Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
The music of Benny Goodman comes to life in this wonderful musical biography of the famed King of Swing. Featuring all the outstanding songs and instrumentals made famous by the immortal clarinetist the story follows the innovative musician from his childhood in Chicago to his historic concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938. Steve Allen (Casino The Player) Oscar winning actress Donna Reed (It's a Wonderful Life From Here to Eternity Dallas) and Sammy Davis Sr. star in this unforgettable tribute to Goodman and his music with performances by the original Benny Goodman Quartet (Gene Krupa Teddy Wilson Ben Pollack Edward Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton) along with Harry James Martha Tilton and Ziggy Elman. The priceless soundtrack highlights Goodman himself with classic renditions of Sing Sing Sing One O' Clock Jump Stompin' At The Savoy Moonglow Goody Goody and many more.
From Here to Eternity offers a much more heartfelt interpretation of the event that propelled the United States into World War II than any film made in recent years. Here there are no angst-ridden scenes where "true love" returns from the dead, no costly CGI and definitely no Hallmark happy ending. This is a film about illicit sex, military machismo and tragic loss of love, friendship and ultimately life. The filmmakers did, however, have to make some compromises when adapting James Jones's novel: Alma becomes a "hostess" rather than a prostitute and the very downbeat ending, where Captain Holmes is essentially rewarded for his brutality by the military, was replaced with the morally acceptable punishment of his actions by a more self-aware army. Although Private Robert E Lee Pruitt's story provides the meat of the film, there are other subplots woven into the narrative, including a couple of doomed love affairs, which explore themes of adultery and social acceptance. Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) begins a torrid affair with the commander's wife Karen (Deborah Kerr) leading to one of the most famous moments in movie history--the "clinch in the surf". From then on everything is challenged. Love, honour and eventually whether you should conform or stand up for what you believe in. At the end the couples are left wondering about the future of their relationship, but fate decides for them as the Japanese launch their attack on Pearl Harbor, leaving us with one of the most dramatic and moving endings of any war film. On the DVD: The black and white film is not anamorphically enhanced but presented full frame in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, although the transfer is well done and the picture is pretty sharp. Sound is 2.0 mono rather than the standard 5.1 reworking of the audio track, and it works. The dialogue is clear without any noticeable hiss. There's a 22-minute "making of" documentary, which doesn't really do justice to the film and contains very little information of interest. Along with this is Fred Zinnemann's As I See It, an extract from the director's home video footage from the shoot. You also get the theatrical trailer, but the best feature is the audio commentary, by Fred Zinnemann's son Tim and screenwriter Alvin Sargent, which has some fantastic detail about the struggle between director and studio-head Harry Cohn over casting, along with the run-ins with the censor and US military over the "inflammatory nature" of the film.--Kristen Bowditch
Stewart Granger (Footsteps in the Fog), Donna Reed (Scandal Sheet), George Sanders (Endless Night), and Italian sex symbol Gianna Maria Canale (I vampiri) star in The Whole Truth, a wry suspense thriller set on the French Riviera. When film producer Max (Granger) begins an affair with Gina (Canale), the star of his latest production, it isn't long before she threatens to tell his wife, Carol (Reed), what is going on. However, the price of Gina's silence changes for Max when she is found murdered, and he must convince Inspector Carliss of the Yard (Sanders) of his innocence... Directed by John Guillermin (Town on Trial), photographed by Wilkie Cooper (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), and co-written by Philip Mackie (The Naked Civil Servant), The Whole Truth is a stylishly shot and tautly plotted murder mystery. INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES High Definition remasterOriginal mono audio Audio commentary with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby (2024) Robert Shail on 'The Whole Truth' (2024): the film historian discusses the film and British production company Romulus FilmsThe BEHP Interview with Ronald Spencer (1991): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the assistant director in conversation with Joyce RobinsonOriginal theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingLimited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Barry Forshaw, archival interviews with George Sanders and Gianna Maria Canale, archival article on Canale and Donna Reed, extracts from the films campaign book, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film creditsWorld premiere on Blu-rayLimited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK All extras subject to change
Digitally restored and remastered Frank Capra's heart-warming masterpiece has been embraced as a cherished holiday tradition by families around the world! George Bailey (James Stewart) sets aside his dreams of world travel to run his father's small community bank, and protect the people of Bedford Falls from greedy businessman Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). When a costly mistake pushes George to the brink of despair, a visit from a kindly angel (Henry Travers) will show George how the life of one good man can change the world forever. Now you can watch the holiday classic like never before, newly remastered from the original fi lm negatives and more vibrant than ever in High Dynamic Range! DISC 1: 4K UHD FEATURE FILM Remastered Black & White Version DISC 2: BLU-RAY FEATURE FILM Remastered Black & White Version Special Features: Restoring a Beloved Classic in 4K Original Cast Party Home Movies and More! 4X the Resolution of Full HD, HDR (HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE) for More Detail, Brightness and Greater Contrast
Digitally restored and remastered Frank Capra's heart-warming masterpiece has been embraced as a cherished holiday tradition by families around the world! George Bailey (James Stewart) sets aside his dreams of world travel to run his father's small community bank, and protect the people of Bedford Falls from greedy businessman Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). When a costly mistake pushes George to the brink of despair, a visit from a kindly angel (Henry Travers) will show George how the life of one good man can change the world forever. Now you can watch the holiday classic like never before, newly remastered from the original fi lm negatives and more vibrant than ever with stunning clarity! Blu-Ray Feature Film: Remastered Black & White Version Special Features: Restoring a Beloved Classic Original Cast Party Home Movies and More!
Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines - including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) - will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor...
Hollywood's best-loved star teams up with America's favourite director to create one of the world's most popular films.
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Director Fred Zinnemann's 1953 Oscar-winning best picture From Here To Eternity is a powerful portrait of a peacetime military camp stationed in Hawaii just before the attack on Pearl Harbour. Montgomery Clift is superlative in the major role of Robert Prewitt, while Frank Sinatra delivers an electrifying Academy Award-winning (1953, Best Supporting Actor) performance as Clift's buddy. Deborah Kerr's love scene in the Hawaiian surf with Burt Lancaster is enshrined as one of the most famous moments in cinema history.
From Here to Eternity offers a much more heartfelt interpretation of the event that propelled the United States into World War II than any film made in recent years. Here there are no angst-ridden scenes where "true love" returns from the dead, no costly CGI and definitely no Hallmark happy ending. This is a film about illicit sex, military machismo and tragic loss of love, friendship and ultimately life. The filmmakers did, however, have to make some compromises when adapting James Jones's novel: Alma becomes a "hostess" rather than a prostitute and the very downbeat ending, where Captain Holmes is essentially rewarded for his brutality by the military, was replaced with the morally acceptable punishment of his actions by a more self-aware army. Although Private Robert E Lee Pruitt's story provides the meat of the film, there are other subplots woven into the narrative, including a couple of doomed love affairs, which explore themes of adultery and social acceptance. Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) begins a torrid affair with the commander's wife Karen (Deborah Kerr) leading to one of the most famous moments in movie history--the "clinch in the surf". From then on everything is challenged. Love, honour and eventually whether you should conform or stand up for what you believe in. At the end the couples are left wondering about the future of their relationship, but fate decides for them as the Japanese launch their attack on Pearl Harbor, leaving us with one of the most dramatic and moving endings of any war film. On the DVD: The black and white film is not anamorphically enhanced but presented full frame in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, although the transfer is well done and the picture is pretty sharp. Sound is 2.0 mono rather than the standard 5.1 reworking of the audio track, and it works. The dialogue is clear without any noticeable hiss. There's a 22-minute "making of" documentary, which doesn't really do justice to the film and contains very little information of interest. Along with this is Fred Zinnemann's As I See It, an extract from the director's home video footage from the shoot. You also get the theatrical trailer, but the best feature is the audio commentary, by Fred Zinnemann's son Tim and screenwriter Alvin Sargent, which has some fantastic detail about the struggle between director and studio-head Harry Cohn over casting, along with the run-ins with the censor and US military over the "inflammatory nature" of the film.--Kristen Bowditch
Hollywood's best-loved star teams up with America's favourite director to create one of the world's most popular films.
