Best Of Richard Gere (Arbitrage Feature)

You will be forgiven for forgetting just how eclectic Richard Gere’s career has been;  with the release of Arbitrage (this Friday 1st March,) let’s take a look back at how Gere hit the big time and sustained his star status within Hollywood – still a major player three decades later.

Arbitrage (2012)

Richard Gere received a Golden Globe nomination for his latest role in Arbitrage, a drama that follows magnate Robert Miller who must turn to an unlikely figure when he makes an error in an attempt to complete the sale of his trading empire. Critically-acclaimed, Arbitrage is being deemed a gripping mature watch from first-time director Nicholas Jarecki, boasting an impressive cast with Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth starring alongside Gere.

Days of Heaven (1978)

An early film role, Gere’s appearance in Days of Heaven was the ball-roller in terms of sparking off his illustrious career; appearing in Terrence Malick’s romantic art film was an unprecedented huge move (with only Badlands to his name, Malick wasn’t perceived to be the auteur he is today.) Not received well upon release, the film has evolved as something of a classic, with Gere’s role opening doors to the key roles he is associated with today.

American Gigolo (1980)

Richard Gere became a superstar upon the release of American Gigolo, a crime drama directed by Paul Schrader. Gere plays Julian Kaye, a male escort residing in L.A who fears he is being framed when one of his clients is murdered. Gere, who took the role when Christopher Reeve and John Travolta turned it down, has openly stated he took the role so he could immerse himself into a character he didn’t understand (the notorious full-frontal nudity scenes were not scripted, but a ‘natural process’).

An officer and a Gentleman (1982)

One of Gere’s most memorable roles, here he plays Zack  Mayo, a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate  who locks heads with his drill Sergeant and falls in love with Debra Winger’s Paula. The film was a huge success worldwide, and Gere – strangely beating out Christopher Reeve and John Travolta to the part again – gained worldwide acclaim as a Hollywood heartthrob. He also gained a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

Internal Affairs (1990)

After a string of duds, including an ill-fated remake of Jean-Luc Godard’s classic Breathless, Gere reclaimed status as a Hollywood player with two roles in 1990 – one of which was in Internal Affairs, a thriller about a fresh-faced addition to the Internal Affairs Department of the LA police who begins suspecting Gere’s Dennis Peck of shady activity. Gere plays Peck’s womanising manipulator well, his role fitting in successfully in an enjoyable thriller.

Pretty Woman (1990)

The second role in 1990 not only assisted in reclaiming his status, but provided the world with a role in a film that rewrote the romantic comedy genre. It has been claimed that Pretty Woman is one of the most loved films of all time, with no rom-com matching its success in terms of box office receipts, critical reception and award recognition.  Gere plays Edward Lewis, a rich businessman who collides with Julia Robert’s kind-hearted prostitute, Vivian – a role for which he received a second Golden Globe nomination.

Sommersby (1993)

Set during the Civil War, Jodie Foster’s Laurel manages to work the farm without he husband – when he returns and appeals to have changed somewhat, causing many to believe him to be an imposter. Sommersby, for all of its mixed reviews, is a notable entry from Gere’s career for the on-screen chemistry between the two leads carries the film, causing it to linger in the memory – Gere further proving he is a dependable male lead.

Runaway Bride (1999)

Directed by Pretty Woman’s Garry Marshall, and re-teaming Richard Gere with Julia Roberts, was always going to be a tough gig following the unprecedented success of the daddy of all romantic comedies. Runaway Bride didn’t match the latter’s success, but was still an enjoyable watch with Gere showing his comedy ability after a slew of more serious roles. Here, he plays a reporter who writes an article on Robert’s serial ‘runaway bride’ – when the two meet, an attraction is sparked.

Chicago (2002)

A psychological horror and a drama later (The Mothman Prophecies and Unfaithful, respectively,) what followed was a high-profile role as hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn in the 2002 film version of hit musical Chicago. Starring alongside Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones, he dodged critic’s bullets by showcasing his musicality successfully on-screen for the first time, whilst deploying a likeable charm in the process. For this, he received a Golden Globe win - but his Oscar nomination never came.

