Patrick Troughton stars in this recreation of a lost classic from 1966. The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Polly and Ben to a colony on the swamp planet of Vulcan. Soon after arriving, the Doctor witnesses a brutal murder. Meanwhile, in another part of the colony an ancient crashed space capsule has been discovered in the swamps. The colony's misguided chief scientist opens the capsule and discovers a group of strange metal 'creatures' inside. The creatures appear to be long dead. The Doctor calls the metal creatures 'Daleks' and claims that they are incredibly dangerous. 'Power of the Daleks' was the first Doctor Who story to star Patrick Troughton as the Doctor - broadcast between November and December 1966. Sadly, none of the six original broadcast episodes of 'Power of the Daleks' any longer exist in the BBC Film Archives. However, complete audio recordings of the lost episodes have survived in the hands of private collectors. And it is these audio recordings that are used as the basis for this special animated production of the programme. Now in a brand new edition and brought to you in glorious black and white... Includes exciting new special features: Two new documentaries about Power of the Daleks 1993 BBC audio version of The Power of the Daleks narrated by Tom Baker Raw incidental music Photogrammetry Featurette Whicker's World - I Don't Like My Monsters to Have Oedipus Complexes Daleks - The Early Years: A 1992 documentary presented by Peter Davison Robin Hood - 1953 Episode: Patrick Troughton's earliest surviving TV appearance BBC archive footage from BBC regional news, BBC Breakfast, Blue Peter and Newsnight Previously unreleased animation trailers and animatics Additional bonus material: Audio commentaries by Anneke Wills on each episode Animation test footage Photo Gallery, including previously unreleased and rediscovered full colour on-set photos from 1966. Servants & Masters - The Making of The Power of the Daleks Doctor Who The Highlanders
Pauline Collins repeats her stage success as the character Shirley Valentine, a married woman who decides in her middle years that she wants more out of life. Leaving her spouse behind, she heads to Greece, where she grows close to a low-key local bloke (Tom Conti). Collins and director Lewis Gilbert (Educating Rita) choose to let the character, as she did in the play, speak directly to the audience at times and the gamble works in terms of creating a gentle, intimate atmosphere. Conti is a bonus, a warm presence and funny to boot. --Tom Keogh
Odette is the story of a brave woman who volunteered to join SOE (Special Operations Executive) during WWII.
Writer Peter Mayle's autobiographical adventurous account of the first year he and his wife spent in Provence is brought wonderfully to life in this BBC adaptation starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan. Having decided to leave their jobs London and the rat race behind them the Mayles head of to the South of France seduced by the prospect of the idyllic countryside the simple rural way of life great food fine wines and sun. However everything is not quite as they imagined it to be and one comic situation follows another as they brave mistral winds truffle season and mafia involvement while a succession of colourful characters constantly interrupt their plan for a quiet life...
Richard Attenborough's award-winning epic recounts the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi. In South Africa a young Indian lawyer is booted off a train for refusing to ride second-class. Upon his return to his native India and fed up with the unjust political system he joins the Indian Congress Party which encourages social change through passive resistance. When his ""subversive"" activities land him in jail masses of low-skilled workers strike to support his non-violent yet revolutionary position. Back in India Gandhi renounces the Western way of life and struggles to organize Indian labor against British colonialism. A strike costs many British soldiers their lives so the crown responds by slaughtering 1 500 Indians. Enraged the ascetic spiritual leader continues to preach pacifism until he has lead India out from under the tyranny of British imperialism.
Jim Carrey is back in top form after his disastrous outing in The Cable Guy. As a lawyer who becomes physically unable to tell a lie for 24 hours after his son makes a magical birthday wish, Carrey learns a few brutal truths about the real meaning of life. There is very little plot, but Carrey's rubbery contortions and slapstick trickery provide just enough humour to keep you interested in this breezy bit of escapism. Not aided in Liar Liar by pets or animation, Carrey manages to do amazing and unique things with very simple props. He is also more in control of his acting than before. He is still over the top, but remains believable in some of the lower-energy scenes. An added plus is that the comedy is not as coarse as we've come to expect from him. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Welcome to the kingdom of Terry Gilliam: his solo-directing debut, a gonzo medieval comedy Amid the filth and muck of England in the Dark Ages, a fearsome dragon stalks the land, casting a shadow of terror upon the kingdom of Bruno the Questionable. Who should emerge as the town's only possible saviour but Dennis Cooper (Life of Brian's MICHAEL PALIN), an endearingly witless bumpkin who stumbles onto the scene and is flung into the role of brave knight? The first outing as a solo director by TERRY GILLIAM (Brazil)inspired by Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky and made on the heels of Gilliam's success as a member of the iconic comedy troupe Monty Pytho - showcases his delight in comic nonsense, with a cast chock-full of beloved British character actors. A giddy romp through blood and excrement, this fantasy remains one of the filmmaker's most uproarious visions of society run amok. BONUS FEATURES DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital transfer from a restoration by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, approved by director Terry Gilliam 5.1 surround mix, supervised by Gilliam and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Audio commentary from 2001 featuring Gilliam and actor Michael Palin New documentary on the making of the film, featuring Gilliam, producer Sandy Lieberson, Palin and actor Annette Badland New interview with Valerie Charlton, designer of the Jabberwock, featuring her collection of rare behind-the-scenes photographs Selection of Gilliam's storyboards and sketches PLUS: An essay by critic Scott Tobias
A medieval comedy-adventure starring Michael Palin and directed by Terry Gilliam, Jabberwocky is an episodic adaptation of Lewis Carrolls surreal poem. Having previously directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975) with Terry Jones, Jabberwocky marked Gilliams solo directorial debut--is it coincidental that Jones is killed by the titular monster in the opening scene? Palin plays the naive Dennis Cooper, a man seeking his fortune just as the Jabberwocky is laying waste to the country. Its much the same world as Holy Grail, with all the trappings of the romantic Hollywood epic being liberally coated with literal and metaphorical muck. Palins character causes unwitting mayhem wherever he goes--one stand-out scene involves the destruction of a maintenance shop for damaged knights-in-armour--though as much humour comes from exposing the foibles of the people he meets. And those people constitute a roll call of contemporary British comedy: Harry H Corbett as a sex-mad squire, Warren Mitchells Mr Fishfinger, plus Annette Badland, Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes, John Bird, Neil Innes and John Gorman. Jabberwocky lacks the hilarity of Holy Grail, but is a consistently amusing, exceptionally atmospheric, gleefully gory yarn which points the way to Gilliams Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). On the DVD Jabberwocky is distinguished by an engaging and enthusiastic commentary from Gilliam and Palin, in which they delight in the amazing cast and ponder how such a handsome film was made. Otherwise the extras are a short sketch-to-screen comparison, three posters and three trailers (only one for Jabberwocky). Transferred anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, the picture is variable, with many beautifully lit indoor scenes looking fine, while other exterior, daylight shots appear washed out. There is some minor print damage. The sound is a revelation for a low-budget 1970s film originally released in mono. Given a full Dolby Digital 5.1 remix the tremendously detailed, rich and involving soundscape really brings Gilliams world alive and puts many much more recent and expensive titles to shame. --Gary S Dalkin
Bruno and Sonia a young couple living off her benefit and the thefts committed by his gang have a new source of money: their newborn son... From the makers of Rosetta and The Son comes the winner of the 2005 Palme D'Or The Child!
50 years on from its first transmission, the BBC's Play for Today anthology series remains one of British television's most influential and celebrated achievements. Between 1970 and 1984, plays which combined some of the era's finest writing, acting and directing talents were broadcast direct to living rooms, regularly challenging viewers and pushing the boundaries of TV drama. Featuring plays by the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Julia Jones and Colin Welland and featuring a roster of eminent British actors, Play for Today: Volume One brings together seven iconic dramas on Bluray for the very first time, in a collection that exemplifies the breadth and brilliance of this groundbreaking series. The set includes five plays which have been restored from the original negatives held in the BBC archive. The Plays: The Lie (Written by Ingmar Bergman | Dir. Alan Bridges, 1970) Shakespeare or Bust (Written by Peter Terson | Dir. Brian Parker, 1973) Back of Beyond (Written by Julia Jones | Dir. Desmond Davis, 1974) Passage to England (Written by Leon Griffiths | Dir. John Mackenzie, 1975) Our Flesh and Blood (Written by Mike Stott | Dir. Pedr James, 1977) A Photograph (Written by John Bowen | Dir. John Glenister, 1977) Your Man from Six Counties (Written by Colin Welland | Dir. Barry Davis, 1976)
Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Thora Hird and Jack Watling star in Herbert Wilcox's masterly drama of love across the social divide. A phenomenal box-office success which resonated with cinema audiences struggling amidst the upheavals of post-war Britain, The Courtneys of Curzon Street chronicles the changing fortunes of three generations of the aristocratic Courtney family - from the close of the nineteenth century, when Edward Courtney's marriage to his mother's Irish maid scandalises Victor...
After being shot down over Nazi occupied Holland an RAF bomber crew attempt to make their way back to England with the help of the Dutch resistance.
Directed by renowned producer/director Herbert Wilcox at the height of his career, this British post-War film drama spans four generations to tell the never-changing story of the soldier husband who returns home expecting to find everything just as he left it. Starring screen icon Anna Neagle, Elizabeth of Ladymead is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Ladymead is the gracious Georgian mansion in which El...
By the time Alfred Hitchcock's second-to-last picture came out in 1972, the censorship restrictions under which he had laboured during his long career had eased up. Now he could give full sway to his lurid fantasies, and that may explain why Frenzy is the director's most violent movie by far--outstripping even Psycho for sheer brutality. Adapted by playwright Anthony Shaffer, the story concerns a series of rape-murders committed by suave fruit-merchant Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), who gets his kicks from throttling women with a necktie. This being a Hitchcock thriller, suspicion naturally falls on the wrong man--ill-tempered publican Richard Blaney (Jon Finch). Enter Inspector Oxford from New Scotland Yard (Alex McCowan), who thrashes out the finer points of the case with his wife (Vivian Merchant), whose tireless enthusiasm for indigestible delicacies like quail with grapes supplies a classic running gag.Frenzy was the first film Hitchcock had shot entirely in his native Britain since Jamaica Inn (1939), and many contemporary critics used that fact to account for what seemed to them a glorious return to form after a string of Hollywood duds (Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz). Hitchcock specialists are often less wild about it, judging the detective plot mechanical and the oh-so-English tone insufferable. But at least three sequences rank among the most skin-crawling the maestro ever put on celluloid. There is an astonishing moment when the camera backs away from a room in which a murder is occurring, down the stairs, through the front door and then across the street to join the crowd milling indifferently on the pavement. There is also the killer's nerve-wracking attempt to retrieve his tiepin from a corpse stuffed into a sack of potatoes. Finally, there is one act of strangulation so prolonged and gruesome it verges on the pornographic. Was the veteran film-maker a rampant misogynist as feminist observers have frequently charged? Sit through this appalling scene if you dare and decide for yourself. --Peter Matthews
With all episodes newly remastered from the best available sources available, this Blu-ray box set also contains extensive and exclusive special features including: Extended Episode 1 of Claws of Axos: 90 minute omnibus edition of The Daemons (specially edited for the repeat screening at Christmas 1971 and not seen since) Behind the Sofa: New episodes with Katy Manning and Stewart Bevan, plus companions Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton and from the Jodie-Whittaker-era Sacha Dhawan and Anjli Mohindra. In Conversation: Matthew Sweet chats to companion Katy Manning. A Devils Weekend: Actors Katy Manning and John Levene take a very personal trip back to the picturesque village of Aldbourne, 50 years after they recorded the Doctor Who story The Daemons there. The Direct Route: Doctor Who directors Michael Briant, Graeme Harper and Tim Combe take an epic road trip to all the filming locations from Season 8 as they discuss directing the show in the early 1970s. Terrance and Me: Lifelong Doctor Who fan, Frank Skinner sets out to meet the family, friends and colleagues of the late, much-loved writer, Terrance Dicks. Special Features Immersive 5.1 surround sound on Terror of the Autons and The Daemons Optional updated special effects and CSO clean-up on Terror of the Autons Blu-Ray trailer A specially shot mini-episode Unseen studio footage Rare archive treats Convention footage HD photo galleries Scripts, costume designs, rare BBC production files and other gems from our PDF archive
A married couple are terrorized by a series of videotapes planted on their front porch.
There's something inescapably appealing about Krull, a camp Star Wars-meets-The Lord of the Rings knock-off, that encourages the viewer to overlook it's very many silly shortcomings and simply enjoy the fun. James Horner's rollicking music score--written soon after his similarly memorable contribution to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan--certainly helps, as does the epic-scale CinemaScope photography of the breathtaking Italian landscapes. The costumes and extravagant production design are also great to look at, and much of Derek Meddings' visual effects work still looks striking if not exactly state-of-the-art. Of the cast, Freddie Jones stands head and shoulders above all others as the Obi Wan Kenobi-meets-Gandalf character Ynyr: his trip to the centre of the spider's web is both genuinely scary and genuinely touching. The two romantic leads, Ken Marshall as the Luke Skywalker-meets-King Arthur clone Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony (with an overdubbed American voice) as his Leia-Guinevere Princess Lyssa, are mere formalities on which to hang the plot. Ironic fun can be had with the all-British supporting cast, which includes Todd Carty of Eastenders fame and Carry On's Bernard Bresslaw, as well as Robbie Coltrane, Liam Neeson and the gorgeous Francesca Annis. On the DVD: Krull comes to DVD in an anamorphic widescreen print, preserving the luscious CinemaScope look of the theatrical release. The Dolby 5.1 sound lives up to the picture. There are two commentary tracks: on the first, director Peter Yates talks through the movie, with contributions from other crew members and leads Ken Marshall and Lysette Anthony. Oddly, the second audio track is just a reading of an article that originally appeared in the November 1982 issue of Cinefantastique magazine. There's also a half-hour "making-of" featurette originally produced to promote the movie at the time, the usual trailer, stills gallery and three talent profiles. --Mark Walker
Writer/director Michael Haneke delivers a masterpiece of unsettlement with Hidden (Cache). Life seems perfect for Georges (Daniel Auteuil) and Anne (Juliette Binoche) a bourgeois Parisian couple who live in a comfortable home with their adolescent son Pierrot (Lester Makedonsky). But when an anonymous videotape turns up on their doorstep showing their house under surveillance from across the street their calm life begins to spiral out of control. Subsequent videotapes arrive accompanied by mysterious drawings and gradually Georges becomes convinced that he's being tormented by a figure from his past. But when he confronts him the man assures Georges he is innocent. A growing sense of guilt begins to rise in Georges as he recalls his less-than-angelic childhood yet for some reason he's unable to be completely honest with Anne. Soon their happy home is an emotional battleground leading to a climax that is breathtaking in its ferocity and ambiguousness. Though Haneke's film works first and foremost as an insidious thriller it is also a powerful commentary on the urban paranoia and racism that continue to permeate modern society. Without using a score and keeping his camera detached and static Haneke nonetheless establishes a nearly unbearable level of tension. Not for the squeamish Hidden remains a work of menacing brilliance and was the winner of the Best Director award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
When war breaks out in the lull of summer 1914 it surprises and pulls millions of men in its wake. And Christmas arrives with it's snow and multitude of family and army bundles. But the surprise won't come from the inside the generous parcels which lie in the French Scottish and German trenches. That night a momentous event will turn the destinies of four characters; A Scottish priest a French lieutenant an exceptional German tenor and the one he loves and sings with a wonderful Danish soprano. They will find themselves at the heart of unprecedented fraternisations between German British and French troops. During that Christmas Eve the unthinkable will happen: rifles will be left at the bottom of trenches and steps will be taken towards those opposite to shake their hands exchange a cigarette or a piece of chocolate to wish them a ""Merry Christmas"".
A classic tale of bravery and courage during WWII, Odette tells the true story of female war hero Odette Hallowes. After volunteering her services to the Special Operations Executive, Odette is dispatched into Nazi occupied France and thrown into an intense world of espionage. Whilst on a deadly mission working for the French Resistance, her cover is blown and Odette is captured and interrogated by ruthless Gestapo officers. But, even after being brutally tortured and sentenced to death in a concentration camp, Odette still refuses to reveal any information concerning her original mission and her fellow spies. Extras: Those British Faces: Anna Neagle, New interview with Sebastian Faulks, Afternoon Plus with Mavis Nicholson - Interview with Odette Sansom (1980), Captain Peter Churchill And Odette Sanson Get Married In London (1947)
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