"Actor: Donald"

• Victim | DVD | (26/01/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Victim is quite simply a watershed moment in cinema history. The first mainstream film to portray sympathetically and realistically homosexual society, it did so at a time when homosexuality was still a crime in Britain. Janet Green and John McCormick's screenplay makes Dirk Bogarde's Melville Farr a deeply conflicted man; married and in love with his wife, he also has relationships with men; while as a lawyer he is bound to uphold the law, even as he is compelled to break it. When Jack Barrett (a young Peter McEnery) commits suicide to avoid the consequences of blackmail, Farr sees this as murder, and decides to end the extortion even if it costs him his career. Rather more skilfully plotted than it initially appears, Victim generates considerable tension, and boasts fine performances from an ensemble cast including Sylvia Syms as Farr's wife, Norman Bird, Donald Churchill and John Barrie. Basil Dearden, who memorably featured Bogarde in an early role in The Blue Lamp (1950), directs with professional assurance. Not just a historical document--though the location footage of central London circa 1961 is fascinating in its own right--Victim was instrumental in changing attitudes, which led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality. A turning point for Bogarde too, the film marked a move from matinee idol to the more serious fare of The Servant (1963) and Darling (1965). On the DVD: Victim is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 16:9 transfer, which beautifully captures the noir-ish black-and-white cinematography of Otto Heller. There is occasional print damage, but it is minimal and doesn't distract from the film. The mono sound is very good. The disc also includes the original trailer, an annotated gallery of production photographs and a 28-minute television interview with Dirk Bogarde. This excellent feature was filmed in the actor's house just prior to the release of Victim and finds him discussing his career with particular reference to Hunted (1952), the Doctor comedies, Song Without End (1960) and his latest, "bitterly controversial" picture, which he says couldn't have been made even two years earlier. --Gary S Dalkin

• Danger Man - Vol. 2 - The Lovers / Girls In Pink Pyjamas | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £91.31   |  Saving you £-75.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Patrick McGoohan stars as John Drake who's up to his neck in drug-smuggling kidnapping and espionage in these eight cult adventures. Episode 5 - The Lovers: Drake provides security for the visiting President of Boravia. Episode 6 - The Girl In Pink Pyjamas: Drake is assigned to look after a confused young woman. Episode 7 - Position of Trust: Drake and an American agent team up to break up a Middle East opium ring. Episode 8 - The Lonely Chair: The daughter of a designer is kidnapped and Drake impersonates her father. Episode 9 - The Sanctury: Drake mimics a newly released prisoner and lands himself into a web of danger. Episode 10 - An Affair of State: Drake investigates an apparent suicide but discovers the body is missing. Episode 11 - The Key: Information is being leaked from the US embassy in Vienna. Drake is called in to help. Episode 12 - The Sisters: A beautiful refugee's claim for political asylum gives Drake an awkward case.

• The Thing | HD DVD | (04/06/2007) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Horror-meister John Carpenter teams Kurt Russell's outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing. In the winter of 1982 a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100 000 years. Soon unfrozen the shape-shifting alien wreaks havoc creates terror and becomes one of them...

• Broken Trail | DVD | (18/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Set in 1898 Print Ritter (Robert Duvall) and his estranged nephew Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church) become the reluctant guardians of five abused and abandoned Chinese girls (introducing Caroline Chan Olivia Cheng Jadyn Wong Valerie Tian and Gwendoline Yeo). Ritter and Harte's attempts to care for the girls are complicated by their responsibility to deliver a herd of horses while avoiding a group of bitter rivals intent on kidnapping the girls for their own purposes.

• Crazy Six | DVD | (17/06/2002) from £8.77   |  Saving you £-0.78 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  The Eastern Bloc has fallen and Communism is dead. In its place has come new opportunity but not without a deadly price. Powerful Mafia families have emerged from the anarchy to vie for control of the lucrative underground weapons and technology trade. Crazy Six (Rob Lowe) and Dirty Mao (Mario Van Peebles) are the leaders of two rivalling mob families who agree to form an uneasy alliance in order to overthrow Raul (Ice-T) the leader of one of the largest crime cartels in Europe. But when the mission goes awry the place turns into a deadly battleground with three world-class gangsters fighting each other to the death.

• Wagner: Das Rheingold | DVD | (15/10/2001) from £4.04   |  Saving you £22.21 (798.92%)   |  RRP £24.99

• Danger Man - Vol. 4 - Conspirator / Honeymooners / Gallow Tree And Six More Episodes | DVD | (16/07/2001) from £15.58   |  Saving you £0.41 (2.63%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Features the next 8 superb episodes of international espionage featuring super-spy John Drake (Patrick McGoohan). Episode 21 - Vacation: Drake takes an assassin into custody then assumes his identity in order to uncover the intended victim. Episode 22 - The Conspirators: Drake is assigned as a bodyguard to protect the wife of a murdered diplomat. Episode 23 - The Honeymooners: Drake investigates when a groom is accused of murder on his honeymoon in the Far East. Episode 24 - The Gallows Tree: The fingerprints of a terrorist spy believed dead ten years earlier are discovered. Drake is brought in to uncover the mystery. Episode 25 - The Relaxed Informer: In order to unravel a security leak Drake carries out a daring hold-up which leads him into more trouble. Episode 26 - The Brothers: Two bandits kill one of the occupants of a crashed plane and steel a valuable diplomatic satchel. Drake is brought in to retrieve these documents at any cost. Episode 27 - The Journey Ends Half Way: Drake travels to China to investigate the disappearance of an eminent doctor who had bee trying to escape the Communist regime. Episode 28 - Bury The Dead: Drake takes over a dangerous mission when he receives an encoded ticket containing a message that a NATO agent has been killed.

• Hollow Point | DVD | (02/08/2004) from £6.49   |  Saving you £-3.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

• Necessary Evil | DVD | (27/09/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Necessary Evil

• Steely Dan - Aja | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Originally produced for cable and home video as a documentary project, the Classic Albums series offers in-depth profiles of enduring rock and pop albums built around first-person interviews with the artists, producers and musicians that created them. That audio focus creates an ironic, largely perceptual problem for DVD release, since the segments aren't intended to replace the original audio recordings, only to expand upon them: these are conventional DVDs, not harbingers of true audio DVD optimised for sonic resolution, and they are not mixed to exploit surround playback. If you haven't heard these albums, nearly all of them landmarks in late 20th century pop, then this isn't the place to start, and Aja magnifies that issue through the very high standard of the original audio recording, itself a true audiophile work. If you do know the album, however, the Classic Album presentation is a handsomely produced, revealing companion. --Sam Sutherland

• Keoma / Texas Adios | DVD | (01/09/2008) from £12.96   |  Saving you £2.03 (13.50%)   |  RRP £14.99

  This special two-disc DVD set features two classic Spaghetti Westerns starring the inimitable Franco Nero in Enzo G. Castellari's seminal and highly acclaimed masterpiece 'Keoma' and Ferdinando Baldi's rarely-seen gem 'Texas Adios'.

• Glass: The Perfect American | DVD | (02/09/2013) from £21.38   |  Saving you £3.61 (16.88%)   |  RRP £24.99

  United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio ), English ( Dolby Linear PCM ), English ( Subtitles ), French ( Subtitles ), German ( Subtitles ), Japanese ( Subtitles ), Korean ( Subtitles ), Spanish ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: At the age of 75, one of the leading figures on the 20th century music, Philip Glass, is composing a new work for the Teatro Real. "The Perfect American", imagining the final months of the life of Walt Disney - the person who has, more than any other, influenced the current world of consumers. Children nowadays only see mice and ducks as Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, thanks to the image invented for them by Walt Disney factory. In opposition to the world of happiness he devised, the existence of this perfect American was marked by an unhappy youth and a personality whose 'political correctness' outdid that of even Richard Nixon. From the hand of Dennis Russell Davies, who has conducted almost all the premieres of Glass's operas, and the stage director Phelim McDermott, we will be penetrating into the nightmare of a happy world. World Premiere, commission of the Teatro Real De Madrid and English National Opera of London. ...The Perfect American (2013)

• To Kill A Stranger | DVD | (20/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Christina Carver finds herself in dire straits after she arrives to spend some time with her TV-reporter husband who is visiting a Latin American country by a military dictator. After a car accident one day Chritina brings the helpful Col. Kostik home and then kills him in self defense when he violently attempts to rape and murder her. Terrified she covers up her act and hides the body yet in spite of her husband's efforts to protect her a local police detective starts to figure o

• The English Patient/Cold Mountain | DVD | (20/08/2007) from £6.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (185.98%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The English Patient (Dir. Anthony Minghella) (1996): Winner of an outstanding nine Academy Awards The English Patient is the sweeping World War II romantic epic that's being compared to such legendary films as Casablanca and Doctor Zhivago. After a badly burned pilot (Ralph Fiennes) is pulled from the wreckage of his plane in the Sahara Desert he's placed in the care of an army nurse (Juliette Binoche) and identified only as ""the English patient."" As his memory slowly returns a passionate and consuming love affair with a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) is unveiled and lives from both the past and the present become inextricably altered. Set against breath taking backdrops in North Africa and Italy this film is a riveting cinematic masterpiece that stirs the heart and touches the soul like no other film in years! Cold Mountain (Dir. Anthony Minghella) (2003): In the dying days of the American Civil War a wounded soldier (Law) embarks on a perilous journey back home to Cold Mountain North Carolina to reunite with his sweetheart (Kidman).

