"Actor: Thelma Ritter"

• Rear Window - 60th Anniversary Edition | Blu Ray | (04/08/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. Photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she's really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered. Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the center of this mystery is the MacGuffin--a mere pretext--in a film that's more interested in the implications of Jeff's sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbors (given generic names by Jeff, even as he's drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff's evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple's own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbours' lives. At minimum, Hitchcock's skill at making us accomplices to Jeff's spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humour, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. --Sam Sutherland

• The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection (4K UHD) | Blu Ray | (07/09/2020) from £59.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  4 ESSENTIAL FILMS FROM THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE Universally recognized as the Master of Suspense, the legendary Alfred Hitchcock directed some of cinema's most thrilling and unforgettable classics. The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection features four iconic films from the acclaimed director's illustrious career including Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds in stunning 4K resolution. Starring Hollywood favourites such as James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Tippi Hedren, Kim Novak and Rod Taylor, this essential collection features hours of bonus features as well as the original uncut version of Psycho for the first time ever. INCLUDES 2 VERSIONS OF PSYCHO PSYCHO UNCUT: The extended version of the movie as seen in theaters in 1960 is exactly as intended by Alfred Hitchcock and now available with additional footage for the first time ever PSYCHO: The most widely seen version of the movie was edited for content and subsequently used for TV broadcasts, theatrical re-releases and home entertainment over the last 60 years PLUS HOURS OF BONUS FEATURES

• Rear Window | DVD | (04/06/2007) from £15.25   |  Saving you £-5.26 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  None of Hitchcock's films has ever given a clearer view of his genius for suspense than Rear Window. When professional photographer J.B. ""Jeff"" Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbours play out across the courtyard. When he suspects a salesman may have murdered his nagging wife Jeffries enlists the help of his glamorous socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to investigate the highly suspicious chain of events... Events that ultimately lead to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history.

• Daddy Longlegs | DVD | (07/08/2006) from £12.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.10%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Fred Astaire becomes both the benefactor and suitor of Leslie Caron in this charming story of a playboy who falls under the spell of a beautiful French orphan. While traveling through France Jervis Pendleton lll (Astaire) anonymously sponsors an 18-year-old girl named Julie (Caron) whom he sends to college in America. Two years later they finally meet face to face and start to fall in love. But complications arise and their happiness is threatened when Jervis embarks on a noble yet

• Rear Window | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £6.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (71.53%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbours. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behaviour glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. Photographer LB "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she's really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered. Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the centre of this mystery is the MacGuffin--a mere pretext--in a film that's more interested in the implications of Jeff's sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbours (given generic names by Jeff, even as he's drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff's evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple's own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbours' lives. At a minimum, Hitchcock's skill at making us accomplices to Jeff's spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humour, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. -- Sam Sutherland, Amazon.com

• Pickup On South Street (1953) | Blu Ray | (17/08/2015) from £17.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (11.12%)   |  RRP £19.99

  If you refuse to cooperate you'll be as guilty as the traitors who gave Stalin the A-bomb. Are you waving the flag at ME?! Samuel Fuller's sensational film noir casts a steely eye at America in the dawn of the Cold War and brings 1950s New York City alive on the screen in a manner rarely equalled in the annals of film. In one of his greatest roles Richard Widmark plays Skip McCoy a seasoned pickpocket who unknowingly filches some radioactive loot: microfilm of top-secret government documents. Soon after Skip finds himself mixed up with federal agents Commie agents and a professional stoolpigeon by the name of Moe (played by Thelma Ritter in her finest role this side of Rear Window). With its complex ideology outrageous dialogue and electric action sequences Pickup on South Street crackles in a way that only a Sam Fuller movie can and is widely considered one of the director's finest achievements. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Pickup on South Street on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK in a Dual Format special edition. Bonus Features: New 1080p presentation of the film on the Blu-ray 25 Minute Video Interview with François Guérif Original Theatrical Trailer 1980 audio interview with Samuel Fuller 36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring writing by Samuel Fuller archival interviews and more

