Arrow Academy's second Woody Allen collection covers 1979-85, during which he made many of his best-loved films. These begin with Manhattan, a sublime Gershwin-scored Panavision love-letter to his home city, and end with The Purple Rose of Cairo, a wistfully affectionate romance about the cinema's past that also doubles as a hilariously fantastical farce. In between there's the Felliniesque, fascinatingly self-analytical Stardust Memories; the bucolic romp A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (the first of thirteen films starring Mia Farrow); the technically and conceptually astonishing Zelig, in which a human chameleon bears witness to many of the 1920s and 30s cultural and political upheavals; and the perfectly-formed Broadway Danny Rose, a comedy about a theatrical agent who gets mixed up with the Mob. By now, Allen was working with a tightly-knit regular team: cinematographer Gordon Willis, designer Mel Bourne, editor Susan E. Morse and producer Robert Greenhut worked on nearly all of these, achieving an enviable consistency of style at a time when American cinema was moving away from the notion of the auteur director. Collection includes: ¢ Manhattan (1979) ¢ Stardust Memories (1980) ¢ A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982) ¢ Zelig (1983) ¢ Broadway Danny Rose (1984) ¢ The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) ¢ Exclusive to this collection: Manhattan and a hardback book featuring new and archive writing on all the films.
Nominated for two Academy Awards and considered one of [Woody] Allen's most enduring accomplishments (Box office) Manhattan is a wry touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen's first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score Allen's aesthetic triumph is a prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence (Time). Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates a seventeen year- old girlfriend Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) he doesn't love and a lesbian ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage... and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress Mary (Diane Keaton) Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfilment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake - and the gateway to true love... is a revolving door.
Manhattan, Woody Allen's follow-up to Oscar-winning Annie Hall, is a film of many distinctions: its glorious all-Gershwin score, its breathtakingly elegant black-and-white, widescreen cinematography by Gordon Willis (best-known for shooting the Godfather movies); its deeply shaded performances; its witty screenplay that marked a new level in Allen's artistic maturity; and its catalogue of Things that Make Life Worth Living. Allen's "Rhapsody in Gray" concerns, as his own character puts it, "people in Manhattan who are constantly creating these real, unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves, because it keeps them from dealing with more insoluble, terrifying problems about the universe". It's a romantic comedy about infidelity and betrayal, the rules of love and friendship, young girls (a radiant and sweet Mariel Hemingway) and older men (Allen), innocence, and sophistication. (a favourite phrase is used to describe a piece of sculpture at the Guggenheim: "It has a marvellous kind of negative capability".) The film's themes can be summed up in two key lines: "I can't believe you met somebody you like better than me", and "It's very important to have some kind of personal integrity". OK, so they may not sound like such sparkling snatches of brilliant dialogue, but Manhattan puts those ideas across with such emotion that you feel an ache in your heart. --Jim Emerson
A 1991 comedy, Delirious stars John Candy as the head writer on a soap opera set in the fictional small town of Ashford Falls, whose naff power dressing and power wrangling is distinctly reminiscent of Dynasty. Candy has a crush on the somewhat imperious and Joan Collins-esque star of the show, played by Emma Samms, although waiting in the wings to be written into the show is the more wholesome and unaffected actress Mariel Hemingway. Delirious takes a turn when Candy is felled in an accident and awakes, supernaturally, to find himself in the very world of his own soap, with Ashford Falls a real town and its fictional characters, including Samms, now real people. Candy discovers, however, that in this world he has the power to "write" situations as they suit him--in this case, by casting himself as a dashing, wealthy and mysterious Wall Street hero, able to sweep Samms off her feet. The film is in some ways a precursor of Pleasantville (in which two teens are sucked into the world of a "Honey, I'm home" black and white 1950s sitcom). However, between them the star, writers and director (Tom Mankiewicz) make a ham fist of Delirious. The parody of soap mores is quite well done but quickly palls in its obviousness; Candy's performance is misjudged, as if trying too hard to make the best of a bad job; while overall, the film feels cheap, tacky and broad, once again raising the question why in the 1980s and 90s America produced such great sitcoms but such poor film comedies. On the DVD: Delirious is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. It's a decent enough edition but looks its age in places, in terms of colour definition in particular. The only extra is the original trailer. --David Stubbs
Nominated for two Academy-Awards® and considered one of (Woody) Allen's most enduring accomplishments - BoxOffice Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen's first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score. Allen's aesthetic triumph is a prismatic portrait of a time and a place that maybe studied decades hence (Time). Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn't love, and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage...and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfilment. In a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake - and the gateway to true love...is a revolving door. Manhattan, 1979 Supporting Actress (Mariel Hemingway); Original Screenplay Product Features Theatrical Trailer
Small time Miami reporter Malcolm Anderson (Kurt Russell) gets the break he is looking for when he starts getting calls from a notorious murderer in The Mean Season. He and his school teacher girlfriend Christine (Mariel Hemingway) had been planning to move away from the area to start up a new life. However his growing relationship with the killer and subsequent reporting of his crimes means that his career is on the up. But at what price? Soon Malcom realises that instead of just wri
When zombies overrun San Francisco a desperate group survives by locking themselves inside Alcatraz Prison. When the undead breach the island our heroes are forced to return to the mainland overrun with the undead.
