"Actor: Peter"

  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Limited Edition Light Side Artwork Sleeve] [Blu-ray + Bonus Disc] [2015]Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Blu Ray | (18/04/2016) from £9.59   |  Saving you £14.40 (150.16%)   |  RRP £23.99

    Visionary director J.J. Abrams brings to life the motion picture event of a generation. As Kylo Ren and the sinister First Order rise from the ashes of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is missing when the galaxy needs him most. It's up to Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, a defecting Stormtrooper, to join forces with Han Solo and Chewbacca in a desperate search for the one hope of restoring peace to the galaxy.

  • Giallo Essentials [Red Edition] [Blu-ray]Giallo Essentials | Blu Ray | (08/11/2021) from £34.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Alongside the spaghetti western, the giallo is one of the most famous Italian export genres: films steeped in mystery and intrigue, delivered with stylised violence and unforgettable musical themes. The Possessed (1965) masterfully combines noir, mystery and giallo tropes in a proto-giallo based on one of Italy's most notorious crimes. It tells the story of a depressed novelist (Peter Baldwin) in search of his old flame (Virna Lisi) who has disappeared under suspicious circumstances, prompting an investigation that finds him plunged into a disturbing drama of familial secrets, perversion, madness and murder. The Fifth Cord (1971) boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot of investigation into a series of brutal assaults. As the body count rises, whisky swilling journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) finds himself under suspicion, making it all the more imperative he crack the case. The Pyjama Girl Case (1978), inspired by a real-life case that baffles to this day, takes us to Australia where former inspector Timpson comes out of retirement to crack the case of a young woman, found on the beach, shot in the head, burned to hide her identity and dressed in distinctive yellow pyjamas... In the first of a multi-volume series of Giallo Essentials these films feature a raft of talent in front and behind the camera with each film restored from the original camera negative and presented with a range of contextualising interviews and featurettes. Special Edition Features Brand new 2K restorations of the film from the original camera negative for The Possessed, The Fifth Cord and The Pyjama Girl Case High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of each film Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks Rigid box packaging with newly designed artwork by Adam Rabalais in a windowed Giallo Essentials Collection slipcover The Possessed: New audio commentary by writer and critic Tim Lucas Richard Dyer on The Possessed, a newly filmed video appreciation by the cultural critic and academic Cat's Eyes, an interview with the film's makeup artist Giannetto De Rossi Two Days a Week, an interview with the film's award-winning assistant art director Dante Ferretti The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers, an interview with actor/director Francesco Barilli, a close friend of Luigi and Camillo Bazzoni Original trailers Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips The Fifth Cord: New audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford Lines and Shadows, a new video essay on the film's use of architecture and space by critic Rachael Nisbet Whisky Giallore, a new video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie Black Day for Nero, a new video interview with actor Franco Nero The Rhythm Section, a new video interview with film editor Eugenio Alabiso Rare, previously unseen deleted sequence, restored from the original negative Original Italian and English theatrical trailers Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love The Pyjama Girl Case: New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films New video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie on the internationalism of the giallo New video interview with actor Howard Ross New video interview with editor Alberto Tagliavia Archival interview with composer Riz Ortolani Image gallery Italian theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbo

  • Columbo [DVD] [2019]Columbo | DVD | (03/06/2019) from £49.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Legendary Peter Falk is a four-time Primetime Emmy® Award winner for his iconic role as the beloved, trenchcoat-wearing Police Lieutenant Columbo. Columbo is the landmark series that inspired a genre. Every criminal, every innocent victim (and some not-soinnocent ones), and every wily deduction are here in one definitive collection. Seemingly befuddled but always brilliant, the cigar-chomping detective will have you following the clues and asking just one more thing until the last case is cracked.

