An ex-con a corrupt cop a reformed alcoholic a wrestler a sharpshooter and a pair of inside men: these seven men intent on executing the perfect robbery and taking a racetrack for two million dollars. But this is the world of film noir a tough sour place where nothing quite goes as planned… For his third feature Stanley Kubrick adapted Lionel White’s Clean Break with a little help from hard-boiled specialist Jim Thompson (The Killer Inside Me) and in doing so created a heist movie classic one to rank alongside John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. The robbery itself is one of cinema’s great set-pieces as taut a piece of filmmaking as you’ll ever find expertly controlled by Kubrick who called The Killing his “first mature work”. Starring Sterling Hayden (Johnny Guitar The Godfather) perennial fall guy Elisha Cook Jr (The Maltese Falcon The Big Sleep) and Marie Windsor (The Narrow Margin) as his duplicitous wife The Killing is quintessential film noir still as brutal thrilling and audacious as it was almost six decades ago.
Fiddler on the Roof arrived in cinemas in 1971, seven years after the Sheldon Harnick/Jerry Bock musical about Jewish life in a pre-Revolution Russian village first gripped Broadway. Based on the stories of Shalom Aleichem, with its potent mixture of sentiment and religious and historical context, it remains one of the most popular shows of the modern age. With the help of an outstanding performance from Topol as Tevye--the milkman with five daughters kicking at the constraints of tradition--Norman Jewison's captivating film retains a moving intimacy in its portrayal of relationships in changing times. But it also stretches the possibilities of location shooting--in this case the countryside of the former Yugoslavia--further than any musical movie before or since. The villagers are played by the inhabitants of the area, lending a poignant realism to the vibrant crowd scenes. And the cinematography is spectacular, with Jewison's clever use of distance generating an epic feel that helps to explain the story's continuing resonance and popularity. Topol's career-defining star turn is balanced by the warmth and sensitivity of the surrounding performances, particularly Norma Crane as his abrasive wife Golda. British sitcom fans will spot early appearances by Roger Lloyd Pack, and Ruth Madoc as the demonic butcher's wife, Fruma Sarah. At nearly three hours, it's a long emotional haul, but aided by some of the most beautiful songs in musical history, Jewison's Fiddler is ageless. On the DVD: Fiddler on the Roof Special Edition is presented on DVD in widescreen with a Dolby soundtrack that makes a mighty meal of John Williams' Oscar-winning musical adaptation. The most fascinating extras are a making-of documentary that shows a youthful, slightly tetchy Jewison at work, and a 2003 reminiscence in which all of his passion and feel for the piece has survived intact. He shares a commentary with Topol crammed with vivid memories and context. There is also a photographic gallery showing the resources that were used to give the film its authenticity, and Jewison reads extracts from original Aleichem stories. --Piers Ford
A box set of classic film gems from Ealing studios Includes: 1. The Ladykillers (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1955) 2. The Man in The White Suit (Dir. Alexander Mackendrick 1951) 3. The Magnet (Dir. Charles Frend 1950) 4. Scott of The Antarctic (Dir. Charles Frend 1948)
This rousing musical, based on the stories of Sholem Aleichem, takes place in pre-revolutionary Russia and centres on the life of Tevye (Topol), a milkman who is trying to keep his family's traditions in place while marrying off his three older daughters. Yet, times are changing and the daughters want to make their own matches, breaking free of many of the constricting customs required of them by Judaism. In the background of these events, Russia is on the brink of revolution and Jews are feeling increasingly unwelcome in their villages. Tevye--who expresses his desire for sameness in the opening number, "Tradition"--is trying to keep everyone, and everything, together. The movie is strongly allegorical--Tevye represents the common man--but it does it dextrously, and the resulting film is a stunning work of art. The music is excellent (it won Oscars for the scoring and the sound), with plenty of familiar songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I Were a Rich Man," which you'll be humming long after the movie is over. Isaac Stern's violin--he provides the music for the fiddler on the roof--is hauntingly beautiful. And despite the serious subject matter, the film is quite comedic in parts; it also well deserves the Oscar it won for cinematography. --Jenny Brown
Among Stanley Kubrick's early film output The Killing stands out as the most lastingly influential: Quentin Tarantino credits the film as a huge inspiration for Reservoir Dogs and just about any movie or TV show that plays around with its own internal chronology owes the same debt. This sort of convoluted crime caper had really kicked off with John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle in 1950. From then on, nouveau noir scripts kept trying to find new ways of telling very similar stories. Here the novel Clean Break is adapted for the screen in a jigsaw-puzzle structure that caught Kubrick's eye. With a dry narration we're introduced to the key players in a racetrack heist as it's being planned, but the story bounces back and forth between what happens to each of them during and before the big event. All of this keeps the audience guessing as to exactly how it will go wrong, while the downbeat telling, the unsympathetic characters and the excessively dramatic score clearly foretell that it will go wrong from the start. The denouement is comically daft no matter how many times you see it. On the DVD: The Killing is a no-frills DVD transfer, in 4:3 ratio and with its original mono soundtrack. Criminally, just one trailer is all that's been dug up as an extra. --Paul Tonks
Alastair Sim stars as the eccentric and irreverent Inspector Cockrill of the Kent County Police alongside Trevor Howard and Rosamund John in this truly classic and suspenseful murder mystery from the acclaimed film-making partnership of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. August 1944. German flying bombs are raining down on London. Directly under their flight path is a small cottage hospital. Inside the tension is almost unbearable for the dedicated team of surgeons and nurses - and no
Ian McShane stars as Lovejoy the lovable antique dealer who never seems to be able to keep out of trouble. Episodes comprise: 1. The Firefly Cage 2. The Axeman Cometh 3. The Sting 4. Friends Romans and Enemies 5. The Judas Pair 6. To Sleep No More 7. The Real Thing 8. The March of Time 9. Death And Venice (Part 1) 10. Death And Venice (Part 2)
Ten-year-old Johnny Brent (James Fox - The Servant) tricks a young boy to swap him a toy magnet for his ‘invisible watch’. Troubled afterwards by his conscience Johnny rids himself of the magnet presenting it to a charitable fund. When news of this touching sacrifice by an unknown child appeals to the imagination of the sentimental public the magnet is auctioned for charity and raises several hundred pounds. This leads to a search to find the donor and when Johnny learns of this he concludes that is wanted by the police for obtaining the magnet by false pretences prompting him to go on the run! Directed by Academy Award nominee Charles Frend (Scott of the Antarctic) written by Academy Award winner T.E.B. Clarke (The Lavender Hill Mob) and co-starring Stephen Murray (A Tale of Two Cities) and Kay Walsh (Oliver Twist) THE MAGNET is an outstanding Ealing comedy which has been digitally restored to its former glory.
Ian McShane stars as lovable rogue antiques dealer Lovejoy in the second season of the much loved BBC TV series. Comprising of ten new episodes plus the feature length story the series once again features Lovejoy with his associates Tinker Dill Eric Catchpole and Lady Jane Felsham. Includes appearances from special guests Anthony Valentine Celia Imrie Warren Clarke Maggie Stead Frank Windsor and Brian Blessed.
Alastair Sim stars as the eccentric and irreverent Inspector Cockrill of the Kent County Police alongside Trevor Howard and Rosamund John in this truly classic and suspenseful murder mystery from the acclaimed film-making partnership of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. August 1944. German flying bombs are raining down on London. Directly under their flight path is a small cottage hospital. Inside the tension is almost unbearable for the dedicated team of surgeons and nurses - and not just because of the 'doodlebugs' and near misses. Their close-knit community is torn apart by jealousy emotional turmoil the horrors of war.and terrible secrets. When the local postman is brought in delirious but trying to impart an urgent message - the murders begin. Inspector Cockrill is called in to investigate a truly baffling case where everyone has secrets - but no-one appears to have a motive. Alastair Sim is at his very best in this thrilling whodunit that will keep you guessing until the very last chilling moments of the film.
A classic Ealing film of half-truths whispers and wild imaginations! Centred on Johnny Brent (James Fox) a boy who fleeces a younger child out of his beloved magnet. In its place he offers an 'invisible' timepiece and there begins the chain of chaos in which the young swindler absconds from his home with the mistaken belief that he has somehow caused the young child's death. Unbeknownst to him he has become the town hero and as the unsung victor remains on the run the community are left to make sense of the goings-on from speculation and gossip...
Bold powerful and starkly realistic this chilling cinematic debut of horror master Wes Craven (Scream) is a shocking journey into the heart of evil. Written and directed with almost unbearable dramatic tension (Chicago Sun Times) The Last House on the Left will make you deadbolt your doors and frantically mutter: It's only a movie... it's only a movie... it's only a movie.! Easy going Mari Collingwood and her fun loving friend Phyllis are on their way to a Bloodlust concert to celebrate Mari's 17th birthday when three escaped convicts kidnap and torture them. But Mari and Phyllis are fighters and although they are drugged and beaten into unconsciousness stuffed in a car trunk and driven into the woods for even more brutality they are still alive.... But for how long?
Susan (Bobby Bresee) was ten when her mother died. Now thirty passionate and beautiful she is heiress to the family fortune. But for the women of the Nomed family there is another legacy - an ancient and terrible curse. Possessed by powers she cannot control Susans life becomes a nightmare of lust terror and murder until even her husband finds himself confronting the face of hell. Susans only salvation lies within the Mausoleum... but dare she return?
A classic Ealing film of half-truths whispers and wild imaginations! Centred on Johnny Brent (James Fox) a boy who fleeces a younger child out of his beloved magnet. In its place he offers an 'invisible' timepiece and there begins the chain of chaos in which the young swindler absconds from his home with the mistaken belief that he has somehow caused the young child's death. Unbeknownst to him he has become the town hero and as the unsung victor remains on the run the community ar
When Mary's boyfriend Ted invites her out to a fancy restaurant, she's convinced he's going to pop the question. But instead of getting hitched, Mary gets dumped. To cheer her up, Mary's friends take her to see a psychic who casts a spell to reconnect Mary with her ex-boyfriend. The only problem is... Mary didn't say which one. She bumps into her college boyfriend Patrick, and despite feeling he's completely wrong for her, she slowly falls for him again. Ted soon realizes his mistake and wants Mary back. Mary is torn between her two exes: Mr. Right on paper, and Mr. Right for her.
The King of psychedelic swing(ing) is back! Legendary film maker Harry Novak returns with three more slices of outrageous smut, propelling us on a journey down the pits of bad taste and sleaze. Little is left to the imagination as Harry serves up a cocktail of orgy madness and grindhouse mayhem that will bring instant gratification to the most educated of perverse minds!The Notorious Cleopatra:Historical accuracy is flushed down the aqueduct in Novak's bawdy parody of Shakespeare's early tragedy. Dispensing with the play's poetry for nudity and sexual frolics, Caesar is portrayed as a grotesque slob lamenting the lack of beauty amongst his daily orgies. The arrival of the stunning Cleopatra (played by Afro-American actress Sonora) adds a touch of exotica, however proves more than a handful for the infatuated Mark Anthony. Events take a sinister turn as jealousy overcomes both men in their passion for the Queen of the Nile, leading to a bloodbath of murder and mayhem. Cleopatra or not, you sure are a stacked bitch!Wilbur And The Baby Factory:Just as activist stud Wilbur Steele (Peter Ford) is about to be drafted off to Vietnam, two strange men step in and persuade him to take part in a bizarre experiment involving impregnating 2000 women! Saved from the draft, Wilbur is happy to lend his services, only to soon realise he's a human guinea pig for birth control and part of a mad plot to sterilise the whole of the United States. Stuart Lancaster (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) plays the benefactor behind the experiment, a deranged billionaire whose manhood is the size of a peanut.The Toy Box:Possibly cinema's first mix of sex, sci-fi, horror and drugs! Widely considered Novak's finest sexploitation movie, The Toy Box revolves around a swingers party, where the guests act out sexually perverse scenarios for a man called Uncle to obtain gifts from a mysterious toy box. Starring the lush, buxom goddess Uschi Digard, this is a hallucinatory, delirious and widely erotic spectacle that is a must-have for every fan of cult, horror or sleaze.
This authorised Biography of Bruce Lee is the most comprehensive and well rounded to date. With great attention to detail this documentary uses rare home movies action-packed film clips behind the scenes footage screen tests and photographs from the Lee family archives to tell the remarkable life-story of Bruce Lee and his tremendous success as an unparalleled martial artist as well as an international film celebrity. Includes interviews with Lee's family members co-stars business partners and students. The ultimate Bruce Lee collection - a MUST HAVE for any Bruce Lee fan - Andrew J Staton Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine
Ravage: Can one man's vengeance-driven soul survive? Criminal psychologist Gregory Burroughs is trying to catch serial killer 'Hannibal Lecterish' the man responsible for the death of his daughters and the murder of several policemen. Greg follows a trail of carnage and destruction to a violent underworld and becomes entangled in a web of brutality surrounded by an army of cold-blooded assassins. The resulting explosion of action and violence propels Gregory to the ultimate chance to attain the vengeance he so desires... (Dir. Ronnie Sortor 1997) The Bride Of Frank: Frank O' Brien formerly homeless now has a warehouse job in the outskirts of New Jersey. He may be getting old and a little rough round the edges but he's finally got a home. Now he's lonely. Things are looking up for him when a colleague places an ad in the personals on Frank's behalf. He goes on a handful of dates but the women are judgemental and obnoxious so Frank - naturally - kills them in various ways -some too horrible to imagine! Ways that you simply won't believe. Escalpo Don Bald's (Steve Ballot) notorious underground horror/comedy features disturbing scenes of violence and cruelty and is not for those who are easily offended! (Dir. Steve Ballot 1996) Ozone: A horrifying new drug is released on the streets going by the name of Ozone. Its chilling side-effects are numerous perhaps the worst being its ability to mutate addicts into hideous rotting monsters. One cop makes it his mission to battles through a hoard of horrors to get to the drug kingpin behind the mutating madness! (Dir. J.R. Bookwater 1993)
The book has been opened... Revelation the sequel to Apocalypse begins three months after the troubles described therein. Counter-terrorism expert Stone (Fahey) is still disquieted by the inexplicable disappearance of his wife and family but is preoccupied with his investigations into the resistance activities of the anti-Messiah group The Haters. Soon the false Messiah will be dazzling the masses on the Day of Wonders which is actually a deadly trap unless Stone and his team can warn the world in time.
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