"Actor: Peter V"

• Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (29/04/2002) from £11.74   |  Saving you £14.51 (138.45%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Mozart's Clemenza di Tito ("The Clemency of Titus") makes for riveting viewing in this Glyndebourne performance directed by Nicholas Hytner and conducted by Andrew Davis staged in the composer's bicentenary in 1991. Mozart's last opera, Clemenza was for some time considered below par by his own exalted standards. He composed it in a rush, the recitatives are by a pupil and it had to be on an appropriate theme to please the new Hapsburg monarch, for whose enthronement it was designed. There's little character development and the musical style harks back to operatic conventions Mozart had done so much to overthrow. Watching this production one would scarcely credit that such reservations once held sway. Hytner and his team have put a contemporary angle on a story set in Rome AD 78 in which sets, props and the stage itself are constructed to different dimensions offering alternate perspectives on a static tale. A slanting pillar and a sloping corridor allude to the unhinged mind of the scheming Vitellia, the central character, who puts her confidant Sesto on an emotional roller coaster ride as she ensnares him to plot the downfall of Titus. The principals use their eyes to communicate to one another as well as the audience and in the imaginatively staged entrances and exits of the ensembles one senses Hytner's choreographic instincts coming to the fore. The superb cast sing magnificently and look stunning. Philip Langridge is an eloquent Titus, Diana Monatgue a sincere Sesto and Ashley Putnam brings a touch of Alexis Colby to her portrayal of Vitellia. The London Philharmonic are all fired up under conductor Andrew Davis' fervent direction. The performance (the "Overture" accompanied by a visual montage of artefacts of Ancient Rome) is played on modern instruments yet articulated and reproduced with the clarity and definition associated with period ones. On the DVD: La Clemenza di Tito has no special features save for the obligatory subtitles. The picture quality is outstanding with the imaginative and colourful production design caught, like the music, with exceptional fidelity. The high drama at the conclusion of Act 1 justifies running on without a break into Act 2. This is a must for all lovers of opera. --Adrian Edwards

• Jurassic Park - Trilogy Pack | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jurassic Park (Dir. Steven Spielberg 1993): Director Steven Spielberg presents a masterpiece of imagination suspense science and cinematic magic that quickly became one the most successful film in worldwide box-office history. On a remote island a wealthy entrepreneur (Richard Attenborough) secretly creates a theme park featuring live dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric D.N.A. Before opening it to the public he invites a top palaeontologist (Sam Neill) and his paleobotanist girl friend (Laura Dern) a renowned mathematician (Jeff Goldblum) and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park - and help calm anxious investors. But their visit is anything but tranquil as the prehistoric predators break out and begin stalking the island's human inhabitants. Based on Michael Crichton's best-selling novel Jurassic Park is a breathtaking adventure you'll want to experience again and again... The Lost World (Dir. Steven Spielberg 1997): Director Steven Spielberg takes us back to the scene of Jurassic Park in The Lost World the blockbuster sequel with even more dinosaurs more action and more breathtaking visual effects than its record-breaking predecessor. This DVD edition contains exclusive interviews and rare behind-the-scenes footage. The Lost World remains among the most successful films of all time and features an all-star cast including Jeff Goldblum Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite. It has been four years since the disaster at Jurassic Park and two groups are in a race against time that will determine the fate of the remote island's prehistoric inhabitants. Jurassic Park 3 (Dir. Joe Johnston 2001): Adventure runs wild when renowned palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) agrees to accompany a wealthy adventurer (William H. Macy) and his wife (Tea Leoni) on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna InGen's former breeding ground for prehistoric creatures. But when they're terrifyingly stranded Dr. Grant discovers that his hosts are not what they seem and the island's native inhabitants are smarter faster and fiercer than he ever imagined in this heart-stomping thriller.

• Decade Under The Influence | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A documentary examining the last truly 'Golden Age' of Hollywood film production the 1970s in which arthouse successes such as 'The Godfather' and 'French Connection' became bona fide blockbusters at the box office in the days before multimedia conglomerations and pre-release test scores...

• Alfred Hitchcock | DVD | (28/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Secret Agent (1936): Alfred Hitchcock filmed Somerset Maugham's WWI spy story 'Ashenden' with his typical mix of ironic humour and suspenseful set pieces. Novelist Edgar Brodie (John Gielgud) has his death faked by British Intelligence. Giving him a new identity as Richard Ashenden they persuade him to undertake an espionage commission in Switzerland. Accompanied by beautiful Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll) posing as his wife and the General (Peter Lorre) an insane professional killer Brodie/Ashenden becomes embroiled in murder intrigue and a pursuit through the Swiss Alps... The Farmer's Wife (1928): Samuel Sweetland (Jameson Thomas) is a condescending farmer who finds himself all alone. His wife has died and his daughter has just gotten married. To find a new spouse Sweetland and his housekeeper Minta (Lillian Hall-Davis) make a list of the women who live nearby assuming that any one of them would kill to be his bride. But farmer Sweetland is in for a big surprise--and his ego is in for a major bruising--until the lovelorn Sweetland can acknowledge that he is secretly admired by his housekeeper. Gordon Harker gives an amusing performance as the old farmhand in this faithful adaptation of a play by Eden Phillpotts. Rich And Strange (1931): Mixing silent film techniques with the new element of sound - only one-fifth of the film offers dialogue - Rich And Strange tells the charming story of Fred Hill (Henry Kendall) and his wife Emily (Joan Barry) a small-town British couple who inherit some money from a rich uncle and suddenly decide to take a world cruise. Both however find themselves out of their element and their attempts at extramarital adventures fail miserably. Their newfound sophistication having backfired the couple will have to try to return to good old England but their journey will be full of mishaps and unexpected disaster. Released under the title East Of Shanghai in the United States the film was based on the novel by Dale Collins and was a departure for Hitchcock in both style and tone. Juno And The Paycock (1930): Juno And The Paycock is set in Ireland chronicling the financial and emotional ups and downs of the Boyle clan. When the father learns that he is about to inherit a fortune he and his family go shopping with a vengeance and rack up some serious debts. Furthermore the promise of wealth also makes the Boyles very haughty and they even dump their working-class friends. However the Boyles find themselves in big trouble - financially and otherwise - when it is revealed that there is no inheritance after all. Juno And The Paycock was the first solo screenwriting credit for Alma Reville Hitchcock's wife and lifelong collaborator. The film was based on Sean O'Casey's hit play; it was released in the United States under the title The Shame Of Mary Boyle. The Lady Vanishes (1938): Intrigue and espionage and the effects on the lives and futures of passengers aboard a Trans-Continental Express emerge when a girl traveller (Margaret Lockwood) returning from a holiday strikes up an acquaintance with a middle-aged English governess who during the journey mysteriously disappears from her compartment. The girl seeking an explanation for the disappearance is accused of hallucinating and is nearly convinced that her new friend does not exist. However further enquiries made among the passengers reveal the curious behaviour of a group of foreign government agents who are also travelling as passengers... Classic Hitchcock!

• Horror Of Dracula | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Jonathan Harker a student of vampires ventures to Dracula's castle and attacks him. The revengeful vampire leaves his dark abode to prey on the family of his attacker's fiancee. The only man able to protect Harker and his fiancee is Dr. Van Helsing a friend of Harker's. As a fellow-student of vampires he's determined to destroy Dracula...

• Stargate SG-1: Season 7 (Vol. 36) | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £6.09   |  Saving you £13.90 (69.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  More adventures with the SG1 crew. Featuring the four thrilling episodes: Heroes (Part 1): The Air Force sends a documentary crew to capture the historical importance of the Stargate programme. Members of the Stargate Command greet the crew with resistance. Tensions rise when an off world emergency forces General Hammond to restrict the crews access to SGC. Heroes (part 2): The documentary crew is given a true look at the heroic nature and bond between the soldiers of SGC when a key member of the Stargate Crew is killed in action. Resurrection: The team are sent to investigate the murder of a group of rogue NID scientists. Whilst piecing together the events of the crime SG-1 discover the scientists may have experimented and combined DNA to create the ultimate evil: a human being that possesses the conscience of a Goa'uld. Inauguration: On his first day in office the newly elected President of the United States is told about the Stargate programme and must be brought up to speed on the past seven years of it's existence.

• 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.

