"Actor: James Douglas"

• The Desert Rats | DVD | (24/09/2012) from £7.50   |  Saving you £2.49 (33.20%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In The Desert Ratshis second Hollywood role--between Oscar-nominated turns in My Cousin Rachel and The Robe--Richard Burton stars as a Scottish commando put in charge of a battalion of the Ninth Australian Division defending Tobruk. The Aussies don't like him, and with a year of grim North African duty already under his belt, he's not too crazy about his new responsibilities either. The outfit is charged with staving off the battering assaults of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for two months to give the British Army time to regroup in Cairo and prepare for a counterattack. In the end, the "Desert Rats" play hell with the Desert Fox for 242 days, during which they and their commander develop some mutual respect.This is a solid, workmanlike World War Two picture that, having been made in 1953 rather than 1943, can acknowledge a degree of eccentric humanity and soldierly professionalism in the enemy. Featured guest star James Mason reprises his Rommel from The Desert Fox (1951)--playing all his scenes in German except for a scene of ironical repartee with Burton. Another distinguished Brit, Robert Newton, gets co-star billing as a boozy, self-confessed coward who used to be Burton's schoolmaster once upon a time. However, a goodly number of Australians--including Chips Rafferty and Charles "Bud" Tingwell (still going strong nearly 50 years later in Paul Cox's wonderful Innocence)--rate as much screentime. Robert Wise directed, with a trimness that reminds us he started out as an editor, and Lucien Ballard provides the pungent black-and-white cinematography. --Richard T Jameson, Amazon.com

• Vanity Fair | DVD | (03/08/2009) from £2.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (234.11%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Reese Witherspoon stars as the most calucating, funny and manipulative anti-heroine of English literature in a big-screen version of William Thackeray's classic novel.

• When The Boat Comes In - Series 1 | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Taken from the first television series this finds a former Army sergeant returning home to an economically depressed Gallowshields in Tyneside at the end of World War One. But this sergeant always lands on his feet...

• The Manchurian Candidate | DVD | (31/07/2017) from £12.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  You will never find a more chillingly suspenseful, perversely funny, or viciously satirical political thriller than The Manchurian Candidate, based on the novel by Richard Condon (author of Winter Kills). The film, withheld from distribution by star Frank Sinatra for almost a quarter-century after President Kennedy's assassination, has lost none of its potency over time. Former infantryman Bennet Marco (Sinatra) is haunted by nightmares about his platoon having been captured and brainwashed in Korea. The indecipherable dreams seem to centre on Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a decorated war hero but a cold fish of a man whose own mother (Angela Lansbury, in one of the all-time great dragon-lady roles) describes him as looking like his head is "always about to come to a point". Mrs Bates has nothing on Lansbury's character, the manipulative queen behind her second husband, Senator John Iselin (James Gregory), a notoriously McCarthyesque demagogue. --Jim Emerson

• Sayonara | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £11.42   |  Saving you £1.57 (13.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Major Lloyd Gruver (Marlon Brando) a Korean War flying ace reassigned to Japan staunchly supports the military's opposition to marriages between American troops and Japanese women. But that's before Gruver experiences a love that challenges his own deeply set prejudices and plunges him into conflict with the U.S. Air Force and Japan's own cultural taboos...

• Ealing Studios DVD Collection - Champagne Charlie/The Maggie/It Always Rains On Sunday/Whisky Galore | DVD | (29/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This collection features four classic British films from the Ealing studio. Whisky Galore: The Scottish islanders of Todday by-pass war time rationing and delight in smuggling cases of their favourite tipple from a wrecked ship. Basil Radford stars as the teetotal English official who is totally unable to comprehend the significance of whisky to the islanders. Marvellously detailed and well played it firmly established the richest Ealing vein with the common theme of a small group triumphing over a more powerful opponent. Champagne Charlie: Tommy Trinder gives one of the very best performances of his career in this lively musical comedy about the career of music hall star George Leybourne - better known to one and all as Champagne Charlie. It Always Rains on Sunday: Rose Sandigate used to be engaged to local bad-boy Tommy Swann but he found himself locked up and thrown in Dartmoor prison. Rose eventually marries George a sedate but gentle man. However Tommy has escaped from Dartmoor and needs Rose's help... The Maggie: It looks as if the 'Maggie' an old and decrepit puffer boat is destined for the scrap-yard. That is until an American shipping company accidentally awards the puffer boat a valuable contract. When the mistake is discovered the head of the company himself decides to put things right. Calvin B. Marshall is a first rate hustler but the puffer crew outsmart him at every turn to keep their contract.

