Cinema's original enfant terrible, Jean-Luc Godard was one of the leaders of the French New Wave, a key influence on American cinema of the 1970s and one of the few true auteurs still making movies. A maverick force from the beginning, when his debut film Breathless (1959) tore up the cinematic rulebook, Godard has continued to inspire and challenge moviegoers throughout a career that spans more than four decades. This essential collection contains Breathless, Une Femme est une Femme, Le Mépris, Alphaville and Pierrot Le Fou all presented in this stunning box-set. Extras: Breathless Introduction by Colin MacCabe Godard, Made in USA Room 12. Hotel de suede Jean-Luc according to Luc Jefferson Hack Interview Tempo Godard Episode Jean Seberg Featurette Trailer Posters Une femme est une femme Introduction by Colin MacCabe Interview with Anna Karina Posters Photo Gallery Le Mépris Introduction by Colin MacCabe Once Upon A Time There Was...Contempt Contempt...tenderly The Dinosaurs and the Baby Conversation with Fritz Lang Trailer Alphaville Introduction by Colin MacCabe Interview with Anna Karina Posters Trailer Pierrot le fou Introduction by Colin MacCabe Interview with Anna Karina Godard, Love and Poetry Film Analysis by Jean-Bernard Pouy Trailer German TV advert Posters
A former editor of the ground-breaking magazine Cahiers du Cinema Eric Rohmer (1910-2010) became one of the leading figures of the French New Wave. Working well into his eighties his hugely influential body of work is celebrated for its originality economical visual style and witty and articulate dialogue. Rohmer's reputation was established with his ambitious 'Moral Tales' series of films five of which are presented in this box set - each based around the theme of a man's sexual temptation. Includes Suzanne's Career The Girl at the Monceau Bakery La Collectioneuse My Night at Maud's Claire's Knee. Films Comprise: Suzanne's Career The Girl at the Monceau Bakery My Night at Maud's Claire's Knee La Collectioneuse
Too often overlooked and undervalued, Claude Chabrol was the first of the Cahiers du Cinema critics to release a feature film and would be among the most prolific. The sneaky anarchist of the French New Wave, he embraced genre as a means of lifting the lid on human nature. Nothing is sacred and nothing is certain in the films of Claude Chabrol: anything can be corrupted, and usually will be. The hidden meaness of provincial life is at the heart of Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre), as deaths and disappearances intersect around the attempt by a corrupt syndicate of property developers to force a disabled woman and her son from their home. Actor Jean Poiret would prove so compelling as the laconic Detective Inspector Lavardin good cop/bad cop all in one that the sequel would be titled after him. Inspector Lavardin sees the titular detective investigating the murder of a wealthy and respected catholic author, renowned for his outspoken views against indecency, whose body is found naked and dead on the beach. In Madame Bovary, Chabrol directs one of his greatest collaborators, actress Isabelle Huppert, in perhaps the definitive depiction of Flaubert's classic heroine. Meanwhile Betty, adapted from the novel of the same name by Maigret author Georges Simenon, is a scathing attack on the uppermiddle classes, featuring an extraordinary performance by Marie Trintignant as a woman spiraling into alcoholism, but fighting to redefine herself. Finally, in Torment (L'enfer) Chabrol picks up a project abandoned by Henri Georges Clouzot, in which a husband's jealousy and suspicion of his wife drive him to appalling extremes. Francois Cluzet and Emmanuelle Beart give career best performances as the husband and wife tearing each other apart. With brand new digital restorations, this inaugural Arrow Video collection of Claude Chabrol on Bluray brings together a wealth of passionate contributors and archival extras to shed fresh light on the films and the filmmaker. Dark, witty, ruthless, mischievous: if you've never seen Chabrol before, you're in for a treat. If you have, they've never looked better. Limited Edition Contents: High definition (1080p) Bluray presentations of all five films New 4K restorations of Madame Bovary, Betty, and Torment (L'enfer) Original lossless French PCM mono audio on Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre), Inspector Lavardin, Madame Bovary, and Betty Original lossless French PCM stereo audio on Torment (L'enfer) Optional English Subtitles Fully illustrated 80page collector's booklet of new writing on the films by film critics Martyn Conterio, Kat Ellinger, Philip Kemp, and Sam Wigley plus select archival material Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella Disc One: Brand new commentary by film critic Ben Sachs An Interview with Ian Christie, a brand new interview with film historian Ian Christie about the cinema of Claude Chabrol Claude Chabrol at the BFI, Chabrol discusses his career in this hour long archival interview conducted onstage at the National Film Theatre in 1994 Claude Chabrol, Jean Poiret & Stephane Audran in conversation, an archival Swiss TV episode in which the director and cast discuss Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre) Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Two: Brand new commentary by film critic Ben Sachs Why Chabrol?, a brand new interview with film critic Sam Wigley about why the films of Claude Chabrol remain essential viewing Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Three: Brand new commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger Imagining Emma: Madame Bovary on screen, a brand new visual essay by film historian Pamela Hutchinson Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Four: Brand new commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger Betty, from Simenon to Chabrol, a brand new visual essay by French Cinema historian Ginette Vincendeau An Interview with Ros Schwartz, a brand new interview with the English translator of the Georges Simenon novel on which the film is based Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Five: Brand new commentary by film critics Alexandra HellerNicholas and Josh Nelson On Henri Georges Clouzot, an archival interview with Claude Chabrol in which he talks about fellow director Henri Georges Clouzot (Les diaboliques), whose original attempt to make L'enfer was abandoned, and how the project came to Chabrol An Interview with Marin Karmitz, an archival interview with Marin Karmitz, Chabrol's most frequent producer Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery
Jeanne Moreau (Jules et Jim) stars as the titular bride, who after marrying her love sees him murdered on the steps outside the church. From here she enacts her ruthless revenge on the group of men responsible. Undoubtedly an influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, François Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black was itself influenced by the director's idol, Alfred Hitchcock. Adapting celebrated crime writer Cornel Woolrich (who was also the author of the short story Hitchcock's Rear Window is based on) Truffaut's film is a deliciously entertaining tale that was one of the director's biggest hits. Alongside Moreau, the film boasts a sensational cast, including Michael Lonsdale, Jean-Clude Brialy, Charles Denner and Michel Bouquet among others, and features a score by the maestro, Bernard Herrman (Psycho). Product Features High-Definition digital transfer Original uncompressed mono PCM audio Archival interviews with François Truffaut and Jeanne Moreau (1968, 1969) Appreciation by filmmaker Kent Jones (Hitchcock/Truffaut) Barry Forshaw on Cornel Woolrich and the adaptation Trailer Optional English subtitles
Angela a striptease artist wants to have a baby and tries to persuade her boyfriend Emile to go along with the idea. Emile will have none of it so she goes after Emile's friend Alfred.
Jeanne Moreau (Jules et Jim) stars as the titular bride, who after marrying her love sees him murdered on the steps outside the church. From here she enacts her ruthless revenge on the group of men responsible. Undoubtedly an influence on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, François Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black was itself influenced by the director's idol, Alfred Hitchcock. Adapting celebrated crime writer Cornel Woolrich (who was also the author of the short story Hitchcock's Rear Window is based on) Truffaut's film is a deliciously entertaining tale that was one of the director's biggest hits. Alongside Moreau, the film boasts a sensational cast, including Michael Lonsdale, Jean-Clude Brialy, Charles Denner and Michel Bouquet among others, and features a score by the maestro, Bernard Herrman (Psycho). Limited Edition Special Features High-Definition digital transfer Original uncompressed mono PCM audio Archival interviews with François Truffaut and Jeanne Moreau (1968, 1969) Appreciation by filmmaker Kent Jones (Hitchcock/Truffaut) Barry Forshaw on Cornel Woolrich and the adaptation Trailer Optional English subtitles Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film, archival writing by Truffaut and more
Paris Nous Appartient was 'Cahier Du Cinema' critic Jacques Rivette's first film as is regarded as one of the foremost examples of the movement. A young literature student studying in Paris Anna Goupil (Betty Schneider) is drawn to the mysterious suicide of a young Spanish man Juan following a discussion with his friends at a party. Taking a role in an amateur performance of Shakespeare's Pericles Anna uses the rehearsals to try to uncover the reason why Juan took his own life.
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Grard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career. A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol's breakthrough film in a beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the UK. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 47-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel [The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower], Chabrol's 1964 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; a new and exclusive translation of a rare text about actress Franoise Vatel provided for this release by its author, the filmmaker and critic Luc Moullet; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Grard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career. A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol's breakthrough film in a beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the UK. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 47-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel [The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower], Chabrol's 1964 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; a new and exclusive translation of a rare text about actress Franoise Vatel provided for this release by its author, the filmmaker and critic Luc Moullet; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
The icily beautiful French goddess Catherine Denueve is celebrated here in Optimum's Screen Icons series with a box-set of films that span the full range of her illustrious 45-year career so far. Umbrellas Of Cherbourg was the film that made Deneuve a star and introduced her to the world. A conventional love story made completely original by all the dialogue being sung and a rainbow of colours reflecting the radiance of the story and characters alike. Umbrellas won the Palme D'Or in Cannes in 1964. Belle du Jour Undoubtedly Luis Buuel's most accessible film Belle de Jour is an elegant and erotic masterpiece that maintains as hypnotic a grip on modern audiences as it did on its debut 30 years ago. Denueve plays a bored and sexually frustrated housewife who becomes a part-time prostitute and begins a dangerous relationship with a young gangster. Donkey Skin is a wonderfully bizarre film from Jacques Demy a unique synthesis of Jean Cocteau and Walt Disney. Ahead of its time and strikingly modern in its production design it's also a warts and all fairytale ripe with incorrect royalism and medieval misogyny. Deneuve plays the dual role of the King's wife and daughter. Manon 70 a 1960's version of an 18th century French novel and a 19th century Italian opera Denueve plays the confused Manon torn between a young but penniless lover and an older richer suitor whose generosity she finds very tempting... Ma Saisson Preferee An Andre Techine family drama starring Daniel Auteuil.
