Delicatessen presents a post-apocalyptic scenario set entirely in a dank and gloomy building where the landlord operates a delicatessen on the ground floor. But this is an altogether meatless world, so the butcher-landlord keeps his customers happy by chopping unsuspecting victims into cutlets, and he's sharpening his knife for the new tenant (French comic actor Dominque Pinon) who's got the hots for the butcher's near-sighted daughter. Delicatessen is a feast (if you will) of hilarious vignettes, slapstick gags, and sweetly eccentric characters, including a man in a swampy room full of frogs, a woman doggedly determined to commit suicide (she never gets it right) and a pair of brothers who make toy sound boxes that "moo" like cows. It doesn't amount to much as a story, but that hardly matters; this is the kind of comedy that leaps from a unique wellspring of imagination and inspiration, and it's handled with such visual virtuosity that you can't help but be mesmerised. French co-directors of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro have wildly inventive imaginations that gravitate to the darker absurdities of human behaviour, and their visual extravagance is matched by impressive technical skill. There's some priceless comedy here, some of which is so inventive that you may feel the urge to stand up and cheer. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com On the DVD: the special features are pretty standard, with a trailer, "making of" featurette and footage of the rehearsal process. The audio commentary is supplied by Jeunet, which, although interesting, is in French and thus necessitates the use of subtitles which then obliterate the movie's own subtitles. Once the commentary is on it is virtually impossible to turn this option off without reloading the disc. However, the Dolby stereo works wonders for this film, which is rich in sound, and surprisingly the 1.85:1 letterbox ratio is perfect for a film that is grainy by design. --Nikki Disney
John Thaw is Harry Jenkins in this brand new ITV film a gruff self-obsessed estate agent used to getting his own way. Until that is he returns from a game of golf to find the police on his doorstep with news of his estranged daughter's death and discovers for the first time that he is the grandfather of a mixed-race little girl. Saffron his spirited and strong-willed granddaughter proves to be quite a match for him and a trip to London in search of her father forces Harry to face up to a few home truths. He realises that things need to change if he is to play a part in Saffron's life. Brilliantly acted this powerful and moving drama evokes Harry's inner struggle for salvation.
Three estranged siblings must each come to terms with the death of their mother in this touching drama by Olivier Assayas.
Terror is reborn in the stunning conclusion to the Alien sci-fi saga! Two hundred years have passed since Ripley made the ultimate sacrifice on Fiorina 161, but now a group of scientists has cloned her - along with the Alien queen inside her - hoping to breed the ultimate weapon.
In April 1994 the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda crashes and the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population. In the Ecole Technique Officielle the Catholic priest Christopher and the idealistic English teacher Joe Connor lodge two thousand and five hundred Rwandans survivors in the school under the protection of the UN Belgian force and under siege of the Hutu militia.
THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN is a dazzling fantasy adventure from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, creators of Delicatessen and has been newly restored. They bring their surreal vision to the story of Krank, a tormented scientist who sets about kidnapping local children in order to steal their dreams and so reverse his accelerated ageing process. When Krank's henchmen kidnap his brother, local fisherman and former circus strongman One (Hellboy's Ron Perlman) sets out on a journey to Krank's nightmarish laboratory, accompanied by a little orphan girl called Miette. With stunning visuals from Darius Khondji (Se7en), costumes from Jean Paul Gaultier and a haunting score by Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Dr.), THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN cemented Jeunet and Caro's reputation as filmmakers with a unique vision. Special Features NEW Interview with directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro The making of THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN Behind the scenes Interview with designer Jean Paul Gaultier Audio commentary with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
In this French drama a group of mourners travel from Paris to Limoges to attend the funeral of a tyrannical painter they all knew.
This Box Set Contains The Following Films: Delicatessan follows a sweet-natured clown Louison who moves into a run down apartment building with a delicatessen on the ground floor and falls in love with the butcher's daughter Julie Clapet. When it turns out that Julie's father is actually butchering human beings and selling the meat to the carnivorous tenants of the building Julie must decide if she will remain loyal to her father's business or expose the truth in order to save Louison from being the next victim. Taking place entirely inside underneath and on the roof of the delicatessen the film uses an old pipe that runs throughout the building as a channel of communication for its characters. City Of Lost Children is the story of a prematurely aging mad scientist named Krank who kidnaps children so he can steal their dreams. However Krank runs into trouble when his henchmen grab Denree a little boy whose adopted brother One is a circus strongman. One desperately tries to find Denree and begs for help from Miette a 9-year-old girl who heads up a gang of orphans. Together One and Miette finally find Krank's castle meeting along the way the lost identical brother--the original--of the three clones who serve as Krank's assistants. Also included is one of Jeunet and Caro's earlier short films.
An art house movie that asks questions about the morality of art both on and off screen, The Pornographer is a hard-hitting yet strangely unmoving film. Very much a product of the French school of intellectual cinema, the filmmaker of the title is Jacques Laurent (played by Jean Pierre Leaud), a one-time director of adult films who, finding himself down on his luck, is forced to return to his old medium. Far from being a gaudy Boogie Nights style exposé of an unknown world, the film focuses on Laurent's inner turmoil and his rapidly disintegrating relationship with his wife, as well as his restored one with his son Joseph (Jeremie Renier). Director Betrend Bonello handles this material well, if overdoing the art house clichés a little, but the problem with the film (or for some its strong point) comes with the fairly hardcore sex scenes, presented as part of Laurent's movie. While intended to reflect the emptiness of the character's soul, it is hard to see past them as just an attention-grabbing device. Then again, can a film about pornography legitimately not feature sex? One suspects that this debate will run and run and, in its way, The Pornographer has much to say on the subject. On the DVD: The Pornographer's intended release fell foul of the BBFC, who objected to one particularly explicit scene, a continuing argument that provides much of the material for the DVD's extra features. There is a reproduction of the BFFC ruling, a statement in reply from Bonello (which demonstrate the similarities he shares with his fictional counterpart, certainly when it comes to a vision of erotica) and an excellent essay from critic Pierre Perrene. In addition there are biographies, the cinematic trailer and an option to view the film with or without English subtitles. Whatever the moral questions involved, Bonello's film is a visual treat and his stylish eye is well represented by this format. --Phil Udell
Influential director Jacques Becker's final film, Le Trou is also amongst his very best. Hailed as a masterpiece by Truffaut, it remains a compelling work, superbly directed and photographed with a remarkable attention to detail. 1947. A young man, Gaspard Claude (Marc Michel), is convicted for the attempted murder of his wife, although he is innocent of the crime. He is sent to the notorious Santé Prison in Paris and is placed in a cell with four hardened criminals. The latter have decided to escape from the prison by digging their way out of their cell. Reluctantly, they take Gaspard into their confidence and labour digging their way out of their cell. Then, just when escape appears certain, Gaspard is called away to see the prison governor
Winner of the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, The Legend of the Holy Drinker is another classic from the great Italian director Ermanno Olmi (Il posto, The Tree of Wooden Clogs). Adapted from the novella by Joseph Roth, the film tells the story of Andreas Kartack, a homeless man living under the bridges of Paris. Lent 200 francs by an anonymous stranger, he is determined to pay back his debt but circumstances and his alcoholism forever intervene. Working with professional actors for the first time in more than 20 years, Olmi cast Ruger Hauer as Andreas and was rewarded with an astonishing performance of subtlety and depth. Hauer is joined by a superb supporting cast, including Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia), Sandrine Dumas (The Double Life of Veronique) and Dominique Pinon (Delicatessen). SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of both the English and Italian versions of the film 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Stereo 2.0 options for the English presentation with optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Stereo 2.0 audio for the Italian presentation with optional newly translated English subtitles Brand-new interview with actor Rutger Hauer, recorded exclusively for this release Interview with screenwriter Tullio Kezich Theatrical trailer FIRST PRESSING ONLY: New writing on the film by Helen Chambers, author of Joseph Roth in Retrospect: Co-existent Contradictions
Terror is reborn in the stunning fourth instalment of the Alien sci-fi saga! Two hundred years have passed since Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) made the ultimate sacrifice on Fiorina 161 but now a group of scientists has cloned her - along with the Alien queen inside her - hoping to breed the ultimate weapon.
Fiona visits Paris for the first time to assist her myopic Aunt Martha. Catastrophes ensue, mainly involving Dom, a homeless man who has yet to have an emotion or thought he was afraid of expressing.
The world is devastated by a nuclear holocaust, causing the Earth to tilt on its axis and bringing vast meteorological chaos. As the weather stabilizes, mutated insects start to emerge, preying on the survivors. The surviving crew at a U.S. Air Force bomb shelter in the Mojave Desert picks up radio signals coming from Albany. The commander, Major Eugene Denton (George Peppard, The A-Team), unveils two armored vehicles he has constructed and announces a plan to cross Damnation Alley, the hundred-mile-wide strip between areas of radiation hazard, to join the survivors. They set off, taking on two civilians, a novice singer they find in the ruins of Las Vegas and a wild teenager (Jackie Earle Haley,Watchmen), along the way. The journey is also beset by giant mutated cockroaches, storms and crazed survivalists, making for some hair-raising escapes in this post-apocalyptic thriller. Extras: High Definition Transfer Audio Commentary with Film Expert Paul Talbot Audio commentary with Producer, Paul Maslansky Survival Run: A look at the challenges of adapting the celebrated novel with Co-creenwriter, Alan Sharp Road To Hell:Producer, Jerome Zeitman details the process of making the film and the difficulties it encountered along the way Landmaster Tales: a detailed examination of the now-famous Landmaster Vehicle from the film with Stunt Coordinator and Car Designer Dean Jeffries Original Theatrical Trailer
Researchers in Antarctica are abducted by a team of masked storm troopers. They are dragged deep underground to a hidden continent in the center of the earth. Here Nazi survivors, their bodies a horrifying patchwork of decaying and regenerated flesh, are planning for the revival of the Third Reich.
With its use of special effects to express the main character's internal emotions, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie could have been mistaken for a French version of Ally McBeal; however, unlike Ally--"woe is me for I cannot find a man"--McBeal, Amelie is not distressed by the lack of men in her life, in fact the whole idea of sex seems to amuse her no end. Basic pleasures such as cracking the top of a Crème Brule offer her all the sensual satisfaction she needs and her existence in the "Paris of Dreams" is the stuff of fairy tales. Indeed, this cinematic treat must have worked wonders for the Paris tourist board: Jeunet's beautiful interpretation of Parisian life is depicted in all the vibrant colours you would expect from the director of Delicatessen. On the DVD: Amelie has received an additional disc for this special edition release. Disc 1 is the same as the original single-disc release, with a choice of DTS or Dolby 5.1 sound and an 16.9 anamorphic widescreen picture with optional director's commentary. The second disc contains the new special features and, just like original disc, a lot of thought has gone into the access menu with its lavish graphics offering the choice of entering the Café, the Canal or the Station. Yet the most exciting extra in name--"Audrey Tautou's funny face"--is simply a series of out-takes which does little more than allow you to warm to Tautou as a person. The home movie includes the transformation of Tautou into Amelie and the creation of the "photo-booth album". There are also interesting interviews with Jeunet and the cast and crew, and a nice little section themed around the gnome and his travels. Along with this is a storyboard-to-screen exposition, behind-the-scenes pictures, scene tests, teasers and trailers. All in all a decent enough package, but hardly warranting the special edition label. It's hard not to wonder why Momentum didn't offer this set two months earlier. --Nikki Disney
A successful businesswoman accidentally injures herself and develops an obsession with her own wounds. Increasingly she finds secret pleasure in self harm to the detriment of her job and her loving boyfriend... A powerful and darkly disturbing French drama from newcomer Marina De Van.
Frederique (Audran) a wealthy woman with lesbian leanings picks up pretty but impoverished young Parisian Why (Sassard) on a whim and takes her to her holiday home in St. Tropez. Complicating this fledgeling relationship is the arrival of handsome architect Paul (Trintingnant) whose interest in menage a trois results in jealousy madness and ultimately murder...
He was once a man. Now he's a hell spawn battling the forces of evil on Earth - and in himself. Using his strange powers he fights to uncover the truth about his identity and fulfil his destiny. One of the comic book industry's most popular and intriguing characters Spawn explodes on the screen in a maelstrom of fantastic imagery with action romance and high-level espionage...
Third feature from anarchic comedy trio Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, The Fairy is a colourful burlesque comedy that succeeds in being both charming and hilarious. Social misfit Dom works the night shift in a small hotel near the industrial sea port of Le Havre. One night, a woman called Fiona arrives with no luggage and no shoes and tells Dom she is a fairy, granting him three wishes. It is love at first sight. After making two of his wishes come true, Fiona mysteriously disappears. After searching for her high and low, heart broken Dom eventually finds her in the psychiatric hospital where she has been committed. The opening night film of Director's Fortnight in Cannes this year, The Fairy casts a distinctive spell that continues to enchant audiences.
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