A stunning TV weathergirl (played by Ludivine Sagnier) finds herself torn between two suitors whose intentions remain very unclear
The Death Of Mario Ricci (La mort de Mario Ricci)
Three films in different genres based around the same set of characters. Each film stands alone but once viewed as a whole the scale and skill of Belvaux's cinematic triple vision is revealed. One: A hard-boiled film-noir and a dramatic start to Lucas Belvaux's trilogy. After a bloody escape from prison political terrorist Bruno (played by the director himself) attempts to resume his campaign of bombings and assassinations. But his colleagues have now comfortably settled into a bourgeois lifestyle so he's forced to go it alone stopping at nothing to achieve his goals... Two: Afraid that he might be dying Alain conceals the truth from Cecil the woman he loves. Despite her instincts she suspects he's lying and prefers to imagine he's having an affair. Yet is it possible everyone is in on the conspiracy including best friend Agnes? Three: Manise is equally devoted to his wife Agn''s and his job as a cop. He has done deals with the local crime boss too. However his troubles are triplefold: he is trying to capture Bruno dealing with the local crime boss and dealing with his wife's addiction to morphine. All these events are threatening to collide with tragic consequences... This is a powerful cinema experience and presented on four DVDs in a specially designed box set Lucas Belvaux's achievements are more evident since they offer the chance to watch simultaneously three different scenes which take place at the same moment in time. Comparisons have been made to Kieslowski's classic 'Three Colours' trilogy but 'One Two And Three' form a trilogy of outstanding achievement.
This DVD box set features: Innocence With Dirty Hands (1975): Beautiful Julie Wormser (Schneider) is unhappily married to rich drunk slob Louis (Steiger) so plans to kill him with the help of her panicky young lover Jeff Marle (Giusti). However when the deed appears to be done Jeff scarpers leaving Julie to face the fallout. Who's Got The Black Box (1967): When US radar installations in Greece are jammed and an undercover NATO security man is killed suspicion falls on his widow who sets out to find the real culprits and prove herself innocent. The Flower Of Evil (2003): Francois (Benoit Magimel) the handsome young son returns home from a 3-year stay in Chicago and quickly rekindles a fiery romance with his cousin Michele (Melanie Doutey). Meanwhile his mother Anne (Natalie Baye) is running for public office and has stirred up more than a bit of controversy. When a slanderous letter appears in the newspaper revealing family indiscretions - incest adultery murder and even war crimes - the entire family remains firmly in denial of any wrongdoing. The dead giveaway is sweet elderly Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) whose mischievous smile pegs her as the omniscient keeper of family secrets. Pleasure Party (1975): Phillipe and Esther live an apparently idyllic life with their daughter Elise. In an attempt to preserve this bliss Phillipe decides that he and Esther should each have affairs being sure to tell each other openly about them. The plan backfires with tragic results as Phillipe becomes engulfed in jealously. The Break Up (1970): Helene Regnier's husband Charles who is mentally ill injures their son Michel in a rage. Charles moves back in with his wealthy and manipulative parents who blame Helene for their son's condition and vow to win custody of Michel. While the boy is in hospital Helene rents a room in a boarding house nearby. The Regniers hire Paul Thomas a family acquaintance who needs money to find dirt on Helene before the court hearing on custody. Paul moves into the boarding house and with the help of his girlfriend Sonia who rarely wears clothes plots to ruin Helene's reputation and then her very life. Cop Au Vin (1985): Based on a novel by Dominique Roulet introduces the character of Inspecteur Lavardin a loner detective whose affable exterior hides a man willing to go to any lengths to find the truth though his tactics are sometimes questionable. A small French town experiences a spate of murders and Lavardin is called in to investigate. He meets withdrawn teenager Louis Cuno a postman who uses his position to gather information to stop a plot to take over his family's property. Louis lives with his overbearing crippled mother whose cruelty spurs Louis to take his amateur sleuth work a bit too far.
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
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
Based on Emily Bronte's classic 19th-century novel Wuthering Heights this beautiful sensual film tells the story of the tormented love affair between two childhood sweethearts Catherine a headstrong young woman and Roc a fiery young gypsy. The groundbreaking French director Jacques Rivette sets one of literature's greatest love stories in the French countryside of the 1930s.
Three films in different genres based around the same set of characters. Each film stands alone but once viewed as a whole the scale and skill of Belvaux's cinematic triple vision is revealed. One: A hard-boiled film-noir and a dramatic start to Lucas Belvaux's trilogy. After a bloody escape from prison political terrorist Bruno (played by the director himself) attempts to resume his campaign of bombings and assassinations. But his colleagues have now comfortably settled into a bourgeois lifestyle so he's forced to go it alone stopping at nothing to achieve his goals... Two: Afraid that he might be dying Alain conceals the truth from Cecil the woman he loves. Despite her instincts she suspects he's lying and prefers to imagine he's having an affair. Yet is it possible everyone is in on the conspiracy including best friend Agnes? Three: Manise is equally devoted to his wife Agns and his job as a cop. He has done deals with the local crime boss too. However his troubles are triplefold: he is trying to capture Bruno dealing with the local crime boss and dealing with his wife's addiction to morphine. All these events are threatening to collide with tragic consequences... This is a powerful cinema experience and presented on four DVDs in a specially designed box set Lucas Belvaux's achievements are more evident since they offer the chance to watch simultaneously three different scenes which take place at the same moment in time. Comparisons have been made to Kieslowski's classic 'Three Colours' trilogy but 'One Two And Three' form a trilogy of outstanding achievement.
Unemployed men attempt a heist in The Right Of The Weakest a dry but thought-provoking Belgian drama. Taking time to develop its characters it sees two former steel workers team up with an ex con in an attempt to help Patrick a broke house husband who dreams of buying his wife a new moped. Their struggles are convincing and fittingly amusing but don't come here looking for laughs: the conclusion is sobering stuff. The Right Of The Weakest opens like a po-faced Belgian version of The Full Monty pleading for sympathy for its out-of-work heroes who are desperate for both cash and respect. Clubbing together to play the lottery they soon realise more drastic means are called for and turn to former robber Marc Pirmet (writer/director Lucas Belvaux) for advice.
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