In an American West just coming to terms with the end of World War II Jane Fonda stars as a Colorado rancher struggling to keep her independence from ruthless local land mogul Ewing. Fonda teams up with another independent rancher and war veteran Frank and Frank's partner is killed. Frank and Ella develop a romantic relationship as they battle to save Ella's land but more than the land is at stake for Ewing. His desire to expand his ranching empire must come to terms with a force e
49th Parallel is a powerful and important piece of World War 2 propaganda which controversially was filmed from the point of view of a group of German soldiers. Asked to make a flag waver by the Ministry of Information the brilliantly gifted film-making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger elected to set the action in Canada. The film features a stellar cast who all waived their fees in the interests of the war. A Nazi U-boat is sunk by the Canadian Air Force and all the crew are lost except six men who had been sent ashore before the attack. They stumble across an Eskimo village where Scott Peter and his Eskimo servant Martin live. Also present is a French trapper Johnnie (played by Laurence Olivier) who panics when held at gunpoint and is shot by one of the Nazis. After this the Allies send an S.O.S. plane and it is the intention of the Nazis to hijack it and fly to neutral America. When the plane arrives there is a scuffle but they manage to take off. Will they be caught before they kill again?
Among Alfred Hitchcock's pre-Hollywood movies, 1938's Young and Innocent is a most unfairly overlooked classic. It's full of themes and stylistic touches that became permanent fixtures in his career. Based on Josephine Tey's novel A Shilling for Candles, the film title refers to the characters' outlook. However Hitchcock characteristically chips away at that innocence with flourishes of macabre humour, such as scenes of a dead rat at the lunch table and a hopeless conference with a defence lawyer, while suspense is heightened in a game of blindman's buff at a children 's party. The story concerns a typically Hitchcockian innocent man (Derrick de Marney) on the run, with a trivial object to find (a raincoat) that will prove his innocence. He's helped by a fiery young girl (Nova Pilbeam) who's unfortunately the daughter of the chief constable, but has some handy first aid skills. There's also an oppressive mother figure in the shape of an overbearing aunt (Mary Clare). Aside from these thematic traits, what remains impressive for viewers new or old is Hitchcock's technical set-pieces: a car sinks into a mineshaft, a railway station is recreated in miniature, and the twitchy-eyed murderer is finally located via an extended aerial tracking shot across a ballroom (pre-empting many similar shots, eg: Notorious). This sequence took two days to accomplish, and demonstrates the director was more than ready to move to the older and less innocent American industry . --Paul Tonks
Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi series. The operatives of the secret Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation (S.H.A.D.O.) defend the earth from extra-terrestrials who are abducting humans to obtain their organs which can be transplanted into their own bodies... Episodes include: Sub-smash The Sound Of Silence The Cat With Ten Lives
UFO was Gerry Anderson's first live-action TV series after a decade of producing such children's animated classics as Stingray (1963) and Thunderbirds (1964). The premise of UFO, which ran for a single season of 26 episodes, was like a more serious version of Anderson's Captain Scarlet (1967)--in the near future of 1980 a hi-tech secret organisation, SHADO, waged covert war against mysterious alien attackers. Ed Bishop played the American head of SHADO--he had had previously featured in Captain Scarlet and Anderson's Doppelganger (1969)--though in all other respects this was a thoroughly British production. As with all Anderson series UFO evidenced remarkable technological inventiveness and groundbreaking production values, coupled with startling lapses in fundamental logic too numerous to list. Much more adult in story and content than earlier Anderson productions, and surprisingly dark with its pragmatic view of human nature and downbeat endings, the show now seems like a forerunner of The X Files and the equally short-lived Dark Skies (1996). Barry Gray's memorable theme and atmospheric music greatly enhanced the overall impact. Stylishly made, though terribly sexist by current standards and featuring eye-catching costumes more fitted for a camp fancy dress party than the front line of a futuristic war, this cult classic eventually evolved into Space 1999 (1975). On the DVD: from the animated menus onwards these DVDs have been beautifully designed and produced. The mono sound is exceptionally strong and the restored and remastered picture is almost unbelievably good for a 1970 TV show. With barely a flaw anywhere the episodes look so clear, colourful and detailed that they could have been filmed last week. --Gary S Dalkin
Executive produced by Judd Apatow and Pete Holmes, and loosely inspired by Holmes' personal experiences in standup comedy, Crashing follows an aspiring comic named Pete (Holmes), who finds out his wife Jessica (Lauren Lapkus) is cheating on him, forcing a move to New York to pursue his dream of being a comedian. Thrown into the deep end in a city that's not for the faint of heart, the formerly sheltered Pete learns some hard lessons about life and comedy, encountering all sorts of stand-up talents along the way, from cynical guru Artie Lange, to outrageous provocateur T.J. Miller, to benevolent motivator Sarah Silverman, and many more. While trying to make ends meet by crashing on other people's couches (hence the series name), Pete finds goodness in unlikely places, evolving into someone who's a little more okay with the messiness of life. A love letter to stand-up, Crashing is a series about discovering humor, beauty and grace in the crazy den of thieves that is the NYC comedy scene. Episodes: 1. Artie Lange 2. The Road 3. Yard Sale 4. Barking 5. Parents 6. Warm-up 7. Julie 8. The Baptism Extra Content: Inside the Episodes Deleted Scenes
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