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Release: August 25, 2026

$7.99

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A mysterious M.C. Escher-like thriller about reality and illusion from Iranian master Shahram Mokri (FISH & CAT, CARELESS CRIME) BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT - 2025, DreamLab Films, 139 min. The latest film from Iranian master Shahram Mokri (FISH & CAT, CARELESS CRIME) is another mysterious M.C. Escher-like meditation on reality and illusion, doubles and doppelgängers and uncanny synchronicities, involving stories-within-stories set during production of a film by a director named "Shahram" - already blurring the lines between film and reality. Guns play a strange and mystical part in BLACK RABBIT: on the film set, we meet armorer Babak, played by the great Iranian actor Babak Karimi (FISH & CAT, A SEPARATION). This production marks his 40th, and he's paranoid he won't get through the day without a terrible accident (his mentor was killed in an explosion on his 40th film.) "I've discovered something important: there's a revolver here hell bent on revenge," he murmurs. The other major storyline involves Sara (Hasti Mohammaï), who is kept as a prisoner inside her house by her husband while she recovers from a near-fatal car accident. She's wrapped in bandages like Elsa Lanchester in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and gives off a foul odor from her wounds. Slowly, fantastical elements begin to bleed through, like waking dreams intruding on the conscious world: an enormous prop Coffee Cup moves about the set by itself; inanimate objects talk amongst themselves about the Italian gun that's arrived to take revenge; and an aspiring actress gives an audition in which she does magic, causing a white rabbit and a black rabbit to appear. "The magic of time weaves together apparently unrelated events. A story of women seeking to escape their cocooned lives. A story of objects possessing a soul, deciding when and where to play a role. A quest to make dreams come true, linking these stories together thanks to the wonder of cinema." - Shahram Mokri. In Tajiki and Russian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 1st ever U.S. release Three ultra-rare early Mokri short films: 'The Dragonfly Storm' (Toofan-e Sanjaghak) (2002, 15 min.); 'Limits of the Circle' (Mahdoodeh-ye Dayereh) (2005, 15 min.); 'Ando-C' (2007, 15 min.). In Persian with English subtitles. New audio commentary by film programmer and critic Tori Potenza. New visual essay: “The Maze: Entrances and Exits in Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” (2026, 13 min.) by filmmaker and scholar Stephen Broomer. Cast & Crew Actors: Babak Karimi Hasti Mohammaï Kibriyo Dilyobova Bezhan Davlyatov Director: Shahram Mokri BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews

Release: June 9, 2026

$7.99

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Estonian director Grigori Kromanov's dazzling, paranoid mixture of locked-room mystery, 1970s Euro giallo, classic noir whodunit, and alien sci-fi DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL ("HUKKUNUD ALPINISTI" HOTEL) - 1979, Tallinnfilm, 84 min. "I was on call to drive to a mountain hotel. The hotel's name was The Dead Mountaineer," says police inspector Peter Glebsky (Uldis Pūcītis) at the beginning of Estonian director Grigori Kromanov's dazzling, paranoid mixture of locked-room mystery, 1970s Euro giallo, classic noir whodunit, and (unbelievably) alien sci-fi ala THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. Based on a novel by famed Soviet authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (STALKER, HARD TO BE A GOD), the hall-of-mirrors plot follows Glebsky as he's trapped by avalanche in the ski lodge with a rogues' gallery of weird suspects: tubercular gangster Hinckus (Mikk Mikiver), creepy hotel owner Snewahr (Jüri Järvet, KING LEAR), a wall-climbing physicist (Lembit Peterson), a louche, wig-wearing beauty out of a Bryan Ferry song (Irena Kriauzaite) - oh, and the Dead Mountaineer's faithful St. Bernard. The interior of the hotel (brilliantly art directed by Tõnu Virve and Priit Vaher, and photographed by Jüri Sillart) is straight out of a Dario Argento or Sergio Martino thriller: all chrome-and-marble with Space Age modern designs, drenched in champagne and feather boas. Featuring a stellar electronica / prog score by composer Sven Grünberg, the film combines an eerie THE SHINING-like mountain locale with speculative sci-fi straight out of Chariots of the Gods. "This is the end of the road. The only way is back," as the hotel owner cryptically smiles. Newly restored in 4K by Deaf Crocodile in collaboration with the Estonian Film Institute and Film Archive. In Estonian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials New 4K restoration from new 4K interpositive scan by Craig Rogers and Michael Coronado for Deaf Crocodile and color grade by Tyler Fagerstrom. First-ever Worldwide 4K UHD + Blu-ray release New commentary by film historian Michael Brooke “Snow Job: A Routine Investigation in Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel” - new visual essay by Ryan Verrill & Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Prod. Excerpt from the documentary BONUS TRACK (2016, dir. Riho Vastrik) on composer Sven Grünberg and his score for the film (13 min.) Original trailer Vintage “Making of DEAD MOUNTAINEER’S HOTEL” featurette created by Estonian Public TV Vintage Soviet Estonian newsreel footage on the making of the film (2 min.) New artwork by Beth Morris Cast & Crew Actors: Uldis Pūcītis Mikk Mikiver Jüri Järvet Irena Kriauzaite Director: Grigori Kromanov Top About this item Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Dead Mountaineer's Hotel [4K UHD + Blu-ray] Dead Mountaineer's Hotel [4K UHD + Blu-ray]

