Belle is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson) Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges yet the colour of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar's son bent on change who with her help shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England.
Set during the last gasp of the British Empire in Swaziland, in 1969, the plot focuses on the dysfunctional Compton family whose gradual disintegration mirrors the end of British rule.
Chato is a half-breed Apache Indian who treads the thin line between two cultures balancing allegiance to his his tribe with the allure of the white man's world. When Chato kills a Sheriff in self-defense he finds himself hunted by a posse determined to see him hang.
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
Eerie, unsettling and a benchmark production for children's television in the 1970s, Sky was created by Doctor Who stalwarts Bob Baker and Dave Martin as one of the run of outstanding children's dramas HTV produced in that decade. Filmed in such richly atmospheric locations as Avebury, Glastonbury Tor and Stonehenge, Sky is a mixture of ecological fable, science fantasy and good, old-fashioned peril. Marc Harrison stars as Sky - an ethereal boy who materialises on an Earth that is as unprepared for him as he is for it. He soon realises that he's been brought to the wrong time and must seek out the Juganet to return to his correct place in reality. With the help of tearaway Arby Venner, his sister June and friend Roy he must race against time as Nature rejects Sky and the Earth's immune system creates the evil Goodchild, who is out to stop him at all costs... One of the most memorable television series of the 1970s is available here, for the very first time in any video format. Episodes three and seven no longer exist in the archive in any format and the version included on this set is taken from an off-air VHS.
From playful romantic comedies to variety extravaganzas, the pre-war British musical films offered audiences a source of much-needed escapism throughout the decade haunted by the Great Depression and the growing menace of war. Often adapting much-loved hits of the music hall as well as serving as vehicles for the era's composers, performers and band leaders, they showcased home-grown talent alongside some of Hollywood's most bankable stars.This ongoing, multi-volume collection makes available a wealth of rare gems from the very earliest days of the British talkies, many of which have remained unseen since their original release; each film is presented uncut, in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE (1932)A useless secretary and his private detective friend try to help an heiress from being swindled by her guardian.FACING THE MUSIC (1933)A joyful medley of farce, romance, song and slapstick starring Stanley Lupino as an impressionable youth whose pursuit of an opera singer's niece lands him in trouble!MY SONG GOES ROUND THE WORLD (1934)Set in Venice, the touching and sometimes comic story of a diminutive tenor who falls in love whilst striving for success.HEART'S DESIRE (1935)Richard Tauber, the great Austrian tenor, features in the story of a singing peasant from a Vienna beer-garden who conquers London, but at a cost...
One of Thames TV's most successful sitcoms about the ups and downs of mixed flat-sharing. Three's A Crowd: Chrissy and Jo throw a farewell party for their flatmate who's getting engaged and moving out. Next morining they find Robin asleep in their bath. They're looking for a new flatmate and Robin is looking for somewhere to live so the girls ask Robin to stay. All they have to do then is to talk the Ropers into agreeing to the new arrangement... And Mother Makes Four: Chrissy's mother is about to pay a visit. She doesn't know Robin is living in the flat so he's told to make himself scarce. Then Chrissy's mother decides to stay the night... Some Enchanted Evening: Jo's new boyfriend is coming to the flat for a meal. Robin is persuaded to cook it. Then he and Chrissy have to spend the evening playing monopoly with the Ropers. They learn that Chrissy's boyfriend is Jewish - and Robin has cooked roast pork for their meal! And Then There Were Two: Chrissy is very nervous when Jo goes away for the weekend and leaves her alone in the flat with Robin. Robin brings another woman back only for Chrissy to sabotage his plans for a night of passion. It's Only Money: The rent is due and the money put aside to pay it has disappeared from the flat. Robin Chrissy and Jo have to find a way of getting some more money quickly... Match Of The Day: Robin has been picked to play in a college football match. A few days before the game he goes down with a bad cold. Chrissy and Jo rally round in an attempt to help him to recover in time to play. No CHildren No Dogs: Robin accidentally acquires a puppy. The lease on the flat says 'no pets' so Roper mustn't find out...
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...
One man alone understood the savagery of the early American west from both sides and is assigned to aid the US Cavalry in tracking down the notorious Apache warrior Ulzana and his band of renegade Indians...
Volume 1 includes: 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit & Benjamin Bunny' 'The Tale of Flopsy Bunnies & Mrs. Tittlemouse' and 'The Tale of Tom Kitten and Jemima Puddleduck'.
During WWII a collection of Canadian soldiers and American misfits are brought together and promised that upon successful completion of a special mission their sentences will be struck off military records. The mission: a semi-suicidal charge to scale a well-fortified enemy emplacement on a steep hill...
"The Cove" begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption and bids to put a stop to the underhand and dangerous hunts that take place here.
The bizarre world you met in 'Planet of the Apes' was only the beginning... What lies beneath may be the end! The second installment in the Planet Of The Apes series. Here an earthling sent to find the astronauts of the original film discovers not only a world of intelligent talking apes but an underground cult of grotesque ""humans"" who are the survivors of a nuclear blast years ago. Unfortunately these mutants worship a nuclear bomb a weapon which not only is the
Their home is their battlefield. Their calling is war. Their only loyalty is to each other. They are the Wild Geese. While they fight their mission in Africa sinister forces in the corridors of power are working to seal their fate.
Artie Logan (Schlatter) is about to enter a jungle of sex sleaze and murder. He's going to college! Christopher Walken stars in this suspense-filled thriller that explores the dark and twisted obsessions of a brutal killer. The killer's world is a world where the line between right and wrong is a jagged one....
Two young protestors on the run from the police become friends lovers and try to lose their past...
Based on the best seller of the same name Guadalcanal Diary is one of the greatest war movies of all time. This strikingly realistic film follows a devoted platoon of Marines through the terrors of war in the South Pacific. The all-star cast includes Lloyd Nolan William Bendix Preston Foster and Anthony Quinn as soldiers battling disease treacherous terrain and unrelenting weather as well as a human enemy. Poignantly narrated and with explosive action rooted in a solid historic
Prolific British filmmaker Lindsay Anderson weaves this small, evocative tale of young life at the crossroads in early 1960s Northern England. A rough, sullen young man (Richard Harris) working in the local coal mines begins to make a name for himself as a star rugby player, but even as he begins to fall in love he cannot escape the harsh realities of the bleak life around him. The rugby sequences in the film are striking, but no more so than the depiction of downtrodden people living in the shadow of industry and corruption that too often crushes their spirit. Harris in one of his first roles, is remarkably effective as an unlikeable but sympathetic figure trying against hope to savour the small joys life has to offer, and the film also features the debut of renowned actress Glenda Jackson. One of a series of working-class, character-driven British imports, This Sporting Life is one of the best on the field. --Robert Lane
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