"Actor: Cyril Chamberlain"

• Above Us The Waves | DVD | (19/06/2007) from £6.25   |  Saving you £0.74 (11.84%)   |  RRP £6.99

  Directed by Ralph Thomas, Above Us the Waves (1955) tells of a Royal Navy mission to sink the "invincible" German battleship Tirpitz, off the Norwegian coast. John Mills is calm and confident as the mission commander, with strong support from John Gregson and Donald Sinden--all treated by the German personnel as fellow gentlemen when captured. Despite stirring music from Arthur Benjamin, the action sequences are visually no more than adequate, and the film is only a partial success.--Richard Whitehouse

• The Green Man | DVD | (30/10/2006) from £10.87   |  Saving you £2.12 (19.50%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Hawkins (Sim) is a timid clockmaker with a part time job; International Assassination Expert. He hasn't been getting too many assignments recently but his latest mission will put him back on the top of his profession. However he stalks the wrong target blowing up a boring politician instead and now he must pay the price for his breezy bungling in this murderously funny black comedy!

• Carry On: Collection 2 | Blu Ray | (28/07/2023) from £40.90   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Carry On Constable | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £7.20   |  Saving you £9.79 (135.97%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Made in 1960, Carry On Constable is one of the earliest Carry On comic romps, arriving before they'd carved out their bawdy niche in British cinema. In fact, this Gerald-Thomas-directed effort isn't dissimilar to most of the mainstream Brit-com of its era. A flu epidemic has forced a police station to take on a brace of callow recruits: Kenneth Connor, a superstitious bag of nerves; Leslie Phillips, playing his usual rapscallion self; the ludicrously effete Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams. The "plot" is a sequence of thoroughly creaky gags at the expense of this bumbling quartet. The staple characters hadn't settled into their "classic" personae yet. Here, Sid James is an exasperated sergeant, not the sort of crinkly rogue he played in later years, Kenneth Williams is dry, detached and supercilious, while Hattie Jacques is no matron but a sympathetic sergeant, whose every walk-on is not yet accompanied by the portly strains of tubas and bassoons. The comedy here is, frankly, dismal--banana skins are slipped upon and officers' legs urinated upon bydogs, all to a rueful soundtrack of wah-wah trumpets. The main appeal of this movie is as a period slice of damp, pre-Beatles London in glorious black and white.On the DVD: Although picture and sound are adequate (though poorly dubbed in places), there are no extras at all, a shame for the hardcore Carry On aficionados to whom this release would surely, perhaps exclusively, appeal. --David Stubbs

• Carry On Cabby | DVD | (27/02/2017) from £6.21   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A rare Carry On with more interest in having a proper plot than tossing off gags every line, Cabby is also one of the friendliest of the series, built around the relationship between a cackling but good-hearted Sid James and an unusually touching Hattie Jacques. Sid's so obsessed with his taxi business that he neglects his wife, spending their wedding anniversary driving expectant father Jim Dale to and from the maternity hospital on a false alarm that naturally pays off with a delivery in the back of the cab. This drives Hattie to set up her own rival firm ("Glam Cabs"), employing dolly birds in tailored uniforms to undercut the likes of Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey. It ends happily, with a pair of hold-up men trapped in a ring of taxis and the marriage saved. Among the expected Carry On bits: Connor in drag, Amanda Barrie in a corset, Hawtrey in a leather jacket as a devout rambler ("We like to go as far as we can"), Liz Fraser as Connor's perky intended. Kenneth Williams is missed, but his role as the obnoxious shop steward (Carry On producer Peter Rogers never missed a chance to be nasty about the unions) is ably taken by Norman Chappell. Other familiar faces are Bill Owen, Peter Gilmore, Milo O'Shea, Renee Houston and Michael Ward as the tweedy businessman who has apparently left a pearl earring in the back of Connor's cab. On the DVD: No extras, but it's a smashing widescreen presentation of a pristine black and white print. --Kim Newman

• Trouble In Store / Up In The World | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £8.25   |  Saving you £6.00 (85.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Norman Wisdom became an instant movie star with the release of Trouble in Store in 1953. Playing a character called Norman, he brought his familiar stage and television personality to the big screen as a young man with the ambition to become a window dresser in a major department store. Ever lovable victim of his own clumsiness, all Norman's efforts to improve himself result in chaos. That is, until he meets Sally (Lana Morris), the girl of his dreams. Then things turn disastrous. Costarring Margaret Rutherford, Trouble in Store introduced Wisdom's self-penned song which would become his theme, "Don't laugh at Me ('cause I'm a Fool)". The film became a massive box-office hit and won Wisdom a BAFTA Award. Very much of its time, admittedly, it's still highly entertaining. In 1956 the title of his latest film, Up in the World accurately described Norman Wisdom's career. This was the great British comedian's fourth hit in as many years, this time finding himself employed as window cleaner to Lady Banderville (Ambrosine Phillpotts). Apart from having hundreds of windows to polish, things would be going fine for Norman if it weren't for the endless practical jokes played by Lady Banderville's son, Sir Reginald (Michael Caridia). However, when the irritating Reggie is kidnapped, Norman has the chance to prove himself a hero, and it just might impress his beautiful costar Maureen Swanson. By now Wisdom was set on a winning formula, working with much the same team as on his three previous smashes, including Jerry Desmonde as Major Willoughby, who had starred in both Trouble in Store (1953) and Man of the Moment (1955). --Gary S Dalkin

• Carry On Cruising | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £10.42   |  Saving you £3.57 (34.26%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Well, the gang's all here, but Carry On Cruising isn't one of the classics of the series. This may be partly due to the film's well-intentioned stab at some sort of authenticity, being set as it is on a genuine cruise liner rather than in a studio full of cheap sets. It swiftly becomes apparent that the cramped environment isn't well suited to the kind of slapstick which is usually a key ingredient in any Carry On film. Veteran couch spuds will recall that the TV series Triangle was similarly disadvantaged, except that it wasn't supposed to be funny. As ever, though, the brilliant cast-in-residence manage to make the most of the situation. The plot, such as it is, deals with the tribulations which beset a world-weary captain (James) when he realises he's been saddled with a crew of misfits and incompetents (practically everybody else) on a cruise which is of course supposed to offer its passengers every comfort and convenience. If there's a single outstanding performance it has to be that of Lance Percival's chef, whose cheeriness as he presides over his various culinary experiments is extremely funny in a menacing sort of way. On the DVD: The DVD issue has no additional features. --Roger Thomas

• Carry On Teacher | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £6.66   |  Saving you £10.33 (155.11%)   |  RRP £16.99

  When Carry On Teacher was released in 1959, the series was still in its infancy but all the familiar constituent parts were already in place. Innuendo, naturally, reigns supreme and on the brink of the permissive 1960s it's surprising what Peter Rodgers and the gang were able to get away with. "Are you satisfied with your equipment, Miss Allcock?", child psychologist Leslie Phillips asks gym mistress Joan Sims. Naturally, it isn't five minutes before Miss Allcock's shorts have split, leading to a series of pants gags. And we're off. For Carry On fans, Teacher contains many of the funniest lines and certainly some of the best performances from the whole series. Kenneth Williams is still acting rather than giving his mannerisms a good work out. Hattie Jacques is establishing her gorgon-with-a-soft-centre-for-the-right-man persona and Charles Hawtrey's birdlike twitching makes him ideal as the precious music teacher. A youthful Carol White and Richard O'Sullivan are among the scheming pupils. But you don't have to be a diehard Carry On fan to appreciate the boisterous, sub-St Trinians comedy. And thanks to Ted Ray's poignant acting as the headmaster, there's a real moment of Mr Chips-style bathos at the very end. On the DVD: Carry On Teacher doesn't gain much from being presented in widescreen. Much of its appeal lies in its familiarity. All we ask for is a clear print--and in black and white this is diamond sharp--and decent sound quality. The whole thing fits like a comfortable old shoe. But apart from the scene index there are no extras on the disc. Given the cult status of the Carry On films, and the wealth of documentary material which has been made about them and their stars, you'd think something extra could have been offered with the DVD releases to make them a more worthwhile alternative to the video. --Piers Ford

• Night To Remember - Limited Edition, All-Region/1080p | Blu Ray | (08/07/2022) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Classic documentary drama based on Walter Lord's book about the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Told from the perspective of Second Officer Charles Lightoller (Kenneth More), the story follows the supposedly ˜unsinkable' ship as she embarks on her maiden voyage and ultimately founders in the North Atlantic Ocean.From Veteran British director Roy Ward Baker.Product Features1080p High definition presentationNEW Video Interview by critic Matthew SweetNEW Interview with film historian Jo BottingThe Making of A Night to Remember documentaryTheatrical TrailerLimited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork.More features to be announced .

• Tiger By The Tail | DVD | (29/04/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  On assignment to London, American newspaper hack John Desmond, (Larry Parks) meets a mysterious woman (Lisa Daniely) in a nightclub and a brief romance ensues but our mystery lady is part of a counterfeit ring and Desmond is caught up in the whole affair. Desmond along with his English secretary the beautiful (Constance Smith) are kidnapped by the gang who will stop at nothing to retrieve a diary containing vital information. Also stars Alexander Gauge (Friar Tuck) and watch out for farm hand Thora Hird and cleaning lady Margot Bryant (Minnie Caldwell) of Coronation Street fame.

• Trouble In Store | DVD | (15/10/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Perhaps surprisingly, the British comedy legend Norman Wisdom has made just 20 films, from his debut in Date With a Dream (1948) to the thriller Double-X (1992). From 1948 on he had his own TV series, Wit and Wisdom, but 1953 was the real turning point. Not only was his son Nicholas born, but he became an instant movie star with the release of Trouble in Store. Playing a character called Norman he brought his familiar stage and television personality to the big screen as a young man with the ambition to become a window dresser in a major department store. Ever loveable victim of his own clumsiness, all Norman's efforts to improve himself result in chaos. That is, until he meets Sally (Lana Morris), the girl of his dreams. Then things turn disastrous. Co-starring Margaret Rutherford, Trouble in Store introduced Wisdom's self-penned song which would become his theme, "Don't laugh at Me ('Cause I'm a Fool)". The film became a massive box-office hit and won Wisdom a BAFTA Award. Very much of its time, yet still highly entertaining, this video release provides the opportunity to nostalgically revisit and reassess one of Britain's greatest stars. Wisdom's follow-up was another substantial hit, One Good Turn (1954). --Gary S. Dalkin