From Richard Spendlove, and David Croft, writer of Dad s Army and Hi-de-Hi!, Oh Doctor Beeching! has been a firm favourite with millions of British comedy fans. Arriving in 1963, please alight at the small branch railway station of Hatley, threatened with closure under the Beeching Axe. Paul Shane stars as porter Jack Skinner, married to the café-managing May (Julia Deakin), who was once in a close relationship with new station master Cecil Parkin (Jeffrey Holland). Also on the platform of this quaint and quirky railway station are May's daughter Gloria (Lindsay Grimshaw), booking clerk Ethel Schumann (Su Pollard) and signalman, and jack-of-all-trades (all of them off the books), Harry Lambert (Stephen Lewis). Over 19 fun-filled episodes, Oh Doctor Beeching! celebrates everything that was great about Britain and the British Railway, back when the greatest challenge in rail travel was getting a decent cup of tea.
Like many other films by Canadian director David Cronenberg (especially Crash), Dead Ringers presents the cinematic and psychological equivalent of an automobile accident--you dare not look, but you can't turn away. The film marked a directorial breakthrough for Cronenberg, who was able to continue some of the themes explored in his earlier horror films while graduating to a higher, more critically "respectable" level of artistic sophistication. The film is loosely based, amazingly enough, on a true story about twin gynaecologists who routinely traded each others' identities, lives and even lovers. Utilizing innovative split-screen technology (years before computer manipulation made such trickery much easier), the film stars Jeremy Irons in flawless dual roles as the identical brothers Beverly and Elliot Mantle. Their ability to instantly switch identities leads them to a shared relationship with a well-known actress (Genevieve Bujold) and, ultimately, a physical and psychological tailspin that sends them both to the brink of madness and death. The scenario suggests that both men are halves of a whole, and that one cannot exist without the other. But when Beverly pursues a kinky, drug-addicted affair with the actress, his more self-controlled brother is helpless to prevent their mutual decline. In this way Dead Ringers becomes a fascinating and stylistically clinical study of duality, and Cronenberg doesn't shy away from the dark and unpleasant aspects of the story. (One look at the movie's display of bizarre gynaecological instruments and you'll know why women find this film particularly--and unforgettably--disturbing.) The Criterion Collection DVD includes illuminating commentary by Cronenberg, Irons, production designer Carol Spier and others; extensive production information; interviews with the principal cast; and a detailed examination of the film's groundbreaking use of invisible special effects. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com --This text refers to the DVD edition of this video.
The acclaimed BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, Barnaby Rudge (1960) is now available to own on DVD for the first time. Starring John Wood (War Games) , Barbara Hicks (Brazil), Timothy Bateson (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) and BAFTA-nominee Joan Hickson. On a stormy night in 1775 a ragged stranger (Nigel Arkwright) wanders into the Maypole Inn. Edward Chester (Bernard Brown), whose horse is lame, leaves the inn on foot to meet his beloved Emma Haredale (Eira Heath) at a masked ball. Joe Willet (Alan Hayward), quarrels with his father, Maypole landlord John (Arthur Brough), and joins the army, only saying goodbye to Dolly (Jennifer Daniel), the pretty daughter of locksmith Gabriel Varden (Newton Blick). Varden s household includes his formidable wife (Joan Hickson) and dithering maid Miss Miggs (Barbara Hicks). Simple-minded Barnaby Rudge (John Wood) wanders in and out of the story, chattering with his pet raven Grip. Barnaby s mother Mary (Isabel Dean) is visited by the stranger, and feels compelled to protect him. As the stories interweave, Barnaby is caught up in the Gordon Riots, a violent demonstration against Catholics. Jailed with the ringleaders, will he hang for their actions? Michael Voyseys 1960 BBC adaptation remains the only TV portrayal of Dickens tantalizing gothic drama.
A drawing that became a dream. A dream that became reality. A highly imaginative 11-year-old girl who misses her constantly absent father discovers that somehow the images she draws on paper can become frighteningly real. At first she finds them comforting but gradually the pictures become more and more threatening until they capture her in a nightmarish world from which she doesn't know how to escape.
A drug baron's former girlfriend is locked in a maximum security prison where she becomes highly desired for her secrets or her body...
Further adventures of the oh so dapper John Steed and his sidekick Emma Peel. Features six episodes from the 1967 season: 'From Venus With Love' 'The Fear Merchants' 'Escape In Time' 'The See-Through Man' 'The Bird Who Knew Too Much' and 'The Winged Avenger'.
The trials and tribulations of the staff at Hatley railway station who are all wondering if Dr Beeching will close them down.... Featuring all 9 episodes of the first series and the pilot: Oh Doctor Beeching! All Change Talking Turkey The Train Now Standing A Moving Story The Late Mr Buckly Horse Play Past Love Job Opportunity Sleeping Around.
Working class chancer Alf Stokes (Paul Shane) and James Twelvetrees (Jeffrey Holland) first meet as soldiers in the trenches in France during the First World War. They find the body of an officer and assuming that he's dead Alf robs him of his valuables. Then they find that the officer the Honourable Teddy Meldrum (Michael Knowles) is still alive so they carry him off to a field hospital. Ten years later James is working in the household of Teddy's brother Lord Meldrum (Donald
The trials and tribulations of the staff at Hatley railway station who are all wondering if Dr Beeching will close them down.... This release features all 10 episodes from the second series. Episode listing: 1. No Milk For The Minister 2. Father's Day 3. The Gravy Train 4. The Van 5. Lucky Strike 6. Love Is A Very Splendid Thing 7. Action Stations 8. A Bowl In The Hand 9. A Pregnant Pause 10. Ton Up
Vanessa Redgrave (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Christopher Reeve are the stars of THE BOSTONIANS Merchant Ivory Productions' acclaimed 1984 screen adaptation of the Henry James classic which charts the struggle between two charismatic forces - feminist and a chauvinist - to gain control over the destiny of a spirited young woman.The story takes place in Boston in the aftermath of the American Civil War - a time of political and social turmoil. Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter Slaves Of New York) a gifted young orator has attracted the attention of Olive Chancellor (Redgrave) who wished to nurture Verena as an inspirational force for the Woman's Movement But ranged against her is Basil Ransom (Reeve) a handsome male chauvinist who wants Verena as his wife. Against a backdrop of luminous New England landscapes battle is joined and for Olive the struggle will prove an odyssey that forces her to acknowledge her true nature.
A performance of the Rameau opera which follows the tale of Queen Alphise who is contemplating abdication rather that an arranged marriage.
After Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74), and well before going Around the World in 80 Days (1989), Pole to Pole (1992) or even Full Circle (1997), Michael Palin starred in Ripping Yarns, co-written with Terry Jones. As the title suggests, these were spoofs, affectionate pastiche-come-homage Boy's Own-type adventures. Each was an individual short film, less bizarre than the Flying Circus, not so consistently hilarious as fellow ex-Python John Cleese's Fawlty Towers, but inventively surreal with a daffy, gloriously English eccentricity. "Tomkinson's Schooldays" was the 45-minute pilot (originally shown as a one-off programme in 1976) and the funniest of the three tales here. A parody of Tom Brown's Schooldays, the humour comes from the violence, cruelty and insane rules of Graybridge public school in which the unfortunate Tomkinson is incarcerated. Ian Ogilvy is a fine School Bully, terrifying even Terry Jones' useless headmaster. "Escape from Stalag Luft 112B" is a P.O.W. movie send-up (from the first series), and "Golden Gordon" (from Series 2) celebrates the man who won't give-up on an underdog northern football team. In 1983 Palin made The Missionary, essentially a feature-film Ripping Yarn. --Gary S. Dalkin
Ripping Yarns: six episodes of Michael Palin's remarkable comedy showcase in one box set. The Testing of Eric Olthwaite: Set in the days of dark depression before Last of the Summer Wine started bringing jobs to the area. Eric's tough mining parents find their son so boring that they run away from home. Eric torn between love for his parents and lack of brain cells becomes involved with a hardened criminal. The rest is history. Tompkinson's Schooldays: Set in the Edwardian era the heyday of school stories it has all the authentic ingredients for absolutely topping schoolboy fun - excitement adventure heroes and bullies. Escape from Stalag Luft 112B: A tale of courage and valour from behind the lines in the Kaiser's Germany. An inspiring story of camp life and British officer who won't lie down! Whinfrey's Last Case: Dashing debonair Gerald Whinfrey saves his country twice a week but in 1913 a German plot to start the First World War without telling anybody coincides with his holiday. Where do Whinfrey's priorities lie? Has he got any? The Curse of the Claw: Gothic horror comes to Maidenhead. A timely reminder of what happens when men dabble in the dark world of oriental superstition. Michael Palin aided by plastic surgery plays old and young Kevin as well as Kevin's childhood hero Uncle Jack - an enormously cheerful physical disaster area who has had every disease known to man usually at the same time. Golden Gordon: Superfan Gordon Ottershaw supports a team which hasn't won a match for six years. But worse is yet to come when Gordon and his bicycle clips are re-united in a last desperate bid for glory.
Three more rollicking good tales starring Michael Palin in various guises. Written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones. 'The Testing Of Eric Olthwaite' 'Whinfrey's Last Case' and 'The Curse of The Claw'. The Testing of Eric Olthwaite: A Ripping Northern Yarn set in the dark days of the depression before Last of the Summer Wine started bringing jobs to the area. Eric's tough mining parents find their son so boring that they run away from home. Eric torn between love for his parents and lack of brain cells becomes involved with a hardened criminal. The rest is history. Whinfrey's Last Case: Dashing Gerald Whinfrey saves his country twice a week but in 1913 a German plot to start the First World War without telling anybody coincides with his holiday. Where do Whinfrey's priorities lie? Has he got any? A knockout tale of international intrigue. If only Dickens could write like this - Mrs Reg Dickens Eltham. The Curse of the Claw: Gothic terror comes to Maidenhead. A timely reminder of what happens when men dabble in the dark world of oriental superstition. Michael Palin aided by inexpensive plastic surgery plays old and young Kevin as well as Kevin's childhood hero Uncle Jack - an enormously cheerful physical disaster area who has every disease known to man usually at the same time.
A welcome second volume of classics from the Master of Suspense, this seven-disc Hitchcock Collection box-set consists of the following: The Birds: Based on a Daphne Du Maurier short story, The Birds (1963) is Hitchcock at his most terrifying, as the residents of a small town are attacked by thousands of apparently homicidal birds. Marnie: Tippi Hedren and newly Bonded Sean Connery star in this excellent 1964 thriller, which finds a calculating thief who robs her employers pursued by a her new boss, who is desperate to unlock her secrets Torn Curtain: This 1966 spy thriller, pairing Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, finds Newman as a world-famous physicist intent on defecting to East Berlin in order to obtain funding for his latest project. Topaz: Based on the Leon Uris novel, Hitch's 51st film, made in 1969, concerns a CIA agent who learns of Russian missiles in Cuba. With the aid of a French agent, they negotiate a plethora of corruption and murder. Frenzy: This critically acclaimed 1972 film was Hitch's first British-made film for more than 20 years. A classic Hitch story of an innocent man accused of being the "necktie murderer"--a vicious sex criminal terrorising London--he eludes the authorities and seeks the real killer. Family Plot: Hitchcock's final film, made in 1976, is a blackly funny mix of murder, theft and kidnapping as a cab-driver and a psychic team up to find a dead man--not actually dead--in exchange for a $10,000 reward. Bonus Disc--Vertigo: An irreducible masterpiece, this 1958 double-identity thriller finds Hitch serving aces, as Jimmy Stewart's detective is drawn in to a complex plot when the girl he loves apparently falls to her death. On the DVD: Like the first volume, this is an equally impressive package that will satisfy the rotund fright-master's fans. Along with the standard selection of trailers, production notes and picture galleries, each disc houses an impressive "making of" documentary, each expertly detailing Hitch's meticulous work. The Birds features Tippi Hedren's screen test and--in storyboard form--deleted scenes and the alternative ending. Topaz has no less that three alternative endings, while Torn Curtain includes scenes scored by composer Bernard Herrmann before his music was rejected by Hitch. The Vertigo disc features an excellent group commentary from producer Herbert Coleman and restoration experts Robert A Harris and James Katz, as well as a documentary, "Obsessed with Vertigo". Housed in attractive fold-out packaging, this is an excellent opportunity to obtain a rich slice of Hitchcock's dark magic.--Danny Graydon
Wendigo: A blue Volvo makes its way through the fading chilly winter evening in Upstate New York. Kim George and their eight-year old son Miles are city dwellers stealing a weekend away at a friend's country farmhouse. But a freak accident sets off a chain of events that will alter their lives forever... Dahmer: One of America's most notorious and horrific serial killers Jeffery Dahmer was convicted of slaughtering and dismembering 17 young men in a killing spree that began with the gruesome slaying of a hitchhiker in 1978. When he was arrested in 1991 the grim details of Dahmer's crimes made global news as the world heard graphic reports of murder sexual perversion butchery cannibalism and a freezer packed with human body parts. Dahmer tells the terrifying true story of how the twisted personal pain of a lonely chocolate factory worker from Milwaukee Wisconsin turned him into a homicidal necrophiliac. Bone Daddy: Former chief medical examiner for the city of Chicago Dr William Palmer (Rutgar Hauer) is now a best-selling writer. 'Bone Daddy' his latest thriller is based on a series of grisly murders the pathologist once investigated. Re-told in graphic detail the horrific story has one added twist. In the book the murderer is tracked down and brought to justice... in truth the serial killer was never caught. When the author's agent fails to show at the book's press launch Palmer pays a visit to his hotel room and is stunned when all he finds is a severed finger - a calling card that tells him the psychopath who eluded him years before is back and ready to strike again...
Featuring Long John Silver's Return To Treasure Island and Captain Kidd! Long John Silver's Return To Treasure Island: The pirate adventure sequel to the classic Treasure Island. Robert Newton reprising his bravura performance as the one-legged buccaneer saving Jim Hawkins and the Colonial Governor's daughter from the evil Captain Medosa. Naturally there is more to his rescue plan than meets the eye; Jim has a medallion which is the key to finding more
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