"Actor: Bruce Robinson"

• Still Crazy | DVD | (11/10/1999) from £12.12   |  Saving you £2.13 (19.61%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This gently satirical British comedy chronicles the quixotic reunion of a late, arguably not-so-great and unlamented 70s rock band, Strange Fruit, with a winning mix of humour and poignancy. The "Fruits", as the survivors call themselves without irony, had disbanded after the tragic loss of one member, the mysterious disappearance of another and the aftershocks of internal rivalries, but 20 years later they warily reassemble for a Dutch club tour, a warm-up for a proposed festival appearance. Between that seemingly hare-brained proposal and the fateful festival, director Brian Gibson, working from a sharp script by Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais, captures the absurdities of middle-aged rockers trying to recapture that lost cockiness.Breathing life into the band is a terrific cast, including Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall and Bill Nighy, each managing to juggle deft archetype with believable character traits: Spall's cheerfully crass, flatulent drummer and Nighy's preening, slow-witted lead singer exemplify the approach, grabbing chuckles yet making you actually care about them. Equally impressive is Billy Connolly as the wily roadie, Hughie, at once pragmatic and devoted to his charges. All are well-served by production details and script points that get the group's lost world of late 60s and early 70s rock exactly right, from costuming and stage moves to the long-forgotten bands they name-check--Blodwyn Pig, anybody?The band's music likewise benefits from inspired insiders, cowriters Mick Jones (Spooky Tooth, Foreigner) and Chris Difford (Squeeze), who hit a nifty combination of bombast (for the silly scenes) and earnestness. When Gibson and his cast risk the story's amiable glow on a darker, more dramatic final act, the music rises to the challenge and the whole project, like its fictional subject, achieves an unexpectedly touching victory. --Sam Sutherland

• The Story of Adele H. | Blu Ray | (18/11/2024) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The year is 1863. Adele Hugo (Isabelle Adjani, Possession) is the daughter of the legendary poet and novelist Victor Hugo. After falling in love with the British soldier Lt. Pinson (Bruce Robinson), Adele sails by herself to Nova Scotia, intending to persuade Pinson to marry her. Pinson callously rejects her advances; unperturbed, she continues to pursue him, and her obsession becomes wilder and more desperate, leading her to become increasingly outcast from society. The Story of Adele H is a handsomely mounted costume drama that is nevertheless one of Francois Truffaut's darkest and most psychologically complex works, with a legendary, Oscar-nominated central performance from the then 20-year-old Adjani. LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES High-Definition digital transfer Uncompressed mono PCM audio Interview with Francois Truffaut (1975) Interview with Isabelle Adjani (1980) Footage of the premiere in Lyon with Truffaut and Isabelle Adjani (1975) Interview with cinematographer Nestor Almendros (1986) Interview with critic Phuong Le (2024) Trailer Optional English subtitles Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters Limited edition booklet featuring archival writing All extras subject to change

• Romeo And Juliet | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Italian director Franco Zeffirelli stunned the world when he cast two young unknowns to portray the star crossed lovers in 'Romeo and Juliet' but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion pictures of the time winning international acclaim and two Academy Awards. Shakespeare's classic romance comes to stunning visual life in a modern young person's interpretation bringing new vitality and a fresh insight to the most durable love story ever written.

• The Ballad of Tam Lin | Blu Ray | (10/10/2022) from £18.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  ! The 45th release in the BFI Flipside series of rediscovered British cinema, The Ballad of Tam Lin was the first and only film directed by the Hollywood actor Roddy McDowall (best known, perhaps, for The Planet of the Apes). Loosely based on the traditional Scottish folk ballad, this 1971 rarity stars silver screen icon Ava Gardner (The Killers) as a mysterious and wealthy older woman who uses witchcraft to exercise control over a group of younger hippies and thrill-seekers (played by a sensational cast including Ian McShane (Deadwood), Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) and Bruce Robinson (Withnail And I). Features music is by folk-rock legends Pentangle, and spectacular cinematography by Academy Award-winner Billy Williams (Women in Love, Gandhi). Part folk-horror and part Blow-Up style, Swinging-60s critique, this unique cult film is being made available for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Extras Presented in High Definition Interview with Roddy McDowall (1998, 17 mins) Interview with Jacqui McShee (2022): newly recorded interview with the lead singer of British folk-jazz band Pentangle **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by William Fowler Other extras TBC

• The Story Of Adele H | DVD | (04/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Story of Adele H is Francois Truffaut's dramatisation of the true story of Adele Hugo, the daughter of French author-in-exile Victor Hugo, and her romantic obsession with a young French officer. It's a cinematically beautiful and emotionally wrenching portrait of a headstrong but unstable young woman. Adele (Isabelle Adjani, whose pale face gives her the quality of a cameo portrait) travels under a false name and spins half-a-dozen false stories about herself and her relationship to Lieutenant Pinson (Bruce Robinson), the Hussar she follows to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Pinson no longer loves her, but she refuses to accept his rejection. Sinking further and further into her own internal world, she passes herself off as his wife and pours out her stormy emotions into a personal journal filled with delusional descriptions of her fantasy life. Beautifully shot by Nestor Almendros in vivid colour, Truffaut's re-creation of the 1860s is accomplished not merely in impressive sets and locations but in the very style of the film: narration and voiceovers, written journal entries and letters, journeys and locations established with map reproductions, and a judicious use of stills mixing old-fashioned cinematic technique with poetic flourishes. The result is one of Truffaut's most haunting portraits, all the more powerful because it's true. --Sean Axmaker

