The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with petrol and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct towards reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com
One of several animal-in-the-title' cash-ins released in the wake of Dario Argento's box-office smash The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a gloriously excessive giallo that boasts a rogues gallery of perverse characters; violent, fetishized murders, and one of the genre's most nonsensical, red-herring laden plots (which sees almost every incidental character hinted at potentially being the killer). Set in Dublin (a rather surprising giallo setting), Iguana opens audaciously with an acid-throwing, razor-wielding maniac brutally slaying a woman in her own home. The victim's mangled corpse is discovered in a limousine owned by Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky (Anton Diffring, Where Eagles Dare) and a police investigation is launched, but when the murdering continues and the ambassador claims diplomatic immunity, tough ex-cop John Norton (Luigi Pistilli, A Bay of Blood) is brought in to find the killer Benefitting from a sumptuous score by Stelvio Cipriani (Nightmare City, Death Walks on High Heels) and exuberant supporting performances from Valentina Cortese (The Possessed, Thieves' Highway) and Dagmar Lassander (The Frightened Woman, The Black Cat), The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire is a luridly over-the-top latter-day entry in the filmography of acclaimed director Riccardo Freda (Caltiki The Immortal Monster, Murder Obsession). An archetypal giallo from the genre's heyday, Freda's film is presented here in a stunning new restoration with a host of newly produced extras. Special Edition Contents: New 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Uncompressed mono 1.0 LPCM audio Original English and Italian soundtracks, titles and credits Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack New audio commentary by giallo connoisseurs Adrian J. Smith and David Flint Of Chameleons and Iguanas, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Richard Dyer Considering Cipriani, a new appreciation of the composer Stelvio Cipriani and his score to The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire by DJ and soundtrack collector Lovely Jon The Cutting Game, a new interview with Iguana's assistant editor Bruno Micheli The Red Queen of Hearts, a career-spanning interview with the actress Dagmar Lassander Original Italian and international theatrical trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Andreas Ehrenreich
A stirring British war film depicting the boat crews whose job it was to rescue downed RAF pilots. After the Normandy D-Day landings, a dangerous attempt is made to rescue the survivors of a WWII British Hudson bomber, crashed at sea. On board is an Air Commodore who has secret plans that could stop enemy air raids on London. Produced by Daniel M. Angel. Written by Lewis Gilbert and Vernon Harris from the novel by John Harris.
From producer J.J. Abrams come the third instalment to the new Star Trek films, with all of the main crew returning (Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin) with the additions of Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella. The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test. Click Images to Enlarge
A young punk rock band find themselves trapped in a secluded venue after stumbling upon a horrific act of violence.
Four-part third series of the spin-off of ITV's long-running crime drama 'Inspector Morse'. Set in the mid-1960s, the show follows Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) in his younger years as a police constable. Working alongside his senior partner Detective Inspector Fred Thursday (Roger Allam) and Sergeant James Strange (Sean Rigby), Morse engages in a number of investigations around Oxford, England. The episodes are: 'Ride', 'Arcadia', 'Prey' and 'Coda'.
Wealthy businessman and skilled huntsman Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) summons a selection of guests to his home for the weekend one of whom is a werewolf with a taste for blood. It's up to the others to seek out the monster before the full moon reveals the culprit.
This box set features a collection of Powell And Pressburger finest films. Includes: 1. The Tales of Hoffman (1951) 2. Black Narcisus (1946) 3. A Matter of Life & Death (1946) 4. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) 5. A Canterbury Tale (1944) 6. I Know Where I am Going (1945) 7. 49th Parallel (1941) 8. The Battle of the River Plate (1956) 9. Ill Met By Moonlight (1957) 10. They're A Weird Mob (1966) 11. The Red Shoes (1948)
Armchair Theatre was ITV's flagship drama anthology series. Initially screened between 1956 and 1973, it was hugely popular, with viewing figures occasionally reaching twenty million, and became a byword for quality in televised drama.Pioneering, immensely influential and sometimes challenging in its content, the series consistently drew upon a wide range of talent. Armchair Theatre became a showcase for the post-war generation of British writers who sought to place sensitive social topics - in particular the British class system - under the microscope. Throughout, the series featured a number of powerful, award-winning plays, and its lasting influence was a testament to producer Sydney Newman's passionate belief in television's potential to bring high-quality drama to the viewing public. This collection brings together a further eight plays, initially broadcast between 1970 and 1974. Featuring scripts by Donald Churchill (Spooner's Patch), P.J. Hammond (Sapphire and Steel) and Roger Marshall, whose play ties into an episode of his most memorable series Public Eye, the programmes include accomplished performances from, among others, John Thaw, Anton Rodgers, Kenneth Haigh, Bill Maynard, Susannah York, Gordon Jackson and Warren Clarke.
This International Emmy Award-winning comedy stars Anton Rodgers (May to September) and Julia McKenzie (Cranford) as William and Hester Field, a happily married middle-class couple whose children have flown the nest. Setting out to prove you re as young as you feel, Hester is determined to do all those things she never got around to when the kids were at home leaving William trailing in the wake of his wife s seemingly boundless enthusiasm. Fresh Fields gentle humour garnered high ratings throughout its four-year run, with McKenzie earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance. Its sequel, French Fields, saw the couple following their children s example and setting up home across the Channel; three series chart a whole new chapter of misadventure as the Fields try to breach the language barrier and adapt to the strange customs of their adopted home. This set presents both complete series, brought together for the first time on DVD.
Oxford's brilliant young detective opens the casebook on a brand new set of perilous murder mysteries as Endeavour returns. Barely a fortnight has passed since the dramatic finale of series three, and we find Oxford's finest picking up the pieces of their lives. Endeavour waits to hear the results of his Sergeant's exam, self-medicating to numb his heartache but whisky will only get a man so far. With the summer of 1967 fading into autumn, and the Cold War on the rise, Endeavour and senior officer DI Thursday soon find themselves plunged into their most baffling and darkly terrifying investigations to date.
In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans has been found guilty for his homosexuality, deemed grounds for imprisonment under Paragraph 175. Over the course of decades, he is spied on and repeatedly jailed as a result. As Hans returns to prison again and again, he develops an unlikely bond with his cellmate Viktor, a convicted murderer. What begins as revulsion blossoms over time into something far more tender. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes, and starring an exceptional Franz Rogowski (Transit), Sebastian Meise's GREAT FREEDOM is a searing depiction of love in the face of injustice.
Experience a new dimension of fear, as all the action and suspense of Fright Night leap off the screen in mind-blowing Blu-ray 3D!Meet the sexy new neighbour, Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell). He's dangerously charming - and utterly lethal. That's because he just happens to be a vampire, and out for blood...buckets of it. After high school senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) makes the connection between Jerry's suspicious activity and a steadily rising body count, he vows to end the reign of terror next door. But he can't do it alone. His only hope is Las Vegas magician/vampire-slayer Peter Vincent (David Tennant). Together, this unlikely duo set out to end Jerry's evil rampage. But Jerry is a ruthless,relentless killer, and he's not going down without a fight. Get set to sink your teeth into this thrilling re-vamp of the terrifying horror classic. Featuring a star-studded cast and crawling with bonus, Fright Night in spectacular 3D will captivate you from the very first bite!
Flora appears to be the perfect politician's wife running her husband's constituency and country home with ease while he pursues his career as Minister for the Family at Westminister. Until a sex scandel involving her husband changes Flora's life forever. Political intrigue adultery and betrayal is just the beginning until Flora takes her revenge.
Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) is a crass, loud American. Laurence Jameson (Michael Caine) is a suave, urbane European. Their common ground is that they both are confidence men, and they meet in a train compartment as Benson is scamming his way across Europe, taking advantage of women's generosity. The two are forced into a rivalry, which culminates in a wager to see who can be the first to bilk $50,000 out of American heiress Janet Colgate (Glenne Headly). Their game of one-upmanship is, of course, brought to ridiculous heights as things progress. Written by Paul Henning (the mind behind such TV shows as Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is an uneven but funny mix of Martin's physical comedy and Caine's oily charms. Martin's first role as cohort is to assume the persona of Ruprecht, the "special" younger brother intended to scare off potential brides. As Ruprecht, he comes off as a down-home version of Jerry Lewis; hilarious as it is, it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the film. Once the wager is on, though, Martin slips into his overly earnest mode as an American military man suffering from hysterical paralysis, with Caine as a psychologist who takes on his case. All in all, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (a loose remake of the 1964 film Bedtime Story with David Niven and Marlon Brando) is a droll, intelligent comedy, short on knee slappers but long on comic situations and characterisations. --Jerry Renshaw, Amazon.com
Lola Montès is a visually ravishing, narratively daring dramatization of the life of the notorious courtesan and showgirl, played by Martine Carol. With his customary cinematographic flourish and, for the first time, vibrant colour, Max Ophuls charts Montès's scandalous past through the bombastic ringmaster (Peter Ustinov) of the American circus where she ends up performing. Ophuls's final film, Lola Montès is at once a magnificent romantic melodrama, a meditation on the lurid fascination with celebrity, and a meticulous, one-of-a-kind movie spectacle. Special Features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Audio commentary featuring Max Ophuls scholar Susan White Max Ophuls ou le plaisir de tourner, a 1965 episode of the French television program Cinéastes de notre temps, featuring interviews with many of Ophuls's collaborators Max by Marcel, a new documentary by Marcel Ophuls about his father and the making of Lola Montès Silent footage of actress Martine Carol demonstrating the various glamorous hairstyles in Lola Montès Theatrical rerelease trailer from Rialto Pictures New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Gary Giddins
Nightingale's Boy's shows what happens when a master at a northern grammar school, Bill 'Tweety' Nightingale, tries to organise a reunion with the boys of the 'star' class of his career: the 1949 sixth form. Nearing retirement and aware that his gifts are fading, Bill fondly regards the class as the high point of his career, and now hopes to recapture some of its alchemy; as this seven-part series unfolds, we see just how the likely lads of '49 turned out - and whether Bill is doomed to disillusion. Derek Farr - like several cast members a former teacher himself - brings great sympathy to the role of Bill Nightingale, a radical who had fought in the Spanish Civil War, and a distinguished master with 35 years' teaching experience. Each drama focuses on a particular member of his favourite class, with Anton Rodgers, Ronald Lewis, David Swift and Bernard Gallagher among the noted actors portraying the sixth-formers in adult life; writers include award-winning playwright Jack Rosenthal, Arthur Hopcraft.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy