"Actor: Frank Sinatra"

• Some Came Running | Blu Ray | (29/04/2024) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sinatra, Martin, MacLaine: Bighearted drifters run up against small-town ways. After a round of partying he can't remember, World War II veteran Dave Hirsh is placed on a bus headed for the last place he'd choose: Parkman, Indiana, the hometown Hirsh hasn't seen in well over a decade. Frank Sinatra plays Hirsh, whose arrival in Parkman brings small-town hypocrisy to the unforgiving light of day in this character-driven tale directed by Vincente Minnelli and based on a novel by James Jones (whose From Here to Eternity led to Sinatra's 1953 Oscar®*). In his first screen pairing with Sinatra, Dean Martin plays a sharp-witted card sharp. And Shirley MacLaine earned one of the movie's five Academy Award® nominations as the good-hearted floozy with a potentially fatal attraction to Hirsh. On-Disc Special FeaturesFeaturette The Story of Some Came RunningTheatrical Trailer

• The Manchurian Candidate | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £13.28   |  Saving you £-3.29 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Frankenheimer's Award-winning 1962 classic THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE has been fully restored and will be back in cinemas this spring.

• High Society | DVD | (27/01/2020) from £5.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Guys And Dolls | DVD | (06/08/2001) from £9.97   |  Saving you £2.02 (20.26%)   |  RRP £11.99

  This CinemaScope treatment of Frank Loesser's hit Broadway musical Guys and Dolls is a deeply rewarding visual and musical experience. Frank Sinatra turns in one of his best screen performances running a close second to Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons, looking adorable and singing sweetly. In essence this is a piece of photographed theatre mounted on a handsome scale. The striking set designs and a brilliantly executed soundtrack are courtesy of two Broadway craftsmen Oliver Smith and conductor Jay Blackton. Photographer Harry Stradling brings a meticulous eye for detail when his camera stationed on the auditorium side of the frame, peers into Miss Adelaide's bathroom cupboard as she views the lines of medicine bottles in her celebrated "lament". Sinatra, in his vocal prime, sings a new number to Adelaide (Vivian Blaine)--arranged by Nelson Riddle--and Brando and Simmons strike chords in all their scenes from their opening duet "I'll Know" through to their evening out at a Havana bistro where she gets pie-eyed on a Bacardi milk-shake, tipsily wondering "If I were a Bell". Stubby Kaye also from the Broadway cast recreates the show-stopping "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat". Michael Kidd's choreography for "Luck Be a Lady" is razor-sharp and superbly captured in the CinemaScope format, though the formalised staging of the opening ought to have been rethought for this medium. The biggest pity is that Loesser amended some of his lyrics and replaced several tunes from his original score with inferior material. On the DVD: The DVD trailer hosted by Ed Sullivan makes much of the $1,000,000 cheque producer Samuel Goldwyn paid for the rights and the previews of the picture he obtained for his weekly television show. There's no denying that the remastered stereophonic soundtrack captures the Broadway sound to thrilling effect without it being overglamorised. The picture looks splendid too--never settle for the compromise version we've endured all these years on television! --Adrian Edwards

• High Society | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (100.14%)   |  RRP £13.99

  MGM's bold idea to remake George Cukor's Oscar-winning upper-class romantic farce, The Philadelphia Story, into a star-studded technicolor musical with Cole Porter tunes somehow works splendidly and remains an underrated gem. Even the plot and character names--and some bits of dialogue--all remain the same as the original. Crooning Bing Crosby replaces Cary Grant as the wealthy ex-husband trying to win back his soon-to-be-remarried ex-wife, spoiled ice queen Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly, stunning and aloof in her last film role, originated in the earlier comedy by Katherine Hepburn). Unlike Grant, however, Crosby has jazz great Louis Armstrong, playing himself, in his corner for quixotic persuasion. Frank Sinatra (cocky in James Stewart's former role) and Celeste Holm add support as the nosy reporters covering, and subsequently complicating, the upcoming wedding. Sure, High Society lacks the original's witty satire, sarcasm and character complexity; but it's assuredly paced and wonderfully acted, and contains enough romantic chemistry to keep the plot engaging. And then there's the music. Unlike the grandiose production numbers of many 40s and 50s musicals, High Society's musical sequences are considerably low-key and intimate, focusing on Porter's lyrical content and the style in which it's delivered by the charismatic performers. Armstrong kicks the film off in telling style: he sings the title track, a calypso tune outlining the plot like a Greek chorus--not as an elaborately choreographed song-and-dance number, but instead stuffed claustrophobically in the back of a limousine with his jazz band. Other musical standouts include Sinatra and Crosby playfully tossing barbs during "Well, Did You Evah?"; Crosby and Armstrong teaming up for an energetic clash of styles in "Now You Has Jazz"; the two soaring, archetypal ballads by the leads--Crosby's "I Love You, Samantha" and Sinatra's superior "You're Sensational"; and, finally, the satirical Sinatra/Holm duet, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", the closest High Society ever comes to social or class-commentary. --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• Cast A Giant Shadow | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £11.42   |  Saving you £1.57 (13.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  1966’s Cast a Giant Shadow is based on Ted Berkman’s biography of Colonel "Mickey" Marcus, the American soldier who served as an adviser in the fight to establish the state of Israel in 1948. It stars Kirk Douglas as the likeable "stiffneck" and WWII veteran persuaded to take up the cause. Israel back then was depicted as a negligible military force under threat of extinction at the hands of its Arab neighbours, hamstrung by a UN embargo on arms supplies. It takes Douglas at his most square-jawed to see off the Egyptian military and defy a blockade to beat a path through to Jerusalem. This is not cinema verité but Hollywood. Marcus’ dilemma--to settle into peacetime in America or follow his more natural, combative instincts abroad--is symbolised by a love triangle, involving wife Angie Dickinson and Santa Berger as Magda, the soldier whom he falls for in Palestine. Although lavish and spectacular, especially in the war scenes--filmed in the actual Middle Eastern locations in which they occurred--Cast a Giant Shadow is not entirely authentic (for a start, they’re driving 1950s vehicles in the 40s). Moreover, in the light of later troubles in the region, not everyone will be heart warmed by this depiction of plucky little Israel coping against Arab foes who are barely depicted as human throughout the film, merely as tanks and gunfire. Still, it’s an impressive enough relic of epic 1960s cinema, with cameos from Yul Brynner, John Wayne as Marcus’ wartime general, and Frank Sinatra as a pilot scattering the enemy by dropping soda dispensers on them. On the DVD: Cast a Giant Shadow‘s restoration here is visually immaculate. The mono sound, however, is often indistinct, with a good deal of sibilant hiss. Disappointingly, the only extra is the original trailer.--David Stubbs

• Musicals Collection | DVD | (22/02/2016) from £32.95   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.95

  Must-See Musicals - 10 DVD Film Collection 10 all time classic Musicals from Warner Brothers in a beautiful box set. Includes: 42nd Street, Meet Me in St. Louis, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon, Calamity Jane, A Star is Born, High Society & Gypsy.

• Ocean's 11 | Blu Ray | (07/05/2018) from £18.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eleven friends who know each other from World War II service plan to rob five of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night. They develop a master plan but after the whole thing is over, something goes wrong...

• Ocean's 11 | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.49   |  Saving you £11.50 (177.20%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Leave it to the Chairman of the Board to rope in a great director for the first Rat Pack movie, Ocean's Eleven. Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front) did indeed direct this 1960 caper movie starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop; but the results now seem like more of a historical artefact than a good piece of entertainment. The tone of the film is curiously serious--much more so than Steven Soderbergh's fluffy 2002 remake--one somehow expected that the Rat Pack would have made a more buoyant first picture. But it is something to see these guys together, if only for reasons of nostalgia.--Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• That's Entertainment Box Set | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £12.49   |  Saving you £-2.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This box set includes That's Entertainment That's Entertainment Part II That's Entertainment Part III.

• Take Me Out to the Ball Game | Blu Ray | (02/09/2024) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• From Here To Eternity | DVD | (14/01/2002) from £4.94   |  Saving you £15.05 (304.66%)   |  RRP £19.99

