In 1879 the British Colonies in response to the perceived threat of the Zulu Nation deliver a deliberately unacceptable ultimatum to the King who responds by putting his people on a war footing. Confident in their weapons technology and organization's ability to crush the seemingly outclassed primitive enemy the British invade Zululand. General Lord Chelmsford sends in hundreds of British troops in order to squash the spear-carrying Africans with superior fire power. The sheer number of Zulus however overwhelms the British infantry.
Premier ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev makes his acting debut in this lavish story of the life of the famous silent screen actor Rudolph Valentino who caused female moviegoers to riot in the streets upon his death. Controversial director Ken Russell lavishly recreates the glitzy and decadent atmosphere of the roaring 20's and the presence of Nureyev as Valentino imbues the film with passion rarely found in Hollywood.
Rachel Verinder a young Englishwoman imherits a large Indian diamond on her eighteenth birthday. It is a legacy from her uncle a corrupt English army officer who served in India. The diamond is of great religious significance as well as being enormously valuable and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it. Rachel's eighteenth birthday is celebrated with a large party. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see. Later that night the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom and a period of turmoil unhappiness misunderstandings and ill-luck ensues. Told via a series of narratives from some of the main characters the complex plot traces the subsequent efforts to explain the theft identify the thief trace the stone and recover it.
As the river flows silently through Victorian London, its dark waters bring with them a tale of crime and passion. And it’s on the banks of the Thames that the poor, but captivating Lizzy helps her father earn his unwholesome living. But they little suspect that the next body they recover will lead them to a world far removed from their own. A superficial world of dinner parties at the Veneerings and the aspirations of the Wilfers household. And as their lives weave with a multitude of characters, a complex story of love and money emerges with true Dickenson vision.
!Broadcast in the dying hours of Christmas Eve, the BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas series was a fixture of the seasonal schedules throughout the 1970s and spawned a long tradition of chilling tales, which terrified yuletide viewers for decades to come. This much-requested release gives four landmarks of the series their Blu-ray debut, having been newly remastered by the BFI from original film materials. All based on classic short stories by acclaimed writer MR James, his atmospheric settings and creeping unease are eerily realised in these seminal dramas that unleash evil spirits that will haunt and unnerve. The Films: Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968), The Stalls of Barchester (1971), A Warning to the Curious (1972), Lost Hearts (1973) Extras Presented in High Definition (Limited Edition) Whistle and I'll Come to You (2010, 52 min): John Hurt stars in this more recent reinterpretation of MR James' chilling tale Newly recorded commentaries on Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968) and The Stalls of Barchester by Jon Dear Lawrence Gordon Clark introductions (2012, 33 mins): introductions to The Stalls of Barchester, A Warning to the Curious and Lost Hearts previously recorded for the BFI's DVD release Ramsay Campbell on MR James (2001, 16 mins) Jonathan Miller and Christopher Frayling discuss Whistle and I'll Come to You (2012, 3 mins) Neil Brand reads MR James' Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad (2001, 42 mins, audio only) Ramsey Campbell reads his own MR James-inspired story The Guide (2001, 27 mins) Ghost Stories for Christmas with Christopher Lee: The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious (2000, 60 mins total) **LIMITED EDITION ONLY** Illustrated booklet with essays by Reggie Oliver, Jonathan Rigby, Adam Easterbrook and Ramsey Campbell Newly commissioned sleeve art by Matt Needle Other extras TBC
If Franz Kafka had been an animator and film director--oh, and a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus--Brazil is the sort of outrageously dystopian satire one could easily imagine him making. In fact it was made by Terry Gilliam, who is all of the above except, of course, Franz Kafka. Be that as it may, Gilliam captures the paranoid-subversive spirit of Kafka's The Trial (along with his own Python animation) in this bureaucratic nightmare-comedy about a meek government clerk named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) whose life is destroyed by a simple bug. It's not a software bug but a real bug (no doubt related to Kafka's famous Metamorphosis insect) that gets squashed in a printer and causes a typographical error unjustly identifying an innocent citizen, one Mr Buttle, as suspected terrorist Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro). When Sam becomes enmeshed in unravelling this bureaucratic tangle, he himself winds up labelled as a miscreant. The movie presents such an unrelentingly imaginative and savage vision of 20th-century bureaucracy that it almost became a victim of small-minded studio management itself--until Gilliam surreptitiously screened his cut for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, who named it the best movie of 1985 and virtually embarrassed Universal into releasing it. --Jim Emerson On the DVD: Brazil comes to DVD in a welcome anamorphic print of the full director's cut--here running some 136 minutes. Disappointingly the only extra feature is the 30-minute making-of documentary "What Is Brazil?", which consists of on-set and behind-the-scenes interviews. There's nothing about the film's controversial release history (covered so comprehensively on the North American Criterion Collection release), nor is Gilliam's illuminating, irreverent directorial commentary anywhere to be found. The only other extra here is the ubiquitous theatrical trailer. A welcome release of a real classic, then, but something of a missed opportunity. --Mark Walker
What do you get when you combine three of Hollywood's most hysterical talents with a creaky old castle and a werewolf legend? An amiable, kinky blend of high jinks and horror that'll leave you howling with laughter! Starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise, this ingenious, amusing horror comedy will put a smile on your face - and keep it there! At the mansion of his Great Aunt Kate (DeLuise), Larry Abbot (Wilder) is undergoing a psychological procedure designed to rid him of his irrational phobias...by frightening them right out of him! But the jolts and frights may turn out to be the least of his problems when Great Aunt Kate names him her sole heir. Suddenly, the entire family seems a little too vigorous in participating in his scare-apy , - leading Larry to believe that one of his jealous kin may be murderous...and that another may be werewolverous! Product Features Legendary laughs: slapstick memories of a comedy icon Eve Ferret interview (sylvia) Ruth Myers interview (costume designer)
The Remains of the Day is one of Merchant-Ivory's most thought-provoking films. Anthony Hopkins is a model of restraint and propriety as Stevens, the butler who "knows his place"; Emma Thompson is the animated and sympathetic Miss Kenton, the housekeeper whose attraction to Stevens is doomed to disappointment. As Nazi appeaser Lord Darlington, James Fox clings to the notion of a gentleman's agreement in the ruthless political climate before World War Two. Hugh Grant is his journalist nephew all too aware of reality, while Christopher Reeves gives a spirited portrayal of an American senator, whose purchase of Darlington Hall 20 years on sends Stevens on a journey to right the mistake he made out of loyalty. As a period drama with an ever-relevant message, this 1993 film is absorbing viewing all the way. On the DVD: the letterbox widescreen format reproduces the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with absolute clarity. Subtitles are in French and German, with audio subtitles also in English, Italian and Spanish, and with 28 separate chapter selections. The "making-of" featurette and retrospective documentary complement each other with their "during and after" perspectives, while "Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honour" is an interesting short on the question of appeasement and war. The running commentary from Thompson, Merchant and Ivory is more of a once-only diversion. --Richard Whitehouse
Based on the true story of the 1983 mass breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from HMP Maze high-security prison in Northern Ireland. As Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), the chief architect of the escape, schemes his way towards pulling off this feat, he comes into contact with prison warder, Gordon Close (Barry Ward). Initially Larry and Gordon are confirmed enemies, born on opposite sides of Northern Ireland's political divide, but when Larry realises that Gordon may be unwittingly useful for his escape plan, a slow seduction begins. Larry intends to use and manipulate Gordon in order to get closer to his goal but what follows is a tense, and intriguing drama in which an unlikely relationship is forged between two enemies that will have far reaching consequences for both of them.
In Charmed the three Halliwell sisters have accepted their destiny of protecting the innocent and vanquishing evil doers even though that is generally not on the agenda of every twenty-something on the fast track to discovering what life's all about. Prue (Doherty) the oldest is driven to succeed and dislikes the free-spirited antics of the youngest sister Phoebe (Milano). Piper (Combs) the earthy middle sister mediates between her siblings. Prue has the power to
This series of 4 made for TV feature length thrillers stars Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney, New Tricks) as John Neil, a Falklands War hero whose family were murdered in an IRA terrorist attack. Neil has withdrawn from society and lives an isolated existence, until MI5 come calling. Former special-forces operative John Neil is a lone agent for hire for Britain's security services. Whether taking on Irish terrorists, tracking down professional assassins, or pitting his wits against ruthless drug dealers, the ex-SAS man harbours no illusions about the work he's doing, or the people he serves. Knowing he is expendable to the security services Neil must face down deadly adversaries relying on his instincts and his SAS training in a world of betrayal, danger, and deceit. These 4 films were made for broadcast on Yorkshire TV between 1993 and 1996.
Episodes: Crocodile Tears Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Abide with Me The Weekend The Hostage The Path of True Love But Is It Art? A Christmas Story Speed's Return Rebel Without a Pause The Tooting Connection Working Class Hero Spanish Fly Right to Work Rock Bottom.
'When you chase war long enough, war eventually chases you'. Shooting Robert King is the astounding story of war photographer Robert King, a nave rookie correspondent hungry for his first war. Filmed over 15 years and across 3 warzones, Robert King's story begins in Bosnia where he comes under sniper fire and mortar attack while moving towards the front line of battle. As the film moves to the theatres of war in Chechnya and Iraq his incredible and horrifying journey is bought shockingly to life through dramatic front line footage, bewildering photography and mesmerising action.
Fox is writer Trevor Preston's magnum opus about a South London family who have lived in the Clapham area for generations. A microcosm of London and the way it has changed the series follows the ups and downs and conflicts within the family. A patriarch who rules his family with a mixture of benevolence and despotism 'King' Billy (Peter Vaughan) is a retired Covent Garden porter and his family consists of his second wife Connie and five sons: Vin (Bernard Hill) Ray (Derrick O'Connor) Joey (Larry Lamb) Kenny (Ray Winstone) and Phil (Eammon Boland).
Devoted womaniser and tireless party-goer Arthur Goring (Rupert Everett) is famed throughout London for his elegance, repartee and refusal to take anything seriously.
As a Christmas treat in the late 1960s and 70s, the BBC produced adaptations of ghost stories based on the works of MR James, the Cambridge academic and author of some of the most spine-tingling tales in the English language, which were broadcast to terrified viewers in the dead of winter. This was a tradition that was briefly revived by the BBC between 2007 and 2010. These adaptations, which have a subtlety and style all of their own, have been a major influence on many contemporary British horror filmmakers and have come to be some of the most sought after British TV titles of all time by their legions of eager fans. Episode Comprise: Whistle and I’ll Come to You. The Stalls of Barchester. A Warning to the Curious. Lost Hearts. The Treasure of Abbot Thomas. The Ash Tree. The Signalman. Stigma. The Ice House. A View from a Hill. Number 13.
Johnny Vaughan and his mudlarking guide and buddy “Mud God” Steve Brooker, are on a muddy archaeological adventure, digging up the banks of the Thames to reveal our astonishing hidden history. Armed with metal detectors and trowels – the pair have just five hours before the tide rushes in to wade, search and dig the banks of the River Thames finding artefacts, from medieval chain mail to WW2 artillery shells and Tudor trading tokens to cursed Bellarmine pots. The extraordinary objects that they find propel them on quests through the streets of London and around the country to unlock the secrets of remarkable shared British past.
As the Cold War rages, ex-smuggler turned reluctant spy Harry Palmer finds himself at the centre of a dangerous undercover mission, on which he must use his links to find a missing British nuclear scientist.
Billionaire Jean-Marc Clement (Montand) learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue. He goes to the theatre where he sees Amanda (Monroe) rehearsing a song and the director thinks him an actor suited to play himself in the revue. Clement takes the part to see more of Amanda but for how long can he keep his identity and his intentions a secret?
An exercise in film noir fairytale, 1955's Killer's Kiss was Stanley Kubrick's second feature film (he had the first buried forever) and shows just how powerful a filmmaker he was right out of the gate. Followers of Kubrick's career will note the appearance of themes and images that recurred (a final axe-fight in a warehouse full of disembodied mannequin parts would not be out of place in The Shining), but this is also notably unlike later Kubrick films in its use of authentic locations and its 65-minute running time. The plot is a tiny anecdote about a washed-up boxer (Jamie Smith), a dance hall dame (Irene Kane) and a slimy hood (Frank Silvera) during one crowded weekend of brutality and romance. There's a sense of a young director playing games: the boxing match (a definite influence on Raging Bull) is all low-angle close-ups and subjective shots with plenty of thump and dazzle, and the traditional Expressionist look of noir is exaggerated with many a tricky shot or doomy plot twist. The three unfamiliar leads are all excellent as small-timers struggling with big passions, and there is already a potent use of raucous source music and subtle sound design to augment the stark, haunted black and white imagery. On the DVD Killer's Kiss on disc features no extras other than a blaring trailer ("a picture as brazen as the naked lights of Broadway, as hard as the New York streets in which it was shot!"). The black and white picture is 4:3, and comes with soundtracks in English, German, Italian and Spanish; subtitles in English, German, Italian, French, Dutch and Spanish. --Kim Newman
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