"Actor: Maurice"

• Vampyr | DVD | (25/08/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The first sound-film by one of the greatest of all filmmakers Vampyr offers a sensual immediacy that few if any works of cinema can claim to match. Legendary director Carl Theodor Dreyer leads the viewer as though guided in a trance through a realm akin to a wakingdream a zone positioned somewhere between reality and the supernatural. Traveller Allan Gray (arrestingly depicted by Julian West aka the secretive real-life Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg) arrives at a countryside inn seemingly beckoned by haunted forces. His growing acquaintance with the family who reside there soon opens up a network of uncanny associations between the dead and the living of ghostly lore and demonology which pull Gray ever deeper into an unsettling and upsetting mystery. At its core: troubled Gisle chaste daughter and sexual incarnation portrayed by the great cursed Sybille Schmitz (Diary of a Lost Girl and inspiration for Fassbinder's Veronika Voss.) Before the candles of Vampyr exhaust themselves Allan Gray and the viewer alike come eye-to-eye with Fate - in the face of dear dying Sybille in the blasphemed bodies of horrific bat-men in the charged and mortal act of asphyxiation - eye-to-eye then with Death the supreme vampire. Deemed by Alfred Hitchcock 'the only film worth watching... twice' Vampyr's influence has become by now incalculable. Long out of circulation in an acceptable transfer The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Dreyer's truly terrifying film in its film restored form for the first time in the UK on DVD.

• The Nude Vampire (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (17/07/2018) from £10.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A surreal blend of horror, espionage, and erotica, The Nude Vampire follows the son of a wealthy businessman as he is lured into a secret cult that is conducting experiments on a captive mute female vampire.

• POA | DVD | (18/06/2007) from £7.09   |  Saving you £1.90 (21.10%)   |  RRP £8.99

  The Planet Of The Apes (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner 1968): Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall star in this legendary science fiction masterpiece. Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist. Winner of an Honorary Academy Award for Outstanding Make-up Achievement and nominated for two Oscars (1968 Best Costume Design and Best Original Score) Planet of the Apes is grand entertainment from its visually arresting beginning to the chilling last moment. The Planet Of The Apes (Dir. Tim Burton 2001): In the year 2029 interstellar reconnaissance missions are relegated to chimpanzee pilots from the Space Station Oberon in deep space. On such a mission a chimp loses communication and vanishes from the radar. Fearless astronaut Leo Davidson launches a rescue mission and following a malfunction lands on a jungle-like planet not unlike the Earth. To Leo's astonishment English-speaking apes and primitive humans inhabit the planet. Following his capture by the apes and subsequent escape Leo assembles a small band of defiant humans and empathetic apes in an attempt to re-establish contact with Oberon but his focus changes following an unexpected discovery. Armed with this new information Leo leads a rebellion against an overpowering ape force that will result in freedom or complete annihilation.

• 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

• Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (25/04/2022) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Make Way for Tomorrow, by LEO McCAREY (An Affair to Remember), is one of the great unsung Hollywood masterpieces, an enormously moving Depression-era depiction of the frustrations of family, aging, and the generation gap. BEULAH BONDI (It's a Wonderful Life) and VICTOR MOORE (Swing Time) headline a cast of incomparable character actors, starring as an elderly couple who must move in with their grown children after the bank takes their home, yet end up separated and subject to their offspring's selfish whims. An inspiration for Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, this is among American cinema's purest tearjerkers, all the way to its unflinching ending, which McCarey refused to change despite studio pressure. Special Features High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Today, an interview from 2009 featuring filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich discussing the career of director Leo McCarey and Make Way for Tomorrow Video interview from 2009 with critic Gary Giddins, in which he talks about McCarey's artistry and the political and social context of the film PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Tag Gallagher and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier, and an excerpt from film scholar Robin Wood's 1998 piece Leo McCarey and Family Values

• Futurama: Season 4 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £6.93   |  Saving you £33.06 (477.06%)   |  RRP £39.99