• The River | DVD | (23/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Starring Mel Gibson in his second Hollywood film, The River celebrates traditional American values through the Garvey family's determination to hold onto their farm against all odds. The drama opens with the threat of flooding from the river that adjoins the Garvey's land, then depicts their struggles through ailing livestock, accident and risk of crop failure. Add to these a local businessman, Scott Glenn, planning to turn the valley into a dam, a subplot echoing Deliverance (1972), also filmed in Eastern Tennessee, and all the elements are in place for an emotional triumph-over-adversity movie. Much of The River has a realistic tone, unflinchingly depicting numerous hardships, especially when Gibson has to earn extra money as a strike-breaking hired hand in a steel mill. Against this, and a surprisingly left-wing tone advocating cooperation over competition, the more upbeat moments resort to feel-good cliché with John Williams' lilting score seemingly wandered in from a Spielberg fantasy. Nevertheless the cast, including Sissy Spacek as Gibson's wife, deliver first-rate performances and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond expertly captures the harshness and the beauty of the land. The River was one of a trio of major US farming movies in 1984, the others being Country and Places in the Heart. On the DVD: The 1.85:1 anamorphically enhanced image is virtually flawless, capturing the many subtle effects of light on water throughout the film. Released theatrically in stereo, the opening and closing sequences demonstrate the power of a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix in generating atmosphere through natural sound. Elsewhere the audio is less striking, but always clean and powerful. Extras are routine: the US trailer, four brief biographies, and interesting though short production notes. --Gary S. Dalkin

• Carry On - Holiday Collection - Digi Stack 3 | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £47.23   |  Saving you £-12.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Carry On Doctor (1967): Frankie Howerd is the guest star in this classic 'Carry On..' He plays Francis Bigger a charlatan faith healer who ends up in hospital and what a hospital it is! Dr. Kilmore (Jim Dale) seems more interested in the staff nurses and Dr. Tinkle (Kenneth Williams) dismisses all ill health as a weakness. The Matron (Hattie Jaques) can cure any medical problem with a frosty glance and the nurses are always raising the blood pressure of the patients in the male ward.... much to their delight of course. Carry On Matron (1972): Carry On Matron is one of the most loved of all Carry On films - largely because of Hattie Jacques' marvellous performance in the title role. If your funny bone is in need of tickling this is the prescription you need! Carry On Matron finds the team in top form in Finisham Maternity Hospital. Sid James leads a team of less than professional crooks intent on stealing a huge hoard of birth control pills. Carry On Again Doctor (1969): If you are seriously ill and need to go to hospital just make sure it isn't the Long Hampton Hospital as this is where the Carry On team have taken up malpractice. If it's laughter you're after join eminent surgeon Frederick Carver orderly Screwer and Doctors Stoppidge and Nookey for a prescription of smutty smiles. It's the perfect tonic you should take as regularly as your funny bone allows. Where there's a pill there's a way! That's Carry On (1977): Celebrating twenty years of classic Carry On films two of the film's best loved stars Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor return to Pinewood Film Studios to unwrap some rib-tickling moments to the series. From the original military mayhem of 'Carry On Sergeant' through to the really ancient archaeological gags of 'Carry On Behind' our saucy hosts get their titters out for this laugh-a-second gallop through the most successful series of British comedy films ever made. With a cast of thousands including legendary Sid James Charles Hawtry Joan Sims Peter Butterworth Bernard Breeslaw and Hattie Jacques everyone is in it..... right in it! Carry On Loving (1970): Number 19 in this famous series. Sid James and Hattie Jacques run The Wedding Bliss computer dating agency and guess what? Chaos follows! Carry On Emmannuelle (1978): The Carry On team are back with this their 30th film and the laughs are filthier and funnier than ever before! Emmanuelle Pervert (Suzanne Danielle) Is the fascinating delectable young wife of Emile (Kenneth Williams) the French ambassador for Great Britain. With his sexual prowess damaged in a freak parachuting accident Emmanuelle happily proves her charms are irresistable to all members of the opposite sex. Even the servants are not immune: With the chauffeur Leyland (Kenneth Connor) the butler Lyons (Jack Douglas) and the elderly bootboy Richmond (Peter Butterworth) falling helplessly under her spell...

