Carry On Girls was the last really successful film in the epic series of British film comedies. It's studded with gems of cameo performances and boasts a tremendously innuendo-laden Talbot Rothwell script which is easily the equal of any of its predecessors. The setting, a beauty contest to raise the profile of the dismal resort Fircombe-on-Sea, is ripe for politically incorrect activity of the sort that could only be conducted by Sid James at the height of his lecherous powers. Enter Bernard Bresslaw in a corset, Wendy Richard as Ida Downs, Barbara Windsor as Miss Easy Rider and a host of other semi-clad lovelies and watch as the whole thing rises to a slapstick climax of frisky old colonels, bikinis, bosoms and itching powder. In the smaller roles, Joan Hickson (BBC television's Miss Marple) is hilarious as an elderly woman who believes she is a man-magnet, and the always under-used Patsy Rowlands excels as the downtrodden mayor's wife, a worm who finally turns. But in many ways this is June Whitfield's film: as the terrifying reactionary councillor Mrs Prodworthy, with a butch lesbian sidekick, she plots the downfall of her male colleagues with classic lines. "Rosemary, get the candle", she orders as Patsy Rowlands requests initiation. --Piers Ford
Two classic British comedies from the 1960s. Trouble with Eve: Scandal rips through a quiet British village after a woman converts her cottage into a tearoom. Double Bunk: When newlyweds Jack and Peggy face eviction, they are tricked into buying a rundown houseboat. After rebuilding the engine, they take their friends Sid and Sandra on a trip down the river to Folkestone, but somehow they end up in France. Starring Sid James and Liz Fraser.
Edward G. Robinson stars as Enrico Bandelli in the role that made him a household name. Bandelli moves to the big city with partner in crime Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and becomes a member of Sam Vettori's Mafia gang. In spite of the urgings of pretty girl Olga Strassoff (Glenda Farell) to quit the mob Rico quickly becomes the head of the Vettori gang and with a couple of quick kills scares mob boss Arnie Lorch back to Detroit. Bandelli dubbed Little Caesar by the press is known as a boss in his own right but what goes up must come down...
The classic sitcom about the Abbotts a family with generation gap problems. Starring the unforgettable Sid James as Sidney Abbott the series revolves around his doomed efforts to get with it for his children whilst being constantly thwarted in pursuing his love of birds booze and football. This DVD contains the first five episodes in colour from the first series. Episodes: The Day Of Rest Make Love... Not War Charity Begins At Home If The Dog Collar Fits... Wear It The Morning After The Night Before.
Filmed in 1968 and set in British India in 1895, Carry On Up the Khyber is one of the team's most memorable efforts. Sid James plays Sid James as ever, though nominally his role is that of Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond, the unflappable British Governor who must deal with the snakelike, scheming Khasi of Khalabar, played by Kenneth Williams. A crisis occurs when the mystique of the "devils in skirts" of the 3rd Foot and Mouth regiment is exploded when one of their numbers, the sensitive-to-draughts Charles Hawtrey, is discovered by the natives to be wearing underpants. Revolt is in the offing, with Bernard Bresslaw once again playing a seething native warrior. Roy Castle neatly plays the sort of role normally assigned to Jim Dale, as the ineffectual young officer, Peter Butterworth is a splendid compromised evangelist, while Terry Scott puts his comedic all into the role of the gruff Sergeant. Most enduring, however, is the final dinner party sequence in which the British contingent, with the Burpas at the gates of the compound, plaster falling all about them, demonstrates typical insouciance in the face of imminent peril. The "I'm Backing Britain" Union Jack hoist at the end, however, over-excitedly reveals the streak of reactionary patriotism that lurked beneath the bumbling double entendres of most Carry On films. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is 4:3 full screen. --David Stubbs
Hollywood icons Bette Davis (Dangerous) and Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) star in this dizzying small-town drama. Naïve Marianne Madison (Sidney Fox) is fed up with the dull routine in her life... Seeking an escape, she becomes smitten with brooding and handsome con artist Valentine Corliss (Humphrey Bogart), who lands in her small town looking for new opportunities to exploit. Valentine soon sweet-talks Marianne into gaining her wealthy father's endorsement for his latest moneymaking scheme, and disappears with the profits. Heartbroken, Marianne returns home and begs her jilted fiancé Dick (Conrad Nigel) for forgiveness. By now, though, he has turned his attention to Marianne's enchanting older sister, Laura (Bette Davis)
American screen siren Hillary Brooke plays the consummate femme fatale in this gritty '50s Brit Noir from Hammer Films shot just a year before they made their name with The Quatermass Xperiment. An early feature by Emmy-winning writer-director Ken Hughes, The House Across the Lake is featured here as a brand new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.Author Mark Kenrick's plan to hide out in a quiet bungalow and thrash out his new novel is disrupted by the noise coming from a lively party at an exclusive home across the lake from his retreat. He is shocked to find the lady of the house both calculating and manipulative... and learns the hard way just how far she will go to get what she wants!Product FeaturesTheatrical trailerAlternate TitlesThe House Across the Thames: interview with Continuity Supervisor Renee GlynneThe Dame Wore Tweed: Barry Forshaw examines Brit NoirScotland Yard: The Drayton CaseImage galleryLimited edition booklet written by Neil Sinyard
Novelist James Clavell wrote, produced and directed this 1967 British film (based on the novel by E. R. Braithwaite) about a rookie teacher who throws out stock lesson plans and really takes command of his unruly, adolescent students in a London school. Sidney Poitier is very good as a man struggling with the extent of his commitment to the job, and even more as a teacher whose commitment is to proffering life lessons instead of just academic ones. The spirit of this movie can also be found in more recent films such as Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus, but none are as moving as this. Besides, the others don't have a title song performed by Lulu, who also stars. --Tom Keogh
This touching '60s classic about two emotionally disturbed teenagers drawn to each other in a mental institution created a sensation among audiences and critics when it was first released. Portrayed unforgettably by Janet Margolin (Annie Hall) and Keir Dullea (2001: A Space Odyssey) the painfully shy Lisa can communicate only through rhyme and David cannot bear being touched. Strongly attracted to each other they develop a deep bond that changes both of their lives. Directed by Frank Perry (Diary Of A Mad Housewife TV's A Christmas Memory) with a strong supporting performance by Howard Da Silva as the compassionate psychiatrist this powerful film will leave its mark on you forever.
All hands on deck for Titanic seaside laughs with the saucy Carry On crew! When an accident-prone sailor damages a secret blueprint his only hope is to get another from London. But then the Admiral arrives and he's forced to pose as a scientist - a female scientist!
In 1971 when Carry On at Your Convenience hit the screen, the series had long since become part of the fabric of British popular entertainment. Never mind the situation, the characters were essentially the same, film after film. The jokes were all as old as the hills, but nobody cared, they were still funny. But it's just too easy to treat them as a job lot of postcard humour and music hall innuendo. This tale of revolt at a sanitary ware factory--Boggs and Son, what else?--certainly chimed in with the state of the nation in the early 1970s when strikes were called at the drop of a hat. Here, tea urns, demarcation and the company's decision to branch out into bidets all wreak havoc. Kenneth Williams as the company's besieged managing director, Sidney James and Joan Sims give their all as usual, but it's the lesser roles that really add some lustre. Hattie Jacques as Sid's budgerigar-obsessed, sluggish put-upon wife and Renee Houston as a superbly domineering battleaxe with a penchant for strip poker remind us that in the hands of fine actors, even the laziest of caricatures becomes a real human being. On the DVD: Presented in 4:3 format with a good clean print and standard mono soundtrack, Carry On at Your Convenience feels as comfortable as an old pair of shoes. But where's the context? The lack of extras leaves the viewer wanting biographies and some documentary sense of the film's position in the series. The scene index is often arbitrary and the budget packaging means that we don't even get a full cast list. --Piers Ford
It's non stop romps as the Carry On team deliver the goods in one of the rudest and funniest of the Carry On films. The cast are all on top form as a bunch of no-hoppers who join an agency in the search for a job. The anarchy mounts as they do a series of odd jobs including a chimps tea party trying to stay sober at a wine tasting and demolishing a house.
After taking a ride of the 'Dungeons And Dragons' attraction at their local theme park a group of kids are thrust into an unusual world and given magical weapons which they must use to try and find their way home ever pursued by the evil villain Venger... Servant Of Evil: Bobby's birthday is ruined when Sheila and the others are captured and thrown in Venger's Prison Of Agony. With Dungeon Master's guidance Bobby and Uni must locate the prison befriend a giant and rescue
A comedy drama set in a WWII British Army Searchlight Squad. They are an odd bunch of misfits but somehow manage to get the job done. Part of the successful `Best of British series which showcases lost or unreleased films from the heyday of British cinema.
Boasting some of post-war Britain's most accomplished screen stars this gentle romantic comedy charts the tribulations of a materially challenged but deeply loving young couple. Starring Dirk Bogarde Cecil Parker and Dennis Price For Better For Worse is co-scripted and directed by Oscar-nominated Jack Lee-Thompson and received two BAFTA nominations in 1954. The film is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer in its original aspect ratio from original film elements. When impoverished young graduate Tony Howard proposes to Anne Purves in the cinema he is readily accepted. Her father listens patiently to Tony when he asks for his daughter's hand but upon receiving far from satisfactory answers to the usual father-in-law questions he agrees to the marriage only on the condition that Tony finds both a job and a flat... Special Features: Original Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Promotional Material PDF
Well, the gang's all here, but Carry On Cruising isn't one of the classics of the series. This may be partly due to the film's well-intentioned stab at some sort of authenticity, being set as it is on a genuine cruise liner rather than in a studio full of cheap sets. It swiftly becomes apparent that the cramped environment isn't well suited to the kind of slapstick which is usually a key ingredient in any Carry On film. Veteran couch spuds will recall that the TV series Triangle was similarly disadvantaged, except that it wasn't supposed to be funny. As ever, though, the brilliant cast-in-residence manage to make the most of the situation. The plot, such as it is, deals with the tribulations which beset a world-weary captain (James) when he realises he's been saddled with a crew of misfits and incompetents (practically everybody else) on a cruise which is of course supposed to offer its passengers every comfort and convenience. If there's a single outstanding performance it has to be that of Lance Percival's chef, whose cheeriness as he presides over his various culinary experiments is extremely funny in a menacing sort of way. On the DVD: The DVD issue has no additional features. --Roger Thomas
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (who won the Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance) are unforgettable as perplexed parents in this landmark 1967 movie about mixed marriage. Joanna (Katharine Houghton), the beautiful daughter of a crusading publisher, Matthew Drayton (Tracy), and his patrician wife, Christina (Hepburn), returns home with her new fiancee, John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a distinguished black doctor. Christina accepts her daughter's decision to marry John, but Matthew is shocked by this interracial union; and the doctor's parents are equally dismayed. Both families must sit down face to face and examine each other's level of intolerance. In Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, director Stanley Kramer has created a masterful study of society's prejudices. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Features: Theatrical Trailer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subtitles (movie only) Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, English,Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Joan and Eddie are in love but he is a career criminal. She uses her influence to get him out of prison and after their marriage he vows to go straight. However, things don't go according to plan and they both go off the rails...
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