Three of the 20th century's greatest cinematic spectacles, 1939's Gone with the Wind, 1959's Ben-Hur and 1965's Doctor Zhivago, are collected here in one irresistible box set. Long before computers turned every crowd scene and every grandiose backdrop into a pixellated virtual construct, these movies did it all for real. Nothing can substitute for their authentic sense of what really makes an epic: strong characters, emotionally involving storytelling and the grandest, most romantic sense of large-scale moviemaking. All three contain sequences and images that are indelibly burned into popular consciousness. Just recall Vivien Leigh's walk through the wounded of Atlanta, or her pledge never to be hungry again silhouetted against an achingly vivid sunset. Remember Charlton Heston rowing the Roman galley, or charging round the arena in his chariot. Or the enigmatic beauty of Julie Christie, the train ride to the Urals and the charge into No Man's Land. On the DVDs: These priceless treasures from the MGM archives have been preserved and restored so marvellously that all three almost look like they were made last year, not decades ago. The vivid colours and detail of Gone with the Wind look astoundingly fresh in this anamorphic 1.33:1 print (just let your eyes drink in those burnished skies). Both Ben-Hur and Zhivago, too, benefit from anamorphic widescreen presentations that reveal every last gorgeous detail. All three discs also contain the full music scores, complete with Overtures and Intermission music: Max Steiner's immortal "Tara Theme" sounds as good as ever on the rich mono soundtrack; Miklos Rozsa's magnificent music for Ben-Hur is deservedly regarded as one of cinema's finest, while Maurice Jarre's famous "Lara's Theme" can even be heard in a separate music-only track on Zhivago. There are no extras on the Gone with the Wind disc, but the other two contain commentaries (from Charlton Heston and Omar Sharif respectively) and new, in-depth making-of documentaries. Zhivago also comes with a second bonus disc that has several contemporary behind-the-scenes pieces. The only moan is the infamous Warner packaging, which consists of their notorious cardboard sleeves that are easily damaged when trying to cram them into the thin cardboard slipcases. --Mark Walker
Drawing from Andrei Tarkovsky's heady science fiction meditation Solaris by way of Alien and Hellraiser, this visually splendid but pulpy piece of science fiction schlock concerns a mission in the year 2047 to investigate the experimental American spaceship Event Horizon, which disappeared seven years previously and suddenly, out of nowhere, reappeared in the orbit of Neptune. Laurence Fishburne stars as mission commander Captain Miller and Sam Neill is Dr Weir, the scientist who designed the mystery ship. Miller's T-shirt-and army-green-clad crew of smart-talking pros finds a ship dead and deserted, but further investigations turn up blood, corpses, dismembered body parts, and a decidedly unearthly presence. It turns out that the ship is really a space-age haunted house where spooky (and obviously impossible) visions lure each of the crew members into situations they should know better than to enter. The ship is gorgeously designed, borrowing from the dark, organic look of Alien and adding the menacing touch of teeth sprouting from bulwark doors and clawlike spikes inexplicably shooting out of the engine room floor. Unfortunately the film is not nearly as inventive as the production design--it turns into a woefully inconsistent psychic monster movie that sacrifices mood for tepid shocks--but the special effects are topnotch, and ultimately the movie has a trashy B movie charm about it. --Sean Axmaker
Cape Fear (1991): The film stars Oscar winner Robert De Niro (Casino Heat) as Max Cady a psychopath who has recently been released from prison. He is out seeking revenge on his lawyer Sam Bowden played by Nick Nolte (48 Hours Thin Red Line) who he believes deliberately withheld information about his case at trial which could have kept him out of jail. He embarks on a mission to terrorise Bowden his wife played by Oscar-winner Jessica Lange (Blue Sky Rob Roy) and their 15 year old daughter played by Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). A remake of the 1962 classic film this has guest appearances from the stars of the original film Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck. The film is directed by one of the leading filmmakers of his generation Oscar-nominated Martin Scorcese. Cape Fear (1962): The original version of this masterpiece of psychological terror and revenge stars Oscar-winner Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mocking Bird Moby Dick) in the role of Sam Bowden and Robert Mitchum (The Big Sleep The Last Tycoon) as psychotic killer Max Cady. The film also stars Polly Bergen (Cry Baby Move Over Darling) and was directed by highly acclaimed British director J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone MacKennas Gold).
A stunning new restoration for the 60th anniversay of LE MÃPRIS, 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 MÃPRIS 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 MÃPRIS 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
WONDER WHEEL tells the story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny (Kate Winslet), an emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty (Jim Belushi), Ginny's rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey (Justin Timberlake), a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina (Juno Temple), Humpty's long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father's apartment. Poetically photographed by Vittorio Storaro, WONDER WHEEL is a powerful dramatic tale of passion, violence, and betrayal that plays out against the picturesque tableau of 1950s Coney Island.
Reversal of Fortune focuses on one of the most intriguing criminal trials of the 1980s, that of Claus von Bülow, who was accused of sending his rich wife Sunny into a permanent coma with an overdose of insulin. Director Barbet Schroeder, working from Nicholas Kazan's evocative, darkly humorous script, turns the story into both a look at the lives of rich folks with too much time on their hands and a whodunit, as lawyer Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) prepares to defend von Bülow (Jeremy Irons) in court. Irons won an Oscar for his spooky, knowing performance, which hints at depths of degeneracy without ever putting a dent in a veneer of bored elegance. The contrast between the hard-charging Dershowitz and his eager-beaver Harvard law students and the eternally languid von Bülow adds unexpected humour. --Marshall Fine
Batman 4-Film Collection 1989 - 1997 includes Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), plus hours of special features, including must-see profiles, documentaries, making -of featurettes, director commentaries by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher, theatrical trailers and music videos. Special Features: Includes Director Commentaries
Jack Nicholson (The Last Detail, Wolf) gives one of his finest and most subtle performances as a hard-working but deeply disillusioned Mexican border-guard in this tough thriller from renowned British filmmaker Tony Richardson (Look Back in Anger, A Taste of Honey). Extras High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with critic and film historian Nick Pinkerton The Guardian/NFT Tribute to Tony Richardson (1992, 58 mins): archival audio recording of an event chaired by Sight & Sound editor Philip Dodd, featuring Lindsay Anderson, Kevin Brownlow, Jocelyn Herbert, Vanessa Redgrave, Karel Reisz and Natasha Richardson, each sharing their memories of Tony Richardson Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
In the brand new adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the tables are turned as four teenagers in detention are sucked into the world of Jumanji. When they discover an old video game console with a game they've never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game's jungle setting, into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji Jumanji plays you. They'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they'll be stuck in the game forever
After his father is killed in a tragic accident young Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) has to leave the mountains where he has grown up to look for work. He makes the acquaintance of grizzled prospector Spur and Spur's more respectable brother Harrison (both played by Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas - Spartacus). When Jim falls for Harrison's daughter however the old man doesn't approve. But Jim is in love and won't be deterred. He will prove his worth no matter what the challenge! Adapted from the epic poem by 'Banjo' Patterson (Waltzing Mathilda) and filmed on stunning locations The Man From Snowy River is a glorious Australian classic.
A celebration of the most iconic - and much missed - homegrown star of the 21st century, BACK TO BLACK tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, BACK TO BLACK honours Amy's artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent.
Car Wash is an earthly irreverent but affectionate look at a typical day in Los Angeles car wash. An ensemble piece which interweaves the lives of employees customers and passers-by Car Wash stars a galaxy of gifted actors most of whom are relatively unknown to movie goers and spotlights an array of guest stars in vivid cameo roles inculding George Carlin ""Professor"" Irwin Corey The Pointer Sisters and Richard Pryor as Daddy Rich a flamboyant Reverend who preaches the
Tom Berenger plays an ex-boxer who quits the ring after killing an opponent and along with his partner (Jack Scalia) runs a talent agency for strippers among them his bi-sexual ex-girlfriend and star attraction (Melanie Griffith). When two of their dancers are brutally mutilated and murdered against a backdrop of mob-controlled violence and NYPD gritty police work it is left to Berenger to return to his murderous fighting skills and find the psycho killer...
