Tom Courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as Billy Fisher the underachieving undertaker's assistant whose constant daydreams and truth-deficient stories earn him the nickname ""Billy Liar."" Julie Christie is the handbag-swinging charmer whose free spirit just might inspire Billy to finally move out of his parents' house. Deftly veering from gritty realism to flamboyant fantasy Billy Liar is a dazzling and uproarious classic.
Billy Liar was the multimedia phenomenon of its era. Starting out as a novel by Yorkshire writer Keith Waterhouse, it rapidly became a long-running stage play, adapted by Waterhouse with playwright Willis Hall, which lead to the movie, scripted by Waterhouse and Hall for John Schlesinger to direct, then a stage musical and finally a spin-off TV series. Do you get the feeling it caught the mood of the times? The basic set-up owes a lot to James Thurber's classic short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Our hero, Billy Fisher, lives at home in a Bradford semi with his nagging parents and works as a lowly clerk in an undertaker's parlour. But, in his imagination he lives a rich and varied fantasy life as gallant military leader, suave socialite, best-selling novelist and so forth. Trouble is, he can't always keep fantasy and reality apart, any more than he can the keep two girls he's engaged to separate. Not to mention his other problemsÂ…. Schlesinger's direction brings out the desperation behind the comedy, and Tom Courtenay, at once defiant and hangdog, slips perfectly into the role created on stage by Albert Finney. But the whole cast's a joy, not least the great Leonard Rossiter as undertaker Mr Shadrach, Billy's saturnine boss. And then there's Julie Christie--the luminous spirit of the Swinging 60s--in her first starring role as the girl who offers Billy a chance of real escape. At the end, when she takes the train to London, away from the smoke and the grimness "oop" north, the whole British New Wave went with her. On the DVD: just the theatrical trailer which is a fairly crass affair. There's been no remastering, it seems, but both sound and vision are clean enough and the print preserves the original's full 2.35:1 widescreen ratio. --Philip Kemp
The Bells Go Down
A writer tries to reveal what is happening in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy but is unable to do so. Frustrated he retires to a lighthouse in the Great Lakes where he is haunted by the ghosts of travellers who were shipwrecked many years earlier. Eventually he is persuaded to return to the world...
Adapting Ivor Novello's long-running musical play for the big screen this enchanting Ruritanian romance marked the second pairing of Errol Flynn and British film heroine Anna Neagle under the direction of Herbert Wilcox. Blending sumptuous pageantry and richly varied music and choreography King's Rhapsody echoed the abdication crises that enthralled pre-War Europe with Flynn starring as the prince who falls for a commoner (Neagle) and his wife Patrice Wymore as the princess whom he is finally persuaded to marry. The film is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. For some years Richard carefree heir to the throne of Laurentia has been contentedly living in exile with his love Marta Karillos. On the death of his father however the Queen Mother persuades him to return to Laurentia to claim the throne and accept marriage to Princess Cristiane of Norseland - the 'Snow Princess'... Special Features: Image Gallery Original Promotional PDF
Dr. Noah Praetorius falls in love with Debra, a student who finds out that she is pregnant by her old boyfriend.
Boxset of four classic films from the 1940s. 'Sleeping Car to Trieste' (1948) stars Jean Kent and Albert Lieven. Set on board the Orient Express the film follows the story of a man named Charles Poole (Alan Wheatley) who has stolen an important political diary and is being pursued by two different people who want it back. 'It's Not Cricket' (1949) stars Basil Radford as Major Bright and Naunton Wayne as Captain Early - detectives who have recently been thrown out of the army for their failure to capture a notoriously evil Nazi Otto Fisch (Maurice Denham). The detectives are invited to a weekend of cricket by their old friend Gerald Lawson (Nigel Buchanan) but what Gerald doesn't realise is that the ball he has purchased for the match contains the famous Rothstein diamond, stolen by Fisch, who will stop at nothing to get it back. 'All Over the Town' (1949) is a British comedy drama starring Norman Wooland as a Royal Air Force pilot who returns to work as a newspaper reporter. After fighting in the Second World War, Nat Hearn (Wooland) resumes his former position at the Tormouth Clarion and finds himself working with Sally Thorpe (Sarah Churchill), the woman who was given his job when he left. When Nat is promoted to editor of the paper, he decides to use his new status to make changes within the publication that will benefit the town but in the process he angers powerful figures within the community. 'Once a Jolly Swagman' (1949) is a British drama about speedway racer Bill Fox (Dirk Bogarde). Factory worker Fox is bored of his daily life and decides to quit his job to become a motorbike racer. Success goes to his head as he leaves his wife (Sandra Dorne) for socialite Pat (Renee Asherson), but when tragedy strikes on the track he returns to his wife and joins a union to fight for riders' rights.
Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp: Drama about the life of Clive Candy an English soldier who served in three wars (Boer World War I World War II) and had relationships with three women along the way (each played by Deborah Kerr). Despite Candy's tours-of-duty he harbors no ill will towards the Germans instead he believes they have been the pawns of military leaders. Colonel Blimp an old befuddled British military officer reminisces about his past glories in this witty w
This intriguing wartime thriller adapts Vernon Sylvaine's stage play imagining a Nazi plot to kidnap Winston Churchill – a plotline famously revisited more than three decades later in The Eagle Has Landed. Blending keen suspense and defiant humour in equal measure Warn That Man sees professional Cockney and box office favourite Gordon Harker starring alongside Canadian-born Raymond Lovell and British film stalwart Finlay Currie. Made in 1943 the film is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. At the height of World War II the Germans discover that a certain British personage is to stay at the country house of Lord Buckley. They devise a plan whereby they will kidnap the real Lord Buckley and send to England an actor who will masquerade lie in wait for the visitor with a number of gunmen and take him back to Germany... Special Feature: Original Theatrical Programme PDF
This intriguing wartime thriller adapts Vernon Sylvaine's stage play imagining a Nazi plot to kidnap Winston Churchill – a plotline famously revisited more than three decades later in The Eagle Has Landed. Blending keen suspense and defiant humour in equal measure Warn That Man sees professional Cockney and box office favourite Gordon Harker starring alongside Canadian-born Raymond Lovell and British film stalwart Finlay Currie. Made in 1943 the film is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. At the height of World War II the Germans discover that a certain British personage is to stay at the country house of Lord Buckley. They devise a plan whereby they will kidnap the real Lord Buckley and send to England an actor who will masquerade lie in wait for the visitor with a number of gunmen and take him back to Germany... Special Feature: Original Theatrical Programme PDF
People Will Talk is a brilliant comedy that also possesses a rare and engaging poignancy. Screen legend Cary Grant stars as Dr Noah Praetorius a lovable professor and head of a medical clinic who becomes the subject of a McCarthy-style investigation initiated by a jealous colleague (Hume Cronyn). Along the way Praetorius befriends and ultimately marries a young woman who attempts suicide when she discovers she is pregnant. But as the witch-hunt into the good doctor's perso
Thunder Rock
***WARNING***ALL DVD TITLES CONTAIN ENGLISH SUBTITLES EXCEPT FOR THE DVD TITLE - A CANTERBURY TALE*** Never in the history of British film have two figures become as iconic as those of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Reigning throughout the 40s and 50s these two magnificent filmmakers brought to life British films and continue to radiate immense critical acclaim and inspiration for all contemporary film making. Includes: 1. A Matter of Life & Death (1946) 2. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) 3. A Canterbury Tale (1944) 4. I Know Where I am Going (1945) 5. 49th Parallel (1941) 6. The Battle of the River Plate (1956) 7. Ill Met By Moonlight (1957) 8. They're A Weird Mob (1966) 9. The Red Shoes (1948)
In an effort to relieve the suffering of surgery patients Dr. Thomas Bolton painstakingly develops an opium-based anesthetic to which he gradually becomes addicted. In order to provide a continual supply of chemicals to continue his experiments and support his addiction he falls in with a den of murderers who use his signature to sell corpses to the local hospital.
Long Lost Comedy Classics is a collection of films from a golden age of British Cinema remembered for timeless stars and some unique movies that have stood the test of time. So why not take a trip down memory lane and see how cinema used to be?
Three John Mills films on one fantastic box set. History Of Mr. Polly: John Mills stars in this celebrated adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. Mr Polly is a sensitive soul idling away his days as a humble drapers assistant until one day he is abruptly sacked for daydreaming at work. His well-ordered life is plunged into chaos until his fathers death suddenly brings him a large inheritance. Mr Polly splashes out on a brand new bicycle and sets off to explore the world and seek out grand adventure. A doomed love affair quickly destroys his newfound dreams. The bicycle is stored away and Mr Polly opens up his own drapers shop in a dismal little town. Fifteen years later finds him unhappily married and almost bankrupt. His thoughts drift towards suicide - but there may yet be another avenue of escape for the hapless Mr Polly. Great Expectations: David Lean directed this stylish film presentation of Charles Dickens' heart warming story of a young man befriending an escaped convict who becomes his unknown benefactor and of the consequences for the young man as he establishes himself in the world. Waterloo Road: As World War Two rages Jim Colter (John Mills) finds himself called up to serve in the Army - but hes soon to find himself at war on two fronts. While hes away his lovely wife Tillie attracts (Joy Shelton) attracts the amorous attention of Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger) a vicious local spiv and self-acclaimed ladies man. When Jims sister write to him informing him of what is happening Jim decides that the Nazis can wait and that an even more insidious enemy needs to be dealt with first. He breaks out of camp goes AWOL and sets off to find his wife. With the military hot on his tail Jim must make his way through war-torn London to settle things once and for all.
49th Parallel is a powerful and important piece of World War 2 propaganda which controversially was filmed from the point of view of a group of German soldiers. Asked to make a flag waver by the Ministry of Information the brilliantly gifted film-making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger elected to set the action in Canada. The film features a stellar cast who all waived their fees in the interests of the war. A Nazi U-boat is sunk by the Canadian Air Force and all the crew are lost except six men who had been sent ashore before the attack. They stumble across an Eskimo village where Scott Peter and his Eskimo servant Martin live. Also present is a French trapper Johnnie (played by Laurence Olivier) who panics when held at gunpoint and is shot by one of the Nazis. After this the Allies send an S.O.S. plane and it is the intention of the Nazis to hijack it and fly to neutral America. When the plane arrives there is a scuffle but they manage to take off. Will they be caught before they kill again?
The second and last of Anthony Mann's historical epics is a smart, handsome spectacle of the decadence, corruption and intrigue that tore apart the Roman empire. The sprawling story spreads itself thin over a number of characters and stories. At the centre are handsome but stiff Stephen Boyd as Livius, the loyal soldier and symbolic son of the ageing emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness), and Christopher Plummer as Commodus, the corrupt heir to the throne. They are boyhood friends turned enemies when the latter accedes to the throne and sells out the values of his father for greed and hedonistic pleasures. The three-hour running time is filled out with the tales of Sophia Loren (as the beautiful Lucilla in love with Livius but coveted by greedy Commodus) and a gallery of heroes and villains that includes James Mason, Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif and Eric Porter. The film is highlighted with spectacular scenes--a grandiose funeral fit for an emperor, brutal battles in the provinces as the barbarians threaten the empire, and a climactic duel to decide the destiny of Rome--which Mann weaves into the shadowy intrigue of the halls of power. Like his previous epic El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of the best of the 1960s epics: well written with strong performances and a consistently elegant style, but lacking the central core and magnetic hero of its superior predecessor. Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) tackles almost the same story with a more crowd-pleasing action-adventure slant. --Sean Axmaker
The Brothers is a classic drama from 1947 filmed on the scenic Isle of Skye. A young orphan girl named Mary arrives on a remote Scottish island to become a servant to the Macraes a family clan who are arch rivals with another family on the island the McFarishes. Her arrival provokes competition between the young men of the two households and eventually turns to jealousy within the Macrae family itself. Both Fergus and John Macrae are determined to wed her but their chase may have chilling consequences for all. This DVD edition features a restored version of the film.
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And The Island Of Misfit Toys - Lovable Ruldolph has overcome his handicap - his bright red nose - to become the most popular Reindeer in the North Pole but a mysterious thief disrupts his happy life. The Toy Taker lures children's toys away with the help of his magic flute and Christmas is threatened when he steals all of Santa's gifts. Annabelle's Wish - A Magical animated adventure based on the legend that on Christmas Eve Santa Claus
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