• Mission Impossible '89 | DVD | (15/10/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Episodes Comprise: The Golden Serpent (Part 1) The Golden Serpent (Part 2) The Princess Command Performance Countdown Countdown War Games Target Earth The Fuhrer's Children Banshee For Art's Sake Deadly Harvest Cargo Cult The Assassin Gunslinger Church Bells in Bogota The Sands of Seth

• Sonic Underground - Vol. 1 | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £14.98   |  Saving you £-11.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £2.99

  The first of 10 volumes following the tales of one of the 90s best loved cartoon characters. Sonic is one of three siblings who together are known as hit rock band 'Sonic Underground'. Follow their adventures as they do battle with the evil Dr Robotnik. Each DVD contains 4 episodes making a collection of 10 volumes. Once all 10 are collected the spines make a big image of Sonic. This DVD contains the following episodes: Wedding Bells Blues To Catch A Queen Mobodoon The Price Of Freedom.

• Derby Day | DVD | (03/01/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Another successful example of Anna Neagle's collaborations with director husband Herbert Wilcox Derby Day (1952) is a clever ensemble piece blending seamlessly the tales of several characters on their way to the races in Epsom. Among them are a taxi driver a French maid a murderer and Neagle's Lady Helen Forbes. The allstar cast includes Ealing Studios favourite Googie Withers and Neagle's regular co-star Michael Wilding.

• Prime Suspect 1-5 | DVD | (12/05/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  This box set contains the first five Prime Suspect crime dramas, which star Helen Mirren as detective chief inspector Jane Tennison. The original story, first aired in 1991, was written by Lynda La Plante and established a compelling template--grisly murders, fascinating operational details, well-written characters and believable domestic drama. The feature-length titles in this box set are also available individually:Prime Suspect (1991)Prime Suspect 2 (1992)Prime Suspect 3 (1993)Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995)Prime Suspect 4: Inner Circles (1995)Prime Suspect 4: Scent of Darkness (1995)Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment (1996) In 2003, Mirren reprised her role for Prime Suspect 6 (not included in this box set).

• Echoes In The Darkness | DVD | (05/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £3.99

  Based on the true life story that took place in the 1970s this movie follows the murder of Susan Reinert and her two children in Upper Merion Township in Pennsylvania a case that lasted seven years.

• Eight Crazy Nights | DVD | (08/12/2003) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Adam Sandler (who supplies the voices of three of the main characters)invites you to share some holiday cheer in the new, no holds-barred, animated, musical comedy.

• Frankenstein Created Woman | DVD | (11/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.99

  In a 19th century Balkan village Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and Dr. Hertz (Thorley Walters) are embarking upon an experiment to capture the souls of the dead and impose them into other bodies. When their assistant Hans (Robert Morris) is unjustly accused of murdering his girlfriend Christina's father and put to death the two men claim his body and trap his soul in their laboratory. Meanwhile Christina (Susan Denberg) is consumed with grief over the death of her beloved Hans and commits suicide. Frankenstein and Dr. Hertz are able to revive Christina and transfer Hans' soul into her body which results in a vision of beauty. Their experiment appears successful until Frankenstein discovers that Christina's actions are being driven by the spirit of Hans and his passion for revenge...

• Naked Lunch | Blu Ray | (17/08/2015) from £31.03   |  Saving you £-8.04 (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  You are now entering Interzone, William S Burroughs' phantasmagorical land of junk, paranoia and crawly things. Best travel advice: "Exterminate all rational thought". In David Cronenberg's superbly shot, unnerving warp on the Burroughs novel, Naked Lunch, the novelist himself becomes a main character (played in an implacable monotone by Peter Weller), with elements from Burroughs' life--including the shooting of his wife during a "William Tell" game, and bohemian friends Kerouac and Ginsberg--added to frame the book's wild visions. This is, ironically, a somewhat rational approach to an unfilmable book (and it makes a hair-curling double bill with Barton Fink, another look at writerly madness, with both films sharing Judy Davis). Cronenberg is a natural for oozing mugwumps and typewriters that turn into giant bugs, of course. But in the end, this is really his own vision of the artistic process, rather than Burroughs' hallucinatory descent into hell. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

• Screamers | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  After 10 years of devastating warfare on Planet Sirius 6B a distant mining planet Commander Joseph Hendricksson (Peter Weller) is assigned to protect his outpost from the New Economic Block. His scientists have created a perfect weapon designed to destroy all enemy life - a blade wielding self-replicating race of killing devices known as Screamers. But something has gone wrong - the Screamers continue to evolve without any human guidance cloning themselves into human form and obliterating all forms of human life. Betrayed by his own political leaders and disgusted by the atrocities of the endless war Hendricksson decides he must negotiate peace with the enemy. But to do so he must first destroy the very weapon he helped to create - the Screamers!

