"Actor: Oskar WERNER"

• Fahrenheit 451 | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with petrol and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct towards reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• The Spy Who Came In From The Cold | Blu Ray | (17/05/2021) from £12.55   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The acclaimed, best-selling novel by John le Carré, about a Cold War spy on one final dangerous mission in East Germany, is transmuted by director Martin Ritt (Hud, Norma Rae) into a film every bit as precise and ruthless as the book. Academy Award-nominated Richard Burton (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Becket,1984) is superb as Alec Leamas, whose relationship with the beautiful librarian Nan, played by Claire Bloom (Hamlet, A Streetcar Named Desire), puts his assignment in jeopardy. Winner of 4 BAFTA Awards (including Best British Film) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a hard-edged and tragic thriller, suffused with the political and social consciousness that defined Ritt's career. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Special Features Limited Edition Exclusive O-Card slipcase with new artwork by artist Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a restored high-definition digital transfer Uncompressed LPCM Stereo audio Optional English SDH Brand new audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin Brand new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns PLUS: A 48 PAGE collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Richard Combs; and a number of archival pieces and imagery

• Spy Who Came In From The Cold | DVD | (06/11/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Oscar nominee Richard Burton is a burnt-out British agent who refuses to ""come in from the cold"" to take a desk job-but instead launches into the most dangerous assignment of his career stalking East German agent Oskar Werner. John Le Carre's best-selling novel provides the basis for this breathtaking thriller of espionage intrigue crosses and double crosses. First-rate performances from the entire cast are matched by a tension-packed and brilliantly plotted screenplay with masterful direction from Martin Ritt.

• Lola Montes (1955) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (11/05/2020) from £23.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Lola Montès is a visually ravishing, narratively daring dramatization of the life of the notorious courtesan and showgirl, played by Martine Carol. With his customary cinematographic flourish and, for the first time, vibrant colour, Max Ophuls charts Montès's scandalous past through the bombastic ringmaster (Peter Ustinov) of the American circus where she ends up performing. Ophuls's final film, Lola Montès is at once a magnificent romantic melodrama, a meditation on the lurid fascination with celebrity, and a meticulous, one-of-a-kind movie spectacle. Special Features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Audio commentary featuring Max Ophuls scholar Susan White Max Ophuls ou le plaisir de tourner, a 1965 episode of the French television program Cinéastes de notre temps, featuring interviews with many of Ophuls's collaborators Max by Marcel, a new documentary by Marcel Ophuls about his father and the making of Lola Montès Silent footage of actress Martine Carol demonstrating the various glamorous hairstyles in Lola Montès Theatrical rerelease trailer from Rialto Pictures New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Gary Giddins

• The François Truffaut Collection | Blu Ray | (08/12/2014) from £54.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (27.28%)   |  RRP £69.99

  Features SHOOT THE PIANIST, JULES ET JIM, THE SOFT SKIN, ANNE & MURIEL, A GORGEOUS GIRL LIKE ME, THE LAST METRO, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, FINALLY SUNDAY.

• Jules Et Jim | DVD | (28/07/2014) from £10.00   |  Saving you £5.99 (59.90%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Francois Truffaut's classic tale of a love triangle which takes place over 20 years both before and after World War I. Jeanne Moreau stars as Catherine the beautiful and unpredictable woman who maintains a delicate relationship with two friends the quiet German Jules (Oskar Werner) and the romantic Parisian Jim (Henri Serre). The War intervenes and drives the men to the opposing fronts; afterwards the two quickly resume their friendship but the balance of their relationship with Catherine is now upset by more adult concerns.

• Jules et Jim (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (25/04/2022) from £9.40   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Set just before the outbreak of World War One, François Truffaut's hugely popular classic sees Jeanne Moreau at her most ebullient as Catherine, a Parisian beauty caught up in a complex ménage à trois. Fast, funny and stylish, this romantic rollercoaster presented in a new 2K restoration is deeply affecting and engaging, and confirmed Truffaut's status as a key director of the French New Wave. Featuring ground-breaking artistic innovations and iconic imagery galore, Jules et Jim remains a highly influential landmark of world cinema.

• Jules And Jim | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jules and Jim meet in Paris just before the start of World War I where they also meet Catherine an enchanting but unpredictable woman. This story focuses on the life-long friendship of Jules and Jim and their mutual love for the same woman and what becomes the most amicable of love triangles.

• Fahrenheit 451 | Blu Ray | (29/05/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  François Truffaut co-writes and directs this classic drama adapted from Ray Bradbury's novel. In the not-too-distant future, forbidden volumes of literature are burned regularly by the 'firemen'. Montag (Oskar Werner) is the man in charge of the burnings, but after meeting a revolutionary book-owner, schoolteacher Clarisse (Julie Christie), he begins to have doubts - both about his vocation and his dead marriage to pleasure-seeking Linda (also Christie). Curious about the draw of literature, Montag keeps forbidden volumes of books for himself, and soon embarks on a secret affair with Linda. The cast also includes Anton Diffring and Cyril Cusack.

• Ship Of Fools | DVD | (05/02/2007) from £13.49   |  Saving you £-0.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ship Of Fools is set on a German ocean liner during the Nazi regime of the 1930's. In the high class section are several well-to-do people while below deck are a horde of sugar field workers returning to Spain after a season of work in Cuba. The ship is a hot bed of disillusionment prejudice anddelusions of grandeur.

