Albert Lewin's adaptation of the 'Flying Dutchman' legend transposes the story into an upper-class English-speaking community in a small port in 1930s Spain. James Mason stars as Hendrick van der Zee, a man cursed to travel the seven seas until he can find a woman willing to die for his love. He certainly does not think he has discovered her when he meets beautiful, spoiled, nightclub singer and femme fatale Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner), who is engaged to be married to racing driver Stephen Cameron (Nigel Patrick) but is also being courted by hotheaded bullfighter Juan Montalvo (Mario Cabre). However, the pair soon discover that love can blossom in the unlikeliest of places.
A collection of David Lean's finest films. Include: 1. The Sound Barrier (1952) 2. Hobsons Choice (1954) 3. Blithe Spirit (1945) 4. Brief Encounter (1945) 5. Great Expectations (1946) 6. Oliver Twist (1948) 7. Madeleine (1950) 8. The Passionate Friends (1949) 9. This Happy Breed (1944)
1950s British comedy following two men who compete for the affections of the same woman in a Switzerland skiing resort. While holidaying in the Swiss Alps Clive (Nigel Patrick) and Humpy (David Tomlinson) both fall for Mary (Jill Day). They each try different ways to win her over without much success and when they contract chicken pox they find themselves in quarantine under the watchful eye of Humpy's old nanny Miss Cartwright (Kathleen Harrison). Their situation becomes even more complicate...
Directed by DAVID LEAN and written by TERENCE RATTIGAN, THE SOUND BARRIER is about the men who challenged the speed of sound, told from the viewpoint of central character, Sir John Ridgefield (RALPH RICHARDSON). The oil tycoon and aircraft constructor is determined to manufacture a supersonic jet that will travel faster than the speed of sound. Ridgefield's desire to reach this goal has already led to the death of his test pilot son (DENHOLM ELLIOTT), and his daughter Susan's (ANN TODD) fighter-pilot husband (NIGEL PATRICK). Shocked at the death of her husband and her father's disregard of human life in his single-minded determination to achieve his goal, Susan walks out on him. Unperturbed, Ridgefield approaches another pilot with the challenge of piloting his test craft. The film marked a departure from the domestic or literary concerns which had characterized the director David Lean's choice of subject matter to date. Its heroics pre-empted his later films Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
A 1960's Crime/Drama filmed at Pinewood Studios and on location in London. The story concerns the somewhat uneasy relationship between a Scotland Yard Detective, Johnoe (Nigel Patrick) and the Squad Chief, Bestwick (Harry Andrews) over the use of paid informants. Despite orders not to use informants and to adopt more scientific principals of detection, Johnoe continues on until one of his informants is murdered. Immediately he finds himself in a frame for corruption and with few friends left on his own side of the law his only option is to enlist the help of the murdered man's brother (Colin Blakely).
Set in Singapore in the early 1950s, this impressive adaptation of Leslie Thomas' best-selling, scandalous novel centres on a group of naïve, young British Army recruits billeted to Malaya who have no experience of either love or war. Both affectionate and affecting in its look at young men in wartime, the film has a wonderful cast which includes Lynn Redgrave (Georgy Girl, The National Health), Hywel Bennett (The Family Way, Twisted Nerve) and Nigel Davenport (The Third Secret, The Mind of Mr. Soames), along with early appearances from Christopher Timothy, Wayne Sleep, James Cosmo - and a young David Bowie. Genuine and heartfelt, The Virgin Soldiers is an insightful and hugely underrated British comic drama. INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES High Definition remaster Original mono audio The Virgin Actors (2019, 29 mins): Roy Holder and Christopher Timothy recall their experiences on location Some Confidence (2019, 8 mins): writer Ian La Frenais discusses his contributions to the screenplay 16mm Location Footage (1967, 14 mins): rare and previously unseen material shot during location scouting Operation Malaya (1953, 67 mins): David MacDonald's acclaimed feature-length docudrama on the Malayan Emergency Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography Isolated music & effects track New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
The British Are Coming! Britain's finest athletes have begun their quest for glory in the 1924 Olympic Games. Success brings honour to their nation. For two runners the honour at stake is personal... and their challenge one from within. Winner of four 1981 Academy Awards including Best Picture 'Chariots Of Fire' is the inspiring true story of Harold Abrahams Eric Liddell and the team that brought Britain one of its greatest sports victories. Ben Cross Ian Charleson Nigel Havers Nicholas Farrell and Alice Krige enjoyed their first major movie roles in this debut theatrical feature for director Hugh Hudson. Producer David Puttnam blended those talents to shape a film of unique and lasting impact. From its awesome footage of competition to its Oscar-winning Vangelis score 'Chariots Of Fire' has blazed its way into the hearts of movie lovers everywhere.
A stirring British war film depicting the boat crews whose job it was to rescue downed RAF pilots. After the Normandy D-Day landings, a dangerous attempt is made to rescue the survivors of a WWII British Hudson bomber, crashed at sea. On board is an Air Commodore who has secret plans that could stop enemy air raids on London. Produced by Daniel M. Angel. Written by Lewis Gilbert and Vernon Harris from the novel by John Harris.