  • Middlemarch (Repackaged) [DVD]Middlemarch (Repackaged) | DVD | (23/01/2012) from £6.85   |  Saving you £3.14 (45.84%)   |  RRP £9.99

    To do good small work for Middlemarch and great work for the world. This is the intention of the ambitious young Doctor Lydgate as he takes up his position at Middlemarch's new hospital. Elsewhere in town, Dorothea Brooke, seeking a purpose to her young life, finds herself drawn to the elderly, but scholarly, Edward Casaubon. Soon both find their cherished idealism tested by the demands of marriage and society... Set during the political upheavals of 19th Century England, Middlemarch is an epic story of love, politics and frustrated passion. Special Features: The Making of Middlemarch An additional 30 minutes (in 5.1 Surround Sound) of the original music composed by Stanley Myers and Chris Gunning. Compiled and digitally edited by David Maurice.

  • ET: The Extra Terrestrial [4K Ultra HD & Blu-Ray]ET: The Extra Terrestrial | Unknown | (21/07/2025) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • Friday the 13th 1-8 Boxset Collection [Blu-ray] [2019] [Region Free]Friday the 13th 1-8 Boxset Collection | Blu Ray | (14/10/2019) from £24.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Journey to camp Crystal Lake for 8xs the terrors, 8xs the scares and 8xs the horrors! FRIDAY THE 13TH UNCUT The fi lm that started it all... Unwary campers ignore the locals' warnings and one by one they fi nd out how unlucky Friday the 13th can be. SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by Director Sean S. Cunningham with Cast and Crew ¢ Featurette Return to Crystal Lake: The Making of Friday the 13th, A Friday the 13th Reunion, Fresh Cuts: New Tales from Friday the 13th, The Man Behind the Legacy: Sean S. Cunningham, Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part 1, Vintage Featurettes The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Secrets Galore Behind the Gore FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 Five years after the massacre at Camp Crystal Lake, the legend of Jason Voorhees lives on. Despite ominous warnings, a group of counsellors encounter horrors of their own. SPECIAL FEATURES: Inside Crystal Lake Memories, Friday's Legacy: Horror Conventions, Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 2, Jason Forever FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 A carefree summer becomes a deadly nightmare for a group of teenagers who choose to ignore Camp Crystal Lake's gruesome legacy. SPECIAL FEATURES: Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror, Legacy of the Mask, Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular, Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part III FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER After the Crystal Lake Massacres, Jason is pronounced dead but the diabolical killing spree continues at the camp where the gruesome slaughter began. SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by Director Joe Zito, Screenwriter Barney Cohen and Editor Joel Goodman, Fan Commentary by Adam Green and Joe Lynch, The Friday the 13th Chronicles: Friday the 13th Part IV, Secrets Galore Behind the Gore - Tom Savini on Part IV, Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 4, Slashed Scenes with Commentary by Director Joseph Zito, Jason's Unlucky Day: 25 Years After Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Lost Ending, The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part I, Jimmy's Dead Dance Moves FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING Young Tommy Jarvis may have escaped from Crystal Lake, but he's still haunted by his nemesis, the maniacal serial killer Jason Voorhees. SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by Director/Co-Screenwriter Danny Steinmann with Cast and Crew, The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part V, Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 5, The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part II, The Making of Friday the 13th Part V - A New Beginning FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES Jason rises from the grave to wreak havoc upon a new group of unsuspecting campers in an ultra-bloody rampage. SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary by Writer/Director Tom McLoughlin, Commentary by Writer/Director Tom McLoughlin with Cast and Crew, The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part VI, Lost Tales from Camp Blood - Part 6, The Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited Part III, Jason Lives: The Making of Friday the 13th: Part VI, Meeting Mr. Voorhees, Slashed Scenes FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD What chance does a telekinetic teenage girl have against a maniacal serial killer with a machete? Return to Crystal Lake to fi nd out if you dare! SPECIAL FEATURES: Killer Commentary by Director John Carl Buechler and Actors Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder, The Friday the 13th Chronicles, Part VII, Secrets Galore Behind the Gore - John Carl Beuchler on Part VII, Jason's Destroyer: The Making of Friday the 13th Part VII - The New Blood, Mind Over Matter: The Truth About Telekinesis, Makeover by Maddy: Need A Little Touch-Up Work, My Ass, Slashed Scenes