• The Brute (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (19/08/2024) from £11.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In The Brute, Sarah Douglas (Superman II) gives a courageous performance as Diane, a glamorous fashion model trying to escape the brutal blows of her sadistic husband, fearsomely portrayed by Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only). After a particularly savage attack, Diane leaves to stay with photographer friend Mark (Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail & I) and his girlfriend Carrie (Suzanne Stone). Finding solidarity with other victims at a nearby women's refuge, she aims to forge a new life alone, but her violent ex-partner is determined to track her down. Written and directed by Gerry O'Hara (The Pleasure Girls, The Bitch), The Brute is an uncompromising exploitation film which dares to tackle the taboo subject of domestic violence. INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Powerhouse FilmsTwo presentations of the film: the more explicit export cut (90 mins); and the uncensored UK version, under its pre-release title, The Brute Syndrome (89 mins)Original mono audioAudio commentary with actor Sarah Douglas and writer and critic Kim Newman (2022)Sticks and Stones (2022, 14 mins): director Gerry O'Hara recalls the film's origins and incurring the wrath of the women's liberation movementUK theatrical prologue (1977): a 'psychiatrist' contextualises the film's themesThe Sea Can Kill (1976, 27 mins): Royal Navy short, written and directed by Gerry O'Hara, about surviving a disaster at seaThis Week in Britain: 'Erin Pizzey' (1978, 5 mins): interview with the inspirational founder of the world's first refuge for women, produced by the Central Office of InformationOriginal theatrical trailersImage gallery: promotional and publicity materialNew and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• The Brute (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (17/01/2022) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In The Brute, Sarah Douglas (Superman II) gives a courageous performance as Diane, a glamorous fashion model trying to escape the brutal blows of her sadistic husband, fearsomely portrayed by Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only). After a particularly savage attack, Diane leaves to stay with photographer friend Mark (Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail & I) and his girlfriend Carrie (Suzanne Stone). Finding solidarity with other victims at a nearby women's refuge, she aims to forge a new life alone, but her violent ex-partner is determined to track her down. Written and directed by Gerry O'Hara (The Pleasure Girls, The Bitch), The Brute is an uncompromising exploitation film which dares to tackle the taboo subject of domestic violence. Unseen since the days of early days of VHS, The Brute now returns in a Blu-ray worldwide premiere.

• Private Road | Blu Ray | (17/01/2011) from £15.98   |  Saving you £4.01 (25.09%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Barney Platts-Mills' stylish and compelling follow-up to the critically acclaimed Bronco Bullfrog relocates the youthful struggle for social and personal freedom to 1970s boho London the suburbs of Surrey and the wilds of Scotland. A gorgeous pouting Bruce Robinson (who would go on to write and direct Withnail & I) plays Peter pausing from finishing his first novel to shack up with sugar-sweet receptionist Ann (Susan Penhaligon). Sex drugs and some rigorous rural living ensue to the dismay of Ann's well-to-do parents. Will Peter choose domestic conformity or pursuit of the artistic ideal? Thought-provoking witty and compelling Private Road is well worth rediscovering.

• The King Of Marvin Gardens | DVD | (15/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  'The King Of Marvin Gardens' is a dark drama about two brothers who team up for an odd real estate scheme involving a Hawaiian island. Jason (Bruce Dern) summons his younger sibling David (Jack Nicholson) a Philadelphia radio personality to join him in Atlantic City to get the deal going. But when David arrives he finds that a local crime boss has had Jason thrown in jail. David intervenes on his brother's behalf and succeeds in bailing Jason out. But the charges won't be dropped

• Francois Truffaut Collection - The Man Who Loved Women/The Wild Child/Mississippi Mermaid/The Story Of Adele H/The Bride Wo | DVD | (09/07/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Title Comprise: The Man Who Loved Women:Bertrand Morane is a ladies' man like no other. Wholly obsessed with the female species he goes to outrageous lengths for the prospect of a fleeting romantic encounter. But when he documents all his passionate flings in a racy autobiography he piques the interest both personally and professionally of a beautiful and provocative editor. The Wild Child: (aka: L'Enfant Sauvage)At the National Institute For The Deaf and Dumb in Paris a barely clothed and dirty young boy is admitted. Found in a forest the child is unable to speak communicate or function in society. Christened Victor by the hospital staff his case is taken up by Doctor Itard a lone physician who has an unyielding dedication to re-integrating the lad into society. But the road to tame the beast is a rocky one and Itard will have to work tirelessly to teach Victor how to reclaim his place in the world...even if it means staking his reputation on it! Mississippi Mermaid:Louis Mahe a tobacco planter of Reunion Island desires to marry the mail-order bride he has grown to love through her love letters only when he meets her for the first time she does not look like the girl in the picture she had sent of herself. After he marries her despite being misled she turns out to be someone else and runs off with his money. He pursues her and so begins their passionate love story... The Story Of Adele H.Like her father Victor Hugo Adele had a gift for writing. However she wrote in code creating a secret diary. Only in modern times was the diary deciphered revealing the true-life story of her obsessive love. The Bride Wore Black:Julie (Moreau) a beautiful young bride has just married her childhood sweetheart and love of her life. But just moments after the ceremony her beloved is murdered on the steps of the church. Emotionally distraught Julie becomes obsessed with her bridegroom's death and begins a descent into madness as she relentlessly pursues the men responsible. One by one Julie sees to their demises and with each murder more bone-chilling and diabolically clever than the last the question is not who will be next - but rather how they will meet their ghastly end.