In 1971 when Carry On at Your Convenience hit our screens, the series had long since become part of the fabric of British popular entertainment. Never mind the situation, the characters were essentially the same, film after film. The jokes were all as old as the hills, but nobody cared, they were still funny. But it's just too easy to treat them as a job lot of postcard humour and music hall innuendo. This tale of revolt at a sanitary ware factory--Boggs and Son, what else?--certainly chimed in with the state of the nation in the early 1970s when strikes were called at the drop of a hat. Here, tea urns, demarcation and the company's decision to branch out into bidets all wreak havoc. Kenneth Williams as the company's besieged managing director, Sidney James and Joan Sims give their all as usual, but it's the lesser roles that really add some lustre. Hattie Jacques as Sid's budgerigar-obsessed, sluggish put-upon wife and Renee Houston as a superbly domineering battleaxe with a penchant for strip poker remind us that in the hands of fine actors, even the laziest of caricatures become real human beings. --Piers Ford
We Joined The Navy is a 1962 British naval comedy starring British film icon Kenneth More, Lloyd Nolan, Joan O'Brien and Mischa Auer and directed by Wendy Toye. Lieutenant Commander Robert Badger is an excellent naval officer with one major problem. He speaks the truth at the most inopportune times, leading him to be transferred from ship, to shore, and then to instruct at the Royal Naval College. When his remarks are repeated by one of his students to his father, an anti-military Member of Parliament, he has one last chance to prove himself. Product Features The Extraordinary Career of Wendy Toye Pt 2 feat. interviews with Jo Botting & Pamela Hutchinson Visions: Wendy Toye & Sally Potter: Two Directors Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery The King's Breakfast (1963)
""Outstanding! Bursts With Heart-Stopping Excitement!"" -Leonard Maltin. An all-star cast including Oscar-winners Walter Matthau and Martin Balsam teams up with Robert Shaw to deliver ""sure-fire entertainment [that's] gripping and exciting from beginning to end"" (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the sizzling best-seller by John Godey this pulse-pounding picture is guaranteed to give you the ride of your life! Somewhere underground in New York's subway system just outside the
After Elvis Presley got out of the army in 1960, he was instantly ushered into G.I. Blues, a Paramount movie about an Oklahoma singer who (surprise) gets out of the army and wants to open a club. Making a potentially lucrative bet that he can seduce a cabaret singer (Juliet Prowse), Elvis instead falls in love. Leaving behind his rockabilly roots for a slicker image better suited to early 60s pop, the Elvis of this movie is the one who made almost 30 more just like it. The songs include "G.I. Blues", "It's Not Good Enough for You," "Tonight Is So Right for Love" and "Wooden Heart". It's directed by Norman Taurog, a studio veteran who made his first film in 1928 and worked many times with Presley. --Tom Keogh
In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman. As the horror intensifies, Carter leads the other survivors on a hellish voyage into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to end the nightmare before it's too late.
Ninth entry in the Carry On series. Ancient British slaves save Caesar (Kenneth Williams) from assassination in Rome 50 B.C. Meanwhile Mark Antony (Sid James) romances Egyptian Empress Cleopatra (Amanda Barrie). Revolting Britons include Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey while Warren Mitchell plays a partner in the slave-trading firm Markus & Spencius.
All 12 feature-length episodes from the first four series of the BBC crime drama starring Kenneth Branagh as the Swedish detective. Inspector Kurt Wallander (Branagh) and his team at Ystad police station investigate a number of violent and terrifying murders in the beautiful setting of Skane County, Southern Sweden. Series 1 episodes are: 'Sidetracked', 'Firewall' and 'One Step Behind'. Series 2 episodes are: 'Faceless Killers', 'The Man Who Smiled' and 'The Fifth Woman'. Series 3 episodes are: 'An Event in Autumn', 'The Dogs of Riga' and 'Before the Frost'. Series 4 episodes are: 'The White Lioness', 'A Lesson in Love' and 'The Troubled Man'.
