"Actor: N"

• Hans Werner Henze ; Der Prinz Von Homburg | DVD | (18/10/2002) from £10.53   |  Saving you £15.72 (169.58%)   |  RRP £24.99

  An opera in three acts by one of Germany's most important contemporary composers - Hans Werner Henze. Musical direction comes from Wolfgang Sawallisch.

• Offenbach: La Belle Helene -- Paris/Minkowski | DVD | (03/12/2001) from £11.02   |  Saving you £15.23 (156.05%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Jacques Offenbach's 19th century parody of life under the yoke of Napoleon III, La Belle Hélène, has always seemed as tongue-in-cheek as the material could go. This new staging from the Théâtre Musical de Paris' 2000 season proves you can always go further. As if the social comment and knowing musical allusions (eg: Wagner's Tannhäuser) weren't enough, now via director Lauren Pelly's imagination Helen (Dame Felicity Lott) becomes a modern sexually frustrated woman dreaming the entire scenario. In her dream she is singled out as the most beautiful woman on Earth (prompting vain delusions to rival Snow White's wicked stepmother) as reward for Pâris (Yann Beuron) choosing Venus as most beautiful Goddess off Earth. Act 1 takes place in the bedroom and bed of Helen and ineffectual husband/king Ménélas (Michel Sénéchal). Here the fusion of costumes worn by High Priest Calchas (François Le Roux) seems incongruous until the archaeological dig setting of Act 2 turns everything into a dream. From then on, the analogy of bed as throne, the sheep costumes and male and female swimsuit parade followed by synchronised stage "swimming" of Act 3 all take on greater significance. Les Musicians du Louvre give a tremendous performance under Marc Minkowski's baton (which you often see popping into frame), particularly in the centrepiece duet between Lott and Beuron for their "Dream of Love". Contemporary makeovers of opera often lose sight of the original's intentions, but this update certainly preserves the spirit of Offenbach's vision. On the DVD: A choice of Stereo, Dolby 5.1 or DTS is a testament to the careful staging of this production, as is the video's multi-camera edit. In fact, the 25-minute behind-the-scenes documentary reveals the DVD was conceived as part of the staging. Four interviews make this a most welcome supplement, with Dame Lott having the most to say. --Paul Tonks

• Jack The Ripper | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  In this classic tale of horror and perversion the infamous Jack the Ripper terrorizes the East End of London of the late 19th century by killing and mutilating prostitutes. Scotland Yard assigns Inspector Selby (Andreas Mannkopff) a young and ambitious police commissioner to the case. As his investigation goes nowhere and public pressure rises his beautiful girlfriend Cynthia (Josephine Chaplin) decides to help him out by posing as a hooker and secretly visiting the bars where the

• The Brave | DVD | (14/04/2003) from £6.42   |  Saving you £3.57 (55.61%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Raphael (Johnny Depp also making his directorial debut) and his young family live in Morgantown on the edge of the American Dream. With one step over the poverty line he sees only one way out... money. Raphael meets the monstrous snuff movie maker McCarthy (Marlon Brando). He offers Raphael $30 000 to be the star of one of his movies. He accepts and has $5 000 in his hand $25 000 to go to his family and just one week to live the rest of his life. Determined to make something good o

• Ministry Of Sound - The Annual DVD 2003 | DVD | (04/11/2002) from £12.17   |  Saving you £0.82 (6.74%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Including footage from Miami, Ibiza, the Berlin Love Parade and elsewhere, Ministry of Sound's The Annual 2003 is an excellent round-up of some of the year's best moments in dance (although it's a year in advance of its title), to the point that you can almost forgive the brand's association with "corporate clubbing", extending as it does from headphones to hoodies. The music comes from 2 Heads, M001, Julie McKnight, Distant Soundz, Hi-Gate and several others. The notorious Ministry mixes are often derided, but this one holds up pretty well. One of the best features on the DVD is the optional visual presentation of the 72-minute main feature--you can choose to watch either the reportage footage or a bloopy graphic mix. The latter isn't the best--check out The Shamen DVD Collection (seriously) for that--but it's a great value-adding concept. On the DVD: The Annual 2003 has special features that are not only very good but are really as central to the enjoyment of the package as the main bit. They include interviews with Fergie, Paul van Dyk, Danny Howells and Freq Nasty and a trailer for the mixing-for-fun BPM console game. As well as the alternative visual streams there are stereo or 5.1 surround sound options and subtitles in five languages, all of which is commendably unskimpy. --Roger Thomas

• The Shepherd (El Pastor) | DVD | (07/08/2017) from £7.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Anselmo, a middle age shepherd, lives a poor but happy life in a small, run down house in a middle of the Spain plains, near a small, but growing village. His dog Pillo and his sheep are his only company. A life bucolic enough for him to ignore the offers he receives from a construction company who wants to buy his house and land to build a new residential complex. Conflicting against Anselmo s unwillingness to sell is Julian and Paco s greed, the owners of the neighbouring lands, who only answer to their own interests. A bloody metaphor of the greed to corrodes these who do not answer to reason in their quest to get what they want, and the inevitable, but violent consequences of their actions.

• Lara Croft - Tomb Raider / Lara Croft - Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle Of Life / Sky Captain | DVD | (10/10/2005) from £14.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (60.04%)   |  RRP £23.99

  Tomb Raider (Dir. Simon West 2001): Exploring lost empires finding priceless treasures punishing villains in mortal combat: it's all in a day's work for adventurer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie). A secret from her father's (Jon Voight) past is about to lead Lara to her greatest challenge: the Triangle of Light a legendary artefact with the power to alter space and time. Lara must find the Triangle before it falls in to the clutch of the Illuminati a secret society bent on w

• Fort Apache | DVD | (19/02/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  John Ford's 1948 classic stars John Wayne as a cavalry officer used to doing things a certain way out West at Fort Apache. Along comes a rigid, new commanding officer (Henry Fonda) who insists that everything on his watch be done by the book, including dealings with local Indians. The results are mixed: greater discipline at the fort, but increased hostilities with the natives. Ford deliberately leaves judgements about the wisdom of these changes ambiguous, but he also allows plenty of room in this wonderful film for the fullness of life among the soldiers and their families--community rituals, new romances--to blossom. Fonda, in an unusual role for him, is stern and formal as the new man in charge; Wayne is heroic as the rebellious second; Victor McLaglen provides comic relief; and Ward Bond is a paragon of sturdy and sentimental masculinity. All of this is set against the magnificent, poetic topography of Monument Valley. This is easily one of the greatest of American films. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

• Picking Up The Pieces | DVD | (04/02/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

• Chartwell House And Gardens | DVD | (18/12/2006) from £5.21   |  Saving you £2.78 (53.36%)   |  RRP £7.99

  Visit the family home where Britain's wartime Prime Minister lived for more than 40 years. See the rooms as they were in Churchill's time right down to the daily papers and his famous cigars. A visit to this house and gardens is a must for all fans of Churchill and if you are too young to remember him then it is still a very pleasant place to visit and learn about the great man.

• Roberto Succo | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £19.98   |  Saving you £0.01 (0.05%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In 1986 Roberto Succo escaped from an Italian mental institution where he had been incarcerated for the brutal murder of his parents and went into hiding in France. Travelling between the Mediterranean and the mountains of Savoy Succo left a trail of inexplicable murders rapes and abductions which the police investigators struggled to connect. Cedric Kahn's gripping dramatisation of true events gives a terrifying insight into the disturbed mind of a serial killer and also follows

• Steel Magnolias / Circle Of Friends / Legends OF The Fall | DVD | (06/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Legends Of The Fall: Colonel William Ludlow (Sir Anthony Hopkins) built a ranch in the remote foothills of the Montana Rockies where he brought up his three sons away from the carnage of the Indian wars. Alfred (Aidan Quinn) the eldest is dutiful and reserved Samuel (Henry Thomas) the beloved youngest is compassionate and idealistic while the middle brother Tristan (Brad Pitt) has a wild untameable spirit. Into this masculine world enters Susannah Finncannon (Julia Ormond) a beautiful intelligent woman who stirs a passion and rivalry in all three brothers that will change the course of their lives and shape their destinies forever. From the rugged prairie lands of 19th Century America to the trenches of World War I and the changing world beyond 'Legends of the Fall' is a sweeping star-studded epic - a passionate journey into the darkest secrets of love betrayal and the unbreakable bonds of blood. Steel Magnolias: A beautiful bittersweet comedy set in deep south Louisiana 'Steel Magnolias' unites talents of America's finest actresses as six very special friends bonded together by mutual triumphs and tragedies. Despite their differences beautiful Shelby (Julia Roberts) her strong-willed mother M'Lynn (Sally Field) beauty parlour owner Truvy (Dolly Parton) elegant wealthy widow Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) sharp tongued Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine) and mousey newcomer Anelle (Daryl Hannah) enjoy a friendship that spans the boundaries of age and status. Sharing each other's strength and loyalty they face their greatest fears and highest hopes with dry wit and a self-deprecating style... Circle Of Friends: Circle Of Friends is a story of first love first kisses and first betrayals. Three girlhood friends are re-united in college ready to experience life to the fullest. Eve an orphan quiet and observant; Nan socially and sexually precocious; and Benny (Minnie Driver) a modest self-conscious dreamer. It doesn't take long for them all in their exciting new world to meet men and fall in love. But Benny unsure of herself and scared of rejection follows her heart out on a limb for the brightest best-looking boy on the campus (Chris O'Donnell). Will her shyly adventurous spirit be rewarded? One thing is sure. Whatever happens in affairs of the heart Benny will always rely on the people she loves and the people who love her in her Circle Of Friends.

• Jesse James: Lawman | DVD | (09/04/2018) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When a small town is overrun by the gang of outlaws. The Mayor finds that they are under the thumb of the gang's leader, villainous Hoyt Killian. The town's sheriff takes it upon himself to hire famed outlaw Jesse James to infiltrate the gang and stop their evil plans from inside their ranks. Its outlaw versus outlaw and to the winner goes the town and its secret treasures. An action-packed western featuring Kevin Sorbo and the legendary Peter Fonda.

• Welcome To Collinwood | DVD | (17/09/2007) from £5.47   |  Saving you £10.52 (65.80%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Five hapless inner-city low-lifes unsuccessfully attempt to burgle a pawnbroker's safe, but wind up gaining more than they lose.

• Love (Szerelem) | DVD | (15/08/2005) from £29.10   |  Saving you £-16.11 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This tender black-and-white Hungarian drama takes place in the '50s. A woman's (Mari Torcsik) husband has been arrested by the Hungarian secret police and imprisoned as a dissident. The young wife lives with her mother-in-law (Lili Darvas) a sweet and magnetic woman appears to believe that her son has emigrated to America. Unable to do anything about her husband's imprisonment the daughter-in-law keeps the old woman's good cheer alive by concocting a series of letters from her husb

• Guns N Roses -Live In Paradise City | DVD | (03/06/2013) from £16.18   |  Saving you £-4.19 (-34.90%)   |  RRP £11.99

  Guns N' Roses, one of America's premier hard rock bands were formed in Hollywood in 1985. They have six studio albums, three Ep's, and one live album under their belt to date. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist IzzyStradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. Axl Rose is the only current original member of Guns N' Roses. The band's 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction" has sold in excess of 28 million copies worldwide and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 and is also the highest selling debut album of all time in the US. After over a decade of work and many lineup changes, the band released their album, Chinese Democracy, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum in Canada. On Tuesday, September 27, 2011, Guns N' Roses was announced as nominee for 2012 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is well overdue, and more than deserved! Though the line up has transformed over the years, the success of the Chinese Democracy album attests to the power of the newest line up. This live recording in Rio de Janeiro during their latest 2011 tour is proof of the band's continued commitment to rock n roll Guns 'N' Roses at the festival Rock in Rio, which was held on September 27, 2011. Tracklist: 01 - Chinese Democracy 02 - Welcome To The Jungle 03 - It's So Easy 04 - Mr. Brownstone 05 - Sorry 06 - Live and Let Die 07 - Rocket Queen 08 - This I Love 09 - Instrumental Jam 10 - Sweet Child O' Mine 11 - Estranged 12 - Better 13 - Street Of Dreams 14 - You Could Be Mine 15 - November Rain 16 - Instrumental Jam 17 - Knockin' On Heaven's Door 18 - Nightrain BONUS 19 - Patience 20 - Paradise City

• Death And The Compass | DVD | (15/02/2005) from £14.91   |  Saving you £-5.93 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  An adaptation of the José Luis Borges short story, Death and the Compass is a baroque murder mystery with a comic touch. Plagued by his involvement in a prior investigation, weary and embittered Police Commissioner Treviranus (played by Cox regular Miguel Sandoval, Straight to Hell, Three Businessmen) attempts to set a peculiar history straight. When his star detective Lonnrot (Peter Boyle), an intuitive, blue-suited Buddhist, is stumped as to the motive behind a series of unsolved psycho-geographical murders with Kabbalistic overtones, Treviranus suspects master criminal Scharlach (Christopher Eccleston), at large in the city. But Lonnrot rejects this thesis and, with the aide of enthusiastic, atheist journalist, Zunz (Chistopher Eccleston), he is lead to believe that the crimes are allied to points on the compass. Drawn fatefully to where he believes a final crime will be committed, Lonnrot and Zunz search for the solution within a mysterious deserted mansion to the South of the city. Shot with a comic book sensibility (like a 1930s movie serial) on richly coloured modernist sets with futurist flourishes, Cox's film looks sumptuous and follows the style of Borges' labryinthine scenario to the letter without losing the plot. The three leads all acquit themselves admirably. Boyle's mystical detective is awkward and aloof in contrast to Sandoval's cunning, career-minded police inspector, while Ecceleston shape-shifts between three roles with alarming ease. On the DVD: An audio commentary by Alex Cox and composer Dan Wool of Pray for Rain (who also scored Cox's Straight to Hell and Three Businessmen) primarily examines the relationship between sound and setting. Paul Miller's "Spiderweb", the featurette advertised on the sleeve and liner notes, does not appear on this disc. --Chris Campion

• Lily In Love | DVD | (09/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  An ageing actor is desperate to star in a film written by his wife but he's entirely the wrong type for the role. Undaunted he disguises himself as a sexy Italian actor wins the part and heads to Budapest. His wife hasn't the slightest idea its him and complications arise when she falls in love with this 'young' man...

• Evil | DVD | (03/10/2005) from £9.95   |  Saving you £10.04 (100.90%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Evil is a fifties era, coming-of-age tale that recounts the horror of life at a traditional boarding school.

• Murder In A Blue World | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £31.85   |  Saving you £-16.86 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Often described as 'the Spanish Clockwork Orange' this controversial shocker is set in a violent near future world. Honset citizens live in terror as gangs of leather clad whip wielding sadists roam the night time streets. Meanwhile in a top secret laboratory strange mind control experiments are being conducted. Against this background a beautiful nurse tries to ease the pain of those condemed to die. But who really is this angel of mercy and what is the purpose of her mission?