"Actor: Ethel"

• It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World | Blu Ray | (04/09/2017) from £21.65   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  STANLEY KRAMER followed his Oscar-winning Judgment at Nuremberg with this sobering investigation of American greed. Ah, who are we kidding? It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, about a group of strangers fighting tooth and nail over buried treasure, is the most grandly hare-brained movie ever made, a pileup of slapstick and borscht-belt-y one-liners performed by a nonpareil cast, including MILTON BERLE, SID CAESAR, ETHEL MERMAN, MICKEY ROONEY, SPENCER TRACY, JONATHAN WINTERS, and a boatload of other playingto-the-rafters comedy legends. For sheer scale of silliness, Kramer's wildly uncharacteristic film is unlike any other, an exhilarating epic of tomfoolery. TWO BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES: Restored 4K digital film transfer of the general release version of the film, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack New high-definition digital transfer of a 197-minute extended version of the film, reconstructed and restored by Robert A. Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original road-show versionincluding some scenes that have been returned to the film here for the first time New audio commentary featuring It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World aficionados Mark Evanier, Michael Schlesinger, and Paul Scrabo New documentary on the film's visual and sound effects, featuring rare behind-thescenes footage of the crew at work and interviews with visual-effects specialist Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt Talk show from 1974 hosted by director Stanley Kramer and featuring Mad World actors Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, and Jonathan Winters Press interview from 1963 featuring Kramer and members of the film's cast Interviews recorded for the 2000 AFI program 100 Years . . . 100 Laughs, featuring comedians and actors discussing the influence of the film Two-part 1963 episode of the CBC television program Telescope that follows the film's press junket and premiere The Last 70mm Film Festival, a program from 2012 featuring cast and crew members from Mad World at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, hosted by Billy Crystal Selection of humourist and voice-over artist Stan Freberg's original TV and radio advertisements for the film, with a new introduction by Freberg Original and re-release trailers, and re-release radio spots PLUS: An essay by film critic Lou Lumenick and illustrations by legendary cartoonist Jack Davis

• It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | DVD | (11/03/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Stanley Kramer's 1963 It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a sprawling comedy about a search for buried treasure by at least a dozen people--all played by well-known entertainers of their day--is the kind of mass comedy that has recently come back to the for-front of Hollywood with the film Rat Race. After a number of strangers (including Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers and others) witness a dying stranger (Jimmy Durante) identify the location of hidden money, a conflict-ridden hunt begins, watched over carefully by a suspicious cop (Spencer Tracy). The ensuing two and a half hours of mayhem has its ups and downs--some sketches and performers are certainly funnier than others. But Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they could have derived from the Airplane! reject bin. Watch for lots of cameo appearances, including Jerry Lewis. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• The Spiral Staircase | DVD | (01/01/2008) from £13.31   |  Saving you £-7.32 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  This superb Hitchcockian thriller shocked critics and audiences on its initial release. With superb performances from the cast (Dorothy McGuire in particular); a wonderfully eerie gothic mansion and a chilling atmosphere of fear and suspense, it is easy to see why the film stands as one of the classic tales of terror.

• The Birds | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes". From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith), to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

• Young At Heart | DVD | (28/05/2001) from £10.98   |  Saving you £7.01 (63.84%)   |  RRP £17.99

• Melody Time (Disney) | DVD | (21/07/2003) from £6.99   |  Saving you £-1.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.00

  Disney's Melody Time features seven classic stories each enhanced with high-spirited music and unforgettable characters. Donald Duck puts on a display of jazzy antics as the star of 'Blame It On The Samba.' Music becomes a real adventure for a busy bumble bee in 'Bumble Boogie'. From the mischievous young tugboat in 'Little Toot' to the heroes of legend and myth in 'Johnny Appleseed' and 'Pecos Bill' this feast for the eyes and ears entertains with wit and charm.

• Doris Day | DVD | (13/03/2006) from £16.32   |  Saving you £33.67 (206.31%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of six classic Doris Day movies in one bumper value box set! Young At Heart (1955) Barney Sloan (Frank Sinatra) is a cynical down-on-his-luck musician who reluctantly agrees to help his composer friend Alex Burke (Gig Young) with a new comedy he is working on. However Barney gains a new perspective on life and love when he meets Alex's irrepressibly perky fiancee Laurie (Doris Day) - and promptly falls in love with her! Lover Come Back (1961) Account ex

• There's No Business Like Show Business | DVD | (23/07/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Molly and Terry Donahue, plus their three children, are The Five Donahues. Son Tim meets hat-check girl Vicky and the family act begins to fall apart.

• There's No Business Like Show Business | DVD | (22/05/2006) from £9.76   |  Saving you £3.23 (33.09%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Molly and Terry Donahue plus their three children are The Five Donahues. Son Tim meets hat-check girl Vicky and the family act soon begins to fall apart...

• Marilyn Monroe: The Collection (Vol. 2) | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) Marilyn delivers one of the finest comedic performances of her career in this outrageously funny film co-starring Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall! Three beautiful models plan to snag rich husbands by pooling their funds and renting a posh Manhattan penthouse in which to lure their victims. What follows is a series of near-marital mishaps where love prevails over money proving that even gold-diggers sometimes have hearts of gold! There's N

• Eve's Bayou (1997) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (31/10/2022) from £32.29   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The summer I killed my father, I was ten years old . . . So begins this spellbinding feature debut by KASI LEMMONS (Harriet), an evocative journey into the maze of memory steeped in fragrant southern-gothic atmosphere. In 1960s Louisiana, a young girl (Friday Night Lights' JURNEE SMOLLETT) sees her well-to-do family unravel in the wake of the infidelities of her charming father (Pulp Fiction's SAMUEL L. JACKSON)setting in motion a series of deceptions and betrayals that will upend her world and challenge her understanding of reality. Rooted in Creole history, folklore, and mysticism, Eve's Bayou is a scintillating showcase for a powerhouse ensemble of Black actressesincluding LYNN WHITFIELD (Madea's Family Reunion), DEBBI MORGAN (Roots), and the legendary DIAHANN CARROLL (Claudine) as a voodoo priestess as well as a profoundly cathartic exploration of trauma, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of truth. Product Features New 4K digital restoration of the director's cut, supervised by director Kasi Lemmons and cinematographer Amy Vincent, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack Original 108-minute theatrical-release version Audio commentary on the director's cut featuring Lemmons, Vincent, producer Caldecot Chubb, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire Dr. Hugo (1996), a short film Lemmons made as a proof of concept for Eve's Bayou, in a new 4K digital transfer New interview with Lemmons Cast reunion footage Interview with composer Terence Blanchard New program showcasing black-and-white Polaroids that Vincent took during production Cast and crew photographs by William Eggleston Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by film scholar Kara Keeling

• Marilyn Monroe - The Diamond Collection | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £29.95   |  Saving you £50.04 (167.08%)   |  RRP £79.99

  Released to mark the 40th anniversary of her death in 1962, The Diamond Collection brings together all of Marilyn Monroe's films for 20th Century Fox. This handsome box set stands as a salutary reminder of the considerable achievements of an actress who still reigns supreme as the greatest screen goddess of them all. The uninitiated might be surprised at the versatility of someone whose legend is founded so much on her image as a sex symbol. In particular, her touching performance as the abused second-rate bar singer Cherie in Bus Stop (1956) is a rounded study of a woman still capable of dreaming when life has done everything to dull her. The box set as a whole offers plenty of evidence that while she certainly specialised in a unique and complex variation on the blonde bombshell stereotype--embodied in her timeless performances as Lorelei Lee (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and short-sighted Pola in How to Marry a Millionaire, both 1953--she could certainly diversify. The documentary, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days, provides a sympathetic take on the troubles and behaviour which led to her being sacked from her final picture, Something's Got to Give. The presentation of the restored footage from that movie is less successful, though, as the glimpses of Monroe's incandescent screen presence, belying her illness and depression, leave a palpable sadness in their wake. Better by far to focus on her earlier work. Whatever the role, her luminous beauty and statuesque figure, combined with an unselfconsciously joyful sexuality and an on-screen vulnerability, were always at their best under the careful guidance of directors like Billy Wilder and Otto Preminger. These qualities continue to give her an enduring appeal. On the DVD: The Diamond Collection has been digitally restored using, for the most part, the original negatives, making this a sumptuous package for any Monroe fan. Niagara and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are both presented in standard 4:3 ratio but the rest--filmed in Cinemascope and presented here in letterbox format--are certainly better-served by widescreen viewing. The colours, like Monroe, come alive. The sound quality is crisp and Monroe's singing--she had limited but genuine musical talent--has polished up well. Multiple extras include before-and-after restoration comparisons, trailers from various countries, stills and posters, and newsreel footage. Eleven discs of Marilyn in one box, this is a veritable feast indeed. --Piers Ford

• The Deadly Spawn | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £63.30   |  Saving you £-57.31 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  In a remote part of New England. Two teenagers on a camping trip see what looks like a meteorite fall from the sky and land nearby. Investigating they discover the Deadly Spawn - a toothsome alien-being that quickly disposes of them before setting off in search of more food. Hiding in a nearby town its terror is fully unleashed upon the unwary inhabitants... Released by Vipco in 1983 The Deadly Spawn became an immediate hit scaring audiences all over the U.K. With the release o

• Billy Liar | DVD | (11/09/2006) from £14.83   |  Saving you £-1.84 (-14.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Tom Courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as Billy Fisher the underachieving undertaker's assistant whose constant daydreams and truth-deficient stories earn him the nickname ""Billy Liar."" Julie Christie is the handbag-swinging charmer whose free spirit just might inspire Billy to finally move out of his parents' house. Deftly veering from gritty realism to flamboyant fantasy Billy Liar is a dazzling and uproarious classic.

• Billy Liar | DVD | (25/02/2002) from £11.39   |  Saving you £5.59 (66.55%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Billy Liar was the multimedia phenomenon of its era. Starting out as a novel by Yorkshire writer Keith Waterhouse, it rapidly became a long-running stage play, adapted by Waterhouse with playwright Willis Hall, which lead to the movie, scripted by Waterhouse and Hall for John Schlesinger to direct, then a stage musical and finally a spin-off TV series. Do you get the feeling it caught the mood of the times? The basic set-up owes a lot to James Thurber's classic short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Our hero, Billy Fisher, lives at home in a Bradford semi with his nagging parents and works as a lowly clerk in an undertaker's parlour. But, in his imagination he lives a rich and varied fantasy life as gallant military leader, suave socialite, best-selling novelist and so forth. Trouble is, he can't always keep fantasy and reality apart, any more than he can the keep two girls he's engaged to separate. Not to mention his other problems…. Schlesinger's direction brings out the desperation behind the comedy, and Tom Courtenay, at once defiant and hangdog, slips perfectly into the role created on stage by Albert Finney. But the whole cast's a joy, not least the great Leonard Rossiter as undertaker Mr Shadrach, Billy's saturnine boss. And then there's Julie Christie--the luminous spirit of the Swinging 60s--in her first starring role as the girl who offers Billy a chance of real escape. At the end, when she takes the train to London, away from the smoke and the grimness "oop" north, the whole British New Wave went with her. On the DVD: just the theatrical trailer which is a fairly crass affair. There's been no remastering, it seems, but both sound and vision are clean enough and the print preserves the original's full 2.35:1 widescreen ratio. --Philip Kemp

• Portrait Of Jennie | DVD | (06/08/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Artist Eben Adams has never been able to impress dealer Henry Matthews with his work - until he draws a sketch of a young girl he meets in the park one day.She says she is only twelve and is dressed in clothes of a bygone era. The next time the couple meet Adams has become a success and Jennie a beautiful young woman whom he persuades to sit for a portrait. Adams learns that Jennie was raised in a convent in New England and died when a tidal wave hit the town. Hoping to be reunited w

• Pioneers of African-Amercian Cinema (5-Disc Blu-ray Set) | Blu Ray | (21/11/2016) from £59.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This very special collection illuminates one of the most fascinating and unjustly neglected corners of American movie history Martin Scorsese Explore the landmarks of early African-American film with this extensive collection of features and shorts. One of the most fascinating chapters of film history, the so-called race films of 1920s, 30s and 40s America rallied against the prejudiced conventions of the time. Starring, written, produced and directed by African-Americans, these pioneering films refined an innovative style that set them apart from the Hollywood establishment. Showcasing the works of influential filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, and James and Eloyce Gist, the Pioneers of African-American Cinema is a newly restored collection of rare and nearly-forgotten films that celebrates the enduring influence of these overlooked visionaries.

• Young At Heart | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £11.51   |  Saving you £6.48 (56.30%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Barney Sloan (Frank Sinatra) is a cynical down-on-his-luck musician who reluctantly agrees to help his composer friend Alex Burke (Gig Young) with a new comedy he is working on. However Barney gains a new perspective on life and love when he meets Alex's irrepressibly perky fiancee Laurie (Doris Day) - and promptly falls in love with her! A musical remake of the 1938 film 'Four Daughters' with Sinatra offering definitively gloomy renditions of 'Someone to Watch Over Me' and 'One More for My Baby' before Day manages to put a smile on his face featuring a superb score written by Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin.

• The Spiral Staircase | DVD | (08/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Hitchcockian thriller about a woman who because of a childhood incident is unable to speak. Now she's working as a maid in a spooky New England manor where a murderer lurks about the premises -- a murderer who specializes in killing those burdened by afflictions... Ethel Barrymore was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her outstanding performance.

• The Doris Day Collection - Pillow Talk/Young At Heart/The Thrill Of It All/That Touch Of Mink/Send Me No Flowers/Lover Come Back | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £49.95   |  Saving you £0.04 (0.10%)   |  RRP £49.99

  A collection of six classic Doris Day movies in one bumper value box set!; ; Young At Heart (1955) Barney Sloan (Frank Sinatra) is a cynical, down-on-his-luck musician, who reluctantly agrees to help his composer friend Alex Burke (Gig Young) with a new comedy he is working on. However, Barney gains a new perspective on life and love when he meets Alex's irrepressibly perky fiancee, Laurie (Doris Day) - and promptly falls in love with her! ; ; Lover Come Back (1961) Account exec...