New on Blu-ray: BIRDS OF PREY / LE RAPACE (1968) Starring Lino Ventura

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Product Description: Iconic tough guy Lino Ventura stars in this ravishing action-thriller from author/filmmaker José Giovanni, whose hard-boiled novels Classe tous risques and Le deuxième souffle became Ventura-led screen classics. In 1938 Central America, a cynical hitman (Ventura) is hired to assassinate a head of state. Accompanied by a young revolutionary, he moves into a house opposite the presidential palace. As the assassin awaits his target, an unlikely friendship grows between the two men. Featuring vivid landscapes and a score by François de Roubaix, this unique France-Italy-Mexico co-production blends elements of a political thriller with a Spaghetti Western for a thoroughly entertaining genre concoction.

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New on Blu-ray: MALFEASANCE - FOUR FILMS BY YVES BOISSET (1971-1982)

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Product Description: This collection features four films directed by thriller master Yves Boisset (The Cop, Dog Day).

ANGEL'S LEAP a.k.a. LE SAUT DE LANGE (1971)

You can leave the mob, but the mob won't leave you. An ex-gangster in Bangkok (Jean Yanne) leaps back to Marseille to exact revenge on his siblings' murderers. FBI man Sterling Hayden and femme fatale Senta Berger highlight this ultra-violent vendetta tale. Music by François de Roubaix (Le samouraï).

MAD ENOUGH TO KILL a.k.a. FOLLE A TUER (1975)

In this twisted thriller, a wealthy industrialist (Michael Lonsdale) hires a former psychiatric patient (Marlène Jobert) to look after his recently orphaned nephew. But the woman and the boy soon find themselves ensnared by a cold-blooded hit-man (Tomas Milian). Music by Philippe Sarde (Tess).

THE WOMAN COP a.k.a. LA FEMME FLIC (1980)

Miou-Miou is magnificent as Corinne Levasseur, a gritty city policewoman who is transferred to a small mining town where she battles sexism and a trail of corruption that leads to the town's most powerful family. Boisset based this intense depiction of "la femme flic" on actual events. Music by Philippe Sarde (Quest for fire).

RISE UP, SPY a.k.a. ESPION, LEVE-TOI (1982)

In a plum late-career role, Lino Ventura plays a sleeper agent in Switzerland who is activated after eight years of silence when the corpses start piling up. This paranoid pulse-pounder co-stars Michel Piccoli and Bruno Cremer. Music by Ennio Morricone (The Sicilain Clan).

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New on Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD: CLASSE TOUS RISQUES / THE BIG RISK (1960) Starring Lino Ventura & Jean-Paul Belmondo

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Product Description: After hiding out in Milan for nearly a decade, fugitive gangland chief Abel Davos (Lino Ventura) sneaks back to Paris with his children, despite a death sentence hanging over his head. Accompanied by appointed guardian Eric Stark (Jean-Paul Belmondo, fresh off his star turn in Breathless) and beset by backstabbing former friends, Abel begins a throat-grabbing, soul-searching journey through the postwar Parisian underworld. A character study of a career criminal at the end of his rope, this rugged noir from Claude Sautet is a highlight of 1960s French cinema.

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New on Blu-ray: ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES / CADAVERI ECCELLENTI (1976) Starring Lino Ventura

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Product Description: When a series of Supreme court judges are murdered, inspector Rogas (Lino Ventura, Army of Shadows) is sent to discover the truth. A procedural noir soon turns into a labyrinthine conspiracy thriller as corruption and institutional power converge. An investigative mystery by a titan of the form, Francesco Rosi's (The Mattei Affair) urgent adaptation of Leonardo Sciascia's (The Day of the Owl) novel is set to a haunting score by Piero Piccioni (The Tenth Victim) and features legendary stars Charles Vanel (The Wages of Fear), Max von Sydow (The Exorcist) and Fernando Rey (The French Connection).

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FRENCH NOIR COLLECTION II (1953-1961) - Four French Classics on Blu-ray

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Product Description: This collection features four film noir classics from France. Rhine Virgin (1953) a.k.a. La vierge du Rhin – Screen great Jean Gabin (Port of Shadows) stars as Jacques Ledru, assumed killed during the war, who returns to Strasbourg to find that his wife Geneviève (Elina Labourdette, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne) has taken control of his shipping company with her new husband (Renaud Mary, Fantômas). Femme fatale Geneviève will do anything to get rid of Jacques and keep his company. Directed by Gilles Grangier (Hi-Jack Highway, Speaking of Murder).

The Beast Is Loose (1959) a.k.a. Le fauve est lâché / The Tiger Attacks – The distinguished Lino Ventura (Illustrious Corpses) portrays Paul Lamiani, an ex-gangster who has become a hero of the Resistance. He has now settled down for a quiet life with his family in the restaurant business. But the French Secret Service need him for one more mission, and when he refuses, they frame him and set up his escape from the police. Directed by Maurice Labro (To Catch a Spy) and featuring Estella Blain (The Diabolical Dr. Z) as a two-timing blonde.

Trapped by Fear (1960) a.k.a. Les distractions – Film idol Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless, Cop or Hood) stars as Paul Frapier, a reporter and photographer who comes to the rescue of Laurent (Claude Brasseur, Band of Outsiders), his old army companion in Algeria, after the accidental killing of a police officer. With stunning co-stars Alexandra Stewart (The Destructors), Sylva Koscina (A Lovely Way to Die) and Mireille Darc (Icy Breasts).

The Passion of Slow Fire (1961) a.k.a. La mort de Belle – Belle (Alexandra Stewart), a young American girl staying in Professor Blanchon’s villa near Geneva, is found strangled. Suspicions immediately turn to Blanchon (Jean Desailly, Le Doulos), who is not the culprit. As the cross-examining goes on, he realizes that Belle had secretly loved him, and as a result he is forced to reconsider the mediocre life he leads with his wife. Directed by Édouard Molinaro (Back to the Wall, The Road to Shame) from the novel by crime-writing legend Georges Simenon (Maigret).

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LAST KNOWN ADDRESS / DERNIER DOMICILE CONNU (1970) - Blu-ray Release of Crime Thriller Starring Lino Ventura & Marlene Jobert

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Product Description: French film greats Lino Ventura (Razzia sur la chnouf) and Marlène Jobert (Rider on the Rain) star in the gritty neo-noir gem, Last Known Address (Dernier domicile connu). Inspector Léonetti (Ventura), a tough, efficient Paris cop, has been exiled to a second-rate police station after being reprimanded. There he is given a partner, the young and beautiful Jeanne Dumas (Jobert). The duo are soon tasked with a very difficult mission: to find a man whose evidence is instrumental in convicting a master criminal. Their tenacity leads them through a maze of red herrings; meanwhile, they are pursued by an enigmatic gangster called Greg (Michel Constantin, Violent City). Written and directed by the famed crime-novelist/filmmaker José Giovanni (Classe tous risques, Le Deuxième souffle, Boomerang), Last Known Address is a taut, authentic police procedural highlighted by a propulsive musical score from Francois de Roubaix (Le Samouraï).

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New on Blu-ray: FRENCH NOIR COLLECTION (Speaking of Murder / Back to the Wall / Witness in the City)

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Product Description: This collection features three film noir classics from France.

SPEAKING OF MURDER (1957) a.k.a. LE ROUGE EST MIS – From acclaimed crime writer Auguste Le Breton (Rififi, Bob Le Flambeur) comes this gripping noir thriller starring cinema icon Jean Gabin (Rififi in Paris, The Sicilian Clan). Louis Bertain (Gabin) is the owner of a Paris garage which serves as a front for a gang of thieves. He and his accomplices are careful to keep up a civic veneer by day, indulging in criminal activities only when “the red light is on” at night. This status quo is upset when one of the gang members becomes convinced that Louis’ younger brother is a police informer. Featuring taut direction from Gilles Grangier (The Night Affair) and excellent supporting turns by Paul Frankeur (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), Marcel Bozzuffi (Illustrious Corpses), Lino Ventura (The Valachi Papers) and Annie Girardot (Maigret Sets a Trap).

BACK TO THE WALL (1958) a.k.a. LE DOS AU MUR – Screen legend Jeanne Moreau (Elevator to the Gallows, Seven Days... Seven Nights) stars in this twisty, mood-drenched film noir from acclaimed crime writer Frédéric Dard (Rendezvous). When wealthy industrialist Jacques Decrey (Gérard Oury, Sea Devils) discovers that his wife (Moreau) is having an affair with a young actor, he decides to exact revenge by blackmailing her under an assumed identity. In the film’s bravura introductory sequence, we witness Jacques meticulously disposing of a corpse—just a taste of the pitch-black intrigue to follow in director Édouard Molinaro’s (Witness in the City) stylish tour de force, featuring dazzling black-and-white cinematography. Co-starring Philippe Nicaud (The Mysterious Island) and Claire Maurier (The 400 Blows).

WITNESS IN THE CITY (1959) a.k.a. UN TÉMOIN DANS LA VILLE – Based on a novel by the legendary Thomas Narcejac (Diabolique, Vertigo, Eyes Without a Face), this dark tale of vengeance stars the great Lino Ventura (Razzia Sur La Chnouf, A Pain in the Ass) in an early leading role. Industrialist Pierre Verdier kills his mistress Jeanne Ancelin by throwing her off a train. Her husband (Ventura) decides to take revenge on his wife’s murderer, who has been acquitted by justice. Directed by Édouard Molinaro (Back to the Wall) and shot by Henri Decaë (Diabolically Yours), Witness in the City is a pulse-pounding film noir set on the grim and gritty streets of Paris. Co-starring Fellini favorites Sandra Milo (8½) and Franco Fabrizi (I Vitelloni), with Jacques Berthier (Shoot First… Ask Questions Later), Daniel Ceccaldi (Rififi in Paris) and Françoise Brion (L’Immortelle). All three films were restored in 2K.

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New on Blu-ray: THE VALACHI PAPERS (1972) Starring Charles Bronson and Lino Ventura

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Product Description: Screen legends Charles Bronson (Violent City, Breakout) and Lino Ventura (The Sicilian Clan, Illustrious Corpses) star in The Valachi Papers, a hard-hitting docudrama of the criminal underworld. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, former mob “button man” Joe Valachi (Bronson) turns informant when he learns top Mafia capo Vito Genovese (Ventura) has put a $100,000 contract out on his life. From thievery and extortion to vengeance and murder, Valachi spills the innermost workings of the Cosa Nostra, culminating in his riveting testimony before a Senate subcommittee on organized crime. Directed by action-thriller ace Terence Young (From Russia with Love, Cold Sweat) from Peter Maas’ best-selling book, The Valachi Papers is gripping, shocking…and absolutely true. Also starring Jill Ireland (The Valdez Horses) and Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No), and featuring a marvelous score by Riz Ortolani (The 7th Dawn).

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DVD & Blu-ray: A PAIN IN THE ASS / L'EMMERDEUR (1973) Starring Lino Ventura and Jacques Brel

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Product Description: From director Édouard Molinaro (La Cage aux Folles, La Cage aux Folles II) and writer Francis Veber (The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, La Chevre) comes this action-comedy starring screen great Lino Ventura (Illustrious Corpses, The Sicilian Clan) with Jacques Brel (Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris) and Caroline Cellier (This Man Must Die). When a hired killer crosses paths with a suicidal shirt salesman, the resulting calamity makes for one of the funniest, most original films you’ll ever see. Ralf Milan (Ventura) has come to Montpellier to fulfill a “contract” that a powerful crime organization has placed on a man about to testify against the mob at an upcoming trial. As Ralf waits for the man in his hotel room with gun in hand, he notices something very strange in the attaching room next door: François Pignon (Brel), a cuckolded, unhappy man who is trying to hang himself, but is failing—ridiculously. Ralf finds himself compelled to protect François from his hapless attempts at self-destruction to avoid attracting attention. What develops is one odd friendship you’ll never forget. Legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder remade the film in 1981 as Buddy Buddy, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.

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DVD & Blu-ray: ARMY OF SHADOWS (1969) - Criterion Collection - Reissue

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Product Description: The most personal film by the underworld poet JEAN-PIERRE MELVILLE (Les enfants terribles), who had participated in the French Resistance himself, this tragic masterpiece, based on a novel by Joseph Kessel, recounts the struggles and sacrifices of those who fought in the Resistance. LINO VENTURA (Elevator to the Gallows), PAUL MEURISSE (Diabolique), JEAN-PIERRE CASSEL (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), and the incomparable SIMONE SIGNORET (Casque d’or) star as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their conception of honor in their battle against Hitler’s regime. Long underappreciated in France and unseen in the United States, the atmospheric and gripping thriller Army of Shadows is now widely recognized as the summit of Melville’s career, channeling the exquisite minimalism of his gangster films to create an unsparing tale of defiance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

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DVD & Blu-ray: RAZZIA SUR LA CHNOUF (1955) Starring Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura

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Product Description: Razzia Sur La Chnouf is based on a novel by the legendary writer Auguste Le Breton (Rififi, Bob Le Flambeur) with direction by Henri Decoin (One Step to Eternity) — After a spell in the U.S.A., master criminal Henri Ferré dit ‘Le Nantais’ (Jean Gabin, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi) returns to Paris and is recruited by Paul Liski (Marcel Dalio, To Have and Have Not), head of a major narcotics ring, to oversee and improve the efficiency of their distribution. Merchandise has been disappearing and unreliable dealers must be eliminated. For the latter, Henri is assigned two hitmen, Roger le Catalan (Lino Ventura, The Sicilian Clan) and Bibi (Albert Rémy, The Train). Released as Razzia in the U.S., Razzia Sur La Chnouf thrillingly explores the criminal underworld of 1950s Paris.

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DVD & Blu-ray: DON'T TOUCH THE LOOT / TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (1954) Starring Jean Gabin

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Product Description: Jacques Becker’s (Le Trou) Touchez Pas Au Grisbi occupies a significant part in French cinema history; it exerted a huge influence on subsequent directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Doulos), Henri Verneuil (The Sicilian Clan) and Claude Sautet (Classe Tous Risques). Max (Jean Gabin, Port of Shadows) is an aging gangster who manages to pull off his final heist, a spectacular gold bullion robbery at Orly airport. All is well until Max’s former girlfriend Josy (Jeanne Moreau, Viva Maria!) tips off a rival gangster, Angelo (Lino Ventura, Razzia Sur La Chnouf). Angelo kidnaps Max’s partner and best friend and threatens to kill him unless Max hands over the loot from his robbery. Touchez Pas Au Grisbi was the birth the French policier, a European transposition of the fantastic American gangster films and film noirs of the 1940s. Based on a book by Albert Simonin (Cold Sweat) and beautifully shot in striking black-and-white by Pierre Montazel (Hi-Jack Highway).

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