Release: June 9, 2026

$7.99

Description

Estonian director Grigori Kromanov's dazzling, paranoid mixture of locked-room mystery, 1970s Euro giallo, classic noir whodunit, and alien sci-fi DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL ("HUKKUNUD ALPINISTI" HOTEL) - 1979, Tallinnfilm, 84 min. "I was on call to drive to a mountain hotel. The hotel's name was The Dead Mountaineer," says police inspector Peter Glebsky (Uldis Pūcītis) at the beginning of Estonian director Grigori Kromanov's dazzling, paranoid mixture of locked-room mystery, 1970s Euro giallo, classic noir whodunit, and (unbelievably) alien sci-fi ala THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. Based on a novel by famed Soviet authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (STALKER, HARD TO BE A GOD), the hall-of-mirrors plot follows Glebsky as he's trapped by avalanche in the ski lodge with a rogues' gallery of weird suspects: tubercular gangster Hinckus (Mikk Mikiver), creepy hotel owner Snewahr (Jüri Järvet, KING LEAR), a wall-climbing physicist (Lembit Peterson), a louche, wig-wearing beauty out of a Bryan Ferry song (Irena Kriauzaite) - oh, and the Dead Mountaineer's faithful St. Bernard. The interior of the hotel (brilliantly art directed by Tõnu Virve and Priit Vaher, and photographed by Jüri Sillart) is straight out of a Dario Argento or Sergio Martino thriller: all chrome-and-marble with Space Age modern designs, drenched in champagne and feather boas. Featuring a stellar electronica / prog score by composer Sven Grünberg, the film combines an eerie THE SHINING-like mountain locale with speculative sci-fi straight out of Chariots of the Gods. "This is the end of the road. The only way is back," as the hotel owner cryptically smiles. Newly restored in 4K by Deaf Crocodile in collaboration with the Estonian Film Institute and Film Archive. In Estonian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials New 4K restoration from new 4K interpositive scan by Craig Rogers and Michael Coronado for Deaf Crocodile and color grade by Tyler Fagerstrom. First-ever Worldwide 4K UHD + Blu-ray release New commentary by film historian Michael Brooke “Snow Job: A Routine Investigation in Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel” - new visual essay by Ryan Verrill & Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Prod. Excerpt from the documentary BONUS TRACK (2016, dir. Riho Vastrik) on composer Sven Grünberg and his score for the film (13 min.) Original trailer Vintage “Making of DEAD MOUNTAINEER’S HOTEL” featurette created by Estonian Public TV Vintage Soviet Estonian newsreel footage on the making of the film (2 min.) New artwork by Beth Morris Cast & Crew Actors: Uldis Pūcītis Mikk Mikiver Jüri Järvet Irena Kriauzaite Director: Grigori Kromanov Top About this item Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Dead Mountaineer's Hotel [4K UHD + Blu-ray] Dead Mountaineer's Hotel [4K UHD + Blu-ray]

Release: March 29, 2022

$7.99

Description

In the year 3084, the starship Delta launched for the galaxy's furthest reaches in search of other life forms, piloted by an artificial intelligence of unprecedented computing power. The mission would hit a fateful snag after the beautiful aqua-skinned alien journalist Alma boarded... and the operating system became wholly, and dangerously, smitten with her. Uncovered eye-candy animated effort from Romania features the voices of Mirela Gorea, Marcel Iures. 68 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Romanian; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurette; bonus shorts. In Romanian with English subtitles.

Release: February 11, 2025

$6.99

Description

FELIDAE (1994, Wild Bunch Germany, 82 min.). Oh no, stranger. The dead come to me, whispers Jesaja, the cat Guardian of the Dead in the skeleton-filled catacombs and labyrinths of director Michael Schaack's brilliant and surprisingly graphic animated feature about a grisly series of unsolved murders among a group of domestic cats. (Felidae is the scientific name for cats.) A combination feline detective story, Gothic mystery and occult horror, FELIDAE follows green-eyed protagonist Francis (voiced by Ulrich Tukur) and his grizzled, one-eyed companion Blaubart (voiced by Mario Adorf) as they unravel the killings stretching back decades, involving death cults, genetic experimentation and a mysterious martyr religion. One of the most sought-after titles among world animation fans and never before officially released in the U.S., FELIDAE marries the dark, adult themes and nightmarish imagery of PLAGUE DOGS and WATERSHIP DOWN with the family-friendly animation style of Don Bluth circa THE SECRET OF NIMH. Be forewarned, though: this is not a kids' animated movie - FELIDAE features R-rated language and cat-themed slang (humans are dissed as merely can openers), bloody dissections and even simulated cat sex. Truly this activity was beyond The Aristocats, as the narrator purrs. Newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original camera negative and sound elements by Deaf Crocodile for this release, FELIDAE finally emerges as one of the great animated features made for adults from the past thirty years. Also featuring the voices of Klaus Maria Brandauer, Wolfgang Hess and Helge Schneider - and a theme song by Boy George! In German with English subtitles.

Release: February 11, 2025

$7.99

Description

FELIDAE (1994, Wild Bunch Germany, 82 min.). Oh no, stranger. The dead come to me, whispers Jesaja, the cat Guardian of the Dead in the skeleton-filled catacombs and labyrinths of director Michael Schaack's brilliant and surprisingly graphic animated feature about a grisly series of unsolved murders among a group of domestic cats. (Felidae is the scientific name for cats.) A combination feline detective story, Gothic mystery and occult horror, FELIDAE follows green-eyed protagonist Francis (voiced by Ulrich Tukur) and his grizzled, one-eyed companion Blaubart (voiced by Mario Adorf) as they unravel the killings stretching back decades, involving death cults, genetic experimentation and a mysterious martyr religion. One of the most sought-after titles among world animation fans and never before officially released in the U.S., FELIDAE marries the dark, adult themes and nightmarish imagery of PLAGUE DOGS and WATERSHIP DOWN with the family-friendly animation style of Don Bluth circa THE SECRET OF NIMH. Be forewarned, though: this is not a kids' animated movie - FELIDAE features R-rated language and cat-themed slang (humans are dissed as merely can openers), bloody dissections and even simulated cat sex. Truly this activity was beyond The Aristocats, as the narrator purrs. Newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original camera negative and sound elements by Deaf Crocodile for this release, FELIDAE finally emerges as one of the great animated features made for adults from the past thirty years. Also featuring the voices of Klaus Maria Brandauer, Wolfgang Hess and Helge Schneider - and a theme song by Boy George! In German with English subtitles.

Release: June 10, 2025

$6.99

Description

A teenage girl and her 173 year old companion take an epic journey in French director Jean-François Laguionie's hauntingly poetic animated classic. GWEN AND THE BOOK OF SAND (GWEN ET LE LIVRE DE SABLE) - 1985, La Traverse Films, 64 min. "Why search the sand for answers? It has told us everything," whispers Roseline, the 173-year old desert nomad narrator of French director Jean-François Laguionie's hauntingly poetic animated feature of life after the apocalypse, where the few hardy survivors walk on stilts from well to well, scorpions glow like lanterns, and the mysterious Makou drops giant everyday objects from the skies. Into this desolate science-fiction landscape, part-DUNE, part-FURY ROAD, emerges the story's teenage heroine, Gwen, who refuses to hide in the shadows - and whose love for teenage boy Nokmoon, kidnapped by the Makou and its followers, will drive her and Roseline on an epic journey across the endless sands. A sublime and breathtaking masterpiece of world animation, GWEN... is on par with René Laloux's FANTASTIC PLANET, Hayao Miyazaki's NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND and Mamoru Oshii's ANGEL'S EGG as a visually stunning and truly otherworldly experience. Beautifully restored in 4K with the director's participation for La Traverse Films in France and released for the first time ever in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile. In French with English subtitles. Bonus Materials New video interview with director Jean-François Laguionie, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile. (In French with simultaneous English translation). New video essay by Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and Dr. Will Dodson. New commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. New art by Beth Morris. First ever U.S. Blu-ray release for the film. Cast & Crew Actors: Michel Robin Lorella Di Cicco Director: Jean-François Laguionie Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Gwen And The Book Of Sand (4k UHD + Blu-ray)

Release: June 10, 2025

$7.99

Description

A teenage girl and her 173 year old companion take an epic journey in French director Jean-François Laguionie's hauntingly poetic animated classic. GWEN AND THE BOOK OF SAND (GWEN ET LE LIVRE DE SABLE) - 1985, La Traverse Films, 64 min. "Why search the sand for answers? It has told us everything," whispers Roseline, the 173-year old desert nomad narrator of French director Jean-François Laguionie's hauntingly poetic animated feature of life after the apocalypse, where the few hardy survivors walk on stilts from well to well, scorpions glow like lanterns, and the mysterious Makou drops giant everyday objects from the skies. Into this desolate science-fiction landscape, part-DUNE, part-FURY ROAD, emerges the story's teenage heroine, Gwen, who refuses to hide in the shadows - and whose love for teenage boy Nokmoon, kidnapped by the Makou and its followers, will drive her and Roseline on an epic journey across the endless sands. A sublime and breathtaking masterpiece of world animation, GWEN... is on par with René Laloux's FANTASTIC PLANET, Hayao Miyazaki's NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND and Mamoru Oshii's ANGEL'S EGG as a visually stunning and truly otherworldly experience. Beautifully restored in 4K with the director's participation for La Traverse Films in France and released for the first time ever in the U.S. by Deaf Crocodile. In French with English subtitles. Bonus Materials New video interview with director Jean-François Laguionie, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile. (In French with simultaneous English translation). New video essay by Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and Dr. Will Dodson. New commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. New art by Beth Morris. First ever U.S. Blu-ray release for the film. Cast & Crew Actors: Michel Robin Lorella Di Cicco Director: Jean-François Laguionie Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Gwen And The Book Of Sand (4k UHD + Blu-ray)

Release: April 21, 2026

$6.99

Description

Acclaimed animator Bill Plympton's (THE TUNE, MUTANT ALIENS) cheerfully unhinged tribute to 1950s teen romance and musicals like GREASE and HAIRSPRAY HAIR HIGH, 2004 Plymptoons, 78 min. Legendary animator Bill Plympton's (THE TUNE, MUTANT ALIENS) cheerfully unhinged and wildly hormonal tribute to 1950s teen romance opens on star quarterback Rod (voiced by Dermot Mulroney) and head cheerleader Cherri (voiced by Sarah Silverman) as the unchallenged king & queen of Echo Lake H.S.. Enter scooter-driving Spud (Eric Gilliland) as the bumbling New Kid in School, who quickly runs afoul of Rod and Cherri - but will love unexpectedly blossom between the Geek and the Prom Queen? Filled with reanimated frogs, writhing teenage tongues / tonsils / lips, deranged parodies of drive-in flicks like THE BRAINEATERS, and (of course) a sea of gravity-defying, Dr. Seuss-like hairstyles (our favorite visual gag? Rod's football helmet is shaped like his massive hairdo), this is Plympton's cheeky musical take on REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, GREASE, HAIRSPRAY and BYE BYE BIRDIE. And like the best of Plympton, it's fueled by sex and roaring libidos: the school team is the Fighting Cocks, and one of the wildest sequences involves the mascot experiencing an uncontrollable erection and humping everything in sight. "The joys of biology," as chainsmoking teacher Mr. Snerz (David Carradine) observes between (literally) hacking his lungs out. Featuring a stellar voice cast including Beverly D'Angelo, Martha Plimpton, Keith Carradine, Tom Noonan, Justin Long, and Ed Begley Jr., plus fellow animators Matt Groening and Don Hertzfeldt, with a wonderful score by longtime Plympton musical collaborators Maureen McElheron, Hank Bones and Corey Allen Jackson. And remember: today's lunch will be Sloppy Joe's and creamed corn! Bonus Materials Two Bill Plympton animated shorts: “Horn Dog” (2009, 5 min.) and “Shuteye Hotel” (2007, 7 min.) New video interview with Bill Plympton and composer Maureen McElheron (THE TUNE, I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!), moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile. New visual essay “Horny High: Sex, Identity and Animated Anarchy in Hair High” by film critic Celeste de la Cabra. New commentary track by animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Sarah Silverman Dermot Mulroney Eric Gilliland Martha Plimpton Beverly D'Angelo Keith Carradine David Carradine Justin Long Tom Noonan Ed Begley Jr. Matt Groening Director: Bill Plympton

Release: September 26, 2023

$7.99

Description

The tragic medieval tale of a man of inhuman strength, fierce temper and a desire for noble knighthood. While on the run as a murderer, he finds new life as a knight, only to face disillusionment, the horrors of war and ugly human vices. Top From the Brand Reviews Heroic Times

Release: June 28, 2022

$7.99

Description

Legendary Russian fantasy filmmaker Aleksandr Ptushko's sweeping, visual F/X- filled epic ILYA MUROMETS (THE SWORD & THE DRAGON) is one of his most enchanting achievements: a stunning Cinemascope ballad of heroic medieval knights, ruthless Tugar invaders, wind demons and three-headed fire-breathing dragons, all set against a mythic landscape of pastoral, unspoiled Russia. Based on one of the most famous byliny (oral epics) in Old Russian culture, the film stars Boris Andreyev as the bogatyr (knight) Ilya, waging a decades-long battle against the Tugars who threaten his homeland, kidnap his wife and raise his own son to fight against him.

