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Belle Epoque. While trying to escape from the Spanish Civil War, young Fernando is befriended by Amalia, a free-thinking artist. They talk of life and religion and politics. Things get complicated as they usually do by women. Specifically Amalia’s four daughters: Clara, RocÃo, Violeta, and Luz. All share remarkable beauty and their father’s free spirit. Now Fernando is being pulled hither and yon by the sisters’ desire and his own lust is adding fuel to the fire. Can love be found in all this romantic confusion? Winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1994, this fun and frothy romantic comedy comes with a commentary from the director, Fernando Trueba. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
[ad#longpost]The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Petra von Kant is the mistress of her domain. The fashion designer career is at its apex, her daughter is safety tucked away and school and her servant Marlene does all Petra’s work and take all her abuse silently. But when the fresh face of Karin enter her life, all control goes out the window. Desperate to possess Karin, Petra herself falls apart when Karin resists her control. A fascinating study of the power plays in relationship, this movie mixes Hollywood melodrama and the style of New German Cinema. The DVD includes an documentary of the film’s controversial director, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, two of his short films, filmographies of the him and the cast, and a commentary from Fassbinder scholar Jane Shattuc. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Broken Wings. Young Maya and her family are still reeling months after her father’s sudden death. An aspiring singer/songwriter, Maya has unwillingly become a second mom while her mother Dafna overworks and trying with difficulty to recover. Maya’s brother Yair has concluded that the universe really doesn’t care about anything, so why should he? The two youngest children, Ido and Bahr, are getting lost in the shuffle. When another tragedy strikes, will this family splinter forever or the cracks be repaired? An award winning film from Israel that shows that family dysfunction and personal tragedy is universal. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
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Chloe In The Afternoon. Frédéric has a good job, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter. So, in accordance with Narrative Cliche, he fantasizes about being free to seduce every woman he sees. About this time, Chloe re-enters Frédéric’s life. She is a ‘free spirit’, her life a chaotic swirl going from one crisis to another. A breath of fresh air for the suburbanite, the two get closer and closer. Will Frédéric decide to make the fantasy a reality or will he find that the grass is brown on the other side? This entry in the Six Moral Tales series of French New Wave auteur Eric Rohmer comes with a filmography, awards list, and production listing. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
A Girl Named Rosemarie. Rosemarie is trying to benefit from the German economic boom during the 50’s. Unlike the industrialists and tycoons who traditionally gain during a period prosperity, Rosemarie uses her beauty and her shamelessness to profit in the world’s oldest and most recession-proof profession. She gets a rich sugar daddy who keeps her in fine style, but when he won’t leave his upper-class finance, she goes for a more direct approach. With a tape recorder and indiscreet clients, she finds herself the center of attention. But will it give her what she wants? Or will she become an easy target? The film is based on the notorious and still unsolved murder of high society call girl Rosemarie Nitribitt. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Justine De Sade. Therese has about the worst luck imaginable. A poor orphan girl in pre-Revolutionary France, she naively seeks the kindness of strangers. Instead people see a helpless girl with no friends or family and therefore can be used and abused in the most depraved methods possible. She stupidly holds on to her belief in the goodness of humanity despite all the rape, torture, and degradation she endures. Is Therese ever going to get a clue? This interpretation of the Marquis De Sade gives a biting satire of blinding following your beliefs in the face of reason and experience. Blue Underground has added several deleted and an alternate scene to this disc. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
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Pigalle. The Pigalle district in Paris has been a center of sin and decadence for decades. Once famous for the can-can and absinthe, it’s more well known now for peep shows and smack. The challenge living here isn’t in losing your soul, but how much you give up. Some of the inhabitants of this den of iniquity are Vera, the stripper with a dented heart of gold. There is also her boyfriend, the impulsive FiFi, who is also seeing the drag queen Divine. When two local drug lords battle over who deals in Pigalle, there will be opportunities for some and death for others. Pigalle gives a rarely seen side of Paris, beyond the tourist traps and into gritty realism. The DVD comes with a theatrical trailer and extensive production notes. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Sada. Sada Abe was a media sensation in pre-war Japan. Tainted by her rape at age 14, she became a high class prostitute. While she is quite popular, she still yearns for a love of her own. In a bid for legitimacy, she starts to work at a restaurant. That’s when she meets Tatsuzo, the restaurant owner’s husband, and they begin a passionate affair. Sada is so enthralled by this perfect love she has found, she cannot bear the thought of them being separated. Even through it burns brightly, her passion takes her to dark places and her murderous acts are as much romantic as they are heinous. This highly stylistic telling of this famous murder tries to find the woman behind the sensation. Included on the DVD are filmographies for the director and the star of Sada as well as the theatrical trailer. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
