"Actor: Hurd Hatfield"

• El Cid | DVD | (30/10/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sumptuous in every way, visually magnificent, with grandiose sets, panoramic Spanish vistas and intricately detailed costumes, possessor of one of cinema's greatest music scores, boasting vast and astonishingly kinetic battles, and breathing heroic virtue in every scene, El Cid is the very epitome of epic. For this reworking of the medieval legend of the Cid (Arabic for "Lord") who united warring factions and saved 11th-century Spain from invasion, producer Samuel Bronston and director Anthony Mann insisted every set had to be created from scratch, every costume specially made for this movie alone; they also shot entirely on location in La Mancha and along the Mediterranean coast of Spain to enhance the film's authenticity. The cinematography is saturated with the burnished hues of the Spanish landscape, as are the palatial sets and rich costumes; Miklos Rozsa's resplendent score is also the result of painstaking research into medieval Spanish sources. The screenplay is imbued with knightly gravitas and more than a little salvation imagery, from the opening scene of the young Rodrigo rescuing a cross from a burning church, to the movie's indelible finale as The Cid rides "out of the gates of history into legend".Charlton Heston is at his most indomitable as Rodrigo, "The Cid", a natural leader of men and the embodiment of every manly virtue (note that he fathers twins--a sure token of his virility); Sophie Loren is ravishing as Chimene, the woman whose love for Rodrigo conflicts with her filial instincts after he kills her father, the king's champion, over a point of honour. Their scenes together create a humane warmth at the heart of this vast movie: the moment when Chimene finally declares her love (beneath a shrine of three crosses--more symbolism) to the exiled Rodrigo forms a pivotal and very intimate centrepiece. Shortly thereafter he must rise from their rural marriage bed to lead his followers into battle, and the tension between his public and private lives adds a piquancy to the film's stunning battle sequences. The international supporting cast sometimes look like makeweights, especially when chewing on the occasionally stilted dialogue, but any such faults are easily forgiven as the scale and spectacle of El Cid carries the viewer away on a tide of chivalry.On the DVD: This disc is a sadly missed opportunity to present a classic epic in its original form. Although formatted for 16:9 widescreen TVs, which initially gives hope that this might be an anamorphic widescreen presentation, only the opening and closing titles appear in the correct cinematic ratio. Otherwise this is essentially the same picture as the pan & scan VHS version with the same poor print quality. Since a restored 35mm print of El Cid has been shown at cinemas and on TV in recent years there seems to be no excuse for this cut-down presentation. Add some decidedly minimal extras and the result is a disappointing disc. --Mark Walker

• Mickey One (Dual Format Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (24/07/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Influenced by the French New Wave, director Arthur Penn's ground-breaking and wildly inventive Mickey One is a tale of a man on the run - his first teaming with Warren Beatty, two years before Bonnie and Clyde. The film also boasts a classic jazz score by Eddie Sauter and Stan Getz. Available for the first time ever in the UK. INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES: High Definition remaster Original mono audio New interview with star Alexandra Stewart (2017, tbc mins) New interview with Matthew Penn, son of director Arthur Penn (2017, tbc mins) The John Player Lecture with Arthur Penn (1981, tbc mins): archival audio recording of an interview conducted at the National Film Theatre, London Joe Dante trailer commentary (2013, 3 mins): a short critical appreciation Music promo Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive booklet featuring a new essay by journalist Nick Pinkerton, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film World premiere on Blu-ray UK DVD premiere Limited Dual Format Edition of 3,000 copies

• Mickey One (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (27/04/2020) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Influenced by the French New Wave, director Arthur Penn's ground-breaking and wildly inventive Mickey One is a tale of a man on the run - his first teaming with Warren Beatty, two years before Bonnie and Clyde. The film also boasts a classic jazz score by Eddie Sauter and Stan Getz. Extras: High Definition remaster Original mono audio Alexandra Stewart on 'Mickey One' (2017, 19 mins): a new interview with the celebrated actress Matthew Penn on 'Mickey One' (2017, 20 mins): a new interview with the son of director Arthur Penn The Guardian Lecture with Arthur Penn (1981, 59 mins): archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Richard Combs at the National Film Theatre, London Original theatrical trailer Joe Dante trailer commentary (2013, 3 mins): a short critical appreciation Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

• The Picture Of Dorian Gray | Blu Ray | (18/11/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Jean Renoir - La Bete Humaine, La Grande Illusion, Le Crime De Monsieur Lange | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Includes the classic Renoir films La Bete Humaine La Grande Illusion and The Crime Of M. Lange. La Bete Humaine A mad train driver falls in love with a married woman. They plot to kill the wife's husband... La Grande Illusion One of the very first prison escape movies Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made Jean Renoir's antiwar masterpiece of French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein. Le Crime De Monsieur Lange Told in flashback this dramatic story revolves around the author Lange who is exploited by his ruthless boss who eventually may cause the downfall of his publishing house but disaster is averted by Lange's talent and the political will of the workforce who form a cooperative...

• Crimes Of The Heart | DVD | (08/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Crimes Of The Heart tells the story of three eccentric southern sisters - Lenny (Diane Keaton) Meg (Jessica Lange)and Babe (Sissy Spacek) whose lives reunite after a long separation. Lenny the eldest has never married and cares for her ailing grandfather. Meg has had a string of boyfriends and an underwhelming singing career. Babe the youngest is fresh out of jail having shot her husband. Given the family's long history of adultery scandal and tragedy including their mothe

• The Boston Strangler | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The unexpected casting of Tony Curtis as the presumed Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, is only the first of the attractions of this hard-nosed suspense picture. Although the style of The Boston Strangler looks dated today, with its split-screen experiments and post-Bonnie and Clyde permissiveness, the film still has the clean, strong lines of a methodical policier. For the first hour, we don't focus on the Strangler, instead following the Beantown cops (led by Henry Fonda) as they track down leads; the best sequence is the near-accidental connection made between burglary suspect DeSalvo and the killings. Director Richard Fleischer had a forceful hand with true-crime material (Compulsion, 10 Rillington Place) and he takes an unblinking look into the then-taboo subject of sexual pathology. Curtis's physical transformation into a dumpy, dull-eyed brute is the best aspect of his performance; it's a role he lobbied hard for, but it did not lead to more challenging work. --Robert Horton