"Actor: Nigel"

• Yes Minister - Series 1 | DVD | (01/10/2001) from £5.30   |  Saving you £7.69 (145.09%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The first series of the elegant sitcom-cum-farce-cum-sophisticated political satire Yes Minister, setting off Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker, Minister for Administrative Affairs, against Nigel Hawthorne's discreetly obstructive civil servant Sir Humphrey. Series One features the pilot episode, "Open Government", curious in that it contains different and distinctly inferior opening and closing credits to the rest of the series. You also sense that Mrs Hacker was originally intended to have a larger role, with comedy focussing on the clash between political and domestic commitments, until the writers wisely decided to focus on the stand-off between Jim and Sir Humphrey, with Derek Fowlds' mousy private secretary Bernard making occasional interjections. While the series doesn't quite come fully to light--Sir Humphrey is at times a little too sinister for sitcom consumption--all the classic features quickly show up. Hacker's occasional Churchillian bombast, followed by panicky blank double-takes when flummoxed, Sir Humphrey's unflappable verbosity as he brings the dead weight of civil service bureaucracy to bear against Hacker's naively optimistic schemes for open government, Quangos and slashing red tape in episodes like "The Economy Drive". Ironic, that when this was first screened in the 80s, it was during the rampages of early Thatcherism in which Government had never been less like the ineffectual politicking satirised here. On the DVD: Full screen, no special features except scene selection and straightforward text profiles of the principal actors here. --David Stubbs

• The Last Valley | DVD | (02/04/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  James Clavell's The Last Valley is a heartfelt film of paradise found and lost in the midst of the bloody Thirty Years War, a senseless religious conflict long since degenerated into a rabble of looters preying on peasants. It's also a triumph of passion over style. Michael Caine stars as the Captain, a happily tolerant leader whose army of mercenaries--a mix of Protestants and Catholics--murders, pillages and rapes side by side for whichever faction is paying more at the time. Omar Sharif is Vogel, a lone refugee whose flight from the marauding band leads them all to a beautiful village in the mountains. The Captain and Vogel make an unlikely pair: the shrewd mercenary with the dream of peace, and the philosopher-peasant hanging on to his own life in the face of certain death--and their alliance to preserve this Eden and her people stands in contrast to the soldiers who soon become splintered by greed, lust and religious zealotry. Clavell isn't exactly subtle, but his sense of irony is biting: one Christian soldier is ready to lead a mob in righteous battle after a perceived blaspheme, and in the next scene attacks and rapes an innocent Christian maiden he's sworn to protect. The film falters in clumsy battle scenes and awkward dramatic staging, but Caine's complex characterisation of the guarded Captain and Sharif's haunted performance keep the story alive, and the beautiful photography fixes the film like a jewel into its setting. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

• Villain | DVD | (03/09/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Murderous sadistic London gang leader Vic Dakin a mother-obsessed homosexual modeled on real-life gangster Ronnie Kray is worried about potential stool pigeons that may bring down his criminal empire. The brutal Vic cuts the throat of one bloke who has been a little too loose-lipped afraid that his gossiping may turn into a grand operatic performance for the coppers. Vic who enjoys playing at rough trade with his sidekick Wolfe plans a payroll robbery and directs the blackmail

• The Virgin Soldiers - Limited Edition | Blu Ray | (25/03/2019) from £17.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  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 LIMITED BLU-RAY 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 Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by author Scott Harrison, Leslie Thomas on The Virgin Soldiers, archival profiles of Lynn Redgrave and Tsai Chin, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Anthony Nield on Operation Malaya, and film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray Limited Edition of 3,000 copies

• Cromwell | DVD | (10/11/2003) from £6.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (85.84%)   |  RRP £12.99

  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...

• Silent Dust | DVD | (16/02/2015) from £8.19   |  Saving you £1.80 (21.98%)   |  RRP £9.99

  This powerfully emotional post-war drama from acclaimed British director Lance Comfort features commanding performances from Sally Gray, Stephen Murray, Nigel Patrick and Seymour Hicks, among others, with an excellent score by leading French composer Georges Auric. Released in 1949, Silent Dust is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer, in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.Sir Robert Rawley is a self-made man in the most successful sense. The spur for his ambition had always been his son, Simon, but since Simon's death under fire his love has grown into an obsession. All is not as it seems, however - Simon deserted his post and faked his own death, and is now on the hunt for money...Special Feature: Original Theatrical Trailer

• Zulu Dawn | DVD | (27/04/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In 1879 the British Colonies in response to the perceived threat of the Zulu Nation deliver a deliberately unacceptable ultimatum to the King who responds by putting his people on a war footing. Confident in their weapons technology and organization's ability to crush the seemingly outclassed primitive enemy the British invade Zululand. General Lord Chelmsford sends in hundreds of British troops in order to squash the spear-carrying Africans with superior fire power. The sheer number of Zulus however overwhelms the British infantry.

• Wherever She Goes | DVD | (13/07/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Set against a background of crushing poverty and the hazards of gold-mining in Western Australia during the mid-1920s Wherever She Goes is based on the childhood of Eileen Joyce the celebrated Australian pianist who made her sensational professional debut at the Royal Albert Hall in 1930. Made at Ealing Studios in Australia the film depicts the people who inspired and nurtured the gifted little girls dream of becoming a professional pianist her struggle to learn and the support of the local community that helped bring her within reach of musical training. This moving life-affirming film is featured here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.

• The Royal Hunt of the Sun | DVD | (19/11/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  An epic tale of the Spanish conquest of Peru. This film will keep you glued to the screen in anticipation of the fateful ending. ""The world will remember me promises Spanish General Francesco Pizarro to the King of Spain. He tells of a land of endless gold enough to make Spain the most powerful of nations. But Pizarro is a dreamer a man of failures. The King allows him to search but at his own expense. Thus armed with a band of ruthless gold-seeking soldiers of fortune Pizarro journeys over vast mountains and harsh desert to reach Monchepechu. When faced with the life or death of the Inca God-King Atahualpa Pizarro struggles with his duty as a soldier and his loyalties to God his men and himself all of which are called into question by his fascination with the devotion and worship of the mystical man-god. Pizarro must choose between life or death and his god or another. This true epic adventure of undying faith brave yet greedy men loyalty to god king and country and one's own sense of morality hurtles towards an ending that answers humankind's hardest question ""Whose God is the real God?""

• 24 Hour Party People - Single Disc Edition | DVD | (19/07/2004) from £5.68   |  Saving you £7.31 (128.70%)   |  RRP £12.99

  The story of the Manchester music scene from 70s punk through to the early nineties, as seen from the perspective of Tony Wilson, musical entrepenuer who signed countless bands from Joy Division to the Happy Mondays to his legendary Factory Records label.

• Limelight - Charlie Chaplin DVD | DVD | (28/09/2015) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Limelight tells the story of a fading music hall comedian's efforts to help a despondent ballet dancer learn both to walk and feel confident about life again. The highlight of this moving Academy Award-winning film is the classic duet with Chaplin's only real artistic film comedy rival Buster Keaton.

• The Boys In Blue | DVD | (18/10/2004) from £3.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (150.38%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Sgt. Cannon and PC Ball 'run' the police station in the sleepy town of Little Botham. When the station is threatened with closure due to the lack of crime they decide to invent some crimes to justify their positions. In response they try to steal a painting from a local businessman (Kinnear) and accidentally stumble across a gang of real art thieves who have just stolen one million pounds worth of paintings. It is up to the two inept cops to stop them escaping with their haul!

• A Passage To India | DVD | (31/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A Passage to India, David Lean's adaptation of EM Forster's mysterious tale of racism in colonial India, turned out to be the master director's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman travelling in India with her fiancé's mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine

• Amistad | DVD | (29/01/2001) from £6.77   |  Saving you £13.22 (195.27%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Steven Spielberg's most simplistic, sanitised history lesson, Amistad, explores the symbolic 1840s trials of 53 West Africans following their bloody rebellion aboard a slave ship. For most of Schindler's List (and, later, Saving Private Ryan) Spielberg restrains himself from the sweeping narrative and technical flourishes that make him one of our most entertaining and manipulative directors. Here, he doesn't even bother trying, succumbing to his driving need to entertain with beautiful images and contrived emotion. He cheapens his grandiose motives and simplifies slavery, treating it as cut- and-dry genre piece. Characters are easy Hollywood stereotypes--"villains" like the Spanish sailors or zealous abolitionists are drawn one-dimensionally and sneered upon. And Spielberg can't suppress his gifted eye, undercutting normally ugly sequences, such as the terrifying slave passage, which is shot as a gorgeous, well-lit composition. At its core, Amistad is a traditional courtroom drama, centred by a tired, clichéd narrative: a struggling, idealistic young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) fighting the crooked political system and saving helpless victims. Worse yet, Spielberg actually takes the underlying premise of his childhood fantasy, E.T. and repackages it for slavery. Cinque (Djimon Hounsou), the leader of the West African rebellion, is presented much like the adorable alien: lost, lacking a common language, and trying to find his way home. McConaughey is a grown-up Elliot who tries communicating complicated ideas such as geography by drawing pictures in the sand or language by having Cinque mimic his facial expressions. Such stuff was effective for a sci-fi fantasy about the communication barriers between a boy and a lost alien; here, it seems like a naive view of real, complex history. --Dave McCoy, Amazon.com

• All Creatures Great & Small Series 1&2 Boxset | DVD | (29/11/2021) from £14.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Series OneFresh out of Glasgow Veterinary College, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) follows his dream to become a vet in the magnificent Yorkshire Dales. He soon discovers that treating the animals is as much about treating their owners, and the Dalesʼ farmers are a tough crowd to please.Includes the Christmas Special: The Night Before ChristmasSeries TwoA visit back home presents James with a dilemma when he's offered a position at his old mentor's forward-thinking practice in Glasgow. On his return to the Dales, James is reminded of how much he loves the place and one person in particular. Will he choose to be with his family or follow his heart?Special Features:Interviews with CastSet WalkthroughPicture GalleriesSubtitles

• Checkmate - Kings versus Queens | DVD | (05/04/2021) from £4.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Checkmate - Kings verses Queens sees the world's top players battle it out to reign supreme, take the crown and be known as the King or Queen of the chess universe. This nine-part series is presented by Simon Williams and Anna Richardson.

• Yes Minister - Series 1-3 Complete | DVD | (15/11/2004) from £9.58   |  Saving you £20.41 (213.05%)   |  RRP £29.99

  From the minds of Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay comes the complete box set of all three series of Yes Minister. First-class political satire and a worldwide favourite seen in over 80 countries Yes Minister is well-known for being closer to the truth than those in the political arena would like to admit. Re-live the exploits of the amiable and honourable Jim Hacker and his permanent Secretary the urbane but evasive Sir Humphrey Appleby as they balance the intricacies of government b

• Farewell To The King | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £6.22   |  Saving you £0.77 (12.38%)   |  RRP £6.99

  During World War II a British Army officer is despatched to Borneo to train the local tribesmen to fight the Japanese and is surprised to discover the tribal king is an American. The two train the tribe and fight in a series of battles but both are sadly aware that their destruction is imminent...

• Coupling - Complete Series 1-4 Box Set (Special Collectors Edition) | DVD | (16/08/2004) from £48.89   |  Saving you £1.10 (2.25%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Two's Company. Three's a crowd. So what do you do with six? Who do you know who is over thirty sort-of-single and has a satisfying regular sex-life? Anyone? Being single isn't easy. But at least you've got your friends. But what happens when one of your friends falls in love with one of your friends' friends? This funny up-front series about love and lust amongst thirtysomethings centres around Susan and Steve - two lively sexy funny people who get together and start going out. Featuring series 1 to 4 of the hit BBC sitcom!

• Marie Curie | DVD | (01/12/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £36.99

  A beautifully crafted captivating mini-series charting the life and times of one of the greatest pioneering scientists of the 20th century who received the Nobel Prize for her discovery of Radium. This daring portrait gives viewers a rare insight into the heartbreak and scandal that rocked Curie's early years following the death of her husband which had a negative impact on her esteemed position within the scientific world. And how she overcame this to become one of the most influential women in science Award winning actress Jane Lapoaire's (The Devil's Crown Antony and Cleo-patra Love Hurts) convincing performance in the title role of Marie Curie first brought her to wide attention acting as a springboard to a long successful career both on screen and stage. Lapotaire is also joined by acclaimed actor Nigel Hawthorne (Madness of King George III Amistad and Yes Minister) as her husband Pierre.