"Actor: Pierre Fresnay"

• La Grande Illusion 75th Anniversary | DVD | (23/04/2012) from £8.99   |  Saving you £11.00 (122.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  During WWI, three French officers are captured. Captain De Boeldieu is an aristocrat while Lieutenant Marechal was a mechanic in civilian life. They meet other prisoners from various backgrounds, as Rosenthal, son of wealthy Jewish bankers. They are separated from Rosenthal before managing to escape. A few months later, they meet again in a fortress commanded by the aristocrat Van Rauffenstein. De Boeldieu strikes up a friendship with him but Marechal and Rosenthal still want to escape... One of the very first prison escape movies, La Grande Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made.

• The Man Who Knew Too Much | Blu Ray | (19/01/2015) from £12.98   |  Saving you £4.00 (36.40%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Alfred Hitchcock himself called this 1934 British edition of his famous kidnapping story "the work of a talented amateur", while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the consummate act of a professional director. Be that as it may, this earlier movie still has its intense admirers who prefer it over the Jimmy Stewart--Doris Day version, and for some sound reasons. Tighter, wittier, more visually outrageous (back-screen projections of Swiss mountains, a whirly-facsimile of a fainting spell), the film even has a female protagonist (Edna Best in the mom part) unafraid to go after the bad guys herself with a gun. (Did Doris Day do that that? Uh-uh.) While the 1956 film has an intriguing undercurrent of unspoken tensions in nuclear family politics, the 1934 original has a crisp air of British optimism glummed up a bit when a married couple (Best and Leslie Banks) witness the murder of a spy and discover their daughter stolen away by the culprits. The chase leads to London and ultimately to the site of one of Hitch's most extraordinary pieces of suspense (though on this count, it must be said, the later version is superior). Take away distracting comparisons to the remake, and this Man Who Knew Too Much is a milestone in Hitchcock's early career. Peter Lorre makes his British debut as a scarred, scary villain. --Tom Keogh

• La Grande Illusion | Blu Ray | (25/01/2021) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of the most acclaimed films of all time, and a powerful anti-war statement, Jean Renoir's profoundly humanist La Grande Illusion remains as vibrant, exciting, and wise today as it was when it was released in 1937. Set in the German prison camps of WWI, the film stars Jean Gabin as Maréchal, and Marcel Dalio as Rosenthal. Like the charming aristocrat Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay), these two French aviators were shot down and now spend most of their time escaping from German prison camps before inevitably being recaptured. Between escapes, they do what they can to amuse themselves, but after a tunnel they've dug is discovered, the three are sent to Wintersborn, a forbidding fortress of a prison commanded by former ace pilot Von Rauffenstein (Erich Von Stroheim). Von Rauffenstein cannot help but strike up a friendship with Captain de Boeldieu, a kindred spirit from the doomed nobility. Extras: Introduction by Jean Renoir The original negative of La Grande Illusion : An exceptional story Introduction by Professor Ginette Vincendeau Success and Controversy by Olivier Curchod John Truby talks about La Grande Illusion Trailer (1937) Trailer (1958)

• Le Corbeau | Blu Ray | (05/03/2018) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A veritable masterpiece of French cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot's (The Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques) Le Corbeau is a dark and subversive study of human nature starring Pierre Fresnay and Ginette Leclerc. A wave of hysteria sweeps the small provincial town of St. Robin when a series of poison-pen letters signed Le Corbeau (The Raven) appear, denouncing several prominent members of society. Starting with the village doctor, the slow trickle of sinister letters soon becomes a flood and no one is safe from their mysterious accusations. Condemned by the political left and right and the church upon its release in 1943, Clouzot was banned from filmmaking for two years after making the film. This Classic noir is essential viewing from the director often dubbed the French Hitchcock. Features: The Cursed MasterPiece Of Henri Georges Clouzot

• Le Corbeau | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An anonymous series of poison-pen letters spread suspicion and fear amongst the population of a small French town. The author of the letters who signs himself ""The Raven "" has enough defamatory information to provoke tension and suicide...

• The Murderer Lives At 21 | Blu Ray | (12/06/2017) from £19.47   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of the most revered names in world cinema, Henri - Georges Clouzot, made a remarkably self - assured debut in 1942 with the deliciously droll thriller The Murderer Lives at 21 [ L ' Assassin habite au 21]. A thief and killer stalks the streets of Paris, leaving a calling card from Monsieur Durand at the scene of each crime. But after a cache of these macabre identifications is discovered by a burglar in the boarding house at 21 Avenue Junot, Inspector Wenceslas Vorobechik (Pierre Fresnay) takes lodging at the infamous address in an undercover bid to solve the crime, with help from his struggling - actress girlfriend Mila (Suzy Delair). Featuring audacious directorial touches, brilliant performances, and a daring tone that runs the gamut from light comedy to sinister noir, as well as a subtle portrait of tensions under Nazi occupation, this overlooked gem from the golden age of French cinema is presented in a beautiful new high - definition restoration. DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES: Gorgeous Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray English subtitles | A fully-illustrated booklet, including the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot and rare imagery An exclusive video interview with French film scholar Ginette Vincendeau about Clouzot and his debut An essay about the film by scholar Judith Mayne An extract about Occupation cinema from scholar Christopher Lloyd's book about Clouzot Newly translated interview extracts about the making of the film by Clouzot A short testimonial by Jean Cocteau

• Le Corbeau | DVD | (05/03/2018) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A veritable masterpiece of French cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot's (The Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques) Le Corbeau is a dark and subversive study of human nature starring Pierre Fresnay and Ginette Leclerc. A wave of hysteria sweeps the small provincial town of St. Robin when a series of poison-pen letters signed Le Corbeau (The Raven) appear, denouncing several prominent members of society. Starting with the village doctor, the slow trickle of sinister letters soon becomes a flood and no one is safe from their mysterious accusations. Condemned by the political left and right and the church upon its release in 1943, Clouzot was banned from filmmaking for two years after making the film. This Classic noir is essential viewing from the director often dubbed the French Hitchcock. Features: The Cursed Masterpiece Of Henri Georges Clouzot

• THE MURDERER LIVES AT 21 | Blu Ray | (20/05/2013) from £18.88   |  Saving you £1.11 (5.88%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the most revered names in world cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot, made a remarkably self-assured debut in 1942 with the deliciously droll thriller The Murderer Lives at 21 [L'Assassin habite au 21]. A thief and killer stalks the streets of Paris, leaving a calling card from Monsieur Durand at the scene of each crime. But after a cache of these macabre identifications is discovered by a burglar in the boarding house at 21 Avenue Junot, Inspector Wenceslas Vorobechik (Pierre Fresnay) takes lodging at the infamous address in an undercover bid to solve the crime, with help from his struggling-actress girlfriend Mila (Suzy Delair). Featuring audacious directorial touches, brilliant performances, and a daring tone that runs the gamut from light comedy to sinister noir, as well as a subtle portrait of tensions under Nazi occupation, this overlooked gem from the golden age of French cinema is presented in a beautiful new high-definition restoration. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles A fully-illustrated booklet, including the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot and rare imagery

• La Grande Illusion 75th Anniversary (Studio Canal Collection) | Blu Ray | (23/04/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  During WWI, three French officers are captured. Captain De Boeldieu is an aristocrat while Lieutenant Marechal was a mechanic in civilian life. They meet other prisoners from various backgrounds, as Rosenthal, son of wealthy Jewish bankers. They are separated from Rosenthal before managing to escape. A few months later, they meet again in a fortress commanded by the aristocrat Van Rauffenstein. De Boeldieu strikes up a friendship with him but Marechal and Rosenthal still want to escape... One of the very first prison escape movies, La Grande Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made.

• Henri-Georges Clouzot Collection | DVD | (25/06/2007) from £22.95   |  Saving you £2.04 (8.89%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Quai Des Orfevres (1947): Blacklisted for his daring ""anti-French"" masterpiece Le Corbeau Henri-Georges Clouzot returned to cinema four years later with the provocative 1947 crime fiction adaptation Quai des Orfevres. Set within the vibrant dancehalls and historic crime corridors of 1940s Paris ambitious performer Jenny Lamour her covetous piano-playing husband Maurice Martineau and their devoted confidante Dora Monier attempt to cover one another's tracks when a sexually ogreish high-society acquaintance is murdered. Enter Inspector Antoine whose seasoned instincts lead him down a circuitous path in this classic whodunnit murder mystery. Le Corbeau (1943): An anonymous series of poison-pen letters spread suspicion and fear amongst the population of a small French town. The author of the letters who signs himself ""The Raven "" has enough defamatory information to provoke tension and suicide... Wages of Fear (1952): The film that continues to serve as the benchmark for Clouzot's magnificent career. The Wages of Fear established the writer-director on a truly international level after carrying off major prizes at the Cannes and Berlin film festivals. Part road movie part suspense thriller the plot is high-tension simplicity itself. In the South American jungle supplies of nitro-glycerine are urgently needed at a remote oil field. The unscrupulous American oil company pays four out-of-work men (Yves Montand Charles Vanel - the creepy cop in Les Diaboliques Folco Lulli and Peter Van Eyck) to deliver the supplies in two sets of drivers: a tension magnified thousand fold by the unforgiving heat the lure of filthy lucre and the rough and rocky roads where the slightest jolt can result in agonising death. Which of the disparate desperate desperadoes will survive the white-knuckle journey and claim the loot and the glory?

