reviews by critics Ron Rosenbaum and Chris Walters, and production notes by Linklater New cover by Marc English

• Breathless | DVD | (22/06/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo), an ex-airline steward turned hoodlum, steals a car and heads to Paris. Discovering a gun in the car's glove department, he uses it to shoot and kill a cop who tries to wave him down. He wants to escape to Italy with his American girlfriend Patricia (Jean Seberg), but the police are after him, and he is distracted by all the pleasures Paris has to offer.Story-wise, Jean-Luc Godard's A Bout De Souffle (1960) (aka Breathless) is pretty thin, but as its director always proclaimed, you don't need much in the way of narrative to make a movie. Sometimes a girl and a gun are quite enough. The effortlessly cool and laconic Belmondo mirrors the director's mischief and flamboyance. With his fat cigarette stub perched on his bottom lip, his shades, his felt hat and white socks, he looks like a cross between a left-bank intellectual and an American gumshoe (perhaps his beloved Bogart). With her close-cropped hair and New York Herald Tribune T-shirt, his girlfriend (Jean Seberg) is equally stylish. A Hollywood star (she had appeared in the lead in Otto Preminger's Saint Joan in 1957 when she was still a teenager), the Iowa-born Seberg is turned by Godard into the lithe embodiment of European radical chic.The film has a spontaneity that studio-bound offerings of the time missed by a mile. Cameraman Raoul Coutard uses natural light and real locations whenever possible. Lots of the pet tricks in the movie--jump cuts, whip pans and improvised tracking shots--have been copied relentlessly by imitators ever since. A Bout De Souffle, though, is unique: anarchic, liberating and hugely stylish, "the best film around now", as its trailer proclaimed. It made Godard, almost overnight, into "the world's most discussed, interviewed and quoted filmmaker". --Geoffrey MacnabOn the DVD: Godard's greatest movie has been lovingly transferred to disc by Optimum, and comes with several extras including trailers and production notes and an old Godard short, Charlotte Et Son Jules, also starring the swaggering, arrogant Belmondo. --Geoffrey Macnab

• Le Divorce | DVD | (02/02/2004) from £4.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (260.52%)   |  RRP £17.99

  In this modern-day comedy of manners, American sisters Isabel (Kate Hudson) and Roxeanne (Naomi Watts) come face to face with the complicated social mores of French society.

• Lady Chatterley | DVD | (14/04/2008) from £16.96   |  Saving you £-0.97 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A woman of means begins an affair with the gamekeeper on her husband's estate, opening herself up physically and emotionally in ways she never imagined possible.

• Alex Cross | Blu Ray | (06/05/2013) from £10.74   |  Saving you £17.24 (222.45%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Having cornered the market on his signature brand of inspirational comedy, Tyler Perry makes a bid for action-movie supremacy with this grisly adaptation of author James Patterson's most popular character. Loosely based on the 12th novel in the series (2007's Cross), the plot follows the early days of the title character, a genius police detective/psychologist trying to clean up the mean streets of Detroit while keeping his family out of the line of fire. As he mulls over accepting a job with the FBI, he and his team are forced to match wits with a psychotic contract killer (Matthew Fox), who displays a disturbing commitment towards seeing his job through. Director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, XXX) knows this turf well, delivering an effective mix of creeping thriller sequences and go-for-broke action scenes. Faced with the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Morgan Freeman (who played the character in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider), Perry does a credible job in portraying both the tender and vengeful aspects of his character, even if the script often falls into the trap of having other characters exclaiming how brilliant Cross is, rather than letting the viewers see the deductive process for themselves. Based on his first attempt, any future entries in the franchise appear to be in good hands. Ultimately, however, the other elements of Alex Cross pale in comparison to Fox, who goes all out--and then some--in giving the audience someone to hiss at. He's shorn down to what appears to be a negative body-fat ratio, and occasionally literally froths at the mouth--and his dedication to creating a villain for the ages quickly overpowers the material. Once this freaky beanpole starts chewing the scenery, you'll be glad that the filmmakers decided against shooting in 3-D. --Andrew Wright

• The Shiver of the Vampires (Limited Edition 4K UHD) | Blu Ray | (08/05/2023) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Jean Rollin's third feature film, 1971's The Shiver of the Vampires (Le Frisson des vampires), established themes and visual motifs to which he would return throughout his career, blending horror, eroticism, fairy tale, and surrealism to create his unique cinema of the fantastique. Arriving at a decrepit chateau for their honeymoon, young newlyweds undergo a series of surreal and sinister encounters, and come to realise that they are the prey of the resident vampires... With performances from Sandra Julien (I Am Frigid... Why?) and Marie-Pierre Castel (Lips of Blood), ravishing cinematography from Rollin's regular collaborator Jean-Jacques Renon, and a thrilling jazz-rock score by Acanthus, The Shiver of the Vampires is regarded as one of Rollin's greatest films. Product Features New 4K HDR restoration from the internegative by Powerhouse Films 4K (2160p) UHD presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original French and English mono soundtracks Audio commentary with director Jean Rollin (2006) Audio commentary with Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol author Jeremy Richey (2023) Virginie Sélavy on 'The Shiver of the Vampire' (2023): appreciation by the author and film historian Rouge Vif (2023): updated documentary on the making of The Shiver of the Vampires by Rollin's personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette Introduction by Jean Rollin (1998): filmed appraisal by the director Interview with Jean Rollin by Patricia MacCormack (2004): lengthy discussion filmed in Paris Deleted scenes: sex sequences filmed for the export market Original French, English and German theatrical trailers Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English translation subtitles for the French soundtrack New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by David Hinds, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with the director by Peter Blumenstock, an archival interview with actor Marie-Pierre Castel, Andy Votel on Acanthus, the mysterious group behind the film's soundtrack, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits World premiere on 4K UHD Limited edition of 8,000 numbered units (4,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US All extras subject to change

• No Retreat, No Surrender | Blu Ray | (13/09/2021) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Karate student Jason Stillwell vows to take revenge on infamous gangster Ivan ˜The Russian' Krachinsky (Van Damme) after his father is brutally beaten for refusing to surrender his dojo to the crime syndicate. Forced to relocate to Seattle, Jason continues to be harassed by thugs until he awakens the spirit of his hero, the legendary Bruce Lee. Under his tutelage, Jason seizes the chance to conquer both his fears and his enemies.