Orson Welles' Macbeth is an expressionist masterpiece about a doomed man of ordinary ambition who believes an evil prophecy that he will become King. The shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, Welles long considered Macbeth to be the most filmable of the Bard's work. Produced on a slim budget over a mere 32 days, the results are consistently impressive. As depicted by Welles, the title character is not a warrior king or conscience-stricken, poetic soul on a par with Hamlet; rather, he is revealed to be a facile, superstitious man consigned to fate even as the character does not trust to fate. For her part, Lady Macbeth (Jeanette Nolan) is merely obsessed with the unimpeded exercise of her will to power, viewing her husband's life as a tale told by an idiot (she is particularly effective during the "out, damned spot" scene from Act V). Welles has also created some new scenes here, conflating several characters into a "Holy Father" (Alan Napier) while eliciting strong supporting turns from actors such as Dan O'Herlihy (Macduff) and Roddy McDowall (Malcolm). All of this unfolds within a highly disordered state in which nature itself is on the rant ("Fair is foul and foul is fair"). Though the technically poor soundtrack and the occasional indecipherable Scottish brogue make the film seem a trifle compromised at times, each moment feels preternaturally alive. There is an almost Brechtian quality here, with Welles giving us splendid pieces then leaving it to us to fit them into a theatrically coherent puzzle. Refusing to believe that Birnham Wood could ever travel to Dunsinane, Macbeth is finally exposed as a man of insufficient character. As such, some might suggest that this Macbeth is more accurately described as the story of how Malcolm became King. --Kevin Mulhall
Good weather for hanging. Billy the Kid's outlaw ingrates are penned like sows in a Lincoln County pit and the Kid is strapped in a nearby hotel. But the hangman will go home disappointed tonight. Billy cleverly breaks himself - then his gang - free. One of the West's greatest legends lives on to ride another day. Emilio Estevez, Keifer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Christian Slater saddle up for Young Guns II, featuring Jon Bon Jovi's 1990 Oscar® - nominated* and Golden Globe® Award-winning Best Original Song ʻBlaze of Glory'. By 1879, the Lincoln County Wars have ended but bad blood endures. Billy and his men look to Mexico for haven - if they can elude Billy's one-time friend, pursuing sheriff Pat Garrett (William Petersen).
In a prequel to legendary horror "The Exorcist," priest Lancaster Merrin encounters unspeakable evil in the deserts of East Africa.
Dissatisfied with the small profits shown by his petty crimes, Ronnie Cowan attempts to pull off the most sensational robbery of all time. He has learned that the Bank of Scotland periodically sends half a million pounds in one-pound notes to London for destruction, and the banknotes are transported on the famous passenger train, The Flying Scot. Cowan assembles a trusted transatlantic team and a brilliant, seemingly foolproof scheme is put into action...Lee Patterson is the man with the audacious plan and fellow Canadian Kay Callard his most glamorous accomplice in this taut heist thriller. Scripted by Carry On stalwart Norman Hudis and based on a story co-written by Danger Man creator Ralph Smart, The Flying Scot (also known as The Mail Bag Robbery) is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.SPECIAL FEATURE:Alternate Title Sequence
The definitive fully authorised story of Yes is as controversial as their music and is now told in a series of exclusive interviews with Yes members past and present. Tracing the musical journey from their debut album yes 1969 up until Magnification 2001 and beyond. As told by Jon Anderson Chris Squire Steve Howe Rick Wakeman Alan White Bill Bruford Peter Banks Trevor Horn Geoff Downes Keith Emerson and many more.
Vanessa Redgrave plays Clarissa Dalloway an MP's wife whose life is thrown into crisis when a lover she rejected 30 years ago makes an unexpected appearance at a party she is hosting at her elegant London home prompting bittersweet memories of her youth. Marleen Gorris the Oscar winning director of Antonia's Line brings to life Virginia Woolf's groundbreaking 1925 novel which itself inspired Michael Cunningham's Pultizer Prize-winning novel 'The Hours'. Beautifully filmed in
Espionage (ITC Series) (6 Discs)
Vanessa Stewart is an American who meets war correspondent Bill Fitzgerald in Venice. The attraction is immediate and an intense relationship ensues but Vanessa already has a fiance back in the States and when she returns forbids Bill ever to contact her again. It's not long however before Vanessa enters one of the world's most dangerous war zones to find the man she loves more than life itself...
A taut crime melodrama, Chain of Events features noted actor and film-maker Kenneth Griffith as a bank clerk whose attempt to dodge a fare has devastating consequences; a powerful cast includes Rank Charm School starlet Susan Shaw and future Richard the Lionheart lead Dermot Walsh. Adapted from a radio play written by inimitable character actor Leo McKern and directed by Carry On legend Gerald Thomas, Chain of Events is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. John Clarke, an uninspiring sort of fellow, one day boards a bus on his way home from work and foolishly forgets to pay his fare. He is caught by an inspector, but instead of owning up to it, gives the name and address of one of the bank's clients, setting in motion a violent chain of events involving blackmail, robbery and death... SPECIAL FEATURES: Image Gallery Original Pressbook PDF
A new 4K restoration of the compact, claustrophobic British B-movie gem directed by Compton Bennett, as three thieves from various walks of life combine forces for a daring attempt to make themselves rich. Lee Patterson is the man with the audacious plan and Kay Callard his glamorous accomplice in this taut train heist thriller also starring Alan Gifford and Margaret Withers. Dissatisfied with the small profits gained by his petty crimes, Ronnie Cowan (Patterson) attempts to pull off the most sensational train robbery of all time. After learning that the Bank of Scotland periodically sends half a million pounds in notes from Glasgow to London for destruction aboard the famous passenger train The Flying Scot , he assembles a trusted transatlantic team and a seemingly fool proof scheme is put into action. Now available on Blu-ray for the first time. Extras: Interview with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema - The Flying Scot and the history of the British B-movie Interview with writer & journalist Barry Forshaw Alternate Opening Sequence Stills Gallery
The Apprentice: The Best Of Series 1-4
California Street is a classic Neil Simon comedy that takes place at the Beverly Hills Hotel during the weekend of the Academy Awards celebration. Herb Ross's film follows the misadventures of four groups of guests including a divorced couple battling over the custody of their daughter (Jane Fonda and Alan Alda) a husband who gets caught with a hooker in his room by his wife (Walter Matthau and Elaine May) a British actress nominated for an Oscar and her straying gay husband (Maggie Smith and Michael Caine) and two competing doctors and their wives forced to share a hotel room (Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor).
Layer Cake: Matthew Vaughn the producer of 'Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch' steps into the director's chair for the first time with 'Layer Cake'. Based upon JJ Connelly's London crime novel 'Layer Cake' is about a successful cocaine dealer (Daniel Craig) who has earned a respected place among England's Mafia elite and plans an early retirement from the business. However big boss Jimmy Price (Cranham) hands down a tough assignment: find Charlotte Ryder the
Shot during the group's 35th Anniversary European Tour, Yesspeak offers a 169-minute documentary about the classic progressive rock band Yes, together with an audio-only presentation of their 2003 set. The feature, narrated by Roger Daltrey, is a refreshingly straightforward affair, with a near three-hour running time allowing rather more depth than the usual rockumentary. Divided into 10 chapters the programme systematically covers the background, history and outlook of the group before an extended interview with each of the five members of the classic line-up: Jon Anderson (vocals), Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass), Alan White (drums), and Rick Wakeman (keys). Finally there are more general sections on touring and the band's music. Archive material and glimpses of the 2003 tour are interwoven with the interviews, but this is very much a documentary, not a concert (to see Yes at their modern best watch Yes: Symphonic Live, 2002). The documentary puts a positive spin on a sometimes chequered past, and it's clearly aimed at long-term fans, but for those who have followed Yes through the decades this is satisfyingly comprehensive and thoroughly enjoyable; from Steve Howe's famous but still entertaining guitar/Concord story, to Rick Wakeman's tea break during a typically expansive prog-rock solo. On the DVD: Yesspeak comes as a two-disc set. Disc 1 offers the first five chapters and 89 minutes of the documentary, while the remaining 80 minutes are featured on Disc 2. The picture is an excellent amamorphically enhanced 16:9 widescreen presentation, though by necessity the archive material is of variable quality. Switches into black and white and slow motion are a typically unnecessary distraction of the rock documentary format, but the DVD handles them well. There are excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks and optional French, Dutch, Italian and Spanish subtitles. Disc 2 also showcases 126 minutes of concert audio. This is accompanied by concert photos but the sound is only Dolby Digital 5.1, without a DTS option. Although the sound is good it does not match the crystal clear quality of the same music as heard in fragments during the documentary itself. Presumably a DVD of the concerts will follow with much better sound, and the audio here will simply serve as a trailer for that release? --Gary S Dalkin