I’m Not There (2007)

One of the more interesting additions to the actor’s back catalogue, Gere was one of many actors – Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett - to portray different facets of Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There.  Richard Gere portrays Billy the Kid (referring to Dylan’s role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,) with his scenes mirroring the ways in which Dylan tried to evade the spotlight. Gere’s presence marks the film out as one to be seen.



Arbitrage will be out in UK&Irish cinemas from This Friday 1st March, Read our review.

Crawl Blu-Ray Review

When you witness an audience that has a reputation of been very vocal sit in silence mesmerized in what their watching you know your watching something truly special. That audience is the world famous Film4 Frightfesters who love to show their appreciation, the venue was 2012 Film 4 Frightfest at Glasgow Film Festival, the film is The China Brother's directorial début Crawl. One year one it's your chance to relive the suspense of the festival favourite in the comfort of your own home.

Seedy bar owner Slim Walding (Paul Holmes) hires a mysterious Croatian hitman (George Shevtov) to murder local garage owner over a shady business deal gone bad. The stone faced stranger planned a double-crossing which backfired when barmaid Marilyn (Georgina Haig) becomes involved. Eagerly waiting at home waiting for the return of her sweetheart Travis (Andy Barclay) as Marilyn believes this is the night he'll propose however that romantic turns into a night of survival as the single dark road outside her house the psychopathic Croatian and Travis paths have intersected leading the killer to take Marilyn hostage in her own home.

The legacy of the masters of cinema is alive and well in Crawl serving a nice homage  especially to the Coen Brothers. This may not be exactly be Blood Simple but the China Brothers (Paul & Ben) do show why the Coens are such an inspiration to them with even a bit of No Country For Old Men thrown in for good measure too further inspiring them to create a film that packs so much punch for its 80 minute running time.

Whilst the brothers heroes mould the film's backbone, the film's methodical pace is a reminder of an era when things where simple  and effective playing at a pace that let you appreciate what you where watching. Crawl may not be blessed with non stop action but what it does do is make up that up with unnerving tension, atmosphere and suspense that even the master of suspense himself Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of.

What really stands out in this film is the silence. So if you thought Silent but deadly was just another crude way of saying you broke wind think again as Crawl utilises the minimal dialogue to great effect. It makes you feel as if you are taking every step with Marilyn (whose character surname is Burns another homage this time to Texas Chainsaw Massacre), visually as well auditory. I've also said time after time music plays a vital part of the film and in Crawl Christopher Gordon's Bernard Hermann style score plays it's part adding an extra dimension of tensions, suspense working harmoniously with the atmospheric parts of the movie too.

Crawl may not be the finished article but the China brothers have created something truly remarkable. a chilling piece of genre cinema  delivering a nice balance of suspense and even dark humour, even more is the fact they create a film whose story is the main focus not the CGI or who is in the cast. Those little niggling flaws over time will be sorted out  and we can look forward to see some fantastic films from these brothers in the near future.

Paul Devine

★★★★☆

Rating:18
BD/DVD Release Date: 25th February 2013  (UK0
Director: Paul China
Cast: Andy Barclay, Georgina Haig, Paul Holmes, George Shevtsov
Buy Crawl:Blu-ray / DVD

21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping DVD Review

In 1983 the Netherlands was shocked by the kidnapping of one of its most renowned industrialists, Freddy Heineken; president of the famous brewery. More famous than the kidnapping, perhaps, is Heineken’s lengthy and vengeful court escapades to have his kidnappers brought to justice after his rescue just 21 days after his abduction. 21 Days, directed by Maarten Treurniet, tells the story of Heineken’s ordeal

                In order to tell a story like this, before, during, and after the kidnap, the pace has to match the length, the 118 minutes of screen time has to be balanced and, most of all, watchable. Unfortunately the timing of the piece halts its progress as a thriller at various points, allowing it to meander where it should stride through. Clarity is not always present either and most importantly in the scenes where a quicker pace is attempted, for example how the young team of petty thieves is delivered the ransom is a ridiculously short moment of “what was that all about?” The film feels like it stops and starts again too many times and the viewer can’t help but wait for TV adverts. A story like this deserves a more visceral, or at least focused, execution.

