Featuring one of John Candy's earliest leading roles, Going Berserk is a laugh-out-loud comedy part slapstick, part sharp wit that'll have you howling from the first scene till the credits roll. John Bourgignon couldn't be happier. In a few weeks, the tubby limousine driver played by Emmy award-winner John Candy (Planes, Trains and Automobiles) will walk down the aisle with Nancy Reese, a bombshell blonde with ties to big money. But Nancy's father, a US congressman and presidential hopeful, can't stand the idea of his daughter getting hitched up to a lowly chauffer. While trying to impress his father-in-law to be (Pat Hingle, of Splendor in the Grass and Norma Rae), happy-go-lucky John finds himself mixed up with the wrong crowd. As his wedding day looms ever closer, the bumbling, lovable driver is confronted with blackmail, brainwash, a murder plot, a jailbreak, a religious cult of aerobics instructors the list goes on. With a little (not-so-helpful) assistance from his sleazy, film-director friend (Eugene Levy, National Lampoon's Vacation) and limo-driving sidekick (Joe Flaherty, Stripes, Happy Gilmore), John stumbles his way towards the altar, with plenty of side-splitting laughs to be had along the way.
The Lady and the Highwayman, produced by Lew Grade as part of a series of Barbara Cartland dramatisations in 1987, contains all the ingredients that made Cartland's unique style of romantic fiction so successful. The highwayman in question, known as Silver Blade, is actually an aristocratic outlaw played by a youthful Hugh Grant in a bouffant mullet wig. The lady is Panthea (Lysette Anthony), delicate but firm of purpose, who knows her man when she sees him. It's Restoration England, so the frocks are fabulous. But Cartland's pretensions to historical accuracy evaporate when she makes Charles II's mistress, Barbara Castlemaine (Dynasty's Emma Samms), the villainess of the piece. From there, it's a freewheeling ride of Robin Hood-inspired philanthropy, duplicitous cousins and some uncomfortably fetishistic shots of the rituals and instruments of execution, although everybody is rescued in time for the romantic soft-focus finale. Full of splendidly self-indulgent performances from the likes of Claire Bloom, John Mills and Michael York, The Lady and the Highwayman is a feast of thespian ham. Somehow, the cast triumph over the banality of the basic material. On the DVD: The Lady and the Highwayman is presented in 4:3 aspect ratio with a standard Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack. With an eye on the international market, it looks and feels like any lush mini-series of the 1980s. There are no extras. --Piers Ford
As World War Two rages Jim Colter (John Mills) finds himself called up to serve in the army - but he's soon to find himself at war on two fronts.While he's away his lovely wife Tillie (Joy Shelton) attracts the amorous attention of Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger) a vicious local spiv and self-acclaimed ladies man.When Jim's sister writes informing him of what is happening Jim decides that the Nazis can wait and that an even more insidious enemy needs to be dealt with first. He breaks out of camp goes AWOL and sets off to find his wife. With the military hot on his tail Jim must make his way through war torn London to settle things once and for all.
An easygoing British Corporal (John Mills) in France finds himself responsible for the lives of his men when their officer is killed. He has to get them back to Britain somehow. Meanwhile British civilians are being dragged into the war with Operation Dynamo the scheme to get the French and British forces back from the Dunkirk beaches. Some come forward to help others are less willing...
