ClassicsAbsolute power corrupts in 'Caligula: The Ultimate Cut', an extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle. Shadowed by the murder of his family, Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O’Toole) and seizes control of the Roman Empire alongside his wife Caesonia (Helen Mirren) before descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness.
ClassicsA cornerstone of the horror film, F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphiny of Horror is resurrected in an HD edition mastered from the acclaimed 35mm restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. Backed by an orchestral performance of Hans Erdmann’s 1922 score, this edition offers unprecedented visual clarity and historical faithfulness to the original release version. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu remains to many viewers the most unsettling vampire film ever made, and its bald, spidery vampire, personified by the diabolical Max Schreck, continues to spawn imitations in the realm of contemporary cinema.
ClassicsFor sheer pageantry and spectacle, few motion pictures can claim to equal the splendor of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 remake of his epic “The Ten Commandments”. Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture, this version tells the story of the life of Moses (Charlton Heston), once favoured in the Pharaoh’s (Yul Brynner) household, who turned his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom. With a rare on-screen introduction by Cecil B. DeMille himself.
ClassicsJohn Ford won the Best Director Oscar® and Jane Darwell won for Best Actress in this masterful film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel that was nominated for seven Academy Awards® in all, including Best Picture. Henry Fonda stars as Tom Joad, the father of a migrant family of farmers who leave the Oklahoma dust bowl for the promised land of California, only to face new and daunting challenges.
ClassicsSet in a richly exaggerated 17th-century England, Peter Greenaway’s sumptuous and sensuously charged brainteaser catapulted him to the forefront of international art cinema. Adorned with intricate wordplay, extravagant costumes and opulent photography, Greenaway’s first narrative feature weaves a labyrinthine mystery around the maxim “draw what you see, not what you know.” An aristocratic wife (Janet Suzman) commissions a young, cocksure draughtsman (Anthony Higgins) to sketch her husband’s property while he is away—in exchange for a fee, room and board, and one sexual favor for each of the twelve drawings. As the draughtsman becomes more entrenched in the devious schemings in this seemingly idyllic country home, curious details emerge in his drawings that may reveal a murder. Bolstered by a majestic score by then-newcomer Michael Nyman and stunning cinematography by Curtis Clark that suggests Greenaway has the elements at his beck and call, 'The Draughtsman’s Contract' i
ClassicsThe year is 1936. Orphaned Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal, in her film debut) is left in the care of unethical traveling Bible salesman Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal, Tatum's dad), who may or may not be her father. En route to Addie's relatives, Moses learns that the 9-year-old is quite a handful: she smokes, cusses, and is almost as devious and manipulative as he is. They join forces as swindlers, working together so well that Addie is averse to breaking up the team — which is one reason that she sabotages the romance between Moses and good-time gal Trixie Delight (Madeline Kahn). Later, while attempting to square a $200 debt that Addie claims he owes her, Moses runs afoul of of a bootlegger (John Hillerman) and is nearly beaten to death by the criminal's twin-brother sheriff. Painfully pulling himself together, Moses gets Addie to her relatives, whereupon she adamantly refuses to leave his side. Photographed in black-and-white by Laszlo Kovacs, the film was made largely on location in Kansa
ClassicsFrank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury star in this political suspense classic about the drug-hypnosis-induced behavior that transforms a U.S. Army hero into a human time bomb.
ClassicsA battle of gigantic proportions is looming in the neon underground of New York City. The armies of the night number 100,000; they outnumber the police 5 to 1; and tonight they're after the Warriors—a street gang blamed unfairly for a rival gang leader's death. This contemporary action-adventure story takes place at night, underground, in the sub-culture of gang warfare that rages from Coney Island to Manhattan to the Bronx. Members of the Warriors fight for their lives, seek to survive in the urban jungle and learn the meaning of loyalty. This intense and stylized film is a dazzling achievement for cinematographer Andrew Laszlo.
ClassicsAcclaimed director George Stevens’ legendary rendition of the quintessential Western myth earned six Academy Award® nominations, and made Shane one of the classics of the American cinema. The story brings Alan Ladd, a drifter and retired gunfighter, to the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by a wealthy cattleman and his hired gun (Jack Palance). In fighting the last decisive battle, Shane sees the end of his own way of life. Mysterious, moody and atmospheric, the film is enhanced by the intense performances of its splendid cast.
ClassicsTwo worthy Academy Award® nominees from 1950's Sunset Boulevard – actor William Holden and director Billy Wilder – reteamed three years later for the gripping World War II drama, Stalag 17. The result was another Best Director nomination for Wilder (his fourth), and the elusive Best Actor Oscar® for Holden. Holden portrays the jaded, scheming Sergeant J.J. Sefton, a prisoner at the notorious German prison camp, who spends his days dreaming up rackets and trading with the Germans for special privileges. But when two prisoners are killed in an escape attempt, it becomes obvious that there is a spy among the prisoners. Is it Sefton? Famed producer/director Otto Preminger tackles a rare acting role as the camp's commandant; actor Robert Strauss won a Supporting Actor nomination for his role as "Animal."
