Mad Love (DVD)
In 1496, eighteen year-old Princess Joan (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) is sent sent by her mother, Queen Isabella of Spain, to marry handsome young Philip (Daniele Liotti), the Archduke of Austria. What begins as a routine arranged marriage becomes insanely passionate when the two young people first lay eyes on each other. But the passion quickly fades for Philip as he becomes more focused on battle and the ascent to the throne. His rampant infidelities drive Joan into deep despair and he ultimately confines her to an asylum to get her away from him. Director Vincente Aranda`s explosively passionate and beautiful period piece coaxes fine performances from two young newcomers Lopez de Ayala and Liotti and is sure to satisfy fans of European history--as well as those who like their costume dramas extra spicy.R"
Director: Vicente Aranda
ACTORS: Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Manuela Arcuri, Eloy Azorin, Rosana Pastor
Clifton Chenier - The King of Zydeco (VHS)
With concert footage taken from the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and the 1978 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival--as well as rare local Louisiana television clips and interviews--this program finds reigning king of Zydeco Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band performing live versions of some of his favorite songs, including Party Down, I`m the Zydeco Man, Cher Catin, I`m a Hog for You, and more.NR"
Girls Can`t Swim (DVD)
Even though they grew up in opposite parts of France, Gwen (Isild Le Besco) and Lise (Karen Alyx) are best friends and spend every summer vacation together on the Brittany coast where Gwen lives and Lise`s family has a summer home. But this summer is different because Lise`s family isn`t going on vacation for reasons that she won`t explain to Gwen. Sick of her parents bickering about money and missing her bosom buddy, Gwen finds a boyfriend and mingles with some horny out-of-towners. Now fifteen, she`s discovered that summer can be fun even if Lise isn`t there. Then suddenly, Lise shows up at Gwen`s house uninvited to stay for a couple of weeks. The following days are filled with unexpected surprises, causing the girls to reevaluate the importance of their friendship and the nature of their teenage anxieties. Anne-Sophie Birot`s first feature delicately captures the intimacy and uncertainty between two teenage girls whose lives are teetering on the verge of adulthood. The performances by newcomers Isild Le Besco and Karen Alyx are impressive for the subtle shifts in mood they express between wanting to be independent of one another while still remaining inseparable.
This film was screened as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2001 festival organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.NR"
Director: Anne-Sophie Birot
ACTORS: Islid Le Besco, Karen Alyx, Pascale Bussieres, Pascal Elso, Marie Rivihre
Igor and the Lunatics (DVD)
A wacky cult leader and his equally demented followers terrorize the denizens of a small town. Poisoned pudding is not involved. Yet another nutty (and bloody!) Troma Team (`The Toxic Avenger`) release.NR"
Director: Billy Parolini
How I Killed My Father (VHS)
In this French suspense drama directed by Anne Fontaine (DRY CLEANING), Charles Berling stars as Jean-Luc, an established physician whose comfortable, middle-class existence is thrown into turmoil by the reappearance of his absentee father Maurice (veteran French actor Michel Bouquet). Maurice had abandoned his family decades earlier to practice medicine in Africa, and Jean-Luc still harbors hurt and resentment at his father`s unexplained rejection. Now Maurice is back in his son`s life, but rather than offer remorse and reconciliation, the father casts a cruel and judgmental eye on the bourgeois existence Jean-Luc has chosen for himself. What ensues is an oedipal tangle in which Jean-Luc can no longer avoid confronting his own past and the emotional damage that has shaped his life.NR"
Director: Anne Fontaine
ACTORS: Michel Bouquet, Charles Berling, Natacha Regnier, Amira Casar, Hubert Kounde