                That’s not to say it totally flops since there are more than enough good moments and the casting allows a group of hot-headed young men to be more watchable than they probably should be.  Unsurprisingly Hauer lends a star quality to an otherwise mediocre affair, ensuring all his scenes are handled with suitable duress and defiance. Unfortunately there are not enough scenes allowing him to dive into the fractured psyche of a man kidnapped, so a lot of those sequences which should let him prove his worth, end up falling flat.

                Obviously this film is aiming for the vibe of the recent wave of Euro-thrillers (which started with Nesbo adaptations) and even though it achieves that visually, it’s just too long and too boring to pull off the same gripping narrative  It does however pick up in its last half, carefully orchestrating a court-drama and ensuing fallout that results in a successful climax. The final scenes may seem, for some, far beyond the reach of the rest of the film.

For Euro enthusiasts this could go either way, for everyone else it’s a tedious expedition into the heist genre. However the second half transforms the film into an enjoyable faster-paced court-drama which seems much more comfortable work for Treurniet.  Overall I can’t help feel this could have been a pretty impressive TV movie.

Scott Clark

★★☆☆☆

Rating: 15
DVD Release date: 11th March 2013 (UK)
Directed By: Maarten Treurniet
Cast: Rutger Hauer, Ton Kas, Marcel Hensema
Pre-Order/Buy: 21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping [DVD]

GFF 2013: Arbitrage Review

Richard Gere is known for being particularly selective over his roles in recent years. One cannot deny that it is a tactic that works - the past ten years have seen some of his strongest work from The Hoax to gritty cop thriller, Brooklyn's Finest. Gere's latest leading role in feature-film newcomer, Nicholas Jarecki's Arbitrage, maintains this high standard.

Arbitrage sees successful businessman Robert Miller (Gere) attempt to cover up fraudulent business activities and personal secrets from his associates and family. However, this grows increasingly difficult after Miller flees the scene of a car-crash that kills his lover, Julie (Laetitia Casta).

Both directed and written by Jarecki, Arbitrage proves to be a punchy, fast-paced thriller, remaining tense and gripping throughout. Seeing all facets of Miller's life gradually spiral out of control, as the businessman continually tries to wind them back in makes for a thoroughly engaging central narrative. As a result of his dishonest behaviour we see his family life crumble - particularly his relationship with his wife (Susan Sarandon), the future of his business come under fire and the eventual death of his lover. Who knew that life in the corporate world could be so exciting?

After the death of Julie, Arbitrage becomes an almost cat and mouse like thriller, as the police try and pin the car-crash on Miller. This further amps up the gripping tension and unease that courses through Arbitrage - with the viewer never quite sure if Miller will be caught or convicted. Unfortunately, the narrative power slackens towards the conclusion - with many integral questions going unanswered in a somewhat lazy finale.

The role of the troubled Miller allows for Gere to deliver one of his strongest performances in recent years. Seeing the actor as a man out of his depth, yet never willing to accept defeat - even if it means more dishonesty, is one of the endearing qualities of Arbitrage. Gere carries the central narrative with ease, continually reminding us of just how strong an actor he actually is.

Susan Sarandon also manages to shine with the smaller supporting role of Ellen, Miller's wife. Sarandon tackles the role with a subtle emotional power, bringing a sense of dignity and life to the the wife who knows more than she lets on. Further gravitas is added through Tim Roth's role as Detective Bryer, the man hoping to bring Miller to justice over his crimes.

Arbitrage is a taut thriller that holds the viewer in its vice-like grip from the onset with much debt to Richard Gere's magnificent central performance. Jarecki's screenplay and direction are largely excellent, even if the conclusion does feel somewhat dissatisfying.

Andrew McArthur

★★★★☆

Stars: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Brit Marling,Tim Roth
Director: Nicholas Jarecki
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Release:18th February 2013 (Glasgow Film Festival) 1st March 2013 (UK)

GFF 2013: In The House (Dans La Maison) Review

In the House, François Ozon's first directorial feature since the magnificent, Potiche, sees him once again team-up with Fabrice Luchini for equally strong results.

Germain (Luchini), a literature teacher receives essays from student, Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer), confessing his desire to visit the perfect family home of one of his classmates. As these essays grow more troubling, Germaine is unable to distinguish between fiction and reality, suspecting the motivations of the manipulative Claude.

Part of the pleasure of Ozon's feature comes from the ever-shifting tones, with In the House blurring the lines between psychological thriller, drama and comedy seamlessly. Every genre that the director delves into is handled with the utmost confidence, making the many twists and turns that Ozon's rich screenplay (based on Juan Mayorga's stage play) takes us on, all the more thrilling.

Using the dual narrative of Claude's stories and real life allows for Ozon to have a lot of fun. Watching Germain's paranoia as he grows continually more infatuated with Garcia's stories, so much so that he begins to lose his grip on reality, makes for thrilling viewing. The audience eventually becomes like Germain and Claude, voyeurs looking into the Artole Family home, where we discover that despite Claude's first thoughts, they are very far from the perfect family. There's a sinister energy generated by this voyeurism, mainly sourcing from Claude's fantasies surrounding the Artole Matriarch, Esther (Emmanuelle Seigner), culminating in an almost Gothic sequence where Claude stays over night at the family home. These dark psychological thrills strike parallels with Ozon's earlier feature, the masterfully unsettling Swimming Pool.

In the House is not a completely dark watch, Ozon gives occasional moments of playful humour. These mainly stem from Fabrice Luchini's staggeringly brilliant performance - Luchini is truly an actor gifted with a great versatility, being equally convincing at both light comic elements and heavier dramatic material. Many of these laughs come from Luchini's scenes with on-screen wife, Kristin Scott Thomas who runs an exhibit at a local art gallery, which Germain dubs "Art for perverts." The actress heads a stellar supporting cast which also includes Emmanuelle Seigner, Denis Ménochet and a wonderfully sinister turn from newcomer, Ernst Umhauer.

In the House is a truly absorbing watch, thanks to an inventive screenplay providing us with a mix of mysterious psychological thrills, well-paced drama and some light comic flourishes. Ozon handles these elements with his ingenuity, wit and competence, allowing for some standout performances from Luchini, Umhauer &Thomas.

Andrew McArthur

★★★★☆

Stars: Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas , Emmanuelle Seigner
Director: François Ozon
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Release: 21st February 2013 (Glasgow Film Festival)29th March 2013 (UK)

City Of Women Blu-Ray Review (Masters Of Cinema Release)

City of Women was one of the great Federico Fellini’s very last films. It along with most of later work commercially and critically unsuccessful. It premiered at the Cannes film festival in 1980 and was lambasted by the critics and even fellow filmmakers like the great but miserable sod Andrei Tarkovsky who called the film “worthless”. However the film is about as Fellini-esq as you can get and deserves reappraisal.

The film is about the middle age Snàporaz (Marcello Mastroianni) and Snàporaz like all of Mastroianni character’s in Fellini’s films is the director’s alter ego (this is most obvious in 8½ and it’s also his first lead role in a Fellini film since 8½). Snàporaz is on a train going home but he sees a big breasted women and they have brief fling in the bathroom but it’s cut short and the women must get off the train. Snàporaz follows her off the train and eventually finds him at a feminist polyandry conference. The film from that point becomes a bunch of increasing surreal vignettes which include roller skating, druggy lesbian post-punk teenagers who try to kill Snàporaz, attempted rape by a fat women, a court to test his masculinity among others.

The film came out after a difficult time for Fellini after some not entirety successful films he made in the wake of his classic Amarcord. What Fellini does with City of Women is to do a gloriously over the top sex farce with surrealistic touches throughout, there is hilarious sex scene which a women with an enormous ass which is obviously fake. However like Fellini’s work it’s really a film about his love/fear of women. Fellini was interested in feminism but he certainly wasn’t a feminist despite the fact the women in the film he certain sympathies with because they being mistreated by the male population. He certain makes the feminists in the film laughably absurd but Snàporaz is as well and the character Dr. Katzone with his mansion full of sexual art and absurd phallic sculptures.

The film’s centrepiece is the well-known scene after he crawls under his bed he enters a dreamlike slide where he revisits all childhood crushes. Which is beautiful filmed by Giuseppe Rotunno (who later worked with Fellini’s disciple Terry Gilliam) and constructed.

