"Actor: Laurence Olivier"

• Classic Films Triple - The Boys From Brazil/The Eagle Has Landed/Escape To Athena | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £14.85   |  Saving you £-1.86 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Titles Comprise: The Boys From Brazil: This terrifying thriller is based on Ira Levin's best seller in which Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) alive and living in South America gathers a group of former Nazis to work on a mysterious project. Ezra Lieberman (Laurence Olivier) begins to unravel the conspiracy and discovers that Mengele has cloned 94 young Hitlers. Suddenly the terrifying extent of Mengele's plan is revealed: twisting genetic science to become a new weapon of global horror. The Eagle Has Landed: The daring World War II plot that changed the course of history. In November 1943 Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasance) received a simple message The Eagle Has Landed. It meant that a crack force of German paratroopers were safely in England poised and ready to kidnap the Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill. The force is under the command of Colonel Kurt Steiner (Michael Caine). All goes smoothly as the German force disguised in Polish uniforms is accepted by the villagers. But one of the men is killed while rescuing a little girl and his German uniform is discovered. The entire village has to be taken hostage and hidden in the town church. Agents and counteragents work desperately to keep the scheme alive. Steiner himself takes a dangerous gamble. He overpowers an American ranger commandeers his jeep and uniform and drives to the mansion where Churchill is relaxing. The action and suspense are nonstop in this World War II thriller which also stars Treat Williams Larry Hagman Anthony Quayle and Jean Marsh. Escape To Athena: A battle of action and wits in a World War II prison camp where the Fuhrer's scheme for looting a treasure-laden island off Greece is under way. Prisoners of war labour under the eye of the camp's Austrian Commandment Major Otto Hecht as they dig up priceless Greek art. Zeno the island's resistance leader and his woman Eleana scheme to defeat the occupiers. Zeno and his men clash with the Germans to save the lives of condemned prisoners and try to locate a submarine oil supply depot. If the Germans are to be defeated they must also seek and dismantle the communications equipment on Mount Athens which promises a blaze of action...

• Defiinitive Edition - Battle Of Britain | DVD | (23/04/2007) from £12.13   |  Saving you £0.86 (6.60%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This is a spectacular retelling of a true story that shows courage at its inspiring best. Few defining moments can change the outcome of war; but when the outnumbered Royal Air Force defied unsurmountable odds in engaging the German Luftwaffe they may well have altered the course of history! Features Ron Goodwin's theatrical score or Sir William Walton's original (unused) score restored and remixed in 5.1 surround!

• Sleuth | DVD | (29/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Adapted by Anthony Shaffer from his own hit stage play, Sleuth (1972) is a reflexively self-aware send-up of the murder-mystery genre, which risks everything on the tour de force performances of its small cast. Director Joseph L Mankiewicz doesn't attempt to escape the theatrical confines of Shaffer's clever and convoluted screenplay; instead he concentrates--or diverts?--our attention with close-up details of the setting. Is he showing us clues or just more red herrings? Like Agatha Christie's Mousetrap--which it rivalled in popularity on the West End stage--to say anything more about Sleuth would be to spoil the fun. But even when you've untangled the many and dizzying twists and turns, thanks to its literate screenplay and the magnetic performances of the leads this is a film that rewards repeated viewings. --Mark Walker

• Fire Over England | DVD | (08/02/2010) from £18.46   |  Saving you £-5.47 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The back reads: Flora Robson, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh star in this swashbuckling story set in an Elizabethan England under threat from Spain and the Inquisition. 1587. The court of Queen Elizabeth (Flora Robson) is alive with intrigue, espionage and danger. With Spain poised to launch its mighty Armada against England, traitors plot to kill or kidnap the Queen and destroy all opposition to the invasion force. Michael (Laurence Olivier) has just made a daring escape from Spain. Now, the Queen bids him to return once more as her spy to discover the names of those who plot against her. His love, the Lady Cynthia (Vivien Leigh) is desperate for him not to go, as his mission will take him into the Escurial itself King Philips palace. But duty calls and time is running out before the Armada is ready to sail . . . This fast paced, stirring and lavish British film production from 1936 was produced partly to celebrate the royal coronation year and also to act as a rallying cry against the forces of evil gathering in Nazi Germany.

• 21 Days | DVD | (07/05/2012) from £6.45   |  Saving you £6.54 (101.40%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Starring Laurence Olivier (one of the most famous actors ever) with his then wife Vivien Leigh, this 1940 British, black & white drama follows Larry Darrent (Olivier) who accidentally kills his lover's blackmailing husband, but then someone else is arrested for the crime. When he is found guilty, Larry and Wanda (Vivien Leigh) have just three weeks together before he must give himself up or let an innocent man go to the gallows.

• A Queen Is Crowned | DVD | (30/07/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The only full length Technicolor film of the Queen's coronation.

