"Actor: Bates"

• My Dear Secretary | DVD | (22/03/2004) from £5.91   |  Saving you £2.07 (70.89%)   |  RRP £4.99

  If Charles Martin's wisecracking 1948 period-piece My Dear Secretary hasn't quite endured as a classic of its kind, it still commands attention as an appealing and often very funny curiosity. Kirk Douglas rightly earned his status as one of the titans of big-screen epic drama, so it's a surprise to encounter him in this romantic comedy as a feckless writer who can always find something to do rather than get down to work, leaving a string of outraged, frustrated or compromised secretaries in his wake. Douglas has a reasonably light comic touch and spars well with Laraine Day, in determined form as the secretary whom finally tames him and, in a notable strike for women's liberation, becomes a successful author herself in the process. But this is a film in which the supporting cast steal the best lines and scenes. Keenan Wynn is delightful as Ronnie, Douglas' neighbour and partner in the pursuit of pleasure. Some splendid high campery offers ample evidence that in a more enlightened age, Ronnie would surely have been openly gay. How else to explain his hilarious last reel marriage of convenience to the wealthy dragon of a landlady, played by the irrepressible Florence Bates? It isn't vintage screwball by any means, but My Dear Secretary is witty and literate enough to make you long for a revival in sophisticated cinema comedy. Truly, they don't make 'em like they used to. On the DVD: As the rush to release long-forgotten gems on DVD turns into a deluge, we will probably have to get used to the sort of disappointment on offer here: unrestored prints with no digital remastering and lousy sound quality, simply slammed onto the disc. The film could hardly be served less adequately. There isn't even any static background information on the production or the actors, making the package rather poor. --Piers Ford

• Nicholas' Gift | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £1.99

  This is the extraordinary true story of a close and loving family on a sightseeing holiday in Italy in September 1994 whose lives were shattered one desolate night with the indiscriminate shooting of their little seven year old son Nicholas. As Nicholas lies dying in hospital his devastated parents take the most painful decision imaginable to donate Nicholas' organs so that other little children may receive the gift of life. What begins as an intensely private and unbelievably courageous act of love and human compassion was soon to send emotional ripples right around the world that would come to be known as the Nicholas Effect.

• Rumpole Of The Bailey - The Specials | DVD | (07/08/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Two special episodes from the much loved legal series including the first ever episode which was originally shown on BBC1 in 1975 as part of the Play For Today series.

• Rumpole Of The Bailey - Series 5 | DVD | (29/12/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Leo McKern stars as the eccentric bibulous Old Bailey defence lawyer Horace Rumpole in the magnificent and hugely popular series written by the barrister/playwright John Mortimer. In this fifth series that first aired in 1988 Rumpole finds himself called in to assist a wide variety of defendants. Episodes comprise: 'Rumpole And The Bubble Reputation' 'Rumpole And The Barrow Boy' 'Rumpole And The Age Of Miracles' 'Rumpole And The Tap End' 'Rumpole And Portia' and 'Rumpole And The Quality Of Life'.

• Weekend in Vegas | DVD | (27/01/2003) from £12.96   |  Saving you £-7.97 (-159.70%)   |  RRP £4.99

  An indecent proposal too tempting to resist. A young married couple Jed and Sally are struggling to survive. They head to Las Vegas hoping their luck would change. They win more money than they dared dream of but Jed returns to the casino alone to gamble - and loses their win. He is propositioned by the club owner; a night of sex in return for money....

• Land of Promise: the British Documentary Movement 1930-1950 (4-disc set) | DVD | (15/11/2010) from £89.99   |  Saving you £-60.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Featuring 40 films by such luminaries as Humphrey Jennings Paul Rotha and Ruby Grierson this collection is a major retrospective of the British documentary film movement during its period of greatest influence. The diverse and compelling films contained here - many of which are made available for the first time since their original release - bear witness to the social and industrial transformations of a rapidly changing world. This unique collection captures the spirit and strength concerns and resolve of Britain and its people before during and immediately after the Second World War.

• The Horror Of Frankenstein | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Young Victor Frankenstein returns from medical school with a depraved taste for beautiful women and fiendish experiments. But when the doctor runs out of fresh body parts for his 'research ' he turns to murder to complete his gruesome new creation. Now his monster has unleashed its own ghastly killing spree and the true Horror Of Frankenstein has only just begun...

• The Son Of Monte Cristo | DVD | (12/02/2008) from £6.46   |  Saving you £-3.47 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

• Rumpole Of The Bailey - Series 6 | DVD | (15/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Leo Mc Kern stars as the eccentric bibulous Old Bailey defence lawyer Horace Rumpole in the magnificent and hugely popular series penned by the barrister-playwright John Mortimer. This double DVD includes all the episodes from the sixth series of 'Rumpole Of The Bailey'.

• The John Thaw Tribute Collection | DVD | (11/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A tribute to John Thaw which includes: 'Inspector Morse - The Dead Of Jericho' in which Morse investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Anne Stavely. Based on the novel by Colin Dexter. 'Kavanagh QC - Nothing But The Truth' which centres on James Kavanagh who has climbed to the top of his profession as one of the leading criminal advocates in London. He takes on the defence of a student accused of raping a middle-aged housewife. 'Goodnight Mister Tom' finds To

• The Late Shift | DVD | (27/03/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In May 1991 the most successful television program in history 'The Tonight Show' lost its popular host Johnny Carson triggering a mad scramble to find a replacement. For more than two years it captivated every network the American media and the public exposing the dark inner workings of network TV as two comedians battled it out for the late night throne. Academy Award winer Kathy Bates is the tougher than nails manager who will stop at nothing to secure her client Jay Len

• Rumpole Of The Bailey: Series 4 | DVD | (11/08/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Leo McKern stars as the irrepressible Horace Rumpole in this classic series written by the barrister-playwright Sir John Mortimer.

• Dust Of War | DVD | (26/09/2016) from £6.49   |  Saving you £8.50 (130.97%)   |  RRP £14.99

  An alien invasion left the Earth scoured. The American Frontier became one of the last vestiges for a scavenging humanity. And hope rested on the shoulders of a child who harbors a secret so powerful even she cannot know its truth. A resistance The Free Legion vowed to protect, convinced she would bring peace. But the child, now a young woman named Ellie (JORDAN MCFADDEN), has fallen into the hands of General Chizum (BATES WILDER), a brutal warmonger bent on unveiling her secret. With humanity in the balance, the Free Legion has dispatched two of their bravest to bring her back: Abel (STEVEN LUKE), the soldier of few words, and Tom Dixie (GARY GRAHAM), the cynical war vet.

• In Celebration | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Lindsay Anderson's filmic adaptation of David Storey's play. This is the story of an English family and their gathering together for the parents' wedding anniversary. Three grown sons argue while Mum wanders about aimlessly and Dad waits for the next crisis.

• Quicksand | DVD | (18/02/2013) from £8.48   |  Saving you £-1.49 (-21.30%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Mickey Rooney in Quicksand Drama DVD NEW

• In the Beginning | DVD | (29/03/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  The epic Old Testiment story of Hebrew patriarch Abraham and his descendants. A star-studded cast brings these compelling stories to life featuring: Abraham's call to find the promised land; the stories of Isaac Rebeccah Esau and Jacob; Joseph's remarkable rise to power despite being sold into slavery by his brothers; Moses receiving the ten commandments and the liberation of the jews from Egypt.

• My Sister's Keeper | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Two sister's lifelong struggle with mental illness daily hardships and their own conflicted relationship evolves into mutual respect and understanding in this poignant and emotional real life story. Throughout their life Christine and Judy's stern but dutiful devoted mother tries to hide the fact that Christine is not like other girls. Suffering from Schizoaffective Disorder Christine is in and out of hospital for most of her teenage years leaving her younger sister Judy confu

• Popeye's Voyage: The Quest For Pappy | DVD | (21/03/2005) from £12.96   |  Saving you £3.02 (30.29%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The world's favourite spinach-slinging sailor takes to the high seas in a daring trip to rescue the father who abandoned him as a child! Popeye sets sail for the Sea of Mystery with his seaworthy crew: the loutish Bluto the lovelorn Olive Oyl the fearless Swee'pea and a hamburger-loving stowaway Wimpy. Unaware of the dangers that lie ahead Popeye bravely sets out to reunite his family even though he's unsure of his own emotions for the man who orphaned him so many years ago. As

• Savage Harvest | DVD | (27/10/2003) from £21.58   |  Saving you £-1.59 (-8.00%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Years ago a Cherokee elder summoned into our world an evil that eventually destroyed his entire tribe. Now on the land that was once inhabited by the tribe demonic forces await the return of this long dead Cherokee elder. When these demons sense the arrival of the elder's descendent they gain the ability to possess human beings. A small group of innocent people trapped on the land must unlock the riddles left behind by the Cherokee elder. Demonic possession consumes one victi

• Comedy Greats | DVD | (03/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A "two-plus-one" package from Siren, Comedy Greats features classics from the two greatest silent-screen comics, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, plus a rather dreary effort from Danny Kaye. Never the most scintillating of comedians, Kaye's personable talents are thinly spread in 1949's The Inspector General. Distantly(!) based on a short story by Russian satirist Nikolay Gogol, this tale of mistaken identity enables Kaye to indulge in obvious wisecracks and not-so-smart dialogue. Sylvia Fine's songs are mildly amusing, and Henry Koster draws capable support from Walter Slezak and Elsa Lanchester, but it's a long haul. When he made Tilli's Punctured Romance in 1914, Charles Chaplin had yet to perfect the "little man" routine which made him the most popular 1920s screen star. His loveable rogue is well displayed opposite Marie Dressler's formidable country maid, whose unexpected windfall becomes the real object of his desire. Mabel Normand contributes an attractively period chic, and if, in the hands of Mack Sennett, the humour tends to fall back on music-hall slapstick, the historical significance of the film is undoubted. Yet it's Buster Keaton's 1928 classic Steamboat Bill Jr which comes out on top here. Keaton is perfectly cast as the put upon student, whose bravery saves both his father and his steamboat-owning rival, and wins the hand of the latter's daughter. Solid support comes from Ernest Torrence and the winsome Marion Byron, with Charles Riesner getting maximum drama from the cyclone sequence, but it's Keaton's soulful expression and breathtaking stuntwork which are the most potent reminders of a talent only later to receive its due. On the DVD: Comedy Greats is acceptably remastered, with 1.33:1 aspect ratio and 12 chapter headings per film, and decently packaged, this is worth acquiring--even though Keaton's film is the only one you're likely return to often. --Richard Whitehouse