Another bundle of titles came into the shop today, and for the second straight day UK label Curzon Artificial Eye’s releases are prominently featured. All four titles are new additions to 4xblu’s shelves, and each was helmed by a director who is new to the shop’s inventory.
First up is a four film set containing the work of Swedish director Roy Andersson. A filmmaker best known for his idiosyncratic sense of humor, the box contains Andersson’s debut, “A Swedish Love Story,” and his “Living” trilogy: “Songs from the Second Floor,” “You, the Living,” and “A Pigeon Sat on a Bench Reflecting on Existence.”
Also included are a pair of films from Claude Chabrol and Francois Truffaut, the first of the Cahiers du Cinema critics to make the transition to feature length filmmaking (with “Le Beau Serge” and “The 400 Blows,” respectively; Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette, and Eric Rohmer would follow them). “Shoot the Pianist,” Truffaut’s next picture after his iconic debut, takes its place on the shelves with Chabrol’s “La Ceremonie,” which is among the most acclaimed of the director’s Hitchcockian thrillers.
Rounding out today’s slate is “Bastards,” a modern noir by Claire Denis (who celebrated her 70th birthday yesterday) that goes to some disturbingly dark places.