  • Heavens Above! (VINTAGE CLASSCIS) [Blu-ray]Heavens Above! (VINTAGE CLASSCIS) | Unknown | (04/08/2025) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    The inimitable Peter Sellers stars as John Smallwood, an idealistic Reverend appointed to the parish of an upper-class village by mistake. With a bad habit of telling the truth at all times, Smallwood makes several clerical decisions that shock his wealthy, landed-gentry parishioners.Inspired by an idea by British satirist Malcolm Muggeridge, the Boulting brothers' HEAVENS ABOVE! was considered a bit too sacrilegious for general consumption on its 1963 release. Way ahead of its time, the film, featuring Sellers at his most iconoclastic, has since accrued a loyal and vocal following. A superb supporting cast includes Eric Sykes, Irene Handl, William Hartnel and Joan Hickson.NEW Sellers Takes Off in Heavens Above!NEW Heavens Above! A Q&A with Daily Mash's Tom Whitley, Eva Griffith and Benedict MorrisonNEW Heavens Above! The Mask Behind the MaskAudio Commentary by Authors and Comedy Historians Gemma Ross and Robert RossLobby Cards gallery

  • Father of the BrideFather of the Bride | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £4.58   |  Saving you £10.41 (227.29%)   |  RRP £14.99

    Father of the Bride is the feel-good smash-hit comedy about the outrageous trials and tribulations a well-intentioned father goes through trying to prepare for his only daughter's wedding. The prenuptial pandemonium begins when the bride-to-be announces her engagement setting off on an outrageous chain of events including a chaotic first meeting with the in-laws and a wedding day snowstorm. Starring Steve Martin Diane Keaton and Martin Short this remake of the 1950 comedy classic is warm wacky look at a daughter's dream come true... and a father's proudest moment!

  • Only When I Laugh - Series 1 - 4 - CompleteOnly When I Laugh - Series 1 - 4 - Complete | DVD | (15/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £42.99

    Only When I Laugh was written by Eric Chappell (Rising Damp Home to Roost) and directed by Vernon Lawrence (Duty Free The Bounder). The series starred James Bolam (Beiderbecke) Peter Bowles (To the Manor Born) and Christopher Strauli (Raffles) as three congenital hypochondriac layabouts forever haunting the ward patrolled by the droll Doctor Thorpe (Richard Wilson - One Foot in the Grave). This 4 DVD collection includes every episode from all four series!

  • Bambi / Bambi 2 (Double Pack) [DVD] [1993]Bambi / Bambi 2 (Double Pack) | DVD | (04/03/2013) from £12.55   |  Saving you £13.44 (107.09%)   |  RRP £25.99

    Bambi: It always comes up when people are comparing their most traumatic movie experiences: "the death of Bambi's mother," a recollection that can bring a shudder to even the most jaded filmgoer. That primal separation (which is no less stunning for happening off-screen) is the centerpiece of Bambi, Walt Disney's 1942 animated classic, but it is by no means the only bold stroke in the film. In its swift but somehow leisurely 69 minutes, Bambi covers a year in the life of a young deer. But in a bigger way, it measures the life cycle itself, from birth to adulthood, from childhood's freedom to grown-up responsibility. All of this is rendered in cheeky, fleet-footed style--the movie doesn't lecture, or make you feel you're being fed something that's good for you. The animation is miraculous, a lush forest in which nature is a constantly unfolding miracle (even in a spectacular fire, or those dark moments when "man was in the forest"). There are probably easier animals to draw than a young deer, and the Disney animators set themselves a challenge with Bambi's wobbly glide across an ice-covered lake, his spindly legs akimbo; but the sequence is effortless and charming. If Bambi himself is just a bit dull--such is the fate of an Everydeer--his rabbit sidekick Thumper and a skunk named Flower more than make up for it. Many of the early Disney features have their share of lyrical moments and universal truths, but Bambi is so simple, so pure, it's almost transparent. You might borrow a phrase from Thumper and say it's downright twitterpated. --Robert HortonBambi 2: A sequel to the 1942 Disney classic, Bambi, is laden with expectations since audiences are justifiably protective of this beloved tale abounding with enchantment and nostalgia. Rest assured: Bambi II rises to the occasion, succeeding at every turn. Brian Pimental directs the 70-minute direct-to-video release, which seamlessly integrates the beauty, subtlety, and essence of the original film. The new tale is actually a "midquel" as it takes place in the middle of the original film's story line, exploring Bambi's coming-of-age challenges. The saga begins soon after Bambi's mother has died--and for viewers who shudder at the thought of having to relive that traumatic movie experience, you won't. With gentle inferences to her passing, Bambi (voiced by Alexander Gould, Finding Nemo) is left to the clumsy-though-well-meaning care of his father, the Great Prince (voiced by Patrick Stewart) who faces the difficult task of raising a son while silently mourning his own loss. Yet the weighty subject of death is soon overshadowed by the wonders of forest life. Through skillful storytelling, the film takes an early turn toward levity. After all, it's spring and Bambi's familiar friends, Thumper and Flower, are ready to play. Especially charming are the scenes where the forest animals give each other lessons in bravery and soon have a chance to test their mettle in scuffles with a newcomer to the mix, a blustering bully named Ronno (voiced by Anthony Ghannam). A strong soundtrack includes selections by Martina McBride, Michelle Lewis, Alison Krauss, and Anthony Callea. There is even a nostalgic nod to the original composer, Frank Churchill, with "Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song." The film's strength, however, is in its well-crafted humor: simple one-liners and animated antics that refrain from 21st century trends to cloak inappropriate innuendoes and double entendres in G-rated clothing, hoping to pander to an adult audience. This is vintage Disney; it panders to no one yet pleases all--delightfully worth the wait. The DVD's bonus material includes a "making-of" featurette, Bambi trivia, and a mini-tutorial with a Disney animator. (All ages) --Lynn Gibson

