Fast Scans

Danton. 2 discs. color. 136 min. In French w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. 1983. DVD ISBN 978-1-60465-126-3. $39.95.

An indomitable Gérard Depardieu tears into the title role of celebrated hero of the French Revolution who runs afoul of erstwhile comrade Robespierre over allegations of rising despotism in late 18th-century France. Heads will roll by the end of their battle of wits in Andrzej Wajda's compelling political drama, which peaks with a show trial where the deck is stacked. The disc is enhanced with interviews and a making-of doc; the case for buying it is open and shut.

Following on the heels of newly upgraded reissues of coolly stylish Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express (Fast Scans, LJ 12/08) and Ashes of Time (Sony Pictures) come these remastered catalog titles about a contract killer and his female partner-in-crime, and burnt-out male lovers living abroad. Extras are lean on Fallen but meatier on Happy. Fans of the hip Hong Kong filmmaker will be happy for spiffier images showing pics that have style to burn.

How About You. color. 90 min. Strand Releasing. 2008. DVD UPC 7-12267-28102-2. $27.99.

Several cantankerous residents of an elder-care home—a retired judge (Joss Ackland), spinster sisters (Imelda Staunton, Brenda Fricker), and a onetime movie star (Vanessa Redgrave)—clean up their grinch acts for Christmas in Anthony Byrne's deft adaptation of Maeve Binchy's short story. The plot line is predictable, but the stellar cast make the most of their eccentric parts in this modestly charming picture with particular appeal for senior audiences.

A theater company in occupied France gives new meaning to the adage "the show must go on" when its Jewish manager hides in an underground room while his wife (Catherine Deneuve) plays in the newest production, falling for her costar (Gérard Depardieu) as Nazis lurk, bombs fall, and power fails. Realism takes a backseat to romantic notions about art conquering all in François Truffaut's nostalgic tale. For devotees of the beloved director. (See Trailers, LJ 2/1/09)

Growing up in Fifties-era Paris, a frail young boy daydreams about having a strong, older brother—one who eventually turns out to have been real. Told in a fluidly intricate fashion moving back and forth from prewar to wartime France and four decades later, this release from director Claude Miller (Alias Betty, The Little Thief) gradually reveals the tragic story of a lost sibling in a poignant film that never got the wider theatrical distribution its accessible theme deserved.