Ran - Criterion Collection (DVD)
$28.47
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Ran - Criterion Collection (DVD)
For his 27th film, the
sensei
of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa, transposes Shakespeare`s KING LEAR to feudal Japan. RAN, which translates as
chaos
or
turmoil,
is the tragic tale of Lord Hidetora, a warlord who decides to divide his empire among his three sons on the eve of his 70th birthday. However, Hidetora`s youngest and most compassionate son, Saburo, defiantly objects to this hasty decision and is disowned by the proud, stubborn ruler. Once the two eldest sons take control of the empire, they quickly turn on their father and begin vying for total control over the land. As Hidetora is banished from his own kingdom in a bloody battle, he must confront the consequences of his violent, ruthless past. Ten years in the making, RAN represents the culmination of Kurosawa`s career by revisiting his skill at adapting Shakespeare, as evidenced in THRONE OF BLOOD, and displaying the cinematic splendor of his other landmark films such as SEVEN SAMURAI and RASHOMON. With its magnificent costumes, breathtaking settings, and amazingly photographed battle sequences, the film is truly stunning. An epic on the grandest of scales, RAN is not only one of Kurosawa`s finest films, it is a glorious masterpiece of Japanese cinema.
Foreign
Ugetsu - Criterion Collection (DVD)
$28.47
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Ugetsu - Criterion Collection (DVD)
Often cited by critics as one of the greatest films ever made, Kenji Mizoguchi`s UGETSU includes the director`s signature theme of the women oppressed while adopting a broader philosophical perspective on human affairs. Set against the backdrop of the feudal wars of 16th-century Japan, the film stars Masayuki Mori as Genjurt, a potter living with his wife, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka), in a small village. Aware that pottery is in demand, he makes the hazardous journey to the city in the hope of profiting there. His farmer brother, Tobei (Eitart Ozawa), accompanies him, eager to provide a better life for his wife, Ohama (Mitsuko Mitu), by becoming a samurai. After the success of this trip, they become even more concerned with making money. But their village is suddenly attacked, forcing the two couples to flee by boat. Genjurt and Tobei go to the city of Omizo to sell their undamaged pottery, leaving their families behind to ensure their safety. Mizoguchi`s meditation on themes of greed, ambition, love, and betrayal seamlessly weaves realistic and fantastic elements into a tapestry of smooth, elaborately choreographed tracking shots and stately, ascending crane shots while revealing both the folly and the suffering of humanity.
Foreign
The Troupe (DVD)
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The Troupe (DVD)
A musical comedy about twelve young men and women, all members of an Israeli Army entertainment troupe in the period immediately following the Six Say War. The youths struggle with the stresses of performing, competing for solo spots and falling in and out of love with each other.DVD Features:Region (unknown)2-Disc SetWidescreenAudio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - HebrewAdditional Release Material: Audio Commentary - 1. Avi Nesher - Director Featurettes - 1. THE TROUPE, THEN AND NOW
2. THE TROUPE REUNION
3. CASTING THE TROUPE
4. THERE ARE GIRLS Bonus Feature - 1. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - Avi Nesher Music Video - 1.Birds
2.The TroupeText/Photo Galleries: Photo GalleryInteractive Features: Interactive Menus - 1. Hebrew
2. English
Foreign
Shoot the Piano Player - Criterion Collection (DVD)
$28.47
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Shoot the Piano Player - Criterion Collection (DVD)
A former concert pianist, now the piano player in a seedy Parisian bar, is surrouned by gansters and hoodlums. He is befriended by a woman who tries in vain to restore him to his former glory, but his own timidity and inability to act lead to tragic consequences for both.
Foreign
Spiritual Voices (DVD)
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Spiritual Voices (DVD)
Acclaimed Russian documentarian Alexander Sokurov turns his cameras onto a group of soldiers involved in the Afghanistan conflict of 1994 in SPIRITUAL VOICES. Travelling to the border of Tajikistan/Afghanistan, Sokurov chronicles the daily lives of the soldiers, which are mostly filled with mundane tasks that cause restlessness and boredom to set in. Occasional skirmishes with the enemy are the only high point for the troops, but these are few and far between. The poor conditions they live in don't help either, with the tough Afghani environment clearly affecting the men in adverse ways. Providing a great insight into the concealed lives of soldiers at war, Sokurov's SPIRITUAL VOICES is a welcome addition to his impressive canon of films.DVD Features:Region 0Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Additional Release Material: Bonus Short: Soldier's DreamInteractive Features: Scene Access
Foreign
Confession (DVD)
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Confession (DVD)
Aleksandr Sokurov made his name by producing an entirely unedited 90 minute feature film, which is widely regarded to be the first of its kind. Primarily a documentary filmmaker, his film RUSSIAN ARK (2002) is one of the most ambitious films undertaken in the history of Russian cinema. CONFESSION takes a look at the inhabitants of a Russian naval ship as it sails through the treacherous Arctic waters. Claustrophobia abounds as the men go about their daily duties, with the captain of the ship providing a narration that describes exactly what is going on. A fascinating insight into the lonely lives sailors lead, Sokurov's CONFESSION easily stands alongside the very best of his work.DVD Features:Region 0Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Additional Release Material: Biography FilmographyInteractive Features: Scene Access DVD Rom Features: DVD Rom with Editor's Notes
Foreign
The Virgin Spring (DVD)
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The Virgin Spring (DVD)
Derived from a medieval ballad, THE VIRGIN SPRING was director Ingmar Bergman`s first film to win an Academy Award. The movie represents a return to simpler themes for Bergman after the philosophical complexity of THE SEVENTH SEAL and WILD STRAWBERRIES. On its most basic level, it s the story of violent crime violently avenged, but it can also be interpreted as a religious allegory on Christian forgiveness. A young girl, Karin (Birgitta Pettersson), is raped and killed by two herdsman on her way to church. Her foster sister, played by Gunnel Lindblom, witnesses the crime and reports back to Karin s parents (Max von Sydow and Birgitta Valberg) shortly after the perpetrators arrive at the couple s home seeking shelter for the night, unaware of their hosts` identity. Karin s grief-stricken father decides to take brutal revenge on his daughter s murderers. THE VIRGIN SPRING represents Bergman s first full collaboration with director of photography Sven Nykvist, who had previously worked as a co-director of photography on SAWDUST AND TINSEL.
