Released in 1987, Babette's Feast is a film which depicts so little, yet says so much. Set in a rural Danish community, it centres around the twin sisters of the village pastor and the French women who serves them after fleeing the 1871 revolution. On winning the lottery she plans a feast to mark the centenary of the sisters' father, bringing a dimension of fine living into the lives of the God-fearing Lutherans and healing festering personal animosities in the process. Director Gabriel Axel captures the rugged timelessness of the Jutland landscape, and draws inspired performances from Stéphane Audran as Babette, and Bodil Keyer and Birgitte Federspiel as the sisters Filippa and Martine. Per Norgard's sparse but affecting score captures the mood of the film perfectly. Altogether it's a heart-warming and affecting experience. On the DVD: Babette's Feast on disc reproduces the vivid colour photography well in widescreen. Theres dubbing and subtitles in English, French and Italian. Both the trailers for the English- and Danish-speaking markets are included, the latter an effective summary of the film.--Richard Whitehouse
Adam's Rib, released in 1949, was one of the on-screen peaks for the matchless pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. George Cukor's instinctively light touch on the director's tiller, the wittiest of Garson Kanin scripts and apparently effortless acting from the stars, merge for 100 minutes of sophisticated comic perfection. It's tempting to think that, as the sparring husband and wife lawyers, Hepburn and Tracy drew on aspects of their now legendary real-life love affair. Screen chemistry alone can't account for the endless nuances, sidelong looks and timing which make Adam's Rib such a delight. There's also a generosity to their fellow actors that few major stars, then or now, would be confident enough to indulge in. Judy Holliday, playing the wife accused of shooting her philandering husband, had still not secured the lead in the film of her Broadway hit, Born Yesterday. Aware that anything else would have been a travesty, Hepburn as her defence lawyer ensured that Holliday was favoured in their scenes together and she duly got the part. In all the best ways, Adam's Rib is a quick-fire battle-of-the-sexes comedy, with Hepburn's brittle feminism striking sparks off Tracy's bemused chauvinism. The verdict might be a victory for Hepburn, but the real winner is an underlying love and respect which made this partnership one of the all time greats. On the DVD: Adam's Rib is presented in standard 4:3 format from a decent print, with a picture quality and mono soundtrack to please anyone who knows the film primarily from TV matinees. The lack of extras, apart from a scene index, is disappointing for a film of this stature. --Piers Ford
When Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend) takes his family on a fishing trip, their holiday is brutally interrupted as a catastrophic atomic war breaks out, destroying their suburban Los Angeles home. What remains of the United Nations announces on the radio that society has broken down, and the Baldwins realise that they must quickly learn how to navigate this new year zero', and do whatever it takes in order to survive. Milland stars alongside teen idol Frankie Avalon as well as directing this bleak and visceral apocalypse thriller, described as the most expressive on-the-ground nightmare of the cold-war era' (Village Voice). LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES Mastered in HD from the 35mm fine grain positive by MGM Uncompressed mono PCM audio Audio commentary by critic Richard Harland Smith (2016) New interview with Kim Newman (2024) Ray Milland archival interview (1972) Atomic Shock! - An interview with filmmaker Joe Dante (2016, 9 mins) Trailer Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by film critic Christina Newland
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
A major heist goes off as planned, until bad luck and double crosses cause everything to unravel.
The first live action movie ever produced by Walt Disney. Fred MacMurray heads an all-star cast that includes Jean Hagen Tim Considine Kevin Corcoran and Annette Funicello in her big screen debut. After years of on-the-job clashes with cranky canines mail carrier Wilson Daniels (MacMurray) sees man's best friend as his worst enemy. This makes for one hairy situation when a magical ring accidentally transforms his teenage son Wilby (Kirk) into a lumbering sheepdog! Can Wilby break
Mere months after delivering one of the definitive examples of film noir with Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich brought a noir flavour to Hollywood with his classic adaptation of Clifford Odets stage play, The Big Knife. Charles Castle, one of Hollywood s biggest stars, looks like he has it all. But his marriage is falling apart and his wife is threatening to leave him if he renews his contract. Studio boss Stanley Shriner Hoff isn t taking the news too well, and he ll do anything he can to get his man to sign on the dotted line even if means exposing dark secrets... Winner of the Silver Lion at the 1955 Venice Film Festival, The Big Knife also boasts a remarkable cast list including Jack Palance (Shane) as Castle and Rod Steiger (On the Waterfront) as Hoff, plus Shelley Winters (The Night of the Hunter), Ida Lupino (On Dangerous Ground), Jean Hagen (Singin in the Rain) and Everett Sloane (Citizen Kane). SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS Brand-new 2K restoration from original film elements produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original uncompressed LPCM mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Commentary by film critics Glenn Kenny and Nick Pinkerton, recorded exclusively for this release Bass on Titles Saul Bass, responsible for The Big Knife s credit sequence, discusses some of his classic work in this self-directed documentary from 1972 Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Nathalie Morris
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
Classic 1960s sci-fi thriller directed by and starring Ray Milland. As Harry Baldwin (Milland) and his family prepare for a weekend camping trip they notice bright lights coming from Los Angeles in the distance. As news filters in about an alleged nuclear attack on the city, the Baldwins flee to their planned vacation spot, along the way encountering panic-stricken refugees and opportunistic youths taking advantage of the devastating situation. The cast includes Jean Hagen as Harry's wife Ann Baldwin and Frankie Avalon and Mary Mitchel as their children Rick and Karen.
The Big Knife
SINGIN'IN THE RAIN:; With fame, fortune and fans galore, silent screen idol Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) thought he had it all. But one look at aspiring actress Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds), and he knew exactly what he was missing. Now he's swinging from lampposts, singing in the raindrops and ready for love. With talking pictures on the rise, Don sets out to make musicals with the woman of his dreams...but one thing stands in his way: his jealous co-star (Jean Hagen), who wants Don--and the l...
Blood gore and violence..... Nurse Charlotte Beale arrives at an isolated sanitarium to embark on her recently acquired full-time position only to learn that Dr. Stephens has been murdered by one of the patients. And that Dr. Geraldine Masters has been left in charge. This doctor is not so keen on having Charlotte work there. The new nurse finds her position increasingly difficult as patients harass her at every turn and Dr. Masters is not who she first appears to be....
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
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