• The World At War - Vol. 3 | DVD | (09/10/2000) from £16.16   |  Saving you £8.83 (35.30%)   |  RRP £24.99

  When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running-time to a truly epic 32 hours. Now digitally remastered The World at War looks even more of an impressive achievement on DVD. Available in five volumes, each handsomely packaged double-disc set comes with a detailed menu that places the individual programmes along a chronological timeline. Better yet, chapter access is laid out to allow you to select key speeches or maps or newsreel footage. The World at War was a landmark television event; its DVD incarnation underlines its importance as an historical document. --Mark Walker

• The World At War - Vol. 1 | DVD | (28/08/2000) from £5.52   |  Saving you £4.47 (80.98%)   |  RRP £9.99

  When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running-time to a truly epic 32 hours. Now digitally remastered The World at War looks even more of an impressive achievement on DVD. Available in five volumes, each handsomely packaged double-disc set comes with a detailed menu that places the individual programmes along a chronological timeline. Better yet, chapter access is laid out to allow you to select key speeches or maps or newsreel footage. The World at War was a landmark television event; its DVD incarnation underlines its importance as an historical document. --Mark Walker

• The Bounty | DVD | (04/03/2002) from £11.98   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The Bounty is the third screen version of one of the best-known stories in naval history, here with Anthony Hopkins as Lieutenant William Bligh and Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian heading an extraordinary cast including Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Bernard Hill and Dexter Fletcher. HMS Bounty's voyage to Tahiti of 1787-9 and its infamous consequences are recounted with far greater historical accuracy than in the 1935 or 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty. The movie is gorgeously shot on location in Tahiti, England and New Zealand as well as on a full-size recreation of the original Bounty. Roger Donaldson's film benefits from a literate screenplay by Robert Bolt, who here as in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), brings real insight into the English institutional mind in conflict. Hopkins is at his complex best and Gibson offers more depth than his usual two-dimensional hero persona; here Bligh and Christian emerge as complex men gripped by circumstances beyond their control. The haunting score by Vangelis contributes immensely to a very underrated film which deserves to be considered a modern classic. On the DVD: There is an excellent 52-minute "making of" documentary that mixes historical information with on-location interviews. A 12-minute overview of previous screen versions of the story is narrated by the film's historical consultant, Stephen Walters, who also provides a somewhat stilted but nevertheless informative audio commentary. The second audio commentary is from director Roger Donaldson, Producer Bernie Williams and Production Designer John Graysmark, who genuinely appear to enjoy reminiscing and have real enthusiasm for the movie. Also included is a fascinating 28-page booklet. This is the stuff Special Editions should always be made of, and this would be one of the finest DVDs on the market were it not for the transfer of the film itself, which appears to be a reprocessed version of the same NTSC anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer found on the bare-bones Region 1 DVD, with no sign of PAL speed-up. The picture not only shows considerable grain in some scenes, but also demonstrates marked compression artefacting and enhancement shimmer on all horizontal lines, making some scenes extremely ugly. For such a beautiful film it is a most disappointing transition to the digital format. Most unusually for a UK release, the disc is region free.--Gary S Dalkin

• Carrie | DVD | (14/03/2005) from £8.94   |  Saving you £7.05 (78.86%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A sterling performance by Olivier is the centerpiece of this drama based on the novel of Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. When a farm girl follows her dreams to turn-of-the-century Chicago she enters a bleak world of grueling poorly-paid factory work. Determined to better her condition she attaches herself to a salesman and then to a married restaurant manager who loses everything in order to keep her. As she ascends to success in the footlights she leaves behind the man who r

• The World At War - Vol. 2 | DVD | (28/08/2000) from £7.94   |  Saving you £20.04 (404.85%)   |  RRP £24.99

  When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running-time to a truly epic 32 hours. Now digitally remastered The World at War looks even more of an impressive achievement on DVD. Available in five volumes, each handsomely packaged double-disc set comes with a detailed menu that places the individual programmes along a chronological timeline. Better yet, chapter access is laid out to allow you to select key speeches or maps or newsreel footage. The World at War was a landmark television event; its DVD incarnation underlines its importance as an historical document. --Mark Walker

• The Powell & Pressburger Collection - 9 DVD Box Set | DVD | (15/08/2005) from £49.98   |  Saving you £-9.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  ***WARNING***ALL DVD TITLES CONTAIN ENGLISH SUBTITLES EXCEPT FOR THE DVD TITLE - A CANTERBURY TALE*** Never in the history of British film have two figures become as iconic as those of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Reigning throughout the 40s and 50s these two magnificent filmmakers brought to life British films and continue to radiate immense critical acclaim and inspiration for all contemporary film making. Includes: 1. A Matter of Life & Death (1946) 2. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) 3. A Canterbury Tale (1944) 4. I Know Where I am Going (1945) 5. 49th Parallel (1941) 6. The Battle of the River Plate (1956) 7. Ill Met By Moonlight (1957) 8. They're A Weird Mob (1966) 9. The Red Shoes (1948)

• Gladiator/Spartacus | DVD | (26/12/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Gladiator: The great Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) has once again led the legions to victory on the battlefield. The war won Maximus dreams of home wanting only to return to his wife and son; however the dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) has one more duty for the general - to assume the mantle of his power. Jealous of Maximus' favor with the emperor the heir to the throne Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) orders his execution - and that of his family. Barely escaping death Maximus is forced into slavery and trained as a gladiator in the arena where his fame grows. Now he has come to Rome intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor; Commodus.... Spartacus: Stanley Kubrick's film tells the tale of Spartacus the bold gladiator slave and Virinia the woman who believed in his cause. Challenged by the power-hungry General Crassus Spartacus is forced to face his convictions and the power of Imperial Rome at its glorious height. A classic inspirational true account of one man's struggle for freedom Spartacus combines history with spectacle to recreate a moving drama of love and commitment.

• The World At War - Vol. 4 | DVD | (09/10/2000) from £4.91   |  Saving you £20.08 (408.96%)   |  RRP £24.99

  When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running-time to a truly epic 32 hours. Now digitally remastered The World at War looks even more of an impressive achievement on DVD. Available in five volumes, each handsomely packaged double-disc set comes with a detailed menu that places the individual programmes along a chronological timeline. Better yet, chapter access is laid out to allow you to select key speeches or maps or newsreel footage. The World at War was a landmark television event; its DVD incarnation underlines its importance as an historical document. --Mark Walker

• 49th Parallel | DVD | (15/04/2002) from £27.99   |  Saving you £-18.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  49th Parallel is a powerful and important piece of World War 2 propaganda which controversially was filmed from the point of view of a group of German soldiers. Asked to make a flag waver by the Ministry of Information the brilliantly gifted film-making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger elected to set the action in Canada. The film features a stellar cast who all waived their fees in the interests of the war. A Nazi U-boat is sunk by the Canadian Air Force and all the crew are lost except six men who had been sent ashore before the attack. They stumble across an Eskimo village where Scott Peter and his Eskimo servant Martin live. Also present is a French trapper Johnnie (played by Laurence Olivier) who panics when held at gunpoint and is shot by one of the Nazis. After this the Allies send an S.O.S. plane and it is the intention of the Nazis to hijack it and fly to neutral America. When the plane arrives there is a scuffle but they manage to take off. Will they be caught before they kill again?

• The World At War - Special Collectors Edition | DVD | (05/03/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  When this epic series was first broadcast in 1973 it redefined the gold standard for television documentary; it remains the benchmark by which all factual programming must judge itself. Originally shown as 26 one-hour programmes, The World at War set out to tell the story of the Second World War through the testimony of key participants. The result is a unique and unrepeatable event, since many of the eyewitnesses captured on film did not have long left to live. Each hour-long programme is carefully structured to focus on a key theme or campaign, from the rise of Nazi Germany to Hitler's downfall and the onset of the Cold War. There are no academic "talking heads" here to spell out an official version of history; the narration, delivered with wonderful gravitas by Sir Laurence Olivier, is kept to a minimum. The show's great coup was to allow the participants to speak for themselves. Painstaking research in the archives of the Imperial War Museum also unearthed a vast quantity of newsreel footage, including on occasion the cameraman's original raw rushes which present an unvarnished and never-before-seen picture of important events. Carl Davis' portentous main title theme and score underlines the grand scale of the enterprise. The original 26 episodes were supplemented three years later by six special programmes (narrated by Eric Porter), bringing the total running-time to a truly epic 32 hours.Now digitally remastered The World at War looks even more of an impressive achievement on DVD. Each disc set comes with a detailed menu that places the individual programmes along a chronological timeline. Better yet, chapter access is laid out to allow you to select key speeches or maps or newsreel footage. The World at War was a landmark television event; its DVD incarnation underlines its importance as an historical document. --Mark Walker

• Laurence Olivier - Hamlet / Henry V | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £7.99   |  Saving you £7.00 (87.61%)   |  RRP £14.99

  In 'Hamlet' we find Olivier acting and directing Shakespeare's immortal story of murder intrigue madness and despair. 'Henry V' is one of Shakespeare's most compelling histories complete with the great Battle Of Agincourt and directed by Olivier in lush technicolour became the most expensive film made by a British studio...

• King Lear | DVD | (14/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  An aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt toadying daughters and rejects his one loving but honest one... The most revered actor of the 20th century stars in 'King Lear' Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. Laurence Olivier gives an outstanding performance portraying drama's most celebrated octogenarian with spirit and pathos. This internationally acclaimed production boasts Olivier in his first appearance in a Shakespeare play filmed exclusively for television.

• Hitchcock - Rebecca / Spellbound / The Paradine Case / Notorious | DVD | (22/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  The four classic films included in this Box Set are: 'Rebecca' 'Spellbound' 'The Paradine Case' 'Notorious

• Medusa Touch, The / The Boys From Brazil | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £10.95   |  Saving you £2.04 (18.63%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Medusa Touch: Richard Burton stars as successful novelist John Morlar who believes he has 'a gift for disaster' - the power to cause death and destruction through unconscious telekinesis. When Morlar is viciously assaulted and left for dead the night of the Moon Mission disaster and a jet crash police investigating the attack quickly turn to Morlar's mysterious therapist Zonfeld (Lee Remick) in the belief that there is a link between the assault and Morlar's disturbing co