"Actor: Gian Maria"

• A Fistful of Dollars Limited Edition 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (12/05/2025) from £29.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  It wasn't really the first film of its kind, but the western all'Italiana or spaghetti Western was never the same again after Sergio Leone's groundbreaking A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood in the classic role that made him an international icon. A nameless stranger (Eastwood) rides into the Mexican border town of San Miguel and quickly finds himself in the middle of a bloody battle for power between two rival families, the Baxters and the Rojos. Cannily realising there's money to be made from playing each side against the other, the Man with No Name soon finds himself caught in the crossfire as the body count escalates, his only chance of escape a standoff against the Rojos' mercilessly cruel leader, Ramón (Gian Maria Volonté). Leone's clever and contemporary inversion of Western archetypes was not only the first entry in a much-beloved trilogy, but the director's first collaboration with the brilliant composer Ennio Morricone. Now fully uncut and freshly restored in glorious 4K with an arsenal of new and old bonus material, the Man with No Name rides again like never before! 4K ULTRA-HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS ¢ Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella ¢ Perfect bound collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Henry Blyth, Bilge Ebiri, Pasquale Iannone and Eloise Ross ¢ Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella DISC 1 FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY) ¢ New 4K restoration from the original 2-perf Techniscope negative ¢ 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) ¢ Original English and Italian front and end titles ¢ Newly restored original lossless English and Italian mono audio ¢ Optional newly remixed lossless English and Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio ¢ Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack ¢ Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack ¢ Audio commentary by film historian and Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling ¢ Audio commentary by film historian and critic Tim Lucas ¢ Trailers, TV spots and radio spots DISC 2 EXTRAS (BLU-RAY) ¢ When It All Started, a newly filmed interview with film historian and critic Fabio Melelli ¢ Four Fingers Four Picks, a newly filmed interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D'Amario ¢ Wind & Fire, a newly filmed interview with Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa ¢ A Night at the Movies, a newly filmed interview with filmmaker Paolo Bianchini ¢ A Fistful of Outtakes, highlights from the original rushes ¢ The Day the Soundtrack Changed, a new visual essay by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon exploring the film's iconic score ¢ Marisol: Leone's Madonna of the West, an archival interview with co-star Marianne Koch ¢ The Frayling Archives and A New Kind of Hero, two archival interviews with Sir Christopher Frayling ¢ A Few Days in Spain, an archival interview with Clint Eastwood ¢ Tre Voci, an archival featurette with Leone collaborators Mickey Knox, Sergio Donati and Alberto Grimaldi ¢ Opening scene with Harry Dean Stanton filmed for the film's US TV debut in 1975, plus an archival interview with the prologue's director Monte Hellman ¢ Restoration Italian Style, an archival featurette on the film's remastering for DVD ¢ Location Comparisons 19642004, an archival featurette ¢ Alternate credits sequences ¢ Three comprehensive image galleries: A Fistful of Pictures, On the Set and Promoting ˜A Fistful of Dollars' COMING IN MAY 2025... FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE! COMING IN JUNE 2025... THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!

• For A Few Dollars More Limited Edition 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (26/05/2025) from £29.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In 1964, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars introduced audiences to a new, edgier breed of Western. The following year, he demonstrated that the first film was no fluke with For a Few Dollars More, cementing Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name as a genre icon and spawning a legion of imitators. In the Old West, two rival bounty killers (Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) hunt the same target: the psychopathic bandit known as El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté). The price on his head is high but one of the hunters harbours a secret personal vendetta. Forming an uneasy alliance, the pair succeed in infiltrating El Indio's gang... but as greed begets violence, the hunters become the hunted, leading to a final showdown in a circle of death. Made with a much higher budget than its predecessor, For a Few Dollars More expanded the canvas of Leone's mythic, feverish vision of the western and further developed his unmistakable authorial signature. Fully uncut and newly restored in sumptuous 4K with a plethora of new and archival bonus features, the Man with No Name returns in deadly style. FULL SPECS ANNOUNCED IN FEBRUARY!