• Beastly | Blu Ray | (14/01/2013) from £15.60   |  Saving you £10.65 (74.27%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Beastly is a teen romance about learning how to see past false surfaces to discover true inner beauty. Seventeen year old Kyle (Alex Pettyfer: I Am Number Four) is the spoiled, shallow and an incredibly popular prince of his high school kingdom. Entirely captivated and empowered by his own physical appearance, Kyle foolishly chooses Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), a goth classmate rumoured to be a witch, as his latest target for humiliation. Unfazed by his cruel behaviour, Kendra decides to...

• Dark Prince - The Legend Of Dracula | DVD | (07/06/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Medieval Transylvania. His homeland seized by marauding Turks his father cruelly buried alive Prince Vlad Dracula returns from exile on a mission of destiny and revenge. A fearless leader he vows to reclaim all that rightfully belongs to him and his people: no matter what the cost. On his quest he shows no mercy slaughtering common criminals corrupt noblemen and villainous clergy alike. As the stories of Vlad's unquenchable thirst for blood spread the legend of Dracula the Prince of Darkness is born...

• Die Die Darling | DVD | (20/03/2006) from £6.73   |  Saving you £6.26 (93.02%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In her last film Tallulah Bankhead portrays the fanatically religious Mrs. Trefoile a psychotic woman who with the help of her gardener (Donald Sutherland) imprisons her dead son's fiancee (Stephanie Powers) in a tiny room in her home so that the girl's soul will be properly cleansed in order to be reunited with her dead husband in heaven... Legendary British studio Hammer produced a script by Richard Matheson (author of I Am Legend) based on the novel by Anne Blaisdell.

• Jeffrey | DVD | (03/12/2001) from £21.98   |  Saving you £-11.99 (-120.00%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Surprisingly light-hearted and witty, Paul Rudnick's Jeffrey (based on his off-Broadway play) was one of the first films to tackle the AIDS crisis without patting itself on the back or offering everything up in a sobering movie-of-the-week scenario. The titular Jeffrey (Steven Weber) is a happy-go-lucky gay man who suddenly comes face to face with the fact that AIDS has turned sex into something "radioactive". Paranoid in the extreme, he vows to become celibate--at just about the same time that hunky Steve (The Pretender's Michael T. Weiss) saunters into his life, eyes twinkling and hormones raging. The only problem is that Steve, for all his muscles and charm, is HIV-positive, thus setting Jeffrey's deepest fears into motion. When it was written in 1995, Jeffrey struck a nerve in mining the fear that a number of gay men felt during the height of the AIDS crisis. Even just a few years later, though, Jeffrey's paranoia (what, he's never heard of condoms?) seems dated, and his behaviour more self-damaging than self-aware--basically, he needs a slap upside the head as opposed to therapy. Still, Rudnick (who went on to pen the more mainstream In and Out) is never one to pass up a witty one-liner or an opportunity to poke fun at anyone, and Jeffrey now stands as a hilarious, sometimes poignant portrait of gay single life and the perils of dating in a paranoid time. Weber's Jeffrey is simultaneously open to the possibilities of life and fearful to embrace them, and Weiss is, well... gorgeous and funny and sexy beyond belief. Still, it's Patrick Stewart, as Jeffrey's interior decorator best friend, who effortlessly steals the film with his cutting wit; in his mouth, Rudnick's lines are priceless gems. With a host of amazing cameos, including Sigourney Weaver as a conceited New Age maven, Kathy Najimy as her sad-sack follower, Christine Baranski as a high-society hostess for a roundup-themed charity dinner, and a top-form Nathan Lane as a gay priest who seems to have discovered the meaning of life--literally. --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com