Mai 2024
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NEFERTITI, QUEEN OF THE NILE (1961) * NEW CATEGORY: Indian Films* In Ancient Egypt, sculptor Tumos and Tenet are in love, but the high priest Benakon refuses to allow them to marry. Tumos asks his old friend, the Pharaoh-apparent Amenophis IV, to intercede on his behalf, but when the old Pharaoh dies, Benakon ceremonially renames Tenet to Nefertiti and tricks Amenophis into marrying her instead, using threats against Tumos's life to force Nefertiti to remain quiet. Further complicating matters is the introduction of a new monotheistic religion preaching pacifism and worship of the sun God Aten, leading to a clash between them and Benakon and the other priests of the old polytheistic religion. .
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NAU DO GYARAH (1957) * NEW CATEGORY: Indian Films* Runaway wealthy heiress, Raksha, joins a traveller, Madan, in a small truck, heading toward the home of his uncle, Manoharlal. When they reach their destination, they are informed that Manoharlal has passed away, and the estate and all the wealth was taken over by his son, Kuldeep, and his mother. Madan is suspicious and starts making inquiries about this death. Soon, he himself comes under suspicion, and with the help of Surjit, s arrested and imprisoned on the charge of kidnapping Raksha. This gets him out of the way, so that the real culprits can get away with the wealth.
An aspiring composer, serving in the British Air Force during WWII, is downed in Italy and rescued by an Italian girl. He returns home to his wife, inspired to write an opera, but realizes he's fallen in love with his rescuer.
THE WAR IS OVER (1966) * with switchable English subtitles * In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, communist veteran Diego has dedicated his life to continuing the struggle against the Francoist State, while he lives in exile in Paris. Lately, however, he has become war-weary and skeptical about the tactics of the extremist underground. After meeting Nadine by using her father's passport, Diego learns that she is involved with an alternative extremist group that is planning an armed attack in Spain. When he meets the young extremists who will execute the plan, he tries to persuade them to abandon the action as misconceived, but they ignore him.
TWO FILM DVD: L HOMME DU LARGE (1920) + LORNA DOONE (1922) L'HOMME DU LARGE (Man of the Sea) (1920): Nolff, a devout Breton fisherman, has taken a vow of silence and lives as a hermit beside the sea. No one comes near him, except a white-clad novice who brings him food. Years before: Full of contempt for mankind and life on land, Nolff built his house on a remote cliff, and devoted himself to his fishing and to his wife and children: his daughter Djenna, hard-working and dutiful; and his son Michel, whom he idolizes and is determined to bring up as "a free man, a sailor". But Michel is selfish and exploits his father's blind affection. The boy ends up hating the sea; he becomes addicted to the pleasures of the town, and lured into bad behavior by his friend Guenn-la-Taupe. LORNA DOONE (1922): In 17th-century England, an outlaw clan kidnaps a young girl, who grows up among them. The farm boy who met her just before the kidnapping eventually rescues her, and they fall in love.
. A MAN OF STRAW (1958) * with hard-encoded English subtitles * Andrea Zaccardi and his wife Luisa have a young son, Giulio, who develops a cough. Following a doctor's advice, the mother and son depart for the seaside for a few weeks. Andrea stays to work at the metal shop. Visiting his family at the beach later on, Andrea notices a young woman with her soldier boyfriend. Apparently, she's a neighbor from back home. On the bus home, the two talk ... and more follows.
BALTIC DEPUTY (1936) * with switchable English subtitles *
A film based on the life of the Russian scientist, Klement Timiriazev, who taught at Cambridge and Oxford and was awarded the Newton Mantle for his work. Timiriazev, one of the few outstanding Russian scientists who publically backed the Soviets in their revolutionary campaign, was later elected a delegate to the Leningrad Soviet by the sailors of the Baltic fleet. There, he denounced his fellow scientists for failing to aid the Soviets and predicted that such aid would come.
