"Actor: Boris"

• Strike | DVD | (17/07/2000) from £19.65   |  Saving you £0.34 (1.73%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Sergei Eisenstein's debut film is more than a landmark of Soviet cinema; it's easily one of the most thrilling and inventive films to emerge from the silent era of Russian film making. Eisenstein was a theatre director and stage designer with some very specific ideas about the cinema, and he put them into practice telling the story of a worker's strike in pre-Revolution Russia, portraying the struggle not of leader against leader, but of the proletariat against the factory owners, enlivened by a conspiratorial subplot involving a quartet of insidious spies sent to infiltrate the ranks of the workers. The subject matter is at times didactic and the acting often hammy and overwrought, but the technique is vibrant and the images striking. Eisenstein's compositions reflect the graphic boldness of contemporary poster art, mixing poetic realism with grotesque expressionism in a gripping style, and his famous montage editing style (to be perfected in his next film, Battleship Potemkin) is raw, experimental and energetic. Eisenstein's later films are more consistent and elegant, but none of them have the sheer cinematic invention and energy of this first film. The new score, composed and performed by the idiosyncratic Alloy Orchestra, combines a mix of martial and mood music on synthesiser with the driving percussion of drums, wood blocks, bells and wrecking yard of clanging metal objects--a dynamic soundtrack to one of the most auspicious directoral debuts ever. --Sean Axmaker

• The Sorcerers | DVD | (06/12/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  The Sorcerers, the second film directed by the lost "wunderkind" of British cinema Michael Reeves, may not have the scope and visceral impact of his masterpiece, Witchfinder General (1968), but there's enough fierce originality here to show what a tragic loss it was when he died from a drugs overdose aged only 24. The film also shows the effective use he made of minimal resources, working here on a derisory budget of less than £50,000--of which £11,000 went to the film's sole "named" star, Boris Karloff. Karloff plays an elderly scientist living with his devoted wife in shabby poverty in London, dreaming of the brilliant breakthrough in hypnotic technique that will restore him to fame and fortune. Seeking a guinea-pig, he hits on Mike, a disaffected young man-about-town (Ian Ogilvy, who starred in all three of Reeves' films). But the technique has an unlooked-for side effect--not only can he and his wife make Mike do their bidding, they can vicariously experience everything that he feels. At which point, it turns out that the wife has urges and desires that her husband never suspected. Karloff, then almost at the end of his long career, brings a melancholy dignity to his role; but the revelation is the veteran actress Catherine Lacey as the seemingly sweet old lady, turning terrifyingly avid and venomous as she realises her power. The portrayal of Swinging London, with its mini-skirted dollybirds thronging nightclubs where the strongest stimulant seems to be Coke rather than coke, has an almost touching innocence, but Reeves invests it with a dream-like quality, extending it into scenes of violent death in labyrinthine dark alleys. By this stage, some ten years after it started, the British horror cycle was winding down in lazy self-parody. Reeves had the exceptional talent and vision to revive it, had he only lived. On the DVD: The Sorcerers DVD has original trailers for both this film and Witchfinder General (both woefully clumsy); filmographies for Reeves, Karloff and Ogilvy; an "image gallery" (a grab-bag of posters, stills and lobby cards); detailed written production notes by horror-movie expert Kim Newman; and an excellent 25-minute documentary on Reeves, "Blood Beast", dating from 1999. The transfer is letterboxed full-width, with acceptable sound. --Philip Kemp

• Werewolf Hunt | DVD | (25/07/2011) from £3.49   |  Saving you £9.50 (73.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  During the Great Patriotic War (the Eastern Front of World War II) information is leaked to the Soviet High Command that a Nazi underground bunker WEREWOLF is located in Ukraine. Werewolf is to become the brain centre to Hitler's attack. A Soviet reconnaissance unit led by Major Sedov is deployed in the area. They aim to obtain and transmit information on the location and strength of the enemy forces around the bunker. They are totally disregarded for human casualties and so Major Sedov's people are but pawns in the big game. But sometimes it is up to a pawn to checkmate the opponent...

• Black Friday | DVD | (27/05/2013) from £6.09   |  Saving you £3.90 (39.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Boris Karloff stars in this sci-fi horror from 1940. When mild-mannered professor George Kingsley (Stanley Ridges) is fatally wounded, his friend Dr. Ernest Sovac (Karloff) performs illegal brain surgery to save him. After the operation, Kingsley is left with part of deceased mobster Red Cannon (Ridges)'s brain and as a result suffers from a split personality. He tells Sovac about a secret stash of money that Cannon stole. To locate the cash, Sovac hypnotises Kingsley so that Cannon's persona...

