Join the master adventurer and iconic director Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn) in this extraordinary 3D blu-ray, as he ventures on a new epic journey.Overcoming considerable challenges, Herzog captures the stunning majesty of the Chauvet Cave in southern France, where the world's oldest cave paintings have been discovered. Herzog reveals a breathtaking subterranean world including the 32,000-year-old artworks. With his humorous and engaging narration Herzog refelcts on our primal desire to communicate and represent the world around us, evolution and our place within it, and ultimately what it means to be human.
The most famous film by Italian provocateur Marco Ferreri (Dillinger is Dead) La Grande bouffe was reviled on release for its perversity decadence and attack on the bourgeoisie yet won the prestigious FIPRESCI prize after its controversial screening at the Cannes Film Festival. Four friends played by international superstars Marcello Mastroianni (Fellini’s 8½) Michel Piccoli (Belle de jour) Ugo Tognazzi (Barbarella) and Philippe Noiret (Zazie dans le métro) retreat to a country mansion where they determine to eat themselves to death whilst engaging in group sex with prostitutes and a local school teacher (Andréa Ferréol The Tin Drum) who seems to be up for anything… At once jovial and sinister the film’s jet-black humour has a further twist as the reputed actors (whose characters use their own names) buck their respectable trend for a descent into fart-filled chaos that delivers a feast for the eyes and mind. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand new 2K restoration of the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original French audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Newly translated English subtitles The Farcical Movie – A French television profile of Marco Ferreri from 1975 in which the director discusses among other things the influence of Tex Avery Luis Buñuel and Tod Browning’s Freaks Behind-the-scenes footage of the making of La Grande bouffe containing interviews with Ferrari and actors Marcello Mastroianni Michel Piccoli Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret Extracts from the television series Couleurs autour d'un festival featuring interviews with the cast and crew recorded during the Cannes Film Festival A visual essay on the film with by Italian film scholar Pasquale Iannone Select scene audio commentary by Iannone News report from the Cannes Film Festival where La Grande bouffe caused a controversial stir including Ferreri at the press conference Original Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Johnny Mains illustrated with original archive stills and posters
One of the very finest French films released in 2000, Claire Denis' resetting of Billy Budd among modern-day French Foreign Legionnaires welds near-experimental formal minimalism with a savage exposure of male aggression, jealousy and repressed homosexual desire, all set in an eye-peeling desert setting and choreographed to the grunts of men at work. Ravaged-featured Denis Lavant plays Galoup, who narrates his story in flashback, perhaps at the moment before his life ends. A sergeant in charge of a troop of Legionnaires, Galoup's position as the favourite of the Commander (Michel Subor) is threatened by the arrival of pretty-boy Sentain (Grégoire Colin, who played the spoiled wastrel in The Dream Life of Angels). Galloup plots to discredit his rival. As the drama unfolds through indirection and Galloup's unreliable disclosures, Denis dwells lovingly on the ballet of men at work as the soldiers run through their obstacle courses, practice combat pas de deux and disport like lean, khaki-clad dolphins by the Mediterranean shore. Sort of like Full Metal Jacket meets early Derek Jarman. It's a sensuous and exquisite film, as perceptive about relationships between men as it is about those between colonisers and the colonised. --Leslie Felperin
Two small time crooks Mario and Roberto along with their female companion kidnap a young girl and decide to hide out at a friend's jungle house where he makes his living trading with the local natives. However the local natives have a particular speciality on their menu - human flesh When Mario rapes his friend's wife she takes revenge by tying him to a tree to be eaten by the natives. Having informed the kidnapped girls parents of her whereabouts the remaining gangsters f
Born in Spain, Luis Bunuel is widely credited as the founder of surrealist cinema. This essential collection includes some of his best known work: Diary of a Chambermaid (1964), Belle de Jour (1967), Tristana (1970), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) - as well as equally brilliant but lesser-known films such as The Phantom of Liberty (1974) and The Milky Way (1969). Although he drew memorable performances from iconic actresses of the period such as Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau, Bunuel generally worked with a favourite group of actors including Michel Piccoli, Pierre Clémenti, Muni and his faithful alter ego Fernando Rey. Enter the surreal world of Bunuel, where an entire dinner party suddenly finds themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room and where the devil, if unable to tempt a saint with a pretty girl, will fly him to a disco. 7 Disc Set That Obscure Object of Desire New Jean-Claude Carriere interview New Aesthetics of the Irrational: ICA Q&A with Jean-Claude Carriere and Diego Bunuel hosted by Tim Robey Interview with Carlos Saura The arbitrariness of desire by Jean-Claude Carriere Lady Doubles - interview with Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina Portrait of an impatient filmmaker, Luis Bunuel - Interview with Pierre Lady and Edmond Richard Belle De Jour - New 50th Anniversary Restoration New Jean-Claude Carriere interview New Masterclass with Diego Bunuel and Jean-Claude Carriere (1 hour+) New Trailer Commentary by professor Peter W. Evans The Last Script (1:34:33) A Story of Perversion or Emancipation? - Interview with Dr Sylvain Mimoun (29:39 in PAL) Diary of a Chambermaid An Angel in the Marshes doc (26 minutes) Phantom of Liberty New Jean-Claude Carriere interview New Critical Analysis by professor Peter W. Evans New Bunuel, la transgression des reves -A new documentary by Pierre-Henri Gibert Photo Gallery The Milky Way New Jean-Claude Carriere interview New Critical Analysis by professor Peter W. Evans Bunuel, athiest thanks to God doc (32 minutes) Trailer Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie New Jean-Claude Carriere interview A Walk Amongst the Shadows doc (28 minutes) Critical analysis by professor Peter W.Evans Trailer Tristana New Interview with Franco Nero Rituals documentary doc (20 minutes) Trailer
The Night Is Young - Petty thief and street hustler Alex (Denis Lavant) plots to steal a new miracle cure for an AIDS-like virus on behalf of his gangster friend Marc (Michel Piccoli). But this attracts the notice of a mysterious American woman who also wants the serum. One of the most notable films of the 80s this dazzlingly inventive mix of off-beat romance and sci-fi thriller cemented Carax's reputation as one of the most exciting directors in the world.
