David Lean's wintry adaptation of Boris Pasternak's melodramatic Russian Revolution romance, Doctor Zhivago, is a masterpiece of epic filmmaking, but one that risks leaving the viewer cold. Though none of the film was shot in the then USSR, Lean's assured technique nevertheless illuminates the breathtaking backgrounds magnificently: from the snowy wastes of the Urals to the strife-torn streets of Moscow, Lean stages a series of wonderful set-pieces showing war, revolution and its terrible aftermath. The problem lies in the foreground. Omar Sharif's entirely passive Zhivago is, we are told, a romantic poet of great sensitivity who internalises all his emotions and expresses them in verse. The trouble is the audience never gets to see a line of his poems, not even the centrally important "Lara" cycle. Thus Zhivago at the end of the picture is as much an emotional blank to us as he was at the beginning. His affair with the idealised beauty that is Julie Christie's Lara is also taken for granted by the filmmakers rather than set up in any convincing way, their mutual attraction remaining a mystery that creates a vacuum at the core of the picture. Given that none of the central characters with the exception of Rod Steiger's fire-breathing lecher Komarovsky ever give way to strong emotions, the romantic heart of the film remains oddly frigid. Matters are not helped by composer Maurice Jarre's incessant "Lara's Theme", which many will find teeth-grindingly irritating. Still, any David Lean epic, even a flawed one, is always going to be a first-class cinematic experience, and Zhivago is assuredly that. On the DVD: A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and this movie's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow Sandra and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hour-long making-of documentary plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever treasurable. --Mark Walker
Martin Scorsese does not sound like the logical choice to direct The Age of Innocence, an adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about the manners and morals in New York society in the 1870s. But these are mean streets, too, and the psychological violence inflicted between characters is at least as damaging as the physical violence perpetrated by Scorsese's usual gangsters. At the centre of the tale is Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a somewhat diffident young man engaged to marry the very respectable May Welland (Winona Ryder). But Archer is distracted by May's cousin, the Countess Olenska (a radiant Michelle Pfeiffer), who has recently returned from Europe. As a married woman seeking a divorce, the Countess is an embarrassment to all of New York society. But Archer is fascinated by her quick intelligence and worldly ways. Scorsese closely observes the tiny details of this world and this impossible situation; this is a film in which the shift of someone's eyes can be as significant as the firing of a gun. The director's sense of colour has never been keener, and his work with the actors is subtle. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese's lavish period piece, an achingly beautiful adaptation of the classic novel. No filmmaker captures the grandeur and energy of New York like Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas). With this sumptuous romance, he meticulously adapted the work of another great New York artist, Edith Wharton, bringing to life her tragic novel of the cloistered world of Gilded Age Manhattan. The Age of Innocence tells the story of Newland Archer (My Beautiful Laundrette's Daniel DayLewis), whose engagement to an innocent socialite (Heathers' Winona Ryder) binds him to the codes and rituals of his upbringing. But when her cousin (Dangerous Liaisons' Michelle Pfeiffer) arrives in town on a wave of scandal after separating from her husband, she ignites passions in Newland he never knew existed. Swelling with exquisite period detail, this film is an alternately heartbreaking and satirical look at the brutality of oldworld America. Features: New, restored 4K digital transfer, approved by director Martin Scorsese, with 5.1 surround DTSHD New interviews with Scorsese, coscreenwriter Jay Cocks, production designer Dante Ferretti, and costume designer Gabriella Pescucci Innocence and Experience, a 1993 documentary on the making of the film Trailer PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien
Jurassic World Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom It's been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who's still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times. With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaursalong with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Patrick Ness and brought to life by visionary director J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) A Monster Calls is a stunning and fantastical tale of loss, courage and hope. A Monster Calls is the story of 12 year-old Conor O'Malley (newcomer Lewis MacDougall) and his attempts to come to terms with his mother's (Felicity Jones The Theory of Everything) illness and the ever-growing presence of his strict grandmother (Sigourney Weaver Alien Anthology). Confused, angry and alone as he struggles to deal with the forces shaping his life, Conor retreats to a magical world where he meets The Monster (Liam Neeson Schindler's List) who tells him three tales that will help Conor confront his nightmare and the truths that threaten to destroy him.
Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Patrick Ness and brought to life by visionary director J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) A Monster Calls is a stunning and fantastical tale of loss, courage and hope. A Monster Calls is the story of 12 year-old Conor O'Malley (newcomer Lewis MacDougall) and his attempts to come to terms with his mother's (Felicity Jones The Theory of Everything) illness and the ever-growing presence of his strict grandmother (Sigourney Weaver Alien Anthology). Confused, angry and alone as he struggles to deal with the forces shaping his life, Conor retreats to a magical world where he meets The Monster (Liam Neeson Schindler's List) who tells him three tales that will help Conor confront his nightmare and the truths that threaten to destroy him.
David Lean's wintry adaptation of Boris Pasternak's melodramatic Russian Revolution romance, Doctor Zhivago, is a masterpiece of epic filmmaking, but one that risks leaving the viewer cold. Though none of the film was shot in the then USSR, Lean's assured technique nevertheless illuminates the breathtaking backgrounds magnificently: from the snowy wastes of the Urals to the strife-torn streets of Moscow, Lean stages a series of wonderful set-pieces showing war, revolution and its terrible aftermath. The problem lies in the foreground. Omar Sharif's entirely passive Zhivago is, we are told, a romantic poet of great sensitivity who internalises all his emotions and expresses them in verse. The trouble is the audience never gets to see a line of his poems, not even the centrally important "Lara" cycle. Thus Zhivago at the end of the picture is as much an emotional blank to us as he was at the beginning. His affair with the idealised beauty that is Julie Christie's Lara is also taken for granted by the filmmakers rather than set up in any convincing way, their mutual attraction remaining a mystery that creates a vacuum at the core of the picture. Given that none of the central characters with the exception of Rod Steiger's fire-breathing lecher Komarovsky ever give way to strong emotions, the romantic heart of the film remains oddly frigid. Matters are not helped by composer Maurice Jarre's incessant "Lara's Theme", which many will find teeth-grindingly irritating. Still, any David Lean epic, even a flawed one, is always going to be a first-class cinematic experience, and Zhivago is assuredly that. On the DVD: A stunning anamorphic widescreen print is the ideal way to appreciate David Lean's craftsmanship and this movie's glorious, wintry cinematography. Maurice Jarre's "Lara's Theme" and the rest of his patchwork score can be heard in a music-only track, while Omar Sharif is joined by Lean's widow Sandra and Rod Steiger for an intermittent commentary. The second bonus disc contains a good hour-long making-of documentary plus 10 shorter contemporary documentaries giving various insights into the location shooting and the cast and crew. But it's the sheer beauty of the picture that will astonish and make this disc forever treasurable. --Mark Walker
Live To Kill. Kill To Live... Meet Rayne. She's every man's dream. She's every vampire's living nightmare. And she's out avenge her Mother's brutal death at the hands of Kagan Kind of the Vampire's before he lays eighteenth century Romania to ruin. Driven by her own vampire bloodlust but refusing to take innocent lives Rayne transforms into Bloodrayne blazing an explosive trail of action packed destruction in this awe-inspiring tale of merciless vengeance.
The iconic children's tale gets an movie update in this version which stars Max Von Sydow.
The Jacques Rivette Collection brings together some of the director’s hardest to see works, each restored, newly translated and debuting on home video for the first time in UK. Out 1 is one of the crowning achievements of Rivette’s remarkable career. Conceived as a television mini-series, this near-thirteen-hour monolith consists of eight feature-length episodes revolving around two theatre troupes, blackmail and conspiracy. Multiple characters introduce multiple plotlines, weaving a rich tapestry across an epic runtime. Originally screened just the once in its full-length version in 1971, Out 1 was then re-conceived by Rivette as a four-and-a-half-hour feature. Making use of alternative and unseen footage, the director renamed this version Out 1: Spectre as an acknowledgement of its shadow-like nature. Both are presented in this boxed-set, fully restored and with newly-translated English subtitles. Complementing Out 1 are two ‘parallel films’, Duelle (une quarantaine) and Noroît. The former sees Rivette head into fantasy territory: the Queen of the Sun (Bulle Ogier) and the Queen of the Night (Juliet Berto) search for a magical diamond in present-day Paris. The latter is a loose adaptation of The Revenger’s Tragedy and a pirate tale, starring Geraldine Chaplin (Nashville, Cría cuervos). Also included is Merry-Go-Round, in which Joe Dallesandro (Flesh for Frankenstein) and Maria Schneider (The Passenger, Last Tango in Paris) are summoned to Paris, kickstarting the most surreal of all Rivette’s mysteries. Limited Edition Contents: Limited Edition Collection - 3,000 Copies High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of all films from brand new 2K restorations of the films with Out 1 supervised by cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) Optional newly-translated English subtitles for all films The Mysteries of Paris: Jacque Rivette’s Out 1 Revisited – a brand-new feature length documentary by Robert Fischer and Wilfred Reichart containing interviews with actors Bulle Ogier, Michael Lonsdale and Hermine Karagheuz, cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn, assistant director Jean-François Stévenin and producer Stéphane Tchalgadjieff, as well as rare archival interviews with actors Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Michel Delahaye, and director Jacques Rivette Scenes from a Parallel Life: Jacques Rivette Remembers – archive interview with the director, in which he discusses Duelle (une quarantaine), Noroît and Merry-Go-Round, featuring additional statements from Bulle Ogier and Hermine Karagheuz Brand-new interview with critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who reported from the sets of both Duelle (une quarantaine) and Noroît Exclusive perfect-bound book containing new writing on the films by Mary M. Wiles, Brad Stevens, Ginette Vincendeau and Nick Pinkerton
Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, "The Wolfman" brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.
A milestone in American cinema and of the key films of the 1970s Robert Altman's Nashville is one of the most influential and dazzling films ever made. Weaving together the stories and interactions of twenty-four major characters with astonishing fluidity this audacious epic vision of America circa 1975 has lost none of its freshness or excitement. Taking place over five days in the nation's music capital Nashville Tennessee the film follows two-dozen characters struggling for fulfilment both personal and professional amongst a backdrop of country and gospel musicians outsider political campaigning and the peripheries of life in between building from one encounter at a time to create a wide-ranging tapestry of rich drama and human comedy. Featuring an exhilarating central vein of musical performances (written in character by many of the actors themselves) and a phenomenal cast including Ned Beatty Karen Black Keith Carradine Geraldine Chaplin Shelley Duvall Scott Glenn Jeff Goldblum Michael Murphy and Lily Tomlin. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this iconic work for the first time ever on home video in the UK. Special Features: New 1080p high-definition restoration More on-disc extras to be announced closer to release! 36- Page Booklet with a new essay vintage stills and more!
Angela Lansbury stars as supersleuth Miss Marple who sets about solving a mysterious death in the archetypal English village of St. Mary Mead. It features an all star cast including Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. EXTRAS: Interview with writer Barry Sandler Interview with Dame Angela Lansbury Interview with producer Richard Goodwin Behind the scenes stills gallery Storyboard gallery
What could be better than The Three Musketeers? D'Artagnan (Michael York) has become a Musketeer. Protestants hold La Rochelle and the Queen loves Buckingham who'll soon send ships to support the rebels. Richelieu enlists Rochefort (Christopher Lee) to kidnap Constance (Raquel Welch) the Queen's go-between and D'Artagnan's love. The Cardinal (Charlton Heston) uses the wily amoral Milady de Winter (Faye Dunaway) to distract D'Artagnan. But soon she is D'Artagnan's sworn e
More than 30 years after the Oscar-winning film Born Free moved millions To Walk With Lions is set to make a similar impact. Starring Richard Harris as Kenyan game warden George Adamson To Walk With Lions is the dramatic compelling true story of Adamsons continued battle to save the Kenyan wildlife. He takes on Tony Fitzjohn a down and out drifter from London to help at his reserve in Kora. When poachers begin to trespass into Kora hunting for rhino horn and ivory
Titles Comprise: Wolfman Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Bram Stokers Dracula
The young D'Artagnan (Michael York) arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men Athos (Oliver Reed) Porthos (Frank Finlay) and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain) each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out that they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston) who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the king. D'Artagnan must also juggle
The year is 1953. The small English village of St. Mary Mead home to Miss Jane Marple is delighted when a big American movie company arrives to make a movie telling of the relationship between Jane Grey and Elisabeth I starring the famous actresses Marina Rudd and Lola Brewster. Marina arrives with her husband Jason and when she discovers that Lola is going to be in the movie with her she hits the roof as Lola and Marina loathe each other on sight. Marina has been getting death threats and at a party at the manor house Heather Babcock after boring Marina with a long story drinks a cocktail made for Marina and dies from poisoning. Everybody believes that Marina is the target but the police officer investigating the case Inspector Craddock isn't sure so he asks Miss Marple his aunt to investigate...
Kids will love this sweeping story of two brothers whose plane crashes on a mysterious island called Dinotopia, where human beings live in harmony with dinosaurs--the herbivores, anyway. The carnivores present a problem, as the humans' defences against them--a mystical power source called sunstones--are losing strength. As they try to save the island, Carl and David (Tyron Leitso and Wentworth Miller) struggle not only with tyrannosaurs and prehistoric crocodiles, but also with repressive Dinotopian traditions and a scheming malcontent (David Thewlis) who stirs up all kinds of trouble. Meanwhile, they also wrestle with each other over the lovely daughter of the mayor of Waterfall City (Katie Carr). The pacifist ideals of Dinotopia are refreshing, but it's the special effects that will hook viewers: riding on the backs of brachiosaurs, flying atop pteranadons, arguing in court with triceratops and ankylosaurs. Anyone fascinated with dinosaurs (and who isn't?) will enjoy this whimsical fantasy. A host of British character actors also helps keep the human side of this four-hour mini-series lively; Alice Krige (also known as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact) gets a much more benevolent role here. --Bret Fetzer
The scene is set in the Coronation year of 1953 and the archetypal English village of St. Mary Mead. All is as it should be until Hollywood arrives in the form of an internationally famous film cast leading to much local excitement and an epidemic of sudden death to which local sleuth Miss Marple sets her mind...
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy