"Actor: Leslie"

• Billy Liar | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £11.39   |  Saving you £5.59 (66.55%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Billy Liar was the multimedia phenomenon of its era. Starting out as a novel by Yorkshire writer Keith Waterhouse, it rapidly became a long-running stage play, adapted by Waterhouse with playwright Willis Hall, which lead to the movie, scripted by Waterhouse and Hall for John Schlesinger to direct, then a stage musical and finally a spin-off TV series. Do you get the feeling it caught the mood of the times? The basic set-up owes a lot to James Thurber's classic short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Our hero, Billy Fisher, lives at home in a Bradford semi with his nagging parents and works as a lowly clerk in an undertaker's parlour. But, in his imagination he lives a rich and varied fantasy life as gallant military leader, suave socialite, best-selling novelist and so forth. Trouble is, he can't always keep fantasy and reality apart, any more than he can the keep two girls he's engaged to separate. Not to mention his other problems…. Schlesinger's direction brings out the desperation behind the comedy, and Tom Courtenay, at once defiant and hangdog, slips perfectly into the role created on stage by Albert Finney. But the whole cast's a joy, not least the great Leonard Rossiter as undertaker Mr Shadrach, Billy's saturnine boss. And then there's Julie Christie--the luminous spirit of the Swinging 60s--in her first starring role as the girl who offers Billy a chance of real escape. At the end, when she takes the train to London, away from the smoke and the grimness "oop" north, the whole British New Wave went with her. On the DVD: just the theatrical trailer which is a fairly crass affair. There's been no remastering, it seems, but both sound and vision are clean enough and the print preserves the original's full 2.35:1 widescreen ratio. --Philip Kemp

• The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin - The Complete Third Series | DVD | (19/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Boasting a virtuoso comic performance from Leonard Rossiter The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976-79) remains one of the greatest of all television sitcoms. Writer David Nobbs combined the surrealist absurdity of Monty Python with an on-going story line that unfolded through each of the three seasons with a clear beginning, middle and end; a ground-breaking development in 70s TV comedy. The first and best season charts middle-aged, middle-management executive Reginald Perrin as he breaks-down under the stress of middle-class life until he informs the world that half the parking meters in London have Dutch Parking Meter Disease. He fakes suicide and returns to court his wife Elizabeth (Pauline Yates) in disguise, a plot development that formed the entire basis of Mrs Doubtfire (1993). Series Two is broader, the rapid-fire dialogue still razor sharp and loaded with caustic wit and ingenious silliness, as a now sane Reggie takes on the madness of the business world by opening a chain of shops selling rubbish. The third season, set in a health farm, is routine, the edge blunted by routine sitcom conventions. At its best The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is hilarious and moving, its depiction of English middle-class life spot on, its satire prophetic. Reggie's visual fantasies hark back to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Billy Liar (1963), and look forward to Ally McBeal (1997-2002) and are the icing on the cake of a fine, original and highly imaginative show. On the DVD: Reginald Perrin's discs contain one complete seven episode season. There are no extras. The sound is good mono and the 4:3 picture is generally fine, though some of the exterior shot-on-film scenes have deteriorated and there are occasional signs of minor damage to the original video masters. Even so, for a 1970s sitcom shot on video the picture is excellent and far superior to the original broadcasts. --Gary S Dalkin

• The War Collection Volume 2 | DVD | (14/12/2020) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  From the blood-stained beaches of Dunkirk to the terror of young aircraft pilots in the depths of war, through to a case of mistaken identity in the German POW camps. From a quiet English village on alert of the arrival of the enemy to the life of an RAF fighter station during the Battle of Britain. Featuring outstanding performances from acting greats such as John Mills and Malcom McDowell, these five classic war films are tales of survival, resolve and bravery. DUNKIRK Dunkirk follows the dramatic events leading up to Operation Dynamo, where the British Army attempted to rescue fellow soldiers and Allied troops from Nazi-occupied France. Starring John Mills. ACES HIGH New air force recruit Peter Firth takes an instant dislike to his embittered squadron leader, Malcolm McDowell. But as the young pilot experiences the tensions and stresses of warfare, his dislike turns to admiration. WENT THE DAY WELL? A rare foray into darker material by Ealing Studios, Alberto Cavalcanti's film tells the story of a quiet English village, infiltrated by German soldiers masquerading as British troops, leaving the plucky villagers to uncover the plot and fight back. THE CAPTIVE HEART WW2 drama based on a true story about a Czech Captain (Michael Redgrave) who to conceal his identity, pretends to be a dead British officer. After being thrown into a German POW camp the other inmates begin to doubt his story and he must do all he can to convince them he's not a spy. ANGELS ONE FIVE The Battle of Britain as seen through the eyes of the operations room of a Kent fighter station during the summer of 1940. A young, inexperienced pilot has trouble settling into squadron life.

