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Rialto Pictures
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Foundation date 1 january 1997
Rialto Pictures is a film distributor founded in 1997 by Bruce Goldstein. A year later, Adrienne Halpern joined him as partner. In 2002, Eric Di Bernardo became the company’s National Sales Director. It was described as “the gold standard of reissue distributors” by Los Angeles Times/NPR film critic Kenneth Turan. In 1999, Rialto received a special Heritage Award from the National Society of Film Critics, and in 2000 received a special award from the New York Film Critic’s Circle, presented to Goldstein and Halpern by Jeanne Moreau. The two co-presidents have each received the French Order of Chevalier of Arts and Letters.
During the past decade, Rialto Pictures has become one of the great names in film distribution. In 2002, the company released the critically acclaimed first-run film Murderous Maids, the chilling true story of two homicidal sisters, starring Sylvie Testud. Rialto celebrated a record-breaking 2004 with the previously unreleased, original 1954 Japanese version of Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla; Peter Davis’s Oscar-winning and newly restored 1974 documentary Hearts and Minds; and Gillo Pontecorvo’s groundbreaking The Battle of Algiers, one of 2004’s top-grossing foreign films. Rialto’s re-release of Alberto Lattuada’s Mafioso, a dark comedy from 1962 starring Alberto Sordi, was the unqualified highlight of the 2006 New York Film Festival. One of Rialto’s 2008 releases was Max Ophüls' legendary film Lola Montès in a definitive new 35mm restoration, which was showcased to enormous acclaim at Cannes Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival and was the spotlight retrospective of the 2008 New York Film Festival. In 2009, Rialto undertook the very first U.S. release of Jean-Luc Godard's Made in U.S.A., which could not be previously released due to rights issues, and also re-released Costa-Gavras' Academy-Award winning thriller Z. Most recently, the San Francisco International Film Festival presented Goldstein with its prestigious Mel Novikoff Award.
2007 marked Rialto’s tenth anniversary, a milestone that was celebrated with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Similar tributes were held at George Eastman House, in Rochester, New York; the AFI Silver Theater in Washington, D.C.; and the SIFF Theater in Seattle. In honor of the company's anniversary, The Criterion Collection has issued a special gift box set containing ten films displaying the breadth of Rialto's collection, including Army of Shadows, Au Hasard Balthazar, Band of Outsiders, Billy Liar, Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Mafioso, Murderous Maids, Rififi, The Third Man and Touchez pas au grisbi. The DVD box set was released under the name "Ten Years of Rialto Pictures" on October 28, 2008.
Rialto also handles distribution for most of the back catalog of French production company StudioCanal, particularly titles from the former Embassy Pictures and Carolco Pictures libraries.
Best films
Filmography of Rialto Pictures (10 films)
Distribution
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Half-Sister (2013)
, 1h30Directed by Josiane Balasko
Origin France
Genres Drama, Comedy
Actors Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, Brigitte Roüan, Françoise Lépine, George Aguilar, Sarah Suco
Nenette is a lady who has the mental age of an eight year old. After the death of her mother, she leaves on a search of his father, but ends up meeting his half brother Paul, a pharmacist surly
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)
, 2h10Directed by Mira Nair
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller
Themes Films based on the September 11 attacks, Films about religion, Films about terrorism, Political films, Films about Islam, Disaster films, Films about hijackings
Actors Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Riz Ahmed, Kiefer Sutherland, Meesha Shafi, Om Puri
In 2011, Anse Rainier (Gary Richardson), an American professor at Lahore University, is kidnapped soon after he leaves a movie theatre. A ransom video is sent to the US embassy, demanding the release of 690 detainees from a Muslim concentration camp in Kot Lakhpat and €700,000 for the children of Waziristan. Bobby Lincoln (Liev Schreiber), an American journalist and undercover CIA informant in Pakistan, arranges to interview a colleague of Rainer, Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), who he suspects is involved in the kidnapping.
Hearts and Minds (2006)
, 1h52Directed by Peter Davis
Origin USA
Genres War, Documentary
Themes Politique, Documentary films about war, Documentary films about historical events, Documentary films about politics, Political films
Actors Bob Hope
Un documentaire soulignant, à travers des images d'archives et des témoignages, les enjeux et les attitudes contradictoires des témoins de la guerre du Viêtnam. Le titre vient directement d'un discours du président Lyndon Johnson qui déclara, en tentant de justifier l'envoi de soldats au Viêtnam, que l'ultime victoire ne se gagnerait qu'avec le cœur et l'esprit des hommes qui vivent là-bas.
Kill Cruise (1990)
, 1h38Directed by Peter Keglevic
Origin German
Genres Drama, Thriller, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films
Actors Jürgen Prochnow, Patsy Kensit, Elizabeth Hurley, Grażyna Szapołowska, Manuel Cauchi
The story begins at sea when the unnamed Skipper (Prochnow) of the sailboat Bella Donna reports a man overboard. The victim, Paul Pelikan, drowns before he can be rescued. People in the Bella Donna's home port of Gibraltar suspect that the Skipper deliberately pushed Paul overboard because he'd had an affair with the Skipper's wife Mona (Grażyna Szapołowska). Though nothing is proven, Mona believes the Skipper did in fact throw Paul overboard and leaves him. Heartbroken, the Skipper spends most of his time at the local bars getting drunk and swearing he will sail again, though the townspeople don't take his claim seriously.
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
, 2h20Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Origin France
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Noir, Crime
Themes Films about alcoholism, Medical-themed films, La provence, Films about drugs, Heist films, Gangster films, Escroquerie
Actors Alain Delon, André Bourvil, Jean Champion, Gian Maria Volonté, Yves Montand, François Périer
Après cinq ans d'emprisonnement dans un établissement pénitentiaire de Marseille, Corey (Alain Delon) est sur le point d'être libéré. La veille de sa sortie, le gardien-chef de la prison lui propose une affaire. Sitôt libre, Corey rend visite à son ancien comparse, un nommé Rico, caïd enrichi, devenu amant de sa petite amie. Corey contraint le malfrat à lui remettre une somme d'argent liquide importante. Amer, ce dernier dépêche deux sbires aux trousses de Corey. Dans une salle de billard, Corey saisit une queue et, à l'aide d'une craie rouge, trace avec son procédé (l'embout de la queue qui sert à frapper les boules) un cercle qu'il remplit ensuite, avant de disperser les boules. Les hommes de Rico le rejoignent et l'entretien se termine dans le sang. Mais Corey en repart indemne. Il achète une voiture d'occasion remarquée dans la vitrine d'un revendeur automobile et entreprend de regagner son domicile du 16e arrondissement de Paris.
Army of Shadows (1969)
, 2h19Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-François Adam
Origin France
Genres Drama, War, Thriller, Historical
Themes French war films, La provence, Films about religion, Political films, Films about Jews and Judaism, Histoire de France, L'Occupation allemande en France
Actors Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Serge Reggiani, Christian Barbier
Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura), the head of a Resistance network, is arrested by Vichy French police, imprisoned in a camp, and transported to Paris for questioning. He makes a daring escape.
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
, 2h1Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
Origin Algerie
Genres Drama, War, Documentary, Historical
Themes Films set in Africa, French war films, La colonisation française, Films about religion, Films about terrorism, Algerian War films, Political films, Films about Islam, Histoire de France
Actors Jean Martin, Brahim Haggiag, Rouiched, Larbi Zekkal
En 1954 à Alger, le Front de libération nationale (FLN) diffuse son premier communiqué : son but est l'indépendance nationale vis-à-vis de la France, et la restauration de l'État algérien. Ali la Pointe propose des parties de bonneteau. Repéré par la police, il s'enfuit mais se fait agresser par un passant, il réplique et se fait tabasser par le reste du groupe. Rattrapé par la police, il se fait arrêter. Emprisonné, il assiste par la fenêtre de sa cellule à l'exécution d'une peine de mort par guillotine sur un nationaliste. Le FLN le contacte.
Django (1966)
, 1h37Directed by Sergio Corbucci
Origin Italie
Genres Action, Western, Spaghetti Western
Actors Franco Nero, Eduardo Fajardo, José Bódalo, Luciano Rossi, Loredana Nusciak, Gino Pernice
Django is a drifter who drags a closed coffin around with him. He rescues a young woman, María, who is about to be murdered by bandits led by Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo), the man whom Django is seeking and wants to kill in revenge for him for killing his wife. After killing most of Jackson's men, Django makes a deal with a Mexican bandit general, Hugo Rodriguez, who is in conflict with Jackson, and the two steal a large quantity of gold from a Mexican Army fort (where Jackson is doing business with a government general). When Rodriguez refuses to give Django his share of the haul, Django and Maria steal the gold. Unfortunately, the gold falls into quicksand. When Rodriguez catches up to them, María is shot (though she survives) and Django's hands are crushed by Rodriguez's men as punishment for being a thief. When the bandits return to Mexico, Rodríguez and his men are massacred by Jackson and the Mexican Army. After killing Nathaniel, Jackson goes looking for Django in a cemetery. However, Django, who has bitten off the trigger-guard of his pistol, kills Jackson and his five surviving men by pressing the trigger of his gun against the cross of the grave of a female acquaintance of Django's whom Jackson had killed and repeatedly dropping the hammer.
Breathless (1960)
, 1h29Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Origin France
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Films about films, La provence
Actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet, Van Doude
Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is a youthful criminal who is intrigued with the film persona of Humphrey Bogart. After stealing a car in Marseille, Michel shoots and kills a policeman who has followed him onto a country road. Penniless and on the run from the police, he turns to an American love interest Patricia (Jean Seberg), a student and aspiring journalist, who sells the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris. The ambivalent Patricia unwittingly hides him in her apartment as he simultaneously tries to seduce her and call in a loan to fund their escape to Italy. At one point, Patricia says she is pregnant with Michel's child. She learns that Michel is on the run when questioned by the police. Eventually she betrays him, but before the police arrive she tells Michel what she has done. He is somewhat resigned to a life in prison, and does not try to escape at first. The police shoot him in the street and, after a prolonged death run, he dies “à bout de souffle” (out of breath).
The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
, 2h8Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about writers, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on operas
Actors Moira Shearer, Ludmila Tcherina, Robert Helpmann, Pamela Brown, Ann Ayars, Mogens Wieth
In the prologue, Hoffmann is in the audience at a performance by Stella, a prima ballerina. Stella sends Hoffmann a note asking him to meet her after the performance, but the note is intercepted by his rival, Councillor Lindorf. Not having received her note, Hoffmann goes to the tavern in the interval, where he tells the story of a clown, Kleinzach and three stories of his past loves — Olympia, Giulietta and Antonia, and gets drunk.