Sarraounia (1986) DVD9

Raised by her father, Sarraounia (Ai Keita-Yara) was groomed to become an independent, fearless warrior. Known for possessing not only strength but mystical powers, not many attempt to defeat her. As the word gets out that French troops have arrived to destroy and conquer, Sarraounia gathers her army and prepares to defend her territory. Meanwhile, the French troops leave no stone unturned and have mercilessly murdered and demolished the land of many natives and are slowly moving her way...

Everything here is grounded in careful but never pedantic historical research. The film is superbly crafted and expansive; the tone is celebratory, loud, assertive and spirited; but Hondo doesn't allow the visual and musical splendours to swamp his certainty that Africans need to learn to value and develop the identity that was theirs before the white man came.

DVD9 | NTSC 16:9 | 01:56:09 | 7.09 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Dyula
Subtitles: English, Francais, Arabic, Espanol, Portugues
Genre: Drama, History, War

Director: Med Hondo
Cast: Ai Keita, Jean-Roger Milo, Feodor Atkine
Country: Burkina Faso, Mauritania, France
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Opowiesci weekendowe / Weekend Stories: Damski interes / A Woman’s Business (1996), Slaba wiara / Little Faith (1997), Dusza spiewa / The Soul Sings (1997), Urok wszeteczny / Deceptive Charm (1998), Ostatni krag / The Last Circle (1998), Linia opozniajaca / Dilatory Line (1998), Niepisane prawa / Unwritten Law (1998), Skarby ukryte / The Hidden Treasure (2000) 3 x DVD9

Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi has spent the better part of the last 50 years using movies to wrangle with the deep questions of self. In the process, he's provided a model for a generation of compatriots, including the late Krzysztof Kieslowski. But Kieslowski surpassed his mentor, creating internationally acclaimed films of astonishing resonance and philosophical subtlety, like The Decalogue and the "Three Colors" trilogy. Zanussi is held in less regard by the global cineastes who are aware of him, perhaps because his work is less stylish and nuanced than Kieslowski's. Zanussi's Weekend Stories has been compared to The Decalogue, in that both projects were produced for Polish television, and both present a series of brief narratives in which unrelated characters face spiritual crises, but Zanussi's mini-movies are merely good TV, not good cinema. The eight episodes of Weekend Stories, which aired between 1996 and 2000, take place in post-Cold War Poland, among various city dwellers who often travel to the same country house for recreation and soul-searching.

3xDVD9 | PAL 4:3 | 440 min | 18 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Polish
Subtitles: English, Polish
Genre: Drama

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The Bolshevik Trilogy – Three Films by Vsevolod Pudovkin: Mother / Mat / Мать (1926), The End of St. Petersburg / Konets Sankt-Peterburga / Конец Санкт-Петербурга (1927), Storm Over Asia / The Heir to Genghis Khan / Potomok Chingis-Khana / Потомок Чингис-Хана (1928) 2 x Blu-Ray Flicker Alley

Vsevolod Pudovkin was a contemporary of Sergei Eisenstein but, while the latter's list of notable films continues well into the sound era, Pudovkin's legacy consists almost entire of the three consecutive works he produced from 1926 to 1928, collected in an essential new Flicker Alley Blu-ray under the grouping "The Bolshevik Trilogy." Pudovkin actually continued directing for years after Eisenstein did (owing to having lived longer) but these three films – Mother, The End of St. Petersburg and Storm over Asia – are more than enough on their own to argue that his talents are no less worthy of consideration and praise.

The Bolshevik trilogy is undeniable propaganda but it also feels truly passionate, making it all the more persuasive. Part of Pudovkin's talent lies in his ability to position individual characters as both audience surrogates and instructors by example.

2xBD50 | 1080p AVC | 291 min | 40 Gb + 36 Gb
Language: Russian or English intertitles
Subtitles: English
Genre: Drama

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Walk on the Wild Side (1962) Blu-Ray Sony Pictures, Blu-Ray Arrow

At the time of its release, legendary American critic Bosley Crowther described the 1962 film Walk on the Wild Side as a "lurid, tawdry, and sleazy melodrama", which makes it a must-see, regardless of what meaning Mr Crowther may have inferred in his colourful portrait. And indeed, it's a fine example of late noir.

