In 1942 Malta is of critical importance to the Allied forces for it keeps the vital shipping supply lines open. As Peter Ross (Guinness) lands on the island and is attached to the local regiment he discovers aerial photographs that indicate Italian units are preparing to invade. Ross is selected to trace and destroy the enemy convoy before it is too late...
Disgusted with the religious policies of King Charles I Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religious tension and political infighting that will result in the British Civil War...
Martin Chuzzlewit (Dir. Pedr James 1994): Martin Chuzzlewit is a wealthy old man. But who will inherit his riches? He has disinherited his grandson young Martin suspecting the motives of the young man's love for Mary Chuzzlewit's nurse and companion. With such a prize to play for the rest of his family - including the snivelling hypocrite Pecksniff and the fabulously evil Jonas - bring forth all of their cunning greed and selfishness. With his grandson floundering in Amer
A huge success for Thames Television, Van der Valk stars Barry Foster as the no-nonsense Dutch detective whose exploits enthralled ITV audiences over three decades. As head of Amsterdam CID he has to contend with murder, blackmail, missing persons and the more tricky cases that come the way of the Dutch police! Created by Nicolas Freeling, this ratings-topping series co-stars Michael Latimer, Nigel Stock and Ronald Hines, and guest stars include Clifford Rose, Geoffrey Bayldon, Michael Sheard, Paul Eddington, Sydney Tafler, Lisa Daniely, Jane Lapotaire, Freddie Jones, Hildegard Neil, Patrick Troughton, Suzy Kendall, Bob Hoskins, Pamela Salem, Ian Hendry, Jane Merrow, Tom Bell, Amanda Burton, Kenneth Cranham, Brian Cox and Anthony Valentine. This set contains all five series, including the feature-length specials that were made in the early 1990s.
One of the twentieth century's most successful crime novelists, Edgar Wallace's thrillers have been widely adapted for film and television - the most memorable of which are the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series, made at Merton Park Studios during the first half of the 1960s. A noir-esque series, it updates some of the author's stories to more contemporary settings, blending classic B-movie elements with a distinctly British feel. Unseen for decades and freshly transferred from the origina...
Available for the first time on DVD! Five years after their triumphant teaming in Lawrence of Arabia Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif reunited for this powerful World War II thriller about a Nazi General who becomes a serial killer. When a Polish prostitute is brutally murdered in Nazi-occupied Warsaw her killer is identified as a German General. The investigator Major Grau (Sharif) narrows the suspects to three Generals in the German high command: the heroic Tanz (O'Toole) the cy
The thrillers of Edgar Wallace one of the twentieth century’s most successful crime novelists have been widely adapted for film and television – the most memorable of which being the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series made at Merton Park Studios during the first half of the 1960s. A noir-esque series it updates some of the author’s stories to more contemporary settings blending classic B-movie elements with a distinctly British feel. Unseen for decades these dramas have been freshly transferred from the original film elements specifically for this release.
This BAFTA-nominated film starring the great Dirk Bogarde in one of his career-best performances also includes excellent support from Sylvia Syms and Denis Price. The police are after Jack Barrett (Peter McEnery). He has stolen 2 300 from the building construction firm that employs him as a wages clerk. Despite being an ordinary young man of twenty-three years of age he is scared out of his wits by the crisis that is mounting - and they are circumstances beyond his control - Barret
Eric Porter stars as the brooding captain of a decrepit scow smuggling illegal explosives with a questionable crew and a desperate cadre of passengers into a hurricane.
In this 12th-century version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Henry II of England (Peter O'Toole) and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), meet on Christmas Eve to discuss the future of the throne. These two are having slight marital problems, as she is kept in captivity most of the year for raising a rebellion against him, and he flaunts his young mistress. Then there are the problems raised by their three treacherous and traitorous sons. James Goldman won an Oscar for the brilliant screenplay, based on his Broadway play. It is a tad wordy, as the action is kept to a minimum, but those words are sharp as daggers. The humour is wicked and black and delivered with very dry, dead-on precision. Sparks fly and the screen sizzles whenever Hepburn and O'Toole tango, which is often. Both were nominated for Academy Awards for their vigorous performances. (She won, he didn't.) There is also an infamous homoerotic exchange between Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) and Richard the Lionhearted (Anthony Hopkins). Both actors were making their feature film debuts. --Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon.com
Banned on its original theatrical release in the United States and highly controversial in Britain, this BAFTA-nominated story of deception, blackmail and revenge stars Dirk Bogarde in a brave, career-best performance as a prosperous young barrister with a dark secret. With powerful direction from Basil Dearden and strong supporting performances from both Sylvia Syms and Dennis Price, Victim is featured here in a High Definition transfer made from original film elements in its as-exhibited th.