• Studio Classic: Classic War Movies | DVD | (10/10/2005) from £28.33   |  Saving you £6.66 (19.00%)   |  RRP £34.99

  The Longest Day (Dir. Ken Annakin and Andrew Marton 1962): On June 6 1944 the Allied Invasion of France marked the beginning of the end of Nazi domination over Europe. The attack involved 3 000 000 men 11 000 planes and 4 000 ships comprising the largest armada the world has ever seen. Presented in the original black & white version The Longest Day is a vivid hour-by-hour re-creation of this historic event. Featuring a stellar international cast and told from the perspectives of both sides it is a fascinating look at the massive preparations mistakes and random events that determined the outcome of one of the biggest battles in history. Sink The Bismarck! (Dir. Lewis Gilbert 1960): In the Spring of 1941 Nazi Germany's greatest battleship - the Bismarck scourge of Atlantic shipping - is pinned down at her anchorage in Norway. Making a break for freedom and the safety of air cover from the Luftwaffe the great ship is chased by the Royal Navy. Eventually after heavy casualties including the loss of HMS Hood the Bismarck is finally trapped and sunk. Kenneth More stars as Captain Shepherd - the Admiralty's Director of Naval Operations - who embittered by the death of his wife in an air raid is assigned to this post just as the Bismarck makes its escape. The Desert Rats (Dir. Robert Wise 1953): Richard Burton stars in this exciting film about the courageous men who held off notorious German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel despite being hopelessly outnumbered. The year is 1941 and all that stands between Rommel and the Suez Canal is the fortress of Tobruk which is manned only by a small Australian battalion whom Captain MacRoberts (Burton) must whip into shape - fast! James Mason co-stars in a stunning portrayal as Rommel in this stirring action-packed story of the World War II heroes known as the Desert Rats. Twelve O'Clock High (Dir. Henry King 1949): Convinced an Air Force Commander is at breaking point Brigadier General Savage (Gregory Peck) takes over his struggling bomber group. At first resentful and rebellious the flyers gradually change as Savage guides them to amazing feats. But the stress of command soon takes its toll and the weary general reaches his own breaking point. Authentic aerial battle footage and numerous acclaimed performances make Twelve O'Clock High a credible stirring tale of courage and sacrifice. A Farewell To Arms (Dir. Charles Vidor 1957): This dense adaption of Ernest Hemingway's novel features Rock Hudson as American soldier Lt. Henry and his ill-fated love affair with British Nurse Catherine portrayed by Jennifer Jones during World War I. The two lovers will stop at nothing to be together but Lt. Henry's internal struggles ultimately threaten the relationship. Hemingway's theme of questioning the nature of war and fighting is fully recognised under Charles Vidor's direction.

• Deception | DVD | (09/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A solid enough thriller held together by some somewhat implausible plot devices, Deception stars Ben Affleck as Rudy, whose cellmate Nick is lucky enough to be pen-pal to the beautiful Ashley (Charlize Theron) who in turn has pledged herself, body and soul to the man inside whom she has never set eyes upon. Upon his release, Rudy decides to pose as Nick in order to take up with this luscious and adoring female. Unfortunately, the scheme backfires on Rudy when he discovers that Ashley was apparently a pawn in her ruthless brother Monster's game to coerce him into helping him and his gang of gun-runners rob a casino that Nick used to work in. Deception rumbles along at a pretty seedy, violent pace for a long time, with Rudy's efforts to escape resulting in Monster (a menacing Gary Sinise) using him as a dartboard in one memorably brutal scene. Following their raid on the casino, however (clad in Santa outfits), the plot takes a couple of devilish twists and turns which reward the viewer prepared to come this far down the road with these people. The lack of empathy may be redeemed by some viewers with a scene featuring Charlize Theron naked in a pool. --David Stubbs

• 3 John Wayne Classic Westerns - Vol. 1 - Blue Steel / The Trail Beyond / Winds Of The Wastelands | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £4.03   |  Saving you £0.96 (19.20%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Features three John Wayne classics 'Blue Steel' 'Winds of the Wasteland' and 'The Trail Beyond'.

• Bogeyman 2 | DVD | (18/12/2003) from £17.98   |  Saving you £-11.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  The survivor of the first encounter with the Bogeyman finds herself in Hollywood with a movie producer and a party. But before long the guests finds themselves fighting for survival when a piece of the original 'haunted' mirror unleashes evil.

• Ealing Studios Boxset 2 | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A superb box set featuring 4 golden Ealing classics. Includes: 1. The Lavender Hill Mob (Dir. Charles Crichton 1951) 2. Titfield Thunderbolt (Dir. Charles Crichton 1953) 3. Hue & Cry (Dir. Charles Crichton 1947) 4. Dead of Night (Dirs. Alberto Cavalcanti & Charles Crichton 1945)

• Men With Brooms | DVD | (26/01/2004) from £16.36   |  Saving you £-3.37 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Nothing has been the same in the little town of Long Bay Ontario since Chris Cutter (Paul Gross) disappeared ten years ago. When curling star Cutter took off he didn't just throw away a chance to win the Golden Broom he actually hurled the curling stones into the waters of Trout Lake! His three team-mates did not fare too well. Neil Bucyk (James Allodi) is a dissatisfied mortician in a marriage as lifeless as his customers; James Lennox (Peter Outerbridge) is constantly courtin