ClassicsA cave collapse in New Mexico traps a man, and all eyes turn toward the tragedy... including those of Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas), a washed-up newspaper reporter who sees the incident as a ticket back to his former days at the top of the journalism heap. As the media circus begins to swirl around the trapped man's plight, Tatum takes command of the situation, embellishing the unfolding drama and prolonging the rescue effort … while feeding stories to the nation's reporters clamoring to cover the event. Celebrated director Billy Wilder (SUNSET BOULEVARD)mixes gritty cynicism with a superb cast in this powerful, fascinating study of the dark side of the human soul.
ClassicsMartin Scorsese Presents Republic Rediscovered—over 20 rarely seen films from the storied Republic Pictures library, restored and remastered by Paramount and personally curated by Martin Scorsese. The Quiet Man is an essential, Oscar winning John Ford film featuring John Wayne as a retired boxer who makes a pilgrimage to his home village in Ireland. He meets his match in a spirited young woman, only to find himself confronted by her belligerent brother and the town’s strict customs. In 2002, the film made AFI’s list of one hundred greatest love stories.
ClassicsIn 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. This authoritative edition of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 4K restoration scanned from the (mostly) preserved camera negative at the German Federal Film Archive.
ClassicsJo Stockton can only get to Paris to meet with the beatnik founder of "empathicalism" (a idea that implores you to "put yourself into others shoes" in order to 'empathize' with them) if she agrees to model a line of ultra-chic fashions for photographer Dick Avery. Paris provides the backdrop for this blend of Gershwin music and Givenchy fashion.
ClassicsBased on the acclaimed first novel by Richard Price (The Night Of), Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers follows the exploits of the eponymous Italian-American gang in the Bronx in 1963, just before the country underwent profound change. Part comedy and part drama, the film is an evocative and thrilling look back at a more innocent time. The cult classic features a jukebox full of golden oldies and a young cast of up and comers including Ken Wahl (Wiseguy), Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark), and Linda Manz (Days of Heaven)! Cinematography by Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull). Co-starring John Friedrich, Toni Kalem, Alan Rosenberg, Jim Youngs, Tony Ganios, Dolph Sweet, Michael Wright, Val Avery, Olympia Dukakis and Erland van Lidth de Jeude. New 2K restoration!
ClassicsVirtually unseen since its theatrical premiere in 1953, Fear and Desire is the ambitious first feature film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. An existential war film often compared with the director's Paths of Glory (1957) and Full Metal Jacket (1987), Fear and Desire follows a squad of soldiers who have crash-landed behind enemy lines and must work their way downriver to rejoin their unit.
ClassicsHumphrey Bogart plays one of his rare comedy roles in this jaunty excursion about three convicts - Joseph (Bogart), Albert (Aldo Ray) and Jules (Peter Ustinov) - who are plotting their escape from Devil's Island. Fate intervenes when they hide out with kindly, but inept Felix (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. Felix manages a store for his arrogant cousin Andre (Basil Rathbone), who makes the fatal mistake of stealing Albert's pet, a poisonous snake. After resolving Felix's problems, the convicts return to prison, convinced that the world is much too wicked. Based on the play by Albert Husson.
ClassicsSteven Spielberg directs this riotous farce depicting the hysteria of a cross section of Los Angeles citizens following the bombing of Pear Harbor. The film is loosely based on a true event in which a Japanese submarine surfaced off the California coast, setting off a brief wave of panic.
ClassicsIn 1970, John Wayne earned an Academy Award for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when the inexperienced Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.
ClassicsHud Bannon (Newman) is a young Texas rancher who lives with his cattleman father Homer (Melvyn Douglas) and his hero-worshipping nephew Lon (Brandon DeWilde). Hud is an amoral, cold-hearted creature; his father, who holds Hud responsible for the death of his other son, tries to imbue Lon with a sense of decency and responsibility to others, but Lon is devoted to Hud and isn't inclined to listen. When hoof-and-mouth disease shows up in one of the elder Bannon's cows, Hud is all for selling the herd before the government inspectors find out. But Homer orders the cattle destroyed (the film's most harrowing sequence), driving an even deeper wedge between himself and Hud. Finally, Hud steps over the line by attempting to rape Alma (Patricia Neal), the earthy but warm-hearted housekeeper. Paul Newman was so repellantly brilliant as an unregenerate heel that his Oscar nomination for Hud was a foregone conclusion. Although Newman lost the Oscar to Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field, Oscars
ClassicsAlain Delon was at his most impossibly beautiful when Purple Noon (Plein soleil) was released and made him an instant star. This ripe, colorful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s vicious novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by the versatile René Clément, stars Delon as Tom Ripley, a duplicitous American charmer in Rome on a mission to bring his privileged, devil-may-care acquaintance Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet) back to the United States; what initially seems to be a carefree tale of friendship soon morphs into a thrilling saga of seduction, identity theft, and murder. Featuring gorgeous on-location photography in coastal Italy, Purple Noon is crafted with a light touch that allows it to be suspenseful and erotic at once, while giving Delon the role of a lifetime.
ClassicsA riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema—and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune—to the Western world.
ClassicsImagine a fantasy world of timeless characters and magical moments where nothing goes right for clumsy toymakers Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee. When a notorious scoundrel, Barnaby, demands to marry the beautiful Little Bo Peep, guess who secretly emerges as the blushing bride? Based on the original Babes in Toyland, this movie is a dazzling spectacle of 6-foot wooden soldiers, Mother Goose characters and the beloved team of Laurel and Hardy.
ClassicsMartin Scorsese Presents REPUBLIC REDISCOVERED—over 20 rarely seen films from the storied Republic Pictures library, restored and remastered by Paramount and personally curated by Martin Scorsese. In Johnny Guitar a gambling house operator seeks control of a town as an archrival sets out to force her out of town. The timely arrival of Johnny Guitar thwarts the dark plans, but does not prevent a showdown between the women. The Library of Congress selected this cult classic for preservation in the National Film Registry. From acclaimed director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause).
ClassicsBeginning before the Nativity and extending though the Crucifixion and Resurrection, "Jesus of Nazareth" brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the life of Jesus (portrayed here by Robert Powell) as told in the Gospels. A star-studded cast featuring Michael York, Sir Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones, Anne Bancroft, Olivia Hussey, Rod Steiger and Anthony Quinn, adds depth and humanity to the roles of the saints, sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The film provides the setting and background for the birth, childhood, baptism, teaching, and many miracles of the Messiah, culminating in the Divine Resurrection. Directed by Oscar(R) nominee Franco Zeffirelli ("Romeo&Juliet", "The Champ", "Jane Eyre", "Endless Love") and acclaimed by critics and religious leaders worldwide, "Jesus of Nazareth" tells the greatest of all stories with tremendous emotion and splendor.
ClassicsThis bittersweet film from Jean Renoir, based on a story by Guy de Maupassant, is a tenderly comic idyll about a city family’s picnic in the French countryside and the romancing of the mother and grown daughter by two local men. Conceived as a short feature, the project had nearly finished production in 1936 when Renoir was called away for The Lower Depths. Shooting was abandoned then, but the film was completed with the existing footage by Renoir’s team and released in its current form in 1946, after the director had already moved on to Hollywood. The result is a warmly humanist vignette that ranks among Renoir’s most lyrical works, with a love for nature imbuing its every beautiful frame.
ClassicsIn Sydney Pollack's critically acclaimed suspense-thriller, Robert Redford (SPY GAME) stars as CIA Agent Joe Turner. Code name: Condor. When his entire office is massacred, Turner goes on the run from his enemies…and his so-called allies. After reporting the murders to his superiors, the organization wants to bring Condor in – but somebody is trying to take him out. In his frantic hunt for answers, and in a desperate run for his life, Turner abducts photographer Kathy Hale) Faye Dunaway, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR), eventually seducing her into helping him. Every twist leads Condor to the end of his nerves…and will take you to the edge of your seat. With nowhere to turn and no one to trust, Turner realizes his most dangerous enemy may be closer than he ever feared. And as he zeroes in on the truth, he discovers there are some secrets people would kill to keep.
ClassicsDirected by Sergio Leone, this epic Western re-established the genre, and still stands as one of the greatest, artistic films of all time. Henry Fonda stars as Frank, a ruthless murderous psychopath who feels no remorse, even after annihilating Mrs. McBain’s (Claudia Cardinale) entire family. Charles Bronson plays The Man, a harmonica wielding loner who will never forget how his brother was savagely tortured. The Man joins forces with Cheyenne (Jason Robards), the man wrongfully accused of murdering Mrs. McBain’s family, to put an end once and for all to Frank’s reign of terror.
ClassicsBased on the life of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser whom almost single-handily cleaned up his small town of crime and corruption, but at a personal cost of his family life and nearly his own life.
ClassicsJean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece—in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast—is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death in Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder.
ClassicsIn his directorial debut, Peter Bogdanovich weaves two disparate story lines into a terrifying moment of confrontation. In seemingly unrelated events, aging horror film star Orlok (Boris Karloff) announces his retirement, and an apparently average young man (Tim Kelly) accumulates an arsenal of rifles and handguns. As the pace quickens, Kelly turns into a murderous sniper, showing up at a drive-in theater where Orlok is making his final personal appearance.
ClassicsWhen Alex enters the lives of the musical Tuttle family, each of the three daughters falls for him. He is charming, good looking and personable. Laurie and Alex seem made for each other and become engaged. When Barney comes into the picture to help Alex with some musical arrangements matters become complicated. He is seen as a challenge by Laurie, who can't believe anyone could be as cynical, and she is more than a match for his gloomy outlook on life.
ClassicsJabez Stone is a hard-working farmer trying to make an honest living, but a streak of bad luck tempts him to do the unthinkable: bargain with the Devil himself. For seven years of good fortune, Stone promises “Mr. Scratch” his soul when the contract ends. When the troubled farmer begins to realize the error of his choice, he enlists the aid of the one man who might save him the legendary orator and politician Daniel Webster. Directed with stylish flair by William Dieterle, The Devil and Daniel Webster brings the classic short story by Stephen Vincent Benét to life with inspired visuals, an unforgettable Oscar-winning score by Bernard Herrmann, and a truly diabolical performance from Walter Huston.
ClassicsGloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen's most memorable characters in "Sunset Boulevard." Winner of three Academy Awards®, director Billy Wilder's powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence -- a body found floating in a decayed mansion's swimming pool -- through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, "Sunset Boulevard" is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot amidst unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances.
ClassicsJerry Lewis directed, co-wrote and starred in this riotously funny movie that set a new standard for screen comedy and inspired the hit remake. Lewis plays a timid, nearsighted chemistry teacher who discovers a magical potion that can transform him into a suave and handsome Romeo. The Jekyll and Hyde game works well enough until the concoction starts to wear off at the most embarrassing times, and the professor begins to suffer hilarious symptoms of his personality split. Co-starring Stella Stevens.
ClassicsHatari! is Swahili for "danger"—and also the word for action, adventure and broad comedy in this two-fisted Howard Hawks effort. John Wayne stars as the head of a daring Tanganyka-based group which captures wild animals on behalf of the world's zoos. Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain and Red Buttons are members of Wayne's men-only contingent, all of whom are reduced to jello when the curvaceous Elsa Martinelli enters the scene. In tried and true Howard Hawks fashion, Martinelli quickly becomes "one of the guys," though Wayne apparently can't say two words to her without sparking an argument. The second half of this amazingly long film concerns the care and maintenance of a baby elephant; the barely credible finale is devoted to a comic pachyderm stampede down an urban African street, ending literally at the foot of Martinelli's bed. The other scene worth mentioning involves comedy-relief Red Buttons' efforts to create a fireworks-powered animal trap. Not to be taken seriously for a minute,
ClassicsWith The Music Room (Jalsaghar), Satyajit Ray brilliantly evokes the crumbling opulence of the world of a fallen aristocrat (the beloved actor Chhabi Biswas) desperately clinging to a fading way of life. His greatest joy is the music room in which he has hosted lavish concerts over the years—now a shadow of its former vivid self. An incandescent depiction of the clash between tradition and modernity, and a showcase for some of India’s most popular musicians of the day, The Music Room is a defining work by the great Bengali filmmaker.
ClassicsCelebrate the 50th anniversary of the intergalactic cult classic starring Jane Fonda! Barbarella is an interstellar space-traveler who crash lands on the planet Lythion in the year 40,000. Encountering trouble everywhere she goes, Barbarella uses every asset and every man at her disposal, to complete her mission to seek out and stop the evil Durand Durand. Whether she is wrestling with Black Guards, the evil Queen, or the angel Pygar (John Phillip Law) she just can't seem to avoid losing at least a part of her skin-tight space suit!
ClassicsBefore FAME, PINK FLOYD: THE WALL, THE COMMITMENTS, and EVITA, acclaimed director Alan Parker redefined the movie musical with his first feature length film. Set in 1929 New York City, BUGSY MALONE captures a flashy world of would-be hoodlums, showgirls, and dreamers—all portrayed by child actors. As Tallulah, the sassy girlfriend of the owner of Fat Sam's Grand Slam Speakeasy, future superstar Jodie Foster leads a talented cast. Parker’s sharp script, combined with the music and lyrics of Paul Williams (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE) makes for an irresistible satire that’s truly one-of-a-kind.
ClassicsWhen her father, Captain Crewe, is called to duty in Africa, young Sara (Shirley Temple) is sent to stay in the care of an exclusive school for girls. Sara finds that she is quite happy in her new surroundings; she's living a life of wealth and privilege. However, her good fortune takes a turn for the worse when her father turns up missing in action. Now strapped with looming tuition, room and board payments, Sara finds herself scrubbing floors and cleaning fireplaces to work off her debt - being dubbed the Little Princess by her former friends. Finally deciding to not let it get her down, the new "little princess" refuses to give up hope and sets off on mission to discover her lost father's whereabouts.
ClassicsMaori couple Jake and Beth Heke are deeply in love, but Jake's alcoholic-fueled rage turns into domestic violence that threatens to tear their family apart. As their home life grows increasingly dangerous, Beth must do all she can to protect their three children. Set against the backdrop of traditional tribal culture, this classic and contoversial 90's indie sleeper hit put New Zealand on the cinema map.
ClassicsCary Grant plays John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as The Cat, in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller. Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, and he must set out to clear himself. Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees a chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother's (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, but Frances, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed.
ClassicsThe U.S.S. Sea Tiger is on it's last legs until the submarine captain and his ingenious (if slightly unethical) supply officer scavenge the parts and supplies needed to get their dry-dock sub back into WWII action. However, a bevy of beautiful nurses comes aboard, causing hijinks in the hot pink sub. The inimitable pairing of Grant and Curtis, as the irascible captain and his sleazy subordinate, make the film a true classic.
ClassicsThe last film by Yasujiro Ozu was also his final masterpiece, a gently heartbreaking story about a man’s dignified resignation to life’s shifting currents and society’s modernization. Though the widower Shuhei (frequent Ozu leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure from their home. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master’s films, An Autumn Afternoon is one of cinema’s fondest farewells.
ClassicsDuring World War I, Scottish soldier Private Plumpick is sent on a mission to a village in the French countryside to disarm a bomb set by the retreating German army. Plumpick encounters a strange town occupied by the former residents of the local psychiatric hospital who escaped after the villagers deserted. Assuming roles like Bishop, Duke, barber, and circus ringmaster, they warmly accept the visitor as their King of Hearts. With his reconnaissance and bomb-defusing mission looming, Plumpick starts to prefer the acceptance of the insane locals over the insanity of the war raging outside. Since its debut, King of Hearts has become a worldwide cult favorite and stands out as one of de Broca’s most memorable films.
ClassicsElvis Presley stars as Mike Windgren, a former trapeze artist who's suffered from vertigo ever since accidentally dropping his partner during a performance. Working as a lifeguard/entertainer at an Acapulco resort, Mike falls in love with social director Margarita Dauphine (Ursula Andress). With her help, he overcomes his fear of heights in a spectacular high-dive finale. Presley songs featured include "Vino, Dinero y Amor," "Marguerita," "Bossa Nova Baby" and the title tune.
ClassicsThis classic film is the original and considered the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol ever made. Sir Seymour Hicks gives a riveting performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's timeless classic. Scrooge is a mean old miser who wants nothing to do with Christmas, bitterly rejecting the company and well wishes of his fellow man. But on this Christmas Eve, Scrooge's former partner, Jacob Marley, an invisible but forceful ghostly presence, visits Scrooge to warn him that his time is running short. Throughout the long, cold night, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future appear to Scrooge, taking him on a journey into the very spirit and magic of Christmas itself. Legend Films is proud to bring you this wonderful story of hope and redemption, beautifully restored and in color for the very first time.
ClassicsCelebrating fifty years, this brazen and wild social satire is relevant as ever. Rich, bored Peter Sellers adopts street vagrant Ringo Starr as his son and they set out to prove a theory: people will do anything for money.
ClassicsScreen favorite Meryl Streep received an Academy Award® for her portrayal of Sophie Zawistowska in this penetrating drama set in post-World War II Brooklyn. Kevin Kline plays her all-consuming lover, Nathan. The story revolves around Sophie's struggle as a Polish-Catholic immigrant in the United States who had survived a Nazi concentration camp. The lovers' drama unfolds through the observations of a friend and would-be writer, Stingo (Peter MacNicol). As the trio grows closer, Stingo uncovers the hidden truths that they each harbor, resulting in “a fine, absorbing, wonderfully acted, heartbreaking movie” (Roger Ebert).
ClassicsMy Man Godfrey is one of the top Screwball Comedies of all time- a story of a wealthy New York family in the 1930's that brings in Godfrey, a destitute and "Forgotten Man" as their butler. William Powell plays the leading role brilliantly, and gives the family a madcap ride they will never forget. My Man Godfrey was the first film to receive Oscar® nominations in all four acting categories, including stunning performances by William Powell and Carole Lombard. Presented here beautifully restored and in color for the first time, this is the definitive edition of My Man Godfrey.
ClassicsSt. Francis of Assisi was an extraordinarily complex and difficult figure whose effect on his contemporary society was electrifying. Even today, many people are moved by his visionary message of universal toleration. Twelfth-century Italy had an exceptionally grim and regimented society, but the barefoot monk from Assisi undoubtedly had the courage that comes from deep faith and was able to transcend the oppressiveness of the time. In this Italian/British-produced film, director Franco Zeffirelli attempts to bring his vision of this great man to the screen. The contemporary (1970s) example of the hippie movement contributed a great deal to the style in which the story is told. The musical score, using ancient Italian melodies, was arranged by Donovan. The film is visually beautiful in a way which tends to minimize the squalor of the times. As the movie begins, Francis (Graham Faulkner) is the son of wealthy merchants, and enjoys his share of wine, women and song without serious thought
ClassicsWar and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union.
ClassicsCary Grant stars in one of his funniest roles as a boozy beachcomber sitting out WWII in peace - until the Allies recruit him to be a lookout on the South Pacific isle. During an enemy attack, he answers a distress call and discovers a beautiful French schoolmarm (Leslie Caron) and her seven girl students. And so begins a hilarious battle of the sexes between a messy American, a prim Mademoiselle, and seven mischievous little girls. Who will win is anybody's guess, but you can be sure that Father Goose delivers plenty of romantic fun and adventure along the way.
ClassicsIn 1944, with Paris on the verge of Liberation by the allies, Adolph Hitler ordered that the City of Light be blown up and burned to the ground. General Dietrich Von Choltitz, after much rumination, decided that he didn't want to go down in history as the man who destroyed Paris. His refusal to follow Hitler's orders would make him a pariah in Germany for the rest of his life; nor was his gesture ever rewarded by the Allies. From this very human story in the midst of one of the most inhuman conflicts in history grew the screenplay (by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola) of the all-star, internationally produced Is Paris Burning? Whereas the earlier The Longest Day was able to support a castful of celebrities and brief subplot vignettes, Is Paris Burning? seems more weighted down than weighty. Still, a modern audience will have fun playing "spot the star" throughout the film, especially when those spotted stars include the likes of Gert Frobe (as Choltitz), Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain De
ClassicsFollowing 24 characters through 5 days in the country music capital, Robert Altman's 1975 epic presents a complexly textured portrayal (and critique) of American obsessions with celebrity and power. Among the various stars, aspirants, hangers-on, observers, and media folk are politically ambitious country icon and his fragile star protegée, a self-absorbed rock star who woos a lonely married gospel singer, a talentless waitress painfully humiliated at her first singing gig, a runaway wife with dreams of stardom, and a campaign guru who is trying to organize a concert rally for an unseen presidential candidate. Featuring the award winning song, “I’m Easy,” Nashville is regarded one of the greatest American films ever made.