What would have happened if Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had met as schoolboys? Why the solution is elementary - nothing but adventure! And that's just what director Barry Levinson gives us in this special effects spectacular that sends the super-sleuth on his very first case! When a plague of bizarre puzzling murders grip London young Holmes and his new found friend Watson find themselves unwittingly entangled in the dark mystery. So 'the fame is afoot!' And the budding detect
Hard to imagine now but long before Richard Attenborough became Lord Dickie, benevolent patriarch of British moviedom, he specialised in playing weaselly little thugs and punks. Brighton Rock, adapted from Graham Greene's classic novel, offered him one of his best early roles as Pinkie, juvenile leader of a seedy gang of racetrack crooks in the Sussex seaside town. When it seems an innocent young waitress may know too much about one of their killings, Pinkie decides to keep her quiet by marrying her. But in Greene's world of guilt-ridden Catholicism and inexorable doom, it was never going to be that easy. Is the famous twist ending a cop-out? That depends just how much irony you read into it. But the Brighton atmosphere, all tawdry gaiety shot through with a crackling undercurrent of fear, is so vivid you can smell it. Made with a cool, dispassionate eye by the Boulting Brothers (before they turned jokey with the likes of I'm Alright Jack, for instance) and superbly shot by Harry Waxman, this is one of Britain's few great contributions to the noir thriller cycle. Young Dickie, twitchy, vicious and terrified, is a revelation--and don't miss William Hartnell, the original Dr Who, as his cynical sidekick. --Philip Kemp
Rock Hudson and George Peppard star in this explosive hard-hitting World War II epic in which the Allies mount a daring raid to blow up a key Nazi fortress at Tobruk which is guarded by General Rommel’s crack troops. Directed by Arthur Hiller this suspense-packed adventure climaxes in one of the most spectacular fiery finales ever!
Set in 1797 at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, HMS Defiant is an enthralling British naval drama made to capitalise upon MGM's epic remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, also released in 1962. Based on the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsey and starring Alex Guinness as a fair-minded captain locked in psychological conflict with Dirk Bogarde, his manipulative, coldly malicious first officer, the parallels with the famous true story are clear. However there were many naval mutinies at this period and this large-scale saga, which includes some spectacularly staged widescreen naval battles, offers a realistic depiction of life in the British navy at the time--from the press gangs and floggings, to the appalling food and living conditions. Director Lewis Gilbert--who previously helmed Sink the Bismarck! (1960)--strikes a good balance between the personal drama and sweeping maritime adventure. Guinness successfully varies his firm-but-fair officer from The Bridge on the River Kwai, Bogarde is chillingly hateful and Anthony Quayle gives strong support. ITV's recent Hornblower cumulatively offers a more detailed portrait of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars, though the TV series cannot match the visual scale of this big-screen production. On the DVD: HMS Defiant is presented anamorphically enhanced at 2.35:1, though a little of the original CinemaScope frame is still cropped at the sides. The image is generally very good, though a handful of scenes near the end show considerable print damage and there is an inconstancy of colour grading between some shots. Grain is variable, but not generally a problem, though some unattractive "ringing" from edge enhancement is noticeable, particularly around Alex Guinness when he stands against a bright sky. The sound is in very clear mono with just occasional distortion on the music score. The disc offers the option of watching with dubbed French, German, Italian or Spanish soundtracks. The original trailer is included--under the American title of Damn the Defiant!--as are trailers for three other classic war films. The only other extra features are a small gallery of original publicity materials and three very basic filmographies. --Gary S Dalkin
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: The classic BBC TV series. Regarded by many to be the best incarnation of the Baker Street sleuth Douglas Wilmer gives a career-defining performance in this celebrated BBC series. Intelligent quick on his heels and bearing a striking resemblance to the original Sidney Paget illustrations Wilmer’s portrayal is possibly the closest to Conan Doyle’s original vision that there has ever been. In 2012 his status as legend within the Sherlock pantheon was cemented when he was asked to make a cameo appearance in Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. The first story in this series The Speckled Band was originally produced as part of the BBC drama strand Detectives. Appearing alongside Wilmer as Holmes’ loyal companion Dr John Watson was the great Nigel Stock. Such was the success of the adaptation that Wilmer and Stock were reunited a year later for a full 12-part series. With a supporting cast that included Clochemerle star Peter Madden as Inspector Lestrade TV veteran Derek Francis as Mycroft Holmes and guest stars such as Peter Wyngarde (Department S The Innocents) and Patrick Troughton (Doctor Who) the popularity of the series gave rise to a second series in which the role of Sherlock was played by Peter Cushing. Presented for the first time on UK DVD this long-awaited release also includes an array of fascinating special features including two reconstructions of partially-surviving episodes an alternative presentation of the Detectives pilot an alternative title sequence an interview with Douglas Wilmer and a number of newly-recorded audio commentaries. Bonus Features: Original 1964 Detectives pilot episode The Speckled Band All surviving episodes from the 1965 series Alternative Spanish audio presentation of The Speckled Band Alternative title sequence for The Illustrious Client The Abbey Grange episode reconstruction featuring a newly-filmed sequence of Douglas Wilmer reading the first half of the story followed by all surviving original footage The Bruce-Partington Plans episode reconstruction using all surviving original footage and original shooting scripts Douglas Wilmer … on Television (2012 Simon Harries 20 mins): the iconic actor discusses his career in British film and television Five audio commentaries including contributions from Douglas Wilmer and celebrated directors Peter Cregeen and Peter Sasdy all moderated by actor-comedian Toby Hadoke Fully illustrated booklet with new essays and full episode credits
The elegant and respectable facade of Brighton hides a sinister underworld ruled by intimidation and terror. Richard Attenborough stars as Pinkie a ruthless and sadistic young criminal whose trail of killings and double crossings lead to his eventual downfall when savage justice is finally meted out in a thrilling and memorable climax...
Barry Foster stars as Van der Valk - the no-nonsense Dutch detective who delighted audiences for three decades on television. As head of Amsterdam CID he is aided by the young CID Inspector Johnny Kroon (Michael Latimer) as they work their way through murders blackmail missing persons and the more tricky cases that come the way of the Dutch police. Supported by his wife Arlette (Susan Travers/Joanna Dunham/Meg Davies) and Hoofd-Commisaris Samson (Nigel Stock/Barry Hines) it's no wonder that this entertaining and absorbing drama series topped the ratings and is well-remembered to this day. This complete box set of all Van der Valk's adventures contains all five series including the feature-length specials that were made in the early 1990s.
A collection of BBC adaptations featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated super-sleuth. A Study In Scarlet: Peter Cushing stars as the intrepid private eye Sherlock Holmes and has to perform a little forensic investigation. The Boscombe Valley Mystery: Peter Cushing stars as Sherlock Holmes in another unfathomable mystery story with Nigel Stock as his faithful sidekick. The Hound Of The Baskervilles: Classic two-part story starring Peter Cushing and Nigel Sto
Remembered dimly as Peter Sellers' only venture into "serious" acting, Never Let Go has a lot of other things to recommend it, mostly because it manages to include a lot of the lurid elements that gained it an X certificate in 1960. It has a near-demented melodrama plot, as two desperate obsessives collide in a bizarre feud. Richard Todd, doing meek and put-upon, is a sales rep for smug Peter Jones' cosmetics firm whose life is turned upside-down when his Ford Anglia, bought on hire purchase and uninsured, is stolen by teddy boy Adam Faith. Looking like an inhabitant of Royston Vasey in The League of Gentlemen, Sellers plays a grinning, jumped-up spiv who runs a legitimate garage which is a front for the car thieves and is sugar daddy to teenage tartlet Carol White. Typical of Sellers' demonic rottenness is a scene in which he breaks down-and-out Melvyn Johns' heart by stamping on his beloved terrapin. "Peanut" Todd's crusade to get back his motor (catchphrase "what about my car?") brings trouble too: he gets repeatedly beaten up, abandoned by his wife (Elizabeth Sellars) and dragged to the edge of madness for a final punch-up in a garage. With a delightfully sleazy, jazzy John Barry score, lots of local colour in the caffs and gaffs of criminal London circa 1960 and a parade of welcome character actors (John le Mesurier, David Lodge, Noel Willman, Nigel Stock), this has its soapy spells, but it's a fascinating relic. On the DVD: Never Let Go's menu plays under Faith's theme song ("When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again--Oh Yeah Oh Yeah!"). The print is slightly letterboxed but looks a few generations away from the master with some careless transfer work that greys shadows and overexposes some scenes. --Kim Newman
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