  No more good news everybody--this fourth series of Futurama is the show's last. By turns frenetic and far-sighted, Matt Groening's futuristic comedy provided belly-laughs for self-confessed SF nerds, but somehow failed to connect with a broader audience, even though it was often funnier and sharper than stablemate The Simpsons. So now bid farewell to the Planet Express team--Fry, Leela, Zoidberg, Bender, Amy, Hermes, Prof Farnsworth--as well as to kindly Kif, cloned Cubert, megalomaniac Mom, mutants in the sewer, the cast of robo-sitcom All My Circuits, swashbuckling space lothario and William Shatner wannabe Zapp Brannigan, Elzar the four-armed chef, and all the other characters that made Futurama such a unique experience. This fourth and final year has all the elements that fans enjoyed so much--but also those elements that partially explain its cancellation. Recurring characters are great if you've watched the show before, as are the in-jokes; and the many parodies of classic science fiction are fine for the initiated, but risk leaving other viewers out in the cold. The show's strengths and perceived weaknesses are exemplified in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", in which the original cast of Star Trek play themselves: hilarious for Trekkers, but not really for anyone else. Elsewhere we find Leela discovering her real parents aren't aliens at all but in fact live in the sewers; Kif getting pregnant; Fry discovering the fossilised remains of his faithful pet dog; and Bender being converted to steam power. Despite some ups and downs, it's still the funniest animated show on TV. Those responsible for cancelling it can bite my shiny metal … On the DVD: Futurama, Series 4 DVD box set includes a "Play All" function on each disc. Multifarious extras include cast and crew commentaries, deleted scenes, animatics, galleries and Easter eggs. --Mark Walker

• Alec Guinness - The Screen Icons Collection | DVD | (01/10/2007) from £24.89   |  Saving you £10.10 (40.58%)   |  RRP £34.99

  This box set contains the following films: The Last Holiday (Dir: Henry Cass) (1950): Alec Guinness plays a salesman of agricultural machinery who finds out that he hasn't long to live. He decides to enjoy his last months to the fullest. Kind Hearts And Coronets (Dir: Robert Hamer) (1949): Dennis Price plays Louis D'Ascoyne the would-be Duke of Chalfont whose mother was spurned by her noble family for marrying an Italian singer for love. Louis resolves to avenge his mother by murdering the relatives ahead of him in line for the dukedom all of whom are played by Alec Guinness! The Man In The White Suite (Dir: Alexander Mackendrick) (1951): Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) invents a new strong fibre which repels dirt and never wears out! He uses this material to make a brilliant white suit and attempts to sell his product to the textile industry. However all is not as it seems when those in the industry realise that Stratton's new fibre could mean the end of their livelihood - the race is on to catch Stratton! Captain's Paradise (Dir: Anthony Kimmins) (1953): Henry St. James is the Captain of an international ferry. He enjoys his life at Sea especially as he has a loving English wife waiting for him in Gibraltar and another in Tangiers! A perfect life - so long as neither woman decide to travel with him! Barnacle Bill (1957) A British Naval Captain who is plagued by incurable seasickness retires from service and buys a decrepit amusement pier in a small coastal town. After discovering the local commissioners seek to condemn and seize his pier Captain Ambrose must do all in his power to save his pier.

• Quatermass And The Pit | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £10.35   |  Saving you £2.64 (25.51%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Workmen unearth prehistoric skulls while carrying out excavations on the London Underground. Very soon a strange and malevolent force is unleashed.

• Two Way Stretch | DVD | (08/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A great British crime comedy always worth another watch, Two Way Stretch is the one about the cosily imprisoned crooks who hatch a scheme to pull off a heist with a perfect alibi by breaking out of their nick, doing the job and then breaking back into the jug again to serve out their sentences. Peter Sellers, usually an eccentric support in these things, takes a rare lead as cocky mastermind Dodger Lane, confident enough to share the screen with performers who would be doing serious time if scene-stealing were an actual offence. The chief delight of the film, obvious inspiration for Blakey from On the Buses, is Lionel Jeffries' bristling, infuriated, hilariously humiliated warder Sidney Crout, forever fuming as Dodger gets away with some new scheme. Also in on the scam: Wilfrid Hyde White as a bogus clergyman of extreme unctuousness, David Lodge as the dim-witted muscle bloke, and Bernard Cribbins in the nice young man part. The wayward plot finds room for cameos from such national institutions as Beryl Reid, Irene Handl and Liz Fraser. Director Robert Day, probably best known for the Hammer version of She, is nobody's idea of an auteur, but he puts this pacey little gem together perfectly. The British cinema has been turning out an unheralded series of wonderful caper comedies for decades, from The Lavender Hill Mob through A Fish Called Wanda to The Parole Officer; this effort--along with the follow-up The Wrong Arm of the Law--ranks among the best. On the DVD: Two Way Stretch comes to disc in a nice print. The film is also available as part of the four-disc Peter Sellers Collection.--Kim Newman

