Classic Films

• AGUIRRE-DER ZORN GOTTES - MOVI | Blu Ray | (24/01/2013) from £10.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Jean-Pierre Melville Collection | DVD | (02/03/2009) from £48.83   |  Saving you £-3.84 (N/A%)   |  RRP £44.99

  Jean-Pierre Melville (1917 - 1974) is one of the most revered French film directors of all time. Born in Paris he was to become a member of the French Resistance in the Second World War an experience which he drew on as a film director creating underworlds of secrecy and deception. The reluctant godfather of the French New Wave Melville''s highly individual style was influenced by the ideas of existentialism and surrealism but arguably his greatest debt was to the American film noirs of 1930s and '40s Hollywood the traditions of which he wove with inimitable style into his quintessentially French films seeing him hailed by many as the father of the French gangster movie. This set contains six of his finest films from his early bittersweet masterpiece Bob Le Flambeur to his final film Un Flic his wonderfully fatalistic study of loss and deception; a fitting epitaph to one of contemporary cinema''s most exceptional careers. Titles Comprise: Army of Shadows (1969): Regarded as one of the best films ever made about wartime France. Members of the French resistance fight for freedom in the face of constant danger. Extras: Ginette Vincendeau Commentary / Le Journal de la Resistance - a 33 minute documentary / Melville short film Le Doulos (1962): An unforgettable story of trust betrayal and honour. A criminal just free from jail goes in search of revenge. Extras: Selected Scene Commentary / Ginette Vincendeau Introduction / Interview with Assistant Director Volker Schlondorff / Original Trailer Leon Morin Pretre (1961): Unforgettable drama set in occupied France. A beautiful but disillusioned woman becomes friends with a priest but her feelings for him soon deepen dangerously. Extras: Selected Scene Commentary / Ginette Vincendeau Introduction / Interview with Assistant Director Volker Schl''ndorff / Original Trailer Le Cercle Rouge (1970): A suave jewel thief teams up with a fugitive and a reckless ex-cop to carry out an elaborate heist. Extras: Ginette Vincendeau Commentary and Introduction / Interview with Assistant Director Bernard Stora / Original Trailer Bob Le Flambeur (1956): An early foray into the gangster genre Melville's self-confessed 'love letter to Paris' follows the world-weary eponymous hero Bob a down on his luck gambler embarking on his final crime. Extras: Introduction by Melville expert Ginette Vincendeau. Un Flic (1972): A Parisian police commissioner and the leader of a gang of criminals in love with the same woman clash when a daring bank robbery takes place.

• The Day The Earth Stood Still - Limited Edition Steelbook | Blu Ray | (12/05/2014) from £26.98   |  Saving you £-3.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  A spaceship lands in Washington D.C. capturing the attention of the world. But the peaceful alien emissary (Michael Rennie) it brings fails to earn the public's trust. When a young woman and her son befriend him they soon realise they may be all that stands between the human race and total destruction.

• Breakfast At Tiffany's | DVD | (14/09/2009) from £3.78   |  Saving you £6.21 (164.29%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The names Audrey Hepburn and Holly Golightly have become synonymous since this dazzling romantic comedy was translated to the screen from Truman Capote's best-selling Novella.

• Billy Liar | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £14.83   |  Saving you £-1.84 (-14.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Tom Courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as Billy Fisher the underachieving undertaker's assistant whose constant daydreams and truth-deficient stories earn him the nickname ""Billy Liar."" Julie Christie is the handbag-swinging charmer whose free spirit just might inspire Billy to finally move out of his parents' house. Deftly veering from gritty realism to flamboyant fantasy Billy Liar is a dazzling and uproarious classic.

• Peyton Place | DVD | (02/07/2012) from £11.47   |  Saving you £-1.48 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Allison MacKenzie looks back on life in the New England town where she grew up around the time of Pearl Harbour. Beneath the town's placid God-fearing exterior lay any number of dark secrets involving sexual attraction and repression, illegitimacy, rape, gossip, intolerance, and class snobbery. No wonder Allison had moved to a quiet place like New York...

• My Dream Is Yours | DVD | (06/06/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Classic Films Triple - Great Expectations/Oliver Twist/A Tale Of Two Cities | DVD | (06/10/2008) from £12.13   |  Saving you £0.86 (7.09%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Great Expectations (1946) - David Lean directed this stylish film presentation of Charles Dickens' heart warming story of a young man befriending an escaped convict who becomes his unknown benefactor and of the consequences for the young man as he establishes himself in the world. A Tale Of Two Cities - Dickens' epic tale set during the French Revolution follows the fortunes of a disillusioned English lawyer Sidney Carton (Dirk Bogarde) whose solace is drink and who bears an uncanny resemblance to a young French aristocrat named Darnay. Carton defends Darnay but ends up falling in love with Darnay's fiancee Lucy. When Darnay is imprisoned by the revolutionary mob Carton is given the chance to redeem himself as he leaves for Paris for Darnay's aid. A truly gripping tale incomparably told and flawlessly performed. Oliver Twist - Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) orphaned at birth and raised in the workhouse is expelled for daring to ask the Beadle (Francis L. Sullivan) for more food. Unhappily apprenticed to an Undertaker Oliver escaped to London where he meets the cheeky Artful Dodger (Anthony Newly) the villainous Fagin (Alec Guiness) the aggressive Bill Sykes (Robert Newton) and the kindly but doomed Nancy (Kay Walsh). Torn constantly between the forces of good and evil Oliver eventually seals his fate by picking the pocket of a rich gentleman (Henry Stephenson).

• Till The Clouds Roll By | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £15.10   |  Saving you £-9.11 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Till the Clouds Roll By was the big MGM extravaganza of 1946, purporting to be a life of the first giant of the stage musical, Jerome Kern. Great chunks of Show Boat, Sweet Adeline and Sunny dominate while, in between excerpts, reliable Robert Walker does valiant work as Kern, lending a gentle credibility to even the most extravagant licenses taken by the writers. The liberties taken with Kern's story beggar belief, but what a fine excuse this is to sit back and enjoy a procession of gems from the great American songbook, performed by genuine legends. Judy Garland has two numbers as Marilyn Miller, both directed by husband Vincente Minnelli at the peak of their creative and personal relationships. Singing "Who?", she has to float down the proverbial staircase, obviously pregnant (Liza was born a short time later). Others to shine include Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Dinah Shore and, more bizarrely, a skinny young Sinatra drafted in at the last for a rousing "Old Man River". Most poignant of all is the presence of Lena Horne who, but for the racist values of Hollywood at the time, would have been a great film star. Ever confined to guest appearances, she here sings the songs of Show Boat's tragic half-caste Julie. When MGM filmed the musical in 1951, the same part went to Ava Gardner. On the DVD: Till the Clouds Roll By may boast digital remastering, but it could have done with a deal of restoration, too. Presented in 4:3 format, the picture quality is often pixellated and the soundtrack in "HiFi Stereo" is muffled and occasionally cracked. Considering its value as an archive of great performers, some rarely seen on film, this film deserves better DVD treatment. --Piers Ford

• The Jacques Tati Collection (Jour de fête / Les Vacances de M. Hulot / Mon Oncle / Playtime / Parade) | DVD | (02/11/2009) from £56.99   |  Saving you £-17.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The Jacques Tati Collection (5 Discs)

• Royal Air Force - The Unseen Films 1960-1961 | DVD | (14/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Royal Air Force: The Unseen Films is a unique DVD series collecting together rare or previously unseen and unavailable films from the RAF's long and distinguished history. As well as providing film records of RAF aircraft units and activities it also offers an invaluable 'behind the scenes' look at life in the RAF.

• The Dictator | Blu Ray | (07/01/2013) from £10.78   |  Saving you £16.21 (150.37%)   |  RRP £26.99

  From the creators of Borat comes the hilarious story of a North African dictator (Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat, Brno, Da Ali G Show) who, on a visit to New York, is stripped of his power and forced to get a real job at a Brooklyn health food store. Special Features: Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD) MUSIC VIDEO - Best Love Song Your Money Is On The Dresser (HD) Larry King Interview (HD)

• A Painted Smile/Rag Doll | DVD | (19/05/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A Painted Smile / Rag Doll

• Rififi | Blu Ray | (17/11/2014) from £9.35   |  Saving you £10.64 (113.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  RIFIFI (ri-f’ -fi) n. French argot. 1. Quarrel rumble free-for-all open hostilities between individuals or gangs rough and tumble confrontation between two or more individuals. 2. A tense and chaotic situation involving violent confrontations between parties. A seminal work of crime filmmaking that lead the young critic François Truffaut to declare “the best Film Noir I have ever seen” Jules Dassin’s Rififi [Du rififi chez les hommes] has influenced films as diverse as Reservoir Dogs and Ocean’s Eleven since its release. Following Tony le Stéphanois (Jean Servais) a master thief fresh out of jail wearing a harried look and suffering ill health he refuses to be involved with crime until he finds his girlfriend shacked up with a rival gangster. With little reason to keep living he plans a final job. Tony sets about finding his crew and meticulously planning the job; a robbery of the jewellery store Mappin & Webb. Rififi revolves around the central heist famed for its finite detail and incredible tension but the drama does not end at the heist like so many other crime films. Dassin’s film is a humanist tale that hinges on the loyalty among thieves and draws on the fatalistic doom laden lives common to crooks and thieves in pulp literature. An instant commercial success in Paris and worldwide the film was also very well received by the critics with Jules Dassin being awarded the best director prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Arrow Academy is proud to present Jules Dassin’s legendary film in 1080p high definition for the first time in the UK. FEATURES: High Definition restoration Uncompressed original mono PCM audio Newly translated English subtitles Introduction by French cinema critic and author Ginette Vincendeau Interview with Jules Dassin Q&A with Jules Dassin from BFI Southbank London Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring two original artworks Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and filmmaker David Cairns Alastair Philips on source novel author Auguste Le Breton and the Série Noire a contemporary review by François Truffaut notes on the translation and the BBFC’s John Trevelyan on Rififi illustrated with original posters and stills

• Niagara | Blu Ray | (29/07/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Marilyn Monroe sizzles in this tense masterful thriller. While the seductive Rose Loomis (Monroe) and her husband George (Joseph Cotten) vacation in a charming guest cabin at spectacular Niagara Falls Rose and her lover plot to kill George. But things go terribly wrong and soon an innocent honeymooning couple find themselves swept up in the crime.

• The Final Test | DVD | (06/08/2007) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sam Palmer is a cricket player who is playing his last matches of his career. His son Jackson is a poet who disappoints Sam by not attending his next-to-last game. Then Jackson is suddenly invited to the home of Alexander Whitehead. Jackson fears he will miss Sam's last game - but it turns out that Alexander is a cricket fan.

• Billion Dollar Brain | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £9.69   |  Saving you £3.30 (34.06%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Ken Russell's big budget film is an adaptation of Len Deighton's novel a sequel to 'The Ipcress File' in which Michael Caine reprises his role as bespectacled British Intelligence officer Harry Palmer this time stumbling into a plot to overthrow the Soviet Communist regime using a supercomputer. But who is working for whom and will Harry live long enough to find out?

• Yellow Submarine | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This restored, animated valentine to the Beatles offers viewers the rare chance to see a work that's been substantially improved by its technical facelift, not just super-sized with extra footage. Recognising that its song-studded soundtrack alone makes Yellow Submarine a video annuity, United Artists has lavished a frame-by-frame refurbishment of the original feature, while replacing its original monaural audio tracks with a meticulously reconstructed stereo mix that actually refines legendary original album versions. What emerges is a vivid time capsule of the late 1960s and a minor milestone in animation. The music represents the quartet's zenith--Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The story line, cobbled together by producer Al Brodax and a committee of writers, is a broad, feather-light allegory set in idyllic Pepperland, where the gentle citizens are threatened by the nasty, music-hating Blue Meanies and their surreal arsenal of henchmen, with the Beatles enlisted to thwart the bad guys. Visually, designer Heinz Edelmann mixes the biomorphic squiggles, day-glo palette and Beardsley-esque portraits of Peter Max with rotoscoped still photographs and film; Edelmann's animated collages also nod to Andy Warhol and Magritte in properly psychedelic fashion, which works wonderfully with such terrific songs. High-orthodox Beatlemaniacs can still grouse that the animated Fab Four are (literally) flat archetypes, but that's missing the sheer bloom of the music or the giddy, campy fun of the visuals. Making sense of the story is second to submerging blissfully in the sights and sounds of this video treat. --Sam Sutherland

• Jules And Jim | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £9.99   |  Saving you £10.00 (100.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jules and Jim meet in Paris just before the start of World War I where they also meet Catherine an enchanting but unpredictable woman. This story focuses on the life-long friendship of Jules and Jim and their mutual love for the same woman and what becomes the most amicable of love triangles.

• Easy Rider | Blu Ray | (09/05/2016) from £21.39   |  Saving you £6.60 (30.86%)   |  RRP £27.99

  This box-office hit from 1969 is an important pioneer of the American independent cinema movement, and a generational touchstone to boot. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play hippie motorcyclists crossing the Southwest and encountering a crazy quilt of good and bad people. Jack Nicholson turns up in a significant role as an attorney who joins their quest for awhile and articulates society's problem with freedom as Fonda's and Hopper's characters embody it. Hopper directed, essentially bringing the no-frills filmmaking methods of legendary, drive-in movie producer Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors) to a serious feature for the mainstream. The film can't help but look a bit dated now (a psychedelic sequence toward the end particularly doesn't hold up well) but it retains its original power, sense of daring and epochal impact. -- Tom Keogh, Amazon.com