ClassicsThe loons are back again on Golden Pond and so are Norman Thayer (Academy Award® winner Henry Fonda), a retired professor, and Ethel (Academy Award® winner Katharine Hepburn) who have had a summer cottage there since early in their marriage. This summer their daughter Chelsea (Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda) -- whom they haven't seen for years -- feels she must be there for Norman's birthday. She and her fiance are on their way to Europe the next day but will be back in a couple of weeks to pick up the fiance's son. When she returns Chelsea is married and her stepson has the relationship with her father that she always wanted. Will father and daughter be able to communicate at last?
ClassicsSet against the stifling conformity of pre-World War I English society, E.M. Forster’s Maurice is a story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding.
ClassicsIn this new restoration of the iconic New Queer Cinema classic, Derek Jarman offers a postmodern take on Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan drama. Pleasure-seeking King Edward II sets the stage for a palace revolt by taking as a lover the ambitious Piers Gaveston - who uses his favor in bed to wield political influence - sending the gay pair from the throne to a terminal torture dungeon. This landmark of gay cinema features an incredible performance from Jarman muse and Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton (MICHAEL CLAYTON) as Edward's spurned Queen Isabella and a rare film appearance by singer Annie Lennox.
ClassicsThe magnificent enduring Biblical tale of the mighty Samson, whose power was curtailed by the scheming Delilah. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
ClassicsJean-Pierre Melville began his superb filmmaking career with this powerful adaptation of an influential underground novel written during the Nazi occupation of France. An idealistic, naive German officer is assigned to the home of a middle-aged man and his grown niece; their response to his presence—their only form of resistance—is complete silence. Constructed with elegant minimalism and shot, by the legendary Henri Decaë, with hushed eloquence, Le silence de la mer is a fascinating tale of moral ambiguity that points the way toward Melville’s later films about resistance and the occupation (Léon Morin, Priest; Army of Shadows) yet remains a singularly eerie masterwork in its own right.
ClassicsYongho (Sul Kyung-gu) stares down an oncoming train as twenty years of his life flash before his eyes. Proceeding to move backward in time, Lee’ Chang-dong's acclaimed second directorial feature rewinds the protagonist's loss of humanity - from his fraught, self-hating middle age through his callow teens. The moments in between these events, as seen through the lens of Yongho’s oppressive struggles, mirror South Korea’s traumatic political history during the late 20th century. An official selection of the Directors' Fortnight selection in Cannes and winner of the Special Prize of the Jury at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Peppermint Candy "is a powerful work of Korean New Wave cinema that elegizes a generation of marginalized people with “quiet, heartbreaking power” (The New York Times).
ClassicsIrish merchant seaman Murphy (Peter O'Toole) is the sole survivor of a World War II German U-boat attack in tropical waters. Picked up by a French oil engineer, he is taken to a native village hospital. Upon recovering, he learns about a downed seaplane which he repairs and learns to fly. His plan: a personal vengeance on the submarine by destroying it with homemade Molotov cocktails. Murphy is drawn into a relentless struggle against the German boat; it is his private war.
ClassicsFleeing from a murder charge, nightclub singer Larry Todd (Dean Martin) and his friend Myron Mertz (Jerry Lewis) find gangsters and ghosts on a spooky Caribbean island, newly inherited by heiress Mary Carroll (Lizabeth Scott).
ClassicsProduced at the height of the Vietnam War, Emile de Antonio's Oscar-nominated 1968 documentary chronicles the war's historical roots. With palpable outrage, De Antonio assembles period interviews with journalists, politicians, and key military personnel and international newsreel and archival footage to create a scathing chronicle of America's escalating involvement in this divisive conflict. The savage and horrific images speak for themselves in perhaps the most controversial film of de Antonio's career, and the film he cites as his personal favourite.
ClassicsIt was a race to the finish... if only they could finish. It's "Monte Carlo or Bust" as Tony Curtis, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore lead a riotous road rally in this 1920s-era delight. Curtis is a distracted playboy racing the irrepressible Terry-Thomas for ownership of an auto plant, and trying to win the attentions of beautiful Susan Hampshire along the way. Cook and Moore play a team of bumbling British officers who survive every peril by the skin of their teeth (and the seat of their pants!). And Gert Frobe (Goldfinger) is the escaped convict more interested in smuggling than driving. Hang on for a fall-down-funny, knock-down-everything caravan of comedy where the laugh's the limit!
ClassicsThis collection brings together 2 memorable Christmas episodes of the Emmy winning, top-rated CBS variety show, The Danny Kaye Show. Featuring Nat King Cole’s iconic performance “The Christmas Song” (aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”), duets with Danny and Peggy Lee and “Jingle Bell Rock” by a young Wayne Newton.
