Fast Scans, February 15, 2011 

Army of Shadows. color. 145+ min. In French w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. 1969. Blu-ray ISBN 9781604653717. $39.95.
French Resistance fighters (Lino Ventura, Jean-Pierre Cassel, et al.) put up a heroic if often doomed campaign against their Nazi occupiers in Jean-Pierre Melville’s slow-moving but involving drama. Starkly photographed in chilly shades of blue and gray, this very personal work from the acclaimed director (Bob le flambeur, Le cercle rouge) strikes an authentic chord accented by the vulnerability of an inspirational Resistance leader (the incomparable Simone Signoret). Film buffs ought to take up arms for this Blu-ray debut.

The Complete Metropolis. 2 discs. b/w. 148+ min. Kino Intl. 1927. DVD UPC 738329069025. $29.99; 1-disc Blu-ray UPC 738329071325. $39.99.
Fritz Lang’s influential sf classic pre­sents a future world where the oppressed underground masses toil at towering machines to support the skyscraper-dwelling upper class. But his imaginative scenario is mitigated by a rather facile social-upheaval plot line overacted even by the standards of silent film–era histrionics. This newly restored version replaces most of the scenes immediately cut after the film’s under­whelming 1927 premiere with recently recovered footage that amplifies a singular directorial vision.

Cronos. color. 92+ min. In English & Spanish w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection, dist. by Image Entertainment. 1993. DVD ISBN 9781604651836. $29.95; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604651843. $39.95.
Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) shows early promise in his feature-film debut, making the most of an austere budget even as it takes a toll on the makeup and special effects. In this eccentric variation on vampire lore, an avuncular antiques dealer (Federico Luppi) acquires an ancient device sought after by a crazily determined American (Ron Perlman). Among the extras, del Toro offers some candidly revealing lessons learned in his first outing that may serve as a guide for aspiring filmmakers and fans alike.

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo. color. 107 min. In English & Japanese w/English subtitles. IFC Films, dist. by MPI Home Entertainment. 2009. DVD ISBN 9780788613470. $24.98.
Seeking vengeance against the boyfriend (Sergi Lopez, Pan’s Labyrinth) he blames for his daughter’s suicide, a grief-stricken Japanese businessman allows his assistant to hire an unlikely hit woman (Rinko Kikuchi, Babel), who promptly falls for her target. As the hired gun’s neighbor and simpatico narrator of this fatalistic tale, a sound engineer goes about his job recording around Tokyo. Director/writer Isabel Coixet (Elegy) offers an atmospheric romantic drama whose flaws shouldn’t deter viewers from her offbeat effort.

The Sicilian Girl. color. 110 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. Music Box Films. 2010. DVD UPC 705105743653. $29.95.
Seventeen-year-old Rita (Veronica D’Agostino) turns to an encouraging magistrate in order to seek justice for the murders of her dad and brother, both mob members killed by rival Mafiosi. With a price on her head for agreeing to testify against her “uncle,” the whipsawed teen must go into hiding under a false identity even as she remains estranged from her mother for breaking the familial code of silence. Director Marco Amenta brings to light a real-life young woman whose bravery viewers will cheer. [See Trailers, LJ 11/1/10]