fmj's - Rented List

Show moreShow less

Devastated at having to leave the wondrous hills of Provence where his family had spent the summer, Marcel is elated when they return for Christmas and then Easter. Before long they are heading for their rural retreat every weekend and the long journey there soon brings its own adventure.

As Marcel's affectionate reminiscences draw to a close, we are left with a wonderfully poignant conclusion to these classics of modern French cinema.

Show moreShow less

Montag (Oskar Werner), a regimented fireman in charge of burning the forbidden books, meets a revolutionary school teacher (Julie Christie) who dares to read.

Suddenly, he finds himself a hunted fugitive, forced to choose not only between his rebellious mistress and his pleasure-seeking conformist wife (also played by Julie Christie), but between personal safety and intellectual freedom.

Show moreShow less

Based on the childhood memoirs of Marcel Pagnol, author of 'Jean De Florette' and 'Manon Des Sources', 'La Gloire De Mon Pere' and its sequel 'Le Chateau De Ma Mere' are two of the greatest and most successful French films ever made.

An adult Marcel nostalgically recalls one idyllic summer spent with his family in the hills of Provence. A love affair with the country began and during those perfect days he found new respect for his school teacher father as he adapted to life away from the city. 'La Gloire De Mon Pere' is filled with warmth, humour and love for bygone days of youth; it is one of cinema's finest celebrations of childhood.

Show moreShow less

Based on the Ed McBain novel, 'High and Low' is a gripping police thriller starring Toshiro Mifune.

Wealthy industrialist Kingo Gondo (Mifune) faces an agonising choice when a ruthless kidnapper, aiming to snatch his young son, takes the chauffeur's boy by mistake - but still demands the ransom, leaving Gondo facing ruin if he pays up. An anatomy of the inequalities in modern Japanese society, High and Low is a complex film noir, where the intense police hunt for the kidnapper is accompanied by penetrating insight into the kidnappers state of mind. Kurosawa's virtuoso direction provides no easy answers, and in short, intense sequences, he portrays the businessman, the police and the criminal as equally brutal but nonetheless human.

Show moreShow less

New Zealand in the 1830s is a Maori world, dominated by tribal wars. Seeking redemption from a dark past, lay preacher Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) is on board a trading vessel heading to the newly established British Settlement, Epworth.

When the ship anchors for repairs, Munro finds himself caught up in a battle between Maori tribes and witnesses the slaughter of innocents at the hands of chief Akatarawa (Lawrence Makoare). Munro manages to save the life of Rangimai (Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne), the daughter of Maianui (Antonio Te Maioha), a rival chief whose land Epworth leases in a delicate arrangement. As Munro begins to experience the white townsfolk's entrenched racism and paranoia towards the Maori, he finds himself increasingly ostracised within the community he is meant to serve and realises he has been brought to this isolated British outpost merely to add the veneer of civilisation. After one of Maianui's men is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Munro and Rangimai make the difficult journey into prohibited lands ruled by Maori warlords, in the hope of repairing the injustice.

Show moreShow less

French director Claude Berri's stunning adaptation of the acclaimed Marcel Pagnol novel is the winner of numerous international awards and is the world's most popular foreign language film ever.

City-dweller Jean de Florette moves his family to the Provence countryside in the 1920s to forge a new life as a farmer. But his proud, cocky neighbouring rival Le Ppet schemes with his simple-minded nephew Ugolin to acquire some nearby land ensuring the novice owner never discovers an all-important natural spring on the property.

Show moreShow less

Paris, August 1944. With the allied army closing in, German commander and art fanatic Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) steals a vast collection of rare French paintings and loads them onto a train bound for Berlin.

But when a beloved French patriot is murdered while trying to sabotage Von Waldheim's scheme, Labiche (Burt Lancaster), a stalwart member of the Resistance, vows to stop the train at any cost. Calling upon his vast arsenal of skills, Labiche unleashes a torrent of devastation and destruction - loosened rails, shattered tracks and head-on collisions - in an impassioned, suspense-filled quest for justice, retribution and revenge.

Show moreShow less

It tells the true story of an English woman, Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), who comes to Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860s.

Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Yul Brynner), over time Anna and the King stop trying to change each other and begin to understand one another.

Show moreShow less

Directed by Pablo Larraín (Jackie and Spencer) and starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, 'Maria' tells the glamorous, moving story of the iconic opera singer, Maria Callas.

Paris, 1977: Once the world's greatest soprano, Callas now hides in an apartment, having lost her voice and retreated from the world. She dreams of returning to the stage, but can her body and mind take the pressure?

Show moreShow less

Safe their picturesque chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down a direct order to Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas): take the Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure.

Covering up their fatal blunder, the Generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the Generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad.

Show moreShow less

In a small, woodsy Oregon town, a group of friends - sensitive Gordie (Wil Wheaton), tough guy Chris (River Phoenix), flamboyant Teddy (Corey Feldman), and scaredy-cat Vern (Jerry O'connell) - are in search of a missing teenager's body.

Wanting to be heroes in each other's and their hometown's eyes, they set out on an unforgettable two-day trek that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. They sneak smokes, tell tall tales, cuss 'cause it's cool and band together when the going gets tough. When they encounter the town's knife-wielding hoods who are also after the body, the boys discover a strength they never knew they had.

Show moreShow less

'The Angry Silence' is the heartfelt story of a young factory worker, Tom Curtis, played by Richard Attenborough. Curtis stands up against bullying union leaders and refuses to take part in an unofficial, wildcat strike.

As a result he is immediately ostracised by his fellow colleagues and is victimised by the union, circumstances that can only lead to a tragic climax.

Show moreShow less

On a hot Brooklyn afternoon, two optimistic losers set out to rob a bank. Sonny (Al Pacino) is the mastermind, Sal (John Cazale) is the follower, and disaster is the result. Because the cops, crowds, TV cameras and even the pizza man have arrived. The "well-planned" heist is now a circus.

Based on a true incident, this thriller earned six Academy Award nominations.

Show moreShow less

A beautifully delicate and nuanced concoction of a film, 'My Favourite Cake', co-written and directed by Iranian filmmakers Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, explores themes of love, regret and second chances with nuance and grace.

It's set against the backdrop of a country with strict rules and restrictions, especially when it comes to the rights and freedoms of women.

As the nations of medieval Europe struggle for power, the ruthless Austrian Empire invades neighbouring Switzerland and a peaceful huntsman, William Tell (Claes Bang / Éanna Hardwicke), is thrust into the heart of their resistance.