The Silent World / Le monde du silence (1956) Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle, Frédéric Dumas, Albert Falco, Documentary

002d7231
Witness the birth of a new kind of documentary, as legendary diver, conservationist and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau takes you deep beneath the waves to explore a wealth of life that was previously hidden from view. As much of the technology for shooting film underwater was developed by Cousteau’s team, this was the first time such amazing sights could be captured on film. The result, a Technicolor 1950s masterpiece, succeeds both in revealing an untouched world of beauty, life and drama, as well as evoking a sense of adventure, freedom and boundless possibility. Set on board and below the good ship Calypso during an exploratory expedition, this feature-length documentary was co-directed by Cousteau and Louis Malle, whose first film this was (Cousteau selected Malle for this assignment immediately upon the latter’s graduation from film school). Highlights include a shark attack on the carcass of a whale, and the discovery of a wrecked, sunken vessel. A window into the world beneath the sea as well as the colourful and nostalgic world of the 1950s, The Silent World was the start of an entire movement, and is now available on DVD as a vital part of any collection. This classic film is one of few to have won both the Academy Award (Best Documentary Feature) as well as the Palme D’Or in 1956.
Read More »

Hardcore (1979) Paul Schrader, George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley, Drama, Thriller

Hardcore (1979)
Jake Van Dorn is a businessman from the American heartland who shares strong Calvinist convictions with most of his countrymen. His teenage daughter is missing from her church youth convention trip to California and Van Dorn hires a private investigator to find her. The result of the investigation is his daughter is spotted in a cheap X-rated movie. Van Dorn decides to bring her back personally and during the quest he becomes familiar with the pornographic underworld.
Read More »

Bliss / Glück (2012) Doris Dörrie, Alba Rohrwacher, Vinzenz Kiefer, Matthias Brandt, Drama

002f18b0
Bliss – directed by Doris Dörrie and adapted from the short story by Ferdinand von Schirach – recounts the tale of Irina, who leaves her war-torn country to become a prostitute on the streets of Berlin and Kalle, also living in on the streets of the German capital. These two individuals are alone and lost in the world until they are brought together through a chance encounter. As their relationship blossoms, a cataclysmic event threatens to destroy their fledgling love, with Kalle forced to extreme measures in order to preserve their happiness.
Read More »

Zoom In: Rape Apartments / Zûmu in: Bôkô danchi (1980) Naosuke Kurosawa, Erina Miyai, Yôko Azusa, Yûko Ôsaki, Horror, Pinku, Erotic

0032b25e
Saeko, a somewhat enigmatic young woman, is brutally beaten with a rock and raped by a man wearing a dark-colored mask and black gloves. She eventually recovers, but not long afterwards a series of horrific murders begins occurring in the apartment building she lives in. When it turns out that the victims are badly beaten, then killed and their genitals burned off, Saeko begins to think she has an idea who the killer is, but realizes she may be murdered before she has a chance to expose the maniac.
Read More »

The Seduction of Angela / Dolce pelle di Angela (1986) Andrea Bianchi, Michela Miti, Carlo Mucari, Piero Gerlini, Adventure, Romance, Erotic

002f0c49
Naive, orphaned maiden Angela leaves her small town for 19th- century London, where she quickly learns the ways of the world. She begins work at a brothel, where she gets a quick education in life. On her first “job,” she is rescued by Rocco, a traveling thief who happens to be going from room to room, robbing the patrons. Rocco and Angela fall in love, but Rocco must flee the inn at which they have taken residence, when the police arrive at the door…
Read More »