Low rent Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his high-strung accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) discover that with the help of a few gullible investors they can make more money on a flop than on a hit! Armed with the worst show ever written (Springtime For Hitler) and an equally bizarre cast this double dealing duo is banking on disaster. But when their sure-to-offend musical becomes a smash hit they find themselves in the middle of a Broadway blitzkrieg! Winner of
Limited Comic Book, Only Whilst Stocks Last. A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain American: Civil War, begins to naviagate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine - distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man - but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. Click Images to Enlarge
Gangster No. 1 is without doubt the most stylish British violent crime thriller from the many produced at the end of the 20th century. For all the pop-video glamour of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, neither have anywhere near as much a sense of danger as is shown here. Paul Bettany ignites the screen with a fury that explodes far more than it smoulders beneath his tautly kept temper. The tale concerns his ascent to the titular position of primacy in 1960s London, told in flashback by his present-day self (an equally riveting Malcolm McDowell). A lust for power won't allow anything to stand in either incarnation's way, especially the foppish posturing of established crime boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). What distinguishes this from many other tales of greed is that the never-named Gangster actually wants to be Freddie, not simply replace him. Saffron Burrows plays the suffering trophy moll in the middle of this personality clash and provides about the only level head and gentle tongue in what is otherwise a super-violent and super-profane script. This is what The Krays should have been, and therefore not for the squeamish. --Paul Tonks
David Lynch writes and directs this adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel. Set in the distant future on the barren desert planet Arrakis, aka Dune, where a precious life-enhancing spice is guarded by monster sandworms, young nobleman Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) leads his family and the native Freman people against the territorial designs of his family's arch-enemies, the Harkonnens. However, once on Dune, Paul discovers he is earmarked for an even greater destiny. The cast also includes Francesca Annis, Max von Sydow, Linda Hunt and Sting.
The Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star. The Rebel fleet counters with a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader in a final climactic duel. Special Features: Audio Commentary By George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, and Dennis Muren Archival Audio Commentary By The Cast And Crew Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi Bonus Disc Conversations: The Effects Discoveries From Inside: The Sounds of Ben Burtt Classic Creatures: Return Of The Jedi Revenge Of The Jedi Teaser Trailer Return Of The Jedi Launch Trailer It Began TV Spot Climactic Chapter TV Spot Tatooine Overview Endor Overview Harrison Ford Interview Death Star II Space Battle Overview Vader's Arrival And Reaching Out To Luke Tatooine Sandstorm Rebel Raid On The Bunker Jerjerrod's Conflict Battle Of Endor: The Lost Rebels Rancor Maquette EV-9D9 Salacious B. Crumb C-3PO's Head With Eye Poked Out Leia's Boussh Costume Lando Skiff Guard Costume Jabba's Radio-Controlled Eyes AT-ST Walker Model Speeder Bike Imperial Shuttle Model Ewok Hang Glider Maquette Imperial Shuttle Landing Matte Painting Endor Landing Platform Matte Painting Ewok Costume Biker Scout Costume B-wing Fighter Model TIE Interceptor Model Death Star Under Construction Model Imperial Shuttle Bay Matte Painting Admiral Ackbar Costume Death Star Equator Docking Bay Matte Painting Millennium Falcon In Hangar Matte Painting Jabba's Palace, Road Creature Matte Painting Sarlacc Pit Matte Painting
No Honestly: The Complete Series (2 Discs)
John Mills stars as Captain Robert Scott in this film of the explorer's ill-fated expedition to be the first man to discover the South Pole, following every twist and turn on the great British explorer's perilous journey. Directed by Charles Frend, who went on to direct The Magnet, the film was nominated for both the Golden Lion in Venice and the BAFTA® for Best British Film.
