3 Films By Louis Malle

Three of late French director Louis Malle's finest works -- which, coincidentally, all deal with male adolescents coming of age -- finally debut on DVD, compliments Criterion Collection. 1987's Au Revoir Les Enfants deals with a pair of boys -- one of whom is secretly Jewish -- that become friends at a French Catholic boarding school during the Nazi occupation. In 1971's Murmur of The Heart, a very precocious, lanky teen learns the ways of sexuality from a variety of women, including a very unlikely partner. And in 1974's Lacombe, Lucien, never available on U.S. home video before, a cute young peasant turns ugly when drafted by the Gestapo. All three films have been gorgeously restored, looking better than they probably ever have. Bonus features: While the films are available separately, the box set includes a disc of cinephile-worthy extras, both new and archival, including interviews with Malle's widow Candice Bergen. --Lawrence Ferber

Mrs. Henderson Presents

The true story of a wealthy widow who opened London's first live nude review, Mrs. Henderson Presents is a brittle, witty delight with gay fave potential galore. Working from a screenplay by Bent's Martin Sherman, Judi Dench earned an Oscar nod as the eccentric society dame and gets spiffy support from Bob Hoskins as her bombastic theater manager, Christopher Guest as London's designated censor, and Britain's original Pop Idol winner Will Young as a gay choreographer. Bonus features: Commentary by director Stephen Frears and a making-of featurette that includes interviews with the still-lovely surviving members of the revue.--JK

Brokeback Mountain

If you haven't already seen Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, the award-winning, zeitgeist-capturing, archetype-crumbling tale of the ill-fated romance between two sheepherders, played magnificently by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, shame on you. Go buy it now. Bonus features: The film was rushed onto DVD to capitalize on the box office momentum (who can blame them?) and the featurettes on the disc seem to have been made in haste and culled from B-roll. They include a special that's already aired on Logo, and interviews with screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossan. Hopefully, a Collector's Edition is in the works with a commentary by director Lee and his stars.--Jeremy Kinser

Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory

If you ever doubted the famous MGM slogan "More stars than there are in heaven," there's plenty of proof in the the five disc-collection Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory. Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Lena Horne, and Esther Williams are among the cinematic immortals starring in the musical hits like It's Always Fair Weather, Three Little Words, and the all-star extravaganzas Till the Clouds Roll By and Ziegfeld Follies. However, the big draw here is surely the DVD debut of 1950's Summer Stock, a pleasant-enough "let's put on a show in the barn" tale elevated by the mythic musical talents of the great Garland reteamed with her frequent co-star Kelly. It features one of Garland's signature production numbers, "Get Happy," and would, sadly, mark the star's final film for MGM. Bonus features: A truly staggering collection of classic cartoons, outtakes, with both vintage featurettes and new ones that include interviews with surviving cast and crew members.--JK

Unveiled

Beautifully pieced together, Unveiled follows Fariba (Jasmin Tabatabai), a tormented lesbian, as she takes on the identity of a man to flee her persecuted life in Iran. Using her hidden identity, she gains temporary asylum in Germany. After acquiring an illegal factory job, she befriends Anne (Anneke Kim Sarnau), a curious female coworker. As the pair becomes intertwined, things get stripped away, leaving an appealing finish. The female to male plight of the film's protagonist is infused with a skillful mix of sexual and cultural situations. Although the film moves slowly at times, it retains a wonderful realistic quality that causes the viewer to remain involved throughout. Bonus features: Theatrical trailer.--Jim Holmes

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Heath Ledger captured the heart of Jake Gyllenhaal and of viewers the world over as the lonesome cowpoke in Brokeback Mountain. Then the talented young actor did a 180 and played the world's most notorious womanizer in director Lasse Hallstrom's Casanova. Ledger shows his range as a farceur in this lush 18th-century costume comedy and gets able support from Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, Lena Olin, and It girl du jour Sienna Miller. Bonus features: Commentary by Hallestrom, plus featurettes on the making of the film and recreating 18th-century Venice.

Three of the Bard's most venerable works get updated in films included in the boxed DVD set The Shakespeare Collection. Rupert Everett, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Christian Bale, and Calista Flockhart putter about an enchanted forest (here set in turn-of-the-century Tuscany) in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the ultimate star-crossed lovers in Baz Luhrmann's imaginative, MTV-friendly retelling of Romeo + Juliet. In a fit of vengeful one-upmanship, Anthony Hopkins serves Jessica Lange a meat pie she will won't soon forget in Titus, director Julie Taymor's extravagant, mind-bending adaptation of Shakespeare's most controversial play, Titus Andronicus. Bonus features: Assorted commentaries, music videos, Q&As, and making-of featurettes.

Oh to have Claire Danes' problems! In Shopgirl, the elegant film adaptation of Steve Martin's best-selling novella, her titular character must choose between a wealthy entrepreneur (played by Martin himself) and a scruffy musician (the always interesting Jason Schwartzman). Bonus features: the featurette "Evolution of a Novella: The Making of Shopgirl," deleted scenes, and commentary by director Anand Tucker.--JK