Overall the film is a really fun surrealist romp though the loves and desires of Federico Fellini, it’s not 8½ but what is? It isn’t without it’s flaws however, it’s a bit too long and has some over dubbing ever on a film, most evident in the conference scene in the beginning. Worth checking out especially with Masters of Cinema’s beautiful hd transfer.

Ian Schultz

★★★★☆

Rating: 18
BD/DVD Release Date: 25th February 2013 (UK)
Director:Federico Fellini
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Anna Prucnal, Bernice Stegers
Buy City Of Women: DVD / Blu-ray

GFF 2013 Review: The Paperboy

After a rough reception from critics at Cannes in May 2012, The Paperboy finally makes its way to the UK. Even before its general release, The Paperboy has become something of a modern trash classic thanks to director Lee Daniel's pulpy direction and eye for a scantily-clad Zac Efron.

Based on the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter, The Paperboy follows Miami Times reporter, Ward Jansen as he returns to his home of South Florida to exonerate innocent death row hick, Hilary Van Wetter (John Cussack). Alongside his younger brother, Jack (Zac Efron) and Hilary's fiancé, trashy femme fatale Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), Ward sets out to prove the condemned man's innocence.

Lee Daniels is truly a man with a vision, The Paperboy is the film that he set out to make. Filled with a darkly Gothic Southern charm, Daniels' feature is chock-full of rich atmosphere - fully transporting us to the hot, sweaty world of 1960s Florida. This swampy, heat-soaked atmosphere feels like an apt backdrop for Daniels' themes of primal desires like lust and violence to play out. These run their course through Dexters' rich palette of characters from perpetually horny teen, Jack, to over-sexed Barbie doll, Charlotte Bless.

Fans of the book may feel that Dexter's narrative structure and character development have suffered through Daniels' artistic flourishes. Dexter's novel was a brooding read with a natural narrative structure, something that sometimes feels lacking from Daniels' adaptation. On occasion, The Paperboy feels like a disjointed, patchwork of loosely connected sequences which is likely to hamper your emotional investment in the narrative and characters. This lack of emotional investment, is not to say that The Paperboy is not enjoyable, it is a lot of fun.

Daniels' feature is filled with an endearing trashy-charm from the loud aesthetics to the kitsch soundtrack. This charm carries on into the performances too. Nicole Kidman is the clear standout, bringing a large helping of Southern gumption and lashings of trashy sex-appeal to the role of Charlotte Bless. However, there is also an a sense of vulnerability in Kidman's performance - Charlotte's blatant over-sexed demeanour works as a means of masking her insecurities, allowing the actress to give one of her strongest performances in recent years.

The role of Jack also allows Zac Efron to shine, with the actor finally being given the opportunity to showcase his talents in a darker, less-family friendly role. Daniel's voyeuristic gaze of the handsome, lust-filled Jack further thrusts into the sweaty, pulpy atmosphere of The Paperboy. Praise must also go to the wonderful Macy Gray, for a stellar comic turn which also brings themes of 1960s race relations into The Paperboy's frame.

The Paperboy is a thrilling, sweat soaked Southern-Noir, rich in atmosphere and directorial vision. The varying tone, camp aesthetics and powerful performances from Kidman and Efron completely overshadow any of the narrative inconsistencies. The Paperboy is a must-see.

Andrew McArthur

★★★★☆

Stars: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey
Director: Lee Daniels
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Release: 18th February 2013(Glasgow Film Festival) 15th March 2013 (UK)

Horror Channel, FrightFest & Movie Mogul team up to launch nationwide search for new filmmakers

Can you make a short film that can cut it in hell? Have you got some killer ideas?

FrightFest and Movie Mogul, in association with Horror Channel, are challenging aspiring filmmakers to make a short horror film - the best six of which will be shown on Horror Channel and at the 2013 Film4 FrightFest event. The overall winner will receive a prize fund of £6,666 and the opportunity to develop a horror short or feature idea under mentorship from Movie Mogul, for a possible 2014 production.

666 Short Cuts To Hell is no ordinary film competition though. Entrants will have to follow a series of 'killer' restraints such as a maximum of 6 lines of dialogue, a maximum of 6 cast of and crew members and a maximum budget of £666.



Chris Sharp, Chief Operating Officer for CBS Chello Zone Channels, commented: "Horror Channel has a rich history in supporting new film making talent through Directors' Nights, new talent seasons, its FrightFest Short Film Showcases and Horror Club. We're looking for the next talent which we will support with on air exposure and undoubtedly feedback from our loyal viewers. We know there are many keen filmmakers among our audience - this is their chance to get their work in the spotlight and get noticed by the UK film industry."

John Shackleton, M.D of Movie Mogul said: "In the current technological HD/digital climate, it really is possible to make just about anything, and new entrant filmmaking is a level playing field. Now is the perfect time and opportunity to uncover new talent with big ideas, who just need that little nudge to really get going. Horror is a fantastic genre in which to cut teeth and sharpen skills because it is historically more of an ideas-driven genre, that doesn't necessarily require big name stars to break through".

Paul McEvoy, co-director of FrightFest added: "We want filmmakers of all kinds to take up the gauntlet and entertain horror audiences with some bold, fun and original ideas. An army of inspired filmmakers all equipped with the same limitations of genre, budget and duration, should really make for a very exciting competition!"

Entrants must submit their completed film by 6pm on the 6th June 2013.
Submission guidelines and terms and conditions can be found at www.shortcutstohell.com

The overall winner will be announced at FrightFest 2013 after the six films have been screened. The full jury will be announced in due course, and will include: Horror Channel presenter Emily Booth, FrightFest director Paul McEvoy, Movie Mogul’s John Shackleton and filmmaker/Special Make-up Effects expert Paul Hyett.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

A-mour than slim chance (Amour Feature)

Come Sunday, Hollywood may be toasting the work of one of cinema’s most celebrated bearded and bespectacled directors at its lavish annual hand out of golden statues. But, there is a chance it may not be the familiar face of Steven Spielberg but the shadowy, roll necked figure of Michael Haneke gracing the stage at LA’s Kodak Theatre accepting the handouts from Hollywood’s elite.

Yes Michael Haneke, the same Michael Haneke whose disdain for Hollywood is hardly a closely guarded secret. The same Michael Haneke whose violence-heavy Funny Games went for the jugular on its attack of American cinema’s obsession with, and subsequent numbness to, extreme violence. When his original Austrian version failed to land a knock-out punch stateside it was the same Michael Haneke who made an exact remake complete in English and with recognisable stars to engage the very audience he seems to hold in such contempt.

His Palme D’or winning feature Amour can arguably claim to be the runaway success of the Academy’s nominations, picking up five nods in total. So how can this apparent nemesis of all things Hollywood now lay claim to being enfant terribles number one, no longer feared but embraced by the establishment? What’s perhaps more surprising than nominating such a critic of America’s cinematic output is the fact that Haneke is a foreign film maker making distinctly foreign language films, something largely ignored by the Academy. With that in mind, does this mean there is change afoot at the Oscars? Are they finally embracing the subtleties, craftsmanship and overlooked work of world cinema, finally putting it on a par with their own brand of multiplex mediocrity?

Sadly, there is a more likely reason for Amour falling in favour with the Academy. Before its actual release, Amour was being whispered about as a sign of Haneke finally yielding to sentiment and emotion. The tale of an aging couple, struggling on alone with just their ‘amour’ keeping them going sounded almost heart-warming. There is reason to believe that some voters were sold on the idea rather than the reality of Amour, the warm end-of-life saga resonating with the notoriously elderly members. In reality, of course, it delivers the usual cold punch Haneke has become so masterful at handling.

There is reason to celebrate Amour’s success – its nominations come in the traditionally heavyweight categories of Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress alongside the obligatory Best Foreign film nod. However, that a film of Amour’s quality is having to celebrate a mere mention among the usual Oscar fodder is indicative of how blind Hollywood can be when it comes to films not in its native tongue.

The Awards concession to all things outside the English language was the formation of the aforementioned Best Foreign Film category. Film-making countries from across the globe are given the generous amount of 1 film to put forward as a contender for the Academy to consider. That’s one. One film from a years worth of cinema to be chosen above countless others, judged best suited to appeal to the Academy members taste. So impossible is it for a country whose first language isn’t our own to possibly make more than one award-worthy film and so stretching it is to expect said members to suffer their way through any more subtitles than they have to that the one country one film rule was born.

This rule only serves to obscure and skew the works of film-makers outside the US and has ramifications in this year’s ceremony. Falling foul of this bizarre condition this year was Jacques Audiard and his acclaimed Rust and Bone. The French Film Academy, reduced to their solitary vote, elected Intouchables as their most likely chance of success across the Atlantic. It’s an understandable decision – their pick was a record-breaking box office success in its homeland and fared well among audiences overseas. It also had a redemptive, uplifting tone likely to appease the Academy, something Amour distinctly lacks.

It does however underline the obscurity of the nomination process which forced the wonderful Rust and Bone to be overlooked, no doubt jeopardising the chances of its star Marion Cotillard to be nominated for the Best Actress award (surely no Academy member would watch an overseas film they weren’t forced to).

Away from the absurd one film rule, there is another baffling element to the category, one that may be on show come this year’s ceremony. It’s more than probable that Amour will win the best foreign film race, marking Austria as the victorious nation due to the nationality of director Michael Haneke. This ruling overlooks the merits of the very un-Austrian production of the film itself. Financed with French money by a French production company and shot in France with French actors speaking French, Amour has more than a whiff of a Gallic accent to it. It is unlikely that the film would have been quite the same had it not, and yet it is Austria who will be on the record books as producing the years best film outside of the English speaking world. They may well have produced a great director but had very little to do with the making of the film.
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Perhaps expecting any kind of change is futile. The Oscars has never been a place to acknowledge the cinematic world as a whole, lifting the work of foreign cinema aloft on the burley and financially sound shoulders of Hollywood studios. It is intended as an office party of sorts, celebrating those on the same team, just down the road and familiar faced, meeting once a year to slap each-other on the back and congratulate one another on their fine achievements. The fancy festivals of the Med and mystical Europe are seen as the place to acknowledge the work of everyone else. And, while the likes of Cannes and Venice have regularly embraced the works of Hollywood’s finest – Scorsese, Malick, Copolla – giants of European cinema such as Godard, Fellini and Renoir were consistently overlooked by the industry’s biggest bash.

We can hope for a change in attitude or an alteration to the foreign film category but both seem unlikely. For now we are left with Haneke and Amour. How ironically apt it would be for him all of people to truly break out of the ‘foreign’ ghetto and into the glittering Hollywood limelight.

Matthew Walsh

Masters Of Cinema To Release Claude Chabrol's Le Beau Serge And Les Cousins

Eureka Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing two films starring Jean-Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain by the master director of the French thriller, Claude Chabrol - his debut feature, LE BEAU SERGE [HANDSOME SERGE], the first feature film of the French New Wave starring & the breakthrough feature and first massive commercial success, LES COUSINS [THE COUSINS], winner of the Golden Bear (Best Film) at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival. Both titles have been painstakingly restored by Gaumont for these new HD restorations and will be released on DVD & Blu-ray on the 25 March 2013. These editions will include documentary extras, shorts, and lengthy booklets packed with writing about the film and interviews with Chabrol.

Le Beau Serge (Handsome Serge)
Synopsis:Gérard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut — ironic, funny, unsparing — is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of "the Chabrol touch."

In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish François (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues.

From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema — frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time.

SPECIAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS

• Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray

• New and improved English subtitles

• Original theatrical trailer

• A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film

• L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film

• A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more

Les Cousins (The Cousins)
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career.

In Les Cousins, Blain's character journeys from the country to Paris to crash at the luxurious flat of his worldly and decadent cousin, portrayed by Brialy, during the study period for an upcoming law exam which both have set out to undertake. It becomes clear soon enough that only one of the cousins is terribly committed to his work; as sexual promises and alcohol intervene, the set-up becomes untenable for the provincial, — and a tragic slide ensues.

A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol's breakthrough film in a beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the UK.

SPECIAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS:
• Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray

• New and improved English subtitles

• Original theatrical trailer

• A 47-minute documentary about the making of the film

• L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel [The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower], Chabrol's 1964 short film

• A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; a new and exclusive translation of a rare text about actress Françoise Vatel provided for this release by its author, the filmmaker and critic Luc Moullet; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more