• Donkey Kong Country - Bad Hair Day | DVD | (06/06/2005) from £17.94   |  Saving you £-7.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  A spin-off from the wildly successful Nintendo video game this groundbreaking animated series stars Donkey Kong a peace-loving hugely strong ape with a big heart (but a small brain) who lives with his friends in the jungle. They are plagued by the evil King Karro who wants to defeat Donkey Kong for he possesses the Crystal Coconut a mystical sphere that can perform great spells...

• The Michael Caine Collection--The Ipcress File, Educating Rita, The Eagle Has Landed, Without a Clue | DVD | (12/11/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The Ipcress File: The tense spy thriller by Len Deighton that turned Michael Caine into a superstar. Cynical and rebellious ex-army sergeant Harry Palmer has been blackmailed into working for Britain's security service. Hot on the trail of a kidnapped scientist Palmer finds himself enmeshed in a sinister conspiracy involving horrifying brainwashing techniques murder and treachery that reaches up to the highest levels of the security service itself... Educating Rita: Rita a hairdresser with a sharp wit is married to Danny and at 26 doesn't want a baby. She wants to discover herself - so she joins the Open University. Dr Frank Bryant is a disillusioned university professor of literature. His marriage has failed his girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whiskey. He refers to himself as an appalling teacher of appalling students. What Frank needs is a challenge - and along comes Rita. In this hilarious and often moving drama the story tells how two people find a new lease of life through each other. The Eagle Has Landed: A Nazi strike force plots to assassinate Winston Churchill while he is resting in a desolate Norfolk Village. Colonel Radl masterminds the plot which if successful would change the outcome of the war. He enlists the help of Colonel Steiner (Caine) and Liam Devlin (Sutherland). Disguised as Polish airmen German paratroopers land in England. Radl's plan appear to be going smoothly until an unforeseeable incident exposed the Germans. But the kidnap continues and Steiner Luger in hand approaches the unmistakable figure of Churchill... Without A Clue: A madcap comedy which takes a fresh look at the classic Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson escapades. Holmes is actually a figment of Dr. Watson's own success in crime detection a character who Watson uses when he writes in 'The Strand' magazine. But when the printing plates for five pound notes are stolen Queen Victoria herself calls for the country's greatest detective...

• King's Ransom | DVD | (24/10/2005) from £7.98   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Big Man. Big Plan. Big Mistake. Anthony Anderson is Malcolm King the world's most arrogant and larger-than-life businessman. His ex-wife (Kellita Smith) is about to take him for everything he's worth so to keep his loot Malcolm stages his own kidnapping with help from his dim witted mistress (Regina Hall) and her ex-con brother (Charlie Murphy). What Malcolm doesn't realize though is that his grand plan is about to go hilariously awry because he's not the only one hatchi

• Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg -- Australian Opera / Mackerras | DVD | (20/02/2004) from £32.38   |  Saving you £-2.39 (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is Wagner's most life-affirming opera, a romantic comedy about life and love in 16th century Nürnberg with none of the mythological characters and settings of the composer's other operas. The story concerns a knight, Walther Von Stolzing (here sung by Paul Frey) who must win the hand of the woman he loves, Eva (Helena Doese) by competing in a competition to become the Master Singer of the city. Against him are various romantic rivals, while in the role of his eventual mentor is the shoemaker Hans Sachs (Donald McIntyre). Doese brings just the right innocent femininity to one of only two important female roles--the other is filled by Rosemary Gunn as her governess, Magdalene. Paul Frey is fine as the romantic young knight, but the opera belongs to the great New Zealand Wagnerian bass-baritone, Donald McIntyre. His performance is richly insightful as only one so steeped in the world of the composer could be. The staging is deliberately unspectacular, the colours muted to the natural earth tones of the Middle Ages, focusing all attention on the characters, drama and exhilarating music. Though running three-and-a-half hours, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an excellent introduction to Wagner's art; especially as presented in this 1990 performance in an engagingly direct and unpretentious style, one that draws the audience in and makes for highly effective small-screen viewing. On the DVD: Die Meistersinger is presented on two DVDs to maximise picture quality over the 227-minute playing time. The image is 4:3 and is typical of a 1990 live opera performance recorded on video, being perfectly acceptable while revealing all the faults of the medium. The stereo sound is very good without being exceptional. There are optional subtitles in English, German, French and Spanish but no extras. --Gary S Dalkin

• Learn To Dance - Waltz | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Triple twinkles sweeping steps rising limbs graceful turns. Sound like fun? Then it's time to learn how to do the Waltz a very popular and elegant dance. Guided by the detailed instruction of dance experts Donald Johnson and Kasia Kozak you will learn the different elements that make up the Waltz. With determination and a little effort you will be whirling about the dance floor in no time.

• Charles Munch Conducts Berlioz L'enfance Du Christ | DVD | (28/02/2005) from £20.56   |  Saving you £2.43 (10.60%)   |  RRP £22.99