• For A Few Dollars More Limited Edition Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (26/05/2025) from £26.19   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In 1964, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars introduced audiences to a new, edgier breed of Western. The following year, he demonstrated that the first film was no fluke with For a Few Dollars More, cementing Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name as a genre icon and spawning a legion of imitators. In the Old West, two rival bounty killers (Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) hunt the same target: the psychopathic bandit known as El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté). The price on his head is high but one of the hunters harbours a secret personal vendetta. Forming an uneasy alliance, the pair succeed in infiltrating El Indio's gang... but as greed begets violence, the hunters become the hunted, leading to a final showdown in a circle of death. Made with a much higher budget than its predecessor, For a Few Dollars More expanded the canvas of Leone's mythic, feverish vision of the western and further developed his unmistakable authorial signature. Fully uncut and newly restored in sumptuous 4K with a plethora of new and archival bonus features, the Man with No Name returns in deadly style. FULL SPECS ANNOUNCED IN FEBRUARY!

• A Fistful of Dollars Limited Edition Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (12/05/2025) from £26.19   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  It wasn't really the first film of its kind, but the western all'Italiana or spaghetti Western was never the same again after Sergio Leone's groundbreaking A Fistful of Dollars, starring Clint Eastwood in the classic role that made him an international icon. A nameless stranger (Eastwood) rides into the Mexican border town of San Miguel and quickly finds himself in the middle of a bloody battle for power between two rival families, the Baxters and the Rojos. Cannily realising there's money to be made from playing each side against the other, the Man with No Name soon finds himself caught in the crossfire as the body count escalates, his only chance of escape a standoff against the Rojos' mercilessly cruel leader, Ramón (Gian Maria Volonté). Leone's clever and contemporary inversion of Western archetypes was not only the first entry in a much-beloved trilogy, but the director's first collaboration with the brilliant composer Ennio Morricone. Now fully uncut and freshly restored in glorious 4K with an arsenal of new and old bonus material, the Man with No Name rides again like never before! LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS ¢ Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella ¢ Perfect bound collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Henry Blyth, Bilge Ebiri, Pasquale Iannone and Eloise Ross ¢ Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella DISC 1 FEATURE ¢ New 4K restoration from the original 2-perf Techniscope negative ¢ High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation ¢ Original English and Italian front and end titles ¢ Newly restored original lossless English and Italian mono audio ¢ Optional newly remixed lossless English and Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio ¢ Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack ¢ Optional English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack ¢ Audio commentary by film historian and Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling ¢ Audio commentary by film historian and critic Tim Lucas ¢ Trailers, TV spots and radio spots DISC 2 EXTRAS ¢ When It All Started, a newly filmed interview with film historian and critic Fabio Melelli ¢ Four Fingers Four Picks, a newly filmed interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D'Amario ¢ Wind & Fire, a newly filmed interview with Morricone biographer Alessandro de Rosa ¢ A Night at the Movies, a newly filmed interview with filmmaker Paolo Bianchini ¢ A Fistful of Outtakes, highlights from the original rushes ¢ The Day the Soundtrack Changed, a new visual essay by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon exploring the film's iconic score ¢ Marisol: Leone's Madonna of the West, an archival interview with co-star Marianne Koch ¢ The Frayling Archives and A New Kind of Hero, two archival interviews with Sir Christopher Frayling ¢ A Few Days in Spain, an archival interview with Clint Eastwood ¢ Tre Voci, an archival featurette with Leone collaborators Mickey Knox, Sergio Donati and Alberto Grimaldi ¢ Opening scene with Harry Dean Stanton filmed for the film's US TV debut in 1975, plus an archival interview with the prologue's director Monte Hellman ¢ Restoration Italian Style, an archival featurette on the film's remastering for DVD ¢ Location Comparisons 19642004, an archival featurette ¢ Alternate credits sequences ¢ Three comprehensive image galleries: A Fistful of Pictures, On the Set and Promoting ˜A Fistful of Dollars' COMING IN MAY 2025... FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE! COMING IN JUNE 2025... THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!

• Girl with a Suitcase | Blu Ray | (28/04/2025) from £22.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Aida (Claudia Cardinale, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Day of the Owl) has fallen for a rich playboy and arrives at his door to find it firmly shut and herself ignored. His younger, more sensitive brother, Lorenzo (Jacques Perrin, Cinema Paradiso) helps her and finds himself quickly besotted. Cardinale gives one of her most tender and vulnerable performances in Girl with a Suitcase, an unsentimental coming-of-age story that deals as much with adolescence as class. A vital director of Italy's post-war cinema, Valerio Zurlini's small but remarkable body of work deserves to be discussed among the greats.

