Overlooked, underrated, obscure movies and Hidden Gems (part 1)
A list of some of the overlooked, forgotten, neglected, more obscure and underrated movies I've seen over the years, some have ended up as my favourite movies, others have stuck in my mind for one reason or another. (ongoing)
This is not a list that simply consists of films with very few ratings on IMDB, I have watched all the films on this list, comments have been added to some from a previous movie log I had and some have been added from memory, others added on new listings.
So what constitutes overlooked, underrated or obscure? most on this list do not have a rating that is below 6.0 so therefore maybe not underrated in terms of IMDB stats if you use that as your only measure, a lot have somewhere around 1500 ratings including many by notable directors which I would say is overlooked or perhaps are not really known outside of their country of origin, or simply good films that I think should have been viewed more and finally films with less than 500 ratings which I would certainly call obscure on a site that has 83m registered users.
Note: I have added to some entries that they were available on youtube at the time of writing, by that I mean they were free as opposed to the youtube movie pay to view service.
List continues in Part 2...
This is not a list that simply consists of films with very few ratings on IMDB, I have watched all the films on this list, comments have been added to some from a previous movie log I had and some have been added from memory, others added on new listings.
So what constitutes overlooked, underrated or obscure? most on this list do not have a rating that is below 6.0 so therefore maybe not underrated in terms of IMDB stats if you use that as your only measure, a lot have somewhere around 1500 ratings including many by notable directors which I would say is overlooked or perhaps are not really known outside of their country of origin, or simply good films that I think should have been viewed more and finally films with less than 500 ratings which I would certainly call obscure on a site that has 83m registered users.
Note: I have added to some entries that they were available on youtube at the time of writing, by that I mean they were free as opposed to the youtube movie pay to view service.
List continues in Part 2...
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- DirectorChristopher PetitStarsDavid BeamesLisa KreuzerSandy RatcliffIn 1970s Britain, a man drives from London to Bristol to investigate his brother's death, and the purpose of his trip is offset by his encounters with a series of odd people.Obscure British indie road movie, bleak and moody with some great music and nice cinematography from Martin Schäfer who worked on Wim Wenders road movies "Alice in the Cities" and "Kings of the Road"
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsAleksey TryapitsynIrina ErmolovaTimur BondarenkoThe film represents life in a godforsaken Russian village. The only way to reach the mainland is to cross the lake by boat and a postman became the only connection with the outside world. A reserved community has been set up here. Despite the modern technologies and a spaceport nearby the people of the village live the way they would in the Neolithic Era. There is neither government nor social services or jobs. The postman's beloved woman escapes the village life and moves to the city. Postman's outboard engine gets stolen and he can no longer deliver mail. His normal pattern of life is disrupted. The postman makes a decision to leave for the city too but returns before long with no certain reason. The script is based on real characters' stories. People from the village play their own parts in the film. The search for the protagonist lasted for over a year.Great piece of realism form Tarkovsky's old co-collaborator Konchalovskiy, loneliness, beauty, rhythm of life all observed here in a remote Russian village.
- DirectorCarlos SorinStarsJavier LombardoAntonio BenedictiJaviera BravoThree people and a baby set off on separate journeys, along the same road; their disparate dreams and stories intertwine amidst the breathtaking deserted Patagonic route.A kind of Patagonian road movie that's got it's own unique style, I've seen about four features from Carlos Sorin, I think this is his best.
- DirectorKarel KachynaStarsIva JanzurováJaromír HanzlíkLudek MunzarA WW2 story of a young Austrian soldier running from the Russian army and a woman whom he forces to come along in order to save his wounded mate.Atmospheric and intense Czech minimalist gem, amazing what can be done with three actors, horse and cart, and a budget of almost nothing.
- DirectorJos StellingStarsJim van der WoudeStéphane ExcoffierJohn Kraaijkamp Sr.A woman gets off a train by mistake and finds herself stranded alone with a peculiar man who doesn't even speak her language.The entire meaning of life all takes place in a railway signal box.
- DirectorLodge KerriganStarsPeter GreeneAlice LevittMegan OwenAfter a man suffering from schizophrenia is released from a mental institution, he attempts to get his daughter back from her adoptive family.Slow burn disturbing schizophrenic Noir, great performance by Peter Greene.
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsKati OutinenMatti PellonpääKirsi TykkyläinenLugubrious Finns Valto and Reino take to the road in search of coffee and vodka, without which their lives are not worth living. But their reveries are interrupted by the arrival of garrulous Russian Klaudia and Estonian Tatiana - who are clearly interested in the two men, despite the language barrier. But what are the chances of getting a response from men who prefer staring at vodka bottles to talking?Almost classic Kuarismaki, it's a kind of road movie only 1hr long, the usual gang are all in it and all his trademark stuff including vinyl, rockabilly and dour deadpan delivery, it falls slightly short of the likes of "Drifting clouds" or "Man without a Past" but still good.
- DirectorGeorge OvashviliStarsIlyas SalmanMariam ButurishviliIrakli SamushiaThe river creates and the river destroys in an eternal cycle that even man can't escape.Seriously minimalist.
- DirectorTsai Ming-liangStarsKang-sheng LeeShiang-chyi ChenKiyonobu MitamuraOn a dark, wet night a historic and regal Chinese cinema sees its final film. Together with a small handful of souls they bid "Goodbye, Dragon Inn".Beautifully observed and atmospheric on the decline of a cinema, unless you're looking for gay pick up's.....and a homage to the glory days of Taiwanese cinema courtesy of King Hu.
- DirectorVíctor EriceStarsOmero AntonuttiSonsoles ArangurenIcíar BollaínA woman reflects on her childhood relationship with her father, attempting to understand the depths of his despair and the truth of his myths.This was Victor Erice's next movie after "Spirit of the Beehive" it's about a girl who's fascinated by her father's slightly mysterious past and behaviour, it takes a while to get going but gets better as it goes on, it's unsentimental with some great cinematography.
- DirectorPablo GiorgelliStarsGermán De SilvaHebe DuarteNayra Calle MamaniReluctantly, a dour long-distance truck driver agrees to give a lift to a Paraguayan single mother and her five-month-old daughter to Buenos Aires. Can the palpable silence soften up the taciturn trucker's sullen heart?Nice little piece of Argentinian realism where a truck driver takes a passenger from Paraguay to Buenos Aires, most of this is actually filmed in the truck, it's understated in the extreme with very little dialogue but it's what's not said that speaks volumes to the point it's actually quite powerful in it's own way, not going to be everyone's taste but I liked it.
- DirectorAbderrahmane SissakoStarsIbrahim AhmedAbel JafriToulou KikiA cattle herder and his family who reside in the dunes of Timbuktu find their quiet lives -- which are typically free of the Jihadists determined to control their faith -- abruptly disturbed.
- DirectorEdward YangStarsCora MiaoLi-Chun LeeShih-Chieh KingA metaphysical mystery about the lives of three couples in Taipei that continually intersect over a span of several weeks.Edward Yang was apparently a big fan of Antonioni and some of that is apparent in this where the lives of several people, a career man, a photographer, a writer and a petty criminal all get intertwined in a fragmented plot that requires some work to put together, it's downbeat, well structured, it also has a cool stylish look to it and I found it nicely intriguing.
- DirectorValerio ZurliniStarsClaudia CardinaleJacques PerrinLuciana AngiolilloA girl pursues a guy who fooled her, but fascinates his younger brother instead.Claudia Cardinale plays a woman who's dumped by her boyfriend in the opening sequence and is befriended by his brother, and in Zurlini's style it's tinged with melancholy. Cardinale gives a great early performance who's character is a bit more complex than first appears and a teenage Jacques Perrin is equally as good as the besotted brother, it's certainly on the slow side but it's artistic and really nicely shot.
- DirectorYves AllégretStarsMadeleine RobinsonGérard PhilipeJean ServaisDuring the cold and rainy off-season a man arrives in a seaside town and, giving his name only as Pierre, checks into the only hotel which remains open. His arrival arouses curiosity and a degree of suspicion, as people note that he appears to know the area, yet gives no explanation for his presence at that bleak time of year in the dead-end town.Great melancholic noir, every character in it is broken, lost, and on a road to nowhere in a rainy seaside town in Normandy, a forgotten classic of French cinema.
- DirectorJuraj HerzStarsZdena StudenkováVlastimil HarapesVáclav VoskaIn this gothic rendition of the classic fairy tale, a merchant's youngest daughter is held prisoner by a mysterious winged beast.Visually stunning and beautifully crafted dark fantasy version of the tale, has to be one of the most obscure fantasy movies of all time.
- DirectorKôichi SaitôStarsKeiko KishiYoshie MinamiKen'ichi HagiwaraThis sad Japanese romantic melodrama tells the brief love story of a very alert young man and an extremely beautiful woman who meet, fall in love and part during a train ride.
- DirectorChantal AkermanStarsDelphine SeyrigJan DecorteHenri StorckA lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores, takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. However, something happens that changes her safe routine.Chantal Akerman's best known film, Three days in the life of a woman who lives with her teenage son, a lot of it is filmed in real time like preparing or eating a meal which is why it's over three hours long but it gives you an intimate detailed picture at her routine and the workings of her apartment and her sense of detachment and alienation, it's not an easy watch.
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsKonstantin LavronenkoMaria BonnevieAleksandr BaluevA trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city.Draws you in, beautiful cinematography, haunting imagery, great locations, and it's very enigmatic and mysterious, even after an hours viewing you have no idea where it's heading but I was engaged throughout as it slowly unfolds, although by the end maybe somewhat vague and doesn't entirely satisfy it's a pretty impressive movie.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsSasha HailsMarina de VanSamanthaWhile waiting her husband return from a business trip, a young woman with a baby is getting close with a strange woman traveler.First feature from Francois Ozon although it's still really a short at 51 mins, it's a quirky, unsettling and atmospheric little movie, although you might guess where it's going towards the latter stages it still has enough mystery and intrigue to be engaging for the duration.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsMakiko EsumiTakashi NaitôTadanobu AsanoA young woman's husband apparently commits suicide without warning or reason, leaving behind his wife and infant.Slow moving and haunting movie often focusing on the mundane with great composition, there's lots of perfectly framed lingering shots of what might be an everyday object or some remote corner almost like still life, it can be quite mesmerising and flows nicely along albeit at a crawl on a theme of loss and detachment, it's perhaps not everyone's cup of tea but it's beautifully done.
- DirectorBostjan HladnikStarsDusa PockajMiha BalohRado NakrstPeter is the dark brooding type. Leading a vacuous, shapeless life, he longs for the ideal woman, while at the same time, half heartedly continuing with his habitual girlfriend, Marusa , who is considerably older, a fact that Peter is quick to point out. As an ageing actress, struggling for parts in her local theatre, she oozes insecurity and breathes uncertainty. Together, they spend their time in the local restaurant, smoking, drinking and trading verbal blows. "I bet you'll just end up a drunk," she tells Peter each time. Peter just grins and tells her how old she looks. Compounded by a thankless director who soon shows her the door, Marusa finds her identity being squeezed harder and harder against the wall. To escape, Peter and Marusa dream...Slovenian new wave, a fantastic looking film crammed full of brilliant little moments, some magical and dreamlike, some surreal, although there's perhaps other influences in there it still comes over as daring, vibrant and quite stunning.
- DirectorFrantisek VlácilStarsPetr CepekEmma CernáJan VostrcilIn the aftermath of World War II, a former Czech soldier takes charge of a manor formerly owned by a German family. He falls in love with the daughter, who is now a maid, and is forced to confront the stress between his love and his conscience when he discovers her sheltering her German-soldier brother.Sombre, stark and poetic, which befits the subject matter where a young man returns to his home town at the end of WWII and ends up in a semi derelict manor house where the maid is the daughter of a leading Nazi who used to occupy it, it's also atmospheric and intimate as it almost all takes place in the old manor, really quite a moving and haunting film.
- DirectorPeter StricklandStarsHilda PéterNorbert TankóLászló MátrayIn the beautiful, otherworldly Carpathian Mountains a woman is traveling with a small boy in a horse and cart, looking to punish those who once abused her. For years, Katalin has been keeping a terrible secret. Hitchhiking with two men, she was brutally raped in the woods. Although she has kept silent about what happened, she has not forgotten, and her son Órban serves as a living reminder. When her village discovers her secret, Katalin's husband rejects her. With nothing to lose, she is free to seek revenge on the perpetrators. As she puts human faces to horrible acts, she is forced to consider that morality might not be as black and white as she had imagined.Debut feature from Peter Strickland. This is an unusual female revenge movie, I really liked this for a couple of reasons, firstly there's a mystery to it that lasts for half the film about previous events and even if it's a revenge story at all, secondly the unusual setting which is rural Romania (Transylvania to be exact) so it's firmly in horse and cart country, stunningly beautiful which seems at odds with the plot but works perfectly (and I loved the ending)
- DirectorShôhei ImamuraStarsShôichi OzawaSumiko SakamotoKeiko SagawaWhile avoiding the mob and local authorities, a world-weary pornographer finds being a family man the most difficult as he wrestles with his own desires and afflictions.This is set around the world of an amateur erotic film maker but it's actually much more than that in scope, there's humour but it's also slightly dark and edgy in places with elements of the supernatural in there not to mention a touch of surrealism and all done with some spectacular camerawork, really a brilliantly strange movie, unusual and ahead of it's time.
- DirectorFrancesco RosiStarsMark FrechetteAlain CunyGian Maria VolontèOn the Italian/Austrian front during World War I, a disastrous Italian attack upon the Austrian positions leads to a mutiny among the Italian troops.If there was ever an Italian "Paths of Glory" this is it.
- DirectorYoshishige YoshidaStarsMariko OkadaShigeru TsuyuguchiTamotsu HayakawaA married woman lets her lover take naked pictures of her. The photos end up in possession of a man who starts blackmailing the couple.Stunning movie from Yoshida, the style, the composition of the shots, the locations, everything about it is amazingly cool with a 60's flavour, It's arty but it's also accessible, the storyline is loosely set around the world of amateur nude photography and blackmail but it's also mysterious and atmospheric.
- DirectorValerio ZurliniStarsAlain DelonGiancarlo GianniniSonia PetrovnaIn Italy, gambler and poetry professor Daniele Dominici arrives in the seaside town of Rimini and is hired to teach for four months at a high school, replacing another teacher. His relationship with his partner Monica is in crisis and he spends most of the time with his new acquaintances and gamblers Giorgio Mosca, Marcello, and Gerardo Pavani. In the classroom he meets 19-year-old student Vanina Abati, who is Gerardo's girlfriend, and they fall in love. Their relationship leads to a tragic end.Quite an obscure movie from Valerio Zurlini who only directed about nine full features, here Delon plays a teacher who falls for a female student who appears unhappy then learns about her past. It's got a fairly strong cast other than Delon who delivers a solid performance there's Giancarlo Giannini, Alida Valli and the gorgeous Sonia Petrovna, it's a moody affair and fairly slow moving, it can be a hard movie to like as none of the characters in it are likeable but it's interesting, intellectual and slightly mysterious, a lot of off-beat location shots of empty streets, deserted beaches and semi-ruins add a bleak feel to it.
- DirectorÁlvaro BrechnerStarsGary PiquerJouko AholaAntonella CostaA flamboyant impresario and an ageing ex-wrestling champion arrive in a small town, offering a hefty award to the local challenger. In fact, the promoter wants to rinse the spectators for every penny. But, is this a good day to go fishing?A has-been wrestler and conman tour South America and arrive in a small town in Uruguay. Nice quirky and well constructed effort from first time director Alvaro Brechner, it has comedy elements and it's populated with oddball characters, similarities to Coen Bros stuff. The performances are all really good and there's depth to the characters, authentic looking main location with some Spaghetti western influence including Morricone-esque soundtrack, nice entertaining little movie.
- DirectorHarry KümelStarsOrson WellesSusan HampshireMichel BouquetA young sailor finds himself trapped in the labyrinthine mansion of his occultist uncle, along with a number of eccentric and mysterious relatives who all seem to be harboring a dark secret.AKA Malpertuis Visually stunning with beautifully composed shots although there's several versions of this movie out there, some badly butchered apparently, I saw the Flemish language full length version.
- DirectorJem CohenStarsMary Margaret O'HaraBobby SommerEla PiplitsWhen a Vienna museum guard befriends an enigmatic visitor, the grand Kunsthistorisches Art Museum becomes a mysterious crossroads that sparks explorations of their lives, the city, and the ways in which works of art reflect and shape the world.Offbeat almost documentary style movie where an attendant at the central art museum in Vienna befriends a visitor and shows her around the city. There is no real plot or story in the conventional sense, some conversations are interesting others mundane, there's also a lot of art in it mostly juxtaposed with modern day images, at one point a guide talks about Peter Bruegel's paintings for 15 minutes encouraging people to look closer at the content and strangely all this is quite accessible and does have a pleasing flow to it.
- DirectorStefan UherStarsMarián BielikJana BelákováOlga SalagováOldrich "Fajolo" Fajták (Marián Bielik), a student who directs quasi-existentialist verbal abuse at his girlfriend Bela Blazejová (Jana Beláková), takes off to a formally volunteer summer work camp at a farm where he meets her grandfather.One of the first films of the Czech new wave which is about the lives of two teenagers during one hot summer. Great cinematography it's full of memorable imagery and beauty and has a strange quality that stays with you, I also love some of other-worldly locations like the rooftop with masses of TV aerials.
- DirectorGianni Di GregorioStarsValeria De FranciscisMarina CacciottiMaria CalìBroke, and armed with only a wry sense of humor, middle-aged Gianni lives with his mother in their old apartment. The debts are mounting, but if Gianni looks after the building manager's mother during the Ferragosto, all will be forgiven.A middle aged man who looks after his ancient mother gets landed with a few more old mothers of his friends to stay a couple of days in his flat. Firstly it's little over an hour long, it's kind of a gentle comedy but hardly even a comedy it's so low key and understated more like just observations of life, old age and human behaviour. It has a real charm particularly as the old ladies are non-professional actors and it takes it's time, which is also part of the charm.
- DirectorErmanno OlmiStarsSandro PanseriLoredana DettoCorrado AprileBursting with big dreams and plans, an Italian teen goes to Milan to work in a big impersonal corporate office, where he becomes disillusioned and drained of all his individualism.Realism from Ermanno Olmi where a young teenager applies for his first job to join a big faceless corporation and all the hope and nervous expectation is captured perfectly along with feelings of first love for a female applicant.
- DirectorRoger VadimStarsMel FerrerElsa MartinelliAnnette StroybergA young heiress - jealous of her cousin's engagement to another woman - becomes obsessed with the legend of a vampire ancestor, who supposedly murdered the young brides of the man she loved.Some beautiful cinematography in this from Claude Renoir, it's certainly not horror as such more of an art house vampire movie but certainly worth it for the visuals.
- DirectorErmanno OlmiStarsAnna CanziCarlo CabriniDespite his fiancee's reluctance, a young man moves to Sicily for a better job, but soon starts questioning his decision.An engineer goes to Sicily on a contract, themes of loneliness, detachment and love. The choice of locations and composition is great there's so much detail in this, possibly my favourite Olmi.
- DirectorJacques RozierStarsCaroline CartierDanièle CroisyFrançoise GuéganA patient observation on the adventures a group of three young girls spending their three-week summer vacation at a small village, a quotidian that includes cooking, excursions, playing cards and going out with guys, enjoying the simple pleasures life has to offer.In my top 150 list, one of my all time favourites.
- DirectorPeter StricklandStarsSidse Babett KnudsenMonica SwinnChiara D'AnnaA woman who studies butterflies and moths tests the limits of her relationship with her lesbian lover.Arty master and slave exploration, dreamy elements and colours akin to 70's movies.
- DirectorPierre SchoendoerfferStarsJacques PerrinBruno CremerPierre FabreIn Vietnam, 1954, a French platoon isolated behind enemy lines tries to come back. It is led by the inexperienced, idealistic sous-lieutenant Torrens, and by adjutant Willsdorf, a WWII veteran of the Wehrmacht.A platoon level war drama about survival which takes place in the Indochina war and actually looks like real footage in places mainly because Pierre Schoendoerffer was a war cameraman and correspondent during the Indochina war, everyone in this acts and behaves authentically and it's a gritty little anti-war movie.
- DirectorMarcel PagnolStarsEdmond ArdissonHenri AriusAndré BervilTo avenge her father's death, Manon blocks the source of water for local villagers.Hard to find but better than the 1986 version, Pagnol's wife plays Manon.
- DirectorMarek LoseyStarsAlex MacqueenPhil CampbellLaura HopwoodOn the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a prematurely aged, mildly obsessive-compulsive birder. With one more sighting - the elusive sociable plover - he will have 'twitched' the entire British List. Tunt has his shortwave radio, packed-lunch and a portrait of his ex-wife Sandra for company. Suddenly, in the midst of a conversation with Sandra's portrait, the hide door blows open and a bedraggled stranger - unshaven, edgy and bloodied introduces himself as Dave John, a fugitive from the storm. After a tense introduction, the two men discover that they have a good deal in common, sharing sandwiches, tea and personal exchanges which are frank, poignant and often funny. As the two men begin to form a close bond news of a police manhunt sets them both on edge driving their fragile relationship to a tragic conclusion.Bird watching is hell.
- DirectorDusan MakavejevStarsMilena DravicJanez VrhovecEva RasA love romance between older, respectable engineer that came in the industrial town to do some expert job and young hairdresser in whose house he stayed in and the consequences of that relationship, especially after young driver gets involved.Love in a Yugoslav commie industrial landscape, an engineer arrives at a plant and falls for the town blonde. It's totally industrial in look and feel, even down to workers co-operatives involved in the cast, realism in style it's an unforgiving and sometimes humorous portrait of life in communist Yugoslavia, impressive.
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsTuro PajalaSusanna HaavistoMatti PellonpääA Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.In my top 150 list
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsKati OutinenKari VäänänenElina SaloThe recession hits a couple in Helsinki.Another great laconic look at life and changing times in Kaurismaki's trademark style, probably my favourite of his
- DirectorSergei BodrovStarsOleg MenshikovSergey BodrovSusanna MekhraliyevaTwo Russian soldiers, one battle-seasoned and the other barely into his boots and uniform, are taken prisoner by an anxious Islamic father from a remote village hoping to trade them for his captured son.An early movie from Sergey Bodrov who's probably most well known for "Mongol" this is the story of two Russian soldiers captured by Chechen rebels. You get thrown straight into this as the troops are on patrol in the first ten minutes which leads to their capture, it's slow at first but pulls you in, it's deliberate and doesn't try to force sympathies or comedy moments, it's unsophisticated and moves at it's own pace as the characters and relationships unfold. It's a good anti-war statement showing people who would be great friends if not for the fact they're enemies and the main location is an amazing looking place.
- DirectorJuan Pablo RebellaPablo StollStarsAndrés PazosMirella PascualJorge BolaniWhen his long-lost brother resurfaces, Jacobo, desperate to prove his life has added up to something, looks to scrounge up a wife. He turns to Marta, an employee at his sock factory, with whom he has a prickly relationship.One of those movies where not much seems to happen but a lot is going on as two sock factory owning brothers meet up in an off season seaside resort, a little gem of a movie from Uruguay.
- DirectorCatherine BreillatStarsAnaïs RebouxRoxane MesquidaLibero De RienzoTwo sisters confront their sexual attitudes and experiences while on a family holiday.AKA Fat Girl.
- DirectorAlain CavalierStarsAlain DelonLea MassariGeorges Géret1961. Luxemburger Thomas Vlassenroot deserted the French Foreign Legion during the Algiers Putsch. His lieutenant, Fraser, initiated the desertion for the two of them, Fraser believing he could do more for the French working for an underground organization. However, Thomas readily admits that he no longer has any political motivations or affiliations, and thus is hiding out from the authorities in Algiers. Fraser offers him a proposition: help him kidnap Lyonais lawyer, Dominique Servet, who is in Algiers to defend two Algerian nationalists. Fraser will mastermind the job, but Thomas is required to help him both carry out the kidnapping, as well as stand guard over Dominique for one week. She is only one of two kidnap victims that will be held, each victim with a guard apiece, the other victim's guard being Amerio, a fellow member of Fraser's organization. Unlike Fraser and Amerio, Thomas does the job as a mercenary for pay: the F60,000 he needs to be able to get back home to Luxembourg. His want to go to Luxembourg is despite he not knowing if there is any future for him there, beyond going back to his childhood home, where his mother is taking care of his infant daughter. After the successful kidnapping and as the week progresses, Thomas feels compelled not only to assist Dominique, but also help her escape as he has fallen in love with her. He has to accomplish this task against the threat of Fraser and Amerio's watchful eyes. He is able to do so, but sustains a serious abdominal wound in the process. As a wounded Thomas tries to make his way back to Luxembourg, he has to elude Fraser and his colleagues. But Thomas may feel further compelled to reconnect with Dominique in Lyon. If he does, the question becomes what she will think in him doing so.AKA The right to kill.
