itpworld's - Rented List
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Shot over four arduous months in the wild, windswept Shetland Islands, Michael Powell's first independent production establishes the daring techniques and experimentation that would later become familiar hallmarks of his career. 'The Edge of the World' tells the moving story of a remote island and its inhabitants, whose traditions and way of life are threatened by a rapidly industrialising world. To settle an argument over whether the islanders should give up their livelihood and move to the mainland, two childhood friends follow an ancient tradition and climb the island's highest cliff face. The outcome shatters the island's peace and splits the two clans apart. Making the film proved so demanding and sensational that its 32-year-old director was moved to write a full-scale book about his obsession with the tragic grandeur of Scotland's Outer Isles and his struggle to film it, 200,000 Feet on Foula which actor Daniel Day Lewis reads from here on this video. - Director:
- Michael Powell
- Cast:
- Niall MacGinnis, Belle Chrystall, John Laurie
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The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1971)La Classe Operaia Va In Paradiso / Lulu the Tool
Gian Maria Volonté (A Fistful of Dollars) stars in one of provocative filmmaker Elio (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) Petri's most politically charged films as factory worker Lulu: a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, following an accident at work. Too tired to sleep with his girlfriend, cut out of his son's life by his ex, humiliated and disrespected, 'The Working Class Go to Heaven' is an oftentimes surreal and darkly comic look at the life of an everyday Italian trying to find a sense of purpose in a world where he is only allowed to be a tool for industry. A savage takedown of capitalism and industrial corruption, the film was recipient of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or and features a gloriously unhinged, award-winning performance from Volonté, accompanied by an exceptional score by Ennio Morricone and stunning cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller (Deep Red). - Director:
- Elio Petri
- Cast:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Mariangela Melato, Gino Pernice
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There is a philosophical theory that we should be born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood; that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us diminishing problems and increasing creativity. Intrigued Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and three of his friends all weary high school teachers, embark on a risky experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. Initial results are positive, but as the units are knocked back and stakes are raised, it becomes increasingly clear that some bold acts carry severe consequences. - Director:
- Thomas Vinterberg
- Cast:
- Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang
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After landing himself in jail trying to break out his friend, Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) finds himself alone and on the run from the law. Leading the manhunt is Sheriff Morey Johnson (Walter Matthau) who must bring Burns to justice despite his own sympathy for the fugitive. An unforgettable portrait of a lawless man standing up to the modern world. - Director:
- David Miller
- Cast:
- Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, Walter Matthau
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A spectacular account of Attila the Hun's final attack on Christian Rome. Jack Palance is in full swagger as 'Scourge of God' Attila the Hun, who seeks to conquer the Roman Empire's 5th century power bases of Rome and Constantinople. Centurion Marcian (Jeff Chandler) is captured by Attila on his way to Constantinople to warn the Eastern Emperor Theodosius of an attack by the barbarian tribes. Attila, impressed by his enemy's wiliness, honesty and courage, is powerless to prevent his escape. The two men meet again at the court of Theodosius (George Dolenz), where they fall under the spell of the Emperor's scheming sister Pulcheria (Ludmilla Tcherina). At a feast for the barbarian kings, Theodosius and Attila strike a deal that Constantinople will not be sacked - so Attila turns his attentions to Rome. As Attila prepares his assault, he is wracked by foreboding as he recalls a childhood vision of his death beneath the shadow of a cross. When he learns of a betrayal by his daughter Kubra (Rita Gam), it seems his fate is sealed. Douglas Sirk's first foray in Cinemascope is both lavish and savvy, with Palance's Hun a fine balance of ferocity, vulnerability and doubt. - Director:
- Douglas Sirk
- Cast:
- Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina
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A Day in the Country (1946)Partie De Campagne
Finally released in 1946, ten years after it was shot, Jean Renoir's Partie de campagne was hailed as an 'unfinished masterpiece'. Since then, his masterly adaptation on a Maupassant story has grown in reputation to the point where it has become Renoir's best-loved film. On an idyllic country picnic, a young girl leaves her family and fiancé for a while, and succumbs to an all-too-brief romance. Shot on location on the banks of two small tributaries of the Seine, Renoir's sensuous tribute to the countryside - and to the river - has seldom been surpassed. In its bitter-sweet lyricism, its tenderness and poetic feel for nature, its tolerant satire of bourgeois conventions and its poignant sense of the transience of innocence and love, 'Partie De Campagne' seems to distil the essence of all that is most personal of Renoir's art. - Director:
- Jean Renoir
- Cast:
- Sylvia Bataille, Jane Marken, Georges D'Arnoux
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Falbalas (1945)Paris Frills
Micheline (Micheline Presle), a young woman from the provinces, arrives in Paris to prepare for her marriage to a silk manufacturer from Lyon, Daniel Rousseau (Jean Chevrier). Flush with the romance and excitement of Paris, she ends up falling in love with the best friend of her husband-to-be, the fashion designer Philippe Clarence (Raymond Rouleau). An unremitting womaniser, Clarence seduces her into a tempestuous liaison doomed for failure. - Director:
- Jacques Becker
- Cast:
- Raymond Rouleau, Micheline Presle, Jean Chevrier
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Taza, Son of Cochise (1954)Son of Cochise
In 1872 the long and bloody war fought between United States Cavalry troops and Apache Indians came to an end with the signing of a peace treaty between General Howard and the mighty Chief Cochise. Three years later Cochise lay dead, having bestowed the responsibility of his tribe to his first born son Taza (Rock Hudson). To maintain peace, Taza agrees to cooperate with the US Calvary but in gaining an ally he makes a powerful enemy - the legendary Geronimo. - Director:
- Douglas Sirk
- Cast:
- Rock Hudson, Russell Johnson, Hugh O'Brian
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Rafi Pitts' devastating drama follows a young Iranian woman's struggle to bring her husband's murderers to justice. When her husband is shot dead after being accused of stealing a horse, Sanam (Roya Nonahali) is left with the arduous task of working the family farm alone with her 10-year-old son, Issa (Ismail Amani). As she fights for compensation from the disinterested authorities, the distraught Issa, who witnessed his father's execution, is left alone with his rage and sorrow. Subtle and deeply affecting, 'Sanam' paints a realistic and compelling portrait of the social inequalities that abound in a remote rural community. - Director:
- Rafi Pitts
- Cast:
- Ghorban Ahmadi Galdi, Ismaïl Amani, Ali Reza Amini
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On June 25, 2009 the news of Michael Jackson's death took the world by storm affecting many, especially Khaled (Ahmad EI-Fishawy), a respected junior cleric whose nickname was "Jackson" during his school days. But, what does a preacher have in common with the King of Pop? More importantly, can he now go back to his normal life, or will his memories and relationships with his loved ones raise the most prominent question in his mind? Is he the Sheikh, Jackson, or both? - Director:
- Amr Salama
- Cast:
- Ahmad El-Fishawi, Salma Abu-Deif, Omar Ayman Altounji
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"Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" is writer, producer and director Albert Lewin's lushly romantic visualisation of the often-told legend of the sea. A glamorous Ava Gardner is Pandora, who falls hard for the charismatic James Mason as Hendrik, a 17th-century seaman eternally condemned to sail the oceans. - Director:
- Albert Lewin
- Cast:
- James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick
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Jesmark, a struggling fisherman on the island of Malta, must make an agonising choice: repair his leaking luzzu - the traditional wooden fishing boat that has been in his family for generations - or decommission it and give in to the temptation of illicit dealing on the black market. Featuring a Sundance Film Festival award-winning lead performance from Jesmark Scicluna - a non-professional actor and real life fisherman - Alex Camilleri's acclaimed debut feature takes inspiration from Italian Neorealist filmmakers and offers a glimpse into the beauty of an island rarely portrayed in cinema. - Director:
- Alex Camilleri
- Cast:
- Jesmark Scicluna, Marlene Schranz, David Scicluna
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Belle (2021)Belle: The Dragon and the Freckled Princess / Ryû to sobakasu no hime
Suzu (voice of Kaho Nakamura) is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters "U", a virtual world of 5 billion members on the internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges, and love, in their quest of becoming who they truly are. - Director:
- Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast:
- Kaho Nakamura, Ryô Narita, Shôta Sometani
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L'Enfer (1994)Tornment
Paul (François Cluzet) and Nelly (Emmanuelle Béart) have what appears to be the perfect life; happily married, a wonderful son and a successful business in their idyllic lakeside hotel. For Paul it all seems too perfect and he begins to suspect his wife of having an affair. Tormented by nightmares and visions his paranoia soon threatens Nelly as his jealousy descends into madness. - Director:
- Claude Chabrol
- Cast:
- Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone
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The Worst Person in the World (2021)Verdens verste menneske
Acclaimed filmmaker Joachim Trier returns with 'The Worst Person in the World', a wistful and subversive romantic drama about the quest for love and meaning. Set in contemporary Oslo, it features a star-making lead performance from Renate Reinsve as a young woman who, on the verge of turning thirty, navigates multiple love affairs, existential uncertainty and career dissatisfaction as she slowly starts deciding what she wants to do, who she wants to be, and ultimately who she wants to become. As much a formally playful character study as it is a poignant and perceptive observation of quarter-life angst, this life-affirming coming of age story... - Director:
- Joachim Trier
- Cast:
- Renate Reinsve, Mia McGovern Zaini, Anders Danielsen Lie
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