Holidaymakers arriving in a Club Med camp on the Ivory Coast are determined to forget their everyday problems and emotional disappointments. Games competitions outings bathing and sunburn accompany a continual succession of casual affairs.
'Bande A Part' is Jean-Luc Godard's playful tribute to the Hollywood pulp crime movies of the 1940s executed with typically Gallic cool. Franz and Arthur a couple of streetwise characters team up with the shy Odile (Anna Karina) to plan a robbery. As the trio of misfits does a lightning tour of the Louvre roams the cafes of suburban Paris and play-acts shoot-outs the suspicion grows that this is one heist that is not going to go according to plan...
Halle Berry stars as a successful criminal psychologist who wakes up to find herself a patient in her own mental institution with no memory of the murder she's apparently committed.
Voted The Guardian's 14 Best Romantic Film of All Time. Described by director Jacques Demy as 'a film in song' the visually intoxicating The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Pays homage to the Hollywood musical in this masterpiece of French New Wave cinema. Guy Foucher (Nino Castelnuovo) a 20-year-old French auto mechanic has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery (Catherine Deneuve: Belle de Jour) an employee in her widowed mother's chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria the pair share a passionate night. Geneviève becomes pregnant and then must choose between waiting for Guy's return or accepting an attractive offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant (Marc Michel: Lola). Special Features: Feature Geoff Andrew On Umbrellas of Cherbourg Virginie Ledoyen on Umbrellas of Cherbourg Once Upon A Time... The Umbrellas of Cherbourg The World of Jacques Demy The Restoration of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Stills gallery Trailer Trailer (2013)
Val has been working as a live-in nanny and housekeeper for Fabinho and his family in São Paulo for 13 years, sending money to her far distant daughter. As Fabinho’s college entrance exams roll around, her daughter calls and gives her what seems to be a second chance – Jessica wants to come to São Paulo to take her college entrance exams as well. Filled with joy as well as apprehension, Val gets ready, with the wholehearted support of her employers. But when Jessica arrives, cohabitation is not easy. She doesn’t behave in conformity to what is expected of her and starts to create tension inside the household. Everyone will be affected by the girl’s personality and candor and Val finds herself right in the middle, split between the living room and the kitchen, where she will have to find a new way of facing life.
A stunning new restoration for the 60th anniversay of LE MÃPRIS, one of the most notable examples of the French New Wave from cinema's original enfant terrible: Jean-Luc Godard. Featuring the style icon Brigitte Bardot (And God Created Woman, Viva Maria!) as Camille, and legendary French talent Michel Piccoli (Belle De Jour, The Things of Live) as Paul, LE MÃPRIS boasts a strong and eclectic supporting cast featuring 'master of darkness' Director, Fritz Lang as himself, renowned American actor Jack Palance as Jeremy, and the infamous Giorgia Moll as Francesca. Set around the extraordinary Villa Malaparte on Capri, LE MÃPRIS tells the tragic romance between Paul and his wife, Camille. Paul is enlisted the task of re-writing a film script. Whilst he becomes engrossed in writing, he appears oblivious to the film producer's interest in his irresistibly beautiful wife, Camille. In turn, we witness the hurtful unfolding of Paul & Camille's marriage. Product Features An Introduction By Colin Maccabe Paparazzi By Jacques Rozier Bardot Godard: The Party Of Things By Jacques Rozier
Based on the childhood memoirs of Marcel Pagnol, author of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, Yves Robert's La Gloire de Mon Pre and its sequel Le Chteau de Ma Mre are two of the most loved and successful French films ever made.An adult Marcel nostalgically recalls idyllic retreats with his family to the hills of Provence. A love affair with the country began and during those perfect days he found new respect for his school-teacher father as he adapted to life away from the city, while the long journey there would soon bring its own adventures.Together these timeless classics stand as one of cinema's greatest celebrations of childhood, filled with warmth, love and a poignant nostalgia for bygone days they continue to captivate audiences.
