Gilda, are you decent? RITA HAYWORTH (The Lady from Shanghai) tosses her hair back and slyly responds, Me? in one of the great star entrances in movie history. Gilda, directed by CHARLES VIDOR (Cover Girl), features a sultry Hayworth in her most iconic role, as the much-lusted-after wife of a criminal kingpin (Paths of Glory's GEORGE MACREADY), as well as the former flame of his bitter henchman (3:10 to Yuma's GLENN FORD), and she drives them both mad with desire and jealousy. An ever-shifting battle of the sexes set on a Buenos Aires casino's glittering floor and in its shadowy back rooms, Gilda is among the most sensual of all Hollywood noirs. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES: New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio commentary from 2010 by film critic Richard Schickel New interview with film noir historian Eddie Muller Appreciation of Gilda from 2010 featuring filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady, a 2000 featurette on Hayworth's career as an actor and dancer Trailer PLUS: An essay by critic Sheila O'Malley
For better and for worse, The Old Grey Whistle Test was probably the most resolutely serious music programme ever broadcast on television. During its 16-year run it showcased only the most earnest exponents of whichever musical style was currently popular, and given that the programme's heyday coincided with the early 70s, some of the footage included here will provide mirth as exquisite as only unintentional comedy can. The absurd prog noodlings of The Edgar Winter Group and the belief-beggaringly awful Focus now seem as unfathomable in retrospect as trench warfare or child labour. However, the good stuff collected here is very good, both in terms of performance (Tom Petty snarling "American Girl", a pre-irony U2 whooping up "I Will Follow") and historical interest, notably a shockingly youthful Elton John crooning "Tiny Dancer" and reminding us, in the process, of a time when he was regarded as a cool and hip singer-songwriter, rather than understudy to the Queen Mother. --Andrew Mueller On the DVD: Wonderful performances all captured in remarkably pristine picture and extraordinarily vivid sound, regardless of vintage (it doesn't even crackle during "Hocus Pocus"!). However, the menu is pretty clunky and won't allow direct access to the individual songs (other than selecting the "Random play" option). Instead, you can only jump into the programme year by year, not song by song. The track listing itself is unhelpfully hidden behind the discs in the gatefold packaging. --Mark Walker
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
Ray Barone seemingly has it all. A wonderful wife a beautiful family a great job a nice house on Long Island. There's only one problem...His obnoxious parents (who live across the street) and his jealous brother are always getting in the way. The complete fourth season of HBO's award winning comedy Everybody Loves Raymond. Episodes Comprise: 1.Boob Job 2.The Can Opener 3.You Bet 4.Sex Talk 5.The Will 6.The Sister 7.Cousin Gerard 8.Debra's Workout 9.No Thanks 10.Left
The complete second series of the popular HBO sitcom featuring all 25 episodes over five discs. Stand up comedian Ray Romano stars as Ray Barone a successful sportswriter and devoted husband to Debra who must deal with his brother and his parents who happen to live across the street. Frank and Marie love to meddle with his life while older brother Robert sometimes resents his success. Nevertheless Ray manages to keep a bright outlook and a sense of humour as he balances his f
Ray Barone (Ray Romano) enjoys a successful career as a sportswriter and has a stable happy family life with a loving wife and three great kids. Unfortunately for Ray he can't shake the attention of his overbearing parents who live across the street but may as well reside in the Barone family residence such is the frequency of their visits. Ray's parents love to meddle in his affairs often with hilarious consequences. Meanwhile Ray's loser brother Robert (Brad Garrett) also lov
Ray Barone seemingly has it all. A wonderful wife a beautiful family a great job a nice house on Long Island. There's only one problem...His obnoxious parents (who live across the street) and his jealous brother are always getting in the way! The complete sixth season of HBO's award winning comedy Everybody Loves Raymond. Episode Comprise: 1. The Angry Family 2. No Roll! 3. Odd Man Out 4. Ray's Ring 5. Marie's Sculpture 6. Frank Goes Downstairs 7. Jealous Robert 8. It's Supposed To Be Fun 9. Older Woman 10. Raybert 11. The Kicker 12. Season's Greetings 13. Tissues 14. Snow Day 15. Cookies 16. Lucky Suit 17. The Skit 18. The Breakup Tape 19. Talk To Your Daughter 20. A Vote For Debra 21. Call Me Mom 22. Mother's Day 23. The Bigger Person 24. The First Time 25. The First Six Years
The legendary Rita Hayworth sizzles with sensuality and magnetism as she sings ""Put the blame on Mame"" and delivers a dazzling performance as the enticing temptress Gilda. In the story of Gilda Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) goes to work for Ballin Mundson (George MacReady) the proprietor of an illegal gambling casino in a South American city and quickly rises to become Mundson's ""main man"". All is well until Mundson returns from a trip with his new bride Gilda - a woman from Johnn
In some ways The Old Grey Whistle Test Volume 2 is more interesting than its predecessor, as it covers the show's enjoyably uncomfortable period of transition from beard-rock to punk/new wave. Hence, the music ranges across the likes of Loggins and Messina (the frightful "The House at Pooh Corner"), the Who, Judee Sill, Argent (doing "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You", which all Bill and Ted fans probably think is a Kiss original), Roy Harper, the Adverts, the Undertones (not playing "Teenage Kicks", sadly), Patti Smith and Siouxie and the Banshees. There's also some arty stuff that doesn't really fit into either camp, including Kevin Ayers and Roxy Music at their uncommercially weirdest. There are a few nicely revelatory moments, too, such as the realisation that Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive" was in fact a nu-jazz masterpiece born 20 years too soon and that Robbie Williams should cover Aztec Camera's wonderful "Walk Out to Winter" immediately. This is an enjoyable and diverse collection of music from a fairly fraught period in the history of more-or-less popular music, so it's good to be reminded just how much good stuff was actually happening amidst the melée. On the DVD: The Old Grey Whistle Test 2 comes on only one disc (the first was a two-disc set), but you still get 30 or so excellent tracks plus all the trimmings, so that's hardly a fault. The layout features the same kind of horribly overdesigned menus as its predecessor: there's no obvious chapter sub-menu, believe it or not; instead, you have to access individual tracks through the artists' gallery in the extras section! Aargh! Other extras include contributor profiles, additional linking material and the wonderful Old Grey Squirrel Test animation, which mere words would only spoil for those who have yet to see it. --Roger Thomas
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