"Actor: S"

• L'amour fou (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (06/05/2024) from £21.09   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sebastian (Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Weekend) is staging an adaptation of Racine's tragedy, Andromaque while a film crew captures their rehearsals on handheld 16mm. The production's star and Sebastian's girlfriend, Claire (Bulle Ogier, Out 1), cannot take the pressure and removes herself. Life imitates art, creating a tragedy for the couple when Sebastian recasts the role with his ex. L'amour fou is a hypnotic study of tempestuous love, told with director Jacques Rivette's signature reflexivity and containing striking examinations of performance, art, theatre and life. A classic of the French New Wave and one of Rivette's most radical works, L'amour fou was unavailable for years, with the original elements tragically burned in a fire. Now meticulously restored, Radiance Films is proud to present this masterpiece from a new 4K restoration.'In my opinion - and I think it will be shared by many - this is one of the five or six best films of the New Wave.' - François Truffaut'L'amour fou is still my favourite film.' - Bulle Ogier'The work of a rebel, of an artist seeking to smash the codes and clichés of the 'normal' productions of the time.' - Jean-Pierre Kalfon'L'amour fou, is cinema without formal precedent. As with all great films, it feels like watching the birth of cinema, seeing the first ever film, and also the last.' - André S. Labarthe'A filmmaker sets up his camera and, above all, watches the actors, with no concern for characters or respect for a preestablished scenario. I'd like to draw inspiration from this. I'd like to grasp the personality of my actors and make cinéma vérité - Bernardo Bertolucci'L'amour Fou speaks to those who are madly in love with cinema.' - Jean De Baroncelli, Le Monde, 1969'One of Rivette's best films.' - Serge Daney, Libération 1991Product FeaturesLIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:4K restoration from materials kept at Les Archives du Film and in Éclair-Preservation, under the supervision of Caroline ChampetierUncompressed mono PCM audioA newly filmed feature-length documentary featuring new interviews with star Jean-Pierre Kalfon; writer/director and Rivette collaborator Pascal Bonitzer; Rivette biographer Antoine de Baecque; critic/historian Sylvie Pierre; and archival footage of Jacques Rivette (Robert Fischer, 2024, 95 mins)New interview with Caroline Champetier, renowned cinematographer and restoration supervisor (2024)The Third Eye - A video essay by film critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin (2024)Newly translated English subtitles Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jessica Felrice and archival writings by Véronique Manniez-Rivette, an archival interview with Jacques Rivette and images of the director's notesLimited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

• Stargate SG-1: Season 5 | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £25.53   |  Saving you £34.46 (134.98%)   |  RRP £59.99

  It now seems clear that year five of Stargate will be remembered as the one where something went awry with Daniel Jackson. Lots of behind-the-scenes rumours fuelled the idea of cast tension, but whatever the problem, his sudden departure from the show was obviously via a hastily contrived scenario. In retrospect, there must have been a problem for some while before the weird penultimate episode ("Meridian"). Michael Shanks looks frequently bored in his rare moments of individual screen time as he infiltrates a Goa'uld meeting and even when making friends with a creature everyone else wants dead. In fact, there's only one point when everyone really seems to be having fun, and that's in the spoof 100th episode "Wormhole X-treme!" Most shows go through a run-around, skin-of-their-teeth period awaiting renewal and it certainly seems to have affected storylines this year. For example, a next generation of younger SG teams is introduced. Replacements? The most unfortunate aspect of things however was that not a single episode managed to stand alone on its own merits. Every single story was dependent on a part of the greater interwoven warring species threads. Some of the one-off tales were terrific in and of themselves, but it was as if the writers fell into the trap of having to refer to as much backstory as possible, perhaps to ensure loose ends could be easily wrapped up? Ultimately none of this mattered since the show went on for quite a while. --Paul Tonks

• Moonstruck (The Criterion Collection) | Blu Ray | (17/11/2020) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Gonzo - The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson | DVD | (13/04/2009) from £11.72   |  Saving you £9.26 (106.07%)   |  RRP £17.99

  In this incredible new documentary, narrated by Johnny Depp, award-winning director Alex Gibney takes you on a trip through the psychedelic life of legendary author, Hunter S. Thompson.

