"Actor: Cedric Young"

• Desert Fox, The / The Desert Rats | DVD | (02/06/2003) from £14.35   |  Saving you £0.64 (4.46%)   |  RRP £14.99

  James Mason plays Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in both The Desert Fox (1951) and The Desert Rats (1953), a WWII double-bill on DVD. The Desert Fox, released six years after the end of the War, is a solemnly respectful tribute to Erwin Rommel, Germany's most celebrated military genius. James Mason's portrayal of this gallant warrior became a highlight of his career iconography. The film itself is oddly disjointed, though: a pre-credit commando raid to liquidate Rommel is followed by a flashback to the field-marshal's lightning successes commanding the Afrika Korps--a compressed account via documentary footage and copious narration (spoken by Michael Rennie, who also dubs Desmond Young, the Rommel biographer and one-time British POW appearing briefly as himself). The dramatic core is Rommel's growing disenchantment with Hitler (Luther Adler), his involvement in the plot to assassinate the Fuhrer, and his subsequent martyrdom. The Desert Rats stars Richard Burton in only his second Hollywood role (between Oscar-nominated turns in My Cousin Rachel and The Robe), as a Scottish commando put in charge of a battalion of the 9th Australian Division defending Tobruk. The Aussies don't like him, and with a year of grim North African duty already under his belt, he's not too crazy about his new responsibilities either. The outfit is charged with staving off the battering assaults of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel for two months, to give the British Army time to regroup in Cairo and prepare for a counterattack. In the end, the "desert rats" play hell with the Desert Fox for 242 days, during which time they and their commander develop some mutual respect. This is a solid, workmanlike World War II picture that, having been made in 1953 rather than 1943, can acknowledge a degree of eccentric humanity and soldierly professionalism in the enemy. Featured guest star James Mason reprises his Rommel from The Desert Fox, playing all his scenes in German except for a scene of ironical repartee with Burton. Another distinguished Brit, Robert Newton, gets costar billing as a boozy, self-confessed coward who used to be Burton's schoolmaster. However, a goodly number of Australians--including Chips Rafferty and Charles "Bud" Tingwell rate at least as much screen time. Robert Wise directed, with a trimness that reminds us he started out as an editor, and the pungent black-and-white cinematography is by Lucien Ballard. --Richard T. Jameson

• The Desert Fox | DVD | (01/08/2005) from £5.38   |  Saving you £7.61 (141.45%)   |  RRP £12.99

  James Mason delivers a strong performance in the title role of this sympathetic study of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. In the early 40's Rommel's juggernaut Afrika Korps dominated North Africa. But as the tide turned and he came to the painful realisation that his Fuhrer to whom he had sworn allegiance was destroying Germany his ingrained sense of duty pushed him into a conspiracy against Hitler. Focusing on the latter part of Rommel's career the flm portrays him as a dedicated so

• Backdraft | DVD | (05/06/2006) from £4.95   |  Saving you £2.30 (62.33%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A somewhat contrived screenplay doesn't stop this thriller from serving up some of the most spectacular fire sequences ever committed to film. Like any Ron Howard production Backdraft is impressively slick and boasts a stellar cast, including Kurt Russell and William Baldwin. The actors play sibling rivals who have been at odds since the death of their firefighter father years earlier. Robert De Niro is the veteran fire inspector who is tracking a series of mysterious and deadly arsons and Donald Sutherland is effectively creepy as the former arsonist who understands the criminal psychology of pyromaniacs. Rebecca De Mornay, Scott Glenn and Jennifer Jason Leigh are featured in supporting roles. Backdraft is a triumph of stunt work and flaming special effects. --Jeff Shannon

• John Wayne In Action | DVD | (15/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of action films starring the legendary John Wayne. Films comprise: 1. The Spoilers 2. Tycoon 3. Wake of the Red Witch 4. The Conqueror 5. The Magnificent Showman 6. Hellfighters

• King Solomon's Mines | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £6.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (42.92%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A group of daring explorers led by Allan Quartermain (Cedric Hardwicke) searches the African continent for the lost diamond mines of Solomon in this adaptation of the oft-filmed novel by H. Rider Haggard. Paul Robeson co-stars as the party's guide through the wilderness who occasionally bursts into song.