"Actor: Michel"

• Blanche | Blu Ray | (08/09/2014) from £16.39   |  Saving you £3.60 (21.96%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the greatest of all medieval films not least for its utterly distinctive realisation of a recognisable yet alien world Walerian Borowczyk’s third feature was widely hailed as a masterpiece from the moment it first appeared and is still regarded as one of his greatest films. Based on Juliusz S?owacki’s 19th-century play Mazepa but relocated to 13th-century France Blanche tells the story of the beautiful young wife (Ligia Branice) of a nobleman many decades older (French acting legend Michel Simon). As innocent as her name suggests Blanche becomes the unwilling centre of attention in a power struggle between her husband the visiting King and his page the latter a notorious womaniser. Its unique visual style resembles a medieval fresco and its period-instruments soundtrack adapting the ancient ‘Carmina Burana’ song book was years ahead of its time. Blanche is presented in a brand new high-definition restoration from original 35mm elements. Bonus Features: New high definition digital transfers of the feature and the shorts Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio Optional English subtitles where necessary Introduction by Schalcken the Painter director Leslie Megahey Ballad of Imprisonment a documentary about the film featuring producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin assistant director André Heinrich camera operator Noël Véry and assistant Patrice Leconte Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk a newly edited archival interview in which Borowczyk discusses painting cinema and sex Gunpoint a documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk Reversible sleeve featuring original poster designs Collector’s booklet

• R. Strauss: Capriccio -- San Francisco Opera | DVD | (26/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The last and most subtle of Richard Strauss's operas, Capriccio gets a finely nuanced interpretation in this San Francisco Opera production. A generally excellent cast is highlighted not only by the radiant presence of Kiri Te Kanawa but by the deceptively robust performance of Tatiana Troyanos in her last operatic appearance before her untimely death from cancer. The composer described Capriccio as a "conversation piece for music in one act", and he put much effort into not only the music but the words, on which he collaborated with conductor Clemens Krauss. Krauss's verbal input was particularly appropriate in this work, because the real subject (symbolised by a conventional love triangle) is the competition (and alliance) between words and music in opera, a subject naturally close to the composer-librettist's heart. The conversation runs through the whole opera in various forms. It begins immediately after the curtain goes up, with a quarrel between the poet Olivier (Simon Keenlyside) and the composer Flamand (David Kuebler) over the respective merits of their arts. They are rivals for the hand of the widowed Countess Madeleine (Te Kanawa); she is to choose between them (i.e., between poetry and music) but she is still undecided as the final curtain descends. The intervening two hours are rich in artistic shop talk and backstage situations that will enchant sophisticated opera-lovers, as well as the love interest for the rest of us. David Runnicles conducts with a sure sense of Straussian style; and Mauro Pagano's 18th-century set creates the right atmosphere. Keenlyside and Kuebler are eloquent and believable, Te Kanawa sweet, regal and ambiguous. Hakan Hagegard and Victor Braun give particularly vivid performances in supporting roles. --Joe McLellan

• Bastards | Blu Ray | (28/04/2014) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Shipping captain Marco (Vincent Lindon Anything For Her) receives a phone call from his sister urgently calling him back to Paris. Her husband has committed suicide her daughter is missing and the family business has gone under. She holds her husband's business partner Edouard Laporte accountable and Marco sets out to expose his treachery. But as he begins to scratch under the surface Marco discovers a dangerous underworld of violence corruption and exploitation that will culminate in a final shocking revelation. The new film from award-winning writer-director Claire Denis (White Material Beau Travail) Bastards is a disturbing yet mesmerizing examination of transgression a tour-de-force in atmospheric filmmaking and a thrilling highly modern take on film noir.

• Resistance | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Resistance is the epic tale of an American pilot (Bill Paxton) downed in occupied Belgium at the height of World War II. Hidden by resistance fighters he falls in love with the wife of a man who saved him (Julia Ormond). When their affair is exposed an act of betrayal threatens their lives and the entire resistance movement forcing the pilot to make a powerful choice that could change the course of the war.

• Dolphins & Whales (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (14/12/2010) from £6.55   |  Saving you £18.44 (281.53%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Originally presented in IMAX 3D theatres. Dive into an immersive and highly emotional adventure. Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau Dolphins And Whales 3D: Tribes Of The Ocean is an awe-inspiring and entertaining film. Narrated by Daryl Hannah it takes you from the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the warm depths of the waters of the exotic Kingdom of Tonga for a close encounter with the surviving tribes of the ocean. Through stunning images captured for the very first time in 3D view their lives and habitats as never-before-seen. Come so close to wild dolphins and belugas you will virtually touch them!