Foreign
Artaud (DVD)
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Artaud (DVD)
A major force of inspiration for artists, the multi-talented Antonin Artaud excelled in the fields of art, film, and theater. The author of THE THEATRE AND ITS DOUBLE, and the man behind the
Theatre of Cruelty
manifesto, Artaud set a high standard for fellow and future creative minds. This two-part release contains the feature MY LIFE AND TIMES WITH ANTONIN ARTAUD, and the documentary THE TRUE STORY OF ARTAUD THE MOMO. Together, these pieces provide insight into the life and accomplishments of an artist whose influence can still be observed.
Foreign
Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection (DVD)
$27.99
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Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection (DVD)
Set in 16th Century Japan, Akira Kurosawa's epic SEVEN SAMURAI follows the plight of a defenseless farming village that lives in constant fear of marauding bandits. The farmers know that when their crops are harvested, the thugs will attack, so four men go to town in hopes of employing samurai to fight for them. However, the poor villagers can merely offer payment in the form of shelter and a daily bowl of rice, and initially only Kambei (Takashi Shimura), a brave elder samurai, and his eager young apprentice, Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), take up their cause. Encountering various nomadic warriors on the streets, they slowly put together his team of swordsmen, recruiting Shichiroji (Daisuke Kato), Gorobei (Yoshio Inaba), Heihachi (Minoru Chiaki), and Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), a scruffy wanderer who has been trailing them, completes the small band of ronin. However, upon reaching the village, the samurai learn that the farmers fear them as much the enemy. Despite the tensions, Kambei and his men slowly train the peasants to defend their village. Eventually the warriors launch a preemptive strike against the bandits, and begin a series of intense conflicts that culminates in a rain-soaked final battle--without a doubt, one of the most stunning sequences in cinema history.Widely considered to be the greatest Japanese film ever made, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI is also credited with pioneering the modern action movie. This notion is especially evident in thrilling scenes such as Kambei's rescue of a kidnapped child, Kyuzo's duel, and Kikuchiyo's intensive theft of an enemy gun. Although the film clocks in at more than three hours, the story remains consistently engaging and slowly heightens the tension while providing action, drama, comic relief, and character development. Gleefully running amuck, Mifune gives one of his most renowned performances, imbuing the often comical Kikuchiyo with a surprising streak of melancholy and introsp
Copyri
Foreign
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (DVD)
$27.57
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Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (DVD)
Includes both parts of Fritz Lang's Masterpiece! PART 1: Fritz Lang deftly evokes the soiled and shoddy world of crime-infested and inflation-racked post World War I Berlin in the first episode of his masterpiece, DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER, PART I. Using special effects, extremely complex editing, fade outs, animation techniques and superimpositions, Lang took the lessons he learned in the supernatural films of German expressionism and applied them to this epic story of the underside of Germany. Employing his supreme powers of disguise and hypnosis, Mabuse surrounds himself with loyal servants and criminal henchmen who assassinate his rivals, manipulate the stock market and seduce wealthy citizens out of their riches. In a seedy underground cabaret, Mabuse, with the help of beautiful dancer Cara Carozza, hypnotizes a bored, wealthy man named Hull. After losing large sums of money to a disguised Mabuse, Hull is warned by police detective Wenk that he has been the victim of a master criminal. Hull ignores the warning as he has been seduced by Cara into thinking it was an honest game. Meanwhile, Wenk solicits the assistance of rich Countess Told in his endless attempts to capture Mabuse and his gang. When Cara is arrested, Mabuse retaliates by kidnapping Countess Told and eluding Wenk and the police once again. PART 2: The dark and mystical adventure of criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse careens towards its stylized climax in the final episode, which is subtitled THE INFERNO. Part two delves further into Mabuse's maniacal manipulation and dastardly forays into illegal business, as he holds the wealthy Countess Told against her will and conspires against her husband by posing as a psychiatrist. Elaborate costumes and sets--as well as special effects and editing techniques that were well ahead of their time--lend DR. MABUSE DER SPIELER PART II an air of doom and mystery, as Detective Wenk follows Mabuse's wild goose chase further into the underworld of Berlin. Unable to convinc
Foreign
Les Vampires (DVD)
$27.57
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Les Vampires (DVD)
Vampish villainess Irma Vep, along with her jewel-filching gang, terrorizes Paris in this complete collection of the intrigue-laden French silent serials. Includes a restored score.DVD Features:Region Encoding: All RegionsInsert Essay:The Public is My Master: Louis Feuillade and'Les Vampires'Bout de Zan and the Shirker (1916, 8 min.)For the Children (1916, 3 min.)
Foreign
Black Society Trilogy (DVD)
$26.75
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Black Society Trilogy (DVD)
Boxed set of Takashi Miike`s acclaimed trilogy, including SHINJUKU TRIAD SOCIETY, RAINY DOG, and LEY LINES; see individual titles for details.
Foreign