Foreign movie in Foreign DVDs & Videos

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UN DIA SIN SEXO is a day in the life of four Peruvian couples of varying ages and backgrounds as they struggle over issues between the sheets. This is a lighthearted comic look at the pitfalls of sex in relationships, whether the couples are young and hot to trot, or a little bit older and less full of fire. Either way, these lovers find themselves in all sorts of hilarious scenarios that speak to the voyeurs among us.

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In the midst of World War II, as the tide turns against the Axis, a German U-boat crew is sent out to patrol the Atlantic and fire at Allied ships bringing supplies to England. The submarine also carries a press correspondent, there to report from the front lines of nautical warfare. Meanwhile, the crew's captain (Jürgen Prochnow) is becoming disillusioned with the Nazi regime and with war in general. What starts out as a routine mission is soon livened up beyond the crew's expectations when their boat's surprise attack on a convoy is thwarted by a fast-moving destroyer. Battered by depth charges, the crew must pull together to survive the attacks of their unseen enemy. Widely considered to be director Wolfgang Petersen's best film and one of the finest German films ever made, DAS BOOT is stunningly realistic in its portrayal of the cramped conditions aboard a German submarine. Based on a novel by Lothar G. Buchheim, it is a striking example of an intelligent antiwar film clothed in the guise of a military thriller.

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Spanish actress turned director Laura Mana delivers an enchanting fable, by turns funny and achingly poignant, and seasoned with a bit of magical realism. Opening in black-and-white and set in a dull, drab Mexican town, the inhabitants of the film are beset by a bad case of the doldrums: the kids are taciturn, the adults are listless, and the elderly are afflicted. Among them, Dolores (Elisabeth Margoni, LOVE, ACTUALLY) stands out as a pious, big-hearted, and lovable woman, but her husband leaves her because he finds her undiluted goodness difficult to stomach. Shocked, hurt and angry, Dolores goes to bed with the first man who asks her, and soon she is providing all of the love-starved men of the town with the intimacy they have been missing. The changes are immeasurable and color is brought back into the lives of all the villagers, until problems arise in the form of the local prostitutes whose business has been hurt. Dolores's husband also returns and demands a stop to her behavior, forcing Delores to make a difficult decision. Mana delivers a beautiful, life-affirming, feminist take on the conservative mores of small-town life.

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Young and in love, newlyweds Helene (Mary Johnson) and Sommer (William Dieterle, who also directed) endure an enforced separation when the accidental death of a nightclub owner--who was harassing Helene and incurred her husband's wrath--lands Sommer in jail. There his sexual longing finds other outlets in the absence of women, namely with a handsome young cellmate. Meanwhile, Helene aches for the comfort of her husband's embrace, and she finds solace in the arms of her kind employer. Exemplary of the creative freedom and unfettered cultural mores of Germany's Weimar period, this gem of the silent period was later banned under Nazi law. Dieterle's treatment of his subject matter is remarkable both for its lack of inhibition and its mixture of melodrama and eroticism with genuine tenderness. The stunning photography, craft, and restrained, subtle performances make this film an enduring masterpiece.

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A legendary production plagued by problems almost from the outset, the making of QUE VIVA MEXICO cured Sergei Eisenstein of the desire ever to work in North America again. On the verge of leaving Hollywood in disgust in 1930, Eisenstein accepted financing from a group of investors, led by writer Upton Sinclair, to make an ambitious film on Mexican culture. When the director ran out of money before shooting was completed, Sinclair shut down production and seized the extant footage. More than 40 years later, the film was turned over to Eisenstein's assistant, Grigori Alexandrov, and he edited what remained according to the director's notes. The film consists of three vignettes: Sandunga, Manguei, and Fiesta. The first explores the precolonial world of the Incas, observing ancient architecture and detailing pagan religious practices and langorous mating rituals. In the second, a murderer is punished for his crime in an unusually graphic and barbaric manner. The third features a brilliantly photographed bullfight. There was to be a fourth episode, Soldadera, dealing with the 1910 revolution. Although it was never shot, Alexandrov describes Eisentein's intentions with the aid of still photos and sketches. Despite its fragmentary nature, this unique document, permeated by images of eroticism and death, contains what is likely the most breathtaking photography of Mexico on celluloid.

