"Actor: Paul Fr"

• Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  After the death of her bullying husband the not-so aged and downtrodden housewife Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins) is shipped off to the Twilight Years Rest Home by her money-grabbing son and manipulative daughter in-law. Appalled by the conditions Mrs Caldicot decides to taker matters into her own hands...

• The Crucible | DVD | (19/04/2004) from £9.78   |  Saving you £3.21 (32.82%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman

• The Jacques Tati Collection (Jour de fête / Les Vacances de M. Hulot / Mon Oncle / Playtime / Parade) | DVD | (02/11/2009) from £56.99   |  Saving you £-17.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The Jacques Tati Collection (5 Discs)

• Calamity Jane / Seven Brides For Seven Brothers / My Fair Lady | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £22.95   |  Saving you £-3.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £18.99

  This 1953 musical is very much a vehicle for Doris Day, in the title role, as a wild cowgal who can out-shoot and out-sing any boy on the range. When an actress arrives in Deadwood and uses her feminine charms on Jane's secret love, Wild Bill Hickock (Howard Keel), Jane tries to mend her tomboy ways. Not exactly up to the feminist code of honour, this is still energetic and Day is very perky. Of course, one could almost detect a homosexual undercurrent with the cross-dressing Jane, but this was Hollywood in the 1950s, so we best not. Calamity Jane won an Oscar for Best Song--"Secret Love", by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. --Rochelle O'Gorman

• Midnight Express | DVD | (11/06/2007) from £11.55   |  Saving you £-5.56 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Forever embroiled in controversy, Midnight Express divides viewers into opposing camps: those who think it's one of the most intense real-life dramas ever made, and those who abhor its manipulative tactics and alteration of facts for the exploitative purpose of achieving a desired effect. That effect is powerfully achieved, regardless of how you may feel about director Alan Parker and Oscar-winning screenwriter Oliver Stone's interpretation of the story of Billy Hayes. It was the American Hayes--played by the late Brad Davis in an unforgettable performance--who was caught smuggling 2kg of hashish while attempting to board a flight from Istanbul in 1970. He was sentenced to four years in a hellish Turkish prison on a drug possession charge, but his sentence was later extended (though not by 30 years, as the film suggests), and Hayes endured unthinkable brutality and torture before his escape in 1975. Unquestionably, this is a superbly crafted film, provoking a visceral response that's powerful enough to boil your blood. By the time Hayes erupts in an explosion of self-defensive violence, Parker and Stone have proven the power--and danger--of their skill. Their film is deeply manipulative, extremely xenophobic, and embellishes reality to heighten its calculated impact. Is that a crime? Not necessarily, and there's no doubt that Midnight Express is expertly directed and blessed with exceptional supporting performances (especially from John Hurt as a long-term prisoner). Still, it's obvious that strings are being pulled, and Parker, while applying his talent to a nefarious purpose, is a masterful puppeteer. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

• Yellow Submarine | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This restored, animated valentine to the Beatles offers viewers the rare chance to see a work that's been substantially improved by its technical facelift, not just super-sized with extra footage. Recognising that its song-studded soundtrack alone makes Yellow Submarine a video annuity, United Artists has lavished a frame-by-frame refurbishment of the original feature, while replacing its original monaural audio tracks with a meticulously reconstructed stereo mix that actually refines legendary original album versions. What emerges is a vivid time capsule of the late 1960s and a minor milestone in animation. The music represents the quartet's zenith--Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The story line, cobbled together by producer Al Brodax and a committee of writers, is a broad, feather-light allegory set in idyllic Pepperland, where the gentle citizens are threatened by the nasty, music-hating Blue Meanies and their surreal arsenal of henchmen, with the Beatles enlisted to thwart the bad guys. Visually, designer Heinz Edelmann mixes the biomorphic squiggles, day-glo palette and Beardsley-esque portraits of Peter Max with rotoscoped still photographs and film; Edelmann's animated collages also nod to Andy Warhol and Magritte in properly psychedelic fashion, which works wonderfully with such terrific songs. High-orthodox Beatlemaniacs can still grouse that the animated Fab Four are (literally) flat archetypes, but that's missing the sheer bloom of the music or the giddy, campy fun of the visuals. Making sense of the story is second to submerging blissfully in the sights and sounds of this video treat. --Sam Sutherland

• Zulu Dawn | DVD | (05/01/2004) from £9.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (40.04%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives--the British contingent was outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. The film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land none the less is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. Splendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift that followed soon after, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks

• Hi-De-Hi - Series 1 And 2 | DVD | (03/03/2003) from £5.09   |  Saving you £19.90 (390.96%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Hi-De-Hi! gang is in for a big surprise at the start of the new holiday season when Jeffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell) becomes head of entertainment at Maplin's Holiday Camp. Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc) can't take her eyes off him and wannabe Yellowcoat Peggy (Su Pollard) looks like she might get her dream job. But what's in store for the campers? This release features every episode from Series One and Two of Hi-De-Hi!. Episode titles: Desire In The Mickey Mouse Grotto The Bea

• Harry Nilsson - The Point | DVD | (28/01/2013) from £13.79   |  Saving you £2.20 (15.95%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Directed by Academy Award-winner Fred Wolf, 'The Point' tells the story of Oblio, a round-headed boy living in the land of 'Point,' where everything and everybody has a point. Oblio, along with his trusty dog, Arrow, is banished to the Pointless Forest. The tale is narrated by Ringo Starr and includes songs written and sung by Grammy Award-winner Harry Nilsson. The definitive collector's edition. Special Features: Who Is Harry Nilsson? Pitching The Point. Making The Point. Legacy of The Point.

• As Time Goes By Series 1 & 2 | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Long ago Lionel a dashing young British Army officer met Jean a lovely student nurse and fell deeply in love. When Lionel was shipped off to fight in the Korean war the two lost touch. Now they meet again and slowly begin to rekindle their romance. Episode titles: Series 1: 1. You Must Remember This 2. Getting To Know You - Again 3. The Copper Kettle 4. Surprise Surprise 5. Relationships 6. The Picnic Series 2: 1. White Hunter 2. A Weekend Away 3. Visiting Rocky 4. Why? 5. Misunderstandings 6. The Cruise 7. The Book Signing

• Ealing Studios Boxset 4 | DVD | (16/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A fantastic box set featuring a quartet of beauties from Ealing Studios. Includes: 1. Whisky Galore (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1949) 2. Champagne Charlie (Dir. Alberto Cavalcanti 1944) 3. The Maggie (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1954) 4. It Always Rains on Sunday (Dir. Robert Hamer 1947)

• Married To The Mob | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £8.92   |  Saving you £4.07 (45.63%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Angela de Marco (Michelle Pfeiffer) is fed up with her life Married to the Mob. As luck would have it, her hubby Frank (Alec Baldwin) is knocked off by head honcho Tony "the Tiger" Russo (an Oscar-nominated Dean Stockwell), which leaves her free to start a new life in the Big Apple. The only problem is that the FBI are desperate to nab Tony, and manage to send the one Agent (Matthew Modine) most likely to fall in love with her. Plot-wise, then, this is predictable fluff. The joys are in the details of Jonathan Demme's direction: New York's streets come alive under his hand-held camerawork; a lot of dialogue is comically delivered direct to camera (a device he used for dramatic effect later with The Silence of the Lambs); and background characters each leave their mark given memorable--often-hilarious--screen time. As a black comedy it isn't quite so memorable as Demme's explosive earlier work on Something Wild, but if there's one thing sure to stick with you here it's the sensationally colourful late-80s fashions and hairstyles. On the DVD: Married to the Mob is a bare-bones release that only adds a trailer. It is presented in its original widescreen ratio, however, and for the most part the transfer is pretty clean. --Paul Tonks

• The Beatles: Made on Merseyside | DVD | (10/06/2019) from £8.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The incredible story of how the Beatles emerged from post war Liverpool and turned music upon its head with their changes from skiffle to rock and roll and the creation of the Mersey Beat sound.

• Resident Evil - Degeneration | Blu Ray | (12/01/2009) from £31.68   |  Saving you £-6.69 (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  7 years after Raccoon City Claire Redfield returns to investigate reports of an infected man attacking several other people. Meanwhile Leon S. Kennedy is sent to the city after a passenger plane crashes into the lobby of a hotel. Together they are ordered to track down an unknown terrorist who is threatening to spread the T-Virus unless the government release details of what really went on in Raccoon City all those years ago. Reunited the duo along with an ex-SWAT police officer Angela Miller are forced to repel a new legion of zombies find survivors in the airport and to nullify the terrorist threat before the virus is spread through every major city on the planet. Unfortunately they only have 4 hours...

• Abominable | DVD | (15/09/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

• Wagner: Parsifal | DVD | (14/10/2002) from £18.65   |  Saving you £3.34 (17.91%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A performance of Wagner's opera 'Parsifal' featuring the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Conducted by James Levine. The action takes place in the Middle Ages. At the castle of Monsalvat cut off from the rest of the world the brotherhood of Grail Knights guards the chalice in which the blood of the crucified Saviour had once been caught. In an effort to seize possession of the Grail Klingsor a powerful magician has established his realm at the foot of the mountain peop

• The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie (50th Anniversary) (Vintage World Cinema) | DVD | (20/06/2022) from £9.00   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Luis Buñuel's 1972 surreal, hilarious and deranging social satire on the hypocrisy of the upper-class has been restored in stunning 4K for its 50th Anniversary. Considered one of his most successful and iconic films by critics and audiences alike, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie received the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film and a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The Ambassador of the small South American country of Miranda is trafficking in drugs with some French bourgeois friends of his. But every time they want to have dinner together, their plans are put off due to unexpected events. In their quest of a lavish feast, the dividing-line between reality and dreams becomes unclear for each guest, leading to complete and utter ridicule.Product FeaturesNew Analysis of 3 scenes of the film with critic Charles Tesson New Critical Analysis of Charles Tesson New Trailer

• Les Enfants Du Paradis | DVD | (25/09/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A film which regularly charts high in critics' polls of the best films of all time, director Marcel Carné and screenwriter Jacques Prévert's masterpiece Les Enfants du Paradis is as solid a landmark in French film history as the Eiffel Tower is on the Parisian landscape. And at 187 minutes running time, it's a massy edifice indeed, built from a rambunctious cast of characters--ranging from pickpockets and prostitutes to aristocrats and actors--whose lives intersect around the Theatre des Funambules, a popular Parisian theatre on the Boulevard du Crime, during the 1840s. (The title refers to the poor who can only afford seats in the upper galleries of the theatre.) The heart of the plot is a love story between mime artiste Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) and streetwalker Garance (the magnificent, sand-paper-voiced Arletty). When Garance is falsely accused of pickpocketing, Baptiste provides a mimed alibi for her to the police (one of the film's most famous set pieces). The rose she later throws him in gratitude sets off a romantic obsession, one of several that structure the film, as do love triangles, duels, and tortured confessions of feeling. Thematically, Les Enfant du Paradis gnaws over typically French cinematic preoccupations: illusion and reality, the nature of performance, the indomitable spirit of the proletariat and so on, all made the more charged and poignant when you know the film was shot during the Nazi occupation. (One actor, Robert Le Vigan, was reportedly a Nazi collaborator and disappeared during the filming under mysterious circumstances and so had to be replaced by Pierre Renoir.) --Leslie Felperin

• Import Export | DVD | (26/01/2009) from £9.98   |  Saving you £6.01 (60.22%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Import/Export chronicles two different migrations: a young woman who leaves behind her mother and young child in the Ukraine to begin a new life as a nurse in Vienna; and a headstrong young security guard called Paul who leaves Vienna to accompany his stepfather on a trip delivering gumball machines in Eastern Europe. Blackly funny filled with striking images shot by cameraman Ed Lachman (Erin Brockovich Far From Heaven) and featuring extraordinarily potent performances from its cast Import/Export is the new film from director Ulrich Seidl (Dog Days). Hailed by critics as a startling and bold film it is without doubt recent European cinema's most provocative and audacious investigation of the post-Soviet universe and the new relations between East and West.

• Double Team | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £5.19   |  Saving you £0.80 (15.41%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Look ma, no script! As expected from a movie by Hong Kong action director Hark Tsui, there are many explosive, fast-paced sequences in this Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle. Some are thrilling, others inconsequential. There is also another mumbling, overdone performance by Mickey Rourke, who looks as if he performed his own plastic surgery. Except for an unintentionally humorous ending, the only surprise is Dennis Rodman as Van Damme's partner in exploitation. Rodman has plenty of charisma, but needs someone to weed out those inferior scripts. He plays an eccentric arms dealer coerced by an avenging Van Damme into tracking down the evil and sadistically weird character played by a well-muscled Rourke. It says little for the production that the best sequence of the movie occurs a quarter of the way into the action. It concerns an escape by Van Damme from an island think tank for forcibly retired covert agents. After that, everyone should have gone home. --Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com