"Actor: Joy Shelton"

• H.M.S. Defiant | DVD | (18/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Set in 1797 at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, HMS Defiant is an enthralling British naval drama made to capitalise upon MGM's epic remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, also released in 1962. Based on the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsey and starring Alex Guinness as a fair-minded captain locked in psychological conflict with Dirk Bogarde, his manipulative, coldly malicious first officer, the parallels with the famous true story are clear. However there were many naval mutinies at this period and this large-scale saga, which includes some spectacularly staged widescreen naval battles, offers a realistic depiction of life in the British navy at the time--from the press gangs and floggings, to the appalling food and living conditions. Director Lewis Gilbert--who previously helmed Sink the Bismarck! (1960)--strikes a good balance between the personal drama and sweeping maritime adventure. Guinness successfully varies his firm-but-fair officer from The Bridge on the River Kwai, Bogarde is chillingly hateful and Anthony Quayle gives strong support. ITV's recent Hornblower cumulatively offers a more detailed portrait of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars, though the TV series cannot match the visual scale of this big-screen production. On the DVD: HMS Defiant is presented anamorphically enhanced at 2.35:1, though a little of the original CinemaScope frame is still cropped at the sides. The image is generally very good, though a handful of scenes near the end show considerable print damage and there is an inconstancy of colour grading between some shots. Grain is variable, but not generally a problem, though some unattractive "ringing" from edge enhancement is noticeable, particularly around Alex Guinness when he stands against a bright sky. The sound is in very clear mono with just occasional distortion on the music score. The disc offers the option of watching with dubbed French, German, Italian or Spanish soundtracks. The original trailer is included--under the American title of Damn the Defiant!--as are trailers for three other classic war films. The only other extra features are a small gallery of original publicity materials and three very basic filmographies. --Gary S Dalkin

• Once A Sinner | DVD | (18/03/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Once A Sinner

• Waterloo Road | DVD | (08/02/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  As World War Two rages Jim Colter (John Mills) finds himself called up to serve in the army - but he's soon to find himself at war on two fronts.While he's away his lovely wife Tillie (Joy Shelton) attracts the amorous attention of Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger) a vicious local spiv and self-acclaimed ladies man.When Jim's sister writes informing him of what is happening Jim decides that the Nazis can wait and that an even more insidious enemy needs to be dealt with first. He breaks out of camp goes AWOL and sets off to find his wife. With the military hot on his tail Jim must make his way through war torn London to settle things once and for all.

• Send For Paul Temple | DVD | (06/04/2010) from £8.95   |  Saving you £4.04 (45.14%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Scotland Yard calls in novelist and amateur detective Paul Temple (Anthony Hulme) to help track down a gang of diamond robbers. In the course of his investigations he meets Steve (Joy Shelton), a girl reporter, whose detective brother has been killed by the gang and they join forces to unmask the gang leader. However did Scotland Yard manage without Paul Temple...

• Paul Temple Collection | DVD | (08/01/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Emergency Call | DVD | (06/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A race against the clock thriller about a police inspectors frantic search to locate three blood donors each able to donate one pint of a rare type of blood to save the life of a young girl suffering from leukaemia. The hospital's chief surgeon Dr. Carter (Anthony Steel) aided by Scotland Yard's Inspector Lane (Jack Warner) launch a nationwide hunt to save the young girls life. They come into contact with three potential donors all from very different backgrounds who must be persuaded to make a donation despite their reservations. This is the first ever DVD release of this1952 thriller.