• Universal Classic Monsters Collection: Limited Edition Coffin | Blu Ray | (01/10/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Limited Edition coffin containing eight of the most iconic cinematic masterpieces of the horror genre. Digitally restored in perfect high-definition picture and sound. Coffin includes a never-before-seen featurette about the restoration of Dracula and the first ever offering of Creature from the Black Lagoon in its restored Blu-ray 3D version.DraculaThe original 1931 movie version of Bram Stoker's classic tale has for generations defined the iconic look and terrifying persona of the famed vampire. Dracula owes its continued appeal in large part due to Bela Lugosi's indelible portrayal of the immortal Count Dracula and the flawless direction of horror auteur Tod Browning.FrankensteinBoris Karloff stars as the screen's most tragic and iconic monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) dares to tamper with the essential nature of life and death by creating a monster (Karloff) out of lifeless human body parts.The MummyHorror icon Boris Karloff stars in the original 1932 version of The Mummy in which a team of British archaeologists accidentally revives a mummified high priest after 3,700 years. Alive again, he sets out on an obsessive-and deadly-quest to find his lost love.The Invisible ManClaude Rains delivers an unforgettable performance in his screen debut as a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives in a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery, but the drug's side effects slowly drive him to commit acts of unspeakable terror.The Bride Of FrankensteinThe acclaimed sequel to the original Frankenstein has become one of the most popular horror classics in film history. The legendary Boris Karloff reprises his role as the screen's most misunderstood monster, now longing for a mate of his own. Colin Clive is back as the proud and overly ambitious Dr. Frankenstein, who creates the ill-fated bride (Elsa Lanchester).The Wolf ManOriginally released in 1941, The Wolf Man introduced the world to a new Universal movie monster and redefined the mythology of the werewolf forever. Featuring a heartbreaking performance by Lon Chaney Jr. and groundbreaking make-up by Jack Pierce, The Wolf Man is the saga of Larry Talbot, a cursed man who transforms into a deadly werewolf when the moon is full.Phantom Of The OperaThis lavish retelling of Gaston Leroux's immortal horror tale stars Claude Rains as the masked phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House. A crazed composer who schemes to make beautiful young soprano Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster) the star of the opera company, the Phantom also wreaks revenge on those he believes stole his music. Nelson Eddy, as the heroic baritone, tries to win the affections of Christine as he tracks down the murderous, horribly disfigured Phantom.The Creature From The Black LagoonCaptured and imprisoned for scientific study, a living amphibious missing link becomes enamored with the head researcher's female assistant (Julie Adams). When the hideous creature escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection, a crusade is launched to rescue the helpless woman and cast the terrifying creature back to the depths from which he came.

• The Lost Patrol | DVD | (24/01/2011) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-7.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  John Ford's epic story of boiling passions amongst the burning sands in which twelve battered fighting men battle it out to the death. Set during the First World War a small British Army group is set out on a mission to the Mesopotamian desert but disaster strikes when their commanding officer is shot by an Arab sniper. Unaware of their intended destination their Sergeant (Victor McLagen) takes charge and decides to head north to meet up with their brigade. Sheltering at an oasis they wake up the next morning to discover their lookout dead and their camp surrounded by Arab tribesmen. Left at the mercy of the Arabs and being slowly picked off one-by-one the men begin to crack under the desert heat and life-or-death situation. As their supplies run low Sanders (Boris Karloff) begins to doubt his sanity but unbeknownst to the soldiers a rescue patrol is only days away...

• The Terror | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  A lieutentant in Napoleon's army (a young Jack Nicholson) traces a mysterious woman to a castle on the Baltic coast and finds himself trapped by a mad baron (Boris Karloff). This highly enjoyable atmopsheric slice of low-budget horror from the great Roger Corman was also reportedly directed at points by future talents Francis Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich.

• Die Unbesiegten (Unconquered) | Blu Ray | (11/05/2018) from £12.92   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Mummy (1932) + Bonus Disc (DVD) | DVD | (08/05/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Horror icon Boris Karloff stars in the original 1932 version of The Mummy in which a team of British archaeologists accidentally revives a mummified high priest after 3,700 years. Alive again, he sets out on an obsessive and deadly quest to find his lost love. Over 50 years after its first release, this brooding dream-like Horror Classic Masterpiece returns to DVD in a special edition packed with extra features. BONUS FEATURES Universal Horror Documentary Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art Of Jack Pierce Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy Feature Commentary by Film Historian Paul M. Jensen Trailer Gallery

• British Intelligence | DVD | (13/07/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  German spy Helene von Lorbeer is sent to London to live with the family of a highly placed British official making contact with fellow spy Karl Schiller. Together they try to deliver Allied secrets to their German paymasters.