• Will and Grace: Series 4 (Episodes 23-27) | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £8.85   |  Saving you £4.14 (31.90%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Fagel Attraction: When his laptop is stolen from a coffee bar Will meets a hot detective who quickly offers to take him 'undercover' and it's not long before our boys in blue get down on the beat... Hocus Focus: Will wins a portrait session with an eccentric celebrity photographer and asks best friend Grace to accompany him. However the wacky snapper's unorthodox methods produce an image that delights Grace but drives Will to distraction. A Buncha White Chicks Sittin' Around Talkin': When Will hears his biological clock ticking he shocks Grace by asking her to be the mother of his child but Grace discloses a startling revelation. A.I. - Artificial Insemination (Parts 1 & 2) After Will and Grace settle on starting a family obstacles to their offspring pile up including missing specimen samples and arguments over names that leave the whole bump n' grind issue of insemination a little raw.

• The Smallest Show On Earth | DVD | (08/07/2002) from £20.37   |  Saving you £-7.38 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  An amiable knock-off of the Ealing comedy style, The Smallest Show on Earth starts with aspiring novelist Bill Travers and his "nice gel" wife Virginia McKenna inheriting a cinema from a hitherto unknown uncle and discovering that it isn't the sumptuous modern Grand, which specialises in those "smash 'em in the face, knock 'em over the waterfront" pictures, but the decrepit Bijou, known locally as "the fleapit". The initial plan, set up by lawyer Leslie Phillips, is to sell off the cinema to the owner of the Grand so he can knock it down to make a car park, but our heroes are put off by the arrogant bullying of the rival manager (Francis De Wolff) and succumb to the inept charms of the crazed, aged staff--drunken projectionist Peter Sellers, doddery commissionaire Bernard Miles and dotty ticket lady Margaret Rutherford (who joined the team as a piano accompanist). In the 1950s, there was a run of gentle British comedies in which outmoded and broken-down local institutions (steam trains, tugboats, vintage cars) were saved by collections of committed eccentrics who despised the new-fangled bus services or soulless council bureaucracies and were willing to resort to a little larceny (in this case, arson). The Smallest Show slots in perfectly with the cycle, getting laughs from the Bijou's already outmoded programme of scratchy Westerns and desert dramas (which increase ice cream sales) and sentiment over the staff's midnight screenings of silent movies that remind them of better days. It's likeable rather than hilarious, with Sellers and Miles buried under crepe hair and fake wrinkles competing to out-dodder each other and losing the picture to the inimitable Rutherford, who doesn't have to fake her eccentricity. Pin-up, June Cunningham, is the glamorous usherette and Sid James plays her annoyed Dad. On the DVD: The Smallest Show on Earth is presented in a decent print, but with no extras. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection. --Kim Newman

• Last Of The Blonde Bombshells | DVD | (15/01/2007) from £11.98   |  Saving you £4.01 (33.47%)   |  RRP £15.99

  After Elizabeth's husband dies she begins to play her tenor saxophone again and remembers when she was 15 and a member of the Blonde Bombshells an all-girl (with one exception) swing band. Accompanied by the exception and urged on by her grand-daughter Elizabeth hunts up all the old members of the band and urges them to perform and in doing so learns more than she knew about the band its members the roses on the drum set and herself--the last of the Blonde Bombshells.

