"Actor: Valentina Cortese"

• 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

• Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire | Blu Ray | (08/04/2019) from £21.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  One of several ˜animal-in-the-title' cash-ins released in the wake of Dario Argento's box-office smash The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a gloriously excessive giallo that boasts a rogues gallery of perverse characters; violent, fetishized murders, and one of the genre's most nonsensical, red-herring laden plots (which sees almost every incidental character hinted at potentially being the killer). Set in Dublin (a rather surprising giallo setting), Iguana opens audaciously with an acid-throwing, razor-wielding maniac brutally slaying a woman in her own home. The victim's mangled corpse is discovered in a limousine owned by Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring, Where Eagles Dare) and a police investigation is launched, but when the murdering continues and the ambassador claims diplomatic immunity, tough ex-cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) is brought in to find the killer Benefitting from a sumptuous score by Stelvio Cipriani (Nightmare City, Death Walks on High Heels) and exuberant supporting performances from Valentina Cortese (The Possessed, Thieves' Highway) and Dagmar Lassander (The Frightened Woman, The Black Cat), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a luridly over-the-top latter-day entry in the filmography of acclaimed director Riccardo Freda (Caltiki The Immortal Monster, Murder Obsession). An archetypal giallo from the genre's heyday, Freda's film is presented here in a stunning new restoration with a host of newly produced extras. Special Edition Contents: New 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits 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 giallo connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint Of Chameleons and Iguanas, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Richard Dyer Considering Cipriani, a new appreciation of the composer Stelvio Cipriani and his score to The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire by DJ and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon The Cutting Game, a new interview with Iguana's assistant editor Bruno Micheli The Red Queen of Hearts, a career-spanning interview with the actress Dagmar Lassander Original Italian and international theatrical trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich

• Day For Night | Blu Ray | (24/10/2016) from £23.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This loving farce from FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT (Jules and Jim) about the joys and turbulence of moviemaking is one of his most beloved films. Truffaut himself appears as the harried director of a frivolous melodrama, the shooting of which is plagued by the whims of a neurotic actor (The 400 Blows' JEAN-PIERRE LÉAUD); an aging but still forceful Italian diva (Juliet of the Spirits' VALENTINA CORTESE); and a British ingénue haunted by personal scandal (Bullitt's JACQUELINE BISSET). An irreverent paean to the prosaic craft of cinema as well as a delightful human comedy about the pitfalls of love and sex, Day for Night is buoyed by robust performances and a sparkling score by the legendary GEORGES DELERUE (Contempt). Bonus Features: New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New visual essay by filmmaker :: kogonada New interview with cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn New interview with film scholar Dudley Andrew Documentary on the film from 2003, featuring film scholar Annette Insdorf Archival interviews with director François Truffaut; editor Yann Dedet; and actors Jean-Pierre Aumont, Nathalie Baye, Jacqueline Bisset, Dani, and Bernard Menez Television footage of Truffaut on the film's set in 1972 Trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by critic David Cairns Click Images to Enlarge

• The Girl Who Knew Too Much | Blu Ray | (17/11/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  With a nod to Hitchcock and a wink in the direction of Agatha Christie The Girl Who Knew Too Much inadvertently created a genre that would dominate Italian cinema for years to come: the giallo. A young American secretary with a taste for lurid paperbacks witnesses a murder whilst visiting Rome - or does she? Nobody will believe her but she appears to have stumbled upon the work of a serial killer active ten years earlier. The victims' surnames began A B and C... and hers begins with the letter D! Starring the striking Letícia Román and John Saxon (Enter the Dragon Tenebrae A Nightmare on Elm Street) The Girl Who Knew Too Much is presented in both its original Italian version and the longer US cut entitled Evil Eye that was re-edited and re-scored by American International Pictures. Special Features: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of two versions of the film: The Girl Who Knew Too Much - the original Italian version; and Evil Eye - the re-edited and re-scored US version prepared by American International Pictures Original uncompressed 2.0 mono PCM audio for both versions Optional English subtitles for The Girl Who Knew Too Much Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for Evil Eye Audio commentary by Mario Bava's biographer Tim Lucas Introduction by writer and critic Alan Jones All About the Girl - Filmmakers Luigi Cozzi (The Killer Must Kill Again) and Richard Stanley (Dust Devil) alongside authors Alan Jones (Profondo Argento) and Mikel Koven (La Dolce Morte) reflect on Mario Bava's classic giallo International trailer US trailer Reversible Sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kier-La Janisse.