• Frankenstein / The Bride Of Frankenstein | DVD | (31/05/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Frankenstein: Boris Karloff stars as the screen's most memorable monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Director James Whale's adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel blended with Karloff's compassionate portrayal of a creature groping for identity make it a classic to be watched time and time again! Bride Of Frankenstein: One of the most popular horror classics of all time and an acclaimed sequel to the original Frankenstein. Boris Karloff reprises his role as the screen's most misunderstood monster who now longs for a mate of his own.

• War and Peace | Blu Ray | (04/12/2019) from £29.15   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could out do Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, aweinspiring adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic tome in which the fates of three souls the blundering, goodhearted Pierre; the heroically tragic Prince Andrei; and the radiant, tempestuous Natasha collide amid the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars. Employing a cast of thousands and an array of innovative camera techniques, director Sergei Bondarchuk conjures a sweeping vision of grand balls that glitter with rococo beauty and breathtaking battles that overwhelm with their expressionistic power. As a statement of Soviet cinema's might, War and Peace succeeded wildly, garnering the Academy Award® for Best ForeignLanguage Film and setting a new standard for epic moviemaking. Features: New 2K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTSHD Master Audio soundtrack New interviews with cinematographer Anatoly Petritsky and filmmaker Fedor Bondarchuk, son of Sergei Bondarchuk Two 1966 documentaries about the making of the film Television programme from 1967 profiling actor Ludmila Savelyeva, featuring Sergei Bondarchuk New programme with historian Denise J. Youngblood (Bondarchuk's War and Peace: Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic) detailing the cultural and historical contexts for the film Janus rerelease trailer New English subtitle translation PLUS: An essay by critic Ella Taylor

• Lost Embrace (El Abrazo Partido) | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £5.98   |  Saving you £16.00 (401.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From director Daniel Burman one of the most prominent and exciting of the young directors forming the 'New Wave' in Argentine Cinema comes this much anticipated highly acclaimed and award-winning comedy. A story of a first bittersweet encounter between a father and his young adult son the film conjures up an ensemble of engaging characters who pursue their humble dreams with witty humour irresistible passion and an infectious generosity of spirit. Ariel wants more than an escape from the seedy Buenos Aires mall he calls home and a passport from Poland where his grandparents fled to escape the Holocaust. He wants to understand why his father left his family shortly after his birth to fight a war in Israel and why he never returned. When Ariel's father returns to Buenos Aires he brings with him new truths and a new story... Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Film and Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival 2004.

• Mario Bava Collection | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  More than a quarter of a century after his death director Mario Bava remains one of international cinema s most controversial icons. Today his influence marked by stunning visuals daring sexuality and shocking violence can still be seen in the works of Martin Scorsese David Lynch Tim Burton Dario Argento and countless others in a legacy that extends far beyond the horror genre. This collection brings together 5 landmark movies from the first half of Bava s career encompassing the original giallo a bold Viking epic and his three gothic horror masterpieces featuring new transfers original European versions and exclusive featurettes to create the definitive celebration of one of the most important filmmakers of all time. Set Comprises: The Mask Of Satan: In the 17th Century Moldavia the evil Princess Asa is condemned to death for witchcraft and vampirism along with her brother Prince Igor Javutich. Two hundred years later two doctors en route to a medical convention discover her crypt and accidentally set her resurrection in motion! With the help of Javutich and others whom she enthralls with her cold dead kiss Asa sets her sights on her ultimate victim-princess Katia her own twin descendant! Black Sabbath: Boris Karloff is your host for Bava's 1963 classic triptych of terror which set new standards in graphic violence and spellbinding horror. Michele Mercier stars in The Telephone a tale of lesbian obsession and murder. In The Wurdalak Karloff stars with Mark Damon as the patriarch of a family of bloodthirsty ghouls. And in The Drop Of Water Jacqueline Pierreux is a nurse stalked by the vengeful spirit of a dead medium. The Girl Who Knew Too Much: Nora Davis (Leticia Roman) jets away to Rome to vacation with Edith an old family friend. Unfortunately her trip is anything but relaxing... On the first night Edith dies - and as Nora runs into the night for help she becomes an eyewitness to a murder as she sees a woman stabbed to death on the Piazza di Spagna! Being a young woman with an insatiable appetite for murder mysteries Nora can't get anyone to believe her story but with the help of the attentive Dr. Marcello Bassi (John Saxon) she learns that a murder did occur on that very spot - 10 years earlier - when Emily Craven fell victim to the Alphabet Murderer! What did Nora Davis really see and who is stalking her through Rome? Could it be the Alphabet Killer looking for victim D? Knives Of The Avenger: With husband King Harald missing at sea and presumed dead Queen Karin goes into hiding with her young son Moki to escape being forced into marriage with Hagen a general of Harald's army and now a bloodthirsty pretender to the throne. Wary of strangers she turns a beggar away from her cottage but upon hearing her cries for help the stranger returns and saves her from being assaulted by two men - with two well--thrown knives! The blademaster Rurik (Cameron Mitchell) is allowed to stay and he takes the boy under his wing teaching him the arts of survival. In time he recognizes Karin as the queen whom he raped years ago on her wedding night in merciless retaliation for Hagen's murder of his own wife and son. Realizing that Moki might be his own son Rurik now has a family to defend - and another to avenge - as Hagen and his soldiers converge on their hiding place! Kill Baby ....Kill! A doctor investigating a young woman's apparent suicide in a Balkan village discovers the locals believe the ghost of a baron's daughter is responsible. The victims in the small Transylvanian village are being found dead with gold coins planted in their hearts.

