"Actor: Martin Benson"

• The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy | DVD | (28/01/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The original BBC radio adventures of Arthur Dent (an ape-descendant whose anger at the apparently inexplicable destruction of his home planet Earth, situated in an obscure corner of the outer spiral arm of the galaxy, is expressed in frequent irritation at friendly automatic doors and vending machines) and his travelling companions, Ford Prefect (an itinerant towel-carrying hitch-hiker originally from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse), Zaphod Beeblebrox (the notorious ex-Galactic President and patron of Eccentrica Galumbits, the triple-breasted whore of Eroticon Six) and Marvin the Paranoid Android (who's still suffering from that terrible pain in all the diodes down his left side) proved to be such a success for the BBC that its transition to TV was (almost) inevitable. In 1981 several key members of the radio cast made the move to the small screen. Simon Jones' bewildered Arthur Dent remains the central character, shambling around in his dressing gown (a fact easy to forget on radio); Mark Wing-Davey's Zaphod Beeblebrox is the same as his boastful radio persona, even if the second head utterly fails to convince. Unfortunately, newcomers David Dixon (as Ford Prefect) and the irritating Sandra Dickinson (as Trillian) are no match for their radio predecessors.The problem here is not so much the low-budget look as the script itself, which is lovingly faithful to the radio series in a way that Douglas Adams' novels aren't. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a lucid, satirical, occasionally profound, utterly unique comic invention on radio. As such, it has nothing to gain from TV. The script needs no visual elaboration--that's best left to the listener's own imagination. Only the animated renditions of the Guide itself enhance Peter Jones' wonderfully dry narration; otherwise--paradoxically, perhaps--by supplying images the concept is oddly diminished here.On the DVD: A suitably eclectic not to say eccentric collection of extra features makes this a wholly satisfying two-disc set, neatly packaged in a fold-out slipcase. On the second disc there's an hour-long "making of" documentary from 1992 featuring contributions from the cast and crew, including Douglas Adams; and then there's even more in a 20-minute section entitled "Don't Panic!". A fascinating behind-the-scenes peek at filming as the clock runs out on studio time and a look at the recording of the original radio series complete the first part. Then navigate to the "Outer Planets" to find outtakes, a deleted scene, Zaphod's animatronic second head on Tomorrow's World and Peter Jones's witty and shambolic introduction to the first episode, plus more besides. The series itself is presented in standard 4:3 ratio and Dolby stereo. --Mark Walker

• The King And I | DVD | (20/03/2006) from £4.45   |  Saving you £11.54 (259.33%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This visual and musical masterpiece features Yul Brynner's Academy Award winning performance an unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein score and brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins. This masterful musical celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2006! It tells the true story of an English woman Anna Leonowens (Kerr) who comes to Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860s. Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Brynner) over time Anna and the Kin

• The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Special Edition | Blu Ray | (01/10/2018) from £12.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (38.49%)   |  RRP £17.99

  For the first time in the history of the universe, the complete Hitcher's Guide to the Galaxy is available in high definition! The cult classic British series from the mind of Douglas Adams is back in this very special edition. Featuring all episodes in full HD and 5.1 audio plus over 5 ½ hours of new and existing bonus material. Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, Earth is to be demolished to make way for an intergalactic highway. Arthur Dent (Simon Jones), an unassuming Englishman, is whisked off the planet to safety by his alien friend Ford Prefect (David Dixon), and launched on a dizzying journey through space and time (with only a towel, and a fish to help them) to discover the meaning of life itself.

• The King And I | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.52   |  Saving you £6.47 (99.23%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This visual and musical masterpiece features Yul Brynner's Academy Award winning performance an unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein score and brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins. This masterful musical celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2006! It tells the true story of an English woman Anna Leonowens (Kerr) who comes to Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860s. Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Brynner) over time Anna and the Kin

