"Actor: Peter Stanford"

• Animal Farm | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  After the technical achievement of Babe, it was almost inevitable that "talking animal" effects would be applied to the serious themes of George Orwell's Animal Farm. A bitterly satirical indictment of Stalinist Russia and the failure of Communism, Orwell's 1945 novel is a time-honoured classic, so it's only fitting that this TNT production remains largely faithful to Orwell's potent narrative. A showcase for the impressive creations of Jim Henson's Creature Shop (where director John Stephenson was a veteran supervisor), the film employs animatronic creatures and computer animation to tell the story of uprising, unity, and tragic rebellion among the farm animals.The politics of "Animalism" are initially effective, ousting enemy humans according to rules ordained by Old Major, the barnyard pig whose death sets the stage for the corruptive influence of the pig Napoleon, who cites superior intelligence as his right to dominance. This tyrannical reign destroys the farm's stability, and the film--decidedly not for young children--preserves Orwell's dark, cynical view of absolute power corrupting absolutely. Particularly effective is a propaganda film shown to the barnyard collective, and certain scenes--while not as impressive as the Babe films--powerfully convey the force of Orwell's story through animal "performance". Animal Farm occasionally falters in its emotional impact (the fate of the horse Boxer should be heart-rending, and it isn't), but it's certainly blessed with an elite voice cast, including Peter Ustinov, Patrick Stewart, Pete Postlethwaite, Julia Ormond, Kelsey Grammer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Paul Scofield, and Ian Holm. Not the masterpiece it might've been, this is nevertheless a worthy representation of Orwell's novel. --Jeff Shannon

• A Classic Irish Christmas - The Tenor Trio | DVD | (02/12/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Set against a backdrop of delightful Christmas scenes A Classic Irish Christmas is an enchanting collection of memorable Christmas carols and a wonderful mixture of traditional Irish melodies such as Danny Boy and Galway Bay music that has wrung the heartstrings and brought joy to generations of music lovers. Performed by the talented and respected tenors Peter Stanford Dean MacRae and David Bacon. The timeless magic and excitement of Christmas is captured in the beautiful musical arrangements and is the perfect way to set the scene for a truely glorious welcome to the festive season with an Irish spirit. Tracklisting: 1. Silent Night 2. The First Noel 3. Danny Boy 4. Amazing Grace 5. Red Is The Rose 6. Let There Be Peace 7. Oh Come All Ye Faithful 8. Oh Christmas Tree 9. I Saw Three Ships 10. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling 11. My Wild Irish Rose 12. Hark The Herald Angels Sing 13. Love Thee Dearest 14. Jingle Bells 15. Galway Bay 16. Away In A Manger