riverofgiraffes's - Rented List

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Francis Ford Coppola returns to the original source of the Dracula myth, and from that gothic romance, lie creates a modern masterpiece.

It follows the tortured journey of the devastatingly seductive Transylvanian Prince (Gary Oldman) as lie moves from Eastern Europe to 19th century London in search of his long lost Elisabeta, who is reincarnated as the beautiful Mina (Winona Ryder). Anthony Hopkins co-stars as the famed Doctor Van Helsing, and Keanu Reeves is Jonathan Harker who is forced to fight the dark forces of Dracula for the love of Mina. Visually stunning, passionately seductive and utterly irresistable, this is Dracula as you've never seen him before - a powerful and poignant vampire whose yearning for human love ultimately proves his undoing.

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Sally Potter's dazzling adaptation of Virginia Woolf's classic novel is the tale of the apparently immortal Orlando (Tilda Swinton), who begins an epic quest for love and freedom in the court of Elizabeth I (Quentin Crisp) as a man and completes the search 400 years later as a woman.

This journey takes Orlando from the frozen river Thames and central Asia, where he changes sex, through to romantic love and loss in the Victorian age, motherhood and war in the Twentieth Century, until finally arriving in the present moment.

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William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) falls for the free-spirited Agnes (Jessie Buckley). Their whirlwind romance leads to marriage and three children, but as Will's theatrical ambitions draw him to London, Agnes remains behind to manage the household.

When tragedy strikes, their bond is deeply tested - but through grief and resilience, their journey inspires the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

From highly acclaimed director Richard Linklater this is the behind the scenes of the filming of Jean-Luc Godard's 'Breathless' (1960), a landmark of the French New Wave film movement. Told in the spirit and style of the original production.

One of the most critically-acclaimed films of all time, 'Days of Heaven' is a moving story about two men who love the same woman. Bill (Richard Gere), a fugitive from the slums of Chicago, finds himself pitted against a shy, rich Texan (Sam Shepard) for the love of Abby (Brooke Adams).

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Kurosawa's transposition of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' to sixteenth century Japan is immensely successful in capturing the spirit of the original. A truly remarkable film combining beauty and terror to produce a mood of haunting power.

'Throne of Blood' also shows Kurosawa's familiar mastery of atmosphere, action and the savagery of war.

Washed-up revolutionary Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his evil nemesis Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years, they must face Bob's past and run for the future.

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Robert Redford is Mister Straight. Jane Fonda is his new wife, who dedicates her life to the pursuit of fun. As the ecstasy of the honeymoon gives way to the reality of setting up housekeeping in a five-flight walk-up, the harmony of marriage turns to comical discord.

The mother-in-law complains meekly. The middle-aged Lothario upstairs flirts. Joy turns to anguish. There is little doubt that the young people will kiss and make up by the end of the picture, just as there's little doubt that the mother and the neighbour will find each other.

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Rex Harrison plays novelist Charles Condomine who is plagued by the ghost of his sexy first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond). Second wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) doesn't believe him and brings in eccentric medium madam Arcati (A hilarious performance by Margaret Rutherford) to get proof.

Lean and Coward's third screen collaboration (after 'In Which We Serve' and 'This Happy Breed' and Before 'Brief Encounter') is a sophisticated and witty delight.

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In the 1920s Adriatic Sea, only one pilot rules the skies: Porco Rosso, a talented pilot who, due to a magic spell, has been transformed into a pig.

Porco leads a solitary life as a pilot for hire protecting airships from marauding pilots, resting on his private island and visiting his friend, the beautiful hotel-owner Gina. But when a hot-headed American pilot arrives looking to make a name for himself by shooting down The Crimson Pig, Porco enlists the help of a feisty teenage airplane engineer to get his beat up plane into shape for the big fight.

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When "Lucky" Jack Aubrey's (Russell Crowe) ship is suddenly attacked by a superior enemy, despite heavy damage to the ship and much of his crew injured. Aubrey sets sail in a high-stakes exhilarating chase to intercept and capture their foe.

It's a mission that can decide the fate of a nation - or destroy him and his crew.

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An innocent man on the run. A beautiful icy blonde. A fast-moving cross-country pursuit. A chaotic world where no one is ever what they seem. 'The 39 Steps' set the template for Hitchcock's classic suspense thrillers.

John Buchan's very loosely adapted story begins when Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) picks up the exotic 'Annabella Smith' at a music hall. The next morning he discovers she's been killed and finds himself in the frame for her murder. Way ahead of its time in terms of its pace, black comedy and the sexual chemistry between the charismatic leads (particularly when Carroll removes her stockings while handcuffed to Donat), 'The 39 Steps' is among Hitch's finest and has been voted into the BFI's Top Five Favorite British Films.

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Based on Jacques Offenbach's opera of the stories of romantic poet E.T.A. Hoffmann. "The Tales of Hoffmann" gave close collaborators Michael Powell and Emeric Bressburger another opportunity to eschew realism and celebrate artifice and creativity.

In "Black Narcissus", Powell had worked closely with composer Brian Easdale to create an extended sequence in which sound and image were intimately intert wined. The ballet sequences of "The Red Shoes" offered an obvious arena into which to continue this experiment, culminating in "The Tales of Hoffmann", in which the entire film is shaped by Offenbach's score, given a rousing rendition by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the legendary Sir Thomas Beecham. The choreography, courtesy of Jane Ashton is equally inspired, resulting in a charming fantasy that's a triumph of design and a sumptuous feast for the senses.

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'The City of Lost Children' is a dazzling fantasy adventure from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, creators of 'Delicatessen'.

They bring their surreal vision to the story of Krank (Daniel Emilfork), a tormented scientist who sets about kidnapping local children in order to steal their dreams and so reverse his accelerated ageing process. When Krank's henchmen kidnap his brother, local fisherman and former circus strongman One sets out on a journey to Krank's nightmarish laboratory, accompanied by Miette (Judith Vittet), an orphan girl who has her own.

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Recently orphaned Mary Yellan (Maureen O'Hara in her first major film role) arrives at Jamaica Inn from Ireland to live with her aunt.

Unaware that it serves as the headquarters for a murderous gang responsible for shipwrecks along the Cornish coast, she soon finds herself embroiled in backstabbing, conspiracy and villainy presided over by the local squire, Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton).