Archive for the 'Radiance Films' Category
May 4th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
On the streets of Paris, Rosa ‘la rose’ (Marianne Basler, Va savoir) is the belle of Les Halles. With no shortage of clients, she is beloved by her fellow working girls and spoiled by her pimp Gilbert (Jean Sorel, Belle de Jour). For her, this is a charmed life – that is until her 20th birthday arrives. Across the floor, she locks eyes with Julien (Pierre Cosso, An American Werewolf in Paris), a blue-collar worker who sees something deeper beyond her fun-loving façade. Almost Shakespearean in its execution, Paul Vecchiali’s underseen drama explores class consciousness and female sexuality with startling precision. Anchored by a magnetic central performance from the then 20-year-old Marianne Basler, Rosa la rose, fille publique is a true hidden gem. Rosa la rose, fille publique is released in the UK on Blu-ray July 21, 2025! Continue reading ‘Rosa la rose, fille publique is released on Blu-ray July 21!’
May 4th, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
Exploding a seemingly simple premise – a nameless “cowboy” courier (Spencer Nakasako) arrives in pre-Handover Hong Kong to deliver a mysterious briefcase to a mercurial Mob boss whilst becoming entangled with his femme fatale mistress (Cora Miao) – independent filmmaking legend Wayne Wang’s Life is Cheap… But Toilet Paper is Expensive barrels through inspired genre deconstruction, guerrilla docu-fiction and fierce political jeremiad, all with a keen sense of humour and one of the richest visual palettes of the 1990s. Life is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is released on Blu-ray in the UK July 21, 2025! Continue reading ‘Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive on Blu-ray July 21!’
March 31st, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
When the daughter of an elite family takes a shine to poor samurai Iemon (Tomisaburo Wakayama, lone wolf and cub), he sees an opportunity to climb the social ladder. He just needs to rid himself of his only obstacle: his loving wife Oiwa. He poisons her and dumps her corpse in a nearby swamp, but she returns as a horribly disfigured ghost to haunt Iemon on his wedding night. Crime film specialist Tai Kato (I, the Executioner) brings the famous Ghost Story of Yotsuya to the screen as a gritty tale of murder and greed, with an intense lead performance by Wakayama (The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, Big Time Gambling Boss). The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost is released on Blu-ray June 23, 2025! Continue reading ‘The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost on Blu-ray June 23!’
March 31st, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
In the fishing village of Aci Trezza, Sicily, the Valastro family dream of a better life. Living modestly thanks to merciless wholesalers, eldest son Ntoni takes matters into his own hands and – with the help of a bank loan – starts fishing alone. The venture is initially a success but an unexpected shipwreck means the family must soon fend for themselves. Originally commissioned as propaganda by the Communist Party, master filmmaker Luchino Visconti (The Leopard, Death in Venice) used the real villagers of Aci Trezza as his stars to craft a docu-fictional melodrama about the difficulties of rural life post-World War II. La terra trema was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 1948 Venice Film Festival and is considered one of the finest examples of Italian neorealist cinema. La Terra Trema is released on Blu-ray June 23, 2025! Continue reading ‘La Terra Trema on Blu-ray June 23!’
March 31st, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
We have a fresh installment of our popular global genre boxsets with WORLD NOIR VOL. 3. European filmmakers, still reeling in the aftermath of World War II, were creating works equal to the Hollywood noir that came to define the genre. All three films are presented here on Blu-ray with English subtitles for the very first time.French director (and swimming champion) Henri Decoin’s NOT GUILTY (1947) sees Michel Simon (L’Atalante) star as Michel Ancelin, a brilliant doctor with an alcohol problem. When a tragic accident occurs at his hands, Michel covers his tracks through a complex web of lies. Peter Lorre (M, Casablanca) writes, directs and stars in THE LOST ONE (1951), his only film as writer or director. Haunted by a terrible secret, Dr. Karl Rothe’s dark past catches up with him at a displaced persons camp. Described by Ingmar Bergman as “a masterpiece”, director Hasse Ekman’s GIRL WITH HYACINTHS (1950) is regarded as one of the great films of Swedish cinema. Following the sudden suicide of a mysterious young woman, her neighbors are compelled to investigate the circumstances leading to her death. World Noir Vol 3 is released June 23, 2025! Continue reading ‘World Noir Vol. 3 on Blu-ray June 23!’
March 31st, 2025 by Gerard Iribe
Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager – with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don’t quite know how to handle – she’ll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality. Played by a cast of rotating actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Sharon Wilkins, Aviva’s journey towards motherhood never would run smooth. Bringing his trademark dry wit to another series of taboos, Todd Solondz’s portrait of middle-American girlhood interrogates the naivety and hypocrisy of the post-9/11 psyche that continues to shape US public life and policy. Palindromes will be released on 4K UHD Blu-ray June 23, 2025! Continue reading ‘Palindromes on 4K UHD Blu-ray June 23!’
