Roman Polanski
1) Chinatown
Series
Physical Desc
1 videodisc (130 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
English
Description
Private eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California is hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair. Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in Chinatown.
Series
Criterion collection volume 215
Physical Desc
2 videodiscs (94 min.) : sound, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
Polish
Description
A middle-aged journalist and his wife invite a footloose young hitch-hiker aboard their sail-boat for a Sunday outing in the Polish lake district. Like two peacocks, the men proceed to flaunt their virility before the woman, revealing a cynical sadism on the part of the husband and a growing resentment in the knife-wielding youth.
3) The pianist
Language
English
Description
Based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew, who was a brilliant pianist. He watched as his family was shipped off to Nazi labor camps. He managed to escape and lived for years in the ruins of Warsaw, hiding from the Nazis.
4) Tess
Physical Desc
1 videodisc (approximately 172 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
English
Description
In this adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic romance, Tess Darbeyville, a beautiful young peasant in late 19th century England, seeks her fortune with the wealthy D'Urbervilles, whom her family believes to be distant relatives. Although Tess rejects the advances of the D'Urberville's son Alex, he forcibly seduces her, leaving her pregnant and alone. After her sickly baby dies, Tess falls in love with Angel, a parson's son, who abandons her on their...
Series
Criterion collection volume 726
Physical Desc
2 videodiscs (140 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.
Language
English
Description
Roman Polanski imbues his unflinchingly violent adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of ruthless ambition and murder in medieval Scotland with grit and dramatic intensity. Jon Finch and Francesca Annis star as a decorated warrior rising in the ranks and his driven wife, scheming together to take the throne by any means.