"Actor: Enrico Maria Salerno"

• Years of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers 1973-1977 | Blu Ray | (13/12/2021) from £29.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The 1970s were a time of intense uncertainty and instability in Italy. Political corruption and widespread acts of left and right-wing terrorism, alongside a breakdown in social cohesion and a loss of trust in public institutions such as the government and police, created a febrile atmosphere of cynicism, paranoia and unexploded rage. Throughout this period, these sentiments found expression in a series of brutal, often morally ambiguous crime thrillers which tapped into the atmosphere of violence and instability that defined the so-called Years of Lead. This box set gathers five films from the heyday of the poliziotteschi the umbrella term used to describe this diverse body of films. In Vittorio Salerno's Savage Three (1975) and Mario Imperoli's Like Rabid Dogs (1976), random acts of violence committed by vicious young sociopaths threaten the fragile fabric of respectable society. In Massimo Dallamano's Colt 38 Special Squad (1976) and Stelvio Massi's Highway Racer (1977), renegade cops battling against red tape and political corruption turn to new and morally dubious methods to dispense justice. Finally, class dynamics are explored in Salerno's No, the Case is Happily Resolved (1973) as an innocent man finds himself under suspicion for a savage crime committed by a highly respected member of society. Decried by critics for their supposedly fascistic overtones, the poliziotteschi were in fact more ideologically varied and often considerably more nuanced than such superficial readings would suggest, and proved a huge hit with theatregoers, who responded to their articulation of present day social concerns. Featuring an impressive line-up of Euro-cult stars, including Joe Dallesandro (The Climber), Ivan Rassimov (Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key), Maurizio Merli (Violent City) and Enrico Maria Salerno (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), this collection of stylish, hard-hitting Euro-crime thrillers showcases the range and breadth of the genre and is a must-have for newcomers and grizzled veterans alike. Special Features High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all five films, restored from the original camera negatives Original lossless mono Italian audio on all five films Original lossless mono English audio on Colt 38 Special Squad and Savage Three English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack on Colt 38 Special Squad and Savage Three Poliziotteschi: Violence and Justice in the Years of Lead, a visual essay by critic Will Webb exploring the recurring traits and themes of the genre Rat Eat Rat, an interview with writer/director Vittorio Salerno and actress Martine Brochard on Savage Three The Savage One, an interview with actor Joe Dallesandro on Savage Three When a Murderer Dies, an interview with cinematographer Romano Albani and film historian Fabio Melelli on Like Rabid Dogs It's Not a Time for Tears, an interview with assistant director Claudio Bernabei on Like Rabid Dogs Music sampler for Like Rabid Dogs Always the Same Ol' 7 Notes, an interview with composer Stelvio Cipriani on Colt 38 Special Squad A Tough Guy, an interview with editor Antonio Siciliano on Colt 38 Special Squad Archival introduction to Colt 38 Special Squad by Stelvio Cipriani Faster Than a Bullet, an interview with film historian Roberto Curti on Highway Racer Mother Justice, an interview with writer/director Vittorio Salerno on No, the Case is Happily Resolved Alternate ending to No, the Case is Happily Resolved Original trailers for Like Rabid Dogs, Colt 38 Special Squad and No, the Case is Happily Resolved Poster galleries Reversible sleeves featuring original artwork for all five films

• The Bird With the Crystal Plumage | Blu Ray | (13/12/2021) from £21.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In 1970, young first-time director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Suspiria) made his indelible mark on Italian cinema with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage a film which redefined the ˜giallo' genre of murder-mystery thrillers and catapulted him to international stardom. Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante, We Own the Night), an American writer living in Rome, inadvertently witnesses a brutal attack on a woman (Eva Renzi, Funeral in Berlin) in a modern art gallery. Powerless to help, he grows increasingly obsessed with the incident. Convinced that something he saw that night holds the key to identifying the maniac terrorising Rome, he launches his own investigation parallel to that of the police, heedless of the danger to both himself and his girlfriend Giulia (Suzy Kendall, Spasmo) A staggeringly assured debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage establishes the key traits that would define Argento's filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive, brutal scenes of violence. With sumptuous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and a seductive score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in the West), this landmark film has never looked or sounded better in this new, 4K-restored edition from Arrow Video!

• The Bird Of Crystal Plumage | DVD | (27/01/2001) from £12.98   |  Saving you £5.01 (38.60%)   |  RRP £17.99

  An American writer (Tony Musante - Toma TV series) traveling in Rome is the only witness to an attempted murder by a sinister figure in a raincoat and black leather gloves though he is powerless to do anything to stop them. With a feeling that something is not quite right about the scene he has witnessed and the police's inability to make any progress he launches his own personal investigation - and nearly loses his life in the process. While this modern day Jack-the-Ripper type is slithering through the dark byways of Rome slicing up pretty girls director Dario Argento is carving up the emotions of terrified viewers. Dark deeds are mixed with black comedy worthy of Hitchcock in a film of almost unbearable tension and nail-biting suspense.

• Bird With A Crystal Plumage | DVD | (09/01/2012) from £29.68   |  Saving you £-19.69 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Bird With A Crystal Plumage (aka L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)

• Bird With A Crystal Plumage | Blu Ray | (13/06/2011) from £14.83   |  Saving you £10.16 (68.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Bird With A Crystal Plumage (aka L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo)

• Night Train Murders | Blu Ray | (10/11/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Night Train Murders | DVD | (11/01/2016) from £10.35   |  Saving you £2.64 (25.51%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Originally banned in the UK as a ˜video nasty', this tense thriller is a malevolent mix of hair-raising Hitchcockian suspense and contemporary splatter movie shocks. Released in 1975 to a suitably disorientated audience, it tells of two young female travellers who are kidnapped and tormented by a gang of thugs. Indeed, the horror and humiliation which takes place during their journey is the stuff of nightmares... but a final twist leads the criminals into the hands of one girl's pistol-packing parents! A gritty and garish stomach-churner - which includes an iconic Ennio Morricone soundtrack - is finally unleashed in the UK in all of its fully uncut HD gory glory!

• The Assassination Of Trotsky | DVD | (27/12/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Mexico City 1940. Communist parades are celebrating May day. In a hotel room near Zocalo Square there are two people who are destined to play a major part in the events leading to the assassination of Leon Trotsky the ageing idealist and 'dedicated Marxist and atheist' banished from Russia by Josef Stalin who has been given sanctuary by the Mexican Government - Frank Jacson travelling on a Canadian passport who claims to be a Belgian in Mexico avoiding national service and Gita Samuels a one-time translator.

• Giallo | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A triple bill of stylish 'Giallo' thrillers from Italian maestro Dario Argento: The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970) The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) and Phenomena (1984). The Bird With The Crystal Plumage : An American writer (Tony Musante - Toma TV series) travelling in Rome is the only witness to an attempted murder by a sinister man in a raincoat and black leather gloves though he is powerless to do anything to stop him. With a feeling that something is not quite right about the scene he has witnessed and the police's inability to make any progress he launches his own personal investigation - and nearly loses his life in the process. While this modern day Jack-the-Ripper type is slithering through the dark byways of Rome slicing up pretty girls director Dario Argento is carving up the emotions of terrified viewers. Dark deeds are mixed with black comedy worthy of Hitchcock in a film of almost unbearable tension and nail-biting suspense. Cat O'Nine Tales: The second movie directed by Dario Argento. With the screenplay by Dardano Sachetti and score by Ennio Morricone Cat O'Nine Tails is a haunting and suspensful thriller in the classic giallo tradition. The story begins when a blind puzzle maker (Karl Malden) overhears a conversation shortly before a robbery is committed at a genetics institute. When he teams up with a journalist (Franciscus) intent on solving the crime they uncover a trail off murders linked to the institute. Can they discover the murderer's identity before it is too late? Phenomena: Young Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) is sent to study at an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland. A psychopathic killer is at large and has already murdered one of the academy's students. Jennifer sleepwalks and has a strange empathic relationship with insects. One day she befriends local entomologist Dr. McGregor (Donald Pleasance) who has been helping the police in their murder investigation with his knowledge of insects. McGregor encourages her to use her gift to track down the killer bu this places her in mortal danger...

• Casanova 70 | DVD | (18/02/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  An Italian sex comedy in which Marcello Mastroianni plays a Major who is impotent unless an element of danger is present in his wooing. When his lecherous psychiatrist tries to convince him to give up women it becomes obvious that the doctor has an agenda of his own.