The Colditz Story is an outstanding factual prisoner of war film directed by Guy Hamilton, starring John Mills (Ice Cold in Alex) as Officer Pat Reid and Eric Portman (The 49th Parallel) as Colonel Richmond. It is based on the book written by Pat Reid, a British army officer who was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, in Germany during the Second World War and who was the Escape Officer for British POWs within the castle. Colditz Castle in the heart of Saxony, was the fortress to which the German High Command sent officers who had attempted to escape from conventional prison camps. They regarded it as impregnable yet they threatened the death penalty for anyone attempting to break out. British officer Pat Reid leads an escape through one of the castle's subterranean tunnels. Only three of the prisoners survive; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Special Features: New and Exclusive Documentary - Colditz Revealed: Life Inside the Colditz Castle Restoration Comparison
Two examples of British Second World War films, We Dive at Dawn (1943) and Reach for the Sky (1956), are here stylishly packaged as a World War II Classics pack. We Dive at Dawn tells of the encounter between a British submarine and a German warship in the Baltic Sea. John Mills gives a dependable performance as the submarine commander, with Eric Portman the pick of a strong supporting cast. Director Anthony Asquith finds the balance between action sequences and "in situ" dialogue, and there's an evocative score from Louis Levy. The movie was an underrated film that deserves reappraisal, whereas Reach for the Sky (1956) was a box-office hit and remains a fondly regarded classic. Kenneth More is ideally cast as Douglas Bader, the gifted pilot who loses both legs in a pre-war air crash, only to play a major role in the Battle of Britain, rise to the rank of Group Captain and become a war hero. Based on Paul Brickhill's biography, this is an "official" history maybe, but Lewis Gilbert's screenplay and direction are historically accurate and informed by that very British humour of which More was a natural. The film is graced by a decent supporting cast, and a typically "widescreen" score from John Addison. On the DVD: The black and white prints look and sound excellent. Whereas We Dive at Dawn has 4:3 video aspect ratio, 15 chapter points and no subtitles, the later Reach for the Sky has vivid 16:9 anamorphic reproduction, 20 chapter points, subtitles and detailed biographies of More, Gilbert and Barder. The original theatrical trailer is included, but it would also have made sense to include an interview or documentary footage of Bader himself. Even so, this is an excellent starting-point for investigating a key area of British cinema.--Richard Whitehouse
This excellent submarine drama cranks up the intensity as twelve men find themselves trapped in a submarine. A great directing job from subsequent Hammer stalwart Baker.
A collection of Classic WWII films featuring: We Dive at Dawn, Sea of Sand, The Silver Fleet and Waterloo Road.
Even if all written and documentary evidence were to disappear, you could still get a real insight into Britain's involvement in the Second World War through feature films such as Above Us the Waves (1955) and In Which We Serve (1942). Directed by Ralph Thomas, Above Us the Waves tells of a Royal Navy mission to sink the "invincible" German battleship Tirpitz off the Norwegian coast. John Mills is calm and confident as the mission commander, with strong support from John Gregson and Donald Sinden--all treated by the German personnel as fellow gentlemen when captured. Despite stirring music from Arthur Benjamin, the action sequences are visually no more than adequate, and the film is only a partial success compared with the naval and domestic drama of the earlier In Which We Serve. Noël Coward wrote the screenplay and musical score, co-directed (with David Lean) and gave possibly his finest screen performance as the commander of HMS Torrin. His speech to the survivors of the sunken ship, as they prepare for reassignment, is just the highlight of a film packed with memorable visuals and perceptive dialogue. On the DVD: Though there are no additional features the black-and-white prints have come up excellently in the 4:3 video aspect ratio. There are 15 access points for each film, though the lack of subtitles is an unfortunate omission. These are period pieces that capture the mood of an era.--Richard Whitehouse
It is 1934 and Sam Wilson is ten years old when his mother Dora leaves her husband and brings Sam to Skellerton the Yorkshire mining village where she grew up. Her father jack has been unemployed for more than eight years and her family has little enough money to support themselves. Will they manage with another two mouths to feed and how will Sam's boyhood change? Episodes Featured The Cost of Living Out of the Blue United We Stand The Beginning Of Winter
The true accounts and dedication of women who contributed to the British war effort during World War Two. Including: The Royals o Women's Auxiliary Air Force Women's Royal Naval Service o Auxiliary Territorial Service Women's Voluntary Service o Auxiliary Fire Service Air Raid Wardens o Civil Defence Workers Women's Transport Services o The Red Cross Nurses Resistance Workers o Air Transport Auxiliary Ambulance Service o The Land Army Industrial Workers o First Aid Nursing Yeo
Noel Coward's great British war film made at the height of World War II in 1942 tells the story of a naval destroyer and its crew as they fight for their lives in a life raft after their ship is sunk.
A box set containing the following titles: A Woman Of Substance (2 discs) Hold The Dream To Be The Best Act Of Will Voice Of The Heart Her Own Rules A Secret Affair.
The ebullient comedy films of the 1930s brought escape and laughter to millions of British cinemagoers, enabling veteran stars of the music-hall and theatre to reach out to a wider audience - making household names of performers like Leslie Fuller, Hal Gordon, Bobby Howes, Ernest Lotinga and Gene Gerrard. Although comedy would prove to be the decade's most successful film genre, many of these classic early talkies have remained unseen since their original release. From boisterous knockabout humour to polished adaptations of popular stage farces, this ongoing collection showcases a wealth of rare features, each presented uncut, in a brand-new transfer from the best available elements in their as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. THEIR NIGHT OUT (1933) An evening of cocktails and frolicking lands a chap in hot water when he's suspected of masterminding a criminal gang! DOCTOR'S ORDERS (1934) Leslie Fuller stars as a quack whose son qualifies as a doctor in total ignorance of his father's occupation!
The Baby And The Battleship (Dir: Jay Lewis) (1956): After a quayside mix-up with the Italian family of his fiance able Seaman Knocker White finds himself literally left holding the baby. Unable to return it before his ship sails he enlists the help of best mate Puncher Roberts to smuggle the child aboard. But babies are surprisingly demanding and gradually the whole crew is drawn into helping keep it fed and washed - and undiscovered. Even so the officers above deck start to puzzle over the increasingly strange happenings on board. It's Great To Be Young (Dir: Cyril Frankel) (1956): Mr. Dingle is the popular music teacher in an English school but when the headmaster threatens to close down the school band the pupils and Mr. Dingle must unite and use their musical skills to save the school band. The Gentle Gunman (Dir: Basil Dearden) (1952): Terrance Sullivan is a member of the IRA and has moved to London along with his brother and a group of IRA members to wreak havock on London. However Terrance becomes weary of the constant violence and refuses duirect orders to blow up a railway station. The IRA soon place a price on the Gentle Gunman's head and brand him a traitor. The Family Way (Dir. Roy Boulting) (1966): When newly-wed Arthur Fitton (Hywel Bennett) fails to consummate his marriage his nervous bride Jenny (Hayley Mills) thinks it's her fault. But the root of the problem lies with his bullying father Ezra (John Mills) whose presence in the same Lancashire household has an inhibiting effect on his shy sensitive son. Features soundtrack composed by Paul McCartney.
Three John Mills films on one fantastic box set. History Of Mr. Polly: John Mills stars in this celebrated adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic. Mr Polly is a sensitive soul idling away his days as a humble drapers assistant until one day he is abruptly sacked for daydreaming at work. His well-ordered life is plunged into chaos until his fathers death suddenly brings him a large inheritance. Mr Polly splashes out on a brand new bicycle and sets off to explore the world and seek out grand adventure. A doomed love affair quickly destroys his newfound dreams. The bicycle is stored away and Mr Polly opens up his own drapers shop in a dismal little town. Fifteen years later finds him unhappily married and almost bankrupt. His thoughts drift towards suicide - but there may yet be another avenue of escape for the hapless Mr Polly. Great Expectations: David Lean directed this stylish film presentation of Charles Dickens' heart warming story of a young man befriending an escaped convict who becomes his unknown benefactor and of the consequences for the young man as he establishes himself in the world. Waterloo Road: As World War Two rages Jim Colter (John Mills) finds himself called up to serve in the Army - but hes soon to find himself at war on two fronts. While hes away his lovely wife Tillie attracts (Joy Shelton) attracts the amorous attention of Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger) a vicious local spiv and self-acclaimed ladies man. When Jims sister write to him informing him of what is happening Jim decides that the Nazis can wait and that an even more insidious enemy needs to be dealt with first. He breaks out of camp goes AWOL and sets off to find his wife. With the military hot on his tail Jim must make his way through war-torn London to settle things once and for all.
Featuring Episodes: The Wrong 'Un Have A Nice Death Hit And Run and The Reconciliation
The first comprehensive documentary about one of the most beloved vocal groups in popular music, The Mills Brother Story is also a sprawling family saga that spans 56 years in show business.The storyville Films production tells the Mills brothers story form their early innovations when they would vocally imitate the sounds of musical instruments, though tragic career setbacks, to their triumphant successes as recording artists and performing stars.
When Her Majesty the Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep aged 101 the nation lost one of its best-loved royals. Through out her extraordinary life spanning the whole of the 20th century the Queen Mother had a remarkable ability to reach ordinary people. Her life was one of duty serving the nation. Although her great age and ill health had left her frail in the latter years she tirelessly continued her public duties determined not to disappoint her people. Lady Elizabeth Bow
After 50 years the ultimate nightmare returns in stunning high definition on Blu-ray with superior picture spine-chilling sound plus a host of extras. More chilling than ever before Alfred Hitchcock's landmark masterpiece of the macabre stars Anthony Perkins as the troubled Norman Bates whose old dark house and adjoining motel are not the place to spend a quiet evening. No one knows that better than Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) the ill-fated traveller whose journey ends in the notorious shower scene. First a private detective (Martin Balsam) then Marion's sister (Vera Miles) search for her as the horror and suspense mount to a terrifying climax where the mysterious killer is finally revealed.
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