Set in an emergency medical camp, the sitcom M*A*S*H was based on Robert Altman's 1970 movie of the same name, which notionally took place during the Korean War but was implicitly a bleak commentary on the US involvement in Vietnam. First aired in 1972, the series is broader and less edgy than the film, taking the original characters and reducing them for stock comic value. Nonetheless, the sense of hip insolence is preserved in Alan Alda's carousing, wisecracking but essentially decent Hawkeye--Groucho Marx in a surgeon's mask. The first series shows Hawkeye and buddy Trapper John (Wayne Rogers) dealing with the bloody and messy end of the war. Though not often explicitly critical of the conflict, their attitude towards the uptight, irascible Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Loretta Swit's prim, buttoned-up nurse "Hotlips" Houlihan suggests a healthy contempt for military mores. Fortunately, their commander Henry Blake (McClean Stevenson) is an easy-going soul who indulges them and allows a genial atmosphere to flourish at the 4077th. The pilot--in which Hawkeye arranges a raffle where the prize is a night with a gorgeous nurse to raise money for a Korean kid to get to college--sums up the spirit of these early episodes: soft-centred liberalism mixed with somewhat dated sexism, albeit more slickly delivered than contemporary British sitcoms such as On the Buses. The skirt-chasing and buffoonery in this first series would give way to a more earnest tone as the show continued. On the DVD: M*A*S*H is disappointingly short on special features. However, there is the option of removing the jarringly inappropriate intrusive laugh track that was used on US broadcasts of the show but not the UK version. These episodes have been comprehensively cleaned up for DVD consumption. --David Stubbs
When Harry Met Sally: Will sex ruin a perfect relationship between a man and a woman? That's what Harry (Crystal) and Sally (Ryan) debate during their trip from Chicago to New York. And eleven years later they're sill no closer to finding the answer. Will these two best friends ever accept that they're meant for each other... or will they continue to deny the attraction that's existed since the first moment when Harry met Sally? French Kiss: Straight-laced Kate (Ryan)has her future all planned out: marry her fiance Charlie (Timothy Hutton) and live happily ever after. What she didn't count on was Juliette the beautiful French woman Charlie falls for on a business trip to Paris! Determined to win him back Kate jumps on a plane where she meets Luc (Kline) a petty thief whom she immediately dislikes. But when Luc sneaks a stolen necklace into Kate's purse she finds herself travelling through France with him on a trip full of surprises: the biggest one being that this con man is stealing her heart! A sexy savvy and very funny romantic romp 'French Kiss' is a passionate heartfelt reminder that life can always surprise you. Jack And Sarah: Jack (Richard E. Grant) has it all - a perfect marriage a successful career and a dream home. But his world crumbles when his wife dies giving birth to their daughter Sarah. Even though he is struggling to cope with his broken heart and a newborn baby Jack rejects the offers of help from his family (Judy Dench and David Swift) in a bid to prove his independence. Instead he builds a quirky family of his own when he takes on a down-and-out (Ian McKellen) to be his housekeeper and American waitress Amy (Samantha Mathis) to be his nanny. Once Amy moves in life becomes a series of mishaps and conflicts with touchingly funny moments as the mis-matched characters learn to live with each other. But when Jack's female boss begins to show more than a professional interest in him the tension mounts as Amy and Jack begin to realise their true feeling for each other....