  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

• Paris When It Sizzles | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £4.11   |  Saving you £13.14 (461.05%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Paris When It Sizzles is an unusual screwball comedy to say the least. Whether it works is another matter, but the premise and humour are interesting enough to make it enjoyable. The basic problem with the film is its two stars: William Holden and Audrey Hepburn hardly sizzle with onscreen chemistry, and Hepburn's character, Miss Simpson, falls far too easily into the hands of Holden's drunken screen writer. However, the story is an interesting play on the typical Hollywood romance, with two plot lines running in parallel to each other. Holden's Richard Benson has only two days to finish a script for an enigmatic producer (Noel Coward). Hepburn's Miss Simpson is drafted in as the typist and as the script is dictated it manifests itself on the screen, allowing the two lead characters to play out any number of romantic stories. It's the cameo appearances in the imaginary world that really steal the show, with the blink-and-you'll-miss-it last screen appearance by Marlene Dietrich, as well as Tony Curtis having fun with his own screen persona. It's not one of Hepburn or Holden's best, but is worth a look purely for the interesting slant on the mechanical nature of Hollywood's romances. On the DVD Paris When It Sizzles offers little of any note in regards to special features, with only an extended trailer (which seems to try and sell the film on the merits of the stars alone). The mono soundtrack is nothing special, though the print has cleaned up nicely, offering a 1.78:1 widescreen picture that brings the Technicolor to life. --Nikki Disney

• The Cannonball Run II (Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD) | Blu Ray | (17/04/2019) from £13.85   |  Saving you £6.14 (44.33%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Our intrepid racers are back for a second Cannonball Run - the illegal race that takes place all over the country. Featuring a host of big name stars returning from the first movie plus a few new faces along the way! Will J.J. McClure finally be the winner this time?

• The Man With The Golden Arm | DVD | (22/06/2015) from £11.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  One of America's most significant and controversial post-war films this triple-Oscar-nominated feature boasts a searing performance by Frank Sinatra as a war veteran caught between two worlds as he tries to kick his drug habit and establish a new life; Eleanor Parker is his embittered manipulative wife and Kim Novak the young woman who stands by him. With its groundbreaking subject and an authenticity rarely matched in the many films it inspired The Man with the Golden Arm combines masterly direction by Otto Preminger and a jazz score by the legendary Elmer Bernstein. It is featured here in a stunning new digital restoration in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Having just served a prison term for possession of heroin poker dealer Frankie Machine vows to stay clean and find success as a jazz drummer. His wife left disabled by a car crash is equally determined he should remain in the lucrative gambling business. Pressurised by his wife after being asked to deal in a high-stakes game Frankie's fear of failure leads him straight back to the nearest fix...

• Young At Heart | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £10.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (63.84%)   |  RRP £17.99

• Von Ryan's Express | DVD | (02/07/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  An American POW leads a group mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.

• Von Ryan's Express | DVD | (18/04/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Frank Sinatra Busts Loose And Outsmarts The Nazis! As the Allies begin to push the Nazis back toward Germany U.S. combat pilot Col. Joseph Ryan (Sinatra) is shot down and placed in a prison camp. Initially he's more concerned with surviving than escaping earning him the insulting nickname ""Von Ryan."" But in time Ryan takes over from the commanding British officer (Trevor Howard) and masterminds a daredevil race for freedom that involves commandeering a train and getting it acr

• Frank Sinatra - A Man And His Music | DVD | (19/11/2001) from £14.96   |  Saving you £3.02 (25.23%)   |  RRP £14.99

  A Man and His Music is part of a series of Sinatra DVDs assembled by Warner Music Vision. It's a fine idea, and would have been finer still if someone had roused themselves to make a bit more of an effort with the packaging. As it is, it is possible to deduce that the performances here were recorded for television in 1965, and involve the orchestras of Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, but beyond that, we're on our own. That minor quibble aside, there is no serious reason why every man, woman and child alive should not want to own this. A Man and His Music focuses on the upbeat lounge-lizard portion of Sinatra's incomparable oeuvre, showing him snapping his fingers through a series of impeccable songs ("I've Got You Under My Skin", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "The Lady is a Tramp", among others) in a series of impeccable suits. On the DVD: Those responsible for A Man and His Music are clearly of the (not unreasonable) belief that Sinatra doesn't require garnish: the only special features are a menu for selecting individual songs, a catalogue of other DVDs in the Sinatra series and, last and most certainly least, an enragingly superfluous trailer for the DVD you've already bought. The pictures are in 4:3 format, and subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian are available.--Andrew Mueller

• Frank Sinatra | DVD | (03/07/2006) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-0.58 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.40

  Tony Rome: Tony Rome a tough Miami PI living on a houseboat is hired by a local millionaire to find jewelry stolen from his daughter and in the process has several encounters with local hoods as well as the Miami Beach PD. The Detective: A hard-boiled mystery starring Frank Sinatra as the tough-as-nails Detective Joe Leland 'The Detective' was based on a novel by Roderick Thorp. Called in to investigate the murder of Teddy Leikman the homosexual son of a well-conn