• The Man Who Knew Too Much | DVD | (31/01/2000) from £8.96   |  Saving you £1.03 (11.50%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Alfred Hitchcock himself called this 1934 British edition of his famous kidnapping story "the work of a talented amateur", while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the consummate act of a professional director. Be that as it may, this earlier movie still has its intense admirers who prefer it over the Jimmy Stewart--Doris Day version, and for some sound reasons. Tighter, wittier, more visually outrageous (back-screen projections of Swiss mountains, a whirly-facsimile of a fainting spell), the film even has a female protagonist (Edna Best in the mom part) unafraid to go after the bad guys herself with a gun. (Did Doris Day do that that? Uh-uh.) While the 1956 film has an intriguing undercurrent of unspoken tensions in nuclear family politics, the 1934 original has a crisp air of British optimism glummed up a bit when a married couple (Best and Leslie Banks) witness the murder of a spy and discover their daughter stolen away by the culprits. The chase leads to London and ultimately to the site of one of Hitch's most extraordinary pieces of suspense (though on this count, it must be said, the later version is superior). Take away distracting comparisons to the remake, and this Man Who Knew Too Much is a milestone in Hitchcock's early career. Peter Lorre makes his British debut as a scarred, scary villain. --Tom Keogh

• The Man Who Knew Too Much | DVD | (25/04/2005) from £15.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (5.90%)   |  RRP £16.99

  The 1934 version of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' was an international hit for Alfred Hitchcock and transformed him from a British filmmaker to a worldwide household name. The story centres on a British family who befriend a jovial Frenchman while vacationing in Switzerland. The Frenchman is soon mortally wounded and before he dies whispers a secret to Banks. Foreign agents witness this incident and kidnap Banks' daughter to prevent him from revealing this terrible secret. The acting a

• THE MURDERER LIVES AT 21 | DVD | (20/05/2013) from £17.53   |  Saving you £0.46 (2.62%)   |  RRP £17.99

  One of the most revered names in world cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot, made a remarkably self-assured debut in 1942 with the deliciously droll thriller The Murderer Lives at 21 [L'Assassin habite au 21]. A thief and killer stalks the streets of Paris, leaving a calling card from Monsieur Durand at the scene of each crime. But after a cache of these macabre identifications is discovered by a burglar in the boarding house at 21 Avenue Junot, Inspector Wenceslas Vorobechik (Pierre Fresnay) takes lodging at the infamous address in an undercover bid to solve the crime, with help from his struggling-actress girlfriend Mila (Suzy Delair). Featuring audacious directorial touches, brilliant performances, and a daring tone that runs the gamut from light comedy to sinister noir, as well as a subtle portrait of tensions under Nazi occupation, this overlooked gem from the golden age of French cinema is presented in a beautiful new high-definition restoration. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio New and improved English subtitles A fully-illustrated booklet, including the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot and rare imagery

• 3 Classics Of The Silver Screen - Vol. 3 - Woman In Green / Young And Innocent / Man Who Knew Too Much | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £6.09   |  Saving you £-1.10 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  The Woman In Green: Based on the Conan Doyle short stories 'Adventures of the Empty House' and 'The Final Problem' this film marks the last screen appearance of Professor Moriarty in the Basil Rathbone series. Holmes and Watson must solve the greatest crime wave since Jack the Ripper. A sequence of strange murders baffles the police. Holmes is called onto the scene and discovers the existence of a blackmail ring that uses a female hypnotist to further their skulduggery. Young And Innocent: Hitchcock's favourite film from his 'British period' is a spine-chilling melodrama centring around the murder of a young actress strangled with a raincoat belt - a clue which sets off a chain of life-threatening events. With its superb visual effects black humour and suspense. This is truly vintage Hitchcock. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934: A husband and wife's holiday in Switzerland goes horribly wrong when their daughter is kidnapped leading them into a web of mystery and intrigue...

• The Man Who Knew Too Much | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £8.38   |  Saving you £-2.39 (-39.90%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Alfred Hitchcock himself called this 1934 British edition of his famous kidnapping story "the work of a talented amateur", while his 1956 Hollywood remake was the consummate act of a professional director. Be that as it may, this earlier movie still has its intense admirers who prefer it over the Jimmy Stewart--Doris Day version, and for some sound reasons. Tighter, wittier, more visually outrageous (back-screen projections of Swiss mountains, a whirly-facsimile of a fainting spell), the film even has a female protagonist (Edna Best in the mom part) unafraid to go after the bad guys herself with a gun. (Did Doris Day do that that? Uh-uh.) While the 1956 film has an intriguing undercurrent of unspoken tensions in nuclear family politics, the 1934 original has a crisp air of British optimism glummed up a bit when a married couple (Best and Leslie Banks) witness the murder of a spy and discover their daughter stolen away by the culprits. The chase leads to London and ultimately to the site of one of Hitch's most extraordinary pieces of suspense (though on this count, it must be said, the later version is superior). Take away distracting comparisons to the remake, and this Man Who Knew Too Much is a milestone in Hitchcock's early career. Peter Lorre makes his British debut as a scarred, scary villain. --Tom Keogh