"Actor: Richard Platt"

• Seven Brides For Seven Brothers | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.52   |  Saving you £6.47 (86.04%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, starring MGM soprano Jane Powell and handsome baritone Howard Keel, has retained a remarkably loyal following among fans of the musical film ever since its release in 1954. Although it was filmed in state-of-the-art CinemaScope, Stanley Donen was obliged to direct much of the film on Metro's sound stages, where the artificial sets and painted backdrops don't inevitably live up to the scenes shot on location in Oregon. Viewers coming fresh to the picture may find this visual discrepancy jarring and some too may find Miss Powell's singing a shade plummy. The screenplay, by husband and wife team Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich with Dorothy Kingsley, tells the story of seven brothers living in the Oregon hills and their adventures to find themselves wives. The casting of each brother with his rugged, masculine looks and ability to dance with grace and athleticism, presided over by an authoritative Howard Keel, gives the film a dynamic impetus second to none in an MGM musical. The lengthy barn-raising episode under choreographer Michael Kidd's intrepid direction, where the music and the incredibly agile and energetic male and female dance ensemble unite as one, produces a square dance without parallel. The music and lyrics by Gene De Paul and Johnny Mercer--including the mating chorus, "Spring, Spring, Spring", the rollicking "Bless You're Beautiful Hide", the rousing "Sobbin' Women" and the visually enchanting "June Bride"--are both tuneful and mindful of the plot's exposition. Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin won the Academy Award in 1954 for their arrangements and conducting. On the DVD: The digital remastering has created a clearer picture of what had been a faintly muddy Ansco colour system on the original print while the polish and attack with which the MGM Studio Orchestra play the music on this full-bodied stereophonic soundtrack remains a thing of wonder. Howard Keel, standing tall and erect in his 80s, hosts the "making of" documentary. Director Donen, choreographer Kidd, Jane Powell and several of the dancers recall how the film was considered a "sleeper" during production and wasn't expected to do as well as Brigadoon, in production at the same time. The documentary also highlights the care taken over the casting of the brothers, two of whom including Keel were not dancers and their often brave and brilliant feats of acrobatic dancing executed on precarious planks and other props. When Howard Keel takes his farewell walk down the main street lot at MGM, breaking into a few brief dance steps, it's impossible not to feel a moment of regret that the curtain had to come down on MGM's most treasured possession. --Adrian Edwards

• British Transport Films Collection - Vol. 2 - See Britain By Train | DVD | (28/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Following the nationalisation of transport in 1948 the British Transport Commission set up its own in-house film production and distribution unit headed by Egar Anstey OBE one of the pioneers of British documentary films. The unit produced hundreds of travelogues promoting travel on Britain's railways and other forms of transport. Consistently winning top awards at film festivals including an Oscar in 1966 the films provide a wonderfully crafted visual record of 20th century life

• Peak Practice - Series 4 - Complete | DVD | (16/06/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  One of ITV's most popular shows returns with this release of the complete fourth series of Peak Practice. Starring Simon Shepherd Saskia Wickham and Gary Mavers Peak Practice was filmed amid dramatic Derbyshire scenery and featured medical stories from the heart of the Peak District. The Beeches is in dire straits. Will has taken the helm as senior partner but he has little opportunity to enjoy his new status. With the surgery understaffed and overstretched patients start to desert to the nearby health centre - a situation which gets worse when a flu epidemic hits Cardale. Episodes Comprise: 1. Holding it Together 2. A New Life 3. New Horizons 4. Looking Back 5. Whipping Boy 6. Close Ties 7. In Safe Hands 8. Partners 9. Running on Empty 10. Heart and Soul

• Hold Back The Night | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £5.11   |  Saving you £2.14 (55.58%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Two young protestors on the run from the police become friends lovers and try to lose their past...

• Peak Practice - The Complete Second Series | DVD | (17/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The complete second series of the rural medical drama. Episodes comprise: In Good Faith Old Habits Love Thy Neighbour Act of Remembrance Enemy Within Long Weekend Chance Encounter Life Changes A Brave Face Abbey Perfect Love Power Games Happy Ever After.

• Greyfriars Bobby/Beethoven | DVD | (18/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The Adventures Of Greyfriar's Bobby (Dir. John Henderson 2005): Bobby a small dog befriends Ewan a young boy. The adventures that they share in 19th century Edinburgh change their lives and the city forever. Based on the true story of 'Greyfriars Bobby'. Beethoven (Dir. Brian Levant 1992): A St. Bernard puppy 'adopts' a new home after escaping from dog thieves. The Newton family just haven't realised the trouble that 185 pounds of dog can get into...