"Actor: Colin Higgins"

• Hope And Glory | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.05   |  Saving you £5.94 (84.26%)   |  RRP £12.99

  An epic story of a world at war. And a boy at play.

• Cambridge Spies | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Cambridge Spies, the BBC's moody 2003 dramatisation of the most notorious debacle in the history of the British Secret Service, raises the spectre of the treachery of Philby, Burgess, MacLean and Blunt for a generation of viewers who can only imagine the shockwaves generated by their duplicity. Inevitably the story suffers from the basically repellent quality of its raw material. Determinedly non-judgemental, it frequently stumbles along a precarious path between romantic eulogy and fact-based fable of the perils of idealism. For all the handsome casting, the characters have little charm to compensate for their deeds. Their motivations are sketched only vaguely. Even in moments of personal vulnerability, however poignant the performances, sympathy is at a premium. But it has its high points as an atmospheric soap opera: the recreation of a period that stretches from the radical aspects of 1930s university life at Cambridge to Cold War London, dipping into the Spanish Civil War and the Washington diplomatic circle en route, is vivid. The acting, too, is fine. Tom Hollander's rampantly dissolute Burgess verges constantly on parody. But Toby Stephens (Philby), Samuel West (a frosty Blunt) and Rupert Penry-Jones (an emotionally wrung-out MacLean) work wonders with Peter Moffat's insubstantial script. On the DVD: Cambridge Spies is a handsome production with a cinematic quality enhanced by an appropriately edgy soundtrack and widescreen presentation. The main extra is the commentary shared by director Tim Fywell, producer Mark Shivas and writer Peter Moffat. It's a rather self-congratulatory affair, but includes some interesting insights: attempts to film some events in their real location met with refusal, suggesting that in some quarters, the outrage and embarrassment that Burgess, Philby and MacLean left in their wake is still very close to the surface. --Piers Ford

• Hope And Glory | Blu Ray | (30/10/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This winning 1987 epic written and directed by John Boorman (Deliverance, The General) serves as a picaresque and semi-autobiographical remembrance of a boy's coming of age during the Second World War. Exhibiting a defiant and humorous take on life during the London blitz, the family of the young boy at the center of the story (Sebastian Rice-Edwards) are a close-knit and resilient bunch, undeterred in the face of the war and revelling in each other's company even as they hide from the incessant bombing. To be sure, there are some poignant moments in this childhood reminiscence, such as when the boy's older sister (Sammi Davis) falls in love with a Canadian, becomes pregnant, and marries him, only to see him taken away by the military police. And the boy's mother (Sarah Miles) serves as a strong influence in the his life as she leads her family through this tumultuous time. The majestic sweep of the film is contrasted with so many comic moments as the people in town go about the mundane details of their daily lives yet also engage in the most absurd rituals in dealing with the onslaught of German artillery - from taking the air raids for granted to wearing gas masks at school. Boorman doesn't dwell on the horrors of war; instead he celebrates the richness and resilience of the people he remembers so fondly. An adventurous and nostalgic slice of life, Hope and Glory is a superb and memorable film. --Robert Lane

• Catherine Cookson - The Secret | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £3.90   |  Saving you £1.09 (27.95%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Freddie Musgrave is taken in by businesswoman Maggie Hewitt. When Maggie's foster daughter Belle comes to live with them a special relationship develops between Freddie and Belle but then she marries someone else...

• The Naked Civil Servant | DVD | (11/03/2002) from £4.98   |  Saving you £11.01 (221.08%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Award Winning film autobiography of the English eccentric Quentin Crisp. The film traces Crisp's life from the early 1930's telling of his blatent exhibitionism as an outrageously effeminate homosexual. John Hurt's unforgettable performance won him a BAFTA for Best Actor while director Jack Gold won the Academy's highest commendation The Desmond Davies Award for outstanding creative contribution to television.

• Lord Peter Wimsey - Have His Carcase | DVD | (10/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Edward Petherbridge stars as Lord Peter Wimsey. Harriet Vane decides it is time to take a break and heads to North Devon. On a walking tour the peace is shattered when she finds the body of a man on the beach with his throat slit.

• The Secret | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £5.84   |  Saving you £4.15 (71.06%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Freddie Musgrave who is taken in by businesswoman Maggie Hewitt. When Maggie's foster daughter Belle comes to live with them a special relationship develops between Freddie and Belle but then she marries someone else...

• Miss Marple - The Body In The Library | DVD | (24/03/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The suspense of Miss Marple: The Body in the Library isn't the edge-of-your-seat variety; it's simply a perplexing puzzle that keeps niggling at the back of your mind. Just as one piece of the puzzle falls into place, another gap opens up, thanks to one of Agatha Christie's most intricate plots. Considering what a long film this is (150 minutes, lengthier than most Christie adaptations), it's impressive how tightly the mystery grips the viewer's attention. And not a second of Joan Hickson's marvellous performance as Miss Marple should be missed (the other performances, alas, fall short, except for Gwen Watford as Dolly Bantry, in whose library the body is found). To people meeting her for the first time, Jane Marple appears to be a sweet old dear, whose comments on the murder investigation are more likely to involve an obscure recollection of a frog jumping out of someone's coat than to have any direct bearing on the case. But as Christie fans know, beneath that dithery exterior lies one of the shrewdest minds in England. Hickson's understated portrayal reveals the humour in her character without ever making a mockery of Miss Marple and the results are delightful to watch. --Larisa Lomacky Moore, Amazon.com

• Catherine Cookson - The Complete Collection | DVD | (21/08/2006) from £71.96   |  Saving you £48.03 (66.75%)   |  RRP £119.99

  Catherine Cookson was born Catherine McMullen in 1906. Her life began in poverty and she grew up believing her real mother was her sister. In a life that could have been taken from any of her own novels Catherine aspired to achieve more than many of her time. From poverty to wealth she left the sadness behind to start a new life in Hastings where she was to meet her husband Tom Cookson. As a form of therapy Catherine began to write and never stopped and became one of the world's be

• Around The World In 80 Days | DVD | (30/09/2002) from £6.98   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  From the great storyteller Jules Verne comes the sweeping tale of a remarkable trip around the globe. Adventurous and dapper Phileas Fogg sails off with his loyal manservant Passepartout spanning the continents visiting the world's greatest cities crossing oceans mountains and deserts while a Scotland Yard detective follows in hot pursuit every step of the way. From England to Cairo Bombay to Hong Kong this splendid delightful story has an international flair that makes for quite an unforgettable journey.

• The Catherine Cookson Collection (23 Disc Boxset) | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £159.99

  A complete collection of the filmed adaptations of Catherine Cookson novels. Includes: The Mallen Secret / The Mallen Curse / The Mallen Girls / The Mallen Streak / The Fifteen Streets / The Wingless Bird / The Round Tower / The Black Velvet Gown / The Black Candle / The Rag Nymph / The Moth / The Girl / The Tide Of Life / The Glass Virgin / The Gambling Man / The Man Who Cried / The Cinder Path / The Dwelling Place / The Colour Blind / The Tilly Trotter / The Storyteller / The Secret / Dinner Of Herbs