ClassicsMore than 40 years before RuPaul's Drag Race, this ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event. Organized by LGBTQ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, the competition boasted a star-studded panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers, and Terry Southern.. But perhaps most memorable is an epic diatribe calling out the pageant's bias delivered by Crystal LaBeija, who would go on to form the influential House of LaBeija, heavily featured in Paris Is Burning (1990). A vibrant piece of queer history, The Queen can now be seen in full resplendence thanks to a new restoration from the original camera negative.
ClassicsThe second and final collaboration of actress Louise Brooks and director G.W. Pabst (Pandora’s Box), DIARY OF A LOST GIRL is a provocative adaptation of Margarethe Böhme’s notorious novel, in which the naive daughter of a middle class pharmacist is seduced by her father’s assistant, only to be disowned and sent to a repressive home for wayward girls. She escapes, searches for her child, and ends-up in a high-class brothel, only to turn the tables on the society which had abused her. It’s another tour-de-force performance by Brooks, whom silent film historian Kevin Brownlow calls an “actress of brilliance, a luminescent personality and a beauty unparalleled in screen history.
ClassicsJean Negulesco continues his classic run of forties film noirs with this tale of a con artist who falls for the mark he is trying to fleece. The great John Garfield commands the screen as grifter Nick Blake, who returns to New York after the war, only to find heartache and betrayal. Heading west, Nick hooks up with fellow con men Pop (Walter Brennan) and Doc (George Coulouris), who need a Romeo to sweep recently widowed Gladys Halvorsen (Geraldine Fitzgerald) off her feet and out of her sizable inheritance. But it's Nick who starts falling, and now that he wants out of the scam, will that fall turn into a dive? Or will Gladys pay the price for Nick's change of heart? Garfield is his usual astonishing self, it's Fitzgerald who proves a revelation, as she stabs at the heart of noir's darkness by perfectly impersonating pure innocence. Faye Emerson plays the fatale, as Nick's sultry ex.
ClassicsA young woman (Lil Dagover) confronts the personification of Death (Bernhard Goetzke), in an effort to save the life of her fiance (Walter Janssen). Death weaves three romantic tragedies and offers to unite the girl with her lover, if she can prevent the death of the lovers in at least one of the episodes. Thus begin three exotic scenarios of ill-fated love, in which the woman must somehow reverse the course of destiny: Persia, Quattrocento Venice, and a fancifully rendered ancient China.
ClassicsCohen Film Collection introduces this Buster Keaton classic. Set during the Civil War and based on a true incident, the film is also an authentic-looking period piece that brings the scope and realism of Matthew Brady-like images to brilliant life. Keaton portrays engineer Johnnie Gray, rejected by the Confederate Army and thought a coward by his girlfriend (Marion Mack). When a band of Union soldiers penetrate Confederate lines to steal his locomotive, Johnnie Gray sets off in pursuit. Seven of the film’s eight reels are devoted to the chase, featuring hilarious comedy and amazing stunts performed by Keaton himself.
ClassicsNew York City, 1980s. A struggling, deadbeat musician named Julius has fallen on hard times. With no guitar, band or paying gigs, he cooks up a get-rich-quick scheme – to find the legendary, yet elusive guitar-maker Elmore Silk. Considered one of the greatest luthiers in the business, Silk’s disappearance from the scene has only made his work more coveted by musicians and executives looking to make a buck off his name. Julius agrees to track the man down and sets out on the road. Meant to be a simple journey upstate, Julius stumbles down a long, winding road full of dead-ends and wrong turns towards an eventual revelatory conclusion in the Canadian wilderness. One of the great cult classics of the 1980s and starring character actors Kevin J O’Conner and Harris Yulin, the supporting cast features real-life music legends Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Joe Strummer, Dr. John, David Johansen and more. “A wry, laid-back Heart of Darkness" (Chicago Reader), Candy Mountain combines the keen
ClassicsIn Cecil B. DeMille’s Academy Award®-winning film, we step behind the scenes of the circus…in all its majesty and mystery. Charlton Heston stars as Brad Braden, the diehard circus manager who lives and breathes to keep the show rolling. With the Big Top about to hit rock bottom, Braden hires The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), a daring trapeze legend, to revitalize the circus. His arrival sparks the rivalry and admiration of Holly (Betty Hutton), Braden’s girlfriend and trapeze star. After a death-defying battle to regain her place in the center ring, Holly soon finds herself torn between the love of workaholic Brad and the brazen Sebastian. Add to the mix a flirtatious elephant trainer, racketeers and a lovable clown (James Stewart) with a secret past, and every character becomes a tough act to follow.
ClassicsIn 1890s N.Y.C., a Jewish immigrant (Steven Keats) has assimilated seamlessly into the American community... until his wife from back home (Carol Kane) arrives on his doorstep. A new restoration of this beloved indie classic about what it is to become an American from director Joan Micklin Silver. Starring Carol Kane in her Academy Award nominated role.
ClassicsIn the tradition of grand animated classics, Disney's 11th animated masterpiece, THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD, presents two unforgettable children's classics. Through award-winning (Golden Globe, Best Cinematography, 1950) Disney animation wizardry, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS and THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW come together in one fabulous adventure -- in its original theatrical format. Hang on for a wild motorcar ride with J. Thaddeus Toad as he drives his friends Mole, Rat and Angus MacBadger into a worried frenzy! Then meet the spindly Ichabod Crane, who dreams of sweeping beautiful Katrina Van Tassel off her feet, despite opposition from town bully Brom Bones, who also has his eye on Katrina. The comic rivalry introduces Ichabod to the legend of the Headless Horseman, resulting in a heart-thumping climax! Wonderfully narrated by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby, THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD brims with high-spirited adventure, brilliant animation and captivating music yo
ClassicsSomething evil has taken possession of the small town of Santa Mira, California. Hysterical people accuse their loved ones of being emotionless impostors; of not being themselves. At first, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) tries to convince them they're wrong…but they’re not. Plant-like extraterrestrials have invaded Earth, replicating the villagers in giant seed "pods" and taking possession of their souls while they sleep. Soon the entire town is overwhelmed by the inhuman horror, but it won't stop there. In a terrifying race for his life, Dr. Bennell escapes to warn the world of the deadly invasion of the pod people! Remade in both 1978 and 1997, this chilling combination of extraterrestrial terror and anti-conformity paranoia is considered one of the great cult classics of the genre.
ClassicsMarlon Brando plays x-GI, Ken, who has become paralyzed as a result of the war. After fighting through an intense battle with depression following his injuries, Ken soon focusses on his physical therapy and eventually believes that he may gain the use of his limbs back! After falling in love and marrying the woman of his dreams, problems arise that puts Ken right back into the hospital!
ClassicsIn this gritty, violent, and suspenseful thriller, Alain Delon plays Gerfaut who comes to the aid of a man laying wounded in the road, not knowing that the man has taken two bullets to the belly. Soon he becomes the target for the killers who see him as a dangerous witness. But Gerfaut has been around the block a couple of times and he won't be so easily eliminated.
ClassicsNo one is a saint in the City of Angels. The immortal Robert Mitchum stars as Raymond Chandler's legendary detective Philip Marlowe in the neo-noir mystery, Farewell, My Lovely. The hardboiled Marlowe's latest cases– one, a search for an ex-convict's lost love, and the other, the murder of a client – take on an even more sinister turn when they begin to connect, leading the private eye deeper and deeper into the seamy underbelly of 1940s Los Angeles. As the stakes are raised and the body count swells, it looks like Marlowe might be next on the list to take the big sleep.
ClassicsInternational superstar Maggie Cheung (In the Mood for Love) embodies tragic screen siren Ruan Lingyu, known as the "Greta Garbo of China," in this unconventional biopic by Hong Kong New Wave master Stanley Kwan (Rouge). Praised for her moving and emotive onscreen presence, Ruan’s private life, which was frequent fodder for the vicious Shanghai tabloids, began to mirror the melodramas which brought her fame, culminating in her suicide at age 24. Kwan and Cheung paint a kaleidoscopic yet intimate portrait of the ill-fated actress, deftly blending lush period drama, archival footage, and metatextual documentary sequences of Cheung reflecting on Ruan’s legacy. The result is, much like the films of Ruan Lingyu themselves, “tender, vivid and almost overwhelmingly moving” (Time Out).
ClassicsSuperstar Barbra Streisand headlines this magical musical directed by Vincente Minnelli, adapted from the Alan Jay Lerner Broadway show. Chain-smoking kooky Daisy consults psychiatrist Chabot to help her stop smoking, only to discover she has amazing ESP powers. While under hypnosis, she reveals her former life as Melinda, an 1840 English coquette. What follows is a comedy/drama/fantasy love triangle unlike any other.
ClassicsThe original take-off cult classic from the highly successful team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (Airplane, The Naked Gun), this“uproariously funny [film]” (TV Guide) launched a thousand laughs and serves as a precursor to the raunch-fests of the ‘80s and the blockbuster success of the Farrelly Brothers films. Directed by the legendary John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers), The Kentucky Fried Movie features alewd, loosely connected collection of skits that spoof blaxploitation films, news shows, porno movies, TV commercials, kung fu flicks and more! Including well-known stars such as Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, Tony Dow, George Lazenby and Henry Gibson, this one-of-a-kind film features over 22 gut-bustingly hilarious segments including: "Cleopatra Schwartz", "The Wonderful World Of Sex", "Catholic High School Girls In Trouble", "A Fistful Of Yen" and more! The Kentucky Fried Movie – uncensored, uncut and unapologetic!
ClassicsA high-flying hit starring the comedy legends Laurel and Hardy. Ollie is heartbroken to find the woman he loves is already married. In an effort to forget his heartache, he convinces Stan to join him and enlist in the French Foregin Legion. However, conditions are not what the boys had been prepared for and things take a turn for the worse when the pair is charged with desertion! It's a wild, hilarious ride from start to finish with Laurel and Hardy's signature brand of comedy. The Flying Deuces has been beautifully restored and is presented in color for the very first time!
