"Actor: Sidney"

• Carnival Of Souls | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Carnival of Souls has gained a strong cult reputation over recent years. Directed and produced by Harold ""Herk"" Harvey it has an intriguing power mixing ordinary people and everyday situations with the extraordinary and the supernatural. Made in Lawrence Kansas in 1962 the film centres on Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) who apparently survives a serious car accident. Shortly after she heads for Utah and a new job as a church organist but is pursued by a cadaverous phantom figure

• Carry On Constable | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £7.20   |  Saving you £9.79 (135.97%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Made in 1960, Carry On Constable is one of the earliest Carry On comic romps, arriving before they'd carved out their bawdy niche in British cinema. In fact, this Gerald-Thomas-directed effort isn't dissimilar to most of the mainstream Brit-com of its era. A flu epidemic has forced a police station to take on a brace of callow recruits: Kenneth Connor, a superstitious bag of nerves; Leslie Phillips, playing his usual rapscallion self; the ludicrously effete Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams. The "plot" is a sequence of thoroughly creaky gags at the expense of this bumbling quartet. The staple characters hadn't settled into their "classic" personae yet. Here, Sid James is an exasperated sergeant, not the sort of crinkly rogue he played in later years, Kenneth Williams is dry, detached and supercilious, while Hattie Jacques is no matron but a sympathetic sergeant, whose every walk-on is not yet accompanied by the portly strains of tubas and bassoons. The comedy here is, frankly, dismal--banana skins are slipped upon and officers' legs urinated upon bydogs, all to a rueful soundtrack of wah-wah trumpets. The main appeal of this movie is as a period slice of damp, pre-Beatles London in glorious black and white.On the DVD: Although picture and sound are adequate (though poorly dubbed in places), there are no extras at all, a shame for the hardcore Carry On aficionados to whom this release would surely, perhaps exclusively, appeal. --David Stubbs

• Carnival of Souls | Blu Ray | (23/10/2017) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  ONE OF THE MOST CHILLING AND INFLUENTIAL CULT HORROR FILMS OF ALL TIME A young woman in a small Kansas town survives a drag race accident, then agrees to take a job as a church organist in Salt Lake City. En-route, she becomes haunted by a bizarre apparition that compels her toward an abandoned lakeside pavilion. Made by industrial filmmakers on a modest budget, the eerily effective B-movie classic Carnival of Souls was intended to have the look of a Bergman and the feel of a Cocteauand, with its strikingly used locations and spooky organ score, it succeeds. Herk Harvey's macabre masterpiece gained a cult following through late-night television and continues to inspire filmmakers today. BONUS FEATURES SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES: New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Selected-scene audio commentary featuring director Herk Harvey and screenwriter John Clifford New interview with comedian and writer Dana Gould New video essay by film critic David Cairns The Movie That Wouldn't Die!, a documentary on the 1989 reunion of the film's cast and crew The Carnival Tour, a 2000 update on the film's locations Excerpts from movies made by the Centron Corporation, an industrial film company based in Lawrence, Kansas, that once employed Harvey and Clifford Deleted scenes Outtakes, accompanied by Gene Moore's organ score History of the Saltair Resort in Salt Lake City, where key scenes in the film were shot Trailer PLUS: An essay by writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse

• The Silent Enemy (Vintage Classics) | DVD | (11/04/2022) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Carry On Abroad | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  One of the last decent Carry On movies, Carry On Abroad is a 1972 venture into the world of package holidays. After this, the series descended into unfunny coarseness as opposed to camply laboured double entendre, culminating in the dreadful Carry On Emanuelle. Here, publican Sid James and dutiful mother's son turned sex maniac Charles Hawtrey are among a brace of Brits heading for the "paradise island" of Elsbels. Kenneth Williams is the out-of-his-depth tour operator, reverting to the sort of effete types he played in the 1950s, Peter Butterworth a pre-Manuel-style manager of a half-built hotel. A series of disasters ensue, with the entire gang landing up in jail following a fracas in a brothel at one point, but everyone finds romantic and sexual fulfilment in a quaint disco finale. This includes a gay character who is "dissuaded" from his homosexuality in a typical example of the thoroughly reactionary subtext that constitutes the really naughty bit of most Carry On films. Nonetheless, this throwback to an imaginary time when the lewdest innuendo of a dirty old man was greeted by young females with a flirty "Ooh, saucy!" is enjoyable on condition that you enter into its seaside-postcard spirit. June Whitfield is fine as a sexually uptight wife, Kenneth Connor a model of red-faced frustration as her wimpish husband. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is a 4:3 ratio full-screen presentation. --David Stubbs