• The Abominable Dr. Phibes | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £19.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Abominable Dr Phibes is an unusually beautiful horror classic in which Vincent Price stars as the titular genius who specialises in organ music, theology and concocting bizarre deaths for anyone who wrongs him. Discovering why is half the fun, so for now let's just say that Phibes is a little mad and very, very angry. Aided by his assistant, the lovely, silent Vulnavia, Phibes begins cutting a gory swathe through London's medical community, with the dogged Inspector Trout hot on his tail. The film contains many pleasures--exquisite art direction and a dark sense of humour among them--but the real treat is in watching an old pro such as Price at work. Whether he's playing his organ, staring down a victim or drinking through his neck, Price is at the top of his game. He mixes dark menace with wry comic touches, revealing both Phibes' maniacal obsession and offhanded confidence in his own genius. Settle in for an evening of elegant gore--and if an attractive, mute deliverywoman comes to the door, whatever you do, don't answer! --Ali Davis

• Schalcken the Painter (Dual Format Edition) | DVD | (18/11/2013) from £14.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (33.36%)   |  RRP £19.99

  World premiere of this highly sought-after ghost story from the BBC released in the BFI’s acclaimed Flipside series. Based on a short story by Sheridan Le Fanu Schalcken the Painter was originally shown in the Omnibus strand on BBC2 during Christmas 1979. The story follows the young seventeenth-century Flemish painter Godfried Schalcken who forsakes love for ambition but discovers that there is still a terrible price to pay for his choice. One of the most frequently requested programmes in the BBC archive Schalcken the Painter is an exquisitely shot atmospheric horror film which explores the uneasy dark relationship between art commerce and erotic desire. The superb cast includes Jeremy Clyde Maurice Denham and Cheryl Kennedy. Newly transferred to High Definition from film materials preserved in the BFI National Archive the release also includes the rare experimental Edgar Allan Poe adaptation The Pit (1962) assistant directed by Peter Collinson. Contents World premiere release on DVD and Blu-ray Part of the BFI’s celebrated Flipside series Interview with Director Leslie Megahey The Pit (1962 Edward Abraham 25 mins): experimental film based on the classic Poe tale The Pit and the Pendulum Fully illustrated booklet with original essays Other extras TBC

• Cube | DVD | (17/01/2000) from £6.76   |  Saving you £6.23 (92.16%)   |  RRP £12.99

  If Clive Barker had written an episode of The Twilight Zone, it might have looked something like Cube. A handful of strangers wake up inside a bizarre maze, having been spirited there during the night. They quickly learn that they have to navigate their way through a series of chambers if they have any hope of escape but the problem is that there are lethal traps awaiting if they choose their route unwisely. Having established some imaginative and grisly punishments in store for the hostages, cowriter and director Vincenzo Natali turns his attention to the characters, for whom being trapped amplifies their best and worst qualities. The film is, in fact, similar to a famous episode of Rod Serling's old television series, though Natali's explanation for why these poor people are being put through hell is a lot closer to the spirit of The X-Files. Cube has some solid moments of suspense and drama and the sets are appropriately striking: one is tempted to believe at first the characters are lost inside a computer chip. --Tom Keogh

• The Uncle | DVD | (06/07/2015) from £9.25   |  Saving you £0.74 (8.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This moving evocative and highly original drama recalls the mystery the doubts and the poetry that is childhood – as seen through the eyes of an isolated little boy whose life is turned upside down by the unwelcome arrival of his unruly nephew. Directed by BAFTA nominee Desmond Davis and featuring powerful performances from an accomplished British cast including Rupert Davies Brenda Bruce and Maurice Denham this rare highly acclaimed film is presented in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements. At just seven years of age Gus has been an uncle all his life. When his quarrelsome unmanageable nephew Tom comes to spend the summer holidays with him however he finds the responsibilities of his position almost too hard to bear... Bonus Features: Image Gallery Promotional Material PDF

• Gigi | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  To celebrate its 50th anniversary Warner have re-released Gigi Vincente Minnelli's 1958 adaptation of Colette's story about a girl groomed as a courtesan but desired as a wife by a Parisian playboy. It has the unusual distinction of being an MGM musical shot on location in the City of Lights with songs such as: Ah Yes I Remember It Well Thank Heaven for Little Girls Gigi I'm a Bore and She's Not Thinking of Me. Director Minnelli makes a sumptuous dreamy almost laid-back affair of it all and the indispensable cast is forever etched into memory.

