"Actor: Michele Placido"

• Giallo Essentials | Blu Ray | (08/11/2021) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Alongside the spaghetti western, the giallo is one of the most famous Italian export genres: films steeped in mystery and intrigue, delivered with stylised violence and unforgettable musical themes. The Possessed (1965) masterfully combines noir, mystery and giallo tropes in a proto-giallo based on one of Italy's most notorious crimes. It tells the story of a depressed novelist (Peter Baldwin) in search of his old flame (Virna Lisi) who has disappeared under suspicious circumstances, prompting an investigation that finds him plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder. The Fifth Cord (1971) boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot of investigation into a series of brutal assaults. As the body count rises, whisky swilling journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) finds himself under suspicion, making it all the more imperative he crack the case. The Pyjama Girl Case (1978), inspired by a real-life case that baffles to this day, takes us to Australia where former inspector Timpson comes out of retirement to crack the case of a young woman, found on the beach, shot in the head, burned to hide her identity and dressed in distinctive yellow pyjamas... In the first of a multi-volume series of Giallo Essentials these films feature a raft of talent in front and behind the camera with each film restored from the original camera negative and presented with a range of contextualising interviews and featurettes. Special Edition Features Brand new 2K restorations of the film from the original camera negative for The Possessed, The Fifth Cord and The Pyjama Girl Case High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of each film Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks Rigid box packaging with newly designed artwork by Adam Rabalais in a windowed Giallo Essentials Collection slipcover The Possessed: New audio commentary by writer and critic Tim Lucas Richard Dyer on The Possessed, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Cat's Eyes, an interview with the film's makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi Two Days a Week, an interview with the film's award-winning assistant art director Dante Ferretti The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers, an interview with actor/director Francesco Barilli, a close friend of Luigi and Camillo Bazzoni Original trailers Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips The Fifth Cord: New audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford Lines and Shadows, a new video essay on the film's use of architecture and space by critic Rachael Nisbet Whisky Giallore, a new video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie Black Day for Nero, a new video interview with actor Franco Nero The Rhythm Section, a new video interview with film editor Eugenio Alabiso Rare, previously unseen deleted sequence, restored from the original negative Original Italian and English theatrical trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love The Pyjama Girl Case: New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films New video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie on the internationalism of the giallo New video interview with actor Howard Ross New video interview with editor Alberto Tagliavia Archival interview with composer Riz Ortolani Image gallery Italian theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbo

• A Man on His Knees | Blu Ray | (07/10/2024) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Mistaken as a witness to a crime, Nino (Giuliano Gemma, The Iron Prefect), learns from a friend he has been put on a Mafia hit list and is being stalked by an assassin (Michele Placido, Romanzo Criminale),A man with a troubled past, Nino knows only too well what he faces and uses all his strength and cunning to keep himself and his family alive,Featuring stunning performances from both leads, Damiano Damiani (The Day of the Owl) applies his trademark realism and socio-political commentary to A Man on His Knees, charting Nino's desperation as he refuses to kneel before the power of organised crime,Newly restored in 4K, Radiance Films is proud to present one of Damiani's finest films on Blu-ray for the first time in the world. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURESNew 4K restoration from the original negativeUncompressed mono PCM audioArchival interviews with stars Giuliano Gemma, Tano Cimarosa and assistant director Mino GiardaNew interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano DamianiTrailerReversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di BattistaBooklet featuring new writing by Roberto CurtiLimited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• Big Business | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £6.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (114.45%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Two sets of female twins are mixed up at birth. One set becomes the chief executives of a Manhattan conglomerate while the other set succeeds at becoming poor country bumpkins. They all accidentally meet up at New York's Plaza Hotel and from then on it's chaos all the way...

• Three Brothers | Blu Ray | (04/04/2016) from £8.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (123.35%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A wonderful film that moves on waves of feeling. Francesco Rosi, who has one of the greatest compositional senses in the history of movies, keeps you in a state of emotional exaltation. A simple image has the kind of resonance that most directors never achieve. (Pauline Kael, New Yorker) Francesco Rosi established himself as one of the greatest chroniclers of Italy's stormy postwar history with such riveting classics as Salvatore Giuliano, The Mattei Affair and Illustrious Corpses. Three Brothers (Tre fratelli) explores similarly knotty social and political territory through the seemingly straightforward story of three siblings returning to their native southern Italy to pay homage to their late mother. However, their various professions a judge in Rome (Philippe Noiret), a spiritual counsellor in Naples (Vittorio Mezzogiorno), a factory worker in Turin (Michele Placido) have a profound effect on their response to this reunion. Although Oscar-nominated at the time, Three Brothers has never previously been released on any video format in the UK. Arrow Academy is proud to present it here in a brand new 2K restoration. Special Edition Contents: Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional newly translated English subtitles Archival interview with Francesco Rosi Original theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin Booklet featuring an essay by Professor Millicent Martin, a 1981 interview with Rosi and a selection of contemporary reviews (first printing only)

• The Pyjama Girl Case | Blu Ray | (17/09/2018) from £11.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Throughout the late 1960s and into the 70s, the Italian giallo movement transported viewers to the far corners of the globe, from swinging San Francisco to the Soviet-occupied Prague. Only one, however, brought the genre s unique brand of bloody mayhem as far as Australia: director Flavio Mogherini (Delitto passionale) s tragic and poetic The Pyjama Girl Case. The body of a young woman is found on the beach, shot in the head, burned to hide her identity and dressed in distinctive yellow pyjamas. With the Sydney police stumped, former Inspector Timpson (Ray Milland, Dial M for Murder) comes out of retirement to crack the case. Treading where the real detectives can t, Timpson doggedly pieces together the sad story of Dutch immigrant Glenda Blythe (Dalila Di Lazzaro, Phenomena) and the unhappy chain of events which led to her grisly demise. Inspired by the real-life case which baffled the Australian police and continues to spark controversy and unanswered questions to this day, The Pyjama Girl Case is a uniquely haunting latter-day giallo from the tail end of the genre s boom period, co-starring Michele Placido (director of Romanzo Criminale) and Howard Ross (The New York Ripper), and featuring a memorably melancholic score by veteran composer Riz Ortolani (Don t Torture a Duckling). SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films New video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie on the internationalism of the giallo New video interview with actor Howard Ross New video interview with editor Alberto Tagliavia Archival interview with composer Riz Ortolani Image gallery Italian theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector s booklet featuring new writing by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

• The Unknown Woman | DVD | (11/01/2010) from £14.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (6.74%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Irena is a beautiful young Eastern European woman who arrives in the Northern Italian city of Trieste looking for work. But there is a mysterious side to her visit as she rents out an apartment she cannot afford and begins to spy on the affluent couple opposite and their four year old daughter. Stopping at nothing to become the couple's trusted maid and beloved nanny to their fragile young daughter Irena risks everything in her quest to uncover the truth about the family. In doing so we too find out the truth behind Irena's secret mission and the shocking reality of her previous life as Giorgia an innocent immigrant forced into brutal prostitution by the Mafia.

• The Octopus - Series 1 | DVD | (27/10/2014) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-0.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Corrado Cattani is a police inspector whose life is devoted to fighting the Italian mafia (known here as “La Piovra” or “The Octopus”). Even as his family and life are being destroyed by ruthless criminals the intrepid comissar keeps fighting…

• The Last Godfather | DVD | (30/10/2017) from £3.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Last Godfather | DVD | (14/10/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Based on a gripping true story. After the arrest of the biggest Boss Totò Riina (the miniseries Corleone) control of the mafia is now in the hands of Bernardo Provenzano the man who together with Riina climbed to the top of the sicilian mafia. Provenzano inherits a weakened mafia especially after the revelations of the witnesses but his objective is to rebuild it thanks to a new strategy: no more outstanding murders or attacks on institutions but a slow and invisible rebuilding of the economic and criminal relationships which in the span of a few years will permit the mafia to regain power. Nothing is known of the last godfather not even his face. The only known photograph goes back to more than fifty years. Provenzano is a ghost and in order to discover his hideout the Police decide to create a task force of twenty-five men whose sole objective is to bring an end to the longest concealment in the history of crime.

• The Caiman | DVD | (13/08/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A Z-grade movie producer is given a second chance in this Italian comedy drama.