"Actor: Michel"

• The Grapes Of Death | DVD | (13/08/2018) from £7.90   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The grapes used to produce the wine for a village's annual Grape Harvest Festival has been polluted by toxic chemicals and induces a form on zombified insanity in the villagers who have drunk the wine. The victims' flesh also melts adding another layer of torment to their crazed suffering and madness. For director Jean Rollin Grapes of Death was a major departure from his usual dream-like vampire films in that he set out to frighten and horrify rather than to captivate and astound and he does so with great success.

• 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

• Officer's Ward | DVD | (26/08/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Adapted from the hugely acclaimed best-selling novel by Marc Dugain writer-director Francois Duperyon's The Officer's Ward is an insightful honest and profoundly moving meditation on love loss and the physical and mental scars inflicted by the horror of war. Screened in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film festival The Officer's Ward atmospherically creates the world of Adrien Fournier (Eric Caravaca) a handsome young French officer who returns from the front with hideous facial

• Le Paltoquet | DVD | (20/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Another stylish crime drama from Michel Deville in which the tensions between characters of disparate professions is played out over a game of bridge... Four men a journalist a doctor a professor and a merchant meet up every evening in a deserted bar to play cards. One night the police arrive with the news that a dead body has been found nearby and the inspector in charge is sure that one of them did it.

• Luis Bunuel Box Set | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Includes the classic Bunuel films Belle De Jour Diary Of A Chambermaid and The Milky Way. Belle De Jour Bunuel's wryly disturbing tale of a virginal bourgeois newlywed prone to erotic flights of fancy who works the day-shift in a Parisian brothel unbeknownst to her patient husband... Diary Of A Chambermaid Luis Bunuel's sharp unrelenting remake of Jean Renoir's 1946 film concerns fascism in 1939 France and how the bourgeoisie are viewed by maid Celestine (Jeanne Moreau) who stirs the desires of her new household and neighbours... The Milky Way Two men making a religious pilgrimage through France form the basis for string of lucid Luis Bunuel 'jokes' parables and surrealistic visions. Heretical funny and haunting...

• Night And Fog | DVD | (24/01/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Alain Resnais' astounding documentary on the Holocaust commissioned by the French Committee for the History of the Second World War remains one of the most respected ever made. The film takes it's title from Hitler's decree that anyone who 'endangered Germany's security' was to vanish with out trace (in the) night and fog' of the third Reich. With narration scripted by celebrated French poet novelist and essayist Jean Cayrol (himself a survivor of the notorious KZ Gusen camp) Res

• I'm Going Home | DVD | (18/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  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

• Le Secret | DVD | (19/11/2001) from £12.13   |  Saving you £7.86 (64.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An attractive and intelligent French woman has a guilty secret, one that she wants to keep from her husband: she's having a passionate affair with a layabout American.

• Farewell Friend | DVD | (20/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Years after serving together in the French Foreign Legion American soldier of fortune Franz Propp (Charles Bronson) and French doctor Dino Barron (Alain Delon) are unexpectedly reunited under the most extraordinary circumstances. Hoping to help a friend who has embezzled some bonds Barron tries to break into a safe in the dead of night. Sneaking into an underground vault he is surprised to discover that his old pal Propp is also on the premises likewise intending to crack the saf

• Home Team | DVD | (01/11/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  Forced into community service at a children's home Butler (Steve Guttenberg) finds himself on the receiving end of the unruly kids wild antics and practical jokes. The home's administrator Karen is desperate to find an outlet for the kids undoubted energy and tries to persuade Butler to coach the kids at football. But Butler rejects the idea as the memories of his past career are just too much. So this hopeless group of misfits find themselves on a seemingly never-ending losing streak. However when the team are publicly humiliated they return home to find an even greater disaster has befallen them and not only does the team face disbanding but the boys themselves may be split up forever. Deep in despair Karen comes up with a seemingly hair brained plan to save both the team and the boys future together. However the plan depends on Butler's help!

• Terrorama! | DVD | (08/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Previously banned in the UK!

• 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

• Juste Avant La Nuit | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This Claude Chabrol film is a dark tale of secrets erotica and crime. Successful advertising executive Charles Masson is involved in a hot affair with his best friend's wife Laura. When one of their S&M romps goes bad Charles strangles Laura to death in an apartment that was borrowed. While racing from the scene of the crime he bumps into his friend Francois and drives back to their neighborhood. When someone realises that he'd seen Charles and Laura together in the past he decides not to go to the police with the information. With no clues to the crime police have a hard time finding a suspect. Charles however has an even harder time coping with guilt his children and his loyal wife Helene.

• Downtown '81 | DVD | (02/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A feature film starring the legendary American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) that follows him around NYC. Along the way he has encounters with Vincent Gallo Debbie Harry Melly Mel and a host of other Andy Warhol players. Downtown 81 not only captures one the most influential artists of the late twentieth century as he is poised for fame but also captures one of the most vital periods of American culture with the explosion of new wave music new painting hip hop and graffiti.

• Jean-Luc Godard Box Set - Alphaville/Le Petit Soldat/Une Femme Est Une Femme | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  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.

• Musketeers Forever | DVD | (01/09/2001) from £8.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  The classic Musketeers tale is given a bang up-to-date treatment in this relentlessly exciting action movie.

• Three Men And A Baby | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £19.49   |  Saving you £0.50 (2.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Three clueless and hedonistic bachelors are forced to trade dames for diapers when an infant is left on their doorstep. However what they don't know is that this ""package"" is harbouring a little extra when drug dealers come looking for their narcotics unwittingly stashed in the baby's cradle! Funny feelgood French farce later remade as the Stateside uber-comedy Three Men And A Baby!

• Masculin, Feminin | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  'Masculin Feminin' stars Truffaut favourite Jean-Pierre Leaud Chantal Goya and Brigitte Bardot; set against a background of an edgy France gripped by political upheaval the Vietnam war and an election in which Charles De Gaulle kept his grip on power much to the frustration of the disgruntled Left. Structuring the film around 15 scenes of varying lengths Godard takes the deceptively simple story of the relationship between an ex-army recruit Paul (Leaud) and aspiring pop singe

• The Decline Of The American Empire | DVD | (23/02/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  You've never seen a sex comedy quite like The Decline of the American Empire. That's because there's no sex in this comedy--just a lot of entertaining talk about it (and a few discreet flashbacks). The speakers are eight Montreal academics. For most of the film, the men--Rémy (Rémy Girard), Claude (Yves Jacques), Pierre (Pierre Curzi), and Alain (Daniel Brière)--fix dinner while talking about sex. The women--Dominique (Dominique Michel), Louise (Dorothée Berryman), Diane (Louise Portal), and Danielle (Geneviève Rioux)--work out while talking about sex. That evening, they all gather for dinner... and talk about sex. The Decline of the American Empire made the reputation of writer-director Denys Arcand, but his greatest success would arrive 17 years later with The Barbarian Invasions. In that 2003 Oscar-winner, Arcand revisits the lovably loquacious characters from the first film, all of whom are older, wiser--and just as obsessed with sex. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

• Toto The Hero | DVD | (15/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  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