Documentary

• James May's Big Ideas | DVD | (22/06/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Top Gear presenter James May explores flying cars petrol made from air and other mind-boggling innovations in James May's Big Ideas a new Open University TV series seeking out the science that could shape our future. Energy transport and robotics are the themes that May explores in a follow-up to his earlier Open University TV show James May's Twentieth Century. Not content with merely pondering the questions that keep him up at night James travels the world and into the realms of cutting edge science with a surfeit of his trademark wit and imagination. The series is shot in the UK US Spain Germany Holland Japan Russia Eire and over three episodes looks at the issues that trouble him.

• Troy - Myth Or Reality | DVD | (10/05/2004) from £14.56   |  Saving you £-4.57 (-45.70%)   |  RRP £9.99

  There are many reasons to recommend Troy as a good ol' fashioned Hollywood epic, especially if you've never read Homer's The Iliad. Dispensing with Greek gods altogether, this earnestly massive production (budgeted at upwards of $200 million) will surely offend historians and devoted students of the classics. But there's politics aplenty in the grand-scale war that erupts when Trojan prince Paris (Orlando Bloom) makes off with Helen (blandly beautiful German model Diane Kruger), wife of Spartan ruler Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson), whose brother, the Greek king Agamemnon (Brian Cox) prods him into enraged retaliation. Greek warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) brings lethal force to his battles (and there are many of them, mostly impressive), and his Trojan counterpart, Paris's brother Hector (Eric Bana), adds even more buffed-up beefcake to a film so chock-full o' hunks that there's barely room for Peter O'Toole (doing fine work as Trojan king Priam) and even less for Julie Christie, appearing ever-so-briefly as Achilles's melancholy mother. The drama is nearly as arid as the sun-baked locations (Mexico and Malta) that stand in for the Aegean coast, and many critics suggested that Pitt (who valiantly tries to give Achilles some tormented dimension) was simply miscast. But when you consider that Wolfgang Petersen also made The Perfect Storm, there's nothing wrong with enjoying Troy as a semi-guilty pleasure with a touch of ancient class. --Jeff Shannon

• The Fabric Of Time | DVD | (22/11/2010) from £13.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (42.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Science and religion have often appeared to be on opposing sides but is that changing? Have science and religion come together to uncover an age-old mystery? Who was Jesus Christ? What did he actually look like? And can the story of his death and resurrection now be proven as true? Viewers are in the jury box as newly found scientific discoveries are presented by scholars scientists and historians in an unflinching search for evidence-nothing has been held back. Does a single fibre from an ancient artifact hold the answers? Has science found a way to unlock the hidden information contained in the artifact providing a link to the past-explaining the universe in a whole new light and giving hope to people around the world? Did Christ leave us physical evidence that only now with quantum leaps forward in science are we able to understand? See the evidence and decide.

• Whitney Houston: Her Life Story | DVD | (24/06/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This is the story of Whitney Elizabeth Houston - the rise and untimely demise of a soulful icon. As a child Whitney was surrounded by music. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin, were all notable figures in gospel music. At the tender age of 11, Whitney began performing as a soloist in the church choir. By the time she was 15, she was singing background vocals for Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls, and Jermaine Jackson. Her polished performance caught the attention of legendary music mogul Clive Davis, who promised to make her a star. In 1983 Whitney signed a worldwide recording contract with Davis's Arista Records. She would eventually sell over 200 million albums and flourished as a Hollywood actress. However her success came with its fair share of drug use, love affairs, and scandals. In this detailed docu-drama we explore the legacy of Whitney Houston - Her Life Story.

• Charlie Chaplin - The Essential Charlie Chaplin - Vol. 10 - His Life And Work | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  This is a fascinating documentary which tells the true story of the man behind the Little Tramp character.

• Various Artists - the Small Black Groups | DVD | (23/08/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.99

• H.G. Wells - War Of The Worlds (Documentary) | DVD | (18/07/2005) from £26.99   |  Saving you £-21.00 (-350.60%)   |  RRP £5.99

  H.G.wells is the author of War of the Worlds one of the most famous science fiction stories ever written and caused a major controversy when first broadcast on radio by Orson Welles. It has now been turned into a 21st century classic on film by Steven Spielberg in a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise. This documentry tells the story of H.G. Wells and of his most popular work of all.

• Cake Decorating - Modelling With Sugarpaste and Marzipan | DVD | (26/06/2006) from £17.98   |  Saving you £1.01 (5.30%)   |  RRP £18.99

  Your tutors are Jenny Harris & Sara Carter both International Gold Medal Winners.The step by step skills and techniques demonstrated in this programme will show you how to create a selection of amusing characters from sugarpaste and marzipan to decorate a variety of cakes such as birthday anniversary St. Valentines Day Halloween Christmas Easter and Wedding Cakes.Tutorial 1:Teddy BearsDogsCatsBride and Groom HipposChicksChickensDucksRabbitsTutorial 2:DragonsWitchesGolfersPenguinsFather ChristmasRugby PlayersPolar Bears

• Sten Gun and Other Submachine Guns | DVD | (24/01/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  From the MP18 to the Sterling Development of the Submachine Gun World renowned Sten gun authority Peter Laidler is the star of a new specialist DVD about the history of the Sten and other submachine guns. From its formative days when the Sten MK I prototype was created in just a week by Harold Turpin and Vernon Shepherd to the deluxe paratrooper Sten Gun MK V Peter reveals fascinating inside stories about the gun that played such a crucial role during the Second World War. John Hutchins also an expert armourer explains the development of the German MP series of submachine guns and Assault Rifle. Other submachine guns featured include the American Thompson Submachine Gun the M3 Grease Gun the Australian Owen gun and the Russian PPSh 41 and 43 as well as George Patchett's masterpiece the Sterling Submachine Gun MK IV. Also features strip downs and rate of fire comparisons.

• Solti - The Making Of A Maestro | DVD | (15/10/2001) from £25.90   |  Saving you £-5.91 (-29.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Making of a Maestro is a moving film of the life of conductor Sir Georg Solti, completed by producer/director Peter Maniura shortly before Solti's death in 1997. One of the most dynamic conductors of the 20th century, Solti gained something of a reputation as a tartar on the rostrum--"like playing for Mephisto," as one member of the Chicago Symphony puts it. Yet it's theatre director Sir Peter Hall's phrase, "a deeply lyrical soul", that comes to the fore watching this beautifully photographed film from the BBC's Omnibus series. Solti may have driven his orchestras and singers to a point where some of them felt cajoling became bullying, but it was always at the service of the music. This documentary sensibly does not take a view on Solti's ranking in the hierarchy of great conductors; instead Maniura wisely lets the conductor's words tell the story, making this film a very personal one. Over half the running time is devoted to Solti's upbringing and post-war years in Munich, where he built up the bombed-out opera house from scratch. Solti's friendship with Richard Strauss makes for a poignant interlude. His initial unpopularity at Covent Garden, where the opera posters were frequently daubed "Solti must go", his achievement at raising their orchestral standards, as well as his later starrier role as conductor of the Chicago Symphony, are also given their full due. Maniura handles the musical soundtrack with sensitivity, pointing up many striking images with music to create indelible impressions. The film concludes with Solti at his grandparents' grave reflecting without bitterness on those relatives--such as his father--who were never buried but disappeared in the Holocaust. The Making of a Maestro is an inspirational film from which the viewer cannot but help take heart. On the DVD: No special features to speak of, although the DVD trailer promotes other ArtHaus Musik productions, including their award-winning Damnation of Faust, the Penderecki choral work The Seven Gates of Jerusalem, Claudio Abbado conducting a New Year's Gala and Herbert Blomstedt a performance of Beethoven's Fifth.--Adrian Edwards

• The English Civil War - To Kill A King | DVD | (13/07/2009) from £16.16   |  Saving you £-6.17 (-61.80%)   |  RRP £9.99

  It was a time of great bitterness and hatred in Britain - a war that set father against son and brother against brother. The breakdown in relations between a Parliament with a strong purpose and a King who believed in his divine right to rule set the scene for a series of brutal battles that were truly a struggle for the soul of a nation. The outcome of the English Civil War shaped the course of the nation's history and laid the foundations of the country as it is today. The third installment of 'The English Civil War' series recounts the events that eventually led to the King's execution. This episode sees how the King's cause was dealt a fatal blow by the calamitous defeat of his force sat the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

• The Sculpture 100 | DVD | (18/11/2005) from £14.69   |  Saving you £8.30 (36.10%)   |  RRP £22.99

  The Sculpture 100 is a journey through one hundred public sculptures made across one hundred years. In 1905, Thomas Brock and Aston Webb began work on their final grand celebration of Victoria Regina, the Victoria Memorial, at one end of London's Mall. A century later, Marc Quinn's Alison Lapper Pregnant sits triumphant on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. This is a film about these, and ninety-eight other distinctive, significant, quirky, glorious public sculptures made for England in t...