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In Eric Rohmer's CLAIRE'S KNEE, Jerome (Jean-Claude Brialy), a handsome diplomat on vacation in the scenic Alpine village of Talloires, is coaxed into doing a strange favor for his friend Aurora (Aurora Cornu), a novelist working on a new book. Echoing Vladimir Nabokov's novel LOLITA, in which the writer Humbert Humbert falls in love with a budding 13-year-old girl, CLAIRE'S KNEE makes Jerome the researcher for Aurora's novel about an older man who seduces a teenage girl. Jerome and Aurora create mischief together as two friends in their mid-30s who are reminded of their own sexual appetites by watching the teenage sisters Laura (Béatrice Romand) and Claire (Laurence De Monoghan) with their young boyfriends. However, when Aurora challenges Jerome to seduce Laura, he tries but fails. Instead, he develops an obsessive desire to fondle Claire's knee, a notion both ruthlessly perverse and stubbornly innocent. Rohmer's laid-back, pensive style takes in the mountainous lakeside scenery, putting the weight of the film on intimate one-on-one discussions between the characters. With artful camerawork that captures much of the movie from Jerome's motorboat, Rohmer creates one of the cornerstones of his Six Moral Tales series, a pretty film with a naughty undercurrent and a relaxed existential overtone.

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The popular South Korean mini-series DAE JANG GEUM (aka JEWEL IN THE PALACE) earned that country's highest-ever television ratings with an epic blend of historical and personal intrigue. Based on a true story, the period-piece costume drama centers on its titular heroine, Jang-geum (Yeong-ae Lee), a 16th-century orphan girl who enters the king's royal court as a lowly kitchen maid. When the political machinations of an evil duchess send Jang-geum into exile, she leaves to study medicine and triumphantly returns to the palace as the King's personal physician. Bolstered by strong acting, gripping plotlines, and well-drawn characters, the series' most remarkable achievement remains the lavish, detail-rich production design that presents a historically accurate depiction of 16th-century Korean history, culture, and politics--as well as mouthwatering cooking sequences a la BABETTE'S FEAST. This third volume concludes the series with episodes 37-54.

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Mexican actor Vicente Fernandez makes leaps from musical to melodrama in this set that includes a variety of genres. The four films featured are JUAN CHARRASQUEADO Y GABINO BARRERA, EL SINVERGUENZA, EL MACHO, and TODO UN HOMBRE.

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Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who glides through the streets of Paris as quietly as a mouse. With wide eyes and a tiny grin, she sees the world in a magical light, discovering minor miracles every day. A shy and reserved person whose favorite moments are spent alone skimming stones into the water, Amélie was raised by a pair of eccentrics who falsely diagnosed her with a heart problem at the age of six and so limited her exposure to the outside world. Now a free and independent woman, Amélie wears a bob that curls in every direction and dresses in red. With a job in a café and an aptitude for spying on her neighbors, Amélie entertains herself by enacting a series of homemade, kindhearted practical jokes. She returns a long-forgotten box of childhood knickknacks to its proper owner, she sends her father's garden troll on a trip around the world, and she creates a love connection at the café between the hypochondriac druggist and a beer-drinking old grouch. But when the day is done, Amélie finds one stone unturned, and decides to work her magic on the quirky object of her affections, Nino Quincampoix (Matthieu Kassovitz), whom she has never met. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who codirected DELICATESSEN and THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN with Marc Caro) presents AMÉLIE, an aesthetically gorgeous and inventive film. The rich, glowing color scheme is offset by flashbacks in black and white archival footage that give short biographies of each character. A soft-spoken narrator guides viewers through this enlightening fairy tale, which sometimes speeds through the streets and other times drifts in slow motion. AMÉLIE is humorous, questioning, and strange, and it will change the lives of all who watch it, if only for a short while after leaving Amélie's world.