  • Game of Thrones - Season 1-7 [DVD] [2017]Game of Thrones - Season 1-7 | DVD | (11/12/2017) from £67.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    Season 1 Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plots, lusts and intrigues; to the vast and savage eastern lands; all the way to the frozen north, where an 800-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men...all will play the 'Game of Thrones.' A new original series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Season 2 The Battle continues in Westeros with feuding families and power hungry rulers. Five Kings vie for a single, all-powerful throne in the all-new season of Game of Thrones an epic story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honour, conquest and triumph. Season 2 plays out against the backdrop of a fast-approaching winter. In King's Landing, the coveted Iron Throne is occupied by cruel young Joffrey, counseled by his conniving mother Cersei and uncle Tyrion. But the Lannister hold on the Throne is under assault on many fronts. There's Robb Stark, son of the slain Lord of Winterfell, Ned Stark; Daenerys Targaryen, who looks to shore up her depleted power through three newborn dragons; Stannis Baratheon, eldest brother of the late King Robert; and Stannis' brother Renly, who has maintained his own claim since fleeing King's Landing. In the meantime, a new leader is rising among the wildlings North of the Wall, adding new perils for Jon Snow and the Night's Watch. With tensions and treaties, animosity and alliances, Season 2 of Game of Thrones promises to be a thrilling journey through a riveting, unforgettable landscape. Season 3 In Season 3, family and loyalty will be the overarching themes, and many critical plot points from the first two seasons will come to a violent head, with several major characters meeting cruel fates. While a primary focus continues to be on King's Landing, where the Lannisters barely held onto power after a savage naval onslaught from Stannis Baratheon (brother of the late king), stirrings in the North threaten to alter the overall balance of power in Westeros. Robb Stark, King of the North, will face a major calamity in his efforts to build on his victories over the Lannisters in Season 2, while further north, Mance Rayder (new character, played by Ciarán Hinds) and his huge army of wildlings continue their inexorable march south to scale the Wall. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen reunited with her three deadly, fast-maturing dragons attempts to raise an army of slaves to sail with her from Essos, in hopes of eventually overthrowing the Iron Throne. Season 4 As Season 4 begins, the Lannisters' hold on the Iron Throne remains intact in the wake of the Red Wedding slaughter that wiped out many of their Stark nemeses. But can they survive their own egos as well as new and ongoing threats? Meanwhile, an unbowed Stannis Baratheon continues to rebuild his army; the Lannister-loathing ˜Red Viper of Dorne,' Oberyn Martell, arrives at King's Landing for Joffrey's wedding to Margaery Tyrell; Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons and unsullied force aim to liberate the largest Slavery City in the east...with long-range plans to take back the Iron Throne; and a depleted Night's Watch faces the advance of Mance Rayder's wildling army, who are in turn running from the undead White Walkers. Season 5 After the shocking deaths of S4, the season begins with a power vacuum that protagonists across Westeros and Essos look to fill. At Castle Black, Jon Snow struggles to balance the demands of the Night's Watch with those of newly-arrived Stannis Baratheon, who styles himself as the rightful king of Westeros. Meanwhile, Cersei scrabbles to hold on to power in Kings Landing amidst the Tyrells and the rise of a religious group led by the enigmatic High Sparrow, while Jaimie embarks on a secret mission. Across the Narrow Sea, Arya seeks an old friend while a fugitive Tyrion finds a new cause. And as danger mounts in Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen finds that her tenuous hold on the city requires some hard sacrifices. Season 6 Following the shocking developments at the conclusion of season five, including Jon Snow's bloody fate at the hands of Castle Black mutineers, Daenerys' near-demise at the fighting pits of Meereen, and Cersei's public humiliation in the streets of King's Landing, survivors from all parts of Westeros and Essos regroup to press forward, inexorably, towards their uncertain individual fates. Familiar faces will forge new alliances to bolster their strategic chances at survival, while new characters will emerge to challenge the balance of power in the east, west, north and south. Season 7 As the season begins, Daenerys Targaryen, accompanied by her Unsullied army and emboldened by Dothraki/Ironborn allies and her lethal trio of dragons, has finally set sail for Westeros with Tyrion Lannister, her newly appointed Hand. Jon Snow, memorably reanimated in S6, has apparently consolidated power in the North after his spectacular conquest of Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and the return of Winterfell to Stark control. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister, bereft of any surviving heirs, has successfully seized the Iron Throne by using wildfire to incinerate the High Sparrow and other foes in the Sept of Baelor. But as these and other factions drive inexorably towards new alliances or (more likely) violent conflicts, the cold specter of another, apocalyptic threat in the form of an army of undead White Walkers expected to breach The Wall and invade the South threatens to undermine the status quo and obliterate the outcome of these smaller, alltoo-human rivalries.

  • The Beach [2000]The Beach | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.89   |  Saving you £7.10 (145.19%)   |  RRP £11.99

    Not quite ready to surrender himself to responsibility or mainstream society, a young American travels to Asia and discovers he is not alone in his feelings

  • The Hammer Collection [DVD]The Hammer Collection | DVD | (27/03/2023) from £43.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • They Shall Not Grow Old [DVD] [2018]They Shall Not Grow Old | DVD | (10/12/2018) from £4.85   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war

  • The Secret Garden [1993]The Secret Garden | DVD | (22/11/1999) from £4.99   |  Saving you £9.00 (180.36%)   |  RRP £13.99

    Filmed before (and quite nicely) in 1949, Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story was remade for this admirable 1993 release, executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland. Splendidly adapted by Edward Scissorhands screenwriter Caroline Thompson, the film opens in India during the early 1900s, when young Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is orphaned and sent to England to live in Misselthwaite Manor, the gloomy estate of her brooding and melancholy uncle, Lord Craven (John Lynch). Because the uncle is almost always away on travels, struggling to forget the death of his beloved wife, Mary is left mostly alone to explore the estate. Eventually she befriends the young brother of a staff maid and Lord Craven's apparently crippled son, who has been needlessly bedridden for years. Together the three children restore a neglected garden on the estate grounds, and in doing so they set the stage for a moving reaffirmation of life and love. Filmed with graceful style and careful attention to the intelligence and cleverness of young children, The Secret Garden is that rarest breed of family film that transcends its own generic category, encouraging a sense of wonder and optimism to become a rewarding experience for viewers of any age. --Jeff Shannon