• The Man With No Name Trilogy | Blu Ray | (02/06/2014) from £16.99   |  Saving you £-6.76 (N/A%)   |  RRP £8.23

  The Sergio Leone 'spaghetti westerns' did not simply add a new chapter to the genre...they reinvented it. From his shockingly violent and stylized breakthrough A Fistful of Dollars to the film Quentin Tarantino calls 'the best-directed movie of all time ' The Good The Bad and the Ugly Leone's vision elevated westerns to an entirely new art form. This definitive Leone collection of the most ambitious and influential Westerns ever made includes over five hours of bonus materials that uncover buried gold in these gritty classics' plus a Newly Remastered version of The Good The Bad And The Ugly.

• Clint Eastwood Collection - For A Few Dollars More/The Good, The Bad And The Ugly/A Fistful Of Dollars/Hang 'Em High | DVD | (13/08/2007) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Title Comprise: For A Few Dollars More: the tale of a ruthless quest to track down the notorious bandit El Indio played by Gian Maria Volonte. The film is also noted for its array of weaponry a veritable arsenal of rifles that became so operatic and Ennio Morricone's atmospheric score keeps the tension taut as the action moves from Jail breaks and hold-ups to spectacular gun battles. The Good The Bad And The Ugly:written by Age Scarpelli Luciano Vincenzoni and Sergio Leone is the third and last western in Clint Eastwood's spaghetti trilogy. Director Sergio Leone substitutes for the upright puritan Protestant ethos so familiar in Hollywood westerns a seedy cynical standpoint towards death and mortality as a team of brutal bandits battle to unearth a fortune buried beneath an unmarked grave. Joining Clint clearly ""The Good"" is the irredeemably ""Bad"" Lee and the resolutely ""Ugly"" Eli Wallach. The complete plot of bloodshed and betrayal winds its way through the American Civil War filmed to resemble the French battlefields of World War One to end in the climatic Dance Of Death. Arguably the quintessential Italian Western this 1966 film boasts a fine Ennio Morricone score featuring a main theme that reached No. 1 in the world's pop charts. A Fistful Of Dollars:The first of the ""spaghetti westerns"" A Fistful Of Dollars became an instant cult hit. It also launched the film careers of Italian Writer-Director Sergio Leone and a little known American television actor named Clint Eastwood. As the lean cold-eye cobra-quick gunfighter - Clint became the first of the ""anti-heroes"". The cynical enigmatic loner with a clouded past is the same character Eastwood fans have been savouring ever since. A Fistful Of Dollars is the western taken to the extreme - with unremitting violence gritty realism and tongue-in-cheek humour. Leone's direction is taut and stylish and the visuals are striking - from the breathtaking panoramas (in Spain) to the extreme close-ups of quivering lips and darting eyes before the shoot-out begins. And all are accented by renowned film composer Ennio Morricone's quirky haunting score. Hang 'Em High:Oklahoma 1873. Jed Cooper mistaken for a rustler and killer is lynched on the spot by crooked lawman Captain Wilson and a rampaging band of vigilantes. But as Wilson and his gang flee the scene there's one very important detail they've overlooked: Cooper is still alive! Saved in the nick of time by a sheriff Cooper takes on the job of deputy marshal in order to bring hard-handed justice to the Oklahoma territory and to the nine men who ""done him wrong""...

• For A Few Dollars More | DVD | (07/02/2000) from £10.20   |  Saving you £5.79 (56.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Clint Eastwood had proven so successful in his first foray into European Westerns with A Fistful Of Dollars that a follow up sequel was inevitable. Superbly scripted by Luciano Vincenzoni featuring an unforgettable alliance between ruthless gun-slingers Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. For A Few Dollars More tells the tale of a ruthless quest to track down the notorious bandit El Indio played by Gian Maria Volonte. The film is also noted for its array of weaponry a veritable arsenal of rifles that became so operatic and Ennio Morricone's atmospheric score keeps the tension taut as the action moves from Jail breaks and hold ups to spectacular gun battles.

• Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (18/01/2021) from £21.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The provocative Italian filmmaker ELIO PETRI's most internationally acclaimed work is this remarkable, visceral, Oscar-winning thriller. Petri maintains a tricky balance between absurdity and realism in telling the Kafkaesque tale of a Roman police inspector (A Fistful of Dollars' GIAN MARIA VOLONTÉ, in a commanding performance) investigating a heinous crimewhich he committed himself. Both a penetrating character study and a disturbing commentary on the draconian crackdowns by the Italian government in the late 1960s and early '70s, Petri's kinetic portrait of surreal bureaucracy is a perversely pleasurable rendering of controlled chaos. SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration by the Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Archival interview with director Elio Petri, conducted by critic and filmmaker Alexandre Astruc Elio Petri: Notes About a Filmmaker (2005), a ninety minute documentary on the director's career, featuring interviews with friends, collaborators, and filmmakers New interview with film scholar Camilla Zamboni Investigation of a Citizen Named Volonté (2008), a fifty minute documentary about actor Gian Maria Volonté Music in His Blood, an interview with composer Ennio Morricone from 2010, conducted by film critic Fabio Ferzetti Trailers New English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Evan Calder Williams and excerpts from a 2001 book by author and screenwriter Ugo Pirro

• Le Cercle Rouge | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Melville's masterful take on the American crime thriller perfectly combines the Hollywood gangster film with his uniquely French style. Starring Alain Delon as a master theif Yves Montand as an alcoholic ex-cop and Italian star Gian-Maria Volonte as an escaped criminal the trio plot a daring heist of an upmarket Parisian jewellery store against impossible odds.

• Slap the Monster on Page One | Blu Ray | (18/11/2024) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Days before a general election a young girl is raped and murdered. Bizanti (Gian Maria Volonté, The Working Class Goes to Heaven), the editor of a right-wing newspaper uses the story to help the conservative candidate his paper supports. The tumultuous time of Italy's ˜Years of Lead' are captured in Marco Bellocchio's powerful political drama which directly addressed topics of its day and even prefigured the creation of the right-wing paper Il giornale, which came into being two years after this film. In an age of media manipulation Slap the Monster on Page One has never been more relevant and stands proudly alongside such Italian activist classics as We Still Kill the Old Way and The Mattei Affair. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES 4K restoration of the film from the original negative by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Surf Film and Kavac Film, under the supervision of director Marco Bellocchio Uncompressed mono PCM audio Archival interview with Marco Bellocchio (21 mins) Newly filmed interview with critic and author Mario Sesti (2024, 25 mins) Appreciation by filmmaker Alex Cox (2024, 10 mins) Newly improved English subtitle translation Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Wesley Sharer

• Spaghetti Westerns | DVD | (13/11/2000) from £48.99   |  Saving you £1.00 (2.04%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A Fistful Of Dollars: - Languages: English (Dolby Digital Mono) ; Subtitles: English Clint Eastwood's stunning Spaghetti Western debut. When the Man With No Name rides into town the rival gangs of the Baxters and the Rojos soon find themselves fighting each other. As the lean cold-eyed cobra-quick gunfighter Clint became the first of the Western's anti-herores. The cynical enigmatic loner with a clouded past is the same character Eastwood fans have been savouring ever since. 'A Fistful Of Dollars' is the western taken to the extreme - with unremitting violence gritty realism and tongue-in-cheek humour. Leone's direction is taut and stylish and the visuals are striking - from the breathtaking panoramas (in Spain) to the extreme close-ups of quivering lips and darting eyes before the shoot-out begins. And all are accentuated by renowned composer Ennio Morricone's quirky haunting score. For A Few Dollars More - Languages: English and French (Dolby Digital Mono) ; Subtitles: English Dutch French Clint Eastwood had proven so successful in his first foray into European Westerns with 'A Fistful Of Dollars' that a follow up sequel was inevitable. Superbly scripted by Luciano Vincenzoni featuring an unforgettable alliance between ruthless gun-slingers to track down the notorious bandit El Indio played by Gian Maria Volonte. The film is also noted for its array of weaponry a veritable arsenal of rifles that became so startingly influential in future westerns. Sergio Leone's direction is both violent and operatic and Ennio Morricone's atmospheric score keeps the tension taut as the action moves from jail breaks and hold ups to spectacular gun battles. The Good The Bad And The Ugly - Languages: English (Dolby Digital Mono) ; Subtitles: English Dutch By far the most ambitious unflinchingly graphic and stylistically influential western ever attempted 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' is an engrossing actioner shot through with a volatile mix of myth and realism. Clint Eastwood returns for a final appearance as the invincible Man With No Name this time teaming with two gunslingers (Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef) to pursue a cache of 0 000 - and letting no one not even warring factions in a civil war stand in their way. From sun-drenched panoramas to bold hard closeups exceptional camera work captures the beauty and cruelty of the barren landscape and the hardened characters who stride unwaveringly through it. Forging a vibrant and yet detached style of action that had not been seen before and has never been matched since 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' shatters the western in true Clint Eastwood style. The complex plot of bloodshed and betrayal winds its way through the American Civil War filmed to resemble the French battlefields of WW1 to end in a climactic Dance of Death. Arguably the quintessential Italian Western this 1966 film boasts a fine Ennio Morricone score featuring a main theme that reached No.1 in the world's pop charts.

