"Director: Tony Palmer"

• John Lennon - Love Is All You Need | DVD | (19/07/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  John Lennon was the most iconic Beatle who became an international peace campaigner and creative artist before his shocking death on December 8th 1980. In this incredible documentary which features in-depth contributions from Yoko Ono Cynthia Lennon Julian Lennon and many previously unseen interviews with John himself we learn of his rise to fame with the Beatles his divorce from Cynthia meeting with Yoko the split-up of the Beatles and his decision to become a solo artist and campaigner for world peace. John Lennon: Love is All You Need is a fitting documentary to one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century with some truly unique interviews and previously unseen footage from those who really knew John Lennon.

• Jack Bruce -Rope Ladder To The Moon | DVD | (09/08/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Tony PALMER The Film Of Jack Bruce's Rope Ladder To The Moon DVD

• Callas | DVD | (29/07/2013) from £9.43   |  Saving you £-2.44 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Through a combination of archival footage and interviews, filmmaker Tony Palmer profiles the at once soaring and tragic life of opera legend Maria Callas, 'La Divina Assoluta'. Filmed on location in Athens, Rome, Milan, New York and London. With Franco Zeffirelli, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, Aristotle Onassis, Graziella Sciutti, Luchino Visconti, Carlo Maria Giulini, Tito Gobbi, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Arda Mandikian, Nicola Rescigno, Nadia Stancioff, Nicola Rossi Lemeni, Lord Harewood, Sir Jo...

• Toward the Unknown Region: Malcolm Arnold | DVD | (18/01/2010) from £9.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (40.04%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Born in 1921 Sir Malcolm Arnold is one of the most fluent and versatile composers of his or any other generation. His prolific output comprises symphonies concerti chamber music stage works divertimenti choral music song cycles and music for wind and brass band whilst his catalogue of over a hundred scores for film and television includes the Oscar-winning Bridge on the River Kwai. Arnold's phenomenal success as one of the world's leading composers endured a catalogue of tr

• Testimony - The Story Of Shostakovich | DVD | (30/01/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A dramatisation of the turbulent life of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (here excellently essayed by Ben Kingsley) based on the book by Solomon Volkov.

• Parsifal - The Search For The Grail | DVD | (11/01/2004) from £7.66   |  Saving you £13.59 (212.34%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Parsifal: The Search for the Grail is a documentary that sets Wagner's last opera in its cultural context, tracing the history of the Grail myth back to the Middle Ages, and arguing that any specifically Christian myth goes back no further than that. It acknowledges that Parsifal is Wagner's most problematic opera, as well as one of his greatest, and gives chapter and verse for its role in creating the culturally respectable anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust, as well as discussing other issues like its profound, though eloquently expressed, misogyny. At the same time, it makes what case is possible for the non-aesthetic defence--all of the above is true, and yet it is also an opera about learning compassion, at once poisonous and healing. Placido Domingo is the narrator, taking us through chats with talking heads that range from theologian Karen Armstrong to members of the Wagner family and film clips that range from Monty Python and Indiana Jones to Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. He also performs the role in a variety of extracts conducted by Valery Gergiev at the Kirov Opera, reminding us of just how viscerally impressive and lyrically beautiful late Wagner can be. On the DVD: The Search for the Grail is presented in old TV standard 4:3 ration with only PCM stereo sound. It comes equipped with a useful set of chapter headings and with subtitles in English, French, German and Spanish. --Roz Kaveney

• Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour | DVD | (28/02/2001) from £12.13   |  Saving you £-4.14 (-51.80%)   |  RRP £7.99

  The film that Rory's fans have long been asking for. Irish Tour 1974 captures Rory Gallagher - the man his music and the magical connection with his live audience to perfection. Directed by the seminal music feature filmmaker Tony Palmer this film has only ever been seen previously during its original theatrical release back in 1974 and is featured here in its entirety. Includes the following live tracks: 'Walk on Hot Coals' 'Tattoo'd Lady' 'Who's That Coming' 'A Million M

• Bobby Moore - Hero | DVD | (19/04/2010) from £14.55   |  Saving you £-0.56 (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  This two-hour DVD from director Tony Palmer celebrates the extraordinary life of Bobby Moore. Described by veteran sports journalist the late Ian Wooldridge as the best sports documentary I have ever seen the film stars all the 1966 World Cup heroes plus contributions from Michael Caine Pele Harry Redknapp David Beckham George Best Jimmy Greaves and members of Moore's family. Bobby Moore remains an iconic figure and inspiration for generations of football players and fans - a rags-to-riches fairy tale and a special moment in English history. He was the first (and so far only) English captain to hold the World Cup in his hands. Bobby Moore's journey from the poverty-stricken East End to becoming the most famous man in England came to symbolise the triumph of a country and of an entire generation. This film tells the true story of the man and the footballer. All his football contemporaries in the England team of 1966 were interviewed - among them Bobby and Jack Charlton Geoff Hurst Martin Peters Alan Ball and George Cohen - as well as iconic figures such as David Beckham George Best Harry Redknapp Jimmy Greaves Terry Venables Franz Beckenbauer Pel'' Michael Caine Denis Law Jimmy Tarbuck Alan Shearer and Malcolm Allison; and most importantly Bobby Moore's Aunt Ina daughter Roberta and son Dean as well as both his wives Tina & Stephanie. Their eye-witness accounts together with a special contribution from Alf Garnett (Warren Mitchell) football footage of England's campaigns in 1966 and 1970 and archive film of Bobby Moore's parents and of Alf Ramsey throughout that period make this film a unique family record of an extraordinary man.

• The Bobby Moore Story | DVD | (03/11/2008) from £12.99   |  Saving you £-1.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.99

  This is the true story of Britain's greatest football hero - the only English captain ever to lift aloft the Jules Rimet World Cup in triumph.The story is told by the men he played with the people he loved and the England captains he inspired. In 1966 he led England to World Cup glory after an unforgettable final against West Germany. With Football action from all of Bobby's greatest games here are the memories of his great team mates including Sir Geoff Hurst Alan Ball Sir Bobby and Jack Charlton along with George best Alan Shearer and his greatest rivals Franz Beckenbauer and Pele. Jimmy Tarbuck and Sir Michael Caine also remember his contribution on and off the pitch. Bobby Moore was my hero says David Beckham when you think about Bobby you just think 'legend'.

• Benjamin Britten - a Time There Was | DVD | (11/08/2008) from £13.28   |  Saving you £0.71 (5.10%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Tony Palmer: Benjamin Britten - A Time There Was

• Ladies and Gentlemen Miss Renée Fleming | DVD | (29/07/2013) from £11.30   |  Saving you £-4.31 (-61.70%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Tony Palmer's film presents the first major exploration of the life and career of the great American soprano, Ren�e Fleming - for many, the epitome of the modern-day diva. Share an intimate visit with Ren�e Fleming behind the scenes, at home and on stage as she rehearses and performs in Verdi's Otello and Requiem, and sings Strauss, Mozart, Korngold, Rachmaninoff and Bernstein (West Side Story). Other world-class artists featured in this fascinating personal portrait include: Luciano Pavaro...

• Fairport Convention And Matthews Southern Comfort | DVD | (19/11/2007) from £11.89   |  Saving you £1.10 (9.25%)   |  RRP £12.99

  By 1970 Fairport Convention had been together as a band for some three years. At the time of the filming of this performance the band had just recorded their most recent album Full House with the line-up featuring founder members Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol alongside Dave Pegg Dave Swarbrick and drummer Dave Mattacks. This line-up was - and still is - considered one of the key line-ups of Fairport Convention. This film directed by renowned British film director Tony Palmer captures the band at the Maidstone Fiesta during the summer of 1970 as they run through their set of the time. The film also features two songs from Matthews Southern Comfort the band led by former Fairport Convention member Ian Matthews. The DVD also includes bonus footage of an exclusive interview filmed in spring 2007 with director Tony Palmer where he explains how he first met Fairport Convention and his thoughts on the band and the film over thirty five years later. Tracklisting: 1. Various Jigs and Reels - Fairport Convention 2. Sir Patrick Spens - Fairport Convention 3. Now Be Thankful - Fairport Convention 4. My Front Pages - Matthews Southern Comfort 5. Southern Comfort - Matthews Southern Comfort 6. Flatback Caper - Fairport Convention 7. Jenny's Chickens and The Mason's Apron - Fairport Convention

• Tony Palmer's Films for The South Bank Show | DVD | (16/11/2009) from £94.39   |  Saving you £13.60 (14.41%)   |  RRP £107.99

  Melvyn Bragg has run The South Bank Show for over 30 years, producing in all over 250 films. Sadly, ITV has now decided to axe the show, so to celebrate the final season of The South Bank Show, a brilliant collection of Tony Palmer's films made for The South Bank Show is being released in a special commemorative boxset. The eleven films include the Italia Prize-winning definitive portraits of Benjamin Britten, William Walton and Maria Callas; the New York Film & TV Festival Gold medal winne...

• At the Haunted End of the Day | DVD | (18/01/2010) from £29.99   |  Saving you £-15.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Few composers have been more loved in their lifetime than William Walton. His capacity to astonish and profoundly move us remains undiminished. This Italia prize-winning film includes the only full-length interview ever recorded with Walton. It includes contributions from Laurence Olivier, Sacheverell Sitwell and Lady Susana Walton. Specially performed extracts of his music are conducted by Simon Rattle in his first substantial contribution to television when he was in his early 20s, with Sim.

• The World of Richard Burton | DVD | (29/07/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  This is Tony Palmer's fantastic portrait of the life and history of the great actor Richard Burton. Featuring interviews with Richard Burton's family members, and others including Sir John Gielgud, Melvyn Bragg, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Joe Mankiewicz, Mike Nichols, Robert Hardy, Claire Bloom, and more. A complete history of the man himself with extracts from Cleopatra, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Robe, Camelot, Where Eagles Dare, Wild Geese, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?...

• Mystery Of Chopin, The / The Strange Case Of Delphina Potocka | DVD | (20/04/2001) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (-8.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Tony Palmer's The Mystery of Chopin combines two short films about the composer. In the late 1940s, a newly Communist Poland needs its national heroes to be squeaky clean: The Strange Case of Delphina Potocka documents the persecution and mysterious death of Paulina who claimed to own letters showing Chopin to be a viciously anti-Semitic egomaniac; Penelope Wilton is stunning as the dogged, and possibly deranged, Paulina and John Shrapnel, Corin Redgrave, John Bird and John Fortuneare memorable as the men who persecute her to protect Chopin's good name. These scenes are shot in a gritty black and white; colour is reserved for the dreamy and passionate scenes in which a brooding Paul Rhys moves through pastoral and revolutionary landscapes as Chopin and the inserted moments of Valentina Igoshina playing the music which is Chopin's true legacy. In the other film, Igoshina plays a selection of the standard works featured in excerpts in the film; she is a technically adroit performer, keen on the poetry of the work--but Palmer's camera is at times a little too in love with her luminous good looks. On the DVD: The DVD has subtitles in German, French and Spanish; the sound quality is excellent--the piano recital has a particularly fine acoustic. --Roz Kaveney

• Leonard Cohen - Bird on a Wire | DVD | (29/07/2013) from £9.43   |  Saving you £-2.44 (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  On March 18th 1972, Leonard Cohen began a 20-city European tour, beginning in Dublin and ending in Jerusalem on April 21st. Other cities included London at the Royal Albert Hall, Paris, Stockholm, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin and Tel Aviv. This film is an impression of what happened during that tour.

• Benjamin Britten - A Time There Was | DVD | (27/11/2006) from £33.79   |  Saving you £-13.80 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This in-depth film portrait of Benjamin Britten one of the greatest English composers of the 20th century includes extracts from Britten's works including The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Peter Grimes Death In Venice and Billy Budd among others. With Benjamin Britten Peter Pears Leonard Bernstein Robert Britten Barbara Britten Sviatoslav Richter Janet Baker Julian Bream Heather Harper John Shirley-Quirk Imogen Holst Rosamund Strode Rudolf Bing Henry Moore Paul Rotha Beata Mayer David Rothman The English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Steuart Bedford among others.

• Tony Palmer - Margot | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Above all this is a film about a beautiful woman who still for most people is ballet with music (Prokofiev/Tchaikovsky) which for most people is music; a film about an immensely popular woman but with a very dark story to tell. She remains fourteen years after her death the most famous ballerina of our time spectacular in roles such as Giselle Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Odette in Swan Lake. And when already in her 40's she teamed up with

• William Walton - At The Haunted End Of The Day | DVD | (11/03/2002) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-4.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  First screened on ITV's South Bank Show in 1981, At the Haunted End of the Day remains the only full-length documentary on Sir William Walton, and is probably the most perceptive of Tony Palmer's composer studies from the 1980s. The first half of Walton's life is the stuff of novels: his unremarkable childhood in Oldham; his years as a chorister at Oxford University; his induction into "high society" by the Sitwell family; above all, the series of major works written during the 1920s and early 30s. The second half--when Walton relocated to Ischia and, surrounded by the tropical garden his wife Susana created, continued to compose impressive but often overlooked works--allows for some stunning footage of the Italian coastline. Musical contributions are plentiful, notably the young Simon Rattle directing Belshazzar's Feast and the First Symphony, and there are revealing interviews with Sacheverell Sitwell and Laurence Olivier. Interspersed throughout is film of the composer at work and in transit: laconic, self-deprecating, yet resolutely aware of his own worth. On the DVD: At the Haunted End of the Day arrives on disc in a standard TV 4:3 video aspect that reproduces well, though picture quality varies according to location. The soundtrack has the required immediacy. There are no subtitles, nor any extras: a "20 years on" postscript would have been welcome, though Palmer does provide some candid observations on the making of music documentaries in the accompanying booklet.--Richard Whitehouse