• Venus | DVD | (23/07/2007) from £6.98   |  Saving you £9.01 (129.08%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Two veteran English actors have their lives disrupted when one's grand-niece enters their lives.

• Chasing Mummies - Season 1 | DVD | (09/05/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  When it comes to digging up ancient treasures legendary Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass leaves other archaeologists in the dust. The History cameras follow closely as he and his cadre of young archaeologists unearth new finds from incredible mummies to perhaps Cleopatra's tomb. It's a whirlwind tour with the man who holds the keys to Egypt's greatest antiquities and who rules his world like a modern day pharaoh.

• Gone With The Wind | Blu Ray | (15/04/2013) from £27.99   |  Saving you £-8.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This sweeping Civil War-era romance won 10 Oscars (including Best Picture) and its immortal character Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) Rhett (Clark Gable) Ashley (Leslie Howard) Melanie (Olivia de Havilland) Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) and Prissy (Butterfly McQueen) populate an epic story of enduring appeal across generations.

• Repossessed | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This is a hilarious parady of 'The Exorcist'. 'Repossessed' stars the master of comedy spoofs Leslie Nielson and the original star of 'The Exorcist' Linda Blair. The devil possesses Nancy's body via her television set while she is watching a religious programme and there follows a side-splitting battle to exorcise the demon with many jokes and gags along the way!

• The Fast Lady | DVD | (24/02/2020) from £16.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A naive Scotsman buys a vintage sports car and learns to drive in order to impress the daughter of an arrogant aristocrat who despises him.

• Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult | Blu Ray | (10/09/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Oscar night. Who will win? Who will lose? And will someone please kick that numbskull off stage? Wait! That's no ordinary numbskull. That's Lt. Frank Drebin, crashing the ceremonies to stop a terrorist plot that could mean curtains for him - or will a simple window shade be enough? Yes, back for a hilarious threepeat and a state-of-the-art advance in sequel numbering are the filmmakers you love, the returning stars you adore, plus others getting Naked for the first time: Fred Ward, Anna Nicol...

• Journey To Italy | Blu Ray | (02/12/2013) from £26.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Widely regarded as Roberto Rossellini's greatest achievement Journey to Italy was the culminating masterpiece of the Italian neo-realism and the film that inspired the French new wave. Voted as one of the Top 50 films ever made in the 2012 Sight and Sound Critics Poll this stunning restoration is finally released on Blu-ray for the first time as part of this Dual Format Edition. Ingrid Bergman (Notorious Stromboli) and George Sanders (All About Eve Rebecca) play Katherine and Alex Joyce an English married couple who travel to Italy to oversee the sale of a villa. Unused to each other's company the couple argue and quarrel as their differences in taste and temperament drive them to separation. Beautifully shot on location throughout Italy including the streets and museums of Naples the island of Capri and the ruins of Pompeii Journey to Italy was considered a masterpiece by many of the leading French new wave critics-turned-filmmakers. This long awaited restoration offers UK audiences a chance to rediscover a profoundly moving masterpiece. Special Features: Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition Original Italian language version Alternative English language version Feature-length Laura Mulvey audio commentary Extensive booklet with essays and film notes

• Seat In Shadow | DVD | (25/09/2017) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Out of the imagination of acclaimed artist-filmmaker Henry Coombes comes Albert, an eccentric, aging painter doubling as an unconventional, Jung-inspired psychotherapist. When Albert's friend asks him to counsel her lethargic grandson Ben, whose ongoing boyfriend problems are rapidly fuelling an already deep depression, their subsequent therapy sessions reveal as much about Albert as they do about the troubled young man. Coombes' debut feature is a witty, perceptive study of social mores, sexual excess and the bizarre, symbiotic relationship between doctor and patient; teacher and pupil; artist and muse.

• The Descent 2 Disc Special Edition | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £5.85   |  Saving you £14.14 (241.71%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A caving trip goes badly wrong for six girlfriends as they discover they're not alone in the dark.

