After witnessing the death of her parents at the hands of the Nazis a young Jewish girl tries to survive by taking shelter from an old friend. The gestapo soon track her down and she is forced to flee once more to the support of a childhood vacation friend who passes her off as an employee of the family business. However the girls presence soon gets her protectors into trouble themselves.
Pilot Hardy Kruger returns to France from the Indochinese War and takes up residence in a small town near Paris, where he becomes friendly with a 12-year-old girl who lives in an orphanage. The nuns assume that Kruger is her father, but people become suspicious of the relationship and mistake Kruger's intentions.
Le Juge Et L'Assassin Michel Galabru stars as Joseph Bouvier a former Sergeant in the French military. The film commences with Bouvier shooting his beloved and attempting to kill himself. Having survived with two bullets in his brain he is released from the Dole medical facility. Then begins a five-year period of wandering on the roads of the South East of France during which Bouvier rapes and eventually kills two dozen defenseless shepherds and farm servants of both sexes. Judge Rousseau (Philippe Noiret) thinks this case would help his career as a right wing politician and therefore issues warrants of arrests to find any hobo fitting the description. But if Bouvier was declared insane the Judge's plan may become a trap...
A legendary early masterpiece of French cinema 'Les Vampires' follows the exploits of a nefarious band of master criminals led by the seductive femme fatale Irma Vep alluringly played by Musidora. Holding Paris in the grip of terror the underworld gang are pursued across the city by heroic journalist Philippe Guerande and his sidekick Mazamette. Reflecting the mood of fear and anxiety in World War I era France this meticulously restored ten-part silent serial from film pioneer Louis Feuillade - creator of the acclaimed Fant''mas serials - is a hugely influential and engrossing crime drama from cinema's golden age. Musical accompaniment composed by Eric Le Guen and Chateau Flight.
Godsend: Following the death of their eight-year-old son Adam devastated parents Jessie (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Greg Kinnear) are desperate to do anything to resurrect their beloved child. Befriended by a doctor at the forefront of genetic research (Robert De Niro) they are offered a chance to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment appears successful under the doctor's watchful eye and Adam grows into a healthy happy young boy. Until his e
One of the great late period films by Sacha Guitry - the total auteur who delighted (and scandalised) the French public and inspired the French New Wave as a model for authorship as director-writer-star of screen and stage alike. In every one of his pictures (and almost every one served as a rueful examination of the war between the sexes), Guitry sculpted by way of a rapier wit - one might say by way of the Guitry touch - some of the most sophisticated black comedies ever conceived... and La Poison [Poison] is one of his blackest. Michel Simon plays Paul Braconnier, a man with designs on murdering his wife Blandine (Germaine Reuver) - a woman with similar designs on her husband. When Braconnier visits Paris to consult with a lawyer about the perfect way of killing a spouse - that is, the way in which he can get away with it - an acid comedy unfolds that reaches its peak in a courtroom scene for the ages. From the moment of Guitry's trademark introduction of his principals in the opening credits, and on through the brilliant performance by national treasure Michel Simon (of Renoir's Boudu sauve des eaux and Vigo's L'Atalante, to mention only two high-water marks), here is fitting indication of why Guitry is considered by many the Gallic equal of Ernst Lubitsch. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to introduce Sacha Guitry into the catalogue with La Poison for the first time on video in the UK in a dazzling new Gaumont restoration. Special Features: Newly translated optional subtitles Substantial booklet containing writing on the film, vintage excerpts, and rare archival imagery
This French thriller tells of a couple who are living with their three daughters in an old farmhouse that has caused them nothing but trouble since they started renovating it. However things look set to improve when they meet the ever helpful Harry.
Jacques Rivette's award-winning critically acclaimed film stars Michel Piccoli in one of his finest performances as an artist who ten years previously abandoned his masterpiece entitled 'La Belle Noiseuse' (The Beautiful Troublemaker) a painting of his wife (Jane Birkin). When he encounters the beautiful and fascinating Marianne (Emmanuelle Beart) he is inspired to return to the unfinished canvas using her as his new model. But disturbing tensions develop as the work progresse
One of France's greatest screen stars Michel Piccoli plays Gilbert Valence a grand old theatre actor who is given the shocking news that his wife daughter and son-in-law have been tragically killed in a car accident. Some time later and over the worst of his grief Valence busies himself with his daily life in Paris turning down unsuitable roles in low brow television productions and caring for his nine-year old grandson. But when an American filmmaker (John Malkovich) absurdly
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
Contains three films by Jean Luc Godard: ALPHAVILLE UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME and LE PETIT SOLDAT.ALPHAVILLE:With 1965's ALPHAVILLE--part sci-fi action film part noir thriller--the acclaimed French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard achieves a stunningly clinical futurism using absolutely no special visual effects. The result is a moving original film that with its abstract political and intellectual themes essentially redefines the apocalyptic science fiction genre. ALPHAVILLE clearly the product of one of cinema's greatest contributors is nothing less than a bona fide cult classic.UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME:Godard pays tribute to American musicals in much the same way that his debut feature A BOUT DE SOUFFLE did to American gangster films. The story follows the beautiful Angela (Anna Karina) a strip-tease artist who wants nothing more than to have a baby. Her live-in boyfriend Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy) doesn't want to refuse and risk sparking major friction between the two. However fed up with her constant pleading Emile finally suggests that she shack up with his best friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and much to Emile's dismay she eventually takes his advice. Godard's second feature employs jump cuts and jarring sound mixing--most notably during Karina's strip-tease performances. Godard is at his most affectionate and good-natured here. He also makes several cinematic in-jokes including one in which Belmondo's character mentions that he wants to hurry home to watch A BOUT DE SOUFFLE the film that turned Belmondo into a megastar just one year before. Featuring a magnetically cute performance from Karina who soon after the film became Godard's wife this loving romantic comedy is a dazzler.LE PETIT SOLDAT (1960):Michel Subor stars as Bruno a hitman under contract by the French government who suddenly develops a conscience and a philosophy when he is ordered to kill a left wing Arab leader. His newfound ideals are provoked by the stunning Veronica (Karina) a young woman who is secretly employed by the Arabs. The two fall in love and not surprisingly Bruno finds it impossible to carry out his mission bringing down the wrath of the French government on both he and Veronica. Beautifully filmed by Raoul Coutard LES PETIT SOLDAT is less interested in the mechanics of plot as it is in providing Godard a voice for thoughts and musings on the politics and horrors of the Algerian War. It was originally banned in France because of its frank depiction of torture during Algeria's war of Independence which was tearing France apart at the time of the film's completion.
Formerly a trained circus performer Jaco Van Dormael made his debut behind the camera in this wonderfully crafted drama about the human condition as a bitter old man looks back on his life. Toto was a fictional super-sleuth idolized by Thomas. All he ever wanted was to be just like him. Alfred was one of the few friends he had born around the same time. However a dramatic event in their lives sowed the seeds of bitterness that would remain with Thomas... A fire in their nursing h
The Heartbreak Kid Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers bring out the best in each other. In The Heartbreak Kid, Stiller plays Eddie Cantrow, who--persuaded by his father and friends that he's commitment-phobic--marries a gorgeous and seemingly ideal woman named Lila (Malin Akerman, The Brothers Solomon) that he's been dating for several weeks. But after the wedding, things start to go awry... the least of these being that on their honeymoon, Eddie meets a woman who might truly be the girl of his dreams (Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). As in There's Something About Mary, writers/directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly push Stiller away from his increasingly schticky "tense guy" persona and draw out his sweeter, more multilayered earnest side. On his end, Stiller provides a human core to what could just be a festival of raunch and absurdity (the movie features aroused donkeys, deviated septum jokes, and digitally-enhanced body hair, among other items of questionable taste). It only takes a quick comparison with Jim Carrey in Me, Myself & Irene or Jack Black in Shallow Hal to see what a surprisingly delicate balance that is. The Heartbreak Kid may not be quite as wildly sublime as There's Something About Mary, but it comes extremely close, with kudos to Akerman for her unrestrained nuttiness. --Bret Fetzer Meet the Parents Randy Newman's opening song, "A Fool in Love," perfectly sets up the movie that follows. The lyrics begin, "Show me a man who is gentle and kind, and I'll show you a loser," before praising the man who takes what he wants. Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is the fool in love in Meet the Parents. Just as he's about to propose to his girlfriend Pam (Teri Polo), he learns that her sister's fiancé asked their father, Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), for permission to marry. Now he feels the need to do the same thing. When Greg meets Jack, he is so desperate to be liked that he makes up stories and kisses ass rather than having the courage of his convictions. It doesn't take an elite member of the CIA to see right through Greg, but that's precisely what Jack is. Directed by Jay Roach (the Austin Powers movies), Meet the Parents is an incredibly well-crafted comedy that stands in nice opposition to, say, the sloppy extremes of the Farrelly brothers. Stiller is great at playing up the uncomfortable comedy of errors, balancing just the right amount of selfishness and self-deprecating humour, while De Niro's Jack is funny as the hard-ass father who just wants a few straight answers from the kid. What makes the Jack character