Shot in the bright postal colours of a seaside postcard, 1971's Carry On Henry applies the usual Carry On sniggering to the married life of Henry VIII. Talbot Rothwell's script is standard bedroom farce and full of jokes about choppers, while the threat of beheading and the actuality of torture are constantly present but only as the terrible things that happen to cartoon characters who will be back next time. Sid James turns in one of his better performances as the endlessly lecherous and fickle Henry, married to Joan Sims and lusting after Barbara Windsor. There is a genuine sexual chemistry between James and Windsor, which at times almost breaks open the farce formula. The usual regulars--Kenneth Williams as Thomas Cromwell, Terry Scott as Cardinal Wolsey, Charles Hawtrey as Sir Roger--do their usual turns; Williams is more subdued than usual, while Hawtrey hugely enjoys playing the Queen's secret lover. This was not one of the high points of the series, but it has its own curious charm. --Roz Kaveney
TBC
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1967): Carry On laughing until you have hysterics but...Don't Lose Your Head as the Carry On team destroy everything sacred about the classic story of the Scarlet Pimpernel set during the French Revolution. Sid James stars as the Black Fingernail always one jump ahead of Citizen Camembert and Citizen Bidet... Carry On Dick (1974): Notorious outlaw Dick Turpin (More commonly referred to as Big Dick) is running rings around King George's Bow Street runners. Can the half-witted Captain Desmond Fancey Sir Roger Daley and Sergeant Jock Strapp succeed in bringing the wily rogue to justice? Sid James and the rest of the 'Carry On' gang are having a ball and everyone is invited; merry England was never merrier! Carry On Up The Jungle (1970): The Carry On Team go ape crazy in darkest Africa as Professor Inigo Tinkle (Frankie Howerd) and his clumsy sidekick Claude (Kenneth Connor) embark on a bird fancying expedition. Primitive passions are unleashed a forgotten tribe of gorgeous man-hungry females is encountered and a loin-clothed vine-swinging jungle boy (Terry Scott) is the unlikely hero in this riotous romp. Sid James as the fearless white hunter Bill Boosey Joan Sims as the naughty Lady Bagley and Charles Hawtry as Tonka - the father of countless happily go native for this classic Carry On. Carry On Henry (1971): Carry On Henry is the (almost) true story of the love-life of that much-married British monarch Henry VIII (Sid James). A right Royal Flush is guaranteed when flirty Bettina (Barbara Windsor) becomes a favourite at court much to the displeasure of Queen Marie (Joan Sims). Discover the previously hidden details of Henry's private life such as his hatred of garlic and his love of hunting... wenches that is! Carry On England (1975): Make love not war! The Carry On team are part of an experimental mixed anti-aircraft battery during World War II. The Luftwaffe never had it so easy! Recruits ready (Jack Douglas) Willing (Judy Geeson) and Able (Patrick Mower) join forces to strike terror into the heart of the enemy and run rings round their pompous captain S. Melly (Kenneth Connor). Discover where Churchill's famous Victory sign originated from in this classic khaki caper: patriotism has never been funnier! Carry On Up The Khyber (1968): British India 1895. The Burpas are revolting but then again 'The Devils In Skirts' who guard the Khyber Pass are not too inviting either! Can Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond (Sid James) prevent the scheming Khasi of Kalabar (Kenneth Williams) from starting a full blown rebellion massacring thousands of innocent people ending British rule and making his kushy job obselete? Can he rely on the help of the wayward Brother Belcher (Peter Butterworth)? And can he prevent the secret concerning the 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment from becoming common knowledge among the natives? All will be revealed in this masterly tale of passion greed and missing underpants!