A new 4K restoration of the compact, claustrophobic British B-movie gem directed by Compton Bennett, as three thieves from various walks of life combine forces for a daring attempt to make themselves rich. Lee Patterson is the man with the audacious plan and Kay Callard his glamorous accomplice in this taut train heist thriller also starring Alan Gifford and Margaret Withers. Dissatisfied with the small profits gained by his petty crimes, Ronnie Cowan (Patterson) attempts to pull off the most sensational train robbery of all time. After learning that the Bank of Scotland periodically sends half a million pounds in notes from Glasgow to London for destruction aboard the famous passenger train The Flying Scot , he assembles a trusted transatlantic team and a seemingly fool proof scheme is put into action. Extras: Interview with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema - The Flying Scot and the history of the British B-movie Interview with writer & journalist Barry Forshaw Alternate Opening Sequence Stills Gallery
Last Of The Mohicans: 1757: the war raging between England and France in the American colonies enters its third year. Moving through the dangerous and untamed land is the frontiersman Hawkeye adopted son of the Mohican Chingachgook. En route to a camp in the West he breaks up an ambush and rescues a group of English people including Cora Munro. Hawkeye agrees to guide them to safety and in doing so all their fates become intertwined as they are forced to fight to survive both the war - and the wilderness... The Mission: Set in the quasi-mystical rain forests of South America 'The Mission' presents each man with his greatest challenge. The priest (Irons) has come to spread the word of God amongst the Guarani Indians; the mercenary (De Niro) has come to enslave them. With the passing of time their destinies become entwined... Robin Hood - Prince Of Thieves: It was a time of tyrants: the only way to uphold the truth was to break the law. He fought for the good of all men and for the love of just one woman. Kevin Costner brings the epic hero Robin Hood to life in a film filled with pageantry intrigue action and romance. With an outstanding cast record-breaking theme song and film production on a sweeping scale 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' has become a legend in its own right.
After the technical achievement of Babe, it was almost inevitable that "talking animal" effects would be applied to the serious themes of George Orwell's Animal Farm. A bitterly satirical indictment of Stalinist Russia and the failure of Communism, Orwell's 1945 novel is a time-honoured classic, so it's only fitting that this TNT production remains largely faithful to Orwell's potent narrative. A showcase for the impressive creations of Jim Henson's Creature Shop (where director John Stephenson was a veteran supervisor), the film employs animatronic creatures and computer animation to tell the story of uprising, unity, and tragic rebellion among the farm animals.The politics of "Animalism" are initially effective, ousting enemy humans according to rules ordained by Old Major, the barnyard pig whose death sets the stage for the corruptive influence of the pig Napoleon, who cites superior intelligence as his right to dominance. This tyrannical reign destroys the farm's stability, and the film--decidedly not for young children--preserves Orwell's dark, cynical view of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Particularly effective is a propaganda film shown to the barnyard collective, and certain scenes--while not as impressive as the Babe films--powerfully convey the force of Orwell's story through animal "performance". Animal Farm occasionally falters in its emotional impact (the fate of the horse Boxer should be heart-rending, and it isn't), but it's certainly blessed with an elite voice cast, including Peter Ustinov, Patrick Stewart, Pete Postlethwaite, Julia Ormond, Kelsey Grammer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Paul Scofield, and Ian Holm. Not the masterpiece it might've been, this is nevertheless a worthy representation of Orwell's novel. --Jeff Shannon
A portrayal of the life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother focusing on her courtship with the future King George VI the birth of their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret and the war years finally leading to Bertie's early death in 1952.
Vaudevillians Harry (Crosby) and Chester (Hope) travel to Tibet to search for a drug to restore Chester's memory. Once they find the cure Chester's memory becomes so good that he accidentally memorizes a secret formula for space navigation. Soon the two meet up with a beautiful spy (Collins) and get slightly sidetracked... to another planet!
The true story of The Temptations the Soul vocal group of the 1960s as seen from the viewpoint of the last surviving member Otis Williams. Beginning from their humble origins in the late 50s and continuing through the 90s and the deaths of the other 4 members.
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