• Le Mepris | DVD | (05/04/2010) from £16.65   |  Saving you £-0.66 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Starring Brigitte Bardot, then at the height of her fame, and Michel Piccoli as a married couple tearing the last strips off a failing marriage, Le Mépris is both one of Jean-Luc Godard's most accessible films and perhaps his most excoriating and emotionally raw. Godard and his regular cinematographer Raoul Coutard (lensman for most of the greatest films of the New Wave) splashed out the budget for this international co-production on Bardot's salary and gorgeous CinemaScope photography to capture the Italian setting's intense beauty, bright as a knife. The nominal story concerns the film production of an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, on which Piccoli is the scriptwriter, much to the disgust of his wife Camille (Bardot) who preferred life when he merely wrote novels. Hired by Jack Palance's swaggering American producer to adapt the Greek epic for a film to be directed by the august Fritz Lang (director of M, here playing himself), Paul inadvertently sets in motion the elements which will unravel his marriage, earning his wife's contempt (the closest translation of the French word "mépris"). Soon, the tenderness of the film's opening sequence--wherein they loll naked on a bed as she coquettishly solicits his approval of each of her body parts--gives way to harrowing bickering, the meat of film's central 35-minute scene which will induce pained winces in anyone who has ever been through a bitter split-up. If that sounds harrowing, be reassured that Le Mépris is not without its lighter moments and joys: Godard's trademarked musings on the nature of cinema, Bardot looking exquisitely chic in a selection of soigné little outfits, Lang bemusedly quoting the German poet Hölderlin and Bertolt Brecht. As mannered as the New Wave posturings now seem, Le Mépris still looks unbeatably stylish, its themes as eternal as Homer and the Capri landscape. --Leslie Felperin

• The Trial Of Joan Of Arc | DVD | (23/05/2005) from £7.99   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Characteristically breaking with tradition director Robert Bresson presents a realistic unique view of the life and death of Joan of Arc. Using a script based on the actual transcript notes taken during her trial Bresson focuses on the psychological and physical torture that Joan had to endure showing how these techniques were used to break her resolve and cause her to eventually recant her faith. With impeccable historical accuracy Bresson re-creates the story of the peasant gi

• Toto the Hero | Blu Ray | (03/08/2020) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The acclaimed debut film from Jaco Van Dormael (Mr Nobody) is a funny and magical journey in the spirit of Cinema Paradiso and My Life as a Dog. Thomas is obsessed with the idea he was swapped at birth with his neighbour Alfred during a hospital fire. Believing the wealthy and privileged Alfred has lived the life he should have had Thomas is heart broken by the loss of his sister and plots his revenge, imagining himself to be the secret agent, Toto the Hero. Cutting between past and present, comedy and tragedy Van Dormael's multi-award-winning film is presented on Blu-ray for the first time. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High definition digital transfer Original Uncompressed mono audio Newly translated optional English subtitles Memories of Hero an extensive documentary on the making of Toto featuring members of the cast and crew Francois Schuiten Architect of an Unfinished Dream the comic book artist and concept artist for Toto discusses his involvement in the film and working with Van Dormael Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Scott Saslow FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jon Towlson

• Claude Chabrol | DVD | (17/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A stunning TV weathergirl (played by Ludivine Sagnier) finds herself torn between two suitors whose intentions remain very unclear

• Mondovino | DVD | (21/01/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Set in seven countries across three continents Mondovino weaves together the family succession saga of Napa Valley power brokers with the bitter rivalry of two aristocratic Florentine dynasties and the inter-generational struggle of a Burgundian family trying to preserve its few acres of vineyards. It also connects these stories - and several others - to the exploits of a gleeful 'flying winemaker' from Bordeaux who preaches the gospel of modernity and globalization from the hills o

• Symphony for a Massacre | Blu Ray | (23/06/2025) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Five gangsters raise the cash to buy a large shipment of drugs which they plan to sell on. One of the gang however plans to secretly rob his partners, beginning a spiral of violence and deception that leaves a trail of bodies across France. Fiendishly plotted with a twisty script from José Giovanni (Le trou) and Claude Sautet (Classe tous risques), adapting a novel by Reynaud-Fourton, Symphony for a Massacre sees the French master of the mystery thriller Jacques Deray (La piscine) directing with with real energy and verve. With support from a remarkable cast of France's finest character actors, and stunning photography by Claude Renoir (La grande illusion), this is French crime cinema of the highest quality. SPECIAL FEATURES 4K restoration of Symphony for a Massacre by Pathé, presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK Original uncompressed mono PCM audio New audio commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024) New introduction by critic Christina Newland (2024, 15 mins) Archival interview with cast members Charles Vanel, Jean Rochefort and director Jacques Deray (1963, 5 mins) Optional English subtitles