The story of one of World War II's most famous sea battles is brought to the screen in this exciting semi-documentary style movie. In the Spring of 1941 Nazi Germany's greatest battleship - the Bismarck scourge of Atlantic shipping - is pinned down at her anchorage in Norway. Making a break for freedom and the safety of air cover from the Luftwaffe the great ship is chased by the Royal Navy. Eventually after heavy casualties including the loss of HMS Hood the Bismarck is fina
Frankie Palmer is a normal lovable boy who one day catches sight of a yellow balloon in a shop window. Procuring the money from his impoverished father Frankie sets on his way to buy the balloon but drops the sixpence which rolls down the drain. When he sees his friend Ronnie has purchased the balloon he playfully snatches it away and a wild chase follows up and down the rickety skeleton of a blitzed building. Their chase ends in a terrible accident witnessed by the unscrupulous Len Turner who takes advantage by blackmailing young Frankie convincing him he faces criminal charges. Too terrified to confide in his parents Frankie becomes a pawn for Turner coerced into a robbery that ends in murder. Features: Introduction by Film Historian Charles Barr Stills Gallery
British cinema legend Kenneth More heads an outstanding comedy cast in this brilliantly engaging adaption of a story by Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist Paul Gallico. Filmed extensively on the Queen Elizabeth – then the largest liner in the world – Next to No Time is presented here in a brand-new transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. David Webb a brilliant backroom boffin who is cripplingly shy and nervous in unfamiliar situations has an ingenious scheme for converting his employer's factory to automation. The project however requires more capital than the firm can provide and to his horror Webb finds himself thrust aboard the liner Queen Elizabeth and heading inexorably to America where he is expected to track down a famous industrialist and persuade him to finance the scheme... Special Features: Original Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Original Promotional Material PDF
British film icon Kenneth More stars opposite Shirley Anne Field and Michael Hordern in this madcap sci-fi satire from director Basil Dearden. Scripted by Oscar nominees Michael Relph and Bryan Forbes, Man in the Moon is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited aspect ratio. William Blood is Mr Normal, yet he's also rather strange: his immunity to illness and inability to worry enable him to make a living as a human guinea pig. A team of 'NASTI' scientists have an extraordinary mission lined up for William, however rather than risk the lives of highly trained astronauts (or test animals!), they want to send him to the Moon... SPECIAL FEATURES: Image gallery Original pressbook PDF Original theatrical trailer
Hapless Private Alvin Corwin (Jerry Lewis) is the lowest of the low at a World War II US Army training camp. With the overbearing sergeant constantly on his back Alvin blunders from one farcical situation to another.
Two years after 20th Century Fox released its melodramatic disaster film Titanic in 1953, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book A Night to Remember surprised its publishers by becoming a phenomenal bestseller. Lord had an intuition that readers craved the reality of the Titanic disaster and not the romantically mythologised translations (like Fox's film, starring Barbara Stanwyck), which relied on fictional characters to "enhance" the world's worst maritime disaster. Lord's book proved that the truth was far more compelling than fiction, outlining the many "if onlys" (if only the iceberg had been spotted a few minutes earlier, etc.) that lent sombre irony to the loss of 1,500 Titanic passengers. Three years after Lord's book appeared, it was brought to the screen with the kind of riveting authenticity that Lord had insisted upon in his own research. The 1958 British production of A Night to Remember remains a definitive dramatization of the disaster, adhering to the known facts of the time and achieving a documentary-like immediacy that matches (and in some ways surpasses) the James Cameron epic released 39 years later. The film erroneously perpetuates the once-common belief that the Titanic sunk in one piece (instead of breaking in half as its bow began to plunge), but many other misconceptions are accurately corrected, and the intelligent screenplay by thriller master Eric Ambler is a model of factual suspense. By making Titanic the star of the film, director Roy Baker emphasises the excessive confidence of the booming industrial age and creates an intense you-are-there realism that pays tribute to Walter Lord's tenacious quest for truth. --Jeff Shannon
A series of '50s box-office hits including Genevieve and A Night to Remember established Kenneth More as one of Britain's most accomplished and durable leading men and this bittersweet 1963 comedy further demonstrated the breadth of his talent. The Comedy Man features one of More's most compelling and sympathetic performances as an embattled but resolutely upbeat provincial actor staring middle age and failure in the face; wry touching and deftly scripted with a superb supporting cast it is easy to see why More ranked this film among his favourites. The Comedy Man is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer from the original film elements in its original aspect ratio. Following an indiscretion involving the producer's wife rep actor Chick Byrd is fired from the play in which he has had a leading role. Heading to London in search of bigger and better things he is reunited with a number of similarly straitened thespians as well as his spirited kind-hearted former love Judy. But it seems Byrd may be poised to find fame and even some fortune when in desperation he manages to land himself the starring role in a deodorant commercial... Special Features: Original Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Original Promotional PDF
Filmed in 1968 and set in British India in 1895, Carry On Up the Khyber is one of the team's most memorable efforts. Sid James plays Sid James as ever, though nominally his role is that of Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond, the unflappable British Governor who must deal with the snakelike, scheming Khasi of Khalabar, played by Kenneth Williams. A crisis occurs when the mystique of the "devils in skirts" of the 3rd Foot and Mouth regiment is exploded when one of their numbers, the sensitive-to-draughts Charles Hawtrey, is discovered by the natives to be wearing underpants. Revolt is in the offing, with Bernard Bresslaw once again playing a seething native warrior. Roy Castle neatly plays the sort of role normally assigned to Jim Dale, as the ineffectual young officer, Peter Butterworth is a splendid compromised evangelist, while Terry Scott puts his comedic all into the role of the gruff Sergeant. Most enduring, however, is the final dinner party sequence in which the British contingent, with the Burpas at the gates of the compound, plaster falling all about them, demonstrates typical insouciance in the face of imminent peril. The "I'm Backing Britain" Union Jack hoist at the end, however, over-excitedly reveals the streak of reactionary patriotism that lurked beneath the bumbling double entendres of most Carry On films. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is 4:3 full screen. --David Stubbs
A Night To Remember: On April 10th 1912 RMS Titanic sailed from Southampton on her maiden voyage. On her fourth night at sea she struck and iceberg and sank with the loss of 1 500 passengers and crew. The film faithfully depicts the drama heroism and horror of the night the unsinkable sank. The Red Shoes: The tragic and romantic story of Vicky Page the brilliant young dancer who must give up everything if she is to become a great ballerina is one of Powell and Pressburger's most famous films. Creators of classics such as Black Narcissus A Matter of Life And Death and The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp they were renowned for their use of brilliant colour and wonderful costumes and with the exhilarating cinematography of Jack Cardiff were among the most influential film makers of their time. The Red Shoes is one of the finest examples of their work and has become an inspiration to artists film makers and musicians all over the world. Caesar And Cleopatra: Vivien Leigh is the young Cleopatra and Claude Rains is Julius Caesar in the spectacular 1945 version of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. As Rome invades Egypt Julius Caesar (Rains) stumbles across the young and unrefined princess Cleopatra (Leigh) sheltering in the Sphinx. Impressed by her spirit and intelligence seduced by her charm he determines to make her Queen. Cleopatra learns about power and politics at the feet of a master but her downfall begins when she is seduced by Mark Antony. This witty brilliantly designed movie features a memorable cast including Stewart Granger Flora Robson Stanley Holloway and a very young Jean Simmons as a harpist. Caesar and Cleopatra was the most expensive movie made in Britain at the time with director Gabriel Pascal even using sand from Egypt to get the right cinematic colour.
5 Chidren And It: Written by E.Nesbit author of 'The Railway Children' this is the movie of five childrens' chance encounter with 'The Psammead' - an ancient extremely irritable sand fairy who has the ability to make wishes come. The only problem is that the wishes only last till sunset and the children also find it hard to think of sensible wishes! Two Brothers: Two tigers separated as cubs and taken into captivity are reunited years later as enemies by an explor
Long Lost Comedy Classics is a collection of films from a golden age of British Cinema remembered for timeless stars and some unique movies that have stood the test of time. So why not take a trip down memory lane and see how cinema used to be? Bill Harper (James Donald) and Petronilla Brand (Jean Lodge) a young couple on a yachting holiday together become involved with Tony Rackham (Kenneth More) who is smuggling brandy from France to a respectable London wine merchants. Through various mishaps Bill and Petronilla find themselves personally responsible for transporting the brandy kegs to London whilst being pursued by Customs officials...
An astronaut and his robot companion inadvertantly enter a time-space warp and are hurled into the past where they find themselves in the court of King Arthur!
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
Helena Bonham Carter and Gina McKee star in this new British comedy about an unlikely friendship between two Scottish women who help each other through life's ups & downs.
Helena Bonham Carter and Gina McKee star in this new British comedy about an unlikely friendship between two Scottish women who help each other through life's ups & downs.
WE JOINED THE NAVY Lt Commander Badger, RN: an exceptionally likeable fellow, the Artful Bodger has the bad habit of saying the right thing at entirely the wrong time! When untimely remarks are splashed across the tabloids, the rush is on to find him a new posting somewhere far away... THE MIDDLE WATCH Through a series of unforeseen events, two glamorous young ladies find that they are obliged to spend the night on board the battleship HMS Falcon, where they have been attending a party. But then the ship is ordered out to sea and maritime mayhem ensues! PETTICOAT PIRATES A company of Wrens set out to prove equality with their male counterparts by taking over a warship with breathtaking efficiency, sailing it out to sea and into a NATO naval exercise! While Charlie is all at sea for the first time in his humble career with Her Majesty's Navy! WHY SAILORS LEAVE HOME Given shore leave at an Arabian port, Bill Biggles visits his friend the sheik. The polygamous ruler, however, who has abducted a damsel, decides to appoint Bill as his deputy and then scarpers. Bill thinks he's quids in... until the wives decide to go on strike!
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