La Grande Vadrouille (Gerard Oury) (DVD / 50th Anniversary Edition)
French wartime comedy co-written and directed by Gerard Oury. When a British bomber is shot down over Paris during the Second World War, the crew members become separated as they parachute into the Nazi-occupied city. One lands on the scaffold of an amiable painter and decorator, Augustin Bourvil. Another lands on top of a concert hall and is rescued by patriotic conductor Stanislas Lefort Louis de Funes. The third ends up in the otter enclosure of a Parisian zoo. Meanwhile, the Germans are hot on their trail as they attempt to make their escape into the neutral zone of Southern France.
Graduate (Mike Nichols) (DVD / 50th Anniversary Edition)
Mike Nichols directs this 1960s comedy drama starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross. After graduating from college, Ben Braddock Hoffman returns to his wealthy parents' South Californian home unsure of what he wants to do next. Feeling pressurised to get on with his life, the young Braddock escapes into an aimless affair with Mrs Robinson Bancroft, an older, married woman and friend of the family. The pair meet regularly, with neither expecting anything serious from the relationship, but this seemingly simple situation becomes complicated when Ben meets and begins dating Elaine Ross - Mrs Robinson's daughter. Featuring a score written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel, the film was nominated for six Oscars and won for Best Director.
