Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Art House and International Video Editor, Simon Leake FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Word for Word: "Picnic at Hanging Rock" * New Releases for Sale: "The Singing Detective," "Elizabeth," "Smoke Signals" * This Month's Top 5: "Harakiri," "Irma Vep," "Jules and Jim," "Videodrome," "Bottle Rocket" * Boys and Girls Come out to Play: Children in Films from Around the World * The Essential Coen Brothers * Advance Orders: "The Passion of Joan of Arc," "Six O'Clock News," "Carnal Knowledge" WORD FOR WORD ************* "A surprising number of human beings are without purpose, though it is probable that they are performing some function unknown to themselves." --Jane Vallis as Marion in "Picnic at Hanging Rock" You can find "Picnic at Hanging Rock" at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0780021266/entertainmentsit NEW RELEASES FOR SALE ********************* "The Singing Detective" (1986) (NR) starring Michael Gambon; directed by Jon Amiel http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793970113/entertainmentsit Writer Dennis Potter redefined television drama, using the medium to explore concepts and create work that was both challenging and entertaining. "The Singing Detective" was his greatest achievement, a dazzlingly complex study of a writer's mind as he struggles to recover from physical illness and mental collapse. Fantasy and memory combine in this intricate six-hour puzzle, held together by Michael Gambon's powerful central performance and by the unstoppable energy of Potter's writing. "Elizabeth" (1998) (R) starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush; directed by Shekhar Kapur http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305358567/entertainmentsit Kapur's dazzling evocation of the rise to power of the Virgin Queen is history rewritten as a horror movie. Blanchett is simply superb as the princess who must stay one step ahead of her rivals and ultimately reinvent herself in order to heal the fractured body politic. Director Kapur keeps the pace slow and the tension high, and the film looks ravishing, setting dazzling costumes against a menacing background of shadows. "Smoke Signals" (1998) (PG-13) starring Adam Beach and Evan Adams; directed by Chris Eyre http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305210101/entertainmentsit The first feature made by a Native American crew and creative team, "Smoke Signals" (based on stories by Sherman Alexie) concerns two young Idaho men with radically different memories of one Arnold Joseph, a former resident of the reservation who split years before and has just died in Phoenix. Arnold's strapping, popular son, Victor (Adam Beach), remembers him best as an alcoholic who drove off one day and never came back. By contrast, Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams), whom Arnold had saved from certain death years earlier, has chosen to exaggerate the man's life and deeds in a mythmaking fashion that drives Victor crazy. Circumstances bring the two together, however, in a bus ride to retrieve Arnold's ashes. THIS MONTH'S TOP 5 ****************** Amazon.com's Art House and International Video editor, Simon Leake, selects five great films to buy. "Harakiri" (1962) (NR) starring Tatsuya Nakadai; directed by Masaki Kobayashi http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6303261736/entertainmentsit If you're looking for a film that elevates suspense to an art form, "Harakiri" is it. Tatsuya Nakadai plays a samurai for whom the arrival of peace has meant poverty and dishonor. He goes to the stronghold of a rival clan and asks to be allowed to commit ritual suicide, but he has a hidden agenda: revenge. Kobayashi's stately camera glides through empty corridors to the courtyard where the samurai sits, surrounded by his enemies. As the plot slowly unfolds, the director captivates the audience with stillness--only the passage of sun and shadow across the ground lets us know that events are moving toward what must be, and is, an explosive climax. "Irma Vep" (1996) (NR) starring Maggie Cheung and Jean-Pierre Leaud; directed by Olivier Assayas http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572522356/entertainmentsit French cinema is currently enjoying a period of creativity as exhilarating and refreshingly iconoclastic as the heyday of the New Wave. Olivier Assayas is one of the most playful of this new generation of directors, and "Irma Vep" is a witty, thoughtful look at the world of moviemaking. Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung plays herself, summoned to Paris to appear in a remake of the silent classic "Les Vampires" directed by an extremely unstable genius (New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Leaud). Cheung doesn't speak a word of French, but before long she's part of a delightfully odd family of filmmakers. Assayas isn't interested in big messages--he's simply content to give us a warm and funny slice of life in contemporary Paris. "Jules and Jim" (1961) (NR) starring Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, and Henri Serre; directed by Francois Truffaut http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572525851/entertainmentsit A masterpiece of the French New Wave and one of Truffaut's most confident and accomplished films, "Jules and Jim" harnesses groundbreaking cinematic techniques to tell the moving story of a doomed love triangle. Jeanne Moreau is superb as Catherine, an enigmatic woman who comes between two friends in this exquisitely paced film. Truffaut uses montage and narration to navigate the complex relationship between these three people, a relationship that develops over many years. "Videodrome" (1983) (R) starring James Woods and Debbie Harry; directed by David Cronenberg http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300182770/entertainmentsit Cronenberg is the most intellectual of horror movie directors, as interested in engaging our minds as he is in triggering our gag reflex, and "Videodrome"--originally released in 1983--is one of his most fascinating films. James Woods, all nervous energy and barely controlled fury, plays a TV exec who tunes into some very strange broadcasts that take him on a hallucinatory trip to a very nasty place. Cronenberg obviously realized that horror movies were the perfect forum in which to explore the ways in which mass media influence our responses to violence, and "Videodrome" does exactly that, while remaining a disturbing and provocatively entertaining movie. "Bottle Rocket" (1996) (R) starring Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson; directed by Wes Anderson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6304118473/entertainmentsit Wes Anderson, creator of the indie gem "Rushmore," made his directorial debut with this tongue-in-cheek crime flick. Three friends try to move from petty theft to bigger things--with the help of career crook James Caan--but soon find themselves in over their heads. The humor is as dry as a good martini, and the actors make the most of every line. Put this on your must-see list. BOYS AND GIRLS COME OUT TO PLAY ******************************* In spite of all the cultural differences that divide one nation from another, childhood provides a bridge. In films from France, Japan, America, the Middle East, India, and elsewhere, the lives of children--mischievous, troubled, funny, or sad--point to some kind of shared humanity that transcends cultural boundaries without denying them. Amazon.com contributor Sean Axmaker examines a selection of films from around the world that look at life through a child's eyes. Art House & International THE ESSENTIAL COEN BROTHERS *************************** Joel directs, Ethan produces, and they both write. That's the creative modus operandi of the Coen brothers from Minnesota. Joel's about two years younger than Ethan, but if there's any sibling rivalry between them, you'd never know it from watching their fascinating films. Experts at combining intricate plotting, outrageously quotable dialogue, and whimsical characters who could only exist in the Coens' bountiful imaginations, they make films as rich and rewarding as anyone else in modern American movies. Quirky, technically polished, and stylistically exuberant, a Coen movie is easy to spot: It's got "genius" written all over it. Art House & International ADVANCE ORDERS ************** Order these titles now, and we'll ship them to you as soon as they're released. "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928) (NR) starring Renee Maria Falconetti; directed by Carl Dreyer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001REAJ/entertainmentsit A breathtaking piece of cinema history--long believed lost--is back. Dreyer's film, based on the transcripts of Joan's trial, boasts one of cinema's greatest performances and direction that looks as fresh and daring as it did more than 70 years ago. This film is much more than a museum piece, it's a masterpiece. "Six O'Clock News" (1997) (NR) directed by Ross McElwee http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6304934386/entertainmentsit Contrary documentarian McElwee's third feature-length film continues the autobiographical journey begun with "Sherman's March" and "Time Indefinite." Here, though, rather than outside events launching personal exploration, the existence of his 8-month-old son initiates an investigation of the six o'clock news. "Carnal Knowledge" (1971) (R) starring Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, and Candice Bergen; directed by Mike Nichols http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JZIF/entertainmentsit Nichols's sardonic drama follows two college friends through almost 30 years of sexual adventures. A mirror of its times, "Carnal Knowledge" pulls no punches when it comes to exposing the darker side of relationships, but the assured direction combines with strong performances to create a fascinating, though depressing, film. ****** You'll find more great videos, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Art House & International Video section at Art House & International ****** To help you kick off the fall TV season, we're offering complimentary delivery on every 30-inch or larger TV in our catalog, plus selected 27-inch sets. You can find the complete list of TVs covered by this special offer at Televisions ******
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