Release: February 11, 2025

$7.99

Description

IN THE MOSCOW SLUMS (KHITROVKA. ZNAK CHETYRYOKH) - 2023, Mosfilm, 129 min. The latest film from acclaimed director Karen Shakhnazarov (ZEROGRAD and THE ASSASSIN OF THE TSAR, both released by Deaf Crocodile and Seagull Films) is a tremendously entertaining historical detective mystery adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four and the writings of famed Russian journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky -- but in place of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the film features two real-life figures from Russian history. In Moscow in 1902, legendary actor and theater director Konstantin Stanislavski (Konstantin Kryukov) is struggling to understand the life of slum dwellers for his latest production of Gorky's The Lower Depths -- so he turns to journalist Gilyarovsky (Mikhail Porechenkov) who takes him on a guided tour of the Khitrovka district, pretty much Moscow's version of Whitechapel circa Jack the Ripper. There, they stumble across the bizarre murder of a chess playing friend of Gilyarovsky's called The Rajah and cross paths with a stunningly beautiful fallen aristocrat named The Countess (Anfisa Chernykh) and a savage Englishman and his blow-dart shooting killer companion. For fans of the Jeremy Brett-starring Sherlock Holmes series and the recent Kenneth Branagh-directed Hercule Poirot mysteries, this is an irresistible treat. Shakhnazarov clearly has great affection for the classic period in Russian theater (Anton Chekhov makes a cameo appearance at one point) and for the Holmes stories this pays loving tribute to. Co-presented with Seagull Films. In Russian with English subtitles.

Release: May 12, 2026

$7.99

Description

Czech director Otakar Vávra's astonishing mix of Film Noir, Thriller and Atomic Bomb Sci-Fi KRAKATIT, 1948, N.F.A., 101 min. "Long wandering," a voice whispers in the brain of a man staggering along a misty riverbank, the night as fog-shrouded as his shattered mind. Czech director Otakar Vávra's astonishing KRAKATIT is a literal fever dream of a movie that mixes 1940s Film Noir, paranoid thriller and speculative atomic-bomb Sci-Fi in the story of a chemist named Prokop who hallucinates fragments of how he's invented a proto-nuclear weapon -- and the mystery of what's happened to the formula for it. The film has overtones of Rudolph Maté's classic Noir D.O.A. (seriously-ill man racing against the clock), 1940s Orson Welles films like THE STRANGER and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (stunning deep-focus B&W photography, atmosphere of surreal paranoia), and Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND (distorted dream sequences). Karel Höger delivers an unforgettable performance in the lead, grasping at his own memories like a walking ghost. Based on a 1924 novel by famed sci-fi author Karel Čapek (who invented the word "robot" in his play R.U.R.), the film's unique structure of memories within memories within flashbacks are like Russian nesting dolls -- all shot by DOP Václav Hanuš in some of the most remarkable B&W images since NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Long wandering, indeed. Beautifully restored in 4K by the Národní filmový archiv (NFA) in Prague in collaboration with the National Film Institute (NFI) in Hungary. Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to present the first-ever 4K UHD + Blu-ray release for this overlooked classic of Czech cinema and World Noir, co-presented with the Comeback Company. In Czech with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 1st ever World 4K UHD + Blu-ray release New restoration from original 35mm nitrate negative in 4K New essay by Czech film scholar Jonathan Owen New essay by film critic Walter Chaw New visual essay by film scholar Clayton Dillard Video interview on the film’s restoration w/ Tereza Frodlová, Restoration and Curatorship, Národní filmový archiv, Prague New artwork by Beth Morris Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie with FIdelity in Motion Cast & Crew Actors: Karel Höger Director: Otakar Vávra

Release: May 12, 2026

$7.99

Description

Czech director Otakar Vávra's astonishing mix of Film Noir, Thriller and Atomic Bomb Sci-Fi KRAKATIT, 1948, N.F.A., 101 min. "Long wandering," a voice whispers in the brain of a man staggering along a misty riverbank, the night as fog-shrouded as his shattered mind. Czech director Otakar Vávra's astonishing KRAKATIT is a literal fever dream of a movie that mixes 1940s Film Noir, paranoid thriller and speculative atomic-bomb Sci-Fi in the story of a chemist named Prokop who hallucinates fragments of how he's invented a proto-nuclear weapon -- and the mystery of what's happened to the formula for it. The film has overtones of Rudolph Maté's classic Noir D.O.A. (seriously-ill man racing against the clock), 1940s Orson Welles films like THE STRANGER and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (stunning deep-focus B&W photography, atmosphere of surreal paranoia), and Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND (distorted dream sequences). Karel Höger delivers an unforgettable performance in the lead, grasping at his own memories like a walking ghost. Based on a 1924 novel by famed sci-fi author Karel Čapek (who invented the word "robot" in his play R.U.R.), the film's unique structure of memories within memories within flashbacks are like Russian nesting dolls -- all shot by DOP Václav Hanuš in some of the most remarkable B&W images since NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Long wandering, indeed. Beautifully restored in 4K by the Národní filmový archiv (NFA) in Prague in collaboration with the National Film Institute (NFI) in Hungary. Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to present the first-ever 4K UHD + Blu-ray release for this overlooked classic of Czech cinema and World Noir, co-presented with the Comeback Company. In Czech with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 1st ever World 4K UHD + Blu-ray release New restoration from original 35mm nitrate negative in 4K New essay by Czech film scholar Jonathan Owen New essay by film critic Walter Chaw New visual essay by film scholar Clayton Dillard Video interview on the film’s restoration w/ Tereza Frodlová, Restoration and Curatorship, Národní filmový archiv, Prague New artwork by Beth Morris Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie with FIdelity in Motion Cast & Crew Actors: Karel Höger Director: Otakar Vávra

Release: August 25, 2026

$7.99

Description

A spectacular wuxia martial arts epic filled with occult secrets and sword play, but told entirely with Taiwanese budaixi glove puppets! LEGEND OF THE SACRED STONE (SHENG SHI CHUAN SHUO) - 2000, Pili International Multimedia, 99 min. Dir. Chris Huang. If you've ever dreamed of seeing a wuxia martial arts epic filled with occult secrets and black magic spells, incredibly choreographed sword fights with spinning / flying / leaping combatants, hidden tombs, lakes of fire, the eternal battle between darkness and light - but told entirely with puppets - then your wait is over! LEGEND OF THE SACRED STONE is based on the tremendously popular Taiwanese TV show "PILI" launched in 1984 that uses traditional Chinese budaixi glove puppetry to tell amazingly elaborate wuxia stories packed with nonstop action and swordplay. An equal mix of classic Shaw Brothers martial arts movies, THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO, TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE, and Jim Henson's beloved THE DARK CRYSTAL, LEGEND revolves around a group of warriors of Wulin led by white-maned hero Su Huan-Jen trying to prevent Mo Kuei and his spectral assassins called "The Unkind" from gaining possession of the all-powerful Sacred Stone. The Unkind in particular are a riot with their screechy Skeksis-like voices and unexpected sense of humor: "We're the most handsome men in the world!" one chortles. Along the way you get treated to martial arts moves like Aeolian Surprise, Thunder Bars, heroes riding a flying sword like the Silver Surfer, living corpses with melting flesh - oh, and if you've ever wondered how a puppet bleeds, you'll see that too. (And keep an eye out for the second Pili feature DEMIGOD: THE LEGEND BEGINS coming out through Deaf Crocodile later in 2026!) In Taiwanese Hokkien with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 1st ever U.S. release New video interview with director Chris Huang and members of the PILI puppeteering team. (In Taiwanese Hokkien with English subtitles). New audio commentary by puppeteer & filmmaker Ben Wolf Page, Associate Editor of The Puppetry Journal for the Puppeteers of America. New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester. Two original trailers for the feature (with English subtitles). --“Su Huan-Jen Character Spotlight” (1987-2024, 5 min.) – a newly-edited compilation for this release showing the evolution of the character of Su Huan-Jen over the course of nearly 40 years of PILI TV Cast & Crew Actors: Vincent Huang Director: Chris Huang Legend Of The Sacred Stone Legend Of The Sacred Stone About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews

Release: August 29, 2023

$7.99

Description

Jiri Barta’s dark stop-motion retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin follows a rat catcher through a grotesque medieval town consumed by greed, leading to eerie revenge and haunting tragedy.

Release: August 30, 2022

$7.99

Description

Based on the Finnish national epic "Kalevala," director Aleksandr Ptushko's ravishing, mystical fantasy tells the story of a sinister witch Louhi (Anna Orochko) who covets the Sampo, a magical, rainbow-colored mill that can produce endless salt, grain, and gold. When the hero Lemminkäinen (Andris Oshin) attempts to stop her, Louhi steals the sun, plunging the world into eternal darkness. A Finnish/Soviet co-production and shot like its predecessor ILYA MUROMETS in gorgeous CinemaScope, SAMPO features some of Ptushko's most surreal and fantastical imagery: a glowing red horse plowing a field of vipers; a boat of fire with a stag's head; a weeping mother literally walking across the sea to find her lost son. With its witch's incantations and repeated scenes of forging magical items – "Give me fire for the furnace from the nave of the sky!" – there is a Macbeth-like occult force to the film as well, underscored by the raging blue-gray seas and rock-strewn landscapes. Bonus Features: 1. Audio commentary track by Steve Bissette 2 Russian Fantastika Part Two by Alan Upchurch 3. English Closed Captioning

Release: April 21, 2026

$6.99

Description

Legendary animator Marcell Jankovics' dazzling, multicolored masterpiece depicts thousands of years of Hungarian myths and culture SONG OF THE MIRACULOUS HIND (ÉNEK A CSODASZARVASRÓL), 2002, N.F.I. (Hungary), 89 min. "We are the people of the deer, our dead appear in the form of a deer," proclaims the voice of the great cosmic elk as it descends to earth, in legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics' dazzling, multicolored masterpiece, a stunning blend of Ice Age mythology, primordial symbolism, medieval history and mind-bending metaphysics. His follow-up feature to SON OF THE WHITE MARE, and made during production on his magnum opus THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (recently released by Deaf Crocodile), SONG is Jankovics' incredibly ambitious attempt to depict thousands of years of Hungarian culture and myth, based in part on early Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends and incorporating Scythian, Iranian and Turkic artistic influences. Divided into four sections, the film opens in a violent snowstorm, with nomadic hunters stalking deer and woolly mammoth and singing songs of their spiritual brethren - and it ends millennia later, with Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who helped bridge the gap between Paganism and early Christianity. Filled with cascading imagery of mythical She-Deer, of legendary brothers Hunor and Magyar, of forest spirits, gorgeous birds of fire and streams of silvery fish, SONG is easily the visual equal of SON OF THE WHITE MARE and TRAGEDY OF MAN in Jankovics' filmography As the ancient ballad sings: "The wonderful hind of their dreams ran ahead of them." Featuring the voices of Árpád Besenczi, Ildikó Bokor, Róbert Bolla and others. In Hungarian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 4K restoration of the film by the NFI – Film Archive in Hungary. New video interview with the film’s composer Levente Szörényi (of legendary Hungarian rock band Illés) and animator Piroska Martsa New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester New commentary track by animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Árpád Besenczi Ildikó Bokor Róbert Bolla Director: Marcell Jankovics

Release: April 21, 2026

$7.99

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Legendary animator Marcell Jankovics' dazzling, multicolored masterpiece depicts thousands of years of Hungarian myths and culture SONG OF THE MIRACULOUS HIND (ÉNEK A CSODASZARVASRÓL), 2002, N.F.I. (Hungary), 89 min. "We are the people of the deer, our dead appear in the form of a deer," proclaims the voice of the great cosmic elk as it descends to earth, in legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics' dazzling, multicolored masterpiece, a stunning blend of Ice Age mythology, primordial symbolism, medieval history and mind-bending metaphysics. His follow-up feature to SON OF THE WHITE MARE, and made during production on his magnum opus THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (recently released by Deaf Crocodile), SONG is Jankovics' incredibly ambitious attempt to depict thousands of years of Hungarian culture and myth, based in part on early Siberian and Finno-Ugric legends and incorporating Scythian, Iranian and Turkic artistic influences. Divided into four sections, the film opens in a violent snowstorm, with nomadic hunters stalking deer and woolly mammoth and singing songs of their spiritual brethren - and it ends millennia later, with Géza, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, who helped bridge the gap between Paganism and early Christianity. Filled with cascading imagery of mythical She-Deer, of legendary brothers Hunor and Magyar, of forest spirits, gorgeous birds of fire and streams of silvery fish, SONG is easily the visual equal of SON OF THE WHITE MARE and TRAGEDY OF MAN in Jankovics' filmography As the ancient ballad sings: "The wonderful hind of their dreams ran ahead of them." Featuring the voices of Árpád Besenczi, Ildikó Bokor, Róbert Bolla and others. In Hungarian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 4K restoration of the film by the NFI – Film Archive in Hungary. New video interview with the film’s composer Levente Szörényi (of legendary Hungarian rock band Illés) and animator Piroska Martsa New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester New commentary track by animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Árpád Besenczi Ildikó Bokor Róbert Bolla Director: Marcell Jankovics Top Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews Song Of The Miraculous Hind [4K UHD + Blu-ray Combo] Song Of The Miraculous Hind 4K UHD