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Legendary Hollywood director John Sturges breathed new life into the western and brought it to another level of greatness with landmark movies such The Magnificent Seven and Gunfight At The O.K Corral. He also proved himself to be master of action/drama with the equally iconic The Eagle Has Landed and The Great Escape. John Sturges expertly manages to bring all these elements together for Backlash a highly original unconventional western brimming with tense violent action and a plot riddled with mystery and suspense. Backlash features Richard Widmark the menacing and unforgettable star of film noir masterpieces such as Kiss Of Death and Panic In The Streets. Co-stars accomplished actress Donna Reed most renowned for her popular roles in It''s A Wonderful Life and From Here To Eternity. Backlash tells the story of one man''s journey in search of his estranged father and one woman''s attempt to discover the truth behind the disappearance of her husband both of whom were possibly the victims of a brutal Apache massacre. But the Arizona desert is a harsh merciless and unforgiving landscape filled with deadly secrets and few survivors.
Two Columbia noirs from the pen of Samuel Fuller. Directed by the great Douglas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession) and based on an original screenplay by Fuller, Shockproof is a story of forbidden love between a parole officer and a young woman recently released from jail (played by real-life couple Cornel Wilde and Patricia Knight). Based on Fuller's quasi-autobiographical novel The Dark Page, and set on his beloved Park Row' (New York's equivalent of Fleet Street), Phil Karlson's Scandal Street remains an effective, and entertaining slice of noir. Special Features: High Definition remasters of both films Original mono audio Shockproof (1949, 80 mins): Cornel Wilde and Patricia Knight star in this stylish and powerful crime drama, co-written by Samuel Fuller and directed by the great Douglas Sirk Scandal Sheet (1952, 82 mins): hard-hitting tale of murder and intrigue, directed by Phil Karlson and based on Fuller's celebrated novel The Dark Page Original Scandal Sheet trailer Image gallery: publicity photography and promotional material for both films New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
It's a Wonderful LifeVoted the # 1 Most Inspiring Film Of All Time by AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, It's A Wonderful Life has had just that. With the endearing message that no one is a failure who has friends, Frank Capra's heartwarming masterpiece continues to endure, and after 70 years this beloved classic still remains as powerful and moving as the day it was made. White ChristmasTwo talented song-and-dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter, they join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. Of course, there's the requisite fun with the ladies, but the real adventure starts when Crosby & Kaye discover that the inn is run by their old army general who's now in financial trouble. And the result is the stuff dreams are made of. Holiday InnWith music by Irving Berlin, songs by Bing Crosby and dancing by Fred Astaire, Holiday Inn is one of the most delightful and memorable musicals of all time, nominated* for 3 Academy Awards®. Crosby plays Jim Hardy, a song and dance man who leaves showbiz to open a Connecticut Inn. Astaire plays Ted Hanover, Hardy's former partner and rival in love. And, of course there are girls (Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale), an agent (Walter Abel) and plenty of lavish song and dance routines with spectacular production numbers. Scrooge. The spirit of Christmas becomes a musical celebration of life in this rousing adaptation of Charles Dickens' beloved family classic, A Christmas Carol. Mean-spirited and stingy, Ebenezer Scrooge (Albert Finney) has a sour face and humbug for anyone who crosses his path. But on this Christmas Eve, he will learn the terrible fate that awaits him if he continues his miserly ways. One by one, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future take the startled Ebenezer on an incredible journey through time - showing him in one magical night what takes most people a lifetime to learn. Filled with joyous songs, this delightful tale is sure to enrich the lives of young and old alike for many more generations.
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Hollywood's best-loved star teams up with America's favourite director to create one of the world's most popular films.
It Happened When A Killer With A Rope Ruled Nevada! Hangman's Knot is an exciting suspense-filled Western starring Randolph Scott and an excellent supporting cast including Donna Reed and Lee Marvin. At the end of the American Civil War a small band of Confederate soldiers ambush a Union gold shipment. To their horror they learn from a dying soldier that the war between the North and the South has been over for a month. Now facing certain criminal prosecution for a
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy