Drama

• Forgive Me Father | DVD | (27/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

• Callas Forever | DVD | (21/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  At the beginning of this engrossing story Larry Kelly (the delectable Jeremy Irons) has become a manager of rock bands - much easier to handle he asserts than a temperamental opera star. Managing Maria Callas's late career has left him scorched by the star's brilliant fire. Visiting her palatial Paris apartment Kelly is shocked to find a broken and reclusive Callas humiliated by the deterioration of her voice. Determined to re-ignite her passion and restore her legacy he convinces her to take on an important project: a film of the opera Carmen in which she will lip-sync her own glorious recording of many years previous. Thus begins a reawakening of their former relationship mixing creative passion genius and drive in an incendiary cocktail. The stars are ably supported by a feisty Joan Plowright as their mutually supportive journalist friend newcomer Jay Rodan as Larry's handsome artist boyfriend and a wonderfully steamy performance from sexy Gabriel Garko as the tenor who worships Callas and yearns for his own opportunity for greatness. The special relationship between Callas (a luminous Fanny Ardant reprising her stage portrayal) and her former manager forms the heart of this compelling fictional imagining of the diva's swan song written and directed by the late Callas's friend and colleague Franco Zeffirelli (ROMEO AND JULIET) in a worthy tribute to his legendary friend

• DW Griffith Collection | DVD | (20/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The Avenging Conscience:Nightmarish visions of ghouls and devils highlight this D.W. Griffith silent feature based around Edgar Allen Poe's The Telltale Heart and Annabelle Lee. A young man (Henry B. Walthall) finds himself prevented from wooing the girl he loves (Blanche Sweet) due to the tyrannical edicts of his mean old uncle (Spottiswoode Aitken). The poor lad becomes haunted by a series of visions that convince him to murder this interfering relative. After the murder has been planned and executed the man finds himself haunted by still more visions this time of the fire and brimstone variety. An inquiring detective (Ralph Lewis) adds to the ever-mounting paranoia. Birth Of A Nation: The first part of the film chronicles the Civil War as experienced through the eyes of two families; the Stonemans from the North and the Camerons of the South. Lifelong friends they become divided by the Mason-Dixon line with tragic results. Large-scale battle sequences and meticulous historical details culminate with a staged re-creation of Lincoln's assassination. The second half of the film chronicles the Reconstruction as Congressman Austin Stoneman (Ralph Lewis) puts evil Silas Lynch (George Siegmann) in charge of the liberated slaves at the Cameron hometown of Piedmont. Armed with the right to vote the freed slaves cause all sorts of trouble until Ben Cameron (Henry B. Walthall) founds the Ku Klux Klan and restores order and decency to the troubled land. While The Birth Of A Nation was a major step forward in the history of filmmaking it must be noted that the film supports a racist worldview. Broken Blossoms: This strangely beautiful silent film from D.W. Griffith is also one of his more grim efforts; an indictment of child abuse and the violence of western society. An idealistic Asian (Richard Barthelemess) travels to the west in hopes of spreading the Buddha's message of peace to the round-eyed sons of turmoil and strife. Instead he winds up a disillusioned opium-smoking shopkeeper in London's squalid Limehouse District. Down the street a poor waif (Lillian Gish) suffers horrific abuse at the hands of her boxer father (Donald Crisp). When fortune delivers the battered girl into the Asian's tender care a strange and beautiful love blossoms between them a love far too fragile to survive their brutal environment. Intolerance: D.W. Griffith's biggest most ambitious spectacle uses stories from different times and places to illustrate humanity's intolerance of religious differences throughout the ages. The most visually impressive of these chronicles is the fall of Babylon for which Griffith built the largest sets in Hollywood and filled them with thousands of extras; there's also Christ's crucifixion and the massacre of the Heugenots in 15th century France. The most emotionally involving tale is the modern one about a poor girl (Mae Marsh) whose life is repeatedly ruined by the zealotry of social reformers. The image of a mother (Lillian Gish) rocking her child in a cradle links the stories. At one point angels reach down from heaven to stop soldiers in midbattle making it clear that Griffith intended this follow-up to The Birth Of A Nation as a message of global peace and love Way Down East: Innocent Anna is sent by her poverty-stricken mother to visit rich relations in Boston where she is seduced into a sham marriage by a smooth-talking scoundrel. When she becomes pregnant he abandons her; later the baby dies. Now a social outcast she changes her name and eventually finds shelter at the estate of the sternly religious Squire Bartlett. She falls in love with his handsome son but cannot divulge to him her terrible secret for fear of his father's righteous

• Apaharan | DVD | (30/01/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The spine-chilling story of a way of life the economics the players the middlemen the victims the perpetrators: kidnapping encompasses all walks of life in the state of Bihar in India. The corrupt politicians the minority community leaders manipulating the public the honest young man who cannot lead an ordinary life and is snared into the dirty and corrupt world of kidnapping...

• Never Love A Stranger | DVD | (01/12/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  After the authorities discover that Frank Kane is Jewish rather than Catholic he's forced to switch orphanages because of a state law requiring children to live with those of their own faith. The move leaves him feeling rejected and orphaned again and the lonely Frank responds by descending into a life of petty thievery. He eventually succeeds in finding the family he never had by becoming the head of a crime syndicate but a final confrontation with the police costs him dearly.

• The Farmer's Wife | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Samuel Sweetland (Jameson Thomas) is a condescending farmer who finds himself all alone. His wife has died and his daughter has just gotten married. To find a new spouse Sweetland and his housekeeper Minta (Lillian Hall-Davis) make a list of the women who live nearby assuming that any one of them would kill to be his bride. But farmer Sweetland is in for a big surprise--and his ego is in for a major bruising--until the lovelorn Sweetland can acknowledge that he is secretly admire

• Juno And The Paycock | DVD | (28/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Juno And The Paycock is set in Ireland chronicling the financial and emotional ups and downs of the Boyle clan. When the father learns that he is about to inherit a fortune he and his family go shopping with a vengeance and rack up some serious debts. Furthermore the promise of wealth also makes the Boyles very haughty and they even dump their working-class friends. However the Boyles find themselves in big trouble - financially and otherwise - when it is revealed t

• Pleasant Days | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Just out of prison Peter moves in with his sister Maria. The two share a close relationship which is threatened when Peter becomes attracted to Maria's best friend Maja. As Peter grows more involved in Maja's life he's forced to choose where his true loyalties lie with tragic consequences...

• The Klansman | DVD | (08/05/2006) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-14.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Richard Burton Lee Marvin and Linda Evans star in this explosive drama about the Klu Klux Klan and a militant black community set in America's Deep South.

• The Ring | DVD | (24/04/2006) from £10.99   |  Saving you £-5.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This silent romantic-drama centers around a love triangle where two boxers Brisson and Hunter battle in the ring and the strains of the heart for the same woman.

• Jamaica Inn | DVD | (27/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Mary an orphan girl goes to live with her Uncle Joss landlord of the Jamaica Inn. Working as a barmaid at the inn Mary discovers that her uncle is the head of a gang of pirates who prey upon wrecked ships that have foundered in the heavy seas. When she then finds out that the gang lure the ships to their doom in the first place her life is put in danger...

• Sherlock Holmes - The Speckled Band | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Helen Stoner becomes concerned when she hears a mysterious whistle - a sound her sister complained about right before her death. Sounds like a case of Holmes (Raymond Massey) and Watson (Athole Stewart).

• Farinelli - Il Castrato | DVD | (12/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A period drama based on the lives of two brothers castrato singer Farinelli and composer Riccardo. Their bond of friendship is threatened by the composer Handel and Farinelli's new love Alexandra... A stunning tale of rivalry and obsession set amidst the baroque extravagance of 18th century European courts and opera houses this production lavishly recreates the musical phenomenon of Farinelli.

• Body Song | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Bodysong is an epic story of love sex violence death and dreams. The story of our lives told through moving images from across the world and spanning 100 years of cinema cut to an ambitious hypnotic score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

• The Firm | DVD | (21/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

• Souten | DVD | (15/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

• MGM Hollywood Legends | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Titles to be confirmed.

• Hill Street Blues - Season 3 | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £34.99

  ""Let's be careful out there."" The complete second season of Steve Bochco's ground-breaking cop show. Episodes Comprise: 1. Trial by Fury 2. Domestic Beef 3. Heat Rash 4. Rain of Terror 5. Officer of the Year 6. Stan the Man 7. Little Boil Blue 8. Requiem For a Hairbag 9. A Hair of the Dog 10. Phantom of the Hill 11. No Body's Perfect 12. Santaclaustraphobia 13. Gung Ho 14. Moon Over Uranus 15. Moon Over Uranus: the Sequel 16. Moon Over Uranus: the Final Legacy 17. The Belles of St. Marys 18. Life in the Minors 19. Eugene's Comedy Empire Strikes Back 20. Spotlight on Rico 21. Buddy Can You Spare a Heart? 22. A Hill of Beans

• Best V Best - Volume One | DVD | (14/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The world's major award winners and best short films from the past year are brought together in this first DVD release from independent film community Shooting People's newly launched label Word of Mouth Films. Including Oscar-nominees and winners of the Sundance Berlin BAFTA Edinburgh Montreal and other major short film prizes Best v Best represents a selection of moving and brilliantly realised stories from today's most promising international filmmaking talent. Shooting People is the UK's premier independent filmmakers' network that has transformed the way independent film is being made with over 26 000 members signed up to the organisation in the UK and in New York City. The launch of Word of Mouth Films distribution label by Shooting People aims to both mobilise and inspire new audiences for films as well as transform challenge and expand distribution opportunities for independent cinema. A significant proportion of the proceeds goes back to each of the filmmakers to invest in their next films. Family Portrait (Dir. Patricia Riggen) Richard and Diana render their own family portrait as they recount their childhood memories and the challenges they have faced since Gordon Parks photographed their family in 1968 for Life magazine. Who Killed Brown Owl (Dir. Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor) Inspired by classical paintings of village life and Agatha Christie whodunits this spectacular 9 minute one shot film is about a lazy Sunday afternoon down by the river that goes horribly wrong. Burnt sunbathers beer-drinking kids an abandoned baby a rabbit in a boat a bicycle accident - in Who Killed Brown Owl the perfect English arcadia gives way to varying kinds of misfortune disruption and violence. Filmed over the course of one afternoon Who Killed Brown Owl commissioned by Enfield Council features a volunteer cast of almost 100 residents of the London Borough of Enfield. The Banker (Dir. Hattie Dalton) The Banker is a short black comedy about a quirky loner who works in a sperm bank. He's border-line obsessed with the nurse who works at the fertility clinic across town and goes to enormous rather disturbing lengths to prove his love for her...It's a little tale of unrequited love on a grand scale starring Michael Sheen. School Of Life (Dir. Jake Polonsky) This will be the most important lesson of your life. Maybe the only important lesson. Milk (Dir. Peter Mackie Burns) Reluctant Jennifer must bathe her mischievous grandmother. Once close they are now virtually strangers. The enforced intimacy of the situation results in an awkwardness that they can neither deny not overcome until they begin to play together in the water. Little Terrorist (Dir. Ashvin Kumar) Jamal a 12 year old Muslim Pakistani mistakenly crosses the border between India and Pakistan finding an unusual ally in a Hindu Brahmin Bhola. Indian soldiers descend on Bhola's village searching for the 'terrorist' who crossed over. His niece Rani insists they can't let a Muslim into their Hindu home. With Bhola and Rani grappling with the consequences of harboring a Pakistani and their deep-set prejudice against Muslims Jamal's only hope is the humanity shared by a people separated by artificial boundaries a long time ago. Two Cars One Night (Dir. Taika Waititi) A tale of first love. While waiting for their parents two boys and a girl meet in the carpark of a rural pub. What at first seems to be a relationship based on rivalry soon develops into a close friendship. We learn that love can be found in the most unlikely of places.

• The Idiots | DVD | (25/09/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From controversial director Lars von Trier comes a strikingly original and thought provoking film about a group of people who confront and subvert the norms and conventions of middle-class society by exploring and releasing their 'inner idiot'. Following a chance encounter with the group the lonely drifter Karen becomes unintentionally involved with them. Gradually Karen begins to understand what they are up to and overcoming initial anger and reluctance eventually participates in their subversive activities. Isolated and concealing a deep sadness Karen finds solace acceptance and understanding with 'the idiots' and she is drawn in by the sense of joy and child-like innocence of their behaviour. However as the idiocy escalates certain members decide to leave strengthening the solidarity of those who remain and futhering their resolve to live out their excessive feelings the aggression the curiosity and the uncontrolled egotistical primitive sexuality. Produced with the revolutionary Dogma 95 Manifesto The Idiots is a powerful controversial and refreshingly unconventional film from one of contemporary cinema's major talents.