Joan Greenwood reprises her hit stage performance as a frustrated housewife in the film adaptation of this popular West End farce. Co-starring Nigel Patrick and Derek Farr and showcasing a memorable early performance from Audrey Hepburn Young Wives' Tale is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Compelled to live together due to the post-war housing shortage, the Pennants and the Bannings just about get along... but add in a brace of babies, a succession of nannies and a shy-but-pretty lodger, and the situation very soon starts to unravel!
Available for the first time on DVD! The Virgin Soldiers is a bawdy look at life in Britain's conscript army of the 50s and how their ""virgin soldiers"" spent two years defending King and country. Take Private Brigg (Hywel Bennett) for example when he's not filling in forms or engaging the Malaysian bandits he's out on manoeuvers with a Chinese dance-hall girl named Juicy Lucy (Tsai Chin). She is supposed to be a lady of easy virtue but to Brigg's delight she proves to be a lady
The League of Gentlemen is a sardonic crime drama in which Jack Hawkins plays an embittered retired army officer who recruits seven fellow ex-soldiers to carry out a bank raid with military precision. The film presents an England between post-war austerity and the more liberated 1960s where traditional moral certainties were rapidly being discarded; a London where ex-officers left on the scrapheap at war's end could justify turning their military experience to armed robbery. Unfortunately the tale is neither particularly amusing or thrilling, with an overlong central detour via an army camp prefacing the exciting heist and a largely anti-climactic ending. Nevertheless Hawkins effectively subverts his heroic officer type from The Cruel Sea (1953) and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and there's excellent support from a great cast including Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough and Roger Livesey. Bryan Forbes not only wrote the cynical screenplay but costarred with wife Nanette Newman in her first significant screen role. More influential than truly classic, The League of Gentlemen has lent its name to a modern BBC comedy, an "Extraordinary" comic strip-turned-movie, and proved the template for heist films ever since, including both versions of The Italian Job (1969 and 2003). On the DVD:The League of Gentlemen is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 16:9 transfer from an excellent condition print and mostly looks and sounds fine. There's minimal print damage, though sadly Philip Green's ironically patriotic main title music suffers from significant distortion. The only extra is the original trailer, which is now something of a period piece itself. --Gary S Dalkin
Joan Greenwood reprises her hit stage performance as a frustrated housewife in the film adaptation of this popular West End farce. Co-starring Nigel Patrick and Derek Farr and showcasing a memorable early performance from Audrey Hepburn Young Wives' Tale is featured here as a brand-new remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Compelled to live together due to the post-war housing shortage, the Pennants and the Bannings just about get along... but add in a brace of babies, a succession of nannies and a shy-but-pretty lodger, and the situation very soon starts to unravel! Special Features: Image gallery Limited edition booklet written by Melanie Williams
A murder mystery without peer. Gerald Coates is a simple man with a reckless and glamorous wife. After throwing one of her usual tantrums she disappears until her body is found in an abandoned car.
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.
An exceedingly lively adaptation of this Dickins' Classic. With a stellar cast of British actors playing some of Dickens' most colourful characters. The Pickwick Club sends Mr. Pickwick and a group of friends to travel across England and to report back on the interesting things they find. In the course of their travels, they repeatedly encounter the friendly but disreputable Mr. Jingle, who becomes a continual source of trouble for all who know him. Pickwick himself is the victim of a number...
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Three short films based on stories by W. Somerset Maugham. Titles Comprise: The Ant and the Grasshopper Winter Cruise The Gigolo and the Gigolette
Who is Dennis Carter? Well Dennis is a moron. His mum knows it his friends know it and even he knows it. But the police don't. So when Dennis tries to impress Andrea with his fantasies about multi-million pound drug deals Dennis gets nabbed and finds himself a supergrass. The trouble is Dennis doesn't know anything; or does he?
The League of Gentlemen is a sardonic crime drama in which Jack Hawkins plays an embittered retired army officer who recruits seven fellow ex-soldiers to carry out a bank raid with military precision. The film presents an England between post-war austerity and the more liberated 1960s where traditional moral certainties were rapidly being discarded; a London where ex-officers left on the scrapheap at war's end could justify turning their military experience to armed robbery. Unfortunately the tale is neither particularly amusing or thrilling, with an overlong central detour via an army camp prefacing the exciting heist and a largely anti-climactic ending. Nevertheless Hawkins effectively subverts his heroic officer type from The Cruel Sea (1953) and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and there's excellent support from a great cast including Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough and Roger Livesey. Bryan Forbes not only wrote the cynical screenplay but costarred with wife Nanette Newman in her first significant screen role. More influential than truly classic, The League of Gentlemen has lent its name to a modern BBC comedy, an "Extraordinary" comic strip-turned-movie, and proved the template for heist films ever since, including both versions of The Italian Job (1969 and 2003). On the DVD:The League of Gentlemen is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 16:9 transfer from an excellent condition print and mostly looks and sounds fine. There's minimal print damage, though sadly Philip Green's ironically patriotic main title music suffers from significant distortion. The only extra is the original trailer, which is now something of a period piece itself. --Gary S Dalkin
Originally released in 1951, PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN is iconoclastic director Albert Lewin's deliriously romantic and contemporary Technicolor visualisation of the often told legend of the sea.
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