Ten years following the Holocaust Alain Resnais documents the abandoned grounds of Auschwitz while reflecting on the rise of Nazi ideology and the harrowing lives of the camp prisoners using haunting wartime footage. Night And Fog was one of the first films made about the Holocaust and remains one of the most important commentaries about this topic.
With its high-intensity plot about an attempt to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, the bestselling novel by Frederick Forsyth was a prime candidate for screen adaptation. Director Fred Zinnemann brought his veteran skills to bear on what has become a timeless classic of screen suspense. Not to be confused with the later remake The Jackal starring Bruce Willis (which shamelessly embraced all the bombast that Zinnemann so wisely avoided), this 1973 thriller opts for lethal elegance and low-key tenacity in the form of the Jackal, the suave assassin played with consummate British coolness by Edward Fox. He's a killer of the highest order, a master of disguise and international elusiveness, and this riveting film follows his path to de Gaulle with an intense, straightforward documentary style. Perhaps one of the last great films from a bygone age of pure, down-to-basics suspense (and a kind of debonair European alternative to the American grittiness of The French Connection), The Day of the Jackal is a cat-and-mouse thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until its brilliantly executed final scene (pardon the pun), by which time Fox has achieved cinematic immortality as one of the screen's most memorable killers. --Jeff Shannon
Julien Duvivier taps into postwar France's paranoia in a long unavailable thriller, adapted from a Georges Simenon novel Proud, eccentric, and antisocial, Monsieur Hire (Michel Simon) has always kept to himself. But after a woman turns up dead in the Paris suburb where he lives, he feels drawn to a pretty young newcomer to town (Viviane Romance), discovers that his neighbours are only too ready to be suspicious of him, and is framed for the murder. Based on a novel by Georges Simenon, the first film made by Julien Duvivier after his return to France from Hollywood, finds the acclaimed poetic realist applying his consummate craft to darker, moodier ends. Propelled by its two deeply nuanced lead performances, the tensely noirish Panique exposes the dangers of the knivesout mob mentality, delivering a pointed allegory of the behaviour of Duvivier's countrymen during the war. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES: New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack The Art of Subtitling, a new short documentary by Bruce Goldstein, founder and copresident of Rialto Pictures, about the history of subtitles New interview with author Pierre Simenon, the son of novelist Georges Simenon Conversation from 2015 between critics Guillemette Odicino and Eric Libiot about director Julien Duvivier and the film's production history Rialto Pictures rerelease trailer New English subtitle translation by Duvivier expert Lenny Borger PLUS: Essays by film scholar James Quandt and Borger
La Belle et La Bete is one of the all-time great movie fantasies, and one of the most gorgeous pictures ever made. It was the first feature film by French director Jean Cocteau, a writer, poet and painter with ties to the surrealists. (In fact, his first film, The Blood of a Poet, was delayed after the scandal caused by L'Age D'Or, made by his fellow surrealists Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.) The haunting, surreal visuals (candelabra made of human hands, for example) and a sensitive performance by Jean Marais as the Beast imbue the film with an indelible, mythical power. --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com
S'Wonderful S'Marvelous! Paris the City of Light shines even brighter when Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire team up for the only time and bring their luminous starpower to this exquisite musical featuring songs by George and Ira Gershwin. This dazzling romp -- filmed on location in Paris -- garnered four Academy Award nominations. In the role of bookstore clerk transformed into a modeling sensation Hepburn showcases singing and dancing skills she had honed on the London stage performing How Long Has This Been Going On? a Basal Metabolism dance in a cool-cat bistro and more. Astaire as the fashion photographer who discovers her conjures up his inimitable magic for sequences that include his Let's Kiss And Make Up matador diversion a heavenly dance with Hepburn to He Loves And She Loves and again with Hepburn the title-tune enchantment I Love Your Funny Face. Now and forever so do we.
A likeable 1977 French farce (and the basis for the 1996 American remake, The Birdcage), this popular comedy was one of the most successful international films of all time, and even spawned a Broadway musical and two sequels. It tells the story of a gay couple who--when one man's son from a previous liaison brings home his fiancée--masquerade as husband and wife for their prospective in-laws. Le Cage Aux Folles is saved from becoming an exercise in silliness by the heartfelt characterisations of the gay nightclub owners. La Cage aux Folles is one of the funniest imports from Europe and a great comedy in any venue. --Robert Lane
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