Rosamunde Pilcher's enchanting novel September portrays the many facets of human emotions and the complexities of family life as she assembles a cast of unforgettable characters linked by friendship love or birth bringing them together over the months for a glittering Highland party one September.
Whose lifeless body has been found in the loch and how did it get there? We all have secrets, and the aristocratic families living in the Scottish village of Strathcoy are no exception.The beautiful, carefree Pandora disappeared from the village twenty years ago under a cloud of suspicion. She is returning at the invitation of Verena Steynton who is having a dance and wants everyone to be there… whatever the priceWhat past history is Edmund hiding from his wife Virginia? What does Mad Lottie know and how much more will she discover? Why did the down at heel Lord of the Manor Archie drive his sister away? And what price will they all pay for the secrets and lies that must have their consequences? The questions arrive with Pandora. The answers may prove more challenging.
Nanking tells the story of the rape of Nanking one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937 the invading Japanese army murdered over 200 000 and raped tens of thousands of Chinese. In the midst of the horror a small group of Western expatriates banded together to save 250 000 -- an act of extraordinary heroism. Bringing an event little-known outside of Asia to a global audience Nanking shows the tremendous impact individuals can make on the course of history. It is a gripping account of light in the darkest of times.
A political thriller starring Joan Allen as a Senator chosen by the President (Jeff Bridges) to become Vice President. However her potentially scandalous past comes back to haunt her when it is exploited by her political enemies.
Set in 1929 Hollywood the story revolves around the legendary Tom Mix who is making his first talkie western an epic story about the life and times of Wyatt Earp the famous lawman. When Earp who is still alive is hired as technical adviser on the movie egos clash and the two become uneasy partners until a real-life murder calls for some real Wild West skills to be applied to Hollywood...
Verena Steynton (Judy Parfitt) is holding a party for her daughter. All the aristocratic families of Strathcroy in the Scottish Highlands are attending with all their guilty secrets. Lord Archie Balmerino (Edward Fox) a crippled war veteran and his long suffering wife will be there. Edmund Aird (Michael York) a wealthy entrepreneur and his beautiful American wife have been invited. And Pandora (Jacqueline Bisset) Archie's exotic and mysterious sister who disappeared from the village twenty years ago is returning under a cloud of suspicion. Only Edmund and her brother know the secret of her flight from home. But the rumours are flying and the local families feel that Pandora's return can only bring bad luck. When a lifeless body is found in the loch the tension rises. Why has Pandora come back after so long? What are her motives? And has her return already had deadly consequences?
Fourplay
Nobel laureate Harry Wolper (Peter O'Toole) is obsessed with a project to recreate his wife from cells he has kept since her death 30 years ago. He needs some assistance so he hires graduate student Boris (Vincent Spano). However Wolper is distracted not only by the attentions of Meli (Mariel Hemingway) but also by his attempts to set up Boris with Barbara (Virginia Madsen) a beautiful medical student. When Wolper's dream is finally destroyed Boris pleads with him to channel his talents into saving Barbara's life. This unique love story is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry.
