Brave way to tackle taboos

From tackling the controversial subject of paedophilia with sensitivity and flair in The Woodsman to Steve Coogan and 'the cream of British humour' in Monkey Trousers, we give you a round-up of all the latest DVD releases.

The Woodsman
****
Paedophilia is a hell of a topic for a first film, but Nicole Kassell's terrific The Woodsman strikes a clever balance between sympathy and condemnation. Walter (Kevin Bacon) served 12 years for indecently assaulting young girls; now he's out and far more terrified of his own urges than of any potential crim-basher. He tries to steer clear of human contact, adult as well as child, but somehow rough sweetie Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick, Bacon's wife) sidles close to him. Still, it'll take more than one tough woman to solve Walter's problems. Bacon is wonderful, simultaneously attractive and repellently self-deluding, and Kassell's visual flair is exceptional. Only the one-dimensionality of the film's other characters lets it down, but it's a minor quibble.
Extras: Director's commentary, interviews with director and stars, deleted scenes, making-of doc. Nina Caplan

La Strada
*****
Federico Fellini's wonderful 1954 film La Strada gets a welcome release on DVD, with Fellini's wife and muse, Giulietta Masina, starring. She's gentle peasant Gelsomina, sold to the brutish fairground wrestler ZampanÚ (Anthony Quinn) as a kind of drummerboy for his itinerant act. He breaks chains by puffing out his chest but he finds it harder to destroy the bonds of affection he comes to feel for Gelsomina - so he puffs out his chest still harder and treats her abominably. When the two join a circus (well, this is Fellini after all), it's not long before they drum up a tragedy. Masina is adorable, like a winsome female Charlie Chaplin and, although the film bubbles with energy, it's less florid than some of Fellini's later extravaganzas. See it.
Extras: Masina doc, commentary, booklet with Fellini and Masina interview.

Monkey Trousers
***
Take 'the cream of British humour' (Steve Coogan, Vic'n'Bob), dribble it over a twinkly Who's Who of comedy cameos (Mackenzie Crook, Alistair McGowan, er, Patsy Palmer) and you'd imagine something pretty tasty, no? Actually 'no' is exactly what critics and fans alike said when sketch show Monkey Trousers first hit TV. Although it's still largely a case of appreciating the vast wardrobe of characters - and wondering why they're just not funny - it's worth unzipping them again in this two-disc set. Mainly because for every three or so duds, you'll get a laugh-out-loud gem like Bob's irrelevant estate agent ('this is a variegated leaf') popping up to prove Monkey Trousers ain't as pants as you might remember.
Extras: Interviews and commentaries from Bob Mortimer and Steve Coogan, 15 unseen sketches.Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Looking For Langston
****
Isaac Julien's 1989 short Looking For Langston is a hymn to black gay desire and a response to the growing Aids pandemic of the time. Julien evokes Harlem Renaissance poet, playwright and author Langston Hughes as a cultural icon who was able to represent his blackness but not his gayness. Such repression is not only damaging, Julien implies, but, in the time of Aids, could be deadly. His message is delivered through a collage of archive footage, stunning black and white set pieces and fantasy sequences that crackle with eroticism, paralleling 1920s Harlem and 1980s London. This is set to a soundtrack that blends Hughes's poetry with that of Bruce Nugent and Essex Hemphill and jazz and blues. Still challenging today, Looking For Langston is a stunning showcase of Julien's gift for visual lyricism.
Extras: Director's commentary, Julien's short film Portrait In Blue: Essex Hemphill, a 1990 radio programme featuring Hemphill, photos and a 48-page booklet. Siobhan Murphy