• Almost The Truth: The Lawyer's Cut (Theatrical Version) | DVD | (19/05/2014) from £7.19   |  Saving you £-2.20 (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Monty Python - Almost The Truth - The Lawyer's Cut

• Gregory Isaacs: Live Rockers TV | DVD | (12/01/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  For over twenty-five years Earl Chin''s legendary television show Rockers TV was broadcast live from New York City to millions of music fans. This episode features the reggae soul of Gregory Isaacs. This feature presentation was shot on location in Kingston Jamaica at Gregory Isaacs'' studio - African Museum. The Roots Man speaks with the legend about his passion to succeed his love for the people the music and his preference to use live instruments to create music. Track Listing: Ramble ....Rockers Theme Song House Of The Rising Sun Three Little Birds New Dawn Weh Yu A Say Star Riverside Moving Up In Life The Border Coming Up Natty Dread Congo Listen To The Voices Bruk Out

• Great Adventurers - Dr David Livingstone And Stanley | DVD | (15/05/2006) from £13.48   |  Saving you £-3.49 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £9.99

  ""Dr. Livingstone I presume?"" - Henry Morton Stanley This DVD documentary takes an in-depth look into the the lives of Scottish medical missionary David Livingstone and the Welsh-born American journalist/explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

• Caught Between Worlds | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £11.98   |  Saving you £-6.99 (-140.10%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Immerse yourself in unfathomable worlds of marvel and mystery through the cutting edge of 3D computer animation art. Prepare to be caught between every day reality and dimensions that lie beyond your wildest imaginations. A mysterious soundtrack fuses sound with perplexing imagery to create an amazing journey of insight and wonder.

• Flow: For the Love of Water | DVD | (13/12/2010) from £12.98   |  Saving you £2.01 (13.40%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatisation of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics pollution human rights and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis at both the global and human scale and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab while begging the question CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?

• Dear Zachery | DVD | (20/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  One of the most acclaimed American documentaries in recent years is this heartbreaking story of a crime that escalated into a devastating tragedy. On hearing of the murder of his friend Andrew Bagby filmmaker Kurt Kuenne decided to interview all those involved so that Bagby's son Zachary would have a record of his father. However what begins as a kindly act by a friend soon transforms into a record of accusation and recrimination as the dead man's parents attempt to gain custody of the boy from his mother who is the primary suspect in the murder investigation. A searing and emotionally devastating documentary.

• Scenic Rail Journeys - Alaska - The Last Frontier | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Sit back and enjoy the sparkling streams to pristine mountain glaciers to moose or Caribou or even the occasional grizzly or black bear through the window as the train penetrates Alaska's spectacular wilderness...

• The Rugged Islands | DVD | (22/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Three classic films about Scottish Island life in the 1930s and one from the 1950s. Includes the following films: The Rugged Island - A Shetland Lyric (1934): Produced and filmed by Jenny Brown. A drama-documentary about a young couple torn between the choice of emigrating to Australia or remaining to work their croft in Shetland and take care of their parents. Eriskay - A Poem of Remote Lives (1935): A study of Eriskay's crofting life filmed by Dr Werner Kissling during a summer spent on the island. It was filmed mute during the summer of 1934. Narration and music was added in a London studio. The film was premiered on April 1935. Life in the Orkneys (1957): Made in 1957 by Campbell Harper of Edinburgh this is Life in the Orkneys seen through the eyes of a mail boat skipper a farmer and a civil air-service pilot. It includes a brief scene of the German fleet in Scapa Flow prior to scuttling in 1919 and an aerial shot of the Churchill Barriers. Handba' at Kirkwall Orkney (1939) a short about the annual New Year's Day Kirkwall Ba' game between the uppies and the doonies.