"Actor: Jean Claude Bouillaud"

• Un Coeur En Hiver | DVD | (07/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Stephane and Maxime run a renowned violin making and repair business. One day Maxime introduces his partner to Camille the beautiful violinist he has being seeing. Camille is attracted to the enigmatic introverted Stephane who it seems may share her feelings but is incapable of expressing emotion. Convinced that she can find love beyond his cold exterior her attraction turns to obsession...

• Madame Bovary | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Gustav Flaubert's celebrated novel of obsessive ardour undergoes a dazzling retrofit for the screen, courtesy of French neurosis-master Claude Chabrol. The basic story (a woman's selfish quest for happiness ends up obliterating all she holds dear) may be the same but Chabrol's talent for biting through to the dark marrow of passion makes this a startling experience, even for people familiar with the source material or the numerous other cinematic adaptations. Casting Isabelle Huppert in the title role (she's at least a decade older than the standard conception of this wilfully tragic heroine) was a potentially risky gambit that paid off big; underneath her glorious surface lies a startling foundation of brilliant ice. The same can be said about this stunning film. Viewers intrigued by this potent actress-director pairing may also want to check out The Story of Women and the wonderful La Ceremonie. The film is in French with English subtitles. --Andrew Wright