"Actor: Berlin"

• The Night Of | DVD | (24/10/2016) from £11.98   |  Saving you £-0.16 (N/A%)   |  RRP £11.82

  Eight-part crime drama starring John Turturro and Riz Ahmed. New York student Naz (Ahmed) embarks on a wild night out with a mysterious woman after picking her up in his dad's cab. The next morning he finds her stabbed to death in his bed. With no recollection of the previous night's events, Naz flees the scene but is quickly brought in by the city's police and identified as the main suspect for the victim's murder. After he is denied a legal representative, defence lawyer John Stone (Turturro) steps in to help Naz prove his innocence. As he awaits prosecution on Rikers Island, Naz adapts to the politics of life on the inside while his legal team try to piece together what happened on the night of the crime. The episodes are: 'The Beach', 'Subtle Beast', 'A Dark Crate', 'The Art of War', 'The Season of the Witch', 'Samson and Delilah', 'Ordinary Death' and 'The Call of the Wild'.

• Summer of 44 - 1944 The Final Battle for Germany - (Multi Award Winning Film Based On a True Story) - 2020 | DVD | (05/10/2020) from £10.14   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  On the surface it is beautiful hot summer and things appear as usual for five teenager friends hanging out at the public pool. The sun burns down from the sky and the boys show off and stare longingly at the pretty girls. However as all of them are looking to cool off in the water the events of WWII are closing in rapidly which will impact on all of their lives. In the summer of 1944, the tide has turned for Nazi Germany: their army is retreating and squeezing every last drop of blood in the defence of the Fatherland, even from teenage boys, is a price that needs to be paid. Ignoring the brutal regime as best as they can, the five lads try to bring some normality to their lives before it's off to the harsh training camps and the battle fields. The group is led by the cocky, self-assured Knuffke; his friend Onkel, the sensitive introvert, longs for true love. For now, they are nothing but cannon fodder, two of them being forced into the SS, the other 3 friends are made to fight alongside 60-year-old men in the defence of Germany. Soon enough, two of the boys are dead. Understanding the futility of their efforts, Onkel deserts the army. He must survive at all cost as deserters are instantly executed. Some of the friends manage to return home after the war is over. Can their friendship survive the brutality of war and the decisions they had to make? As spring turns into summer again, peace has come, but at what cost? Their innocence has gone, and the public pool has fallen dry.

• The Night Of | Blu Ray | (24/10/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.15

  Eight-part crime drama starring John Turturro and Riz Ahmed. New York student Naz (Ahmed) embarks on a wild night out with a mysterious woman after picking her up in his dad's cab. The next morning he finds her stabbed to death in his bed. With no recollection of the previous night's events, Naz flees the scene but is quickly brought in by the city's police and identified as the main suspect for the victim's murder. After he is denied a legal representative, defence lawyer John Stone (Turturro) steps in to help Naz prove his innocence. As he awaits prosecution on Rikers Island, Naz adapts to the politics of life on the inside while his legal team try to piece together what happened on the night of the crime. The episodes are: 'The Beach', 'Subtle Beast', 'A Dark Crate', 'The Art of War', 'The Season of the Witch', 'Samson and Delilah', 'Ordinary Death' and 'The Call of the Wild'.

• Herbert Von Karajan - Karajan In Concert | DVD | (17/03/2008) from £19.92   |  Saving you £-4.93 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Herbert von Karajan conducts Berliner Philharmoniker, performing works by various composers.

• Trip to Asia: The Quest For Harmony | DVD | (02/02/2009) from £7.09   |  Saving you £12.90 (181.95%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Works By Strauss/Beethoven/Ades

• The X Files : Series 7 | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  With the original conspiracy plot arc fallen into a muddle of loose ends no-one could possibly fathom, once-hungry lead actors on the verge of big screen careers and making demands for more time off or shots at writing and directing, and the initial wish list of monsters-of-the-week long exhausted, it's a miracle The X Files is still making its airdates, let alone managing something pretty good every other show and something outstanding at least once every four episodes. Season seven opens with a dreary two-parter ("Sixth Extinction" and "Amor Fati") and winds up with the traditional incomprehensible cliffhanger ("Requiem"), but along the way includes a clutch of shows that may not match the originality of earlier seasons but still effortlessly equal any other fantasy-horror-sf on American television. Highlights in this clutch: "Hungry", a brain-eating mutant story told from the point of view of a monster who tries to control his appetite by going to eating disorder self-help groups; "The Goldberg Variation", a crime comedy about a weaselly little man who has the gift of incredible good luck, which means Wile E Coyote-style doom for anyone who crosses him; "The Amazing Maleeni", guest-starring Ricky Jay in a rare non-fantastic crime story about a feud between stage magicians that turns out to be a cover for a heist; "X-Cops", a brilliant skit on the US TV docusoap Cops with Mulder and Scully caught on camera as they track an apparent werewolf in Los Angeles (season-best acting from David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson); "Theef", a complex revenge drama with gaunt Billy Drago as a hillbilly medicine man stalking a slick doctor; "Brand X", a horror comic tale of corruption in the tobacco industry; "Hollywood AD" (written and directed by Duchovny), in which Tea Leoni and Garry Shandling are cast as Scully and Mulder in a crass movie version of a real-life X file; and "Je Souhaite", a deadpan comedy about a wry, cynical genie at the mercy of trailer trash masters who haven't an idea what to wish for. Among the disasters are: "Fight Club", a grossly laboured comedy; "All Things", Gillian Anderson's riotously pretentious religious-themed writing-directing debut; "En Ami", written and understood by William B Davis, the cigarette-smoking villain; and the very silly "First Person Shooter", the lamest killer video-game plot imaginable courtesy of distinguished guest writer William Gibson. Still essential, despite the occasional pits, but yet again you go away thinking that the next season had better come up with some answers. --Kim Newman

• Roger Waters - The Wall - Live In Berlin | DVD | (28/04/2003) from £30.00   |  Saving you £-15.01 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Time: In 1989 the Berlin Wall for so long the symbol of the cold war came crashing down. 12 months later this defining moment was marked by one of the greatest rock concerts of all time. The Place: Postdamer Platz sat between the two Berlin walls which divided the city. For decades people had died trying to escape Communism to Capitalism. In 1990 this extraordinary concert would open up this historic landmark. The Performances: Special Guests: Bryan Adams The Band: Rick Danko Gareth Hudson Levon Helm Paul Carrack Thomas Dolby James Galway Jerry Hall The Hooters Cyndi Lauper Ute Lemper Paddy Maloney Joni Mitchell Van Morrison Sinead O'Connor and Scorpions.

• Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg | DVD | (24/11/2000) from £98.99   |  Saving you £-69.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This glorious 1995 production of Wagner's festival opera highlights the central debate about the artist, his inspiration and the academic rules that have to be worked with, or around, by setting it not in the Middle Ages so much as in a high-Victorian world of frock coats and cravats. Wolfgang Brendel's impressive performance as Hans Sachs has both the authority of the great poet trying to make everyone understand the virtues of good sense and a middle way, as well as the emotional appeal of a man whose decision to make Eva's choice between him and Walther is for once a real struggle: Brendel plays him as a man young enough to be a credible rival to the young minstrel-knight. Gosta Windbergh in turn brings real passion not only to the "Prize Song" itself but to the whole opera, not least to the aristocratic/bohemian distrust of the bourgeois world of the master singer for which Sachs ends up rebuking him. Schulte's performance as Beckmesser conveys the meanness and pettiness without buying wholly into the viciousness with which Wagner humiliates his comic villain and through him all of his own enemies. Conductor de Burgos manages to keep the massive scale of this longest of comic operas human and humane--this never becomes a sinisterly intense or vast performance. --Roz KaveneyOn the DVD: This two-disc set comes equipped with scene selection and subtitles in German, French and English, as well as menus in those languages and Spanish. --Roz Kaveney

• The Nutcracker | DVD | (31/10/2000) from £33.73   |  Saving you £-8.74 (-35.00%)   |  RRP £24.99

  It's easy to see why The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky's perennially popular ballet first performed in 1892, has such enduring appeal. As Patrice Bart's 1999 production shows, it is always beautiful to look at, lending itself to the Christmas season where it has a permanent place in the schedules of the major dance companies. And Hoffmann's tale of the troubled child who must go on a wonderful (and occasionally terrifying) journey of discovery has a universal and timeless appeal. Bart's production for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin builds on Petipa's original choreography and develops the context of the child Marie's (Nadja Saidakova) anxiety into a strong narrative. The godfather Drosselmayer (Oliver Matz) is initially a sinister figure, forcing her to confront past events before leading her into the glittering land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here, all expectations are exceeded. The familiarity of Tchaikovsky's intricately woven themes works in total harmony with sumptuous production values. The dancing is sublime. As the Prince, Vladimir Malakhov evokes the spirit of a young Nureyev. His pas de deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy should challenge even the most cynical tear ducts. Sit back, share the frisson of anticipation as Daniel Barenboim enters the conductor's box and let the whole experience engulf you. On the DVD: There are no extras. In addition to the 16:9 picture format, which enhances the authentic theatrical atmosphere, the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound helps make this Nutcracker an aural feast. Under Barenboim's masterful control, the orchestra draws you into the heart of the music. Booklet notes provide historical background as well as performer biographies, but a more complete cast list would have been useful. --Piers Ford

• Beethoven - Symphonies 4-6 | DVD | (14/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Herbert von Karajan directs the Berlin Philharmonic in an Italianate take of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and an assured rendering of the Fifth while the Pastoral Symphony conceived and directed by Hugo Niebeling in 1967 is a revolutionary mix of styles - Fantasia meets Expressionism meets film noir.

• Der Schatzgräber | Blu Ray | (08/09/2023) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• The X Files: Nothing Important Happened Today | DVD | (10/06/2002) from £3.80   |  Saving you £12.19 (320.79%)   |  RRP £15.99

  It has become traditional for The X-Files to kick off each new season with a humourless conspiracy two-parter, and Season 9 is no exception: in The X Files: Nothing Important Happened Today David Duchovny’s Mulder is gone, along with everything in his apartment, and Gillian Anderson’s Scully is mostly at home with her perhaps-telekinetic baby, which leaves the bulk of the investigation to promising new characters Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish).The A-plot features Lucy Lawless as a water-breathing terminatrix who could be an alien, a government experiment or a mermaid without it making any difference, but too much time is spent on impossible-to-follow subplots about internal FBI politics and everyone’s intricate backstory (if ever a release needed a "previously..." prologue, this is it). Usually, the series gets over these heart-sinking openers and livens up a bit, but this time there’s a feeling that this is the end of the line for a thoroughly battered premise.Chris Carter joins Gene Roddenberry in the exclusive category of producer-creators who turn in the worst scripts for their own shows, and all the strengths of The X-Files (shivers, wit, provocative ideas) are missing in action here as the engine grinds on empty.On the DVD: The X-Files: Nothing Important Happened Today on disc arrives with two three-minute filler featurettes, focusing on Gish’s character and the making of this show. The good news is that this anamorphic widescreen release is the best The X-Files has ever looked in a television format, showing that however dramatically exhausted it might be, the show remains technically impressive. --Kim Newman

• The X Files: Providence | DVD | (16/09/2002) from £7.86   |  Saving you £8.13 (103.44%)   |  RRP £15.99

  As with earlier releases, The X-Files: Providence splices together two episodes, "Provenance" and "Providence", into a pseudo-movie. Again, the results fall way below the series average as the long-dead alien conspiracy business is flogged, with a lot of running around and ominous rumbling still not adding up to anything like an actual story. FBI agent Neal McDonaugh (of Minority Report) inexplicably survives a flaming motorcycle crash, leaving behind brass rubbings taken from an alien spaceship, then shows up and tries to murder Scully's psychokinetic baby, who is promptly kidnapped by a UFO cult. In Part 2, Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Reyes (Annabeth Gish) fend off enemies and friends within the bureau as they track down the cultists, who are having trouble with a spaceship they've dug up, and a typical pointless climax has things happen without the characters doing anything to contribute. Even at this late, post-Duchovny stage in the game, The X-Files has turned out some fine stand-alone episodes, but these dreary wallowings go a long way towards explaining why only diehards are still watching. After the child says "I made this" at the end of the credits, it's becoming very hard not to shout "well, clean it up then". On the DVD: The X-Files: Providence, as with Nothing Important Happened Today, arrives in a great-looking anamorphic widescreen transfer. There are two slight promotional "featurettes"--three-minute clips/talking heads promos focusing on the episode "Providence" and actor Cary Elwes' character. --Kim Newman

• European Concert 1998 Stockholm | DVD | (03/07/2000) from £15.84   |  Saving you £4.15 (20.80%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Overture from Der Fliegende HollanderSymphonic Fantasia op.18 The TempestTrois nocturnes1. Nuages2. Fetes3. SirenesOuattro pezzi sacri1. Ave Maria su una scala enigmatica2. Stabat Mater3. Laudi alla virgine Maria4. Te DeumDocumentary

• You Must Remember This: Classic Songs from World War Two | DVD | (05/10/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  You Must Remember This is a musical journey through wartime Britain. Remembering songs from the radio from dance bands and music halls from the popular films of the period and from ENSA tours that took British entertainers to the troops this film aims to recapture the spirit of the World War II years through their music and songs. It includes information about the legendary entertainers of the era told through a subtitled narrative along with extracts from the songs they made famous. These songs moving and inspiring in equal measure allow a glimpse into a world at war and the heroic effort of the British people that eventually brought victory and peace.

• Mahler - Symphony No. 2 (Boulez) | HD DVD | (01/01/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Mahler:Symphony No.2

• Macbeth | DVD | (02/08/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Verdi - Macbeth (Sinopoli Orchestra/Chorus DOB)

• The Christmas Devil | DVD | (06/11/2017) from £9.77   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Beethoven: Symphonies No. 4 And No. 7 - Berliner Philharmoniker - Abbado | DVD | (30/06/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A performance of Beethoven Symphony No. 4 and No. 7. The Berlin Philharmoniker is conducted by Claudio Abbado.

• Carl Orff: Carmina Burana / Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (Choral) | DVD | (10/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  This DVD uniquely presents maestro Seiji Ozawa conducting two great choral masterpieces beloved by audiences and singers the world over. Carl Orff's 'Carmina Burana' by turns boisterous and lyrical sets ribald medieval songs in a celebration of life's pleasures. Also includes Ludwig van Beethoven's monumental Ninth Symphony the Choral which famously concludes with the uplifting 'Ode to Joy' a timeless plea for universal brotherhood. Performed in Latin singers include Kathleen Battle Frank Lopardo and Thomas Allen. Conducted by Seiji Ozawa and directed by Barrie Gavin.