  • Sunshine On Leith [DVD]Sunshine On Leith | DVD | (03/10/2015) from £7.35   |  Saving you £12.64 (171.97%)   |  RRP £19.99

    Dexter Fletcher directs this cinematic adaptation of the acclaimed stage musical featuring the music of Scottish band The Proclaimers. Returning home from their most recent stint in Afghanistan, Davy (George MacKay) and Ally (Kevin Guthrie) have a new appreciation for life after witnessing the horrors of war first-hand. While Ally plans his proposal to Davy's sister Liz (Freya Mavor), Davy falls for Yvonne (Antonia Thomas) and the two couples come together in time for Liz's parent's wedding a...

  • Logan's Run [Blu-ray] [2018] [1976]Logan's Run | Blu Ray | (19/03/2018) from £9.75   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

    In the Year of the City 2274, humans live in a vast, bubbled metropolis, where computerized servo-mechanisms provide all needs so everyone can pursue endless hedonism. Endless, that is, until Lastday, when anyone who's 30 must submit to Carousel, a soaring, spinning trip to eternity and supposed rebirth. The screen's first use of laser holography highlights this post-apocalyptic winner of a Special Achievement Academy Award® for Visual Effects. Michael York plays Logan 5, a Sandman authorized to terminate Runners fleeing Carousel. Logan is almost 30. Catch him if you can.

  • Easy Rider [DVD]Easy Rider | DVD | (09/06/2014) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  • Boys from the Blackstuff [1989]Boys from the Blackstuff | DVD | (26/05/2003) from £7.99   |  Saving you £-0.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £7.00

    Alan Bleasdale's Boys from the Blackstuff gripped television audiences in 1982 with its bleak, fiercely funny exploration of the effect of the UK's economic depression on a group of Merseyside characters, originally introduced in his 1978 play, The Blackstuff. Bleasdale's writing is unsparing in both its pain and its unconditional affection for characters being pushed to the very limit of civilisation. Yosser Hughes (the outstanding Bernard Hill) is still, and rightly, recognised as one of the great creations of modern television drama: a man on the brink of madness, unlikeable, ostracised, digging a deeper hole with every desperate act, but ultimately a human being deserving our sympathy. The performances are wonderful throughout: particularly Peter Kerrigan as Malone, the once giant union leader reduced to a shadow but still with the spark that commands love and respect; Michael Angelis as Chrissie and, in a typically sharp cameo, Julie Walters as his wife. "My dreams still give me hope and faith in my class. I can't believe there's no hope," says Chrissie towards the end. And it's testament to Bleasdale's skill and the resilience of his characters that somehow, that flicker of hope remains unextinguished. The blackstuff--the tarmac--of the title becomes increasingly ironic. There is none. The boys have no work. The dole office scenes have a grimly nostalgic, documentary quality. Each second drips another droplet of disillusionment on people whose expectations are crushed by every effort to haul themselves up. Thatcher's Britain was a cruel place for many people. The unspoken question that hangs in the air after watching Bleasdale's poetic dissection of ruined lives is, have things really changed that much? Television drama doesn't come any more powerful or honest than this. On the DVD: Boys from the Blackstuff is presented in standard 4:3 TV format with a mono soundtrack that often suffers from a muffled quality. There's only one additional feature, but it's a treasure: The Blackstuff, Alan Bleasdale's original 90-minute play, is presented as a prelude to the series with the bonus of an insightful commentary from the author and the director, Jim Goddard. --Piers Ford

  • MasadaMasada | DVD | (19/01/2009) from £12.96   |  Saving you £7.03 (54.24%)   |  RRP £19.99

    In the first century A. D., Flavius Silva (Peter O'Toole), commander of the Roman Tenth Legion in Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of Masada. There the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people.

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