Late French noir with Delon playing an army deserter from the Algerian war who gets involved with a kidnapping with unforseen consequences, some nice cinematography from Claude Renoir. A still from the film was used as the cover for the Smiths 1986 album "The Queen is dead" - DirectorIván ZuluetaStarsEusebio PoncelaCecilia RothWill MoreA low budget horror filmmaker gets in touch with an eccentric who is trying to film his consciousness during drug abuse.A Heroin addicted B-movie director is sent a film form someone he once met and much strangeness, mystery, compulsion and obsession follow along with a lot of drug consumption. Iván Zulueta only made two features and Rapture disappeared off the radar for over 30 years in which time it became a cult movie in Spain.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsDonald PleasenceGary BondChips RaffertyAfter a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.One of best Aussie movies ever made and about as brutal and nightmarish a descent into hell as you are ever likely to see. The reason it's still not widely known is because it was essentially lost for years until someone found one surviving original copy and it was re-released in 2009.
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsAlfred LynchKathleen BreckEric PortmanThis Michael Winner directed film looks into life at Notting Hill, London, then a seedy slum. A down on his luck Joe Beckett (Alfred Lynch) is recruited into crime by Richard Dyce (Eric Portman).Some great location shots of Notting Hill when it was at the slum end of the market, as a movie more of a curiosity.
- DirectorErick ZoncaStarsÉlodie BouchezNatacha RégnierGrégoire ColinThe lives of two dissimilar girls turned out in different ways."The dreamlife of angels" two broke girls try to escape life's daily grind.
- DirectorCarol ReedStarsJames MasonClaire BloomHildegard KnefIn post-WW2 Berlin, when travel to the East was still possible, the sister of a British officer from West Berlin is abducted by Communist agents and taken into the Soviet sector where her eventual rescue is arranged by a German smuggler.The location here is the main draw for me, the Berlin ruins are beautifully photographed and look amazing in every shot, Reed doesn't go into his trademark Dutch angle shots until the final third and although it's not the tour de force of "The Third man" it is just as memorable. Also a haunting clarinet soundtrack sticks in the mind, overall a forgotten Noir only because it's viewed as a lesser effort to Reed's most famous movie.
- DirectorGrigoriy ChukhrayStarsIzolda IzvitskayaOleg StrizhenovNikolay KryuchkovAn unexpected romance occurs for a female Red Army sniper and a White Army officer.An unusual love story, firstly it's mainly set in the Karakum desert which you wouldn't expect in a Russian revolution period film and it gets more unconventional as it goes along.
- DirectorAntonio PietrangeliStarsStefania SandrelliMario AdorfJean-Claude BrialyAdriana, a naive Italian country girl, moves to Rome to become a movie star and experiences the dark side of the business.Fragile hopes and dreams of making the big time in classy 60's Italian style, Stefania Sandrelli alone is worth the price of admission.
- DirectorYang LiStarsYixiang LiBaoqiang WangShuangbao WangTwo coal miners and conmen looking for their next murder victim decide on a naïve country boy desperately looking for a job.A look at the corrupt side of China as two miners embark on a deadly scam to claim from the employers. This might have been a dark comedy but in fact it's played dead straight with little drama and looks totally authentic, no film star looks in here, it's populated by chain smoking hacked off guys who all look like they've had a hard life, the message that life is cheap comes through to the point that you don't much care about anyone in it which makes it a bit unusual as it doesn't try to pull any emotional strings whatsoever, more than anything else it's a real hard portrayal of life at the bottom end of Chinese society.
- DirectorWalter Hugo KhouriStarsNorma BengellOdete LaraMário BenvenuttiTwo friends take two prostitutes for a night of pleasure. But the night turns out to be frustrating for all involved, as much bitterness is revealed in their conversation and attitudes, uncovering their anguish and deeper feelings, and the emptiness of their lives.Walter Hugo Khouri's most well known film, he's virtually unknown outside of Brazil and his main influence was Antonioni. It's about a couple of guys who spend the night with two high class prostitutes, it has themes of alienation, empty lives and other Antionioni influences with visuals of modern apartment blocks and plenty of concrete, the movie it's most similar to in style is probably L'Eclisse, attempts at creating an air of mystery are possibly too contrived, Khouri just seems to be trying too hard on the look, it's something that should be viewed more though.
- DirectorJerzy KawalerowiczStarsLucyna WinnickaLeon NiemczykTeresa SzmigielównaJerzy enters a train set for the Baltic coast. He seems to be on the run from something - as does the strange woman with whom he must share a sleeping compartment.Not really a thriller, it's a stylish and moody train trip, a snapshot of the lives of those on board each on a journey to somewhere or nowhere.
- DirectorAnh Hung TranStarsLe Van LocTony Leung Chiu-waiNu Yên-Khê TranWhen a poor bicycle-taxi driver has his cyclo stolen, he is forced into a life of crime. Meanwhile, his sister becomes a sex worker.Life is tough in Ho Chi Minh city for a cycle taxi driver so this one drifts towards crime. This is a movie that gets better and better as it goes on, the start is fairly conventional, then comes some nifty camera work and some nifty editing and it becomes a tour de force of cinema, poetic, vibrant, surprising, graphic.
- DirectorLarisa ShepitkoStarsBoris PlotnikovVladimir GostyukhinSergey YakovlevTwo Soviet partisans on a mission to gather food contend with the winter cold, the occupying Germans, and their own psyches.Russian war experience that tells it like it is bleak, harrowing and full of memorable imagery, it's a movie that looks cold, feels cold, and is beautifully photographed as it follows a couple of Partisans who get separated from the group and have to survive behind the lines or it could be the passion of Christ set on the eastern front but it really comes into it's own in the last third which has some of the most powerful scenes I've seen in any war movie, a great piece of Soviet cinema.
- DirectorEugène GreenStarsAdrien MichauxNatacha RégnierAlexis LoretParis in the seventies. A depressed graduate student hears music that will change his life; he becomes fascinated by the singer.This is quite a hard film to categorize, two people meet (or don't actually) brought together by the same piece of sacred music but under very different circumstances. At first I thought this was some kind of tongue in cheek spoof of the classical music set (and all intellectuals) because there's some nicely done humour in it doing exactly that but at the same time it's also dealing with serious material including some fantastic music, it's a strange enigmatic movie, I liked it because it's so off whack, I hadn't heard of Eugene Green before but I really like his style.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsYella RottländerRüdiger VoglerLisa KreuzerA German journalist is saddled with a nine-year-old girl after encountering her mother at a New York airport.In my top 150 list
- DirectorKonrad WolfStarsSasha KrusharskaJürgen FrohriepErik S. KleinThe tragic love of a Jewish girl and a Nazi officer is presented as a symbol of human purity defeated by fascism and racial prejudice.The doomed love affair between a guard and concentration camp inmate, lesser known Konrad Wolf but I rate this quite highly.