• Jules Et Jim | Blu Ray | (28/07/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Francois Truffaut's classic tale of a love triangle which takes place over 20 years both before and after World War I. Jeanne Moreau stars as Catherine the beautiful and unpredictable woman who maintains a delicate relationship with two friends the quiet German Jules (Oskar Werner) and the romantic Parisian Jim (Henri Serre). The War intervenes and drives the men to the opposing fronts; afterwards the two quickly resume their friendship but the balance of their relationship with Catherine is now upset by more adult concerns.

• Decision Before Dawn | DVD | (31/01/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Tense spy drama about a German traitor who offers his services to the Allies towards the end of WWII. Claiming he wants to help save his country German prisoner Karl Maurer (Oskar Werner) offers himself as a spy to the American forces. But shortly after he is sent behind enemy lines his overseer Lt. Dick Rennick (Richard Basehart) begins to have serious doubts about whether he can trust the new recruit. With Rennick becoming ever more suspicious about Maurer's motives the pair soon find themselves in the thick of battle but uncertainty remains as to who the common enemy is.

• Jules Et Jim | DVD | (26/08/2002) from £20.90   |  Saving you £-0.91 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jules Et Jim' is Francois Truffaut's beautiful and enigmatic film about the lifelong friendship between two writers - French novelist Jim (Henri Serre) and Austrian children's author Jules (Oskar Werner) - and their mutual love for the eccentric Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). With artful black-and-white imagery the story begins in 1920s Paris when Jules and Jim first meet and become friends. As young single men they gallavant about Paris chasing women or studying ancient art. When they meet the equally energetic Catherine whose impulses range from dressing up as a man to taking midnight plunges into the Seine their circle is complete. But when World War II erupts with Jules and Jim fighting on opposite sides everything changes. Jules marries Catherine before going off to battle. After the war they settle into a quiet existence in the French countryside. But Catherine is restless and unfaithful. Jim reunites with his oldest and closest friend and Catherine makes room for him in their house asking him to move in and become her lover. Jim complies as he wants nothing more than to please his friend Jules who agrees to the plan...

• Essential Truffaut Collection | DVD | (05/12/2005) from £89.99   |  Saving you £-40.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Jules Et Jim (1960): Francois Truffaut's beautiful and enigmatic film about the lifelong friendship between two writers - French novelist Jim (Henri Serre) and Austrian children's author Jules (Oskar Werner) - and their mutual love for the eccentric Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). The story begins in 1920s Paris when Jules and Jim first meet and become friends. As young single men they gallavant about Paris chasing women or studying ancient art. When they meet the equally energetic Catherine whose impulses range from dressing up as a man to taking midnight plunges into the Seine their circle is complete. But when World War II erupts with Jules and Jim fighting on opposite sides everything changes. Jules marries Catherine before going off to battle. After the war they settle into a quiet existence in the French countryside. But Catherine is restless and unfaithful. Jim reunites with his oldest and closest friend and Catherine makes room for him in their house asking him to move in and become her lover. Jim complies as he wants nothing more than to please his friend Jules who agrees to the plan... The Last Metro (1980): Winning an incredible ten French Academy Awards in 1981 The Last Metro is one of Truffaut's most highly acclaimed and popular films. Starring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu in magnetic performances the story is set in Paris 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France. When Lucas Steiner (Heinz Bennett) the Jewish owner of the Montparnasse Theatre is forced into hiding his wife and lead actress Marion (Deneuve) takes over. Desperate to keep both the troupe and Lucas alive she stages a new play which must be a success to continue. She hires the womanising actor Bernard Granger (Depardieu) for the lead in their next production. Just as the actors begin their rehearsals an anti-semitic journalist ensconces himself in the theatre creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Will he discover Lucas' hideaway and the political affiliations of the group's lead actor? Truffaut delivers a captivating study of artists (the actors) struggling against the odds (the Nazis) and a compelling insight into the atmosphere of wartime Paris and the theatre set against a backdrop of exquisite period detail. La Peau Douce (1964): Pierre is a successful happily married publisher who meets Nicole a lovely airplane stewardess and begins a lustful affair with her. As his passion deepens he realizes he must choose between his wife Franca and his mistress. However the movie takes a suprising twist leading to one of the most startling conclusions in film history... The 400 Blows (1959): Praised by film-makers and critics the world over Truffaut's 400 Blows launched the Nouvelle Vague and paved the way for some of cinema's most important and influential directors. Twelve-year-old Antoine Doinel has troubles at home and at school. Ignored and neglected by his parents his relationship with his mother is further strained when he discovers that she has taken a secret lover. Added to this his school teachers have written him off as a troublemaker and with luck seemingly never on his side it is Antoine who ends up getting the blame for bad behaviour. Finding refuge only in his love of cinema Antoine soon finds it necessary to break free and discover what the world can offer outside of the confines of his everyday life. This remarkable film features the extraordinary talent of Jean-Pierre Leaud as the rebellious Antoine a character based on Truffaut himself. Doinel was to make appearances in a number of Truffaut's films (including Stolen Kisses Bed and Board and Love on the Run) all of which chart his further adventures into adulthood.

• Life and Loves of Mozart | DVD | (14/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £18.99

  The composition and premieres of Zauberflote and the Requiem with the renowned Vienna Mozart ensemble of the 50s Oskar Werner Life And Loves Of Mozart.