When zombies overrun San Francisco a desperate group survives by locking themselves inside Alcatraz Prison. When the undead breach the island our heroes are forced to return to the mainland overrun with the undead.
In a hilarious look at marriage and sexuality in the late 90's a happily married man persuades his loving wife to help him live out the ultimate male fantasy. Marty (Binder) and Laura (Hemmingway) have a wonderful life -the house the cars a successful business. Life is good. But Marty wants to try something different -shake up the marriage add a little spice to their sex life. The spice he has in mind in another woman and not just for himself -the hilarious result is that
Christopher Reeve not only dons the hero's cape for the fourth time in Superman IV: The Quest For Peace but also helped develop the film's provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. For me it's the most personal of the entire series Reeve says. It directly reflects what Superman should be and should be doing. Superman does a lot this time around. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants archvillain Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty plug a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China. Your quest for superheroic excitement is over!
Five great science fiction films in one amazing value box set! Creator Nobel laureate Harry Wolper (Peter O'Toole) is obsessed with a project to recreate his wife from cells he has kept since her death 30 years ago. He needs some assistance so he hires graduate student Boris (Vincent Spano). However Wolper is distracted not only by the attentions of Meli (Mariel Hemingway) but also by his attempts to set up Boris with Barbara (Virginia Madsen) a beautiful medical student. When Wolper's dream is finally destroyed Boris pleads with him to channel his talents into saving Barbara's life. This unique love story is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. Sleep Stalker A small boy's past comes back to haunt him in the form of the evil Sleep Stalker who free from his mortal chains is capable of unimaginable powers... Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man 2 Revisit the poisoned crime-laden streets of a futuristic Los Angeles in this sequel to the cult hit Circuitry Man. After eons of environmental abuse city dwellers have burrowed underground and they seek narcotic bliss from computer chips embedded into their skulls. The hottest chip underground is the one that extends human life ten years. There's just one complication linked to the miracle chip: people must be brutally killed during the manufacturing process. This doesn't bother Plughead the charismatic homicidal cyborg who controls the supply and the buying public doesn't seem to mind either. But biosynthetic do-gooder Danner and an FBI agent plan to disconnect Plughead once and for all... Final Countdown Due to a freak electrical storm the USS Nimitz the world's largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is transported back to December 6 1941 in time to head off the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As the fateful hour grows near the ship's commanders must wrestle with the moral and ethical dilemmas of interfering with the progress of history. From The Dead Of Night Beautiful Joanna Darby (Lindsay Wagner) is haunted by a brush with drowning and her frightful journey to the gates of the afterlife. Soon after she experiences a horrifying series of narrow escapes from death through encounters with strangers who seem bent on killing her. Struggling with fear and past guilt Joanna is unsure whether she is a victim of coincidence or the target of some malicious spirits. Hoping to restore her peace of mind Joanna and her boyfriend visit Mexico where unknowingly they arrive during the annual Day of the Dead festival. Before long Joanna is nearly pulled into another violent death by a boating accident victim who grabs her on his way down. Joanna enlists her old flame Peter to help her unearth supernatural explanations for her predicament. When they discover the eerie truth Joanna must race against time to survive four more attempts on her life by walkers from the other side who want to reclaim her.
As a number of leading figures on the international fashio scene assemble for a major show their personal and professional crises come to a head. Paul Sorvino plays Lorenzo manchini a famous designer who has learned that he only has a short time to live. As he tries to make peace with his wife and long time partner (Peter Gallagher) he also tries to mend his failing relationship with his son. Estelle Warren plays a celebrated young model who has to make the choice between earning a living and keeping her self respect. Cutting-edge designer Roberta (Rita Wilson) is scrambling to pull together her latest collection as her employees start to leave her fashion house one by one. Her best friend and business partner Camille looks likely to be the next to leave the nest as she becomes involved with Jamie (Jeff Golblum) who works for a rival designer. And an editor of a fashion magazine (Joanne Baron) has to confront her past when her daughter Hayley (Michelle Williams) whom she has not seen in twelve years turns up at her office. All the characters have one thing in common- they are all trapped in the machinery that makes the fashion business move and breathe where the clothes are unsellable nevermind unwearable!
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