all the funnier is Blythe Danner as his wife, the Gracie to his George Burns, who is the true heart of the movie. Oh, and Owen Wilson turns in yet another terrific comic performance as Pam's ex-fiancé. --Andy Spletzer Meet the Fockers Meet the Parents found such tremendous success in the chemistry produced by the contrasting personalities of stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller that the film's creators went for broke with the same formula again in Meet the Fockers. This time around, Jack and Dina Byrnes (De Niro and Blythe Danner) climb into Jack's new kevlar-lined RV with daughter Pam (Teri Polo), soon-to-be son-in-law Gaylord (Stiller), and Jack's infant grandson from his other daughter for the trip to Florida to meet Gaylord's parents, Bernie and Roz Focker (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand in a casting coup). The potential in-laws are, of course, the opposite of Jack, a pair of randy, touchy-feely fun-lovers. The rest of the movie is pretty much a sitcom: put Bernie and Roz together with Jack, and watch the in-laws clash as Gaylord squirms. As with the original, there is a sense of joy in watching these actors take on their roles with obvious relish, and the Hoffman-Streisand-Stiller triumvirate is likeable enough to draw you in. But the formula doesn't work as well in Fockers mostly because much of the humour is based on two obvious gimmicks: Gaylord Focker's name, and the fact that Streisand's character is a sex therapist. As a result, the movie itself is more contrived and predictable, and a lot less fun than the original. The casting is grand, but one wishes more thought was put into the script.--Dan Vancini Zoolander Charge your micro-mini cell phones and whip up some orange mocha Frappuccino, 'cuz Zoolander is on the runway, and you're gonna laugh your booty off! Based on a sketch created by writer-director Ben Stiller and cowriter Drake Sather for the 1996 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, Zoolander is a delirious send-up of New York's fashion scene as epitomised by male model Derek Zoolander (Stiller), a dimwitted preener who's oblivious to a Manchurian Candidate-like plot to turn him into a brainwashed assassin. Tipped off by a reporter (Christina Taylor), Zoolander teams with rival model Hansel (Owen Wilson) to foil the poodle-haired fashion designer (Will Ferrell) who's behind the nefarious scheme. The goofy plot's only half the fun; with roles for Stiller's parents (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), dozens of celebrity cameos, endlessly quotable dialogue, and improvisational energy to spare, Zoolander is very smart about being very stupid, easily matching the Austin Powers franchise for inspired comedic lunacy. --Jeff Shannon
The director also known as Jesus returns with another exploitation gem from yesteryear... Diana and Regina go to a mysterious artist's exhibition whose works portray scenes of violent death. While there Diana observes two pieces of art that remarkably resemble a girl who recently went missing and becomes very intrigued. When the identity of the missing girl is confirmed by her millionaire boyfriend Diana and Regina are determined to solve the case and begin investigating what seem
Camille a naive schoolgirl encounters the intriguing Joelle a girl slightly older but vastly more experienced in the ways of the world. Joelle leads Camille into a new a rather uncomfortable world through the discovery of sex and the darker side of life. Later in life as Camille discovers the paralysing fear of Aids she recalls her earlier encounters with Joelle and the fact she may have contracted the disease...
This French thriller tells of a couple who are living with their three daughters in an old farmhouse that has caused them nothing but trouble since they started renovating it. However things look set to improve when they meet the ever helpful Harry.
Based on documents compiled by leading French philosopher Michel Foucault I Pierre Riviere a unique and original film charts the gruesome events which took place in a Normandy village in 1835 when a young man Pierre Riviere murdered his mother sister and brother before fleeing to the countryside. With a cast made up of real-life villagers from the area where the events took place the detailed re-enactments and careful attention to the gestures of their ancestors serve to create an intense and sometimes disturbing atmosphere of hyper-realism. Details of the crime and of the trial that followed are told from varied perspectives including the written confession of Pierre himself and form a rich and complex narrative that interrogates the concepts of 'truth' and 'history'. Radical bold and uncompromising director Rene Allio's extraordinary work is at one and the same time an ethnographic enquiry an historical reconstruction and an unflinching portrait of psychopathology and its aftermath.
A group of archaelogists headed by Donald Pleasance have entered the secret catacombs which have been sealed for centuries. In their ignorance and quest for the unknown the archaeologists have broken the seal to the gates of hell unleashing a terrible evil not seen on the face of the earth for nineteen thousand years. The heart of the evil lies in an unexplored catacomb into which the archaeologists lower a computerised camera. The air odour and silence over in a menacing atmosphere as the camera scans the darkness revelling a centuries old tomb. Donald Pleasance interprets the inscriptions of the tomb and realises the true horror of his find. He has a evoked an evil so terrifying that it could destroy mankind as we know it.
Formerly a trained circus performer Jaco Van Dormael made his debut behind the camera in this wonderfully crafted drama about the human condition as a bitter old man looks back on his life. Toto was a fictional super-sleuth idolized by Thomas. All he ever wanted was to be just like him. Alfred was one of the few friends he had born around the same time. However a dramatic event in their lives sowed the seeds of bitterness that would remain with Thomas... A fire in their nursing h
Titles Comprise: Requiem For A Vampire: A stunning surreal exploitation film - rottentomatoes.com A healthy mix of fairy tale nudity rape torture and lesbianism with striking visual sequences which established Rollin's unique take on the eroticized bloodsucker. Shiver Of The Vampires: A young couple on their honeymoon stop for the night at an ancient castle. Unbeknownst to them the castle is home to a horde of vampires who have their own deadly decadent plans for the couple... Dracula's Daughter: Artfully rendered and genuinely erotic - 1000 Bullets. Loosely based on Le Fanu's classic novella Carmilla Jess Franco successfully injects his brand of sexual perversion to this deeply erotic lesbian vampire film.
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