• The Glass Mountain | DVD | (14/04/2008) from £6.83   |  Saving you £3.16 (46.27%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The Glass Mountain is a classic British film romance enriched with the sublime music of Italian opera. Shot down over the Italian Alps during the Second World War RAF pilot Richard Wilder (Michael Dennison) is rescued and nursed back to health by Alida (Valentina Cortesa) a beautiful young partisan girl. She shares with him the local fables of The Glass Mountain and he in turn spins them into an enchanting opera...

• Jesus Of Nazareth | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £19.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (25.01%)   |  RRP £24.99

  From before the nativity to the Crucifixion and Resurrection Jesus Of Nazareth brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the Gospels. This extended version features an additional 2 hours of footage not seen before! Robert Powell plays Jesus and a star-studded international cast adds depth and humanity to the roles of the saints sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The film shows the setting and background for the birth childhood and many miracles of the Messiah culminating in the Divine Resurrection. Directed by Oscar nominee Franco Zeffirelli and acclaimed by critics and religious leaders worldwide Jesus Of Nazareth tells the greatest of all stories with tremendous emotion and splendour.

• Thieves Highway Dual Format | Blu Ray | (19/10/2015) from £21.99   |  Saving you £-2.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Thieves' Highway was made during a remarkable run of noir pictures that confirmed its director, Jules Dassin, as one of the genre's major forces. Following on from Brute Force and The Naked City, with Night and the City and Rififi soon to follow, it more than deserves its place in such hallowed company. Returning from the war to discover his father has been crippled in an altercation with a brutish mob-connected kingpin, Nick Garcos puts aside thoughts of settling down and instead focuses them on revenge. He buys an old army surplus truck and hits the road a 36-hour non-stop to San Francisco and, he hopes, a little justice Starring Richard Conte as Garcos and Lee J. Cobb as the object of his hate-filled intentions, Thieves' Highway is as tough as film noir gets. Adapting his own novel, A.I. Bezzerides (who would later bring Kiss Me Deadly to the big screen) created a slice of pure pulp poetry.

• The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen | DVD | (02/05/2011) from £13.26   |  Saving you £-7.27 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Monty Python's Terry Gilliam (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) directs this wild, wild version of the stories of Baron Munchausen, pushing the limits of 1989 special effects technology to bring us such sights as a horse divided in half and running around in two parts, and a giant Robin Williams with his head flying off his shoulders. Basically, this is a treat for Gilliam fans, as the sustaining idea of the film runs out of steam, and manic energy alone keeps the momentum going. Casual viewers might find it tedious after awhile. There are nice parts for fellow Python Eric Idle, as well as Sting, Alison Steadman, and Uma Thurman as a dazzlingly beautiful Venus on a half-shell. Gilliam had greater artistic and commercial success with Brazil, The Fisher King and 12 Monkeys. --Tom Keogh

• Giallo Essentials | Red | Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (21/08/2023) from £26.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Barefoot Contessa | DVD | (15/04/2002) from £11.12   |  Saving you £4.87 (43.79%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A Brilliant Picture!"" -The Hollywood Reporter. Sparking with ""juicy dialogue"" (Leonard Maltin) and a superb cast (including Edmond O'Brien in an Oscar-winning performance) this landmark film is ""spectacular... ingeniously-fashioned original entertainment"" (Variety). With extraordinary beauty talent and grace Spanish dancer Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) was born to be a star. Aided by American movie director Harry Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) she attains great success and fortune in Ho

• Barabbas | DVD | (25/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Starring Anthony Quinn in the title role Barabbas was released in 1961 in the midst of a wave of widescreen epics based on Biblical characters. "It begins where the other big ones leave off", declaims the trailer. The screenplay, by playwright Christopher Fry (who also contributed to Ben-Hur), is an unusually intelligent one: listen out for Barabbas' final encounter with the Apostle Thomas, for example. Further assets are the imaginative, sparingly orchestrated score by Mario Nascimbene and a handsome production design by art director Mario Chiari that is so rewarding to the eye in Aldo Tonti's often dazzling cinematography. Like the other Biblical epics of the day, in its original theatrical incarnation Barabbas had an intermission and orchestral intermezzo which is sadly missing from this version. (It occurred at the point where Barabbas emerges from a 20 years exile in the sulphur mines in Sicily, allowing the audience to dwell on his recuperation before we next encounter him. He now appears muscled and bronzed ploughing the verdant fields outside Rome in all too quick a fashion!). Many scenes, such as Christ's crucifixion, are shot and staged like tableaux in a style reminiscent of the great masters of art. And in Fleischer's hands this film surpasses anything Ridley Scott achieved years later in Gladiator: he fills the huge arena--a vast Roman amphitheatre--with a gladiatorial school of hand-to-hand combat, a parade of elephants and a den of lions, and then caps his production with a riveting and thrillingly mounted duel between Jack Palance, careering round the circumference of the arena in his chariot, and Barabbas dodging him on foot. The supporting cast, who sport a variety of accents call for some tolerance, however. On the DVD: Barabbas on disc comes devoid of any extra features other than trailers for it and another contemporaneous blockbuster, The Guns of Navarone. --Adrian Edwards

