In 1962 Lawrence of Arabia scooped another seven Oscars for David Lean and crew after his previous epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, had performed exactly the same feat a few years earlier. Supported in this Great War desert adventure by a superb cast including Alex Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole gives a complex, star-making performance as the enigmatic TE Lawrence. The magnificent action and vast desert panoramas were captured in luminous 70mm by Cinematographer Freddie Young, here beginning a partnership with Lean that continued through Dr Zhivago (1965) and Ryan's Daughter (1970). Yet what made the film truly outstanding was Robert (A Man For All Seasons) Bolt's literate screenplay, marking the beginning of yet another ongoing collaboration with Lean. The final partnership established was between director and French composer Maurice Jarre, who won one of the Oscars and scored all Lean's remaining films, up to and including A Passage to India in 1984. Fully restored in 1989, this complete version of Lean's masterpiece remains one of cinema's all-time classic visions. --Gary S Dalkin On the DVD: This vast movie is spread leisurely across two discs, with Maurice Jarre's overture standing in as intermission music for the first track of disc two. But the clarity of the anamorphic widescreen picture and Dolby 5.1 soundtrack justify the decision not to cram the whole thing onto one side of a disc. The movie has never looked nor sounded better than here: the desert landscapes are incredibly detailed, with the tiny nomadic figures in the far distance clearly visible on the small screen; the remastered soundtrack, too, is a joy. Thanks are due to Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg who supervised (and financed) the restoration of the picture in 1989; on disc two Spielberg chats about why David Lean is his favourite director, and why Lawrence had such a profound influence on him both as a child and as a filmmaker (he regularly re-watches the movie before starting any new project). Other features include an excellent and exhaustive "making-of" documentary with contributions from surviving cast and crew (an avuncular Omar Sharif is particularly entertaining as he reminisces about meeting the hawk-like Lean for the first time), some contemporary featurettes designed to promote the movie and a DVD-ROM facility. The extra features are good--especially the documentary--but the breathtaking quality of both anamorphic picture and digital sound are what make this DVD package a triumph. --Mark Walker
TBC
A three-hour peasant epic in which nothing very much happens might sound like the ultimate turn-off; but The Tree of Wooden Clogs ("L'Albero degli Zoccoli") is made with so much love and dedication that it rarely flags. Set in the Lombardy countryside in the closing years of the 19th century, the film traces the interconnected lives of four peasant families all living in the same large farmhouse. The most dramatic event, which gives the movie its title, is when a father chops down a tree so that his son can have clogs in which to walk to school, which leads to quiet tragedy in the final reel. The film's director Ermanno Olmi--himself of North Italian peasant stock--based his subject on incidents from his own childhood and tales told him by his grandfather. His cast were non-professionals, real peasants chosen from villages of the Bergamo region, whom he encouraged to improvise their own dialogue. All the shooting was done on location with a 16 mm camera, using natural lighting and direct sound--a revolutionary approach in Italy at the time, when almost all films were studio-bound and heavily dubbed. The results carry a rare conviction, the unselfconsciously simple speech and muted earth-tones of the visuals make the film feel more like documentary than fiction. The hardships of peasant life are never softened, though now and then Olmi's affection for his characters verges on sentimentality. And the unquestioning, submissive Catholicism of director and characters alike tends to cloy. But the sense of dignity and harmony, and the film's unhurried pace, always in step with the seasons, create a moving celebration of a vanished way of life. The Tree of Wooden Clogs took the Palme d'Or at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. On the DVD: The Tree of Wooden Clogs doesn't exactly come packed with extras: cast and technical credits, a stills gallery, and a brief two-minute introduction by Olmi, where he explains why he preferred to record in mono, which still sounds fine on the disc. The images have lost nothing of their muted subtlety, and the transfer is in the full 1.33:1 ratio of the original. --Philip Kemp
The Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn't over yet. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement but when Michael manages to free himself from the trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. Evil dies tonight.
Director Paul Greengrass recounts the final moments of the ill-fated flight in this 9/11 drama.
Spencer Strasmore and an endearing group of colleagues, rivals and pro-football clients return for a new season of HBO's hit comedy from Steve Levinson (Entourage) that digs deeper into the extravagant, high-stakes, big-money world of professional football. This season, having refused to compromise his principles by joining an alliance with the filthy-rich Anderson brothers to move a football franchise to Las Vegas, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) and his partner Joe Krutel (Rob Corddry) set their sights on expanding their firm's foothold in the client-management business, weighing an opportunity to purchase an extreme-sports LA outfit run by the fiercely autonomous Lance Klians (Russell Brand). Meanwhile, Ricky Jerret (John David Washington) eyes a comeback while chafing at his new life as a father; Charles (Omar Benson Miller) faces the myriad challenges of being a general manager; Vernon (Donovan W. Carter) continues his profligate ways, to the chagrin of his sidekick Reggie (London Brown); and Jason (Troy Garity) tries to set Spencer up with a high-school prodigy, Quincy Crawford, and his equally impressive mother Jayda.
Ryan Reynolds stars in the first-ever live-action Pokemon adventure as Pikachu, the iconic face of the global Pokemon phenomenon-one of the world's most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and the most successful media franchise of all time. The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokemon partner, Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds): a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City-a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokemon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world-they encounter a diverse cast of Pokemon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokemon universe.
A collection of classic films from famed British director David Lean. Bridge On The River Kwai (1957): When British P.O.W.s build a vital railway bridge in enemy occupied Burma Allied commandos are assigned to destroy it in David Lean's epic World War II adventure The Bridge on the River Kwai. Spectacularly produced The Bridge on the River Kwai captured the imagination of the public and won seven 1957 Academy Awards including Best Picture Be
Viggo Mortensen stars as cowboy who travels to Saudi Arabia in 1890 to compete with his horse Hidalgo in a dangerous race for a massive prize.
All ten episodes from the third season of the American football comedy starring Dwayne Johnson. Retired NFL players and former teammates with the Miami Dolphins Spencer Strasmore (Johnson) and Charles Greane (Omar Benson Miller) struggle to adapt to life after football. Spencer takes up a job as a financial manager for NFL players, while Charles starts working at a car dealership and begins to wonder whether he chose to retire too early. In this season, Spencer looks to move in on the lucrative Las Vegas market. The episodes are: 'Seeds of Expansion', 'Bull Rush', 'In the Teeth', 'Ride and Die', 'Make Believe', 'I Hate New York', 'Ricky-Leaks', 'Alley-Oops', 'Crackback' and 'Yay Arena'.
A U.S. Sheriff entrusted with a map of the legendary Valley of Gold is attacked by an unruly bandit gang and his own local townspeople. They are all fired by greed and gold lust but bound together by a fear of their common enemy - the Apache. Based on a novel by Will Henry with music by Quincy Jones.
A captivating romantic drama unfolds against a backdrop of Cold War paranoia in this acclaimed feature by multi-award-winning director Blake Edwards. Featuring an outstanding score by multiple Oscar winner John Barry and presented here in a brand-new transfer from original film elements The Tamarind Seed stars Julie Andrews as a Home Office minister's assistant and Omar Sharif as the Paris-based Soviet attache with whom she falls in love; among an outstanding support cast are Anthony Quayle and Sylvia Syms whose performance earned her a BAFTA Award in 1974. Holidaying in Barbados in the hope of overcoming the unhappiness of a broken love affair Englishwoman Judith Farrow meets debonair Russian Feodor Sverdlov. As they explore the island paradise together and their mutual feelings grow so too do the suspicions of the intelligence agencies in both London and Moscow. In a world where no-one is to be trusted and appearances can be fatally deceptive every move they make is being watched... Bonus Features: Soundtrack suite featuring score and musical arrangements by John Barry Song suite featuring music by John Barry Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Archive interviews with Omar Sharif and Blake Edwards Film and Soundtrack Notes by Geoff Leonard and Pete Walker
""A Miracle of a Film"" - Steven Spielberg This remarkable film follows the struggles of T.E. Lawrence (played by Peter O'Toole - My Favourite Year The Last Emperor) in uniting the hostile Arab factions during the First World War and leading them to victory over the ruling Turkish Empire. The film was released originally in 1962 to huge critical acclaim winning 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean.
Adam Jones had it all -- and lost it. A two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match, the former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene did everything different every time, and only cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste.
HALLOWEEN Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. Master of horror John Carpenter joins forces with director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum (Get Out, Split) for this follow up to Carpenter's 1978 classic. HALLOWEEN KILLS The Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn't over yet. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement but when Michael manages to free himself from the trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. Evil dies tonight.
One of the most popular movie musicals ever made is now better than ever on Blu-ray! Funny Girl follows the early career of stage comedienne Fanny Brice a role that earned Barbra Streisand the 1968 Oscar for Best Actress. Only her mother believes Fanny can make it in show business but when she gets her first break at Keeney's Music Hall her hilarious debut gets her hired as a comedienne. Fanny becomes a star falls in love and marries Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif) a handsome gambler. The film's many memorable songs include Don't Rain on My Parade and the Streisand classic People. Special Features: All-New 4K Restoration of the Feature Film - Blu-ray Mastered from 4K Source Barabra in Movieland This is Streisand
Two-time Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie is back one last time as TV's favourite misanthrope, Dr. Gregory House, in the hit series' eighth and final season. When House returns to Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital after an unconventional release from his prison sentence, he finds himself under a surprising new chain of command and dealing with personnel changes to his staff. Together, House and his new team take on the most baffling medical cases yet, and face challenges of both the mind...
Meg Ryan stars in this fact-inspired drama as a woman who defied all the odds when she entered the male dominated world of boxing management and took it by storm.
HALLOWEEN Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. Master of horror John Carpenter joins forces with director David Gordon Green and producer Jason Blum (Get Out, Split) for this follow up to Carpenter's 1978 classic. HALLOWEEN KILLS The Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn't over yet. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement but when Michael manages to free himself from the trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. Evil dies tonight.
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