• Tower Of London | DVD | (01/03/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Tower Of London

• Granny | DVD | (29/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Eight college friends get together for a night of partying and pranks that soon turns to terror when Granny arrrives with her axe and an apetite for murder. One by one the friends die turning them against each other until no one is sure who they can trust!

• Russia In Revolt | DVD | (06/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  No revolution has been portrayed on screen more vividly than that in St Petersburg (aka Petrograd) during October 1917, and if what we see in Russia in Revolt is not the truth as it happened, this box set confirms that fiction can be much more potent than fact. Sergei Eisenstein came of age as a director during this period, putting his innovations into practice and redefining history in the process. Strike (1924) was Eisenstein's first film. Its combination of physical impact and studio experimentation is still impressive, and if the abundance of symbolic images leads to visual overload, the feeling of a "them-against-us" confrontation still packs its punch. The Battleship Potemkin (1925) refines Eisenstein's thinking in 73 minutes of heightened realism that, as late as 1958, was still considered the finest film ever made. The 1905 Potemkin mutiny, the murder of sailor Vakulinchuk, the massacre on the Odessa steps, the triumphal return of the ship to port--these images made history as surely as if they were the real thing. A scrolling synopsis sets the scene, and extracts from Dmitry Shostakovich's symphonies heighten tension. October 1917 (1928), also known as "10 Days that Shook the World", charts the period leading from the Czar's abdication, through the months of indecisive Provisional Government to the Bolshevik storming of the Winter Palace. Eisenstein takes montage technique to new limits, as images of individuals and institutions overwhelm the viewer. The scrolling background story details events as they really were, and Shostakovich's music again sets the scene. Dating from 1927 Esfir Shub's The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty documentary uses archive footage from the Romanov tercentenary in 1913 to the Bolshevik takeover four years on. Here truth really is fashioned into myth. The musical score consists of a medley of Russian favourites, pounded out on an electric piano, making for a rather limited, though not inappropriate, soundtrack. The additional documentary essay is a useful overview, and the on-screen photo collection a valuable bonus. On the DVD: it's good to have Oleg Donskikh's DVD commentary on The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty disc, as he points out economies with the actualité on a scene-by-scene basis. Yuri Sivrin's continuous commentary is required listening as a guide to the film-maker's art, as well as for shutting out the bizarre electronic score which otherwise serves as backing. All four films have been digitally remastered, and the 4:3 aspect ratio has excellent clarity. Stylishly packaged, there's no better way into the absorbing world of Soviet film than this. ---Richard Whitehouse

• Boa Vs. Python | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-4.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  When a gigantic python is on the loose on a private reserve the FBI must release an equally large boa to track and capture it whilst a group of wealthy big game hunters try to bag the python as a trophy themselves...

• Targets | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Aging horror film star Orlok (Karloff) announces his retirement as an apparently average young man (O'Kelly) goes on a shooting spree eventually showing up at a drive-in theater where Orlok is making his final personal appearance...

• Mr Wong Detective | DVD | (23/05/2011) from £4.40   |  Saving you £-2.41 (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  A chemical manufacturer is killed soon after seeking assistance from James Wong with Wong investigating this and two other subsequent murders. He soon uncovers an international spy ring looking to steal a poison gas formula.