Joe is a quiet guy going about selling his bananas in the surrounding villages. However, when a gang swindles his hard work, then he realizes his handicap. He has no identity to reckon with?

Woody Allen's second film as a director was a wild, unpredictable and unlikely comedy about a product-tester named Fielding Mellish (Allen), who can't quite connect with the woman of his dreams (Louise Lasser, Allen's ex-wife). He accidentally winds up in South America as a freedom fighter for a guerrilla leader who looks like Castro. Once he assumes power, the new dictator quickly goes insane--which leaves Fielding in charge to negotiate with the US. The film is chockfull of wonderfully bizarre gags, such as the dreams Fielding recounts to his shrink about dueling crucified messiahs, vying for a parking place near Wall Street. Look for an unknown Sylvester Stallone in a tiny role--but watch this film for Allen's surprisingly physical (and always verbally dexterous) humour. --Marshall Fine

Director Barry Levinson's eclectic film career has always been distinguished by quality scriptwriting, and Bandits is no exception, thanks to Harley Peyton's clever contribution. At the heart of the story is the onscreen chemistry between Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton, who, as the most successful bank robbers in US history, win the affections of the nation. The story is told via various flashback methods, such as the narration of a newscaster who gets an exclusive interview, while a framing device teases the audience with what the end will be at the start. But all is not as it seems. The impulsive hothead Willis falls easily for fiery redhead and frustrated housewife Cate Blanchett. The attraction is perfectly mutual until she realises the sweet appeal of hypochondriac Thornton. The resulting love triangle may not immediately seem to add up, especially as the romantic focus really ought to be on Willis' goofy cousin Harvey (a sensational Troy Garity) who dreams of being a stuntman. Originally Bandits was meant to be an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel, but here the tone is significantly lightened and the "Sleepover Bandits" are far more sympathetic characters than the likes of George Clooney's thief in Out of Sight. There's a kicker of a feel-good finale, too.

On the DVD: Bandits on disc has an alternative and even sweeter ending, complete with commentary from Blanchett entitled "Who's the Dad?". It's one of five deleted scenes that were presumably only cut for running time. Other extras include a "Script to Screen" workshop with Levinson, an ad for the soundtrack album and a 20-minute documentary. The real find, though, is a commentary from Willis, Thornton, Blanchett, Garity, Producer Paula Weinstein and Peyton. They may not all be in the same room, but the apportioning of anecdotes fits perfectly.--Paul Tonks

How do you like to spend a day at the barber shop? Calvin just inherited one from his father and has no intention in keeping it. But, just as he sells it, he realizes his father's vision?

Based on Neil Simon's own play, 1967's Barefoot in the Park is a perennially joyous film starring carefree Jane Fonda and staid lawyer Robert Redford as young newlyweds setting up home in Greenwich Village. Although the opening credits are fragrantly idyllic (aided by Neal Hefti's soundtrack, you can almost smell the blossom in Central Park), the film doesn't idealise apartment living in New York, à la Friends, far from it: Fonda and Redford's apartment is up several flights of stairs; there's a hole in the skylight and the bedroom is the size of a cupboard. All of this puts some strain on the marriage. When Fonda introduces fellow free spirit and ageing, behind-on-the-rent Lothario (Charles Boyer) to her somewhat inhibited mother (Mildred Natwick), the hapless Redford in particular is forced to come to terms with his own inhibitions. Although the second half of the film moves at a less cracking pace than the first, Barefoot in the Park is as exhilarating as a romantic weekend city break. Directo r Gene Saks, scriptwriter Neil Simon and composer Hefti would regroup in 1968 to make the similarly wonderful The Odd Couple.

On the DVD: With the aid of filtering, the DVD recaptures the almost unreal colour quality common to films of this period, while the sound is faithful to the nuances of Hefti's soundtrack. The special features are miserly--subtitles, a choice of languages and the original trailer, though this at least conveys the engaging naiveté of the period--("The rarest, unsquarest, happiest motion picture in many a year!"). --David Stubbs