- DirectorAllen BaronStarsAllen BaronMolly McCarthyLarry TuckerA hired killer from Cleveland has a job to do on a second-string mob boss in New York, but a special girl from his past and a gun dealer with pet rats get in his way.Late B-Noir with great locations, study of a hitman on a job in New York at Christmas with memorable gravel voiced narration by Lionel Stander.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsErich von StroheimMary Beth HughesDan DuryeaPart of an entertainment act, a beautiful but unscrupulous female performer manipulates all the men in her life in order to achieve her aims.Relatively unknown Noir with Von Stroheim in good form as a detached variety act sharp shooter and a great performance from Mary Beth Hughes as the scheming fatale, it's firmly in B-Noir territory but solid nonetheless.
(available on youtube) - DirectorBéla TarrStarsMiklós Székely B.Vali KerekesGyula PauerA lonely barfly falls in love with a married bar singer.beautifully strange and enigmatic stuff in true Tarr style, industrial landscapes, constant rain, packs of dogs, the Tarr-o-meter is cranked up to eleven, it's shot with style and impressive cinematography, I actually love the locations in this which really stick in the mind, add to that a haunting soundtrack, atmosphere and a lot of mystery.
- DirectorAndré DelvauxStarsYves MontandAnouk AiméeAdriana BogdanMathias is a Belgian linguist, living with French theatre producer Anne. After a quarrel about moral questions, they take a train to attend a congress. While Mathias sleeps, Anne disappears. The train stops in the middle of the country and Mathias gets off the train with an older man, Hernhutter, and a young one, Val. The train moves off without them being able to catch it up. They will find a village, but cannot get any help because they do not understand a word of what the inhabitants say...
- DirectorTania HermidaStarsTania MartinezCecilia VallejoPancho AguirreEsperanza and Tristeza both have to get to Cuenca. However, by an unlucky turn of events, the bus they are on gets delayed due to a worker strike. Taking their journey into their own hands, they decide to hitchhike to Cuenca. Along the way they meet interesting characters who help them re-evaluate the purpose of their journey.Road Movie from Ecuador where two girls try to get to their destination using various means. This is a little low budget indie movie with a cast of non-actors and gives you a nice snapshot of Ecuadorian life including politics and probably cost next to nothing to make, I quite liked this, unpretentious and refreshing with some charm.
- DirectorNagisa ÔshimaStarsKayoko HonooKôji NakaharaMasahiko TsugawaIn Osaka's slum, capricious folks without futures engage in pilfering, assault and robbery, prostitution, and the trading of ID cards and blood.Early new wave from Oshima about gang culture the criminal underbelly of post war Osaka. It's a bit rough around the edges and seems to have too much going on but it's still gritty and slightly edgy it also paints a pessimistic picture that goes beyond youth culture with old war veterans who feel they have no place in modern Japan and still yearn for the lost empire and the old ways. There's a few great cinematic moments like a tracking shot of three figures overlooking the city at sunset (and some other great locations) that I wish it had more of rather than the frantic stuff, it's still a grim and dark movie about a Japan that's lost it's way and is certainly interesting for the time.
- DirectorZhangke JiaStarsWu JiangBaoqiang WangTao ZhaoFour independent stories set in modern China about random acts of violence.From Jia Zhangke who's probably China's most controversial director, this is four stories most of which are about an act of violence but have a thread running though which tie them together. Usually these kinds of movie are small to mid budget but this has big production values and uses a lot of locations from rural areas, semi-wilderness and cities, it's a great portrait of modern China and what's wrong with it, corruption, exploitation and alienation to name but three, it's nicely structured with some great cinematography and is unsettling and pessimistic.
- DirectorAleksey UchitelStarsVladimir MashkovAnjorka StrechelYuliya PeresildIn 1945, Soviet war hero Ignat is sent to work as a locomotive mechanic in a Siberian labor camp where he meets an assortment of Germans and Russians.At the end of WWII an engineer goes to a labour camp in Siberia to repair trains. You might think this is going to be a tale of woe and despair but in fact it's kind of uplifting due to the quirky storyline, in fact much in this movie is quirky, it also looks much bigger than it's own production values partly down to Ukrainian cinematographer Yuriy Klimenko, plus wilderness locations and real steam trains not CGI.
- DirectorHiroshi IshikawaStarsAoi MiyazakiShioli KutsunaSakura AndôFour women, who have their own different sorrows, embark on a road trip. They look back at their past and restart their lives.This is a great example of artistic Japanese low budget indie cinema about three female friends take a road trip to visit another friend in hospital, it's influenced by new wave realism and is atmospheric, poetic and thoughtful and improvised to some degree, one of those films that's so natural that some will find it mundane but I really liked it, it has a style and a look that's understated in every aspect but works really well.
- DirectorKleber Mendonça FilhoStarsAna Rita GurgelCaio AlmeidaMaeve JinkingsThe lives of the residents of a Brazilian apartment building and the security guards who get the job guarding the surrounding streets.Debut feature from Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, set in a high end apartment block in Recife, Brazil. This starts by focusing on the noises and small issues that bother neighbours and progresses on to security issues as a team of contractors set up a streetwatch, It's all very loosely structured plot wise but very easy to watch as it meanders along at a snails pace although at two hours a bit too long, you get glimpses of relationships and various goings on plus some underlying mystery and unexplained events, not much happening but a lot going on kind of thing, an interesting and intriguing film and pretty good for a debut.
- DirectorIosif KheifitsStarsIya SavvinaAleksey BatalovNina AlisovaA love story among the nobility of the Russian Empire: a man and a woman, both married, fall in love.
- DirectorJacques DemyStarsAnouk AiméeGary LockwoodAlexandra HayGeorge is unemployed, broke, about to be drafted to Vietnam, and suddenly madly in love with the divine Lola, a woman he has only briefly glimpsed. Now George searches for his potential amour through the City of Angels.Demy's first English language film, you can see what a big influence this was on “Once upon a time in Hollywood“ a lot of over the shoulder driving around LA freeway shots, picking up a dope smoking hippy female hitch hiker at one point, the cityscape itself, billboards, posters, that world is beautifully captured like a slice of 60's west coast culture and a soundtrack by Spirit who actually appear briefly in the movie, also has a subtle reference to Demy's earlier work in a photo album not to mention and an obvious name.