• Faccia A Faccia | Blu Ray | (21/02/2011) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  One of the best films from Italian genre master Sergio Sollima (The Big Gundown) Faccia a Faccia (Face to Face ) is a gangbusting western saga and a gripping parable of the rise of fascism. Upstanding history professor Brad Fletcher (played by the incomparable Gian Maria Volonte) is forced into retirement by his poor health and moves west for the warmer climate. Almost as soon as he arrives however he is taken hostage by famed bandit Solomon Bennett (the great Tomas Milian) in an accidental confrontation and by necessity is forced to take up with his cohorts. But the learned man's growing identification with the gang encourages him to stage a takeover from Bennett and a new crueller system of leadership is put into place. Produced by Sergio Leone's longtime partner Alberto Grimaldi featuring stunning Techniscope cinematography and a pounding score by il maestro Ennio Morricone this long-requested Italian western makes its first appearance on Blu-ray anywhere in the world from a beautiful high-definition master with both English and Italian soundtracks.

• The Man With No Name Trilogy | DVD | (02/06/2014) from £21.92   |  Saving you £-13.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £8.91

  The Man with no Name Trilogy A Fistful of DollarsFor a Few Dollars MoreWhen two rival bounty hunters (Oscar Winner Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) learn they're both after the same murderous bandit they join forces in hopes of bringing him to justice. But all is not as it seems in the hard-hitting second installment of Sergio Leone's trilogy starring Eastwood as the famed Man With No Name. Special Features: The Christopher Frayling Archives: For a few Dollars More Feature Commentary by Noted Film Historian - Sir Christopher Frayling A New Standard (Frayling on For a Few Dollars More) Back for More (Clint Eastwood remembers For a Few Dollars More) Tre Voci: For a few Dollars More For a Few Dollars More: The Original American Release Version Location Comparisons 12 Radio spots Original Theatrical Trailer The Good the Bad and the Ugly

• Le Cercle Rouge | Blu Ray | (23/11/2020) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  ALAIN DELON, GIAN MARIA VOLONTÈ and YVES MONTAND star as the elegant, mis-matched trio, locked in an elaborate and dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the inscrutable police inspector (ANDRÉ BOURVIL), who is determined to foil their attempts to pull off the perfect crime, despite being drawn irresistibly to his prey. As the day of the heist dawns, the story unfolds, with all four players determined to cheat fate. Extras: The Perfect Circle Under the Name of Melville Interview with Bernard Stora Interview with José Giovanni Ginette Vincendeau Presentation of Le Cercle Rouge

• A Fistful Of Dollars | DVD | (09/08/2005) from £8.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (128.76%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This is the movie that launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Before director Sergio Leone picked him out, Clint had played only a few bit parts in features plus his role as Rowdy Yates in the TV Western series Rawhide. Leone cast him for his stillness and physical presence, famously remarking that when Michelangelo was asked what he had seen in a particular block of marble, he said Moses, but that what he, Leone, saw in Eastwood was just that, a block of marble. Leone also claimed that it was he who gave the character his trademark cigar and poncho, though Eastwood has said he brought his own wardrobe to Italy. Whoever takes credit, A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari in Italian) was an extraordinary success when launched in Italy in 1964. Eastwood had to wait longer for it to be a hit in the USA. The film was based on Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, but Leone had forgotten to clear the copyright. Eventually a deal was done, but A Fistful of Dollars was not released in the USA until 1967. It scored an equally resounding success, as did its sequels in the Dollar Trilogy, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character, laconic, amoral, dangerous, as The Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the film's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children (women are virtually absent from the Trilogy). Instead it's every man for himself. Striking too was a new emphasis on violence, with stylised, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armoured breastplate. The popularity of the Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western, for example Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, but its most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself, still in action at the age of 70. --Edward Buscombe

• For a Few Dollars More | Blu Ray | (31/05/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Working Class Goes to Heaven | Blu Ray | (20/03/2023) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Gian Maria Volonté (A Fistful of Dollars) stars in one of provocative filmmaker Elio (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) Petri's most politically charged films as factory worker Lulu: a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, following an accident at work. Too tired to sleep with his girlfriend, cut out of his son's life by his ex, humiliated and disrespected, The Working Class Go to Heaven is an oftentimes surreal and darkly comic look at the life of an everyday Italian trying to find a sense of purpose in a world where he is only allowed to be a tool for industry. A savage takedown of capitalism and industrial corruption, the film was recipient of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or and features a gloriously unhinged, award-winning performance from Volonté, accompanied by an exceptional score by Ennio Morricone and stunning cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller (Deep Red). Limited Edition Special Features 2K restoration of the film Original uncompressed mono PCM audio New and improved English subtitle translation Archival interview with Elio Petri from the Cannes Film Festival Career-encompassing archival interview with Gian Maria Volonté from French TV Archival interview with actor Corrado Solari Appreciation of Gian Maria Volonté and the film by filmmaker Alex Cox A visual essay by scholar Matthew Kowalski on Petri and politics The Working Class Goes to Heaven - Background to a Film Shot in Novara (2006), by Serena Checcucci and Enrico Omodeo Salé; an unconventional making-of documentary, exploring the real-life factory location where the film was shot and the story behind the film's production there, as told by the staff, film extras and crew Trailer

• A Fistful of Dollars | Blu Ray | (31/05/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Neo-Realist Box Set | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £19.84   |  Saving you £15.15 (76.36%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Rome Open City: Roberto Rossellini's startling depiction of Nazi-occupied World War II Rome and one of the most prominent examples of his neorealist cinematic style is the story of a tenaciously held underground resistance against the Germans. When its leader Manfredi (Marcello Pagliero) and a priest Don Pietro (Aldo Fabrizi) are captured the resistance collapses with disastrous personal results to all. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay; Fellini collaborated with Rossellini in the writing of the script. 'Open City' is all the more remarkable in that it was made immediately following the liberation of Rome had been developed while Rossellini himself was in hiding and was filmed in the locations where the true events that the story are based on occurred. (Dir. Roberto Rossellini 1945) The Bicycle Thieves: After nearly two years of unemployment Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) finally finds work posting bills. But he needs a bicycle to do the job. Unfortunately he was forced to pawn his own bicycle long ago. In a humbling tragic scene Antonio exchanges his family's linen for his bicycle. But when the bike is stolen on his first day of work he must comb the streets of Rome in search of the bike: his family's only means to survival. Shot on location in Rome and using non-actors as a means of heightening the reality of the film Ladri Di Biciclette received the Honorary Award for Best Foreign Film at the 1950 Oscars. (Dir. Vittorio De Sica 1948) Miracle In Milan: Once upon a time an old woman discovered a young child in her cabbage patch. She cared for him until her death at which time the boy was placed into an orphanage. When the child is released from the orphanage he inspires shantytown squatters to improve their huts and enjoy the world. But as they begin to rebuild the squatters strike oil. The landowner evicts them wanting the oil for himself. But the old woman drops down from heaven to give Toto a magical dove which grants them whatever wish they want. Winner of the Grand Prize at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival - tied with Frken Julie. (Dir. Vittorio De Sica 1951) Umberto D: Retired civil servant Umberto struggles to survive on his rapidly dwindling pension in the harsh environment of post-World War II Rome a city plagued by its society's total disregard for the plight of the elderly the poor and the downtrodden. His only companions are his loyal dog Flag and a pregnant housemaid named Maria (Maria-Pia Casilio). Facing eviction from his humble home by his tyrannical landlady (Lina Gennari) Umberto's desperate failed attempts to raise money lead him to contemplate suicide. But first he must find a home for his little dog. Filmed on location in Rome with a totally non-professional cast Vittorio De Sica's compassionate but unsentimental handling of Umberto's tale devastatingly conveys the wretchedness of poverty and old age. 'Umberto D' is a deeply emotional and moving film that has quite rightly been hailed as a timeless classic of modern cinema. (Dir. Vittorio De Sica 1952) I Vitelloni: Five young men linger in post-adolescent limbo dreaming of adventure and escape from their small seacoast town. They while away their time spending the lira doled out by their indulgent families on drink women and nights at the local pool hall. Federico Fellini's second solo directorial effort is a semi-autobiographical masterpiece of sharply drawn character sketches. An international success and recipient of an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay I Vitelloni compassionately details a year in the life of small-town layabouts struggling to find meaning in their lives. (Dir. Federico Fellini 1953)