• Rick & Morty Season 3 | DVD | (12/11/2018) from £18.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  10 Episodes: Special Features: Animatics for every episode 13 commentaries with the creators, cast, crew and more Inside the Recording Booth Origins of Rick And Morty Inside the Episodes

• The Purple Plain | DVD | (11/05/2015) from £6.09   |  Saving you £6.90 (53.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Four times BAFTA nominated, The Purple Plain stars Gregory Peck as Squadron Commander Forrester during the Burma Campaign. Forrester is on a transport flight over Burma in 1945 when his plane crashes. He and his passenger, Blore, attempt to trek through the jungle to safety with their injured navigator. Forrester is stern and hard after the loss of his wife earlier in the war, but his heart is softened by the kindness of a beautiful Burmese girl, Anna, and her friend, Miss Menab, a missionary. Blore cannot cope with the pressure and shoots himself, which leaves Forrester with the most gruelling test yet - to struggle back to base with the wounded navigator on his back.

• Plein Soleil | Blu Ray | (09/09/2013) from £14.49   |  Saving you £8.50 (58.66%)   |  RRP £22.99

  René Clément's (Forbidden Games Gervasise) 1960's stylish thriller Plein Soleil is adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. Alain Delon (le Cercle Rouge Le Samourai) stars as Tom Ripley an American who travels to Europe on an all-expenses-paid mission to convince his friend the charismatic playboy Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet - Le Feu Follet) to travel to San Francisco at the request of the wealthy Greenleaf family. Initially the pair enjoys the good life in Italy often to the anger and dismay of Philippe's much put-upon fiancée Marge (Marie Laforet). However as Tom's funds begin to run dry it becomes more and more apparent that Philippe has no intention of returning to the U.S. forcing Tom to consider more calculated means of maintaining his extravagant lifestyle. Special Features: Interview with Alain Délon The Restoration of Plein Soleil Réné Clémént: At the Heart of the New Wave - a documentary by Dominque Maillet

• Roman Polanski Collection | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  A talented musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto and the concentration camps of World War II.

• Planet of the Apes -- 35th Anniversary Special Edition (2 discs) | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £4.89   |  Saving you £18.10 (370.14%)   |  RRP £22.99

  A genuine genre classic whose impact remains undimmed either by time, increasingly dire sequels, or Tim Burton's lacklustre 2001 "reimagining", the original Planet of the Apes richly deserves this 35th Anniversary special edition. Here you'll find a glorious anamorphic presentation of Franklin J Schaffner's painterly CinemaScope framing, accompanied by a new DTS 5.1 soundtrack that makes the movie seem even more vibrant and immediate than ever before. On disc one the film is accompanied by two audio commentaries: one from composer Jerry Goldsmith, and another with Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Natalie Trundy and make-up artist John Chambers. These are reasonably interesting, though with a few too many gaps. Better is Eric Greene's exhaustive text commentary. Better still are the features on the second disc. Disc two contains the exhaustive two-hour Behind the Planet of the Apes documentary (also to be found in the six-disc box set) as well as a host of other behind-the-scenes nuggets for die-hard fans: dailies and outtakes, make-up tests and Roddy McDowall's home movies. There's some overlap between a 1967 NATO presentation of the movie hosted by Charlton Heston and other featurettes from 1968 and 1972. Sequel directors Don Taylor and J Lee Thompson are seen in action, and there are trailers, film reviews from 1968 and picture galleries. --Mark Walker

• Narcos Season 1 & 2 Boxset | Blu Ray | (04/09/2017) from £10.20   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Dubbed The King of Cocaine , Narcos traces Pablo Escobar s rise to power between 1977 and 1992, a time in which he was responsible for smuggling 80 per cent of the cocaine supply into the United States, making himself a billionaire in the process. This is the next box-set that you absolutely have to own and binge watch, taking its rightful place in your collection alongside iconic series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad and House of Cards.