Release: June 27, 2023

$7.99

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Larissa Golubkina, Oleg Vidov, Vladimir Andreyev and Kseniya Ryabinkina star in this Russian fairy tale based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. The story centers on Tsar Saltan, who is trying to fix his obliterated family life. Along the way he gets involved in various adventures with Tsarevich Guidon, the 33 knights led by Chernomor, and the gorgeous but bewitched Tsarevna Swan. 87 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Russian; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurettes; more. In Russian with English subtitles.

Release: August 12, 2025

$7.99

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Legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics' kaleidoscopic masterwork following the endless battle between Adam, Eve and Lucifer through history. THE TRAGEDY OF MAN (AZ EMBER TRAGÉDIÁJA), 2011, Mozinet, 160 min. An incredible 23 years in the making, THE TRAGEDY OF MAN is the legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics's (SON OF THE WHITE MARE) sprawling, kaleidoscopic masterwork: a seemingly-endless animated scroll of gorgon-like demons, cave paintings that spring to life, barbarian warriors, bejeweled pharaohs, knights and martyrs and prophets bleeding together -- one brutal age dissolving into another and another, all of human history passing like pages in a child's flipbook. Adapted from the dramatic poem by 19th century author Imre Madách that's often compared to Goethe's Faust and Milton's Paradise Lost, THE TRAGEDY OF MAN is no ordinary cartoon: it's one of the most visually stunning and wildly ambitious animated epics ever made (and then some). Out of the galactic void at the beginning of the story emerges Lucifer the Devil, the Great Winged Bat, Anubis, the antagonist who adopts many faces and forms as it guides and manipulates the characters of Adam and Eve throughout history, searching for the purpose of human existence -- if there is one. Broken into 15 different episodes (the segments were produced one at a time by Jankovics as he cobbled together funding), each section has a different visual style, incorporating a mindblowing tapestry of world art, cultures, symbols, and rituals. In ancient Egypt, the bodies of slaves become the literal building blocks of the pyramids - in ancient Greece, the background shatters like broken pottery - in Rome, mosaics of gladiators come to life, slashing at each other - in the Middle Ages, arguing zealots are transformed into Orthodox churches, clashing against one another as they crumble. The sum total of Jankovics's cosmic vision of human "progress" is utterly surreal, psychedelic, operatic and Wagnerian: a breathtaking Hieronymus Bosch-like triptych of Hell on Earth, with brief glimpses of Grace and Love which may offer hope for the future. Bonus Materials FIrst-ever U.S. Blu-ray release New video essay by Evan Chester New commentary track by animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock and film critic Martin Kessler New video interview with György Ráduly, director of the National Film Institute (NFI) in Budapest on Marcell Jankovics New video interview with key members of the original animation team Cast & Crew Actors: Ágnes Bertalan Mátyás Usztics Tibor Szilágyi Director: Marcell Jankovics Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews The Tragedy Of Man

Release: February 11, 2025

$6.99

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TRAPPED ASHES, 2006, 105 min. In the twisted tradition of classic anthology horror films such as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, CREEPSHOW and BLACK SABBATH, TRAPPED ASHES features stories of the surreal, macabre and bizarre, helmed by five of Hollywood's most unique directors: Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING), Ken Russell (ALTERED STATES, THE DEVILS), Monte Hellman (TWO-LANE BLACKTOP), Sean Cunningham (FRIDAY the 13th), and John Gaeta (Academy Award winner, Visual Effects on THE MATRIX) - and produced & written by Deaf Crocodile's own Dennis Bartok! Seven strangers (including legendary character actors John Saxon and Henry Gibson) are trapped inside an infamous Roger Corman/AIP-style House of Horrors during a Hollywood movie studio tour and forced to confess their most disturbing personal memories. In Ken Russell's The Girl with Golden Breasts, a struggling actress (Rachel Veltri) decides to get gel implants made from reprocessed human cadavers - with monstrous results for her and her boyfriend (Jayce Bartok). In Sean Cunningham's Jibaku, an unhappily married woman (Lara Harris) and her architect husband (Scott Lowell) have a nightmarish encounter with a dead monk on a visit to Japan. In Monte Hellman's Stanley's Girlfriend (Official Selection, 2006 Cannes Film Festival), two ambitious young filmmakers become unlikely friends in 1950s Hollywood: Leo (Tahmoh Penikett), writer of sadistic B-pictures like The Strangler, and a soon-to-be-famous director named Stanley Kubrick (Tygh Runyan). When they both fall in love with the same enigmatic woman (Amelia Cooke), it unleashes a decades-long mystery involving desire and celluloid. And in John Gaeta's My Twin, The Worm, a young Goth woman (Michele-Barbara Pelletier) reveals the horrific, Cronenberg-like tale of the inhuman twin that grew alongside her in her mother's womb. Newly scanned and restored in 4K by Deaf Crocodile.