From the legendary filmmaking duo Powell and Pressburger [A Matter of Life and Death The Red Shoes] The Small Back Room is the story of the troubled love affair between a tormented back room scientist and a beautiful secretary told against a background of ministerial intrigue and empire building. Sammy Rice [David Farrar] was the army's finest bomb disposal officer until he was injured in the war and left with a false foot. Now part of a specialist 'back room' team he dismantles the booby-trapped devices being dropped by Nazi bombers. He falls in love with Susan [Kathleen Byron] a colleague and the two begin a secret affair. However embittered by life he feels inferior; inferior as a lover inferior as a man unable to wear uniform; inferior in his work for although a brilliant scientist he allows himself to be exploited by his power-hungry boss. Haunted by his past he drowns his sorrows in whiskey. Sammy's life is descending into disarray when the news comes; a bomb has exploded with catastrophic consequences and another has been found. Faced with the biggest challenge of his career Sammy must confront his demons and take his own life in his hands to solve the mystery of the bomb's lethal mechanism.
All 30 episodes of David Lynch's landmark murder mystery series. Twin Peaks (population 51,201), a sleepy everytown USA where everyone's lives intersect with everyone else's, lies just five miles from the Canadian border. The town wakes up one morning to find one of its brightest young inhabitants, beautiful Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) murdered and wrapped in plastic down by the river. Local Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) and tearful Deputy Andy (Harry Goaz) are out of their depth with such a murder case and an FBI agent is assigned to investigate. Youthful, charismatic and somewhat otherworldy in his approach to policing, Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives to try and solve the case. Cooper's appearance causes ripples in the community and in turn he discovers that Twin Peaks is a small town full of secrets.
Hands down, this is the best movie (and was one of the first) to come out of the seemingly endless cycle of disaster movies that dominated box offices during the 1970s. It could even be argued that Titanic owes some of its success to the precedent set by this 1972 blockbuster starring Gene Hackman as a priest who leads a small group of survivors to safety from the bowels of a capsized luxury liner. From its stellar cast to its cheesy, Oscar-winning theme song, The Morning After, the movie has all the ingredients of a popular classic, beginning with a New Year's Eve celebration aboard the ill-fated Poseidon and ending as a pop allegory when the Hackman character becomes a Christ-like martyr. Filmed on spectacular sets where everything down is up and the ship's thick hull points in the direction of salvation, this is "a waterlogged Grand Hotel" (in the words of New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael) that is as entertaining as it is unabashedly brainless. The Poseidon Adventure is filled with performances that rise above the limits of the screenplay. It's also the only movie--unless you count her underwater corpse in Night of the Hunter--that lets Shelley Winters strut her stuff as an aquatic heroine. Who could ask for anything more? --Jeff Shannon
A year after the explosive events of last season, England finds itself embroiled in a devastating civil war, with the powerful, neo-fascist Raven Union, led by Lord Harwood (Jason Flemyng) threatening to control the entire country. North London remains one of the few resistance holdouts remaining. It's here in the West End Neutral Zone, that we find Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon). After years in the British Army, his training with the SAS has taught him to be a cynical optimist - expecting the worst, but knowing that he can handle it. Now running The Delaney, a black-market Soho club that welcomes everyone, regardless of their politics, Alfred, with his SAS mates, Bazza (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and Daveboy (Ryan Fletcher), is now in search of a way out... before London, and his country, burns itself to the ground. And he's got his eye on America.
Please note this is a region 2 Blu-ray and will require a region 2 or region Free Blu-ray Player in order to play For the first time ever of blu-ray! Go back to the beginning to experience the epic saga of Avatar: The Legend of Aang. From the discovery of Avatar Aang in the frozen iceberg to the mastery of all four elements, from the battle at Ba Sing Se to the final showdown with the Fire Nation, your destiny awaits as you relive all the powerful bending that will blow you away, once more! Alternate Title: Avatar: The Last AirbenderLanguage: EnglishDubbed: French, SpanishNumber of discs: 9
A landmark movie in the film noir tradition Roman Polanski’s Chinatown stands as a true screen classic. Jack Nicholson is private eye Jake Gittes living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband’s extra-marital affair Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for
Winner of 7 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, The Sting stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con men in 1930s Chicago. After a friend is killed by the mob, they try to get even by attempting to pull off the ultimate sting. No one is to be trusted as the twists unfold, leading up to one of the greatest double-crosses in movie history. The con is on! Special Features The Art of The Sting: 3-Part Documentary on the creation of the film, featuring Interviews with Robert Redford, Paul Newman and many more 100 years of Universal: Restoring the Classics 100 years of Universal: The 70s 100 years of Universal: The Lot
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