Classic Films

• Faust | DVD | (21/01/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-0.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Shot in the UFA studios with a big movie star in the lead and all the special effects and production design resources any blockbuster of its time could wish for, FW Murnau's 1926 Faust represents a step up from his better-known Nosferatu. Oddly, Faust is a less familiar film than the vampire quickie and this release affords fans a chance to see what Murnau can do with an equally major fantasy story. Adapted neither from Marlowe's play Dr Faustus nor Goethe's verse drama, the script scrambles various elements of the legend and presents a Faust (Gosta Ekman) driven to summon the Devil by despair as a plague rages through the town, desperate to gain enough learning to help his neighbours. When this deal doesn't quite work out, because he is stoned by townsfolk who notice his sudden fear of the cross, Mephisto (Emil Jannings) offers Faust instead renewed youth and an opportunity to seduce a famously beautiful Italian noblewoman and then to return to his home village and get involved with the pure Gretchen (Camilla Horn). Like most versions of the story, it's episodic and some sections are stronger than others: the great stuff comes in the plague and initial deal sequences, though it picks up again for the tragic climax as Gretchen becomes the central figure and suffers horribly, freezing in the snows and burning at the stake. Jannings' devil, a gruesomely humorous slice of ham, is one of the great silent monster performances, reducing everyone else to a stick figure, and Murnau faces the challenge of topping his Nosferatu imagery by deploying a battalion of effects techniques to depict the many magical journeys, sudden appearances and transformations. On the DVD: Often seen in ragged, incomplete prints projected at the wrong speed, this is a decently restored version, running a full 115 minutes with a complete orchestral score. The original materials show some of the damage to be expected in a film of its vintage, but the transfer is excellent, displaying the imaginative art direction and camerawork to superb advantage. Aside from a nicely eerie menu, the sole extra is a full-length commentary originating in Australia: written by historian Peter Spooner but read by narrator Russell Cawthorne (who mispronounces the odd name). This provides an interesting wealth of background detail, such as Murnau's attempt to cast Hollywood's Lillian Gish as Gretchen, and delivers a balanced assessment of the film itself. --Kim Newman

• David And Bathsheba | DVD | (28/02/2007) from £14.41   |  Saving you £-1.42 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A Biblical tale of love tragedy loss and redemption. Gregory Peck stars in this gripping retelling of the beloved Old Testament story. Although he has killed Goliath and prevailed in countless battles there is one force that Israel's King David (Peck) cannot vanquish: love. Smitten with the beautiful Bathsheba (Susan Hayward) David sends her soldier husband Uriah (Kieron Moore) into a hopeless battle setting into motion his own downward spiral. Neglecting kingdom and faith David incurs the wrath of God the destruction of his country and the ill will of his people who expect Bathsheba to pay the ultimate price for adultery. Gorgeously filmed rapturously acted and deeply moving David And Bathsheba's tale of romantic obsession is as beautiful as it is timeless.

• Van Cliburn - Van Cliburn In Moscow Vol.1 | DVD | (04/11/2008) from £19.92   |  Saving you £2.06 (12.17%)   |  RRP £18.99

• England V Scotland 1967 | DVD | (12/03/2007) from £11.03   |  Saving you £4.96 (44.97%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Just nine months after England's World Cup triumph a Scotland side buoyed by success in earlier home nation matches travelled to Wembley to meet the apparently all conquering English in a European Championship qualifying round. Still with home advantage following the World Cup the English were the firm favourites to triumph over the much un-fancied Scottish side.

• As Young as You Feel | DVD | (23/07/2012) from £11.73   |  Saving you £-1.74 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A 65-year-old printer hatches an elaborate scheme to avoid forced retirement.

• The Great Lover | DVD | (11/08/2008) from £13.35   |  Saving you £-3.36 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Hope stars as Freddie Hunter a reporter who is chaperoning a troop of scouts aboard an exotic ocean liner. However Freddie would rather pay attention to Duchess Alexandria than to his scouts. But Freddie has more to be concerned with than his scouts and the Duchess - a homicidal gambler looking to frame him for his murderous deeds.

• The Skin Game | DVD | (22/01/2007) from £9.70   |  Saving you £-3.71 (-61.90%)   |  RRP £5.99

  An old traditional family and a modern family battle over land in a small English village and destroy eachother. A rich family the Hillcrests are fighting against the spectacular Hornblower who sends away poor farmers to build factories on their land. When mrs. Hillcrest finds out that Chloe Hornclower was a prostitute she uses the secret to blackmail the spectacular and force him to stop his business....

• The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins | Blu Ray | (06/04/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  Seven comic episodes from one of the most read book in the World: the Bible! Each episode highlights one of the seven deadly sins and a hilarious come-uppance for the sinner. This comic portmanteau stars the cream of British talent such as Harry H. Corbett Ian Carmichael Spike Milligan Leslie Phillips and many more!

• Die Musketiere - Einer für Alle - Alle für einen! (2 4K Ultra HDs) ( + 2 Blu-rays) | Blu Ray | (27/04/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The Iceman Cometh | DVD | (01/12/1975) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Jason Robards, Jr. became an overnight star with his indelible performance as the glad-handing, doom-ridden Hickey in the legendary 1956 Circle-in-the-Square revival of Eugene O'Neill's towering masterpiece (first staged in 1939). In his harrowing drama, O'Neill shines a harsh but compassionate spotlight on the failed lives, empty hopes, and perpetual pipe dreams of an assortment of down-and-out denizens of a seedy saloon, set in New York in 1912. Their sad but complacent existences are rattled when Hickey arrives for his annual bender a changed man - forswearing alcohol and preaching a deliverance from the lie of the pipe dream. As Variety originally wrote, this 'Iceman' was a landmark for the video medium, a reference point for greatness in TV drama.

• The Dolly Sisters | DVD | (02/07/2012) from £9.58   |  Saving you £0.41 (4.28%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Two sisters from Hungary become famous entertainers in the early 1900s. Fictionalized biography with lots of songs.

• The Fall Of The Roman Empire | DVD | (30/10/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  The second and last of Anthony Mann's historical epics is a smart, handsome spectacle of the decadence, corruption and intrigue that tore apart the Roman empire. The sprawling story spreads itself thin over a number of characters and stories. At the centre are handsome but stiff Stephen Boyd as Livius, the loyal soldier and symbolic son of the ageing emperor Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness), and Christopher Plummer as Commodus, the corrupt heir to the throne. They are boyhood friends turned enemies when the latter accedes to the throne and sells out the values of his father for greed and hedonistic pleasures. The three-hour running time is filled out with the tales of Sophia Loren (as the beautiful Lucilla in love with Livius but coveted by greedy Commodus) and a gallery of heroes and villains that includes James Mason, Mel Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, John Ireland, Omar Sharif and Eric Porter. The film is highlighted with spectacular scenes--a grandiose funeral fit for an emperor, brutal battles in the provinces as the barbarians threaten the empire, and a climactic duel to decide the destiny of Rome--which Mann weaves into the shadowy intrigue of the halls of power. Like his previous epic El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire remains one of the best of the 1960s epics: well written with strong performances and a consistently elegant style, but lacking the central core and magnetic hero of its superior predecessor. Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) tackles almost the same story with a more crowd-pleasing action-adventure slant. --Sean Axmaker

• Dr Zhivago Steelbook | Blu Ray | (28/01/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  David Lean's Doctor Zhivago is an exploration of the Russian Revolution as seen from the point of view of the intellectual, introspective title character (Omar Sharif). As the political landscape changes, and the Czarist regime comes to an end, Dr. Zhivago's relationships reflect the political turmoil raging about him. Though he is married, the vagaries of war lead him to begin a love affair with the beautiful Lara (Julie Christie). But he cannot escape the machinations of a band of selfish and cruel characters: General Strelnikov (Tom Courtenay), a Bolshevik General; Komarovsky (Rod Steiger), Lara's former lover; and Yevgraf (Alec Guinness), Zhivago's sinister half-brother. This epic, sweeping romance, told in flashback, captures the lushness of Moscow before the war and the violent social upheaval that followed. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak. Special Features: Commentary by Omar Sharif, Rod Steiger, and Sandra Lean Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration Part 1 Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration Part 2

• The Brothers | DVD | (06/06/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Brothers is a classic drama from 1947 filmed on the scenic Isle of Skye. A young orphan girl named Mary arrives on a remote Scottish island to become a servant to the Macraes a family clan who are arch rivals with another family on the island the McFarishes. Her arrival provokes competition between the young men of the two households and eventually turns to jealousy within the Macrae family itself. Both Fergus and John Macrae are determined to wed her but their chase may have chilling consequences for all. This DVD edition features a restored version of the film.

• Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, Act 4 (A Midsummer Night's Dream & Richard III) | DVD | (26/02/2007) from £8.08   |  Saving you £-2.09 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Two of Shakespeare's plays are faithfully brought to life through animation in these excellent British/Russian co-productions. A perfect introduction to the world and themes of Shakespeare. Features A Midsummer Nights Dream and Richard III.

• Asia Line: Kwan Fu - Das Schwert des Todes / Vol. 16 | DVD | (08/11/2018) from £8.73   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• On The Beach | DVD | (12/10/2015) from £18.38   |  Saving you £3.37 (20.28%)   |  RRP £19.99

  After World War III is over, all life in the northern hemisphere is wiped out. Only the inhabitants of Australia, along with the crew of the US submarine Sawfish, survive. But when the Sawfish goes on an exploratory journey to assess the atmosphere, it soon becomes apparent that the end is near for everyone. Acclaimed Hollywood film-maker Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind, Judgement at Nuremberg) directs an all-star cast which includes Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Fred Astaire, along with Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson as the young parents who must make a terrible decision, in one the most powerful films of all time.

• Tottenham Hotspur Four Ever Collection League Cup Finals (Spurs) | DVD | (24/11/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Box set including all 4 league Cup wins for Tottenham hotspur. A must buy for any Spurs fan. Since the conception of the League Cup back in 1961, Tottenham Hotspur have become one of the most successful teams in it's history winning an incredible 4 trophies and reaching the final in a further 2.Relive all 4 of their League Cup triumphs in this Special Edition Box Set.

• White Cargo | DVD | (23/02/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Doris Day | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A bumper box set of films featuring America's sweetheart Doris Day! Young At Heart (Dir. Gordon Douglas 1954): 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! A musical remake of