Release: February 11, 2025

$7.99

Description

TRAPPED ASHES, 2006, 105 min. In the twisted tradition of classic anthology horror films such as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, CREEPSHOW and BLACK SABBATH, TRAPPED ASHES features stories of the surreal, macabre and bizarre, helmed by five of Hollywood's most unique directors: Joe Dante (GREMLINS, THE HOWLING), Ken Russell (ALTERED STATES, THE DEVILS), Monte Hellman (TWO-LANE BLACKTOP), Sean Cunningham (FRIDAY the 13th), and John Gaeta (Academy Award winner, Visual Effects on THE MATRIX) - and produced & written by Deaf Crocodile's own Dennis Bartok! Seven strangers (including legendary character actors John Saxon and Henry Gibson) are trapped inside an infamous Roger Corman/AIP-style House of Horrors during a Hollywood movie studio tour and forced to confess their most disturbing personal memories. In Ken Russell's The Girl with Golden Breasts, a struggling actress (Rachel Veltri) decides to get gel implants made from reprocessed human cadavers - with monstrous results for her and her boyfriend (Jayce Bartok). In Sean Cunningham's Jibaku, an unhappily married woman (Lara Harris) and her architect husband (Scott Lowell) have a nightmarish encounter with a dead monk on a visit to Japan. In Monte Hellman's Stanley's Girlfriend (Official Selection, 2006 Cannes Film Festival), two ambitious young filmmakers become unlikely friends in 1950s Hollywood: Leo (Tahmoh Penikett), writer of sadistic B-pictures like The Strangler, and a soon-to-be-famous director named Stanley Kubrick (Tygh Runyan). When they both fall in love with the same enigmatic woman (Amelia Cooke), it unleashes a decades-long mystery involving desire and celluloid. And in John Gaeta's My Twin, The Worm, a young Goth woman (Michele-Barbara Pelletier) reveals the horrific, Cronenberg-like tale of the inhuman twin that grew alongside her in her mother's womb. Newly scanned and restored in 4K by Deaf Crocodile.

Release: October 14, 2025

$7.99

Description

Three classic animated Soviet sci-fi films from the vaults of the famed Soyuzmultfilm studios, THE MYSTERY OF THE THIRD PLANET, THE PASS & THE RETURN THE MYSTERY OF THE THIRD PLANET (TAYNA TRETEY PLANETY), 1981, Soyuzmultfilm, 48 min. Dir. Roman Kachanov. A trio of intrepid space explorers, Professor Seleznyov, his 9-year old daughter Alice and the hilariously doom-and-gloom Captain Zelyonyy set off on a rocket ship in the year 2181 to collect rare alien creatures for the Moscow Zoo. They're immediately drawn into an amazingly convoluted mystery involving a sinister doctor, a nearly-extinct Chatter-bird, and two legendary, missing cosmonauts. A delirious cosmic treat for fans of FANTASTIC PLANET, MYSTERY... features a gallery of psychedelic space creatures straight out of YELLOW SUBMARINE: blue-skinned aliens with ears on the tops of their heads, a tiger-rat from the planet Penelope, a blue-and-purple flying cow with fairy's wings. Director Roman Kachanov's long sought-after gem packs enough plot, surreal imagery, phantasmagorical creatures and otherworldly worlds into its 48 minutes for an entire mini-series. THE PASS (PEREVAL), 1988, Soyuzmultfilm, 30 min. "On this night, Oleg was on duty near the fence ... He sensed the emptiness and the routine. Three times people went to the Pass. It was all in vain." So begins Russian director Vladimir Tarasov's sublime masterpiece of animated sci-fi in which a group of terrified human survivors on an alien world try to reach their derelict spacecraft 16 years after it crashed. On par with Tarkovsky's SOLARIS and STALKER as one of the most hypnotic and visually stunning science-fiction stories ever filmed, THE PASS is filled with cascading, pulsating images: night creatures that bleed in from the darkness to attack, a cat's eyes flickering in the candlelight, frightened children reciting stories of another planet, another time. THE PASS is the longest of Tarasov's works and arguably his finest achievement. "The Return" (Vozvrashchenie), 1980, Soyuzmultfilm, 10 min. A sleeping cosmonaut hurtles unaware towards his home planet -- but will he awake in time? Bonus Materials Newly restored in 4K Two new video essays on Roman Kachanov and Vladimir Tarasov by film historian Evan Chester New commentary track by Adam Rackoff, James Hancock and Martin Kessler. Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Olga Gromova Vsevolod Larionov Yuriy Volyntsev Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy Director: Roman Kachanov Director: Vladimir Tarasov Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Treasures Of Soviet Animation Vol. 1: The Mystery Of The Third Planet + The Pass & The Return

Release: November 11, 2025

$7.99

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Gorgeous new restorations of 3 of Soviet-Armenian director Lev Atamanov's THE SNOW QUEEN, THE SCARLET FLOWER and THE KEY. THE SNOW QUEEN (SNEZHNAYA KOROLEVA) - 1957, 65 min. Lev Atamanov's sublime and often terrifyingly beautiful masterpiece, based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, follows a resourceful young girl, Gerda (voiced by Yanina Zheymo), as she embarks on an epic journey to save her friend Kay (Anna Komolova) from the frozen embraces of the magnificent Snow Queen (Mariya Babanova). A favorite of Hayao Miyazaki who said the film inspired him to become an animator -- and it's easy to see the direct influence of THE SNOW QUEEN on characters and storylines in CASTLE IN THE SKY, PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY. THE SCARLET FLOWER (ÁLENKIY TSVETÓTCHEK) - 1952, 42 min. Dir. Lev Atamanov. An almost impossibly lovely, bejeweled fantasy adventure, a mixture of Ptushko's THE STONE FLOWER and SADKO with Cocteau's BEAUTY & THE BEAST. A ship's captain promises his youngest daughter Nastenka (voiced by Nina Krachkovskaya) a scarlet flower as a gift. But when he plucks it, the enraged beast who owns it demands a sacrifice - and Nastenka offers herself up as the monster's prisoner on an enchanted isle. THE KEY (KLYUCH) - 1961, 58 min. Atamanov's delightfully quirky gem is one of his most surprising efforts, a surreal parable about the benefits of Magic vs. the value of Good Hard Work. Three wonderfully wacky fairies come to bless a newborn child with the gift of an enchanted ball of yarn - but the boy's no-nonsense grandfather (voiced by A. Glushchenko) wants to give him more practical gifts, like common sense, a good hammer and a strong work ethic. THE KEY is told in a totally different visual style than Atamanov's lush earlier works, closer to the angular mid-century modern look of UPA circa "Gerald McBoing Boing" and "Mr. Magoo." Bonus Materials New visual essay 'Written With Ice Crystals: Lev Atamanov and THE SNOW QUEEN' by film historian Evan Chester New video essay on Hayao Miyazaki and the influence of THE SNOW QUEEN by film historian John Adkins of Animation Obsessive New audio commentaries by film historian Rolf Giesen New restorations of all 3 films by Craig Rogers for Deaf Crocodile 1st ever U.S. Blu-ray release Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion. Cast & Crew Actors: Mariya Babanova Yanina Zheymo Anna Komolova Director: Lev Atamanov Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Lev Atamanov's The Snow Queen, The Scarlet Flower & The Key: Treasures Of Soviet Animation Vol. 2