TRE NOTTE D AMORE (1964) * with switchable English subtitles *
The body of mafia boss Don Ciccio Intralia is taken from France to his native Sicily to be buried. Accompanying it is the wife of the deceased, Giselle, who, with her beauty and her ways of doing things, creates havoc among her husband's fellow villagers. Unbeknownst to her, she is taken into protection by her husband's cousins. Sounds nice, right? Well, the result is that many men guilty of having shown too much interest in the widow are mysteriously killed; so much so, that the population begins to fear any contact with Giselle.
ROMEO AND JULIET (1978) * with switchable English subtitles *
Teenagers being teenagers the world over, a boy and a girl from two households feuding with each other fall in love and make life difficult for everyone involved. The end does not justify the means and had they only listened to their moms and dads, we could have all been spared having to read this overly long tale in high school. An admonishment for those who never learn.
SCHNEEWITTCHEN (1961) * with switchable English and German subtitles *
A queen pricks her finger while sewing. Seeing the drops of blood in the snow, it occurs to her that if she gives birth to a daughter, she will name her Snow White. Some time later, the queen actually does give birth to a little girl and remembers her promise to herself. Her happiness with her child is only granted to her for a short time, for she dies a few weeks later. After a year, Snow White's father remarries. Her vain stepmother wants to be the most beautiful in the country; her speaking mirror confirms this to her regularly. Snow White grows into a beautiful young woman. During a castle festival she meets a young prince who immediately wants to marry her; at the same time, the mirror tells the evil queen that Snow White is even more beautiful than she is. Enraged, the evil queen hires the hunter to kill Snow White in the forest. As proof of carrying out the order, she demands Snow White's heart.
Eine K nigin sticht sich beim N hen in den Finger. Beim Anblick der Blutstropfen im Schnee kommt ihr der Gedanke, sollte sie eine Tochter zur Welt bringen, dieser den Namen Schneewittchen zu geben. Einige Zeit sp ter bekommt die K nigin tats chlich ein kleines M dchen, dem sie den Namen Schneewittchen gibt. Ihr Gl ck mit ihrem Kind bleibt ihr nur kurz verg nnt, da sie wenige Wochen sp ter stirbt. Nach Ablauf eines Jahres heiratet Schneewittchens Vater erneut. Schneewittchens eitle Stiefmutter will unbedingt die Sch nste im Lande sein; ihr sprechender Spiegel best tigt ihr dies regelm ig. Schneewittchen w chst zu einer sch nen jungen Frau heran. W hrend eines Schlossfestes begegnet sie einem jungen Prinzen, der sie sogleich zur Frau nehmen will; gleichzeitig sagt der Spiegel der b sen K nigin, dass Schneewittchen noch viel sch ner sei als sie. Erz rnt beauftragt die b se K nigin den J ger, Schneewittchen im Wald zu t ten. Als Beweis f r die Ausf hrung des Befehls fordert sie Schneewittchens Herz.
BALLAD OF SIBERIA (1947) * with hard-encoded Japanese and switchable English subtitles *
Ballad of Siberia was the Soviet Union's second color film (after the Stone Flower, which we also sell). The film tells the story of the pianist Andrei Balashov, who, after being wounded at the front during the Great Patriotic War, loses the opportunity to earnestly pursue music due to a hand injury. Without saying goodbye to his friends and his beloved Natasha, he goes to Siberia. He works on the construction of a plant, and in the evenings sings in a teahouse. By chance, weather conditions force the plane with Andrey's friends, Boris Olenich and Natasha, who are flying to a competition abroad, to land at the airport near the building of the plant. Andrey meets them and it changes his life. He travels to the Arctic and is inspired by the heroic labor of the builders to write a symphonic oratorio "Ballad of Siberia", which receives universal recognition.
STACHKA (1925) * with switchable German and English subtitles * In the early days of the 20th Century in Czarist Russia, there's restlessness and strike planning among workers in many factories. Thus, management brings in spies and external agents to hold the upper hand. When a worker in a particular factory hangs himself after being falsely accused of theft, the workers go out on strike. At first, there's excitement in workers' households and in public places, as they develop their demands communally. Then, as the strike drags on and management rejects demands, hunger mounts, as does domestic and civic distress. Provocateurs recruited from the Lumpenproletariat, and in league with the police and fire department, bring problems to the workers; the spies do their dirty work; and, finally, military forces and the secret police arrive to liquidate the strikers.
SUNDAYS AND CYBELE (1962) * with switchable English subtitles *
During the war in Indochina, a French pilot, Pierre, suffers from amnesia after a war-time accident in which he might have killed a young Vietnamese girl while crash-landing his stricken plane. His nurse, Madeleine, lives with him in a low-key, but potentially romantic relationship. When Pierre sees Cyb le, a young girl in distress, as her obviously loveless father is dropping her off at an orphanage, he befriends her. Each of the two is lonely, childlike, and in need of a supportive friend. Eventually, he pretends to be the girl's father, which allows her to escape the locked orphanage for a day, and he shares every one of his Sundays with her for months. Pierre conceals his friendship with Cyb le from Madeleine, but she eventually finds out, and tells Bernard, a doctor who has a romantic interest in her. Bernard assumes the girl to be in danger, and notifies the police, who adopt the same assumption.
TWO STAGE SISTERS (1964) * with switchable English subtitles *
Lavish color production about the fortunes of two actresses in pre-revolutionary China, whose individual fates are determined by money and politics.
STEFAN LUCHIAN (1981) * with multiple switchable subtitles *
The eventual Minister of Culture in Romania, Ion Caramitru, plays the lead role in this work about one of the country's most famous artists; and it is especially notable for the absence of propaganda which, subtly or otherwise, penetrated into every film of the period. Stefan Luchian lived and worked in the newly-formed Romanian state (not even fifty years old) in the early 20th Century and suffered from a disease which would eventually paralyze him. This delicate film about art and the struggles of life --- the artist could not pursue physical love and poured all his strength into his paintings --- is refreshingly devoid of preaching and condenscension. It's a film which seems to move much faster than its actual duration.
TWILIGHT SALOON (1955) * with switchable English subtitles *
In Tokyo, inside a closed beer hall, a middle-age bohemian painter, Umeda, arrives and takes his usual seat at the bar while listening to a young singer, Kenichi, practicing an art song under the strict tutelage of his teacher, Eto Kinya. Barmaids arrive and begin to set up the bar and tables, while one of them, Yuki, who will later perform as part of the evening s entertainment, gets onstage and rehearses, accompanied on accordion by Kenichi. The beer hall opens to customers and Umeda s alcoholic friend Tetsuo enters and greets him. Among the first customers to arrive is Onizuka, a former military officer, now a down-on-his-luck estate agent. Kibe, a former soldier who is sitting at a nearby table, recognizes Onizuka, who was once known as the demon, as his superior officer during the war, and he is invited by Onizuka to share a drink with him. The two men, who are militarists, are very displeased by the non-Japanese music playing from the onstage record player and by the left-wing students drinking and singing nearby. At one point, Kibe and Onizuka hear singing from the street outside the bar and, assuming that it is a patriotic war song, happily join in, only to discover to their embarrassment that the people in the street are really singing a Leftist anthem. A young yakuza, Morimoto, enters with his gang. He calls the young barmaid Yuki to his table. Apparently, Morimoto had once claimed Yuki for his own girl, and he frightens her by telling her they are looking for another yakuza: Masumi, Yuki s current boyfriend. While she is singing the Japanese folk song Sakura onstage, Masumi enters and faces down the gang by stabbing Morimoto s hand with a fork and forcing him to hand over some money. Masumi leaves a message for Yuki with Umeda that he will soon be departing for Osaka and expects her to meet him at the train station. He exits the beer hall with Morimoto and his gang in hot pursuit.
STELLA (1955) * with switchable English subtitles *
Proud, independent Stella, an unconventional Rebetico singer who cherishes her freedom, finds herself in an intense, whirlwind romance. Everything points to a tragic ending; and in the aftermath of passion, there can be no winners.
SPRING SHOWER (1932) * with switchable English subtitles *
Mari, an austerely beautiful young peasant girl, is seduced beneath a flowering tree by the admirer of one of the daughters of the prosperous family for whom she works. She then becomes pregnant and is cast out. The film was apparently too much for American society: in New York State, in 1935, a license to show the movie was refused, because it "mocks religion; justice; and society in general." It would seem that "justice" didn't include support for the unwed mother or condemnation of the two-timer who seduced her.
SYMPATHY FOR THE UNDERDOG (1971) * with switchable English subtitles *
A yakuza gang gets driven out of Yokohama by a big gang from Tokyo. They relocate to Okinawa to violently start over.
THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL (1969) * with switchable English and French subtitles *
Little Inga considers herself pretty and is pampered by her mother and other children in her housing block; that is, until a new boy with questionable habits arrives and calls her ugly to her face.
THE BRAVE ARCHER (1977) * with switchable English subtitles *
Guo Jing and Yang Kang are the sons of two rebels. The rebels are killed by imperial soldiers, but the boys are rescued by six skilled pugilists. The pugilists agree to separate the two boys, tutor them in martial arts, and let them meet again when they have grown up to determine whose abilities are better. Guo becomes the student of the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" while Yang Kang becomes the foster son of a Jurchen prince. When he reaches adulthood, Guo Jing travels to a local town, where he meets and befriends a beggar named Huang Rong, who is actually the daughter of Huang Yaoshi, master of Peach Blossom Island. He also meets Yang Kang, without knowing Yang's true identity, during a contest to win the hand-in-marriage of Mu Nianci, the adopted daughter of Yang's father. Following all this?
THE GIRL ON THE RIVER (1987) * with switchable English subtitles *
A woman reporter named Lien interviews a former wartime prostitute from South Vietnam named Nguyet, now a patient in a hospital, about her brief sheltering of an injured Vietcong leader during the war.
THE MARK OF THE RENEGADE (1951) * with English and French audio tracks *
In 1825, Marcos Zappa is blackmailed by Don Pedro Garcia, whose ambition is to be emperor of California. Garcia schemes to have Marcos seduce and marry Manuella, the daughter of his rival, Jose De Marquez. Manuella, who is already engaged to be married to Miguel De Gandara, is attracted to Marcos but not sure if she should trust him.
THE PICKWICK PAPERS (1952) * with switchable English subtitles *
The Pickwick Club sends Mr. Pickwick and a group of friends to travel across England and report back on the interesting things they find. In the course of their travels, they repeatedly encounter friendly, but disreputable, Mr. Jingle, who becomes a continual source of trouble for all who know him. Pickwick himself is the victim of a number of misunderstandings that bring him both embarrassment and problems with the law.
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (1982) * with switchable English subtitles *
When Sir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun, he writes two letters to a pair of Windsor wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they put their heads together and compare missives, they plan a practical joke or two to teach the knight a lesson. But Mistress Ford's husband is a very jealous man and is pumping Falstaff for information about the affair. Meanwhile the Pages' daughter Anne is besieged by suitors.
THE PHANTOM KILLER (1981) * with switchable English subtitles *
Talented, young and handsome, Siu is a hero to the town folk and an idol of the girls. Still, he has an avowed enemy, bad man Kam. Lately, several girls were murdered immediately after they met Siu. Sheriff Chiu is unable to find a lead, but decides to trail Siu. Siu calls on his long time girlfriend Sien Sien, but finds her grieved by her sister s disappearance. Something untold happens to Siu as he walks into an ambush set up by Kam. Chiu rushes to Siu s rescue and finds blood coming out of a porcelain statue. The statue turns out to be an enameled corpse.
THE THREE THIEVES (1954) * with switchable English and Italian subtitles *
It's 1911. Tapioca, a poor thief, isn't very good at his "occupation". After stealing a salami, he falls through a skylight trying to escape the chasing shopkeeper. The fall is fateful, for he ends up meeting Gastone Cascarilla in the house, who had been his "apprentice" as a boy and has now grown up to be a top thief. Impeccably decked out in tails, top hat, and frock coat, he intends to extort money from the wife of wealthy businessman Ornano, who owns the house and a financial "empire". Gastone is in possession of some letters the magnate's wife sent to one of her numerous lovers. And he intends to use that to blackmail her into giving the combination to a safe. The former apprentice gets away with ten million lire, but Tapioca is still in the house when he's discovered by Ornano, who identifies him as the criminal.
THE SPRING RIVER FLOWS EAST (1947) * with switchable English subtitles *
1930's China. The village of a poor family is taken over by the occupying Japanese army. One son, Zhongliang, leaves his wife and young son to join a medic group for the Chinese Army. The other son, Zhangmin, goes into hiding to protect his family. The focus shifts back and forth from the brothers' parents and Zhongliang's wife and son to Zhongliang's newfound life of luxury in a town not too far away. The plight of Zhongliang's mother, his wife, Sufan and her son, Kongeson is contrasted with Zhongliang's rise in a flourishing company.
THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRANES (1991) * with switchable English subtitles *
Rose and Owen find out that their apartment block is about to become a co-op. Rose visits her son, who lives in a shabby neighborhood. On her way there, she runs into her husband, who has just left a gay cinema. Oops! Time to come out of the closet!
THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (1983) * with switchable English subtitles *
In 16th century Italy, two inseparable friends suddenly become rivals for the love of a noblewoman.
TWO FILM DVD: DAINAH, THE HALF-BREED (1932) + CAINA (1922)
DIANAH LA METISSE (1932): Shades of Othello loom in this engrossing exploration of class, race, and murder set aboard an ocean liner: Young Dainah encounters an engineer on board who mistakes pleasantries for flirtation. When she disappears the next day, suspicion spreads not only to the engineer, but also to Dainah's husband. The film was originally ninety minutes in length, but was deemed "unpresentable" (code for "offensive to public morality") and cut down to a little less than fifty minutes. The balance of the film has not been discovered. CAINA (1922): Cain is a young peasant girl who lives in a small village in Sardinia together with her goats and parents. She is a wild and free spirited woman and unconventional for any small and closed community dominated by old rules. Cain yearns to escape from such an atmosphere and so, when a boat arrives at the island, she will do her best to flee and experience new adventures in the continent with the help of the boat captain.
TWO FILM DVD: THE LAST JOURNEY (1935) + THE TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL (1935)
THE LAST JOURNEY (1935): Bob Holt's last day as a railway engine driver before his retirement is a journey disturbed by his distress at leaving the railway, and his suspicions of a relationship between his wife and his fireman. Aboard the train are a pair of pickpockets, a honeymoon couple, a drunk, a temperance pamphleteer and a host of familiar types, all more-or-less bizarre in characteristically English ways. Bob takes an unexpected course of action, and the characters start interacting in varied and unexpected ways. When, at last, the train stops, all has been resolved, but not as might have been expected at the beginning of the journey. THE TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL (1935): Engineers Richard McAllan and Frederick Robinson manage to get financial backing for a gigantic project to build a tunnel from England to America. His biggest supporter is Varlia Lloyd, daughter of one of the backers, and she uses her influence more than once to keep the project going. Mack's wife Ruth is also supportive, although his constantly being away on the tunnel project strains their marriage and affects his relationship with their son. After years of financial skulduggery and physical obstacles under the ocean floor, the tunnel proceeds as Mack's marriage and his friendship with Robbie deteriorate.
TEMPTATIONS OF A GREAT CITY (1911): Mrs Hellertz is distraught about her son Aage, who in spite of a good pay and generous support from home manages to spend every penny on evening debaucheries. He indebts himself deeply and falls into the clutches of a malicious loan shark who is out for Mrs. Hellertz's fortune. To complicate things further, Aage starts a relationship with the loan shark's beautiful daugther.
THE GREAT CIRCUS CATASTROPHE (1912): When Count Willy von Rosen rn finds himself broke, he moves in to an artist hotel where he meets the staff of Circus Carino. He falls madly in love with Mademoiselle Dor and recklessly plans to perform a deadly stunt to impress her.
THE CANDLE AND THE MOTH (1915): Young hothead Billy is drifting into a life of crime and has a violent quarrel with his girlfriend Nelly. When preacher John Redmond steps in to defend her, Billy is hit by a feeling of remorse. Redmond tells Billy his life's story and inspires him to turn his life around.
An over four hour Soviet serial about three reporters and an office girl working together to stop a bacteriological attack by some powerful Western businessmen against the nascent USSR.
THE KREMLIN LETTER (1970) * with switchable English subtitles *
During the Cold War, a Naval Intelligence officer endowed with a powerful photographic memory is transferred to the CIA to participate in a covert operation in Moscow.
HELLE (1972) * with switchable English subtitles *
Helle is a mentally retarded, deaf and mute village girl who lives high in the Savoy mountains of France. She is taken advantage of by the villagers, because she doesn't understand what is good and what is bad. Maria is a widow and has two sons, Julien and Fabrice. The eldest one, Julien is a war veteran and his time in Vietnam has broken him. Fabrice, the youngest one comes home to spend the summer vacation and falls in love with Helle. Helle in her own way feels for him and finds herself unable to communicate it. Maria, who is aging, falls in love with a sleazy guy who cunningly takes her fancy car in the name of love, and takes advantage of her affection.
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Hatifa received an amulet from her mother as a small child before she was killed by the black-bearded warriors of Assur. Hatifa is enslaved and forced to work in a quarry. One day, she manages to escape from there. She wanders through the desert, always accompanied by her cat Rana, before she is found by the wise interpreter of dreams Simsal and young Hodja, who is a free servant in the service of the warrior Ganem. Hatifa goes with Ganem's caravan, but soon Simsal accidentally sees the slave mark on her shoulder and advises her not to tell anyone her secret. Hatifa gratefully gives Simsal her amulet, but he breaks it and gives one half to her and the other half to Hodja. It is intended to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two. When Hatifa hears that people who hide slaves are punishable by death, she flees the caravan with Hodja at night.
Hatifa erhielt ein Amulett als kleines Kind von ihrer Mutter, bevor diese von den schwarzb rtigen Kriegern Assurs get tet wird. Hatifa wird versklavt und muss in einem Steinbruch arbeiten. Von dort gelingt ihr eines Tages die Flucht. Sie irrt, immer begleitet von ihrer Katze Rana, durch die W ste, bevor sie von dem weisen Traumdeuter Simsal und dem jungen Hodja, der als freier Knecht im Dienst des Kriegers Ganem steht, gefunden wird. Hatifa zieht mit Ganems Karawane mit, doch bald sieht Simsal zuf llig ihr Sklavenmal auf der Schulter und r t ihr, niemandem ihr Geheimnis anzuvertrauen. Hatifa schenkt Simsal dankbar ihr Amulett, doch der zerbricht es und gibt eine H lfte ihr und die andere Hodja. Es soll den Bund der Freundschaft zwischen beiden verst rken. Als Hatifa h rt, dass Menschen, die Sklaven verstecken, mit dem Tod bestraft werden, flieht sie nachts mit Hodja von der Karawane.
A simple-minded circus strongman, John Sikes, has been wrongly accused of a crime committed by another. On the run with his infant son, he enters an affluent house and seeks help from the woman there, but is taken captive and imprisoned. Fourteen years pass. John, a broken man, is released early for good behavior. He goes to find his son Robert at the orphanage, but the boy had been adopted years before. A flashback shows the baby being adopted by the woman whose house John entered and begged for help.
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