"Actor: Jill Esmond"

• Diamonds Are Forever | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £4.98   |  Saving you £3.01 (60.44%)   |  RRP £7.99

  After the poor reception given to George Lazenby in Her Majesty's Secret Service, Sean Connery was no doubt lured back to the series with a gadget-stuffed briefcase full of cash (most of which he allegedly gave to charity) for this wry, snappily made seventh instalment in the series. Some of its secret weapons include a smart script, a Las Vegas setting providing plenty of neon reflections on windscreens for a memorable car chase through the Strip, and the comely Jill St. John as Tiffany Case, a diamond cut-above most of the preceding Bond girls. (Apart from Diana Rigg in Her Majesty's Secret Service, that is). Blofeld and his fluffy white cat are on hand to menace 007--it's the Nehru jackets and steely surface-look of this one in particular that the Austin Powers spoofs are sending up. Blofeld's initial cover as a reclusive Howard Hughes-like millionaire points to how the series was catching up with more contemporary figures and issues. Other highlights include two truly ferocious, karate-kicking female assassins and a sizzling moon-buggy chase across the dunes. --Leslie FelperinOn the DVD: The mind boggling possibility of casting Adam West (TV's Batman) as Bond was seriously mooted because the suits at United Artists wanted to Americanise the franchise, th e documentary reveals. Sean Connery was eventually persuaded to return but demanded a record fee to reprise his role, and then donated all the cash to his charitable foundation, the Scottish International Education Trust. The rags to riches story of larger-than-life producer Albert R Broccoli is told in the second documentary. The commentary is another in the series of edited selections from interviews with cast and crew, which are exhaustive in the wealth of detail offered but a little exhausting to sit through. Sundry trailers, radio and TV spots plus a few deleted scenes complete the comprehensive selection. --Mark Walker

• James Bond - Diamonds Are Forever (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Sean Connery made his final - officially-speaking - appearance as 007 in this riveting adventure which would lay the groundwork for Mr Moore's incarnation as the suave super-spy. While investigating mysterious activities in the world diamond market 007 (Sean Connery) discovers that his evil nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray) is stock-piling the gems to use in his deadly laser satellite. With the help of beautiful smuggler Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) Bond sets out to stop the madman - as the fate of the world hangs in the balance!

• For Your Eyes Only | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £4.89   |  Saving you £15.10 (308.79%)   |  RRP £19.99

  After the lavish, effects-heavy splash of Moonraker, the twelfth Bond film and the seventh with Roger Moore concentrates more on core car-chase-and-crumpet values, evoking an almost retro feel that harks back to the first pressings of the Bond vintage in the 1960s. Starting to look a little wrinkly around the edges by this point, Roger Moore toughens his usually smarmy act up here with a gratuitous bit of killing, casually kicking a baddie and his car over a precipice, reviving memories of the ruthless streak with which Sean Connery made his name. Good old-fashioned Cold War politics lie at the heart of the plot, concerning a weapons system hijacked in the Mediterranean Bond must rescue. He's assisted by the exquisite Carole Bouquet, the only actress in history who can claim to have been both a 'Bond girl' and the star of a Luis Buñuel movie (That Obscure Object of Desire). Sadly, this is the first film to lack Bernard Lee's spymaster M, the actor having died beforehand, although British comedienne Janet Brown is on hand for an amusing Margaret Thatcher impersonation. --Leslie FelperinOn the DVD: The first audio commentary here is another one of those edited selections of interviews with sundry cast and crew members, tied together by an over-earnest host. Producer Michael G Wilson and others provide a somewhat more illuminating second commentary track. Once again the best extra feature is the "making of" documentary, which gives an almost scene-by-scene breakdown of the movie. The animated storyboard sequences will appeal to filmmaking aficionados. Avoid, if at all possible, the Sheena Easton video of arguably the most forgettable Bond song of all time (both song and score were perpetrated by series newcomer Bill Conti, not the estimable John Barry). --Mark Walker

• The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency | DVD | (27/10/2008) from £8.68   |  Saving you £9.31 (107.26%)   |  RRP £17.99

  "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency" is a poignant and passionate story chronicling the adventures of Precious Ramotswe.

• James Bond - For Your Eyes Only (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £6.14   |  Saving you £10.85 (176.71%)   |  RRP £16.99

  When a British ship sinks in foreign waters the world's superpowers begin a feverish race to find its cargo: a nuclear submarine control system. And 007 (Roger Moore) is thrust into one of his most riveting adventures as he rushes to join the search...and prevent global devastation!

• The Bandit of Sherwood Forest | DVD | (24/10/2011) from £10.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This is a UK Region 2 DVD released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2009.

• The Adventures Of Robin Hood - The Complete Series 2 | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £79.99   |  Saving you £-40.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  First broadcast in 1955 The Adventures of Robin Hood stars Richard Green as Robin of Locksley. Together with his band of merry men he protects the countryside from evil Prince John (Donald Pleasence). This release features all the episodes from Series Two. Episode titles: A Village Wooing The Scientist Blackmail A Year and a Day The Goldmaker The Imposters Ransom Isabella The Hero The Haunted Mill The Black Patch Outlaw Money The Friar's Pilgrimage The Trap Hubert

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents Vol.2 | DVD | (31/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

• Skin Game | DVD | (24/07/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.30

• The Skin Game | DVD | (28/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  An old traditional family and a modern family battle over land in a small English village and destroy eachother. A rich family the Hillcrests are fighting against the spectacular Hornblower who sends away poor farmers to build factories on their land. When mrs. Hillcrest finds out that Chloe Hornclower was a prostitute she uses the secret to blackmail the spectacular and force him to stop his business....