World War I in Colour is a Channel 5 documentary (6 x 50-minute episodes) made with the cooperation of the Imperial War Museum, designed to make the Great War come alive for a 21st-century audience. The events of 1914-18 are authoritatively narrated by Kenneth Branagh, who presents the military and political overview, while interviews with historians add different perspectives. The human cost is conveyed by moving interviews with the now very elderly survivors, and by extracts from letters and memoirs. All aspects of the war, on land, sea and air are covered in separate programmes. In theory the series continues the heritage of ITV's The Second World War in Colour (1999) and Britain at War in Colour (2000), and with 75 per cent of the material never shown on television before there is every reason to watch. The crucial difference between this and the WWII programmes is that the Great War wasn't filmed in colour, and the footage has been computer colourised. The programme-makers argue the conflict itself was in colour--but however realistic the digital processing, it still feels inauthentic and historically a distortion. Worse still is their destroying the original compositions by cropping the top and bottom of the material to fit widescreen TVs. The result is a potentially excellent series badly presented, best watched with the colour turned off. Even then it cannot compete with the BBC's 26-part The Great War (1964), still one of the finest documentaries ever made. On the DVD: World War I in Colour is presented on two discs with three episodes on each disc. The modern interview clips look and sound immaculate, while the historical footage varies from very poor to quite good. Even so, the picture resolution is not helped by discarding a third of the original images and stretching what remains to widescreen. The budget spent on colourisation would have been better used to restore the often very scratchy black-and-white film, and to pay for an orchestra to rerecord the score, which is realised with a clichéd palette of preset electronic samples. Both DVDs reproduce the same general background facts, timeline and 20 biographies as static text screens. Disc One has a 15-minute behind-the-scenes feature in which producer Philip Nugus and director Jonathan Martin justify the colourisation. Disc Two offers Tactics & Strategy, which at 52 minutes amounts to a whole seventh programme, mixing archive footage with new computer graphics to illustrate in detail 13 specific aspects of the conflict. Presented in 4:3 ratio this is the most creative, original and rewarding part of the entire package. --Gary S Dalkin
In 1999 the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs TV series changed the way we saw dinosaurs forever. This revolutionary show takes viewers right into the dinosaurs' world showing them as if they were alive and filmed in the wild. It covered an amazing 155 million years of prehistory with the most cutting-edge technology ever seen on television. Since then the series has been seen by millions of people around the world and has won three Emmy awards. Watch insectivorous pterosaurs chase moths in the hot evening air and see bull triceratops lock horns over a young female - Walking with Dinosaurs makes this distant world as real and natural as images from today's Serengeti. Tracing the 160 million-year history of dinosaurs from their first appearance to their abrupt demise this series marked a watershed in television imagery. Walking With Dinosaurs brings to life the mystery and excitement of the age when these reptiles roamed our planet.
Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads. Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the films completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the films premiere and now restored here for the first time. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length. Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the directors original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewiczs much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be. On the DVD: this handsome three-disc set spreads the restored four-hour print of the movie across two discs. The anamorphic widescreen print looks quite magnificent and Alex Norths wondrous score comes up like new in Dolby 5.1 sound. Theres a patchy and only intermittently revealing commentary from Chris Mankiewicz, Tom Mankiewicz, Martin Landau and Jack Brodsky. Much better is the comprehensive two-hour documentary that occupies disc three, which tells in hair-raising detail the extraordinary story of a film production that became totally out of control. This is accompanied by some short archival material, but the documentary alone is a compelling reason to acquire this set. --Mark Walker
The complete first season of the daring ground-breaking and controversial historical drama series. Think of The Sopranos in ancient Rome and you'll get a flavour... This six disc box set contains the 12 hour-long episodes of the first season: this features the HBO 'cut' which includes over an hour of footage not broadcast on the BBC! The year is 52 B.C. Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic Rome is the wealthiest city in the world a cosmopolitan metropolis
Bedpan humour rules in Carry On Doctor, the vintage 1968 offering from gang, assisted by guest star Frankie Howerd as bogus faith healer Francis Bigger. Hospitals, of course, always provided the Carry On producers with plenty of material. Today, these comedies induce a twinge of serious nostalgia for the great days of the National Health Service when Matron (Hattie Jacques, naturally) ran the hospital as if it was a house of correction, medical professionals were idolised as if they were all Doctor Kildare and Accident and Emergency Departments were deserted oases of calm. But even if you aren't interested in a history lesson, Talbot Rothwell's script contains some immortal dialogue, particularly when Matron loosens her stays. "You may not realise it but I was once a weak man", says Kenneth Williams' terrified Doctor Tinkle to Hattie Jacques. "Once a week's enough for any man", she purrs back. Other highlights include Joan Sims, excellent as Frankie Howerd's deaf, bespectacled sidekick, Charles Hawtrey suffering from a phantom pregnancy, 1960s singer Anita Harris in a rare film role, and Barbara Windsor at her most irrepressible as nurse Sandra May. --Piers Ford
Encountering a blood-soaked man on a dark deserted road, a police officer rushes the victim to the local hospital. Soon the staff and patients are trapped by a terrifying, otherworldly threat and forced on a hellish voyage into the depths of the building to escape the nightmare. Shocking, haunting and boasting mind-blowing practical special effects, The Void is a new must-see horror event, starring Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs the World), Kathleen Munroe (Alphas), Aaron Poole (Forsaken) and Kenneth Welsh (The Aviator) and Daniel Fathers. Written and directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski and from the Executive Producer of The Witch.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy