Shakespeare Wallah (DVD)
$20.88
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Shakespeare Wallah (DVD)
Director James Ivory based his black-and-white 1965 film, SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, about a struggling English troupe of Shakespearan actors touring India, on an actual theater company called Shakespeariana. Shakespeariana's director, Geoffrey Kendal; his wife, Laura Liddell; and their daughter, Felicity Kendal, play Tony, Carla and Lizzie Buckingham, respectively. The Buckinghams tour postindependence India at a time when English influence is dying and the world of Indian filmmaking is beginning to achieve mass popularity. In the midst of their travels, the troupe's caravan breaks down, and an Indian playboy, Sanju (Shashi Kapoor), stops to help. A romance quickly starts between Lizzie and the handsome Indian. True to his nature, however, the playboy also carries on an affair with a popular Indian film actress, Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey).The familiar Merchant Ivory theme of misplacement within a society is here in full force. The film explores the dichotomy between the two worlds: Old British rule versus an independent India as well as the world of staged theater versus the newer medium of film. Felicity Kendal was actually the sister-in-law of her romantic lead; Kapoor was married to her sister, the actress Jennifer Kendal (appearing here as Jennifer Kapoor in the role of Mrs. Bowen), whom he would star with in Ivory's 1970 movie BOMBAY TALKIE.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreen - 1.85Audio: Mono - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Documentaries - 1.The Delhi Way (Short Feature by James Ivory) Featurettes - 1.Conversation With the Filmmakers
Drama
The Nude Set (DVD)
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The Nude Set (DVD)
An attractive, but spoiled young woman (Agnes Laurent) attempts to convince her rich parents to send her from her country home to the thrilling city of Paris. Using the old excuse of furthering her education, her persuasive powers prove worthy. The onlyeducation she is interested in, however, is that of the adult variety since her purpose for traveling is to continue her relationship with a Parisian student. Her education and confidence in these matters only intensifies as she soon discovers the seductive world of cabaret and striptease.
It is not long before the spoiled heroine sees her calling and begins to become more proactive in this strip club culture. This tale of hoisting one's self up by their bootstraps was the first release by Audubon Films, a legendary production company and distribution arm for exploitation product.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Single Side - Dual LayerAdditional Release Material: Outtakes Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
2. Vintage Trailer GalleryText/Galleries: Photo Gallery Liner NotesInteractive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus
Drama
Savages (DVD)
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Savages (DVD)
The first American film from Merchant Ivory Productions, SAVAGES is an allegorical tale which takes a hard look at what we deem civilized. When a croquet ball rolls into the middle of a human sacrifice, a tribe called the Mud People becomes curious and follows it into a deserted stately home. After the primitive people enter the mansion, a mysterious change occurs and the motley crew is suddenly transformed into refined individuals attending an elegant dinner party in 1930s. The group includes a songwriter, a hostess, a capitalist, a man dressed as a woman, a debutante (former model Susan Blakely) and a limping man (played by a young Sam Waterston). The script was written by New Yorker staff writer George Swift Trow and Michael O' Donoghue, a writer for National Lampoon who went on to be a major writing force in the early years of Saturday Night Live. SAVAGES director James Ivory conceived of the idea for the film after discovering Beechwood, a deserted mansion in Scarborough, New York, 40 miles outside of New York City. The film was shot on location there in both black-and-white and color. The scenes depicting primitive times are black-and-white; modern times appear in color.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseWidescreen - 1.78Audio: Mono - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Documentaries - 1.The Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization Featurettes - 1.Conversation With the Filmmakers
Drama
Tomorrow (DVD)
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Tomorrow (DVD)
A powerful tale of the love shared between two impoverished people who live in a small southern community. Featuring Robert Duvall in his first major film role and written by Oscar winner Horton Foote (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD), TOMORROW is based on the William Faulkner story of the same name.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Audio: Mono - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Interviews - 1. Robert Duvall - Star, Horton Foote - Screenwriter Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical TrailerText/Image Galleries: Original William Faulkner Short Story and Accompanying Illustrations by Artist Floyd Davis (The Saturday Evening Post) Liner Notes - 1. Sheila Benson - Film Critic
Drama
All About Lily Chou-Chou (DVD)
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All About Lily Chou-Chou (DVD)
Ah, to be young again and experience anew the horror show that is youth. In Shunji Iwai's ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU there is nothing redeeming about the adolescent years. It's an out-and-out war among teen peers. If viewers were shocked at the frank depiction of sexuality and violence in Larry Clark's KIDS, then they'll flip over LILY CHOU-CHOU, which is just as gritty and twice as rough.Yuichi Hasumi (Hayato Ichihara), Shusuke Hoshino (Shugo Oshinari), and their cohorts artfully dodge a string of life-threatening nightmares and seek release through overactive involvement in cyber culture, pop music, and celebrity. Hasumi plods through junior high school guarded and mostly mute, but in the soft cocoon of cyberspace he proves to be ravenous for joyful expression. He and his classmates abide by an unwritten code that these impulses are voiced only in the stunted dialogue of a chat room dedicated to the fictitious pop star, Lily Chou-Chou. Meanwhile, the same kids spend their days sitting in classrooms run by bullies and are fed a regular diet of public humiliation, petty thievery, and straight violence.Iwai has established himself in Japan with such films as APRIL STORY, SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY, and PICNIC, and is known for cool subject matter. Its obvious in seeing LILY CHOU-CHOU that he is a clear barometer of pop trends. The ecstatic compositions and ample palette of shockingly lush colors provide a unique, private, happy ending.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseAnamorphic Widescreen - 1.85Audio: Stereo - JapaneseAdditional Release Material: Featurette - 1. Making Of ALL ABOUT LILLY CHOU-CHOU Music Videos - 1.Wings That Can't Fly SalyuText/Photo Gallery: Filmography - 1. Shunji Iwai - Director Biographies - 1. Shunji Iwai - Director Essay By Director Shunji Iwai
Drama
Howards End (DVD)
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Howards End (DVD)
E.M. Forster's 1910 novel is adapted for the screen by Merchant Ivory Productions in this masterful Edwardian Age romance directed by James Ivory. The dying Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave) wishes to leave her country home, Howards End, to Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson in an Academy Award-winning role), a modest woman of little means who will soon be forced out of her own home in London. But Ruth's husband, Henry (Anthony Hopkins), an upper middle class businessman, keeps secret her desire even after he and Margaret become friends. However, after Henry and Margaret marry, their class differences and philosophies threaten to cause them unhappiness. Margaret's sister, Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), is disgusted by the Wilcox's snobbish ways and is attracted to helping struggling clerk Leonard Bast (Sam West) improve his position. Merchant-Ivory screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was the force behind adapting this Forster novel into a film, winning her second Academy Award for her screenplay; her first Oscar was for A ROOM WITH A VIEW.DVD Features:Region 1 EncodingKeep CaseSpecial Features: Interactive Menus, Theatrical Trailers, Scene Selections.