- DirectorVittorio De SicaStarsGabriella PallottaGiorgio ListuzziGastone RenzelliA married couple learns that it is possible to build an illegal house in the outskirts of Rome, as long as it is erected in one single night and has a roof.Romantic light drama with charm about a young couple with nowhere to live so resort to building their own house illegally, the plot and title hinges on the fact that if the property has a roof on it it becomes a legal dwelling. It's quite sentimental and touching but is also making a social statement as they are seen struggling amongst high rise apartment blocks they cant afford, what also makes it slightly different from the norm it it's neo-realist style and it's all really nicely shot as you might expect from De Sica, why it's regarded as a lesser work of his is a bit strange as for me it's as good as Umberto D which I found to be overly sentimental.
- DirectorMikhail KalatozovStarsSean ConneryPeter FinchClaudia CardinaleTorn by personal guilt, Italian General Umberto Nobile reminisces about his failed 1928 Arctic expedition aboard the airship Italia.Mikhail Kalatozov's (The Cranes are Flying) last and only English language film, It's an adventure/survival movie based on the actual event in 1928 of an Italian airship crashing at the North pole and the rescue effort. The start is a bit confusing until you realize what's going on as the story unfolds in an unconventional way but overall as an adventure movie it works, the dialogue can be cheesy at times but the polar locations all look completely authentic and no fake studio stuff, generally big production values all round, plus a classic Morricone score (but not enough of it).
- DirectorNaji Abu NowarStarsJacir Eid Al-HwietatHussein Salameh Al-SweilhiyeenHassan Mutlag Al-MaraiyehIn the Ottoman province of Hijaz during World War I, a young Bedouin boy experiences a greatly hastened coming-of-age as he embarks on a perilous desert journey to guide a British officer to his secret destination.Surprising little minimalist gem, tiny cast, great performances and some superb desert locations.
- DirectorJames William GuercioStarsRobert BlakeBilly Green BushMitchell RyanAmbitious but diminutive motorcycle cop John Wintergreen patrols the Arizona highways, yearning for promotion to Homicide Detective, while investigating a murder tied to hippies.Underrated 70's movie, a minor cult classic. Great Arizona locations, a short arsed cop, ambition, disillusionment and a truly memorable closing sequence.
- DirectorJacques DerayStarsAlain DelonRomy SchneiderMaurice RonetLovers Marianne and Jean-Paul spend their vacation in a villa on the French Riviera near St-Tropez. Marianne invites her former lover, Harry, and his teenage daughter, Penelope, to stay. Tension rises between them, especially when Jean-Paul seduces Penelope.Psychological thriller on the Côte d'Azur with sexual undercurrents (no pun intended)
- DirectorFabián BielinskyStarsRicardo DarínManuel RodalDolores FonziA deluded taxidermist plans the perfect crime.Noir-ish and unusual slow burn thriller where a taxidermist gets involved in a heist.
- DirectorKarel KachynaStarsFrank ArgusJosef BartaP. BohdaneckyIt is the spring 1945 and the front line is getting closer to the small Moravian village of Nesovice. Twelve-year old Oldrich Vareka, nicknamed Shorty for his tiny stature, observes the events around him, recalls his memories and also finds comfort in his fantasy. Although he is an only son, his father treats him harshly and brutally punishes his every trifle. Maybe he wreaks his vengeance on him for his own unsuccessful effort to compete with the richest farmers in the village. The boys from the wealthy farms poke fun at Shorty and he takes his revenge on them in petty malice.War through a child's eyes, Karel Kachyna made this before "Coach to Vienna" although I think the cinematography here is much more impressive by Jaromír Sofr who also did "Closely observed Trains" one of my favourite movies.
- DirectorGiuseppe Patroni GriffiStarsUmberto OrsiniFrançoise PrévostDino MeleA well known actor comes to off-season Capri to unwind and meets a teenaged boy. The attraction is immediate and mutual but before their relationship can get off the ground, an alluring woman with a spontaneous sexuality and care free attitude joins the triangle and the boy is slowly pushed out of the picture.Giuseppe Patroni Griffi only made six movies, this is his debut and whatever else you think of it it's pretty impressive as a debut, the meeting of three strangers who've gone to Capri off season for unexplained reasons, it's atmospheric and enigmatic and comparisons to to Antonioni are obvious.
(Available on youtube with english subtitles) - DirectorGiuseppe De SantisStarsVittorio GassmanDoris DowlingSilvana ManganoTwo criminals on the run end up working in a rice field and decide to recruit other workers for their next robbery.Early Neo-realism that drifts firmly into noir territory in this tale of love and betrayal set around the female workers of Italy's rice fields. Some pretty impressive cinematography here and good performances all round, Vittorio Gassman might have top billing but Silvana Mangano is the star here, she was only 18 years old in this and gives a great mature performance and looks fantastic into the bargain.
- DirectorValerio ZurliniStarsJacques PerrinVittorio GassmanGiuliano GemmaLieutenant Giovanni Drogo is assigned to the old Bastiani border fortress where he expects an imminent attack by nomadic fearsome Tartars.Zurlini's last film, strange and haunting to say the least, Who knows what he was trying to say here? the star of the show is the films location which is Arg-é Bam in Iraq which was destroyed by an earthquake in 2003 so doesn't really exist other than in this movie.
- DirectorPierre Granier-DeferreStarsJean GabinSimone SignoretAnnie CordyIn 1971 Courbevoie (France), former typographist Julien Bouin and his wife Clemence, who used to perform in a circus, hardly talk to each other in their small house, which is soon to be demolished. To Clemence's anger, Julien's cat Greffier is the only one who gets his attention, let alone love.Jean Gabin and Simone Signoret play an old couple who don't get on anymore living in a house about to be demolished. Sounds like this is a recipe for a comedy but it certainly isn't in fact it's a pretty sad portrait of old age and dependency, I was waiting for some light relief moments in this but none were forthcoming as you watch a couple performing everyday mundane tasks as their lives get further apart, it's a good movie though due to the performances from a couple of great veteran actors and the way it's structured.
- DirectorValerio ZurliniStarsMarcello MastroianniJacques PerrinSylvieA man recollects the life of his late younger brother.Set in the 1930's two estranged brothers meet up after years apart and try to reconcile. Another Valerio Zurlini, it's a straightforward story told in flashbacks, it can be a bit stark and bleak including the locations which I actually liked although the colour palette is very pleasing and it's all quite impressive visually, it leans towards sentimentality as it progresses but it's held together by the two central performances from Mastroianni and a very young Jacques Perrin.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsOliver ReedClifford DavidAnn LynnAn American businessman visits London and is horrified to discover his nubile teenage daughter has become involved with a gang of thuggish "beatniks". Her involvement leads to wild parties, sex, death and necrophilia.I wanted to see this after reading the story regarding it's censorship, basically it was filmed in 1962 and couldn't get past the censors until 1965 with a cut version and still given an X certificate at which director Guy Hamilton had his name removed from the credits so as not to damage his reputation, it was also thought lost for years until the original version was finally released.
it's a story set in the London Beatnik culture of the period, you can see how edgy it must have been at the time in one particular party scene after it's finally revealed what really happened. However there is a half decent story here and it's competently directed by Hamilton with cool locations (almost all in Chelsea) and one of Ollie Reeds best early performances plus a great jazz score by John Barry, it's cynical, dark and pessimistic. - DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsSylvia KristelCharles VanelFernand LedouxAlice Carol leaves her husband one rainy night, telling him that she does not love him anymore. She travels alone but when her windscreen breaks on a lonely road, she has to stop and seek help. She goes to a creepy manor and is welcomed by the owner, Henri Vergennes, and his butler, Colas. Alice is invited to spend the night in the house. The next morning, Alice can't find the two men from he previous night but finds her car surprisingly fixed. She tries to leave but cannot find the gate. She stops the car and walks around the wall trying to find an exit but becomes increasingly worried with what she finds.An obscure movie from Chabrol which is influenced by Alice in Wonderland, it stars the late great Sylvia Kristel who spent most of her career doing soft porn movies and the whole thing is shot around an old Chateau. It takes a while to get going but I liked this, some nice camera work and it's dreamlike, intriguing and firmly in the realms of art film and it does make sense in the end (it's not the actual Alice story) Kristel looks fantastic throughout and does actually act even though it's not Chabrol's normal style it's a different kind of fantasy movie.
- DirectorYoshishige YoshidaStarsMariko OkadaYoshie MinamiTadahiko SuganoA woman, unhappily married to a cheating executive, starts meeting her dead mother's lover and gets thrown into a romantic dilemma after succumbing to a rough laborer.Another obscure gem from Yoshida about a woman who tries to find out about her late mothers affairs by meeting the men involved. This took me about 20 mins or so to start getting into but once it gets going it's original and daring new wave with great composition from Yoshida.
- DirectorJirí MenzelStarsIvan BarnevOldrich KaiserJulia JentschA look at the glamorous life at an old-world Prague hotel.Great satire about the rise and fall of a waiter through the years, the German occupation segment is especially brilliant, I think this is the most expensive Czech movie ever made and it shows.
- DirectorCarlos SorinStarsJuan VillegasWalter DonadoRosa ValsecchiIn Patagonia, a mechanic who dreams of a different life starts to think big after his adopted pup wins first prize at a local dog show.A Patagonian car mechanic down on his luck is given an Argentinian Dogo fighting dog and tries dog breeding. It has a certain charm for a couple of reasons, it's all done with non-professional actors and it doesn't make it about a dog with a personality it's all about the people who are all down on their luck and live in a world where everything is done on the cheap and comes over as an honest portrayal of people getting by as much as anything dog related, it's a tad sugary in a couple of places but not sentimental, a simple story told with charm.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsBirgit DollDieter BernerLeni TanzerA European family who plan on escaping to Australia seem caught up in their daily routine, only troubled by minor incidents. However, behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, they are actually planning something sinister.Micheal Heneke's debut feature based on the true story of a family who are not as normal as it appears, it's told in a fairly unique way with the majority of time spent showing the "perfect" middle class life, consumerism, aspirations, the working routine, almost with an element of groundhog day to it, and it's all understated which actually makes it more effective, overall it's a pretty powerful piece and very strange given the factual nature of it.
- DirectorAndrew BirkinStarsCharlotte GainsbourgAndrew RobertsonAlice CoulthardFour children live with their terminally ill mother. After she dies, they try to hold things together. In their isolated house, they begin to deteriorate mentally, whilst they hide their mom's decomposing corpse in a makeshift concrete sarcophagus.One of the strangest coming of age movies ever about a dysfunctional family living in the ugliest concrete house you've ever seen set in an equally ugly concrete landscape, a dark tale of cement and unnatural attractions.
- DirectorMauro BologniniStarsAlain CunyRosanna SchiaffinoJacques PerrinThe son of a rich Italian industrialist finds out how tough it is to leave the path society has set for him."The Corruption" A young man wants to become a priest but his wealthy father has other ideas for him, very stylish, great performances from Rosanna Schiaffino and Jaques Perrin.
(available on youtube) - DirectorAntonio PietrangeliStarsSimone SignoretMarcello MastroianniSandra MiloWhen a brothel closes because of new laws, four of the prostitutes decide to go into business running a restaurant. They discover they cannot escape their past.Obscure piece in the neo-realism style, amazing cast, great story as a bunch of ex-prostitutes try to go respectable and set up a restaurant after their brothel is closed down, beautifully shot and with a jazzy soundtrack.
- DirectorHenri VerneuilStarsJean GabinAlain DelonClaude CervalA career con artist reunites with his wife but has already planned his next move: one daring last heist that will set him up for life. However, there is no such thing as a foolproof plan.AKA Any number can win.
- DirectorChristian PetzoldStarsNina HossRonald ZehrfeldNina KunzendorfAfter surviving Auschwitz, a former cabaret singer has her disfigured face reconstructed and returns to her war-ravaged hometown to seek out her gentile husband, who may or may not have betrayed her to the Nazis.Concentration camp survivor returns from the dead and facial re-structuring to find her husband. Noir-ish in tone it's based on the novel "Le Retour des cendres" from which the first adaptation was made in 1965 "Return from the Ashes" with Ingrid Thulin in the role but which takes a completely different turn plot wise halfway through, I think Pheonix has a more believable and effective conclusion.
- DirectorKostas ManoussakisStarsElli FotiouAnestis VlahosSpyros FokasA disturbing family drama about the pathogeny of Greek countryside.Twisted Greek drama that's got a bit of style.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsJeanne MoreauEttore ManniKeith SkinnerResidents of a small French town are quick to accuse Manou of arson because he seduced most of the town's women. No one suspects the real culprit, a woman committing random crimes, all in an attempt to draw Manou's attention to herself.Jeanne Moreau plays a schoolteacher who gets seriously nasty.