Release: February 24, 2026

$7.99

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The short films of legendary Russian animator Yuri Norstein including his classic HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG and THE TALE OF TALES, newly restored THE 25TH, THE FIRST DAY - 1968, 9 min., co-dir. Arkadiy Tyurin. Yuri Norstein's first film is a visually striking tribute to the Bolshevik Revolution on October 25 SEASONS - 1969, 9 min. A man and woman ride through the forest while the seasons change around them in this lovely, elegiac short set to music by Tchaikovsky. CHILDREN AND MATCHES - 1969, 5 min. Norstein's rarely-seen educational short about the dangers of matches, from ancient times up to today. THE BATTLE OF KERZHENETS - 1971, 10 min., co-dir. Ivan Ivanov-Vano. Arguably Norstein's first great animated film, inspired by the legend of the City of Kitezh which disappeared into a lake to avoid Mongol invaders. THE FOX & THE HARE - 1973, 12 min. Norstein's utterly charming short about a temperamental "house-filching fox" who boots a poor rabbit out of its home. The rabbit turns to a wolf, bear, bull and rooster for help, with surprising results. THE HERON & THE CRANE - 1974, 10 min. An awkward crane and a high-spirited heron go back and forth on marrying each other, in this heartbreaking short about romantic misunderstandings. HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG - 1975, 11 min. The deceptively epic journey of the tiny hedgehog, filled with impossible marvels and dangers: a shimmering white horse and a crafty owl. A fluttering bat, a falling leaf and the ever-present curtain of fog. Widely considered one of the greatest animated films ever made. A DAY BEFORE OUR ERA - 1977, 6 min. Co-dir. Fyodor Khitruk. This experimental collage of images of the French Revolution was apparently abandoned before it was finished, and remains one of Norstein's rarest films. THE TALE OF TALES - 1979, 29 min. Norstein's longest film to date, TALE is a story about stories, a dream of many dreams. A giant bull and a little girl skip rope. Couples dance under a streetlight until the male partners disappear, headed off to war. And through it all, the Little Grey Wolf watches silently at the rondo of human loves and losses. Bonus Materials New restorations by Deaf Crocodile of all 9 of Norstein's short films First ever U.S. Blu-ray release for Norstein's short films Includes feature-length documentary MAKING THE OVERCOAT about Norstein's legendary, unfinished project 'The Overcoat' New commentary tracks by film scholar Michael Brooke New visual essay by film historian Evan Chester Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion Most complete release of Norstein's films ever put out on Blu-ray Cast & Crew Actors: Mariya Vinogradova Vyacheslav Nevinnyy Aleksey Batalov Director: Yuri Norstein Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews The Short Films Of Yuri Norstein: Treasures Of Soviet Animation Vol. 3

Release: March 24, 2026

$7.99

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One of the most popular Soviet movies ever made, this classic Red Western is in the vein of HIGH NOON and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS WHITE SUN OF THE DESERT (BELOE SOLNTSE PUSTYNI) - 1970, Mosfilm, 84 min. "Have you been here long?" quips laconic, seemingly un-killable Red Army soldier Fyodor to a man he's just discovered buried up to the neck in the middle of the desert. Director Vladimir Motyl's surreal action classic is arguably the most entertaining and beloved of the Soviet "Osterns" inspired by films like STAGECOACH, HIGH NOON and 1960s Spaghetti Westerns (and certainly by Kurosawa's YOJIMBO as well.) Set during the Russian Civil War, the story follows Fyodor (Anatoliy Kuznetsov) tramping across the endless sands of Turkmenistan and desperate to get back home to his wife -- when he's diverted into guarding a harem of Muslim women caught in a struggle between a renegade Red Army unit and local Basmachi guerillas led by Abdullah (Kakhi Kavsadze). Filled with endlessly-quotable dialogue and song lyrics -- "A knife is good for he who has it -- and it's bad for he who doesn't at the right moment" and "No luck in dying, I'll have luck in love" are two gems --, WHITE SUN is as visually striking as Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, with its resourceful hero waging a one-man battle against the bandit chieftain and his army. (It also has a surprisingly feminist theme with Fyodor encouraging the niqab-wearing women to take control of their destinies: "Comrade women, the revolution has set you free!" he exhorts them.) The best comparison, though, may be to Georgiy Daneliya's sci-fi masterpiece KIN-DZA-DZA! (also released by Deaf Crocodile): both films are about Everyman Russians trapped in surreal alien desert landscapes, and rather than freaking out, responding in the most matter-of-fact ways to whatever strange misfortunes they encounter. One of the most popular Soviet films ever made, WHITE SUN has been beautifully restored by Mosfilm for its first-ever U.S. Blu-ray release through Deaf Crocodile, in association with Seagull Films. In Russian with English subtitles. Bonus Materials 1st ever U.S. Blu-ray release Newly restored by Mosfilm New audio commentary by film historian Rolf Giesen New essays by Russian film scholar Peter Rollberg New essay by film critic Walter Chaw New video interview with Russian expert on Red Westerns, author Sergey Lavrentyev New artwork by Beth Morris Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie with FIdelity in Motion Cast & Crew Actors: Anatoliy Kuznetsov Kakhi Kavsadze Director: Vladimir Motyl

Release: November 29, 2022

$7.99

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For Moscow engineer Alexey (Leonid Filatov), the business trip sounded simple enough-train to a remote city, deliver the specs for a custom factory part. Once there, though, surreal situations start to occur-from a nude receptionist to being served a dessert in the likeness of his own head-and he'll learn to his dismay that getting into town would be far easier than getting out. Absurdist mystery and poke at perestroika co-stars Vladimir Menshov, Oleg Basilashvili, 103 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Russian; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurette. In Russian with English subtitles.