The 1930s. Farmer Dove Linkhorn (Laurence Harvey) hitchhikes from Texas to New Orleans in search a girl he couldn't keep several years before, the beautiful Hallie Gerard (Capucine). Along the way he meets thieving tramp Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) and widow Teresina Vidaverri, the earthy owner of a roadside cafe (Anne Baxter). Both fall for Dove, but he has his eyes set on Hallie alone. Dove eventually finds Hallie only to discover that she's the star boarder in a brothel called The Doll House run by the tyrannical Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck). Jo has staked a claim of her own on Hallie and has plenty of henchmen to foil Dove's attempts to take her away.

Yet for some reason, this early Sixties slice of Southern Gothic has been relatively forgotten among film fans as the years have progressed. For fans of Southern Gothic and melodrama, is Walk on the Wild Side now destined to become a rediscovered classic, or is there a reason why the film has been all but forgotten over the past several decades?
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Brian De Palma’s Obsession (1976) DVD9, Blu-Ray Arrow, Blu-Ray Shout! Factory

Brian De Palma's Obsession begins in 1959 with the 10th wedding anniversary celebration for Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) and his wife Elizabeth (Genevieve Bujold). They are living happily in New Orleans with their 9-year-old daughter Amy (Wanda Blackman).

That night, Elizabeth and Amy are kidnapped. The ransom is exorbitant (especially for the time): $500,000 in cash. Acting upon the advice of the police, Michael delivers a suitcase filled with paper rather than cash; the police try to close in, but the kidnappers make a run for it, and in the ensuing chaos, the kidnappers and their victims are killed in a fiery car crash, leaving Michael a haunted, guilt-ridden man. He erects a stupendously large memorial tomb to his wife and child, on property that was set to be developed commercially by his firm.

Flash forward 16 years to 1975, and Michael seems to be OK. He's still visits the memorial tomb, which sits isolated and lonely on the large tract of land that was never developed. Michael returns to Florence and revisits the same church where he met his long-lost love. There he spies a young woman who is the spitting image of his dear Elizabeth. He's never gotten over the loss of wife, so naturally he pursues the young woman, named Sandra...
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Nazarin (1959) Blu-Ray

"Nazarin follows the great tradition of mad Spaniards originated by Cervantes. His madness consists in taking seriously great ideas and trying to live accordingly". -- Octavio Paz, Mexican poet

Luis Bunuel's Nazarin is a blisteringly ironic, hauntingly beautiful parable about an idealistic young priest whose attempts to lead a truly Christian life are ridiculed by the thieves and prostitutes who make up his urban parish. Driven out, he wanders the countryside begging for food, but when his prayers seem to cure a dying child, he becomes a Christlike figure, pursuing his mission with two former prostitutes as his apostles.

Bunuel tells the story in a manner of a Christian parable masterfully and uniquely combining admiration and irony for the main character and strong criticism of formal religion and hypocrisy. The film is simple and profound as well as beautiful, ironic, and heartbreaking.

Despite winning an award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the film's treatment of religion proved so controversial that it was not released in the US until 1968. Out of distribution for many years, Nazarin was restored in 2019 by Mexico's Cineteca Nacional and Fundacion Televisa, and now takes its place as one of Bunuel's masterworks.
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Marana Simhasanam / Throne of Death (1999) DVD5

Throne of Death (Marana Simhasanam) by 34-year-old Murali Nair is a disturbing 57-minute film about class oppression and political manipulation in Kerala, India. This darkly ironic film an graphically captures the soul-destroying poverty and backwardness that confronts a large proportion of the state's population.

Krishnan and his family, who have been seasonal labourers for generations, live in a small island community in Kerala. Driven by desperation because he is out of work, Krishnan steals a bunch of coconuts from his landlord. He is caught, imprisoned and suddenly finds himself accused of a murder which happened on the island several years ago. The people on the island are shocked. It is election time and the politicians take up his cause to win votes. A new technology for killing people is introduced in the country: the "Electronic Chair". Developed with a loan from the World Bank and technological help from America, the Chair is seen as the epitome of a glorious death. The islanders and politicians join hands to demand that Krishnan be the first in the country to die by Electronic Chair.

Director: Murali Nair
Cast: Vishwas Njavakkal, Lakshmi Raman, Suhas Thayat
Country: UK, India
Genre: Drama

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