• Brother Sun, Sister Moon | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It seemed like a good idea in 1973: a musical scored by Donovan about the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi, the passionate ascetic who expressed love for God by loving nature. But the finished product was something else. Filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli (Endless Love) makes a decorous effort at communicating the ideals of Francis and even tweaking the character toward flower-power relevance. But the result is feel-good fluff, a boring movie that doesn't penetrate its subject as much as reinvent him toward a modern bias. Graham Faulkner is entirely forgettable in the lead and Donovan's songs on this project aren't exactly first-rate, either. --Tom Keogh

• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  From Terry Gilliam director of 'Time Bandits' and 'Brazil' comes 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' a spectacular epic fantasy quite unlike any other film ever made. Just who is Baron Munchausen? Liar? Rogue? Madman? Or the greatest superhero ever to battle and triumph against unbeatable odds? Did he really ride through the air on a cannonball slay a three-headed griffin journey to the moon all before breakfast? Helped and hindered by a cast of quite literally thousands including Vulcan Berthold and many more the indomitable Baron succeeds in overcoming every obstacle to face his final greatest challenge: Death itself? There's never been a film remotely like this but then there's never been a hero to compare with the Baron...

• Le Amiche | Blu Ray | (21/03/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A key film of Antonioni's middle-period Le Amiche (The Girlfriends) finds the Italian master expanding his palette in the realm of traditional narrative cinema by way of his powerhouse direction of an ensemble cast while entrenching his devotion to expressing the emotional makeup of the modern woman. Clelia (Eleonora Rossi-Drago) embarks from Rome to set up a fashion-salon in Torino. Shortly after arrival she finds herself caught up in the (melo)dramas of a bourgeoise circle of acquaintances (including the iconic Valentina Cortese) and their attendant attempts at suicide their class prejudices and the romantic alliances that threaten to transform the social clique into an emotional tar-pit. Le amiche represents the epitome of Antonioni's '50s period and although it lays the groundwork for such '60s breakthroughs as L'avventura and La notte it proves itself no less brilliant.

• Thieves' Highway | DVD | (09/04/2012) from £6.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (30.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Set in and around San Francisco, Thieves' Highway is a tale of an American G.I., Nick, who comes home from World War II to find his father, a produce truck driver, paralysed after a fight with a crooked truck driver. So instead of the young vet building a new life for himself and settling down with his girl, Nick gets embroiled in his father's feud. To get back at the thug, Nick tries to lay a trap. But his hunger for revenge changes his personality to the point where he risks losing everything that ever mattered to him.

• The House On Telegraph Hill | DVD | (23/04/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This is the house forbidden to every woman with a conscience forbidden to every man with honor! A concentration camp survivor assumes the identity of a fellow inmate who hadn't made it out alive and emigrates to San Francisco claiming to be the mother of her dead colleague's son. She moves in with the boy's trustee to the mansion on Telegagraph Hill. The boy is heir to a vast fortune and there are some who will do anything to stop her getting close to the money.

• Thieves Highway | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £12.40   |  Saving you £0.59 (4.76%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Former G.I. Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) is a tyro trucker bent on satisfaction from the man responsible for crippling his father: ruthless market operator Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Along the way he is seduced by siren Rica (Valentina Cortesa) and drawn into the San Francisco produce racket landing him in a web of treachery and heartbreak...

• Barabbas | Blu Ray | (08/07/2022) from £36.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  An epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when the Jews chose Christ in his place. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiator arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons.A 1961 religious epic film, directed by Richard Fleischer (Fantastic Voyage) and starring Anthony Quinn as Barabbas, Silvana Mangano, Jack Palance & Ernest Borgnine.Product Features1080P High definition presentationTheatrical TrailerLimited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork.More features TBC

• Mario Bava Collection | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  More than a quarter of a century after his death director Mario Bava remains one of international cinema s most controversial icons. Today his influence marked by stunning visuals daring sexuality and shocking violence can still be seen in the works of Martin Scorsese David Lynch Tim Burton Dario Argento and countless others in a legacy that extends far beyond the horror genre. This collection brings together 5 landmark movies from the first half of Bava s career encompassing the original giallo a bold Viking epic and his three gothic horror masterpieces featuring new transfers original European versions and exclusive featurettes to create the definitive celebration of one of the most important filmmakers of all time. Set Comprises: The Mask Of Satan: In the 17th Century Moldavia the evil Princess Asa is condemned to death for witchcraft and vampirism along with her brother Prince Igor Javutich. Two hundred years later two doctors en route to a medical convention discover her crypt and accidentally set her resurrection in motion! With the help of Javutich and others whom she enthralls with her cold dead kiss Asa sets her sights on her ultimate victim-princess Katia her own twin descendant! Black Sabbath: Boris Karloff is your host for Bava's 1963 classic triptych of terror which set new standards in graphic violence and spellbinding horror. Michele Mercier stars in The Telephone a tale of lesbian obsession and murder. In The Wurdalak Karloff stars with Mark Damon as the patriarch of a family of bloodthirsty ghouls. And in The Drop Of Water Jacqueline Pierreux is a nurse stalked by the vengeful spirit of a dead medium. The Girl Who Knew Too Much: Nora Davis (Leticia Roman) jets away to Rome to vacation with Edith an old family friend. Unfortunately her trip is anything but relaxing... On the first night Edith dies - and as Nora runs into the night for help she becomes an eyewitness to a murder as she sees a woman stabbed to death on the Piazza di Spagna! Being a young woman with an insatiable appetite for murder mysteries Nora can't get anyone to believe her story but with the help of the attentive Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon) she learns that a murder did occur on that very spot - 10 years earlier - when Emily Craven fell victim to the Alphabet Murderer! What did Nora Davis really see and who is stalking her through Rome? Could it be the Alphabet Killer looking for victim D? Knives Of The Avenger: With husband King Harald missing at sea and presumed dead Queen Karin goes into hiding with her young son Moki to escape being forced into marriage with Hagen a general of Harald's army and now a bloodthirsty pretender to the throne. Wary of strangers she turns a beggar away from her cottage but upon hearing her cries for help the stranger returns and saves her from being assaulted by two men - with two well--thrown knives! The blademaster Rurik (Cameron Mitchell) is allowed to stay and he takes the boy under his wing teaching him the arts of survival. In time he recognizes Karin as the queen whom he raped years ago on her wedding night in merciless retaliation for Hagen's murder of his own wife and son. Realizing that Moki might be his own son Rurik now has a family to defend - and another to avenge - as Hagen and his soldiers converge on their hiding place! Kill Baby ....Kill! A doctor investigating a young woman's apparent suicide in a Balkan village discovers the locals believe the ghost of a baron's daughter is responsible. The victims in the small Transylvanian village are being found dead with gold coins planted in their hearts.

• Classic Cuts Collection - Historical Epics | DVD | (26/03/2007) from £6.95   |  Saving you £18.04 (259.57%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Barabbas (Dir. Richard Fleischer): Barabbas (Anthony Quinn) is a man literally marked with the blood of Jesus. Before being crucified Jesus is brutally flogged while tied to a post outside Barabbas' cell. When released by decree of the people Barabbas staggers into this post covering his hands in Christ's blood. His life is never the same again... The Conqueror: John Wayne stars as the Mongolian chieftain Temujin better known as Genghis Khan. The Mongol warlord must do battle against the rival tribe that killed his father however the battle pales in comparison with Temujin's home life. He must attempt to woo the heart of the red-haired Tartar prisoner Borlai (Susan Hayward) whom he captured in a raid... Spartacus (Dir. Stanley Kubrick): Stanley Kubrick's film tells the tale of Spartacus the bold gladiator slave and Virinia the woman who believed in his cause. Challenged by the power-hungry General Crassus Spartacus is forced to face his convictions and the power of Imperial Rome at its glorious height. A classic inspirational true account of one man's struggle for freedom Spartacus combines history with spectacle to recreate a moving drama of love and commitment. Gladiator (Dir. Ridley Scott): The great Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) has once again led the legions to victory on the battlefield. The war won Maximus dreams of home wanting only to return to his wife and son; however the dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) has one more duty for the general - to assume the mantle of his power. Jealous of Maximus' favor with the emperor the heir to the throne Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) orders his execution - and that of his family. Barely escaping death Maximus is forced into slavery and trained as a gladiator in the arena where his fame grows. Now he has come to Rome intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor; Commodus....