"Actor: Sue Ellen Blake"

• Il Bidone (Masters of Cinema) (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (30/12/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Federico Fellini followed up his iconic breakthrough La strada with this brilliant drama - an unsparing look at the dog-eat-dog values of post war Italian society that nonetheless manages to navigate expertly between the lightly comic and the emotionally stark to become one of his richest most moving works. Il bidone [The Swindle] follows three small-time conmen - the ageing Augusto (Broderick Crawford) Picasso (Richard Basehart) and Roberto (Franco Fabrizi) - as they prey upon the poor and gullible for modest gains. However once Augusto is unexpectedly reunited with his daughter now struggling with her studies the moral and emotional demands of his lifestyle begin to take their toll sooner than he had anticipated. With its masterful set pieces and host of superb performances (including the director's wife and muse Giuletta Masina) this forms the centrepiece of what has been termed Fellini's Trilogy of Loneliness (with bookending films La strada and Le notti di Cabiria) and may be the darkest examination of human nature he ever attempted. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this long-undervalued classic in a new high-definition restoration. Special Features: Beautiful new high-definition master with the film appearing in 1080p Optional English subtitles Original theatrical trailer 36-Page Booklet featuring the words of Federico Fellini rare imagery and more! More to be announced!

• Il Bidone | DVD | (22/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Some people don't give a damn about your daughter's welfare.... Broderick Crawford takes the role of Augusto in this finely sculpted drama about an ageing con man and his two young sidekicks Roberto and Picasso who swindle the local's out of their money. But Augusto's young accomplices have dreams dreams that are far removed from the lives they lead now. Augusto however still sees his future as a petty theif swindling enough to pay for his nightlife and a better lifestyle. Little could he know though that his own existance would take an unexpected twist as he accidentally bumps into his daughter someone he hasn't seen for some time and who he discovers is having a tough time trying to make ends meet to finish her studies. Surprisingly he finds his attitude changing as it becomes apparent that for the first time in his life his daughter needs his help and maybe he can do something for someone else! In the absence of his partners in crime he joins another group of swindlers but events turn sour and his new partners prove less than charitable toward Augusto when their money goes missing and in retribution leave him a broken and beaten man....