• Derren Brown - Trick Of The Mind - Series 1 | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £4.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (300.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  'Trick of the Mind' reveals the truly staggering craft of one of the world's leading entertainers. Derren Brown demonstrates his unique powers of showmanship psychological illusion and misdirection to astound and amaze everyone he meets from people wandering the UK's streets to celebrity fans including Martin Kemp and an astonished Stephen Fry. The eagerly awaited follow-up to 'Inside Your Mind' 'Trick of the Mind' sees Derren return on a grander and more adventurous scale! The

• Mississippi Mermaid | DVD | (04/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Louis Mahe a tobacco planter of Reunion Island desires to marry the mail-order bride he has grown to love through her love letters only when he meets her for the first time she does not look like the girl in the picture she had sent of herself. After he marries her despite being misled she turns out to be someone else and runs off with his money. He pursues her and so begins their passionate love story...

• Paganini Horror | Blu Ray | (16/09/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  An all-girl Rock group head to a remote villa for a music video shoot, they are in desperate need of a hit single and purchase sheet music from the mysterious Mr. Pickett (the legendary Donald Pleasence). They are told the music is a lost piece from the legendary violinist, Niccolò Paganini, and see this as their ticket to the top of the charts. Little do they know, that this music is cursed and that they have just unleashed hell upon themselves.Soon, the spirit of Paganini is roaming the villa, armed with a murderous violin, and picking off the fame-hungry band members one by one. From the minds of Luigi Cozzi (Contamination) and Daria Nicolodi (Suspiria) comes Paganini Horror a slash-tastic piece of cheesy Euro-horror that could only have been made in the 80s! 88 Films are proud to present this bonkers slice of Italian cult cinema, a camp classic in the making, ripe for re-discovery and destined to be your new favourite worst movie, now even more outrageous thanks to this rocking 2k restoration.

• Les Diaboliques | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Director Henri-Georges Clouzot cast his own wife Vera as the hapless victim in this acclaimed masterpiece of the macabre. A wife plans the murder of her tyrant husband with the help of his mistress yet when his body dissappears panic and confusion ensues... The Great Suspense Film That Shocked the World... And Became A Classic.

• The Barbarian Invasions | DVD | (28/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sharp comedic drama about an ageing womanizer who may be dying of cancer but hasn't lost any of his wit or libido.

• Belle De Jour 50th Anniversary | Blu Ray | (02/10/2017) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Stunningly restored for the 50th anniversary, BELLE DE JOUR is an elegant and erotic masterpiece and undoubtedly Luis Buñuel's most accessible film. Screen icon Catherine Deneuve plays Séverine, the glacially beautiful, sexually unfulfilled wife of a surgeon, whose blood runs icy with ennui until she takes a day-job in a brothel. There she meets a charismatic but sinister young gangster (Pierre Clémenti), and ignites an obsession that will court peril. Buñuel uses diffused lighting, dark colours, and shadows throughout the film to temper the gravity and emotional impact of each uncomfortable scene. Left to our own imaginative devices, the result is a film that is highly unsettling, perverse, and inevitably tragic. SPECIAL FEATURES: The Last Script A Story of Perversion or Emancipation? Interview with Dr Sylvain Mimoun Commentary by Professor Peter W. Evans NEW Interview with Jean-Claude Carrière NEW Masterclass with Diego Bunuel and Jean-Claude Carrière NEW Trailer INCLUDES 6 ARTCARDS

• Belle De Jour | Blu Ray | (28/09/2009) from £18.59   |  Saving you £6.40 (34.43%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Undoubtedly Luis Bunuel's most accessible film Belle de Jour is an elegant and erotic masterpiece that maintains as hypnotic a grip on modern audiences as it did on its debut 30 years ago. Screen icon Catherine Deneuve (Repulsion) plays Severine the glacially beautiful sexually unfulfilled wife of a surgeon whose blood runs icy with ennui until she takes a day-job in a brothel. There she meets a charismatic but sinister young gangster (Pierre Cl''menti) and ignites an obsession that will court peril.

• Cave Of Forgotten Dreams | DVD | (17/10/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Cave of Forgotten Dreams shows the dramatic results of Herzog's exclusive access to the recently discovered Chauvet caves in the South of France, and their truly extraordinary cave paintings, dating back 32,000 years.

• Tin Star | DVD | (13/08/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A rugged bounty hunter. A tenderfoot sheriff. Unlikely partners in the Old West. Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins headline The Tin Star a tough-minded character-driven western nominated for an Oscar for its story and screenplay. Perkins plays Ben Ownens a greenhorn sheriff who hasn't worn his badge long... and who won't live to wear it much longer unless he gets some savvy help. Fonda bringing to this role the presence and plain speaking that made him an icon of the cinematic West