• Shadow Run | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Shadow Run ought to be considerably more interesting than it is--Geoffrey Reeve is an efficient director and both Michael Caine and James Fox turn in icy performances as, respectively, an almost completely ruthless thief and the renegade intelligence man who hires him for that one last big job. Caine in particular is convincing in the half-hearted attacks of compunction that never stop him killing obstacles. Many of the bit-players--Lesley Grantham, for example--do a lot with almost nonexistent parts. The film counterpoints the planning of the heist with the social embarrassments of the fat schoolboy who becomes, by a series of coincidences, too informed about it and, ultimately, Caine's secret sharer. Reeve is rather too in love with the cathedral school background of the subplot and skimps too much on the complicated technical business of getting a computerised security van into a radio blackout zone. Still, the boy is excellent, and Caine's affair with the doomed hooker Rae Baker has some much-needed moments of wit. On the DVD: Disappointingly, the DVD, whose Dolby surround sound does miracles for the scenes of schoolboy choristers, is presented in pan and scan 1.33:1, and has no extra features except for chapter selection and trailers for other films.--Roz Kaveney

• Police Academy 4 (DVD) | DVD | (30/04/2007) from £5.47   |  Saving you £3.78 (89.79%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Sign up for more manic misadventure with the buffoons in blue this time featuring rising stars Sharon Stone as a reporter who strikes sparks with Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) and David Spade as a loopy skateboarder. Cmdt. Lassard (George Gaynes) decides to toughen up neighborhood watch groups by training them to be Citizens on Patrol or COPs. And guess who the instructors are? The same grads who thought the Fs on their own report card meant ""Fantastic."" When rival officer Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey) sees the blue leading the beleaguered he decides the time is ripe to discredit the Academy. But leave it to our hapless heroes to save the day - bumblingly - by taking to the skies on biplanes and balloons for a frantic finale. All aboard!

• The Midnight Meat Train | Blu Ray | (02/03/2009) from £44.94   |  Saving you £-21.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Bradley Cooper stars as an inquisitive photographer who comes across Mahogany (Jones) a butcher who uses the subway system as his killing floor. But who is he killing for and where is he delivering the meat of his victims?

• Stitch In Time, A / Just My Luck | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £7.26   |  Saving you £6.99 (116.50%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Norman Wisdom reprises his famous Pitkin character for the third time in A Stitch in Time, and Edward Chapman is also back to provide Norman with the excuse to reprise his immortal catch-phrase "Mr Grimsdale!". Here he succeeds in causing chaos in a St John Ambulance unit, as well as donning drag to play a blonde nurse complete with suspender belt and silk stockings. Each Norman Wisdom movie usually sees him as the accidental Lord of Misrule in one institution or another, and this time it's the NHS: after being banned from his local hospital, Norman resorts to subterfuge to visit a little orphan girl. There's an autobiographical touch here, as Wisdom himself was raised in an orphanage and centred the plot of One Good Turn (1954) around such an establishment. --Gary S Dalkin An important step in the career of Norman Wisdom, Just My Luck is principally notable for the introduction of actor Edward Chapman, whom many would come to know as series regular Mr Grimsdale. Here he's the stuffy foil to Norman's romantic plans regarding his jewel-making job, where he'll do anything to possess some of the wealth about him. The chance comes in the form of an accumulator bet at Goodwood races thanks to a slimy Leslie Phillips. Another star cameo of note was a second appearance by Margaret Rutherford (after Trouble in Store) as an eccentric animal owner. But the real advance with the Wisdom formula was that--after a reasonably serious plot line--Norman finally gets the girl. --Paul Tonks

• Maroc 7 | Blu Ray | (28/09/2020) from £20.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This fast-paced '60s crime caper features a star-studded line-up that includes Gene Barry, Elsa Martinelli, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Phillips and Denholm Elliott. Stylishly directed by Gerry O'Hara, Maroc 7 is presented here as a High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original Panavision aspect ratio. Simon Grant blackmails glamorous fashion editor Louise Henderson into including him with her entourage to Morocco when he discovers she is searching for a priceless ancient artefact. But when an eccentric archaeologist contact is found dead, Louise attempts to implicate Grant in his murder! SPECIAL FEATURES: Theatrical trailer Music Promo Image galleries