"Actor: Fritz"

• Cabaret - 30th Anniversary Special Edition | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £16.99   |  Saving you £-12.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Cabaret is one of those film musicals whose cultural and stylistic influence extend well beyond the cinema. It confirmed Bob Fosse's status as one of the boldest choreographers of the 20th century and gave Liza Minnelli an early peak in a film career which would never scale such heights again. Minnelli is both the film's strength--on its own merits her performance is an Oscar-winning tour de force--and weakness. The real Sally Bowles was a third-rate performer and just one of a rich gallery of characters; here, the constant allowances for Minnelli's star turns and mannerisms ultimately throw the story off balance. But the source material is impeccable: Kander and Ebb's stage show, based on the autobiographical stories of Christopher Isherwood, has long since been acknowledged a classic. The songs, augmented by some new numbers in the film, are ageless. Joel Grey from the original Broadway production is the Emcee, the master of ceremonies who, with his Kit Kat Klub girls, provides a depraved Greek chorus satirising the rise of the Nazi regime and the lazy complacency of the 1930s Berlin cabaret-goers. The "divine decadence" tag is only part of the story, though. Cabaret still works a sinister, uncomfortable magic which sets it apart as a uniquely powerful film musical. On the DVD: Cabaret's 30th Anniversary Special Edition is packed with extras which include a scratchy "making of" documentary from 1972 and a retrospective from 1997, the latter featuring reminiscences from the cast. There’s also the original theatrical trailer, though in the absence of the late director Fosse the lack of some kind of commentary is a disappointment. The picture itself, presented in widescreen 16:9 letterbox format with a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack, gleams as sharply, visually and aurally, as it did on its first release. --Piers Ford

• Marathon Man | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £6.91   |  Saving you £6.08 (87.99%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In New York City the brother of infamous Nazi war criminal Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier) is killed in a car accident. Shortly thereafter members of a covert US government group called 'The Division' who are investigating the incident begin to be murdered one by one. When Doc Levy (Roy Scheider) a 'Division' agent is the latest to be attacked his brother Babe (Dustin Hoffman) witnesses his death and unwittingly becomes the pawn in a deadly game in which former SS dentist

• The Thomas Crown Affair | DVD | (28/08/2000) from £6.65   |  Saving you £13.34 (200.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Thomas Crown is a self-made billionaire who can buy anything he wants and is irresistible to women. But there are some things that money can't buy. Thomas Crown has run out of challenges.

• Verdi: Aida -- Metropolitan Opera | DVD | (20/11/2000) from £15.73   |  Saving you £1.26 (8.01%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A star-studded production from New York's Metropolitan Opera with Aprile Millo and Placido Domingo in the lead roles supported by the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; conducted by James Levine. Please note: This is a NTSC disc please ensure the compatibility of your TV.

• The Hands Of Orlac | Blu Ray | (14/06/2021) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A mesmerising expressionist thriller starring Conrad Veidt. Eureka Entertainment to release THE HANDS OF ORLAC, Robert Wiene's triumphant work of sinister German Expressionism starring Conrad Veidt, on Blu-ray for the first time on home video in the UK as part of The Masters of Cinema Series from 14 June 2021. The first print run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase. Reuniting the star and director of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, The Hands of Orlac [Orlac's Hände] is a deliciously twisted thriller that blends grand guignol thrills with the visual and performance styles of German Expressionism. Based on a novel by medical-horror novelist Maurice Renard, it charts the mental disintegration of a concert pianist (Conrad Veidt) whose hands are amputated after a train crash, and replaced with the hands of an executed murderer. When Orlac's father is murdered by the dead man's hands, Orlac begins a steady descent towards madness. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Hands of Orlac for the first time on home video in the UK in a special Blu-ray edition. Special Features Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a restoration of the original film elements by Film Archiv Austria LPCM 2.0 audio Original German language intertitles with optional English subtitles Brand new feature length audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman Brand new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns Alternate presentation of The Hands of Orlac [SD, 110 minutes] Courtesy of the F. W. Murnau Foundation, a presentation of the film struck from a different print source, featuring alternate takes of certain scenes. Includes a musical score by Paul Mercer. Scene comparisons highlighting some of the differences between the two versions of the film A Collector's Booklet featuring new writing by Philip Kemp, and Tim Lucas

• The Nazis - A Warning From History | DVD | (24/05/2004) from £7.86   |  Saving you £12.13 (154.33%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Combining unseen archive footage and a wealth of interview material with "ordinary" people who witnessed or even participated in Hitler's reign, this eight part 1997 documentary brought fresh light to bear on the rise and fall of The Third Reich. Inevitably, the episode dealing with the Holocaust immobilises the viewer in its harrowing detail and a further blow against that rump of humanity who refuse to believe the genocide ever occurred. Yet of great interest also is the depiction of the nature of Hitler's dictatorship. He was, it seems, not a driven, workaholic ideologue but a lazy man who, having set his ideas in motion was content to let his subordinates do all the administrative work, fighting for his favour. The series also featured interviews with unrepentant Nazis. There's a telling moment in which an interviewer confronts an elderly woman with a letter of complaint to the Nazi authorities about a supposedly "subversive" neighbour, bearing her signature. The letter sent the hapless neighbour to her death. At first the woman denies knowledge of the incident, then, when faced with the evidence, glibly wonders why anyone should still bother about events that occurred so long ago. This series shows us exactly why. --David Stubbs

• Fail-Safe | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £24.99   |  Saving you £-12.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  It will have you sitting on the brink of eternity! One of the greatest anti-war thrillers ever Fail-Safe stars Henry Fonda Walter Matthau Dan O'Herlihy Larry Hagman and Fritz Weaver (in this film debut) as a group of military men on the verge of World War III. When a military computer error deploys a squadron of SAC bombers to destroy Moscow the American President (Fonda) tries to call them back. But their sophisticated fail-safe system prevents him from aborting

• Le Mepris (60th Anniversary) (Vintage World Cinema) | DVD | (26/06/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Hello Dolly | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £6.91   |  Saving you £9.08 (131.40%)   |  RRP £15.99

• Metropolis | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Fritz Lang's Expressionistic masterwork continues to exert its influence today, from Chaplin's Modern Times (1936) to Dr Strangelove (1963), and into the late 1990s with Dark City (1998). In the stratified society of the future (Y2K no less), the son of a capitalist discovers the atrocious conditions of the factory slaves, falling in love with the charismatic Maria in the bargain, who preaches nonviolence to the workers. But even the benevolent leadership of Maria is a challenge to the privileged class, so they have the mad-scientist Rotwang concoct a robot double to take her place and incite the workers to riot. The story is melodrama, but it's the powerful imagery that is so memorable. One of the most arresting images has legions of cowed workers filing listlessly into the great maw of the all-consuming machine-god Moloch. Unfortunately, the print used for this DVD is unfocused, scratchy, and five minutes short, altogether unworthy of a visionary masterpiece. It may be too much to hope for the complete film to be restored (only two hours of the original three-hour film are extant), but a clean transfer from a fine-grain negative ought to be possible. And why, when there are other possible future Metropolises to be had, should we downtrodden masses accept this junk? --Jim Gay

• Cabaret | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £16.08   |  Saving you £-10.09 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

• WESTFRONT 1918 & KAMERADSCHAFT (Two films by G.W Pabst) | Blu Ray | (24/07/2017) from £11.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Georg Wilhelm Pabst (Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl) made a flawless transition from silent to sound filmmaking with, Westfront 1918 and Kameradschaft, a pair of strongly anti-war titles (Pabst himself was a prisoner of war for the duration of WWI) that combined elements of Expressionism and New Objectivity to stunning effect. In Westfront 1918, four infantrymen on the Western Front suffer the everyday hardships and insanity of trench warfare, and in Kameradschaft, a team of German miners risk their lives to rescue a team of French miners left trapped after an underground explosion. Sharing many thematic elements, as well as key cast and crew (most notably cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner, M, Nosferatu, Der müde Tod), Westfront 1918 and Kameradschaft represents a master director at the height of his powers, and The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present both these titles for the first time ever on Blu-ray in a special Dual Format edition. DUAL FORMAT EDITION FEATURES: Limited Edition O-card [First 2000 copies] Both films presented on Blu-ray in stunning 1080p Uncompressed PCM soundtrack for both titles (on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles Westfront 1918, an introduction by film scholar and author Jan-Christopher Horak Kameradschaft, an introduction by film scholar and author Jan-Christopher Horak PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by Philip Kemp, alongside rare archival imagery

• Fail Safe (1965) | Blu Ray | (03/02/2020) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This unnerving procedural thriller painstakingly details an all-too-plausible nightmare scenario in which a mechanical failure jams the United States military's chain of command and sends the country hurtling toward nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Working from a contemporary best seller, screenwriter WALTER BERNSTEIN (The Front) and director SIDNEY LUMET (Network) wrench harrowing suspense from the doomsday fears of the Cold War era, making the most of a modest budget and limited sets to create an atmosphere of clammy claustrophobia and astronomically high stakes. Starring HENRY FONDA (12 Angry Men) as a coolheaded U.S. president and WALTER MATTHAU (Charade) as a trigger-happy political theorist, Fail Safe is a long-underappreciated alarm bell of a film, sounding an urgent warning about the deadly logic of mutually assured destruction. Special Edition Features New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Audio commentary from 2000 featuring director Sidney Lumet New interview with film critic J. Hoberman on 1960s nuclear paranoia and Cold War films Fail-Safe Revisited, a short documentary from 2000 including interviews with Lumet, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, and actor Dan O'Herlihy PLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri

• Le Mepris (60th Anniversary) (Vintage World Cinema) | Blu Ray | (26/06/2023) from £14.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A stunning new restoration for the 60th anniversay of LE MÉPRIS, one of the most notable examples of the French New Wave from cinema's original enfant terrible: Jean-Luc Godard. Featuring the style icon Brigitte Bardot (And God Created Woman, Viva Maria!) as Camille, and legendary French talent Michel Piccoli (Belle De Jour, The Things of Live) as Paul, LE MÉPRIS boasts a strong and eclectic supporting cast featuring 'master of darkness' Director, Fritz Lang as himself, renowned American actor Jack Palance as Jeremy, and the infamous Giorgia Moll as Francesca. Set around the extraordinary Villa Malaparte on Capri, LE MÉPRIS tells the tragic romance between Paul and his wife, Camille. Paul is enlisted the task of re-writing a film script. Whilst he becomes engrossed in writing, he appears oblivious to the film producer's interest in his irresistibly beautiful wife, Camille. In turn, we witness the hurtful unfolding of Paul & Camille's marriage. Product Features Once Upon a Time There Was... Contempt, an Introduction by Colin Maccabe Paparazzi by Jacques Rozier Bardot Godard: the Party of Things by Jacques Rozier Original Trailer

• Goebbels and the Fuhrer | Unknown | (08/09/2025) from £16.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• PANDORA'S BOX | Blu Ray | (16/09/2024) from £16.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eureka Entertainment to re-issue G. W. Pabst's sordid melodrama PANDORA'S BOX, one of silent cinema's great masterworks, starring Louise Brooks. Presented on Blu-ray from a new restoration as part of The Masters of Cinema Series. Available from 16 September 2024.In a role intended at one point for Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel), 22 year-old Louise Brooks (Diary of a Lost Girl), with her fragile beauty and iconic dark bob hairstyle, gives a performance decades ahead of its time that immortalised her as an icon. Largely condemned and censored upon its initial release for its daring treatment of sexuality and female desire, Brooks' understated yet erotically charged performance endures as among the most modern of the silent era.Adapted from a pair of plays by Frank Wedekind, Pandora's Box tells the story of sex worker Lulu, a free spirit whose open sexuality breeds chaos in its wake. When Lulu's latest lover, the newspaper editor Dr Ludwig Schon (Fritz Kortner, The Hands of Orlac), announces plans to leave her to marry a more respectable woman, Lulu is devastated. Cast in a musical revue written by Schon's son, Alwa (Francis Lederer, The Return of Dracula), Lulu seduces Schon once more - only to have their tryst exposed, and Schon's plans for a more socially acceptable marriage shattered. Left with no choice but to marry Lulu, Schon meets with tragedy on their wedding night. Lulu stands trial for the incident, facing years of imprisonment. With the aid of her former pimp (Carl Goetz, Tom Sawyer), an infatuated lesbian countess (Alice Roberts, The Merry Widower) and Alwa, she flees toward a fate of increasing squalor and peril, finally crossing paths one Christmas Eve with Jack the Ripper.Reviled and bowdlerised at its debut, Pandora's Box has since been recognised as one of the masterpieces of early German cinema. A sordid melodrama made with great style, it affirms G. W. Pabst as a daring and important director and Louise Brooks as one of cinema's most exquisite and distinctive performers. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present Pabst's masterpiece in a new restoration on Blu-ray.1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a definitive 2K digital restoration | Optional English subtitles | Orchestral Score by Peer Raben | Audio commentary by critic Pamela Hutchinson | The New Woman & The Jazz Age: The Dangerous Feminine in Pandora's Box - Visual appreciation by author and critic Kat Ellinger | Godless Beasts - Video essay by David Cairns | Lulu in Wonderland - Video essay by Fiona Watson | Restoring Pandora's Box - Interview with Martin Koerber | PLUS: A 28-page collector's booklet featuring an essay by film critic and historian Imogen Sara Smith, author of Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City

• My Life As A Dog | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £14.46   |  Saving you £5.53 (38.24%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Simultaneously elegiac and raw, My Life as a Dog is an uneven--but unforgettable--tearjerker which tells the story of Ingemar, a 12-year-old working-class Swedish boy sent to live with his childless aunt and uncle in a country village when his mother falls ill. Beginning with several representations of the most savage, unsentimental domestic intensity imaginable (interplay between a sick parent and loving child has never looked anywhere near as explosive), My Life as a Dog wisely doesn't attempt to maintain that level of danger; rather, the change in locale to rural Sweden is accompanied by a slackening of pace and a whimsical breeziness. Nevertheless, the tragic condition of Ingemar's mother (and later, the indeterminate fate of Sickan, his beloved dog, consigned to a kennel) hovers over the narrative with a gripping portentousness. At times, director Lasse Hallström misplaces the rhythm, and the film threatens to degenerate into a series of rustic vignettes; luckily, Ingemar's relationship with Gunnar, the jocular yet somewhat sinister uncle who essentially adopts him, carries a fascinating charge. This was later rewritten, whether intentionally or not, by Spike Lee, who changed the gender of the child, set the story in New York City, added a 1970s soul soundtrack, and called it Crooklyn. Swedish, with subtitles --Miles Bethany, Amazon.com

• Creepshow | DVD | (22/10/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The most fun you'll ever have being scared! Two macabre masters - writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero - conjure up five shocking yarns each a virtuoso exercise in the ghouls-and-gags style of classic '50s horror comics. A murdered man emerges from the grave for Father's Day cake. A meteor's ooze makes everything... grow. A professor selects his wife as a snack for a crated creature. A scheming husband plants two lovers up to their necks in terror. A malevolent millionaire with an insect phobia becomes the prey of a cockroach army. Add the spirited performances of a fine cast (Hal Holbrook Adrienne Barbeau Leslie Nielsen Ted Danson E.G. Marshall and King himself) and the ghoulish makeup wizardry of Tom Savini. Let the Creepshow begin!

• Le Dernier Combat | Blu Ray | (14/09/2009) from £9.09   |  Saving you £15.90 (63.60%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The sky is raining fish. Skyscrapers sit in mountains of sand. Bandits sleep in trunks of used cars. It's a world of the future. A world called Planet Earth. And he's one man just trying to survive. In Besson's haunting beautifully realised vision of a post-apocalyptic world few have held onto life and fewer still to humanity. An unknown trauma has robbed mankind of their ability to speak and they remain mute in the unexplained wreckage of what once was. The Man (Pierre Jolivet) is an isolated survivor wandering the hostile streets of a collapsed civilization. He lives in a long-abandoned office building fighting off attacks from nearby thugs and gathering together disused car parts for a makeshift airplane hoping to fly away from his sombre prison. Escape however offers little respite as he leaves one dead city for another. In the midst of this new wasteland The Man encounters his nemesis The Brute (Jean Reno); a violent aggressor who becomes determined to destroy him. By chance he stumbles into a derelict hospital and finds there an old doctor who is hiding from The Brute. Together the two seek sanctuary from The Brute and gradually in the grey and sterile world a friendship begins to grow. Luc Besson's debut feature film Le Dernier Combat has been much lauded by audiences and critics alike since its release in 1984 and enjoys a richly deserved cult status in the annuls of film history.

• Cave Of Forgotten Dreams | Blu Ray | (17/10/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Join the master adventurer and iconic director Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn) in this extraordinary 3D blu-ray, as he ventures on a new epic journey.Overcoming considerable challenges, Herzog captures the stunning majesty of the Chauvet Cave in southern France, where the world's oldest cave paintings have been discovered. Herzog reveals a breathtaking subterranean world including the 32,000-year-old artworks. With his humorous and engaging narration Herzog refelcts on our primal desire to communicate and represent the world around us, evolution and our place within it, and ultimately what it means to be human.