French director JACQUES DEMY didn't just make movieshe created an entire cinematic world. Demy launched his glorious feature filmmaking career in the sixties, a decade of astonishing invention in his national cinema. He stood out from the crowd of his fellow New Wavers, however, by filtering his self-conscious formalism through deeply emotional storytelling. Fate and coincidence, doomed love, and storybook romance surface throughout his films, many of which are further united by the intersecting lives of characters who either appear or are referenced across titles. Demy's filmswhich range from musical to melodrama to fantasiaare triumphs of visual and sound design, camera work, and music, and they are galvanized by the great stars of French cinema at their centres, including ANOUK AIMÃE, CATHERINE DENEUVE, and JEANNE MOREAU. The works collected here, made from the sixties to the eighties, touch the heart and mind in equal measure. LOLA JACQUES DEMY's crystalline debut gave birth to the fictional universe in which so many of his characters would live, play, and love. It's among his most profoundly felt films, a tale of crisscrossing lives in Nantes (Demy's hometown) that floats on waves of longing and desire. Heading the film's ensemble is the enchanting ANOUK AIMÃE (8 1/2) as the title character, a cabaret chanteuse; she's awaiting the return of a long-lost lover and unwilling to entertain the adoration of another love-struck soul, the wanderer Roland (Le trou's MARC MICHEL). Humane, wistful, and witty, Lola is a testament to the resilience of the heartbroken. BAY OF ANGELS This precisely wrought, emotionally penetrating romantic drama from JACQUES DEMY, set largely in the casinos of Nice, is a visually lovely but darkly pragmatic investigation into love and obsession. A bottle-blonde JEANNE MOREAU (Jules and Jim) is at her blithe best as a gorgeous gambling addict, and CLAUDE MANN (Army of Shadows) is the bank clerk drawn into her risky world. Featuring a glittering score by MICHEL LEGRAND, Bay of Angels is among Demy's most somber works. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG An angelically beautiful CATHERINE DENEUVE (Belle de jour) was launched into stardom by this glorious musical heart tugger from JACQUES DEMY. She plays an umbrella-shop owner's delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by NINO CASTELNUOVO (The English Patient). When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs of the great composer MICHEL LEGRAND, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time. THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT JACQUES DEMY followed up The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with another musical about missed connections and second chances, this one a more effervescent confection. Twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters CATHERINE DENEUVE and FRANÃOISE DORLÃAC), dream of big-city life; when a fair comes through their quiet port town, so does the possibility of escape. With its jazzy MICHEL LEGRAND score, pastel paradise of costumes, and divine supporting cast (GEORGE CHAKIRIS, GROVER DALE, DANIELLE DARRIEUX, MICHEL PICCOLI, and GENE KELLY), The Young Girls of Rochefort is a tribute to Hollywood optimism from sixties French cinema's preeminent dreamer. DONKEY SKIN In this lovingly crafted, wildly quirky adaptation of a classic French fairy tale, JACQUES DEMY casts CATHERINE DENEUVE as a princess who must go into hiding as a scullery maid in order to fend off an unwanted marriage proposal from her own father, the king (Orpheus's JEAN MARAIS)! A topsy-turvy riches-to-rags fable featuring songs by MICHEL LEGRAND, Donkey Skin creates a tactile fantasy world that's perched on the border between the earnest and the satiric, and features DELPHINE SEYRIG (Last Year at Marienbad) in a delicious supporting role as a fashionable fairy godmother. UNE CHAMBRE EN VILLE In this musical melodrama set against the backdrop of a workers' strike in Nantes, DOMINIQUE SANDA (The Conformist) plays a young woman who wishes to leave her brutish fiancé (Contempt's MICHEL PICCOLI) for an earthy steelworker (The Valet's RICHARD BERRY), though he is engaged to another. Unbeknownst to the girl, the object of her affection boards with her no-nonsense baroness mother (The Earrings of Madame de . . .'s DANIELLE DARRIEUX). A late-career triumph from JACQUES DEMY, Une chambre en ville received nine César Award nominations and features a rich, operatic score by MICHEL COLOMBIER (Purple Rain). Features New 2K digital restorations of all six films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays of Lola and Bay of Angels and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 surround soundtracks on the Blu-rays of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Donkey Skin, and Une chambre en ville Two documentaries by filmmaker Agnès Varda: The World of Jacques Demy (1995) and The Young Girls Turn 25 (1993) Four short films by director Jacques Demy: Les horizons morts (1951), Le sabotier du Val de Loire (1956), Ars (1959), and La luxure (1962) Jacques Demy A to Z, a new visual essay by film critic James Quandt Two archival interviews from French television with Demy and composer Michel Legrand, one on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and the other on The Young Girls of Rochefort French television interview from 1962 with actor Jeanne Moreau on the set of Bay of Angels Once Upon a Time . . . The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a 2008 documentary French television program about the making of Donkey Skin Donkey Skin Illustrated, a video program on the many versions of Charles Perrault's fairy tale Donkey Skin and the Thinkers, a video program on the themes of the film, featuring critic Camille Tabouley New video conversation with Demy biographer Jean-Pierre Berthomé and costume designer Jacqueline Moreau New interviews with author Marie Colmant and film scholar Rodney Hill Q&A with Demy from the 1987 Midnight Sun Film Festival, as well as an audio Q&A with him from the American Film Institute in 1971 Archival audio recordings of interviews with Demy, Legrand, and actor Catherine Deneuve at the National Film Theatre in London Interview with actor Anouk Aimée conducted by Varda in 2012 Interview from 2012 with Varda on the origin of Lola's song Video programs on the restorations of Lola, Bay of Angels, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and Une chambre en ville Trailers New English subtitle translations Six Blu-rays PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics Ginette Vincendeau, Terrence Rafferty, Jim Ridley, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Anne Duggan, and Geoff Andrew, and a postscript by Berthomé
4 Movies Film Noir Collection Includes: Double Indemnity One of the finest films the noir genre has to offer. Double Indemnity has a bona fide Hollywood cast: Fred MacMurry is the insurance salesman led astray by Barbara Stanwyck's definitive femme fatale, Edward G Robinson investigates them. The Blue Dahlia Raymond Chandler's one and only screenplay (nominated for an Oscar®*). Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake are the leads: He is the returning GI who may or may not have been framed for murder, she is the femme fatale aiding him. The Glass Key This masterful adaption of Dasheill Hammett's tale of intrigue sees Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake positively smouldering as a henchman and politician's daughter drawn to each other. This Gun for Hire An early example of the noir genre and the first time pairing of Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, here making his screen debut. Based on a Graham Greene novel.
Features the best performances from Clapton's record-setting string of 24 consecutive sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1990-91. Certified gold in the home video format ``24 NIGHTS'' features Clapton backed by a stripped-down four-piece combo an all-star blues band a nine-piece rock ensemble and a symphony orchestra. Musical guests include Phil Collins Robert Cray Buddy Guy Chuck Leavelland Ray Cooper as well as The National Philharmonic Orchestra 4 Piece Ba
Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) has always had one goal in life: to make it into the publishing business. Despite being smart hard-working and productive her dream has always been shadowed by the fact that she isn't the best looking young woman. However she is now determined to do whatever it takes to fulfil that ultimate dream.
As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven. Harry suspects perils may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Even as the decisive showdown looms, romance blossoms for Harry, Ron, Hermione and their classmates. Love is in the air, but danger lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
Dramatic thriller Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades.
Young Guns Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulronery and Casey Siemaszko take on the Wild West in this heart-stopping, gunslinging action adventure. The year is 1878, Lincoln County. John Tunstall, A British ranchowner, hires six rebellious boys as regulators to protect his ranch against the ruthless Santa Fe Ring. When Tunstall is killed in an ambush, the Regulators, led by the wild-tempered Billy the Kid (Estevez), declare war on the Ring. As their vendetta turns into a bloody rampage, they are branded outlaws, becoming the objects of the largest manhunt in Western history. Young Guns II: Blaze Of Glory Good weather for hanging. Billy the Kid's outlaw ingrates are penned like sows in a Lincoln County pit and the Kid is strapped in a nearby hotel. But the hangman will go home disappointed tonight. Billy cleverly breaks himself - then his gang - free. One of the West's greatest legends lives on to ride another day. Emilio Estevez, Keifer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips and Christian Slater saddle up for Young Guns II, featuring Jon Bon Jovi's 1990 Oscar® - nominated* and Golden Globe® Award-winning Best Original Song ʻBlaze of Glory'. By 1879, the Lincoln County Wars have ended but bad blood endures. Billy and his men look to Mexico for haven - if they can elude Billy's one-time friend, pursuing sheriff Pat Garrett (William Petersen). The real Billy the kid documentary Advanced trivia pack
Headstrong and passionate Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) unexpectedly inherits a large farm in rural Dorset. Struggling to manage the farm herself she captivates the hearts and minds of three very different men: an honest and hardworking sheep farmer (Alan Bates) a wealthy but tortured landowner (Peter Finch) and a reckless and violent swordsman (Terence Stamp). But as emotions become entangled free spirited and innocent folly soon leads to devastating tragedy. The restoration process of Far From the Madding Crowd was overseen by the film’s cinematographer and acclaimed director Nicolas Roeg. The Digital Film restoration was funded by STUDIOCANAL in collaboration the BFI’s Unlocking Film Heritage programme Awarding funds from the National Lottery.
The classic BBC dramatisation of Tolstoy's epic story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins heads the cast as the soul-searching Pierre Bezuhov (a role for which he won the 1972 Best Actor BAFTA); Morag Hood is the impulsive and beautiful Natasha Rostova; Alan Dobie is the dour but heroic Andrei Bolkonsky; and David Swift is Napoleon whose decision to invade Russia in 1812 has far-reaching consequences for Pierre and the Rostov and Bolkonsky families. This twenty-part serial was the vision of its producer David Conroy (Portrait of a Lady Cold Comfort Farm) whose principle aim was to transfer the rich characterisation and incident from Tolstoy's greatest novel to fifteen hours of television drama. Scripted by Jack Pulman (I Claudius The Golden Bowl) and directed by John Davies (The Woodlanders Germinal) Conroy's War And Peace boasts superb acting award-winning design (1972 Best Design BAFTA) and breathtaking battle sequences which were filmed in former Yugoslavia.
Hamlet (1991)
Peter Greenaway directs this culinary tale of passion and revenge. An arrogant gangster (Michael Gambon) invests in a popular French restaurant, which he begins to frequent with his wife (Helen Mirren) and a band of crooks. He delights in humiliating his spouse, and, when she begins an affair with another patron (Alan Howard), the restaurant's cook (Richard Bohringer) tries to protect them from her husband's wrath.
A single mum and her slacker sister find an unexpected way to turn their lives around in the off-beat dramatic comedy "Sunshine Cleaning".
Producers Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Orphanage) and Mark Johnson (Chronicles of Narnia) join forces to deliver Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, a tale of hair-raising, spine-chilling horror.
All 18 episodes from Series One and Two of the hit Channel 5 series, in a 5-disc DVD Boxset. With unprecedented access to some of our most famous historical landmarks, Alan Titchmarsh and a host of celebrities with a passion for the past reveal the treasures and secrets hidden throughout the National Trust, from exploring the incredible human stories behind stunning estates and historic houses to uncovering priceless natural history throughout Britain's hundreds of miles of breath-taking landscape and coastlines. This is a rarely seen side of the National Trust and the extraordinary work that goes on behind the scenes to preserve our most valuable heritage sites. Features over 50 National Trust properties.
Harry must contend with the fact that Lord Voldemort has returned in this, the fifth film in the hugely popular franchise.
Puppies, puppies and more puppies are packed into this entertaining and exciting sequel to Disney's classic, 101 Dalmatians. The adventure begins when Pongo and Perdita's pup Patch, who is not satisfied being just one out of 101, gets the chance to meet his TV hero, Thunderbolt, the One-Of-A-Kind Wonderdog. When Thunderbolt's trusty sidekick Lightning reveals that the show's producers are on the lookout for a new star, Thunderbolt - with Patch in tow - struts out into the real world to perform true acts of heroism. And when puppy-obsessed Cruella De Vil returns, it's Patch and Thunderbolt's teamwork and friendship that will save the day.
Dashing Errol Flynn is the definitive Robin in 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood, the most gloriously swashbuckling version of the legendary story. Warner Brothers reunited Michael Curtiz, their top-action director, with the winning team of Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (Maid Marian) and perennial villain Basil Rathbone as the aristocratic Sir Guy of Gisbourne, and pulled out all stops for the production. It became their costliest film to date, a grandly handsome, glowing technicolour adventure set to a stirring, Oscar-winning score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold--music that became a template for countless later movies, notably John Williams' Star Wars and Indiana Jones scores. The decadent Prince John (a smoothly conniving Claude Rains) takes advantage of King Richard's absence to tax the country into poverty but meets his match in the medieval guerrilla rebel Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Sherwood Forest, who rise up and, to quote a cliché coined by the film, "steal from the rich and give to the poor". Stocky Alan Hale Sr plays Robin's loyal friend Little John (a part he played in Douglas Fairbanks' silent version), Eugene Palette plays the portly Friar Tuck and Melville Cooper is the bumbling Sheriff of Nottingham. Flynn's confidence and cocky charm makes for a perfect Robin and his easygoing manner is a marvellous counterpoint to Rathbone's regal bearing and courtly diction. The film climaxes in their rousing battle-to-the-finish sword fight, a magnificently choreographed scene highlighted by Curtiz's inventive use of shadows cast upon the castle walls. --Sean Axmaker
Oscar-nominee Alan Bates turns in one of his most forceful performances as an asylum inmate with supernatural powers in a film that is both highly unsettling and deeply compelling – a perfect companion piece to Nicolas Roeg’s ’70s masterpiece Don’t Look Now. Also featuring strong performances from Susannah York and John Hurt and employing a distinctive narrative style employed by Palm d’Or-nominated director Jerzy Skolimowski The Shout is presented here in a High Definition transfer made from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. During a cricket match at an insane asylum between the inmates and the local villagers patients Crossley and Graves keep themselves entertained by telling stories. Crossley tells of how he came to possess supernatural powers enabling him to kill with a single shout and although his friend dismisses the tale as an insane fantasy as the match continues the proceedings take an emphatically sinister turn... Special Features: Audio commentary with horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Jones booklet by Kim Newman Original Theatrical trailer Image gallery Original Press Material PDFs
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