• Goldfinger | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £8.88   |  Saving you £11.11 (125.11%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Dry as ice, dripping with deadpan witticisms, only Sean Connery's Bond would dare to disparage the Beatles, that other 1964 phenomenon. No one but Connery can believably seduce women so effortlessly, kill with almost as much ease, and then pull another bottle of Dom Perignon 53 out of the fridge. Goldfinger contains many of the most memorable scenes in the Bond series: gorgeous Shirley Eaton (as Jill Masterson) coated in gold paint by evil Auric Goldfinger and deposited in Bond's bed; silent Oddjob, flipping a razor-sharp bowler like a Frisbee to sever heads; our hero spread-eagled on a table while a laser beam moves threateningly toward his crotch. Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore is the prototype for the series' rash of man-hating supermodels. And Desmond Llewelyn reprises his role as Q, giving Bond what is still his most impressive car, a snazzy little number that fires off smoke screens, punctures the tyres of vehicles on the chase, and boasts a handy ejector seat. Goldfinger's two climaxes, inside Fort Knox and aboard a private plane, have to be seen to be believed.--Raphael Shargel, Amazon.com-- On the DVD: Featuring interviews with Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton, the late Desmond Llewelyn and most of the surviving core cast and crew members, great on-set footage (Blackman and Connery look like they clearly had the hots for each other even when the camera weren't rolling) and a strong argument about how this firmed up the gadget-orientated, thrills-and-spills formula for the franchise, John Cork's "making of" featurette for this DVD is one of the most rewarding in this series. The two commentary tracks have moderately interesting observations by director Guy Hamilton, the cast and crew (many of their comments recycled from the documentary), and on both Bond superfan-and-author Lee Pfeiffer filling in blanks and explaining in exhaustive detail the history of the Aston Martin DB5 that first appeared in this film. Also included is an open-ended 1964 interview with Sean Connery, designed so that American radio disc jockeys could pretend they had an exclusive interview with the star, in which he extols the series' "sadism for the family" among other things. --Leslie Felperin

• The King And I | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In 1955 this lavish production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway hit The King and I, starring Yul Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as the governess sent to look after his children, was the most expensive film ever mounted by 20th Century Fox. The 40 sets in ripe decors by Walter M Scott and Paul S Fox included a ballroom of black marble with jade and silk tapestries and a banqueting scene with a table that gives the impression of stretching to infinity. The costumes by Irene Sharaff, notably the hoop ballroom gown for Deborah Kerr and those for the ballet "The Small House of Uncle Thomas", dazzle the eye in their delineation of Western manners and Oriental splendour. Brynner remains impressive as the King but his pidgin dialogue, inherited from Hammerstein's book, with the dropping of the definite article takes some adjustment. Alfred Newman put his unique stamp on the music: the Overture offers an example of his luminous divided string sound, the climactic ballroom scene a full bodied orchestral reprise of "Shall We Dance?" as the camera pulls away to a high angle producing an exultant visual finish to this celebrated polka. On the DVD: To view The King and I in its original format (thanks to this DVD release) is a revelation. Over the years the production values of the film have been compromised through inadequate presentation on television and video. Now the eye can appreciate once more the novelty of the wide-screen process CinemaScope 55 which offers in-depth vision, breathtaking employment of Eastman colour and an enhanced sound system that ensures a well-upholstered backdrop for the sumptuous musical arrangements under conductor Alfred Newman. DVD supplements here include the original theatrical trailer, a Movietone news of the Oscar ceremony of 56-57 and three songs lifted from the movie itself. Marni Nixon overdubbed Deborah Kerr's vocals on screen--those moments where one voice takes over from another are more clearly delineated on the DVD with the result that there is some discrepancy between Kerr's spirited playing and Nixon's over careful (rather) twee enunciation of the lyrics. --Adrian Edwards