Drama
Lilies (DVD)
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Lilies (DVD)
A Catholic bishop is taken hostage in a prison by his boyhood friend, Simon, in 1952. Simon forces his boyhood friend to reenact the events that shaped both their lives forty years earlier.DVD FeaturesRegion 1 EncodingKeep Case
Drama
Like it Is (DVD)
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Like it Is (DVD)
An honest portrait of homosexual love set in England. The story concerns a bare-knuckle fighter and a record producer who fall in love despite their incredibly opposite backgrounds. Daltrey makes a memorable appearance as a cranky boss.DVD FeaturesRegion 1Keep CaseAdditional Release Material: Interviews - 1. Cast Trailers - 1. Original British Theatrical TrailerInteractive Features: Chapter Search
Drama
Hamoun (DVD)
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Hamoun (DVD)
Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui offers a touching tale of love and life in this absorbing drama. Hamid is an intellectual who is struggling with the concept of love. He can neither write about it, nor convince his divorce-hungry wife to love him. In short, he's a mess, but fortunately Mehrjui adds a dose of comedy to the tale for some light relief, making this a thoroughly enjoyable ride through Iranian culture.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo - FarsiText/Photo Galleries: Stills/Photos Film Notes Biographies
Drama
Everything is Illuminated (DVD)
$20.85
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Everything is Illuminated (DVD)
Acclaimed actor Liev Schrieber (RKO 281, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) makes his directorial debut in this adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer`s best-selling novel about a young Jewish-American writer of the same name. Mixing equal parts black comedy and poignant drama, the film follows Jonathan as he travels to the Ukraine to solve a family secret. There he meets his barely legitimate tour guides: Alex (Eugene Hutz, member of the folk-punk band Gogol Bordello), a cosmopolitan playboy obsessed with Michael Jackson and other American icons; Alex s grandfather, a man worn down by life who seems to be losing his grip on reality; and Sammy Davis, Jr. Jr, the
seeing eye bitch
dog who comes along for the ride. As Jonathan closes in on his goal--to find the story behind the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust, it becomes clear that Alex s grandfather has a dark secret of his own that needs to be, as the film suggests, illuminated.EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED lives up to the quirkiness of its source material, and is similar to films like BEING JOHN MALKOVICH or LOST IN TRANSLATION. Filmed on location in Prague, the film features breathtaking landscapes, including a memorable scene in a field of sunflowers. Also notable is the film s soundtrack, which features songs by Gogol Bordello, as well as an outstanding ethnic score by Paul Cantelon. Quirky, funny, sweet, and sad, Schreiber s excellent adaptation provides both closure and hope for survivors of the Holocaust.
Drama
Bee Season (DVD)
$20.85
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Bee Season (DVD)
Based on the bestselling novel by Myla Goldberg, BEE SEASON follows a family of seekers, each of whom is looking to God, transcendence, or love, in their search for something greater than themselves. Eleven-year-old Eliza Nauman (Flora Cross in a promising debut) is on her way to becoming the national spelling bee champion, much to the delight of her heretofore somewhat dismissive father, Saul (Richard Gere). A professor of religion who wrote his thesis on Jewish mysticism, Saul has previously shown more interest in Eliza`s older brother, Aaron (Max Minghella), a serious-minded young scholar and cello player. In what soon becomes clear is his customary manner, Saul takes control of Eliza`s spelling career, and focuses on her to the exclusion of the rest of his family. Meanwhile, his wife, Miriam (Juliette Binoche), is quietly facing a spiritual crisis, and unbeknownst to her family is engaging in petty thievery in her quest for beauty and salvation. Saul is unwilling to admit that anything is wrong-and thus out of his control-while the unmoored Aaron turns to the beatific Chali (Kate Bosworth), a hare Krishna, for spiritual sustenance and comfort. As Saul attempts to tap Eliza`s uncanny knack with words and create a pipeline to God according to the tenets of an ancient Kabbalah scholar, Eliza blames herself for everyone`s troubles. As the final competition draws nigh and the family disintegrates, however, it might just be that Eliza is the only one who can save them.
Drama