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Luc Besson on Blu-ray in September

14 August 2009

Luc Besson was born in Paris in 1959 but spent most of his childhood travelling around the world with his parents who were diving instructors. Besson thus originally wanted to become a marine biologist, until a diving accident forced him back to Paris and a more urbane lifestyle. Deciding to become a filmmaker instead, he made his feature length debut as a writer/producer/ director with The Last Battle in 1983. The film heralded the arrival of a new visionary in French cinema and marked the beginning of long collaborations with actor Jean Reno and composer Eric Serra, amongst others. Themes of alienation and unlikely pairings came to characterize many of Besson's films, including Subway, Léon and Angel-A, while his passion for the beauties and mysteries of aquatic life inspired the story of The Big Blue and later documentary Atlantis. His work as a true cinema aesthete led the new French movement "cinema du look" – highly stylized and slick visuals almost mesmeric in their intensity and power.

The Last Battle / Le Dernier combat (1983) was Besson's debut feature, a stylish monochrome post-apocalyptic science fiction story that helped kick of the slick 'Cinema Du look' movement of the 1980's. This was also Besson's first of several films featuring actor Jean Reno. A trailer is also on board.

Subway (1985), a tale of doomed love and lost Parisian youth amongst the denizens of the Paris Metro, starring an iconically white-haired Christopher Lambert as a criminal outsider who discovers an underground community that he soon finds himself part of. There's only a trailer in the extras cupboard.

The Big Blue / Le grand bleu – Long Version (1988) stars Jean-Marc Barr and Jean Reno as Jacques and Enzo, two childhood friends who have both become renowned deep sea competiton divers, a potentially deadly sport in which the contestants descend as far as they can without breathing apparatus. Featuring the too rarely used Rosanna Arquette as an American reporter who falls for Jacques' charm and good looks, this was Besson's first (partial) foray into English language filmmaking. The disc features both the original theatrical cut and the longer director's cut, a making-of featurette and trailers.

Nikita (1990) is one of Besson's most internationally successful and highly regarded films, the story of a young woman (Anne Parillaud) who is arrested following a botched robbery that ends in murder, but is spared prison and execution to be trained as government assassin. The disc includes a making-of documentary, the production featurette Karyo On Besson, The Sound Of Nikita, The Bedroom, Training Room, Vanity Fair, and a trailer. The film itself includes a memorable cameo from Besson regular Jean Reno as an assassination clean-up man, who went on to have his own movie in...

Léon (1994) moves Jean Reno's 'cleaner' from Bikita to centre stage and reluctantly teams him with the young Mathilda (Nathalie Portman in only her second film role) after her family is slaughtered by out-of-control cop Stansfield, wildly played by Gary Oldman. Probably the most admired of all Besson's directorial works, the disc will feature both the theatrical version and the extended directors cut, along with an The Jean Reno – Road to Léon featurette, a 10th anniversary making-of retrospective, Natalie Portman – Starting Young featurette and a trailer.

Made before Léon but far less widely seen is Atlantis, Besson's beautifiully shot, commantary-free celebration of the undersea world, and the sort of film that seems perfect for Blu-ray presentation. The extras here are limited to a trailer.

Finally there's Angel-A, which charts the the supernatural love story of everyman Andre and the mysterious Angela and features stunning monochrome cinematography from Besson's regular cameraman Thierry Arbogast. The disc will feature a making-of featurette, a featurette on the music, a music video and a theatrical trailer.

All seven discs will be release on 14th September 2009 by Optimum Home Entertainment at the RRP of £24.99 each.