• Taxi | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £5.84   |  Saving you £4.14 (145.26%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Daniel, a former pizza-delivery guy now working as a taxi-driver, is speed crazy.

• Battle Royale (Director's Cut) | Blu Ray | (10/07/2017) from £15.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence it’s only fitting that Kenta Fukasaku’s Battle Royale is being touted as A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese schoolkids, whose bad behaviour provides a justification for the "punishments" which will ensue. To be honest, anyone who has grown up with Grange Hill will view these aggressive teenagers’ acts as pretty moderate, but in the context of Japanese culture, their lack of respect is a challenge to the traditional values of respecting your elders. Once the prequel has been dispensed with the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ("Beat" Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate: after an impartial Lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the "Battle Royale". Their only chance of survival in the "Battle" is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. The film looks like a war-flick on occasions, with intense Apocalypse Now-style imagery (check out the classical score blasted over the tannoys with sweeping shots of helicopters). Yet, Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities’ desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. But whether you view the film as an important social commentary or simply enjoy the adrenalin-fuelled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer game generation and beyond. On the DVD: Battle Royale has been re-released in this new and improved version. Now offered in progressive scan, utilising NTSC technology which has enhanced the picture quality. Please be aware though that not all DVD players are compatible, if unsure your best to opt for the first release.--Nikki Disney

• Alien 3 - The Director's Cut (Two Disc Special Edition) | DVD | (12/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the lone survivor when her crippled spaceship crash lands on Fiorina 161 a bleak wasteland inhabited by former inmates of the planet's maximum security prison. Ripley's fears that an Alien was aboard her craft are confirmed when the mutilated bodies of ex-cons begin to mount. Without weapons or modern technology of any kind Ripley must lead the men into battle against the terrifying creature. And soon she discovers a horrifying fact about her link with the Alien a realisation that may compel Ripley to try destroying not only the horrific creature but herself as well.

• The Kingdom | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £4.04   |  Saving you £19.21 (691.01%)   |  RRP £21.99

  The Kingdom has been described as "ER meets Twin Peaks", and seldom can the standard and the surreal have met in more perfect accord. The hospital that conceals dark secrets is the premise for this riveting "soap"--seen on Danish TV in 1994--in which science and civilisation are eroded by superstition and instinct. Lars von Trier is not a director who aims to please, and the claustrophobic visuals he draws from handheld cameras and natural lighting anticipate the stripped-down film work of his Dogme 95 movement. Yet there's nothing cerebral about the goings-on here, thanks to the rich variety of characters who people the labyrinthine corridors and functional wards. The Minister's visit and the Haiti jaunt are slapstick humour worthy of the best Python sketches, and Trier is never afraid to mix the prosaic with the profound. There are wonderfully observed performances from Ernst Hugo Jaregard as chequered Swedish surgeon Stig Helmer, and Kirsten Rolffes as common-sense psychic Sigrid Drusse. These are only the first five episodes: having seen them, you'll be awaiting the remainder with impatience. This is persuasive, provocative filmmaking. On the DVD: The Kingdom on disc has audio and visual reproduction that is authentically Trier, with English subtitles and 10 access points per episode. Each part is viewable separately or in sequence, though make sure you don't lose some of the director's amusingly offbeat postscripts. The first disc also features Tranceformer, a frank insight into the mind and movies of Lars von Trier with extracts from his features between 1984 and 95. --Richard Whitehouse

• Parallel Mothers | DVD | (16/05/2022) from £8.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Two women, Janis and Ana, meet in a hospital where they are about to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, has no regrets and is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared and repentant. Janis tries to encourage her as they move like sleepwalkers through the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between them, which by chance will develop and complicate, changing their lives in a decisive way.

• Round The Twist - Series 4 | DVD | (05/12/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The complete fourth and final series available on DVD for the first time! First screened in 1990 Round The Twist soon became a much loved children's show when it was first aired on in the UK on the BBC. Adapted from the stories of Paul Jennings Round The Twist became renowned for its weird mysteries and was broadcast to over 70 countries. This complete series release tells the story of the Twist family Tony Twist (Dad) and his three children - 14 year old twins Pete and Linda an

• The Truth About Charlie | DVD | (29/09/2003) from £8.08   |  Saving you £9.91 (122.65%)   |  RRP £17.99

  When a woman's husband is murdered on a train, she's pursued by four mysterious men who believe she's hiding her husband's money from them and that they deserve a share of the loot.

• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | Blu Ray | (25/09/2017) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When the child Arthur's father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur's uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy whether he likes it or not.

• Dexter - Season 8 | DVD | (18/11/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.42

  IT'S A WRAP. It's the beginning of the end for charming Miami forensics expert Dexter Morgan (Golden Globe� Winner Michael C. Hall) as all 12 season eight episodes bring to rest the critically acclaimed hit series. He's spent his days solving crimes and his nights committing them, but never before has Dexter had to deal with a more abhorrent and deranged enemy than he does now: himself. Six months after the stunning murder of Lt. LaGuerta, Dexter's estranged sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter)...

• Guys And Dolls - Samuel Goldwyn Presents | DVD | (08/05/2017) from £4.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This CinemaScope treatment of Frank Loesser's hit Broadway musical Guys and Dolls is a deeply rewarding visual and musical experience. Frank Sinatra turns in one of his best screen performances running a close second to Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, looking adorable and singing sweetly. In essence this is a piece of photographed theatre mounted on a handsome scale. The striking set designs and a brilliantly executed soundtrack are courtesy of two Broadway craftsmen Oliver Smith and conductor Jay Blackton. Photographer Harry Stradling brings a meticulous eye for detail when his camera stationed on the auditorium side of the frame, peers into Miss Adelaide's bathroom cupboard as she views the lines of medicine bottles in her celebrated "lament". Sinatra, in his vocal prime, sings a new number to Adelaide (Vivian Blaine)--arranged by Nelson Riddle--and Brando and Simmons strike chords in all their scenes from their opening duet "I'll Know" through to their evening out at a Havana bistro where she gets pie-eyed on a Bacardi milk-shake, tipsily wondering "If I were a Bell". Stubby Kaye also from the Broadway cast recreates the show-stopping "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat". Michael Kidd's choreography for "Luck Be a Lady" is razor-sharp and superbly captured in the CinemaScope format, though the formalised staging of the opening ought to have been rethought for this medium. The biggest pity is that Loesser amended some of his lyrics and replaced several tunes from his original score with inferior material. On the DVD: The DVD trailer hosted by Ed Sullivan makes much of the $1,000,000 cheque producer Samuel Goldwyn paid for the rights and the previews of the picture he obtained for his weekly television show. There's no denying that the remastered stereophonic soundtrack captures the Broadway sound to thrilling effect without it being overglamorised. The picture looks splendid too--never settle for the compromise version we've endured all these years on television! --Adrian Edwards

• Lawrence of Arabia - Two Disc Set | DVD | (09/04/2001) from £4.87   |  Saving you £20.12 (413.14%)   |  RRP £24.99

  In 1962 Lawrence of Arabia scooped another seven Oscars for David Lean and crew after his previous epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, had performed exactly the same feat a few years earlier. Supported in this Great War desert adventure by a superb cast including Alex Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole gives a complex, star-making performance as the enigmatic TE Lawrence. The magnificent action and vast desert panoramas were captured in luminous 70mm by Cinematographer Freddie Young, here beginning a partnership with Lean that continued through Dr Zhivago (1965) and Ryan's Daughter (1970). Yet what made the film truly outstanding was Robert (A Man For All Seasons) Bolt's literate screenplay, marking the beginning of yet another ongoing collaboration with Lean. The final partnership established was between director and French composer Maurice Jarre, who won one of the Oscars and scored all Lean's remaining films, up to and including A Passage to India in 1984. Fully restored in 1989, this complete version of Lean's masterpiece remains one of cinema's all-time classic visions. --Gary S Dalkin On the DVD: This vast movie is spread leisurely across two discs, with Maurice Jarre's overture standing in as intermission music for the first track of disc two. But the clarity of the anamorphic widescreen picture and Dolby 5.1 soundtrack justify the decision not to cram the whole thing onto one side of a disc. The movie has never looked nor sounded better than here: the desert landscapes are incredibly detailed, with the tiny nomadic figures in the far distance clearly visible on the small screen; the remastered soundtrack, too, is a joy. Thanks are due to Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg who supervised (and financed) the restoration of the picture in 1989; on disc two Spielberg chats about why David Lean is his favourite director, and why Lawrence had such a profound influence on him both as a child and as a filmmaker (he regularly re-watches the movie before starting any new project). Other features include an excellent and exhaustive "making-of" documentary with contributions from surviving cast and crew (an avuncular Omar Sharif is particularly entertaining as he reminisces about meeting the hawk-like Lean for the first time), some contemporary featurettes designed to promote the movie and a DVD-ROM facility. The extra features are good--especially the documentary--but the breathtaking quality of both anamorphic picture and digital sound are what make this DVD package a triumph. --Mark Walker

• Woodstock | Blu Ray | (15/06/2009) from £11.89   |  Saving you £11.10 (93.36%)   |  RRP £22.99

  In August 1969 half a million hippies flocked to attend a huge rock music event at Woodstock USA. It was an event destined to become the definitive document on the freaked-out craziness of the peace and love era. The line-up includes The Who Joan Baez Santana Joe Cocker Ten Years After Country Joe And The Fish Crosby Stills And Nash and Jimi Hendrix.

• Open Hearts | DVD | (06/10/2003) from £8.45   |  Saving you £5.54 (65.56%)   |  RRP £13.99

  A Danish Dogme film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident.

• Cirque Du Soleil - Dralion | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £3.97   |  Saving you £16.02 (403.53%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The work of the Canadian circus troupe Cirque Du Soleil, Dralion is a show which has toured worldwide. It features elements of Chinese circus tradition interspersed with the troupe's own pan-cultural sense of stage spectacle. It's a combination of music, dance, clowning and acrobatics lavishly bathed in dry ice, strobe lights and a colourful array of oriental finery, elaborate costumes and props. Here you'l find Chinese women finding the strength from somewhere in their tiny bodies to balance by their hands atop 10-foot poles which are wheeled around gracefully; and young boys tumbling rapidly through revolving golden hoops; and bronzed dancers swinging through the air in balletic arcs from lengths of blue ribbon. What one could do without, though, is the She-Goddess' New Age babble throughout the proceedings, as well as the soundtrack, which is a queasy fusion of world music marinated in bass. There's also an over-indulgence of costume and choreography, presumably the work of the "avant garde" Cirque Du Soleil, though much here is distinctly apres-garde, reminding the viewer irresistibly of the musical extravaganza that was the daily centrepiece of the ill-fated Millennium Dome. All of this at times smothers and distracts from the impressive physical feats of the Chinese performers. Still, for the three million people who have witnessed this show worldwide this will certainly provide a worthy memento.On the DVD: a number of extra features include a featurette about the five-month deadline the troupe had to meet in putting together the show, splendid for those who thrill to the spectacle of tents being erected and dancers being winched carefully into the rafters of giant hangars. There's also a facility for viewing the performances from different angles. The show is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and is generally pristine in both colour and definition. --David Stubbs

• What's New Pussycat | DVD | (27/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  O'Toole stars as a fashion editor in Paris who is constantly surrounded by beautiful women - a leggy American stripper a blonde daredevil and a neurotic nymphomaniac. The problem is that they all find him irresistable which makes it almost impossible for O'Toole to settle down with his marriage-minded girlfriend. Woody Allen makes his film debut as O'Toole's sex-starved friend who would kill to have such problems! Peter Sellers in a dazzlingly demented performance plays a famed ps

• Criterion Collection: Devil's Backbone | Blu Ray | (30/07/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A