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An epic tale of the Spanish Civil War, LIBERTARIAS focuses on the role that women played in the conflict. Maria (Ariadna Gil, known in Spain for her success with roles deemed impossible for other actresses) is a nun forced to flee her convent when the war brings troops to Barcelona. She hides in a brothel, where she meets and unites with a women's organization to assist with the war effort against Franco's fascists, and thereby secures the rights for their sex. Through her experiences Maria encounters many women from various social groups and occupations, and learns that they are all united in being oppressed merely because of their gender. LIBERTARIAS concentrates on how the struggle for freedom and civil rights during the Spanish Civil War took on special meaning for women. The film was nominated for six Goya Awards in 1996, and director Vicente Aranda (best know internationally for his film AMANTES aka LOVERS) took home the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo Film Festival.

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A hit across the globe, bachata boy-band Aventura leave their adoring fans breathless in this sold-out concert at New York's Madison Square Garden. Joined onstage by a dazzling array of surprise guests--including Miri Ben-Ari, Olga Tanon, El Torito, Toby Love, and Anthony Santos--this live performance features knockout renditions of the songs "Obsesion," "No no no," "Ella y yo," and "Noche de sexo," among many others.

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Fans of the anime-influenced action of DEATH NOTE will find their questions answered in this live-action sequel. Here, Light Yagami has become a member of the team that is in charge of tracking down "Kira," a vicious serial killer. But L suspects that the new addition to the team is the person they're searching for, and Light now wants to kill L using the Death Note book. DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME continues the blend of action, thriller, and horror that the first film began.

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An epic tale of one of the greatest rulers of India, ASOKA is a testament to the redemptive power of love. Asoka inherited India's throne in third century B.C. The Indian dynasty was poised to conquer the entire peninsula and the king began his reign by leading the charge. However, the emperor found greater meaning in the love of two women and was soon transformed, renouncing warfare and adopting the principles of the Buddha. This 2001 Indian biopic of the peaceful leader is a work of great political and dramatic significance.

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Sense and sensibility are not the only things that meet and mix in this Bollywood adaptation of Austen's classic novel. When East meets West, and audiences meet the two charming sisters at the heart of it's tale, there is no end to the fun, adventure, and romance. Sowmya and Meenakshi have it all: looks, money, and youth. The only thing they lack is the true love they both yearn for. This situation is soon remedied when three suitors, each attractive in very different ways, are introduced into their lives. The level-headed Sowmya continues to put filial obligations ahead of romance, while the impetuous and passionate Meenakshi tries to figure out which one is her "white knight." While Sowmya is courted by a filmmaker who loves her but insists he must finish his first movie before they marry, Meenakshi must choose between a wounded soldier and a charismatic businessman with the heart of a poet. Ultimately, however, the increasing infirmity of the family patriarch may present the girls with some difficulties they are ill-prepared for. A brilliant widescreen extravaganza, I HAVE FOUND IT is the sophomore effort from director Rajiv Menon. It manages to successfully blend comedy, social satire, and familiar genre conceits into a stunning, dazzling musical spectacle that is a delight to behold.

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In his final collaboration with Akira Kurosawa, Toshirô Mifune portrays Dr. Kyojio "Red Beard" Niide, a gruff but caring head doctor at a 19th-century clinic for the poor. Sorely in need of competent assistance, Red Beard takes on a new intern, the ambitious Noboru Yasumoto (Yuzo Kayama). However, Yasumoto isn't made aware of his appointment until after he's visited the facility and seen its grim conditions and impoverished patients. Initially, the brash young physician rebels against the wise elder and declines his duties, but gradually Yasumoto begins to respect Red Beard and his difficult yet essential work. As Yasumoto slowly acclimates to the clinic, the story also follows the lives (and deaths) of various patients. Truly the end of an era, RED BEARD marks the dissolution of the Kurosawa/Mifune partnership and also Kurosawa's last black-and-white production. Although surprisingly little has been written about the rift between Mifune and Kurosawa, it's likely that tensions were largely due to the film's grueling two-year shoot. Despite the drama behind the camera, RED BEARD remains one of Kurosawa's underrated classics. Although Mifune is best known for his earlier roles as an impetuous youth, here he gives a mature, though no less vital, performance, echoing the mentor character Takashi Shimura played in STRAY DOG, SEVEN SAMURAI, and other Kurosawa movies. (However, Mifune does get one action-packed, YOJIMBO-worthy fight scene.) In turn, Kayama admirably fills the role of the headstrong young intern. A sort of period-piece MASH or ER, RED BEARD is a moving drama that uses doctors and patients to address the timeless notion of trying to be a good person in an often cruel world.