• Carry On Dick | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £14.26   |  Saving you £-4.27 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The 18th century, with its frills and bawds, was ideal territory for the Carry On movies: Carry On Dick is one of the few of the series where one notices the quality of the art direction in intervals between terrible old Talbot Rothwell jokes and the creaking of standard farce moments. Captain Fancy (Kenneth Williams) is sent to the remote village of Upper Denture to arrest Big Dick Turpin (Sid James) and makes the mistake of confiding in the local Rector, the Reverend Flasher (who is Big Dick's secret alter-ego). Dick has troubles of his own: his liaison with his housemaid and henchperson Harriet (Barbara Windsor) is perpetually interrupted by his amorous housekeeper Hattie Jacques). Meanwhile, Joan Sims struts around the plot as the proprietor of a touring show of scantily clad young women. This is not one of the best of the series--a certain mean-spiritedness creeps in to the humour as does the self-conscious awareness that 1974 was a date a little late for some of the more sexist jokes--but any film with Kenneth Williams discussing satin coats with his tailor has something going for it. On the DVD: Sadly, the DVD has no frills: it is presented in mono and 4:3 screen ratio.--Roz Kaveney

• Carry On Girls | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £15.05   |  Saving you £-5.06 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Carry On Girls was the last really successful instalment of the epic series of British film comedies. It's studded with gems of cameo performances and a tremendously innuendo-laden Talbot Rothwell script that is easily the equal of any of its predecessors. The setting, a beauty contest to raise the profile of the dismal resort Fircombe-on-Sea, is ripe for politically incorrect activity of the sort that could only be conducted by Sid James at the height of his lecherous powers. Enter Bernard Bresslaw in a corset, Wendy Richard as Ida Downs, Barbara Windsor as Miss Easy Rider and a host of other semi-clad lovelies and watch as the whole thing rises to a slapstick climax of frisky old colonels, bikinis, bosoms and itching powder. In the smaller roles, Joan Hickson (BBC television's Miss Marple) is hilarious as an elderly woman who believes she is a man-magnet and the always under-used Patsy Rowlands excels as the downtrodden mayor's wife, a worm who finally turns. But in many ways this is June Whitfield's film. As the terrifying reactionary councillor Mrs Prodworthy, with a butch lesbian sidekick, she plots the downfall of her male colleagues with classic lines. "Rosemary, get the candle", she orders as Patsy Rowlands requests initiation into the cause. Margaret Thatcher never sounded so ominous. On the DVD: Like most of the other DVD Carry On releases, this one is presented in 4:3 format with a mono soundtrack. All right, you don't really need anything more sophisticated to recreate the cosy ritual of Carry On watching in your living room. And the print is good and sharp. But apart from the usual scene index, the lack of extras reflects a disappointingly unimaginative approach to celebrating a genre of film comedy that, for all its low budget reputation, provided a showcase for the cream of a whole generation of British comic actors. They deserve better.--Piers Ford

• The Desert Rats | DVD | (04/07/2005) from £6.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (85.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Richard Burton stars in this exciting film about the courageous men who held off notorious German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel despite being hopelessly outnumbered. The year is 1941 and all that stands between Rommel and the Suez Canal is the fortress of Tobruk which is manned only by a small Australian battalion whom Captain MacRoberts (Burton) must whip into shape - fast! James Mason co-stars in a stunning portrayal as Rommel in this stirring action-packed story of the World War

• When The Boat Comes In - Series 4 - Part 3 | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jack loses his fortune in the Wall Street crash. He returns to Liverpool illegally with gangsters pursuing him across the Atlantic. He becomes involved in the Spanish Civil War and agrees to run arms for an ex-Sergeant Major. Episodes include: 'Action! Comrades In Arms!' and 'Roll Of Honour'.

• Gideon's Way - The Complete Series | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  The complete series of the 1960's police drama featuring the character Commander George Gideon based on the novels by John Creasey. This rarely seen series is presented here with all 26 episodes being complete and uncut. Episodes comprise: 1. State Visit 2. The V Men 3. The Firebug 4. The Big Fix 5. The Housekeeper 6. The Lady-Killer 7. To Catch A Tiger 8. Big Fish Little Fish 9. The White Rat 10. How To Retire Without Really Working 11. Subway To Revenge 12. The Great Pla

• Northfork | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £12.96   |  Saving you £10.02 (100.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A dream-like story of loss and redemption set in the lost Montana town of Northfork, flooded to make way for a hydroelectric damn in 1955.