• The Omen | DVD | (20/06/2006) from £6.97   |  Saving you £6.02 (86.37%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In 1976 The Omen was a hit among critics and audiences hungry for more after The Exorcist with its mixture of Gothic horror and mystery and its plot about a young boy suspected of being the personification of the Antichrist. Directed by Richard Donner (best known later for his Superman and Lethal Weapon films), The Omen gained a lot of credibility from the casting of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick as a distinguished American couple living in England, whose young son Damien bears "the mark of the beast". At a time when graphic gore had yet to dominate the horror genre, this film used its violence discreetly and to great effect, and the mood of dread and potential death is masterfully maintained. It's all a bit contrived, with a lot of biblical portent and sensational fury, but few would deny it's highly entertaining. Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score works wonders to enhance the movie's creepy atmosphere. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com On the DVD: The all-new 45-minute documentary, "666: The Omen Revealed", has contributions from all the major behind-the-scenes players, including director, editor, screenwriter (who confesses the movie was only set in England because he wanted a free trip to London), producer and composer. The latter, Jerry Goldsmith, has his Oscar-winning contribution to the movie recognised with a separate feature in which he talks through four key musical scenes in the score. There's also a thought-provoking short called "Curse or Coincidence?" in which the many bizarre accidents that happened during shooting are related, including the terrible story of what happened to the girlfriend of the man responsible for designing the decapitation scene--spooky. Director Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird provide a chatty audio commentary to the film, and the DVD package is completed by the original theatrical trailer. --Mark Walker

• 101 Dalmations II - Patch's London Adventure | DVD | (03/09/2012) from £5.89   |  Saving you £10.10 (171.48%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Puppies, puppies and more puppies are packed into this entertaining and exciting sequel to Disney's classic, 101 Dalmatians. The adventure begins when Pongo and Perdita's pup Patch, who is not satisfied being just one out of 101, gets the chance to meet his TV hero, Thunderbolt, the One-Of-A-Kind Wonderdog. When Thunderbolt's trusty sidekick Lightning reveals that the show's producers are on the lookout for a new star, Thunderbolt - with Patch in tow - struts out into the real world to perform true acts of heroism. And when puppy-obsessed Cruella De Vil returns, it's Patch and Thunderbolt's teamwork and friendship that will save the day.

• James Bond - Goldfinger (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) | DVD | (17/07/2006) from £3.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (325.82%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Heralded as the best Bond movie thus far Goldfinger features some of the most iconic moments in the series to-date. Who could forget Oddjob and his killer hat; Shirley Eaton doused in gold; Or one of the greatest comeback lines in history? James Bond: Do you expect me to talk?Auric Goldfinger: No Mr. Bond. I expect you to die! Special Agent 007 (Sean Connery) has just come face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time. And now he'll have to outwit and outgun this powerful tycoon to prevent him form cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox - and obliterate the world economy!

• The Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  A collection of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. Carousel (1956) Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones experience the miraculous powers of love in this inspiring Rodgers and Hammersmith masterpiece. Gordon MacRae is Billy Bigelow a smooth-talking carny baker who falls in love with a mill-worker on the colourful coast of Maine. Filmed on location with a beautiful seaside setting as a backdrop and a thrilling score for accompaniment their romance unfolds. But right before the birth of his daughter Billy is killed while committing a robbery. Now in heaven years later he returns to earth for one day to attend his daughter's high school graduation and teach her one very important lesson. State Fair (1945) The Frake family go on an outing to the State Fair where each expects to win a prize. Features the song 'It Might As Well Be Spring.' Oklahoma! (1955) A Rodgers and Hammerstein classic a charming and vigorous tale of romance and adventure set in the Wild West. Songs include 'People Will Say We're In Love' 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' and the title song 'Oklahoma'. South Pacific (1958) Blessed with a treasure of timeless songs South Pacific combines a passionate heartwarming romance with South Seas splendour and a world at war. Mitzi Gaynor Rossano Brazzi John Kerr and France Nuyen share the bill with immortal songs such as 'Some Enchanted Evening' 'Younger Than Springtime' 'There Is Nothin' Like A Dame' and 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Outta My Hair'. The King And I (1956) This visual and musical masterpiece features Yul Brynner's Academy Award winning performance an unforgettable Rodgers and Hammerstein score and brilliant choreography by Jerome Robbins. It tells the true story of an English woman Anna Leonowens (Kerr) who comes to Siam as schoolteacher to the royal court in the 1860s. Though she soon finds herself at odds with the stubborn monarch (Brynner) over time Anna and the King stop trying to change each other and begin to understand one another. Winner of six Academy Awards 'The King And I' contains some of the most lavish sets in Hollywood and some of the world's best-loved songs including 'Getting To Know You' 'I Whistle A Happy Tune' 'Hello Young Lovers' and 'Shall We Dance?' The Sound Of Music (1965) Share the magical heartwarming true-life story that has become the most popular family film of all time - Rodgers and Hammerstein''s ''The Sound Of Music''. Julie Andrews lights up the screen as Maria the spirited young woman who leaves the convent to become governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp an autocratic widower whose strict household rules leave no room for music or merriment. Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture this timeless classic features some of the world''s best-loved songs!

• The Strange World Of Planet X | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Man and alien unite to combat the most insidious peril the universe has ever known! Dr. Laird and his British team of scientists have been experimenting with ultra intense magnetic fields. Unbeknown to them though this has been affecting distant objects in the galaxy. After a freak storm something sinsiter and seemingly all powerful is discovered in the nearby Bryerly Woods and the full extent of the Doctor's experiments become apparent...

• Mystery Junction | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.87   |  Saving you £3.12 (45.41%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Sydney Tafler stars as a celebrated crime writer who finds life imitating art when he boards a train on which murder is a travelling companion... Also featuring Barbara Murray and soon-to-be Hollywood star Patricia Owens, Mystery Junction is a rare and inventive addition to the classic whodunnit genre. Believed to be lost for decades, it is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.Miss Owens, an avid reader of detective stories, finds herself travelling in the same railway compartment as crime writer Larry Gordon neither of them realising that amongst their fellow passengers is a prisoner under escort to trial for murder. When a rescue attempt claims a policeman's life and the passengers become snowbound at a remote railway station, it's a race against time to unmask the culprit before the murderer strikes again!SPECIAL FEATURE:Image Gallery

• The Message | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £19.94   |  Saving you £-2.95 (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  It is the 7th Century and in Mecca powerful leaders are in conflict with Mohammed who attacks the many injustices their way of life produces - slavery drunkenness and cruelty. Mohammed claims to have seen a vision of the Angel Gabriel and calls to the people of Mecca to worship one God only. After a revelation from God Mohammed agrees to take arms against Mecca and at the Wells of Bedr the inexperienced Moslem troops are victorious. However at the Battle of Uhud they are beate

• The Magnificent Two | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £6.16   |  Saving you £3.83 (62.18%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Not only do our two amigos Eric and Ernie find themselves selling toys to make ends meet but they end up selling them in Latin America. The land where revolutions are the national sport and the seoritas the national past time. Things can only become more bizarre when Eric is persuaded by a hot blooded Latin beauty and the threat of being shot to pose as a dead rebel leader...

• 101 Dalmations II - Patch's London Adventure | Blu Ray | (03/09/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Puppies, puppies and more puppies are packed into this entertaining and exciting sequel to Disney's classic, 101 Dalmatians. And now, the 101 Dalmatians II includes even more fun and adventure, with a Patch's Twilight Adventure game, music videos, a behind-the-scenes dog-umentary, and more! The adventure begins when Pongo and Perdita's pup Patch, who is not satisfied being just one out of 101, gets the chance to meet his TV hero, Thunderbolt, the One-Of-A-Kind Wonderdog. When Thunderbolt's trusty sidekick Lightning reveals that the show's producers are on the lookout for a new star, Thunderbolt - with Patch in tow - struts out into the real world to perform true acts of heroism. And when puppy-obsessed Cruella De Vil returns, it's Patch and Thunderbolt's teamwork and friendship that will save the day. Special Features: Backstage Disney: Behind the Scenes Dog-umentary Music and More: Try Again You're the One

• Sword Of Freedom - The Complete Series | DVD | (14/06/2010) from £20.99   |  Saving you £29.00 (138.16%)   |  RRP £49.99

  In Sixteenth Century Florence, Marco del Monte, a dashing Robin Hood-like figure, leads the Republicans against the tyrannical Duke of de Medici and his minions. Episodes Comprise: Francesca The Sicillian A Choice Of Weapons Caterina The Hero A Portrait In Emerald Green The Duke The Eye Of The Artist The Tower Alessandro The Ship The Bracelet The Princess And The Slave The Bell The Suspects A Serenade In Red A Marriage Of Convenience The Value Of Paper The Pagan Venus A Forgery In Red Chalk Vespucci The School The Chart Of Gold The Ambassador The Lion And The Mouse Angelica's Past The Beseiged Duchess Cristina< The Strange Intruder The Primavera A Game Of Chance The Marionettes The Reluctant Duke The Vendetta Who Is Felicia? Violetta Adrianna The Assassin The Woman In The Picture

• Gentle Trap/Hangman Waits | DVD | (26/09/2011) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-5.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Titles Comprise:The Hangmen Waits: This 1947 semi-documentary style featurette shot around the news of the world press, is a story of grisly murders by a cinema organist. A fascinating film produced by Five Star Films using the mediums of the Press and the cinema. Good historic scenes of the News of the World Printing Plant and Victoria Station.The Gentle Trap: A 1960 Butchers production about safe cracker Johnny Ryan (Spencer Teakle) who after robbing a jewellers, is himself robbed by a rival gang headed by Ricky Barnes(Martin Benson). Barnes has also pinched Ryan's girlfriend and she in turn has set Ryan up. However, Ricky's dumb henchmen miss the diamonds on Ryan. With this 60,000 booty, he acquires some refuge at a nightclub in the company of two sisters; the kindly Jean (Felicity Young) and deceitful Mary (Dorinda Stevens).

• The Three Worlds Of Gulliver | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1960 children's feature The Three Worlds of Gulliver brings to life the first two sections of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels in a version which, while sanitised for youngsters, retains some of the satire and intelligence of the original. It also boasts excellent-for-the-time special effects by Ray Harryhausen, though the effects wizard keeps his trademark stop-motion animation to a minimum, featuring it only when Gulliver (Kerwin Mathews from 1958's The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad), has problems with an outsized crocodile and a foraging squirrel. Instead, Harryhausen concentrates on portraying the miniature Lilliputians and the giant Brobdingnagians, and the results still impress over 40 years on. This is a colourful, witty, charming film, though it is also heavily Americanised, the dialogue anachronistic and some of the accents decidedly trans-Atlantic. Mathews is a little stiff in the role of a British doctor, but English actress June Thorburn makes a spirited and beautiful Elizabeth, Gulliver's fiancée who in this version comes along for the journey. While the 1996 TV mini-series Gulliver's Travels comes much closer to Swift's intentions Harryhausen's version will delight younger viewers and has the advantage of a beguiling score from the great Bernard Herrmann. Some viewers may be startled to learn that in the 17th century there were Spanish mountains just outside London, and that Wapping was just a minute's walk from the beach. On the DVD: The Three Worlds of Gulliver on disc has good mono sound while the picture, which is anamorphically enhanced and presented at 1.77:1, is of variable quality. There are very distracting fleck marks where the emulsion has been damaged on the print in many shots featuring Gulliver against a bright blue sky. These really should have been restored before transfer to DVD. Although the packaging refers to "The Ray Harryhausen Chronicles" featurette, this is actually the same superb 57-minute TV documentary which has appeared on other Harryhausen titles. Everyone should have it in their collection once. "This is Dynamation" is a three-minute special effects promo for The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Also included is a five-minute original "making of" featurette and trailers for The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1.70:1 letterboxed), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (4:3) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1.77:1 anamorphic), as well as basic filmographies of Jack Sher, Arthur Ross, Ray Harryhausen and Kerwin Mathews. --Gary S Dalkin

• Kung Fu | DVD | (13/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  In his travels Caine (Carradine) meets an old man who has several surprises for him. The first being the destruction of the Shaolin order the second being that the man is the father of the Emperor's nephew whom he killed in China and the third is that he seeks his revenge using the son Caine never knew he had sired as the instrument of his death! It will take all of Caine's skill and wisdom to find a solution to this deadly predicament...

• The Message | DVD | (06/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  It is the 7th Century and in Mecca powerful leaders are in conflict with Mohammed who attacks the many injustices their way of life produces - slavery drunkenness and cruelty. Mohammed claims to have seen a vision of the Angel Gabriel and calls to the people of Mecca to worship one God only. After a revelation from God Mohammed agrees to take arms against Mecca and at the Wells of Bedr the inexperienced Moslem troops are victorious. However at the Battle of Uhud they are beaten. They accept a ten year truce so that they can continue to spread the word of God. Mohammed is the Prophet the Messenger of God.