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REBELDE is a Mexican soap opera set in a school for the country's richest teens. Among the elite are a few poor kids whose natural gifts have allowed them entrance to this exclusive institution. When these two markedly different groups meet, the have-nots become the objects of scorn from their wealthier counterparts, resulting in an explosive mix of comedy, drama, and pop-music interludes that would make BEVERLY HILLS 90210 proud. This release presents the sudsy series' third season.

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Cantinflas stars as a unconventional priest who gets a new position in a small town. The townspeople are skeptical of him, which is not helped by his unconventional ways.

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Acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki adapts British writer Diana Wynne Jones's popular fantasy tale for this animated feature, adding his own unique and celebrated dreamlike spin. A young hat-maker named Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer) is turned into an old woman by the dreaded Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall) when she attracts the notice of Howl (Christian Bale), a young wizard whom the witch desires for herself. As the old woman, (voiced by Jean Simmons), Sophie finds refuge as a cleaning lady in Howl's magical castle, an impressively realized mishmash of anthropomorphic shafts and gears, where she meets, among other wonders, a cantankerous fire demon named Calcifer (Billy Crystal). Howl's courage inspires her to seek a cure for her curse, and vice versa, and the two work together to prevent a major war as the castle roams the countryside on its mechanical legs. There's lots of magic afoot as well, including travel through barriers of space and time, and shape-shifting, requiring full viewer attention to keep track of who, where, and when, but this how dreams really are and the film engages on that same subconscious level. As with Miyazaki's previous work (SPIRITED AWAY, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE), the emphasis here is on creating a beautiful alternate reality, where anything can happen, and every frame is a breathtaking work of art. See it on the big screen if the chance presents itself; the elaborate intricacies and patiently realized alternate realities of Miyazaki's work makes him a true treasure.

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A man calls a suicide hotline and falls in love with the woman who takes his call in this erotic drama from director Lee Kang-Sheng.

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Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini made uncompromising, often controversial films that attacked the hypocrisies of the 20th-century bourgeoisie with their examinations of the marginalized segments of Italian society, including pimps, prostitutes, criminals, and homosexuals. This 3-disc collection features three of his most daring films: LOVE MEETINGS (1964), OEDIPUS REX (1967), and PORCILE (1969). See individual titles for details.

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THE SISSI COLLECTION includes the trilogy of romantic films about the Austrian princess: SISSI, THE YOUNG EMPRESS, and SISSI: THE FATEFUL YEARS OF THE EMPRESS. The three movies follow the adventures of Sissi and her husband Kaiser Franz Josef (Karl Heinz Böhm). Romy Schneider (WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT, TRIPLE CROSS), stars as the young princess, who has to endure the frustrations of court life in Vienna and a difficult mother-in-law. This popular series of costume dramas was directed by Ernst Marischka (SEASON IN SALZBURG), and this collection also includes two of his other movies, THE STORY OF VICKI and FOREVER MY LOVE.

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Created by legendary comedian Roberto Bolaños (El CHAVO DEL OCHO, EL CHAPULIN COLORADO), EL CHESPIRITO was one of the landmarks of Mexican television comedy during its 15-year run between 1970 and 1985. A winning formula of slapstick sketch-comedy, the series charmed Spanish-speaking audiences with the zany adventures of beloved characters like Dr. Chapatin, Los Chifladitos, El Botija, and La Chimoltrufia. This fourth volume of LO MEJOR DEL CHESPIRITO compiles more of the series' best moments.

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The popular South Korean mini-series DAE JANG GEUM (aka JEWEL IN THE PALACE) earned that country's highest-ever television ratings with an epic blend of historical and personal intrigue. Based on a true story, the period-piece costume drama centers on its titular heroine, Jang-geum (Yeong-ae Lee), a 16th-century orphan girl who enters the king's royal court as a lowly kitchen maid. When the political machinations of an evil duchess send Jang-geum into exile, she leaves to study medicine and triumphantly returns to the palace as the King's personal physician. Bolstered by strong acting, gripping plotlines, and well-drawn characters, the series' most remarkable achievement remains the lavish, detail-rich production design that presents a historically accurate depiction of 16th-century Korean history, culture, and politics--as well as mouthwatering cooking sequences a la BABETTE'S FEAST. This second volume continues the series with episodes 19-36.

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HISTORIA DE UNA REINA is an apt name for a music video collection from Ana Gabriel, whom some have crowned "La Reina" (Spanish for "The Queen"). This collection assembles music videos that span her impressive career in Latin music.

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Presented in stereo here are some of bachata favorite Raulin Rodriguez's best-loved songs, including "Derroche de Sexo" and "Ay Hombre." Also featured are a photo gallery and video clips.

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In Federico Fellini's seminal film LA DOLCE VITA, a three-hour masterpiece that shows one man's descent into "the sweet life" of debauchery, Marcello Mastroianni stars as eccentric journalist Marcello Rubini. On assignment to chronicle the lives of the rich and famous Italian aristocracy in a gossip column for a Roman newspaper, Marcello floats from one fabulous party to the next, meeting all varieties of beautiful, extravagant people. While he would never protest this seemingly ideal job, it makes him feel lonely and empty, and he stays up drinking and dancing night after night only to wake up each morning unbalanced and unfocused. The film follows Marcello's ups and downs in an episodic pattern in which each evening is a new story, a new adventure, a new dare, a new woman with whom to fall helplessly in love--but only for that night. Each morning the slate is wiped clean, and Fellini resets Marcello's score to zero. Sprinkled with religious images and gestures at salvation, LA DOLCE VITA is supreme in the beauty of its all-encompassing symbolism that is expressed through lavish sets, an alluring script, overemphasized physical movements, roller-coaster jazz music, and helpless emotions.

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In this Mexican comedy classic, Tin-Tan and El Zorrillo are the same person and Lupe has fallen in love with the latter. But when Don Martin and his workers are jailed by the evil Don Gaspar, it's up to El Zorrillo to save the day.

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This release presents a double-feature of unusual Mexican dramedies: NO JALEN! QUE DESCOBIJAN (1992) is a bizarre comedy told through different characters' points of view; while LAS LIMPIAS (1987) is a simple drama about living well through spiritual satisfaction.

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Fatih Akin's HEAD-ON (GEGEN DIE WAND) is a powerful film about sexuality and suicide, centering on two Turks living in Germany. Drunken loser Cahit (Birol Unel) drives his car into a wall; Sibel (Sibel Kekilli) slashes her wrists because she can't stand living with her traditional Muslim family. The two meet in the hospital and decide to join in a marriage of convenience in which he can get himself a cute young housekeeper and she can finally move away from home. They live together in Hamburg, where she begins to sleep around dangerously and he grows surprisingly jealous, leading to tragedy. Set to a soundtrack of 1980s music (Depeche Mode, Talk Talk, Sisters of Mercy), their lives continue to fall apart, lost to a world of lies and deception, drugs and violence, and emotional pain. Filmed on location in Germany and Turkey, HEAD-ON is an intense look at two lost souls who can't stand life as they know it. They spend a lot of time in clubs, trying to drink and dance away their troubles, but they seem doomed to constant failure and unhappiness. Unel and Kekilli are shockingly realistic in the lead roles, adding to the overall poignancy of the harsh and disturbing film. There is a large Turkish contingent living in Germany, many of whom came over in the 20th century seeking employment; in HEAD-ON, Akin delves into the resultant changing cultures with deep insight in this moving drama.