Grard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut - ironic, funny, unsparing - is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of the Chabrol touch. In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish Franois (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues. From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema - frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
Eric Rohmer's Claire's Knee is one of his series of "Moral Tales", though it deals delicately with areas of intense moral ambiguity rather than in any obvious certainty. Jerome, a man holidaying at the very end of his youth, allows his old friend Aurora to co-opt him in her experiments with the hearts of two teenage girls. Sensitive gawky Laura fixates on him, but knows enough to realise he is dangerous to her, whereas Claire, for whom he develops a vague obsession, largely ignores him as a sexual being. He develops elaborate theories in justification of what he does and says, and the film does not dismiss these theories, while allowing for the possibility that Jerome is nothing but a manipulative self-deceived letch. This is a movie with a delicate visual palette; Nestor Almendros' elegiac camera work constantly makes clear that for all the characters this is a summer vacation with consequences. It is also a conversation piece in which almost nothing happens--the most Jerome ever allows himself is to stroke Claire's knee--and the interesting thing is how all the intense talk and extended scenes of one-to-one dialogue make that quite enough to sustain our fascinated interest. --Roz Kaveney
Grard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut - ironic, funny, unsparing - is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of the Chabrol touch. In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish Franois (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues. From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema - frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
Le Juge Et L'Assassin Michel Galabru stars as Joseph Bouvier a former Sergeant in the French military. The film commences with Bouvier shooting his beloved and attempting to kill himself. Having survived with two bullets in his brain he is released from the Dole medical facility. Then begins a five-year period of wandering on the roads of the South East of France during which Bouvier rapes and eventually kills two dozen defenseless shepherds and farm servants of both sexes. Judge Rousseau (Philippe Noiret) thinks this case would help his career as a right wing politician and therefore issues warrants of arrests to find any hobo fitting the description. But if Bouvier was declared insane the Judge's plan may become a trap...
She was a bride when the violence happened... Now she's a widow and it's going to happen again. An engrossing enigmatic tale of passion and revenge this 1969 Golden Globe Nominee from director Francois Truffaut and co-writer Jean Louis Richard. The bewitching Jeanne Moreau is remarkable as a woman who will stop at nothing to avenge her husband's death. Julie (Moreau) a beautiful young bride has just married her childhood sweetheart and love of her life. But just moments after the ceremony her beloved is murdered on the steps of the church. Emotionally distraught Julie becomes obsessed with her bridegroom's death and begins a descent into madness as she relentlessly pursues the men responsible. One by one Julie sees to their demises and with each murder more bone-chilling and diabolically clever than the last the question is not who will be next - but rather how they will meet their ghastly end.
A triple bill of classic Luis Bunuel films, comprising 'That Obscure Object Of Desire', 'Phantom Of Liberty' and 'The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie'. That Obscure Object Of Desire: A passenger on a train pours a bucket of water over a young girl at the platform. Seemingly a random act, the man recounts in flashback how he came to be so obsessed with the girl... Phantom Of Liberty: Perhaps Bunuel's most surreal film, consisting of a series of loosely realted vignettes. <...
A hard-partying bisexual rent boy faces unexpected responsibility when his older lover dies suddenly in this introspective drama starring Csar-winning actress Julie Depardieu. Though Thomas (Sbastien Roch) genuinely loves his deceased lover's teenage son Grgoire (Jeremy Sanguinetti) as his own Thomas' hedonistic lifestyle and other legal complications prevent him from adopting the troubled and homeless youngster. When Grgoire is subsequently sent to an orphanage Thomas attempt
Early performances from Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani in Andre Techine's labyrinth thriller set in the seedy red light district of Amsterdam and combining moody film noir with aspects of German expressionism. Samson is a petty thug who has potentially incriminating evidence against an electoral candidate. He plans to sell it to a tabloid newspaper for a payoff enabling him to start a new life with his girlfriend Laura but the couple are forced to flee when an accomplice is murdered.
Ada (Helen Bonham Carter) is an English fashion designer living a vaguely dissatisfied life with screenwriter Paul in a new home which is a bit above their means. Guido Paul's writing partner is having relationship problems of his own with Stephanie. And Guido and Paul are seriously late in delivering their script to Alphonse a young director with diminishing patience. Into this comes Lise an up and coming fashion designer who derails Ada's career by snagging a major assignment and making romantic advances at Paul. The lives loves deceptions triumphs and tragedies of this circle of self-absorbed over-achieving Parisians becomes more confusing convoluted and entangled leading to a surprising finale that blurs fiction and reality in a very Woody Allen way.
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