• Pillow Talk/Lover Come Back/It Happened To Jane | DVD | (21/01/2008) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-5.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Pillow Talk: Day is an uptight interior decorator forced to share a party line with an amorous playboy who ties up the line with his exploits while she is trying to conduct business. When the two accidentally meet he's taken with her beauty and pretending to be a wealthy Texan begins to court her mercilessly. Though flattered by this stranger's attention it's not long before she discovers his true identity. Now it's her turn to have a little fun...at his expense! Lover Come back: Jerry Webster (Hudson) and Carol Templeton (Day) are rival Madison Avenue advertising executives who each dislike each other's methods. After he steals a client out from under her cute little nose revenge prompts her to infiltrate his secret VIP campaign in order to persuade the mystery product's scientist to switch to her firm. Trouble is the product is phony and the scientist is Jerry who uses all his intelligence and charm to steal her heart! It Happened To Jane: Jane Osgood (Day) is a widowed mother who runs a struggling lobster business in coastal Maine while Harry Malone (Kovacs) is a wealthy businessman who has bought out the local railroad. He harbors big plans for it aiming to transform it into a luxury passenger train replacing the freight train the residents of the area depend upon. When a large lobster shipment of Jane's is rerouted and returned to her dead she decides to fight back and sues Malone with the help of her longtime friend and lawyer George Denham. This instigates a battle of increasingly epic proportions as Malone uses every trick in the book--as well as his massive bank account--to quell the resolve of the spitfire businesswoman; Jane for her part has public sympathy on her side. A reporter for the national news doing a story on Jane (Steve Forrest) begins to fall in love with her and she is forced to decide between the romantic journalist and her childhood friend George. The magical pairing of Lemmon and Day is augmented by the beautiful location photography in Maine and a stellar supporting cast including Mary Wickes Russ Brown and a rare film appearance from Kovacs.

• Pillow Talk | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £5.05   |  Saving you £4.94 (97.82%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Day is an uptight interior decorator forced to share a party line with an amorous playboy who ties up the line with his exploits while she is trying to conduct business. When the two accidentally meet he's taken with her beauty and pretending to be a wealthy Texan begins to court her mercilessly. Though flattered by this stranger's attention it's not long before she discovers his true identity. Now it's her turn to have a little fun...at his expense!

• All About Eve (1950) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (23/08/2021) from £25.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In this devastatingly witty Hollywood classic from JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ (Cleopatra), backstage is where the real drama plays out. One night, Margo Channing (Now, Voyager's BETTE DAVIS) entertains a surprise dressing-room visitor: her most adoring fan, the shy, wide-eyed Eve Harrington (The Magnificent Ambersons' ANNE BAXTER). But as Eve becomes a fixture in Margo's life, the Broadway legend soon realizes that her supposed admirer intends to use her and everyone in her circle, including an acid-tongued critic played by GEORGE SANDERS (Rebecca), as stepping-stones to stardom. Featuring stilettosharp dialogue and direction by Mankiewicz, and an unforgettable Davis in the role that revived her career and came to define it, the multiple-Oscar-winning All About Eve is the most deliciously entertaining film ever made about the ruthlessness of show business. Special Features: 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Two audio commentaries from 2010, one featuring actor Celeste Holm, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's son Christopher Mankiewicz, and author Kenneth L. Geist; the other featuring author Sam Staggs All About Mankiewicz, a feature-length documentary from 1983 about the director Episodes of The Dick Cavett Show from 1969 and 1980 featuring actors Bette Davis and Gary Merrill New interview with costume historian Larry McQueen Hollywood Backstories: All About Eve, a 2001 documentary featuring interviews with Davis and others about the making of the film Documentaries from 2010 about Mankiewicz's life and career, the short story on which the film is based and its real-world inspiration, and a real-life Sarah Siddons Society based on the film's fictional society Radio adaptation of the film from 1951 Trailer PLUS: An essay by critic Terrence Rafferty and the 1946 short story on which the film is based

• Birdman Of Alcatraz | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £8.18   |  Saving you £7.81 (95.48%)   |  RRP £15.99

  How does bitter convict Robert Stroud cope with a lifetime of solitary confinement? The answer in a sense comes from above in the form of a feeble sparrow he finds in the isolation yard. Stroud brings this newfound companion to his cell nurses it to health and from that point on there's no turning back. Despite having only a third grade education and no hope of parole Stroud becomes a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind prison walls

• The Misfits | DVD | (23/07/2012) from £9.35   |  Saving you £0.64 (6.84%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A sexy divorce falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle in early-sixties Nevada.

• Birdman Of Alcatraz (Masters of Cinema) Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (06/08/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Often acknowledged as one of the best prison films ever made, Birdman of Alcatraz was director John Frankenheimer's first huge success and received rave reviews for its performances, cinematography (by the great Burnett Guffey; From Here to Eternity, Bonnie and Clyde) and Frankenheimer's directing. Burt Lancaster stars as the notorious prisoner, Robert Stroud, sentenced to a life of solitary confinement for murdering a prison guard. When he finds an injured sparrow in the prison yard, Stroud nurses it back to health and discovers a new calling in life. Over the years he becomes a renowned ornithologist, and even a respected author, achieving a greater sense of purpose behind prison walls than many in the outside world will ever know. With an all-star cast that includes Karl Malden (A Streetcar Named Desire), Thelma Ritter (Pickup on South Street), Telly Savalas (The Dirty Dozen) and Edmond O'Brien (The Barefoot Contessa), The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present John Frankenheimer's Birdman of Alcatraz for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Features: 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray, with a progressive encode on the DVD. LPCM mono soundtrack (Uncompressed on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Audio commentary with film historian and editor Paul Seydor, moderated by Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman Illusion of Freedom: Richard H. Kline on John Frankenheimer's Birdman of Alcatraz (29 mins) a new video piece on the film An exclusive new video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall Original theatrical trailer A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Travis Crawford, as well as a selection of archival imagery from the film's production

• Rear Window | Blu Ray | (13/05/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Alfred Hitchcock playfully explores the role of the voyeur in one of his best-loved suspense thrillers. After breaking his leg during a shoot, photo-journalist L.B. 'Jeff' Jeffries (James Stewart) is forced to spend a humid summer recuperating in his Greenwich Village apartment. The wheelchair-bound Jeff whiles away his time observing his neighbours through a telephoto lens, bestowing them with nicknames and growing familiar with their daily routines. However, his society girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) is exasperated and then alarmed when Jeff becomes obsessed with the notion that Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), who lives in the apartment opposite, has murdered his wife. A 53-minute making of feature, 'Rear Window Ethics', is also included. Special Features: Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of The Master Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock Rear Window Re-Release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart Feature Commentary with John Fawell Author of Hitchcock's Rear Window

• The Misfits | DVD | (26/11/2001) from £4.37   |  Saving you £11.62 (265.90%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A down-on-her-luck divorced woman meets and falls for a disenchanted outcast cowboy who earns his living by capturing wild mustangs. When she witnesses this cruel spectacle she teams up with a jaded rodeo performer in an attempt to free the horses. Last screen appearance for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe who was married to playwright Arthur Miller during the course of the filming.

• Doris Day | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £16.32   |  Saving you £33.67 (206.31%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of six classic Doris Day movies in one bumper value box set! Young At Heart (1955) Barney Sloan (Frank Sinatra) is a cynical down-on-his-luck musician who reluctantly agrees to help his composer friend Alex Burke (Gig Young) with a new comedy he is working on. However Barney gains a new perspective on life and love when he meets Alex's irrepressibly perky fiancee Laurie (Doris Day) - and promptly falls in love with her! Lover Come Back (1961) Account ex

• All About Eve | DVD | (18/04/2005) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (141.45%)   |  RRP £12.99

  It's all about women.... and their men! From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door Eve Horrington (Anne Baxter) moves relentlessly towards her goal: taking the reins of power from the great actress Margo Channing (Bette Davies). The cunning Eve manoeuvres her way into Margo's Broadway role becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend (Gary Merrill) her playwright (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife (Celeste Holm). Only the cyni

• Daddy Long Legs | DVD | (12/03/2012) from £4.75   |  Saving you £5.24 (110.32%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This 1955 Oscar-nominated musical romance features the incomparable Fred Astaire in some of his most stunning dance sequences.Daddy Long Legs is a magical musical, following a young French girl (Leslie Caron) through college, her education sponsored by a mysterious man with long legs. Millionaire Jervis Pendleton III (Fred Astaire) is from old money, and although generous with his wealth, he must learn how to give of his emotions. Amid sparkling musical numbers and dream sequences, comic relief comes from Fred Clark as Griggs, Jervis' assistant, and Thelma Ritter as Jervis' secretary.

• The Incident (Eureka Classics) Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition | Blu Ray | (12/08/2019) from £14.70   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Eureka Entertainment to release THE INCIDENT, the raw and intense 1967 New York thriller featuring Martin Sheen, Tony Musante and an ensemble cast, making its WORLDWIDE DEBUT on Blu-ray in a Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition as part of the Eureka Classics range from 12 August 2019. A riveting urban tension thriller, and a fantastic snapshot of 1967 New York City in all its seedy, black-and-white glory, The Incident also features an iconic 60s cast that must be seen to be believed. Martin Sheen makes his feature film debut as one of two small-time hoods the other is Tony Musante (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) in one of his earliest roles terrorising a subway car full of trapped passengers, portrayed by an ensemble cast including Thelma Ritter (Rear Window), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Ed McMahon, Donna Mills (Play Misty for Me), Jack Gilford (Save the Tiger), Brock Peters (To Kill a Mockingbird), Ruby Dee (A Raisin in the Sun), and a host of other instantly recognisable faces from NYC films and television of the era. After mugging an old man for a few dollars, thugs Artie (Sheen) and Joe (Musante) hop a subway deep in the Bronx, and proceed to threaten and intimidate the Sunday night commuters all the way to Times Square. The terrified riders are a mixed group an elderly Jewish couple, a family trying to protect their 5-year-old daughter, an alcoholic, two teens on a date, two military Privates, a bigoted African-American man and his wife, etc. but they are united by their fear and sense of helplessness as switchblade-wielding Joe and Artie block the subway doors from opening at stops, and prevent the riders from leaving. Will any of them have the courage to confront the two maniacs? A high-velocity home invasion-styled hostage drama on rails, The Incident is a NYC transit suspense film that precedes the better-known The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by seven years. When director Larry Peerce (Goodbye, Columbus) and cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld (Young Frankenstein) were denied permission to shoot in the NYC subways, they did it anyway, using concealed cameras for some footage, providing a gritty time capsule of the 60s Big Apple as it begins to rot.

• Titanic | DVD | (12/03/2012) from £6.73   |  Saving you £3.26 (48.44%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Determined to remove her family from the superficial, high society world in which her husband Richard (Clifton Webb) is engrossed, Julia Sturges (Barbara Stanwyck) boards the R.M.S. Titanic in England on its maiden voyage to America, along with her two children. Learning of her plans, however, Richard purchases a steerage ticket aboard the ship in hopes of reconciling with his family. But when fate, ice and an overzealous ship captain step in, the Sturges family faces an unimaginable challenge - the possibility of separation from one another forever. This classic, based on the true-life history of the famed ocean liner, remains one of the most poignant, well-crafted films of all time.Winner of the 1953 Oscar for Best Screenplay.

• Rear Window - Steelbook | Blu Ray | (14/10/2019) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Directed by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is an edge-of-your-seat classic starring two of Hollywood's most popular stars. When a professional photographer (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbours play out across the courtyard. When he suspects his neighbour of murdering his nagging wife, he enlists his socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to help investigate the suspicious chain of events, leading to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history. Honoured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies for excellence in film, Rear Window has also been hailed as one of Alfred Hitchcock's most stylish thrillers (Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide). Bonus features: REAR WINDOW ETHICS: AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY A CONVERSATION WITH SCREENWRITER JOHN MICHAEL HAYES PURE CINEMA: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MASTER BREAKING BARRIERS: THE SOUND OF HITCHCOCK HITCHCOCK-TRUFFAUT INTERVIEW EXCERPTS MASTERS OF CINEMA FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH JOHN FAWELL, AUTHOR OF HITCHCOCK'S REAR WINDOW: THE WELL-MADE FILM PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS THEATRICAL TRAILER RE-RELEASE TRAILER NARRATED BY JAMES STEWART