>> The Death of Mr. Lazarescu | 36 | Shoeshine | Oh! What a Lovely War | Pandora's Box | The Double Life of Veronique | The Night Porter

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu in October
6 September 2006

62-year-old Mr. Lazarescu arrives at a Bucharest hospital after falling ill with stomach pains, only to find himself shuffled from one poorly-equipped and understaffed hospital to another, as beaurocracy and indifference allow his condition to deteriorate. Although set in Hungary, this is a story that could have taken place in any country whose health care system is suffering under the weight of underfunding and mismanagement (mentioning no names here). What emerges is a sad, occasionally harrowing and all too believable indictment of a system that is clearly failing the very people it was designed to protect.

Critically acclaimed and winner of a number of festival prizes, including Un Certain regard at Cannes in 2005, Cristi Puiu's powerful, sensitive drama is set for an October release on UK region 2 DVD by Tartan. The disc will feature:

Release date is 23 October at the RRP of £19.99.

36 from Tartan in September
6 September 2006

No, that's not 36 films, but the international title of Olivier Marchal's compelling police drama 36 Quai des Orfèvre, the story of two season cops from different departments who are both determined to catch a dangerous gang of armed criminals, regardless of the consequences. Based on real-life events and directed by a former policeman, the film has already built a reputation as gripping and stylish thriller, whose action scenes rival the best of Hollywood. No surprise then that Hollywood is already in the process of remaking it (groan). Well soon you can check out the original, which stars Gérard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil (most recently seen in Michael Haneke's Caché (Hidden) , when it is release on UK region 2 DVD this month by Tartan. Features include:

Release date is 18 September 2004 at the RRP of £19.99.

Shoeshine from Masters of Cinema in September
2 September 2006

The name Vittorio De Sica should be familiar to any true movie buff. One of the leading lights of the Italian neorealist cinema of the 1940s, his 1948 Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) sits on many a favourite film list and has become a standard text in film and media studies. Two years earlier, however, De Sica made what many regard as one of the greast of Italian neorealist films with Shoeshine (Sciuscià), the first non-English language film to win an Oscar. The film follows the fortunes of two young boys who try to make ends meet in a society gripped by poverty and unemployment, by shining the shoes of American troops. They both dream of a better life, but when they become implocated in a petty crime they end up in prison and separated, where the future for both looks anything but rosy.

Set for a late September release by Eureka's Masters of Cinema label, marking the film's 60th anniversay, this is the first time the film has been made available on UK DVD. The announced features are:

Release date is set for 25th September 2006 at the RRP of £19.99. Expect a full review soon.

Oh! What a Lovely War Special Collector's Edition in October
29 August 2006

Richard Attenborough's first film as director after a very repectable career in acting was a spirited, star studded and visually imaginative adaptation of Joan Littlewood's London Theatre Workshop musical play, Oh! What a Lovely War. A delightful mix of humour, tragedy, satire, poignancy and powerful anti-war politics, littered with songs of WW1, some many of which came from the minds and hearts of the common soldiery. Its release on DVD is long overdue but the upcoming release from Paramount looks looks as though it will prove worth the wait. Although aspect ratio and soundtrack details have yet to be confirmed (2.35:1 anamophic and 5.1 sound I would hope), the extra features seem mouth watering enough:

Release date is set for 30th October 2006 at the RRP of £15.99. Serious on-line discounts are already appearing.

Criterion open Pandora's Box in November
20 August 2006

A genuine masterpiece of silent cinema, G.W. Pabst's films tells the story of showgirl and high class prostitute Lulu, whose radiant beauty and hedonism leave a string of broken hearts in their wake, but who is soon destined for a tragic fall. Beautifully filmed and featuring a superb central performance from Louise Brooks as the iconic Lulu, the film was some years ago restored to its full version and has been available on UK DVD for some time in a very good special edition that you can pick up for little more than a fiver. Now Criterion have announced their own release, and fans of the film can't help but salivate a little to see what the kings of DVD restoration came up with. We are promised the following:

Slated for a November release (exact date to be confirmed) at the SRP of £29.95.

The Double Life of Veronique from Criterion in November
17 August 2006

Those of you who have yet to pick up Artificial Eye's fine realse of Krzysztof Kieslowski's mesmerising The Double Life of Veronique or have region 1 only players may be interested to learn that Criterion have picked up the film for region 1 release in November, which will include all of the extras on the Artificial Eye disc and a few more of their own. The announced features are:

It's doubtful that the transfer will imrove dramatically on the Artificial Eye one, which is first rate, and of the new extras what I personally do not need is a film scholar commentary on a work that should be enjoyed purely for itself. However, if this is the one you have been waiting for, and it's clearly a quality product, then come November (exact date to be confrmed) it can be yours for the princely sum of $39.99.

You can read our review of the Artificial Eye disc here.

The Night Porter in September
16 August 2006

Based on Barbara Alberti's novel and directed by Liliana Cavani, the 1975 The Night Porter (Il Portiere di notte) was a controversial film on its release and and managed to retain its reputation since. Why? Well try this on for size. Thirteen years after the second world war has concluded, concentration camp survivor Lucia (Charlotte Rampling) discovers that S.S. officer Max Aldorfer (Dirk Bogarde), who was both her torturer and lover, is now working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel. Their old relationship is re-ignited, and the two embark on a sado-masochistic affair.

Yeah, tricky stuff, and open to charges of insensitive sensationalism, which is exactly what it attracted. Opinion remains heavily divided, with Gary Tooze at DVD Beaver describing it as "a dark, misunderstood film with a very adult, and often disturbing subject matter," while Roger Ebert pulls no punches when he calls it "as nasty as it is lubricious, a despicable attempt to titillate us by exploiting memories of persecution and suffering." As ever, it's up to you to decide which side of this fence you want to stand on, and on 18th September 2006 you'll have the chance, whn Anchor Bay UK release the film for the first time on UK DVD, with option 2.0, 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, and interviews with director Liliana Cavani, co-writer Italo Moscati and star Charlotte Rampling.

RRP is £14.99.

16 August 2006

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