Both a critical and ratings success on its original ITV transmission The Sandbaggers was lauded in 2003 by the New York Times as being ""The best spy series in TV history"". 'The Sandbaggers' is a nickname for the Special Section of the British Secret Service - a team of special agents who were deployed during the Cold War. Run by the dour single-minded Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden) the 'Sandbaggers' are headed by the brash but conscientious Willie Caine (Ray Lonnen). In
Antony Sher stars in The History Man, the BBC's critically acclaimed four-part drama series based on Malcolm Bradbury's savagely satirical novel of seventies campus life. Sher plays the moustachio'd Howard Kirk, left-wing Marxist, promiscuous womaniser and bully. An ambitious sociology lecturer, he delights in stirring up revolutionary feelings at the University of Watermouth, manipulating students, colleagues and lovers alike to further his career. The supporting cast features Geraldine Jame.
The Bells Of St. Mary's (Dir. Leo McCarey 1945): This Going My Way sequel stars Bing Crosby reprising his role as worldly-wise Father Chuck O'Malley and introduces Crosby's beloved song Aren't You Glad You're You? Father O'Malley is transferred to the soon-to-be-condemned school run by Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) and the two quickly match wits and stubbornness eventually finding a middle ground. A surprisingly light touch of sentimentality and humor gives this film by director Leo McCarey a glow of genuine feeling that effortlessly captures viewers' hearts. Going My Way (Dir. Leo McCarey 1944): Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley (Bing Crosby) led a colorful life of sports song and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy but his level gaze and twinkling eyes make it clear that he knows he made the right choice. After joining a parish O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund winning over his aging conventional superior (Barry Fitzgerald). Songs such as Swinging on a Star sparkle and both Crosby and Fitzgerald do a fine job tugging at the heartstrings in a gentle irresistible way that will make viewers return to this lovely film again and again.
There is just one week until Kate Mercer's 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the Swiss Alps.
A modern teenager is transported to Elizabethan times and soon finds herself trying to save Mary Queen of Scots! When Penelope Taberner goes to stay with her Uncle Barnabas and Aunt Tissie on their remote, ancient, Derbyshire farm, she begins to see spooky visions. Travelling back to Tudor times, she soon uncovers a plot to free Mary Queen of Scots in order to overthrow Elizabeth I. And her very own ancestors, the Babington family, are responsible for the treason. Penelope already knows the tragic fate that awaits the Scottish Queen but can she stop history from following its natural course? This mysterious and charming drama was written by the beloved Little Grey Rabbit author Alison Uttley and was inspired by the real life Babington Plot.
Heralded by many as a work of genius by artist William Hogarth - A Harlots Progress was created by using sketches of prostitutes in the early 18th Century. This film follows William Hogarth(Toby Jones) and looks at the facts of his life and also focuses on he life of a 22 year old prostitute who supposedly became his inspriation. From the creator of the forthcoming major Channel 4 drama series 'City of Vice' this prequel of sorts shows the graphic depiction of the sq
The third and fourth series of the sitcom in which stuck-up socialite Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced 'Bouquet' mind you) puts her put-upon husband the ever-dependable Richard through further excruciatingly awkward but fantastically funny situations! Episode titles: Early Retirement Iron Age Remains Violet's Country Cottage How to Go on Holiday without Really Trying Richard's New Hobby The Art Exhibition What to Wear When Yachting A Job For Richard Country Retreat A Ce
The immensely versatile Pete Postlethwaite stars in The Sins, a seven-part serio-comic drama set amongst London's criminal fraternity, with each episode taking as its loose theme one of the seven deadly sins. Postlethwaite, who seems able to shine in anything from Hollywood blockbusters to low-budget Brit flicks, stars as Len Green, an ex-con getaway driver who shocks his friends and family when, on release from a four-year stretch, he denounces his former life of crime in favour of more cultured endeavours. Whilst this decision, and the effects it has on those close to him, forms the story arc, the real meat of the series is to be found in his relationships with his wife (played by the perennially excellent and hugely underrated Geraldine James), his daughters--Faith, Hope, Charity and Chastity--his surrogate son, Carl and, perhaps, most importantly, his uncle and mentor, Irwin (Frank Finlay). Each case of temptation and sin is examined in turn (all handled by different directors but remaining part of a cohesive whole), as Len's rose-tinted view of his family life is gradually shattered by a series of harsh home truths. There's plenty of comedy throughout, much of it stemming from Len's new career as an undertaker, but it takes actors of Postlethwaite, Finlay and James' stature to handle the often abrupt shifts from light to shade as the series progresses into a darker place. Perfectly rounded (no chance of a second series, given the nature of the denouement), the extended format enables Postlethwaite to develop and enhance his character in a way that no two-hour film could ever offer. The producers even had the good taste to include a Tindersticks song as the theme. --Phil Udell
Available for the first time on DVD. A lavish 21st Anniversary edition of the seminal 'Jewel In The Crown' TV miniseries adapted from Paul Scott's Booker-winning 'Raj Quartet' novels. The British Raj: though their position outwardly seems secure the perceptive among the English nationals in India know that with impending moves towards independence ""their"" time in the sub-continent is coming to an end...
Made in 1983, the US TV mini-series Kennedy has Martin Sheen playing a president well before his stint on The West Wing. All of the momentous events of JFK's remarkable term are covered (with actual news footage used to excellent effect), but it is the portrayal of the entire Kennedy family as real, flawed people that gives Kennedy its power. The Kennedys gossip, snipe, joke and bother each other like a real family rather than rigid historical figures or threadbare caricatures. Sheen plays JFK as a man with lofty ideals who is more than willing to dirty his hands to serve his greater purpose. Blair Brown plays Jacqueline Kennedy with a shrewd understanding of politics, but also a whiff of vanity. In addition to the strong performances by both leads, Vincent Gardenia gives a brilliant performance as J Edgar Hoover: stiff, quirky and strange, prurient and moralistic at the same time and boiling with hatred. --Ali Davis
With 17 previous screen adaptations behind it, this 2002 BBC version of The Hound of the Baskervilles might have been inhibited by the sheer weight of expectation. But in this production--marking the centenary of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel--director David Attwood rings the changes subtly and strikingly, helped by Allan Cubitt's tautly argued script and Christopher Hall's vivid production: the viewer feels the "presence" of the moors as never before. Richard Roxburgh is a thoughtful, understated Sherlock Holmes--self-absorbed yet observant of life around him. There's nothing bumbling or ineffectual about Ian Hart's Dr Watson--a resourceful thinker who, often sceptical of Holmes, complements him in human awareness. Richard E Grant dons a plausibly sociopathic manner as Stapleton, and there's a touching portrayal of his put-upon sister from Neve McIntosh. John Nettles and Geraldine James contribute sterling character parts as Dr and Mrs Mortimer, and Matt Day is a suave, not too sophisticated Sir Henry Baskerville. It adds up to a convincing rethink of a hallowed tale. On the DVD: The Hound of the Baskervilles on disc comes with a 16:9 picture that reproduces the sombre atmosphere of Baskerville Hall--shot at a variety of English locations--with real immediacy, and the Dolby Digital sound has 5.1 surround enhancement. Subtitles are in 11 languages, with 10 scene selections--framed in a stylishly- presented main menu. Special Features include a 12-minute making of documentary and interviews with the cast members, as well as a running commentary from Attwood and Hall. --Richard Whitehouse
There is just one week until Kate Mercer's 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the Swiss Alps.
When an old and fading St. Dominic's church gets a young new priest (Crosby) things are bound to change. For starters young Father O'Malley meets the crusty old Father Fitzgibbons (Barry Fitzgerald) who doesn't think much of him or his ideas. The two have their differences but O'Malley is able to inspire some neighbourhood roughnecks to open their hearts and minds in a way the old priest simply could not do. Once the change has begun the church starts to find its way back into the
Geraldine McEwan takes over the coveted mantle of the titular super sleuth in a box set of all-star cast adaptations of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novels. Episodes Comprise: 1.Sleeping Murder 2.The Sittaford Mystery 3.The Moving Finger 4.By The Pricking Of My Thumbs
Adapted from the novel by Maeve Binchy this is a story of love friendship and obsession set in the Irish town of Castlebay between 1952 and 1962. A young woman wins a scholarship and leaves her small town to pursue her dreams in Dublin. There she falls in love with the son of the local doctor...
H.G. Wells' classic story of a brilliant but eccentric scientist whose quest for the secret of invisibility leads him to commit theft and murder finally unleashing a reign of terror on anyone who dares to thwart him.
This Animated Shakespeare Box Set winner of 2 Emmy awards contains 12 of the bard's plays that were originally broadcast on BBC2 in 1994. The scripts for the 'Animated Tales' have been adapted from the original Shakespeare by Leon Garfield. A reknowed Shakespearean scholar Garfield worked closely with a panel of academic experts to create plays that are masterfully abridged to only 30 minutes yet are faithful to Shakespeare's language and plots. The 12 episodes are : 1.
Louis Trevelyan's refusal to believe in his wife Emily's fidelity destroys a perfect marriage and drives him literally insane. Suspicious beyond reason that she is having an affair with Colonel Osbourne a man of dubious reputation he forces his wife out of their house hires the seedy private detective Bozzle to spy on her and organises the kidnapping of their son with devastating consequences. Throughout Emily's protestation of her innocence and the couple's enduring love for each other despite their estrangement render the story moving and tragic.
One of the oddest shows ever mounted for mainstream UK television, Sapphire & Steel was one of ITV's many short-lived attempts at grabbing the sci-fi cult status of the BBC's Doctor Who. Ex-Man From U.N.C.L.E. David McCallum and ex-Avenger Joanna Lumley play human-looking incarnations of the eponymous substances, mysterious investigators working at the behest of an apparent God of Order and zipping about TARDIS-like to cope with anomalies in the time-stream that manifest as apparent supernatural forces in remote English locales like an isolated farmhouse (Adventure One), a deserted rural railway station (Adventure Two) and a high-rise block of flats (Adventure Three). McCallum and Lumley play their "medium atomic weights" with blank style and a few touches of baffled humour, not to mention visual flair in the case of Lumley's blue fashions and occasional glowing eyes. But the lengthy serial format, strictly limited guest casts and claustrophobic confinement to studio floor sets tend to mean individual serials straggle on with a great deal of repetition, providing longeurs as six or eight-part stories seem to take forever to get moving and then resolve. Shot on video, with a few strange 1970s effects (evil follow-spots, floating pillows), this remains prime cult material, though it's hard to sit still for more than one episode at a time. It will take an extremely devoted fan to get through all three adventures in under six months. On the DVD: Sapphire & Steel on disc has to be reckoned a disappointment when compared with the wealth of extra material included on the Gerry Anderson or Doctor Who DVDs. This set stretches only to a few press releases and a TV Times article from the launch of the series that tries hard to build up a mystique about the show which it would take some years to actually acquire. There are basic bios of the two stars, and some unresonant stills. Image quality-wise, this looks much the same as previous VHS releases: shot on video, with only a few tiny film inserts for Adventure Three (on the roof of a London building), the series' transfer to DVD is plagued by artefacting of various kinds (some of which can just about be passed off as visual effects), but then again so were the original transmissions. The pristine look is especially unfortunate in exposing the extremely ordinary trickery as far less terrifying than the onscreen characters make them out to be. --Kim Newman
John Adams' 'Doctor Atomic', performed by the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Lawrence Renes.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy