From 1971 to 1987 and over the course of 12 series and eight specials The Two Ronnie's became one of the great television comedy shows. Millions of viewers lapped up the sketches of doctors' surgeries middle-class parties government ministry broadcasts as well as the regular news headlines Ronnie Corbett monologues Ronnie Barker word-play sketches and fabulous comic songs. This selection features some of the best of these including: The Short-sighted Optician The Ministry for S
Welcome to the kingdom of Terry Gilliam: his solo-directing debut, a gonzo medieval comedy Amid the filth and muck of England in the Dark Ages, a fearsome dragon stalks the land, casting a shadow of terror upon the kingdom of Bruno the Questionable. Who should emerge as the town's only possible saviour but Dennis Cooper (Life of Brian's MICHAEL PALIN), an endearingly witless bumpkin who stumbles onto the scene and is flung into the role of brave knight? The first outing as a solo director by TERRY GILLIAM (Brazil)inspired by Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky and made on the heels of Gilliam's success as a member of the iconic comedy troupe Monty Pytho - showcases his delight in comic nonsense, with a cast chock-full of beloved British character actors. A giddy romp through blood and excrement, this fantasy remains one of the filmmaker's most uproarious visions of society run amok. BONUS FEATURES DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital transfer from a restoration by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, approved by director Terry Gilliam 5.1 surround mix, supervised by Gilliam and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Audio commentary from 2001 featuring Gilliam and actor Michael Palin New documentary on the making of the film, featuring Gilliam, producer Sandy Lieberson, Palin and actor Annette Badland New interview with Valerie Charlton, designer of the Jabberwock, featuring her collection of rare behind-the-scenes photographs Selection of Gilliam's storyboards and sketches PLUS: An essay by critic Scott Tobias
Who is stealing virgins and turning them into shop-window mannequins? What is the meaning of the gigantic hairy finger found at the scene of the latest crime? What clues can the mad professor (Kenneth Williams) or his deathly pale and impossibly buxom sister (Fenella Fielding) provide to the hopeless Detective Bung? (Harry H. Corbett) Join the Carry On team including Charles Hawtrey Bernard Bresslaw and Joan Sims as they chill your spine in this hair raising spoof of a horror movie. Special Features: Audio Commentary Trailer
Ronnie Corbett (The Two Ronnies) plays Timothy Lumsden, a part specially written for him, and has turned him into one of the best-loved comic figures on British television. Barbara Lott plays his domineering mother to perfection and his long-suffering father is portrayed by William Moore. Marguerite Hardiman features as Timothys sister, Muriel.The problem is a delicate one as Tim still lives at home with his parents. His father, who has long since retreated into a world of his own, is not a threat to Timothy, but his mother the domineering, interfering kind has to be viewed more seriously.The trouble is that she simply refuses to recognise the fact that her son is no longer a little boy, but rather a grown man despite his diminutive stature with perfectly normal, if persistently thwarted, drives and instincts. And not wishing to offend his mother, Timothy usually suffers her seemingly well-meaning intentions. It is obvious that she rules not only the house but also Timothy, through a campaign of sustained, yet subtle (and often hilarious), psychological terror tactics!
Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) wastes no time getting to the good stuff--it's happening in Volcano even before opening credits are over--and neither should anyone in the mood for technical efficiency without the burden of art. --Tom Keogh
Performed mostly in mime this comical tale relates the daily life of a Sandwich Man and his encounters with many of his very eccentric acquaintances.
A medieval comedy-adventure starring Michael Palin and directed by Terry Gilliam, Jabberwocky is an episodic adaptation of Lewis Carrolls surreal poem. Having previously directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975) with Terry Jones, Jabberwocky marked Gilliams solo directorial debut--is it coincidental that Jones is killed by the titular monster in the opening scene? Palin plays the naive Dennis Cooper, a man seeking his fortune just as the Jabberwocky is laying waste to the country. Its much the same world as Holy Grail, with all the trappings of the romantic Hollywood epic being liberally coated with literal and metaphorical muck. Palins character causes unwitting mayhem wherever he goes--one stand-out scene involves the destruction of a maintenance shop for damaged knights-in-armour--though as much humour comes from exposing the foibles of the people he meets. And those people constitute a roll call of contemporary British comedy: Harry H Corbett as a sex-mad squire, Warren Mitchells Mr Fishfinger, plus Annette Badland, Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes, John Bird, Neil Innes and John Gorman. Jabberwocky lacks the hilarity of Holy Grail, but is a consistently amusing, exceptionally atmospheric, gleefully gory yarn which points the way to Gilliams Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). On the DVD Jabberwocky is distinguished by an engaging and enthusiastic commentary from Gilliam and Palin, in which they delight in the amazing cast and ponder how such a handsome film was made. Otherwise the extras are a short sketch-to-screen comparison, three posters and three trailers (only one for Jabberwocky). Transferred anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, the picture is variable, with many beautifully lit indoor scenes looking fine, while other exterior, daylight shots appear washed out. There is some minor print damage. The sound is a revelation for a low-budget 1970s film originally released in mono. Given a full Dolby Digital 5.1 remix the tremendously detailed, rich and involving soundscape really brings Gilliams world alive and puts many much more recent and expensive titles to shame. --Gary S Dalkin
John Cussack and Kate Beckinsale star in this romantic comedy about Jonathan and Sara, who first met ten years ago when he fell in love at first site. However Sara believes in destiny, and its only now that she's prepared to see if he is hers!
Pop legend David Essex stars opposite Beau Bridges in a bittersweet story set in the cut-throat world of motorcycle racing. Featuring thrilling scenes filmed at the 1979 British Grand Prix and a powerful score by John Cameron (and a memorable top-ten hit for Essex himself) Silver Dream Racer is presented here in a brand-new transfer from original film materials in its original, as-exhibited aspect ratio. Aspiring racer Nick Freeman returns to his job as a garage mechanic after losing out to his underhanded American rival Bruce McBride. A twist of fate, however, gives Nick one more chance: when his brother is killed in a motorcycle accident, Nick inherits the untested, super-fast 500cc prototype on which he was working. Despite a series of crushing setbacks, he finally has the chance to prove both himself and the Silver Dream Machine ... SPECIAL FEATURES: Alternative Happy ending Original theatrical trailer Image gallery Promotional PDF
Cult political satire starring Peter Cook as Michael Rimmer an opinion poll executive who climbs the ladder until he becomes President of Great Britain.
Once dubbed the King of Sexploitation' by the tabloid press, Stanley Long was the godfather of the British sex film. Starting out with 8mm striptease reels in the 1950s before moving into nudist documentaries, Long went on to produce and direct a string of extremely popular X-rated movies which told tales of wife swapping, groupies and other saucy goings on. He reached the pinnacle of commercial success with this trio of incredibly successful on the job' sex comedies. Adventures of a Taxi Driver, starring sitcom actor Barry Evans, set the template with the antics of a cabbie who gets more than his fare share'. Securing international distribution as well as becoming the most successful comedy at the British box office in 1976 it prompted two sequels, each featuring more of the same but with a different lead actor (future hit-record producer Christopher Neil). Boasting supporting casts which burst with top-tier British acting talent including Harry H Corbett (Steptoe and Son), Diana Dors (Berserk), Judy Geeson (Inseminoid), Suzy Kendall (To Sir, with Love), future musical theatre sensation Elaine Paige, and former Doctor Who Jon Pertwee the Adventures series represents British popular filmmaking at its most unashamedly cheeky. Special Features High Definition presentations of Adventures of a Taxi Driver, Adventures of a Private Eye, and Adventures of a Plumber's Mate Original mono audio Audio commentaries on all three films with director Stanley Long (2008) The Best of the Adventures (1981): feature-length compilation of extracts from the Adventures series, made for the nascent videotape market and hosted by broadcaster Peter Noble The BEHP Interview with Stanley Long (1999): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the producer and director in conversation with Denis Gifford and Emmanuel Yospa Peter Sinclair's Camera (2022): the veteran cinematographer discusses his work for exploitation filmmakers Stanley Long and Pete Walker, and his move to Los Angeles in the 1980s to direct music videos Dear Prudence (2022): Prudence Drage, one of Long's favourite performers, tells colourful stories from her extensive career as an actor and singer Stanley by Simon (2022): Long's biographer Simon Sheridan recalls his close friendship with Britain's undisputed King of Sexploitation' Super 8 version of Adventures of a Private Eye: cut-down home cinema presentation Original theatrical trailers Image galleries: extensive promotional and publicity materials from Stanley Long's archives Can You Keep It Up with This, That and the Other for a Week? (2004): Jan Manthey's affectionate short film homage to the British sex comedies of the seventies The Adventures of a Plumber in Outer Space (2008): Manthey's follow-up to Can You Keep It Up , featuring a cameo appearance by Long New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Simon Sheridan, archival interviews with Stanley Long and actor-composer Christopher Neil, a letter from the producers complaining about the Adventures films' treatment in the British press, newspaper articles on the controversy surrounding the casting of Elaine Paige in Adventures of a Plumber's Mate while she was starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, a look at the three films' novelisations, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Jan Manthey on his short films, and film credits World premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 6,000 copies for the UK and US All extras subject to change
A lively musical tale of teen rebellion Some People stars BAFTA winner Kenneth More alongside a group of young actors on the cusp of bursting onto the Swinging London film scene. Ray Brooks Annika (Anneke) Wills and David Hemmings play the young bored rebels living for kicks in this key British film from the early 1960s. Some People is featured here in a brand-new transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Young and bored Johnnie Bill and Bert are teenaged tearaways whose only interests are motorbikes and rock music. When they are banned from riding and fined heavily they become convinced that society has no use for them. But a choirmaster finds them playing rock on a church organ and for some of them at least there seems to be a way out of a no-hope situation... SPECIAL FEATURES [] Full-frame 4:3 as-filmed version of main feature [] Original theatrical trailer [] Image gallery [] Press book PDF
Join Sooty and Co. on a Magical Adventure!
An all-star dramatization of the Japanese attack on the island of Midway in 1942, which saw US forces finally wresting control of the waves and staving off the threat of its West Coast being invaded. Henry Fonda heads the cast as Pacific Fleet Commander Chester W. Nimitz.
Joe Brown stars as a likable young dreamer who finds himself with a hit on his hands in this wonderfully endearing musical drama of 1963. Also starring Harry H. Corbett and featuring songs from Joe and his Bruvvers Marty Wilde Susan Maughan and Freddie and the Dreamers What a Crazy World is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Against the background of London's East End is set the story of Alf Hitchins an unemployed lad whose life revolves around dance halls amusements arcades and cafés - any place to escape from the family home where his father mother and sister are deeply preoccupied with dog racing bingo and courting respectively. Alf's cynical but cheerful acceptance of life expresses itself in the song he casually composes one night - and the results take everyone by surprise! Special Features: Image Gallery
Much like the novels of Fanny Burney or Jane Austen 200 years before, Sex and the City tackles that perennial female conundrum, how to maintain independence from men (intellectual, sexual, financial) while seeking the ideal life-partner for whom that much-cherished independence can safely be sacrificed. So it is that Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha prowl relentlessly the canyons of Manhattan in search of mates, all of whom fall woefully short of their needs in one crucial way or another. Yet, with biological clocks ticking and suppressed nesting instincts fighting back, the foursome occasionally find themselves dangerously close to despair. The dating game can be deadly serious sometimes. Which is why Sex and the City is not just good TV, it's great TV: for all its refreshingly cynical wit and superficial vivaciousness, the show has at its heart a streak of pathos and painful truth that resonates deeply with its audience. In the show's second season, the scrutiny falls more on the women than their succession of useless dates. Carrie has to learn the painful truth about Big all over again; Miranda has panic attacks about being alone for the rest of her life; Sam is humiliated by the ladies who lunch into confessing that she's a whore; and Charlotte is reduced to trading kinky foot massages for free shoes. Savage love, indeed. On the DVD: Sex and the City, Season 2 has all 18 episodes on three discs. Frustratingly, the menus have no "Play All" facility so you can't just sit back and enjoy--each episode requires navigation from the main menu to an episode list to a redundant preview screen before the play selection is offered. There are mini trailers for each episode and a short (eight-minute) promo featurette. The picture is a little fuzzy in places, doubtless the result of transfer from NTSC format, but is still an improvement over the first season. --Mark Walker
TBC
All 94 episodes from the six series of the acclaimed comedy/drama! Join Carrie Samantha Miranda and Charlotte as they plot a course through Manhattan's tricky social scene in a search for the perfect relationship - or orgasm!
Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett play Albert and Harold rag-and-bone merchants in this comedy classic. Father and son are always arguing but the wily old man always comes out on top. In a house filled from top to bottom with junk the gruesome twosome get up to the most indescribable antics! This release features all 7 classic episodes from Series 2. Episodes comprise: 1. The Bath 2. Wallah-Wallah Catsmeat 3. The Stepmother 4. Sixty-Five Today 5. A Musical Evening 6. F
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