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A Very Long Engagement (DVD)

This World War I mystery finds limitless beauty in the nostalgia of loss. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose whimsical AMELIE riveted audiences, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT also stars Audrey Tautou--the 21st century's Audrey Hepburn--in the stubbornly emotional role of a widow in denial. Here she is Mathilde, a waifish young woman with a pronounced limp from childhood polio. Living with her quirky aunt and uncle in a farmhouse by the sea, and waiting desperately for her fiance Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) to return from the war, she believes that if he were truly lost she would feel it in her heart. Thus, when the bad news arrives--Manech and five fellow soldiers were exiled to No Man's Land for shooting off their own fingers in hope of being discharged--Mathilde refuses to believe he is dead. Instead, she begins her own investigation into Manech's infantry, hiring a private detective and tracking down the wives and girlfriends of each of Manech's compatriots. Conducting countless interviews, Mathilde pieces together Manech's war stories--which are told in earthshaking flashbacks involving gruesome explosions, flying guts, and massive suffering. And yet, the all-in-this-together humanity of these awful scenes, and the heartfelt bravery with which Mathilde absorbs the details of each battle, is undeniably moving. Jodie Foster appears as Elodie, one of the widows, in a charismatic yet muted performance and with a flawless accent. However, the most intriguing of the widows is Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard), a thrilling dominatrix-assassin bent on avenging her lover. A timeless masterwork that raises the bar for breathtaking camerawork, vivid landscapes, and fantastical storytelling, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT is adapted from the novel by Sebastien Japriscot.DVD Features:Region (unknown)Keep CaseWidescreen2 Disc Set
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
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L'Age D'Or (DVD) » L'Age D'Or (DVD)

Luis Bunuel's second film is a surreal attack on bourgeios ideals that incited a riot when first released and still retains its power to shock. Bunuel began the film as a collaboration with Salvador Dali, but after a few days working together the two had a falling out and Bunuel made the film himself, incorporating many of Dali's ideas. Its narrative follows two nameless characters, a man and a woman, through a series of scenes connected by dreamlike logic as they try, unsuccessfully, to make love. One memorable sequence finds the couple writhing around on a cliff when a mob of socialites comes upon them and pries them apart. Frustrated, the man sees a yelping poodle and kicks it into the air. L'AGE D'OR is not only an attack on bourgeois life but also a doctrine that directs humanity to live as the surrealists believed they should: that is, by placing love before everything else in life, such as the church, status, and family. Funny, disturbing, and thoroughly bizarre, Bunuel's film is a purposefully blasphemous and corrosive work that attacks social institutions with such vigor and imagination that one cannot help but be entertained.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary - 1. Robert ShortText/ Photo Gallery Still Gallery Filmography - 1. Luis Bunuel
Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005.
For personal use only.
All rights reserved.