Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Art House and International Video Editor, Simon Leake FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Word for Word: "A Clockwork Orange" * New Releases for Sale: " Lolita," " The Brothers Quay Collection," "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" * Amazon.com Presents the Best of the Century * This Month's Top 5: "Lain: Navi," "Alice," "Beauty and the Beast," "Through a Glass Darkly," "Alphaville" * Focus On: Roman Polanski * Suburbia and the Heart of Darkness * Advance Orders: "Wild Man Blues," "My Father's Glory," "My Mother's Castle" WORD FOR WORD ************* "Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now." --Malcolm McDowell as Alex in "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) (R) starring Malcolm McDowell; directed by Stanley Kubrick http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IQBK/entertainmentsit NEW RELEASES FOR SALE ********************* "Lolita" (1997) (R) starring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain; directed by Adrian Lyne http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001IVFE/entertainmentsit Jeremy Irons's subtle performance is the key to this lush and controversial version of Vladimir Nabokov's masterpiece. His Humbert is a sympathetic figure--consumed by a passion with its roots in a doomed childhood love--yet he is also a monster, systematically corrupting the innocence that he worships. Director Adrian Lyne uses Irons's appealing presence and Howard Atherton's ravishing cinematography to seduce the audience, and although it sometimes misses the novel's sly wit, this adaptation is both compelling and thought provoking. "The Brothers Quay Collection" (1999) (NR) directed by the Brothers Quay http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305537402/entertainmentsit The surreal visions of the Brothers Quay, identical-twin animators from Minnesota who have since made London their home, are an offbeat mix of clockwork mechanics, wire, thread, and 19th-century curios, all brought to life in a series of beautiful but elusive set pieces. This collection comprises ten works made between 1984 and 1993, including the wonderful "Street of Crocodiles." "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969) (R) starring Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin; directed by Sydney Pollack http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K3C5/entertainmentsit In the dark years of the l930s, dance marathons became popular as a way for desperate people to compete for prize money. Sometimes the events would drag on for weeks as contestants pushed themselves far beyond the point of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Director Sydney Pollack sees these marathons as microcosms of the Great Depression, and the suffering of the central characters (Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin) symbolizes the misery of an entire nation in this powerful movie. AMAZON.COM PRESENTS THE BEST OF THE CENTURY ******************************************* As the century comes to a close, Amazon.com takes a look at the landmarks in books, music, and video of the past 100 years. Selected by our editors, our lists take you decade by decade from the turn of the century all the way to the end of the millennium. But don't just take our word for it; cast your vote for the best book, video, and CD in our best-of-the-millennium poll for your chance to win our customers' 300 favorite music, book, and video titles. Video of the century THIS MONTH'S TOP 5 ****************** Amazon.com's Art House and International Video editor, Simon Leake, selects five great films to buy. "Lain: Navi" (1999) (NR) directed by Ryutaro Nakamura http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305460124/entertainmentsit "Lain: Navi" comprises the first four episodes of a remarkable animated story that carries echoes of "Twin Peaks," "The X-Files," and the novels of William Gibson, while establishing its own vision of the virtual world. In the opening moments a schoolgirl commits suicide, but several days later her classmates receive e-mail from the dead girl. One--an introverted 13-year-old called Lain--replies, and her correspondent claims not to be dead, but to have passed into the "wired world." The phrase "nothing is what it seems" applies to just about everything in this strange, gripping anime. "Alice" (1988) (NR) directed by Jan Svankmajer http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6302540097/entertainmentsit Very, very strange. Czech animator Jan Svankmajer brings his unique imagination to bear on Lewis Carroll's classic story, and the result is an unsettling exploration of a dream world that is as frightening as it is beautiful. The combination of live action and puppet animation is a perfect medium for capturing the more grotesque aspects of Alice's journey, and Svankmajer doesn't flinch from the cruelty implicit in Carroll's version of childhood. It's a wonderful film, but probably not for young children, or anyone who has trouble sleeping at night. "Through a Glass Darkly" (1961) (NR) starring Harriet Andersson and Max von Sydow; directed by Ingmar Bergman http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6303107346/entertainmentsit Ingmar Bergman's gloomy but incisive 1961 classic about a woman's descent into madness--and the inability of her family to mitigate her pain with love--is still a stunning work. Harriet Andersson plays Karin, a psychiatric patient newly released from a hospital and staying in the island home where she found some measure of security in her childhood. Instead of getting on her feet, however, Karin begins disintegrating. Hearing voices, believing God to be a spider, and pursuing an incestuous relationship with her brother, Karin slips into an inexorable decline, objectively witnessed by those too emotionally frozen to help. "Alphaville" (1965) (NR) starring Eddie Constantine; directed by Jean Luc Godard http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6303994083/entertainmentsit 1965's Alphaville is a perfect example of Godard's willingness to disrupt the expectations of audiences and critics. Part science fiction and part hard-boiled detective yarn, Alphaville presents a futuristic scenario using the most modern and impersonal architecture that Godard could find in mid-'60s Paris. A haggard private eye (Eddie Constantine) is sent to an ultramodern city run by a master computer, where his mission is to locate and rescue a scientist who is trapped there. Baffling, complex, and unforgettable, this is vintage Godard. "Beauty and the Beast" (1946) (NR) starring Jean Marais; directed by Jean Cocteau http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6302794064/entertainmentsit In order to save her father, a young woman must sacrifice herself to the Beast. But when she arrives at his house, she begins to discover that the monster may not be as monstrous as she thought. Filled with dreamlike images and featuring the handsomest Beast ever, this extraordinary version of the classic fairy tale is as rich emotionally as it is visually. FOCUS ON: ROMAN POLANSKI ************************ Controversial, unpredictable, and dazzlingly inventive, Roman Polanski's movies are never dull. From his early work in Poland to Hollywood triumph and subsequent disgrace in the 70's, Polanski's career has seen more than its fair share of highs and lows. Amazon.com contributor Lyall Bush takes a closer look at a man whose vision is one of the joys Of cinema. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=entertainmentsit&path=tg/feature/-/7710 SUBURBIA AND THE HEART OF DARKNESS ********************************** In the 1950s, suburbia was the American Eden, a safe place where happy families lived together in harmony on tree-lined streets. How things have changed. "American Beauty," currently wowing critics and audiences alike, is only the latest in a string of movies that peel back the suburban veneer and show us the nasty stuff underneath. Amazon.com contributor Jon Burlingame is our guide to the suburban heart of darkness. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=entertainmentsit&path=tg/feature/-/1850 ADVANCE ORDERS ************** Order these titles now, and we'll ship them to you as soon as they're released. "Wild Man Blues" (1998) (PG) starring Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn; directed by Barbara Kopple http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0780624378/entertainmentsit When the days become shorter and a chill creeps into the evening air, it's almost time for the latest Woody Allen movie. While you're waiting for the opening of "Sweet and Lowdown," you can learn a little more about Woody's musical side in Barbara Kopple's fascinating documentary. "My Father's Glory" (1991) (G) starring Julien Ciamaca and Phillipe Caubere; directed by Yves Robert http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0792842650/entertainmentsit Utterly charming, this film based on Marcel Pagnol's childhood memoirs is something that Hollywood so frequently tries, and fails, to create: an emotionally satisfying movie that appeals to adults and children alike. At the beginning of this century, young Marcel and his family spend every summer in Provence, where he wanders the hills with his friend Lili. Touching, funny, nostalgic, and there's a sequel... "My Mother's Castle" (1991) (G) starring Julien Ciamaca and Phillipe Caubere; directed by Yves Robert http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0792842669/entertainmentsit Marcel is back with the rest of his delightful family, as once again they leave their home to spend a magical summer in Provence. But adolescence looms, and Marcel begins to notice that girls also inhabit his beloved hills. ****** Give the Perfect Gift -- Get the Perfect Gift Does Aunt Ida send polka CDs when you'd prefer pop? Create an Amazon.com Wish List and save everyone the agony of the unwanted gift. Wish list Clueless as to what to get your Kentucky cousin for Christmas? Send him an e-card and tell him to set up an Amazon.com Wish List so you can easily find and send him his heart's desire. Wish card ****** You'll find more great videos, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Art House & International Video section at Art House & International
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