Le Dernier Combat (1983) finds Luc Besson setting out his directorial convictions in vividly direct terms. He honours the French New Wave through spartan, documentary-style presentation and--save for possibly the two most meaningful "Bonjours" in cinema history--the total absence of dialogue, appropriate for a film in which devastation has robbed survivors of the power of speech. The action centres on Pierre Jolivet, good-guy in a society where vigilantism and subjugation are the primary tools of survival. Gladiatorially clad Jean Reno makes a characteristic showing as his ruthless opponent, while Jean Bouise is the taciturn doctor who comes to Jolivet's aid.

Eric Serra offsets the chill austerity with a motley score of modernist clichés and easy listening soundbites. To be honest, there's little about this film that could be considered ground-breaking, but if a Mad Max scenario filtered through European surrealist sensibilities appeals, then Le Dernier Combat will make absorbing viewing.

On the DVD Le Dernier Combat's 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture has a suitably stark immediacy, enhanced by the surround sound option. There are no subtitles, hardly a stumbling block in this instance, and no special features apart from the chance to see trailers for two rather different Hollywood productions. There's no directorial commentary, which is a pity, as Besson's subsequent career has been an eventful one and it would have been good to hear him discuss it from the perspective of his first feature. --Richard Whitehouse

Merchant-Ivory leave heaving corsets behind for the contemporary world of Americans in Paris in Le Divorce. The day Isabel Walker (Kate Hudson) comes to visit her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) is the day Roxy's French husband leaves her. The divorce proceedings centre around a painting, long owned by the Walkers, that the husband's family would like to claim--but their manoeuvrings are complicated when Isabel begins an affair with a diplomat (Thierry Lhermitte) who just happens to be Roxy's uncle-in-law. At its best moments, Le Divorce has the feel of one of Woody Allen's serio-comic films like Hannah and Her Sisters, and there's a genuinely suspenseful climactic scene on the Eiffel Tower. There's also a star-studded supporting cast, including Leslie Caron, Glenn Close, Matthew Modine, Stephen Fry, Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing. --Bret Fetzer

Antonio's world comes crashing down with the untimely death of her husband. Added to this is the shocking discovery of her husband's homosexual interest. But, when she meets him, an unusual chemistry sparks off between the two.