• Sidney Poitier Collection - In The Heat Of The Night/Lilies Of The Field/The Organization/They Call Me Mr Tibbs! | DVD | (22/01/2007) from £20.00   |  Saving you £-2.97 (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.03

  In The Heat Of The Night (Dir. Norman Jewison 1967): The winner of the 1967 Oscar for Best Picture ""In the Heat of the Night"" is set in a small Mississippi town where an unusual murder has been committed. Rod Steiger plays sheriff Bill Gillespie a good lawman despite his racial prejudices. When Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) a well-dressed African-American and Philadelphia police detective comes to town the two must betray culturally dictated conclusions of the other to grudgingly work together to solve the murder case. Lilies Of The Field (Dir. Ralph Nelson 1963): Homer Smith an itinerant handyman is driving through the Arizona desert when he meets five impoverished nuns. Stopping to fix their leaky farmhouse roof Homer discovers that not only will the Mother Superior not pay him for the job but she also wants him to build their chapel - for free! Hesitant at first Homer soon finds himself single-handedly raising the chapel and the financing. But although he will not receive monetary reward Homer knows that when his work is done he'll leave that dusty desert town a much better place than when he found it. The Organization (Dir. Don Medford 1971): Sidney Poitier reprises his role as Lt. Virgil Tibbs in this taut drama that exposes the ruthless high-stakes world of international drug trafficking. Co-starring Raul Julia this action-packed crime thriller delivers edge-of-the-seat entertainment. Under the cover of darkness six masked figures raid a seemingly respectable furniture factory - and steal a multimillion-dollar cache of heroin! But these are no ordinary crooks. They're a passionate band of former users-turned-vigilantes whose frustration with the law's inability to combat the city's drug problem spurs them to take on a powerful narcotics ring. After contacting Tibbs they confess to the break-in beg him to keep silent and ask for his help. But once he reluctantly agrees to operate outside the law Tibbs soon finds himself at odds with the police and a ruthless drug syndicate that will stop at nothing to silence him! They Call Me Mr. Tibbs (Dir. Gordon Douglas 1970): In this suspenseful sequel to In The Heat Of The Night Sidney Poitier reprises his role as the intrepid investigator who this time must solve a puzzling murder in the City by the Bay. Featuring an original score by Quincy Jones and co-starring Martin Landau and Edward Asner They Call Me Mister Tibbs! is an absorbing mystery that ranks as one of the best. When a prostitute is murdered in San Francisco's ritzy Nob Hill district an anonymous tip implicates minister and political crusader Reverand Logan Sharpe (Landau). Lt. Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) who has known Sharpe for many years asks to be assigned to the case in hopes of clearing his friend's name. So begins the detective's journey through a twisted maze of baffling evidence frantic chases deadly gunfire and bad alibis. Before long Tibbs finds himself bitterly torn between his duty as a cop... and his loyalty to a friend.

• To Sir, with Love (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (26/04/2021) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Sidney Poitier gives one of his finest performances as Thackeray, an out-of-work engineer who decides to try his hand at teaching, only to be faced with a class full of unruly teens (including Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, and Lulu) intent on breaking his spirit. But Thackeray, no stranger to hostility, meets the challenge by treating the students as young adults. When offered an engineering job, Thackeray must decide if he wants to stay. Extras 2K restoration Audio commentary with Judy Geeson and film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman Audio commentary with novelist E.R. Braithwaite and author/teacher Salome Thomas-El Those Schoolboy Days (2016, 24 mins): interview with actor Christian Roberts Look and Learn (2016, 11 mins): interview with art director Tony Woollard E.R. Braithwaite: In His Own Words (2011, 24 mins): the writer discusses his life and work Lulu and the B-Side (2011, 5 mins): interview with the acclaimed singer Miniskirts, Blue Jeans and Pop Music! (15 mins): a look at the swinging sixties To Sidney with Love (2011, 5 mins): agent Marty Baum on Sidney Poitier Principal El: He Chose to Stay (2011, 11 mins): interview with teacher and author Thomas-El Isolated score: experience Ron Grainer's original soundtrack music Image gallery: promotional material Original theatrical trailer New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

• Carry On Cabby | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £6.46   |  Saving you £10.53 (163.00%)   |  RRP £16.99

  A rare Carry On with more interest in having a proper plot than tossing off gags every line, Cabby is also one of the friendliest of the series, built around the relationship between a cackling but good-hearted Sid James and an unusually touching Hattie Jacques. Sid's so obsessed with his taxi business that he neglects his wife, spending their wedding anniversary driving expectant father Jim Dale to and from the maternity hospital on a false alarm that naturally pays off with a delivery in the back of the cab. This drives Hattie to set up her own rival firm ("Glam Cabs"), employing dolly birds in tailored uniforms to undercut the likes of Kenneth Connor and Charles Hawtrey. It ends happily, with a pair of hold-up men trapped in a ring of taxis and the marriage saved. Among the expected Carry On bits: Connor in drag, Amanda Barrie in a corset, Hawtrey in a leather jacket as a devout rambler ("We like to go as far as we can"), Liz Fraser as Connor's perky intended. Kenneth Williams is missed, but his role as the obnoxious shop steward (Carry On producer Peter Rogers never missed a chance to be nasty about the unions) is ably taken by Norman Chappell. Other familiar faces are Bill Owen, Peter Gilmore, Milo O'Shea, Renee Houston and Michael Ward as the tweedy businessman who has apparently left a pearl earring in the back of Connor's cab. On the DVD: No extras, but it's a smashing widescreen presentation of a pristine black and white print. --Kim Newman

• High Society | DVD | (09/10/2006) from £5.00   |  Saving you £7.99 (159.80%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Beautiful aloof Newport heiress Tracy Lord (Kelly) is about to marry bland businessman George Kittredge (John Lund) but matters become complicated when her ex-husband C K Dexter-Haven (Crosby) moves to her neighbourhood determined to win back her hand. Things go from bad to worse for Tracy when journalist Mike Connor (Sinatra) arrives to cover the wedding for Spy Magazine. When Tracy is forced to choose between her suitors will she realise that ""safe"" doesn't always mean the best b

• Roots | DVD | (17/07/2017) from £11.49   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Roots recounts one family's struggle to resist American slavery. The gripping story is told through four generations, from the capture of Kunta Kinte in Africa to his transport to Colonial America in brutal conditions through successive generations fighting to win their freedom in the Civil War. Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel which has resonated with millions of Americans, ROOTS™ reveals powerful, universal truths about the resilience of the human spirit. Extras: Bonus disc with Roots™ : A History Revealed feature on it.

• Duel At Diablo | DVD | (01/03/2004) from £7.96   |  Saving you £5.03 (63.19%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Sidney Poitier and James Garner put in excellent performances as men on either side of the colour divide forced to fight side by side against the might of the Apache Indians...

• The Cameraman (1928) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (20/07/2020) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  BUSTER KEATON (The General) is at the peak of his slapstick powers in The Cameramanthe first film that the silent-screen legend made after signing with MGM, and his last great masterpiece. The final work over which he maintained creative control, this clever farce is the culmination of an extraordinary, decadelong run that produced some of the most innovative and enduring comedies of all time. Keaton plays a hapless newsreel cameraman desperate to impress both his new employer and his winsome office crush as he zigzags up and down Manhattan hustling for a scoop. Along the way, he goes for a swim (and winds up soaked), becomes embroiled in a Chinatown Tong War, and teams up with a memorable monkey sidekick (the famous Josephine). The marvellously inventive film-within-a-film setup allows Keaton's imagination to run wild, yielding both sly insights into the travails of moviemaking and an emotional payoff of disarming poignancy. Special Features: New 4K digital restoration undertaken by the Cineteca di Bologna, the Criterion Collection, and Warner Bros. New score by composer Timothy Brock, conducted by Brock and performed by the orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in 2020, presented in uncompressed stereo on the Blu-ray Audio commentary from 2004 featuring Glenn Mitchell, author of AZ of Silent Film Comedy: An Illustrated Companion Spite Marriage (1929), Buster Keaton's next feature for MGM following The Cameraman, in a new 2K restoration, with a 2004 commentary by film historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance Time Travelers, a new documentary by Daniel Raim featuring interviews with Bengtson and film historian Marc Wanamaker So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM, a 2004 documentary by film historians Kevin Brownlow and Christopher Bird New interview with James L. Neibaur, author of The Fall of Buster Keaton: His Films for MGM, Educational Pictures, and Columbia PLUS: An essay by film critic Imogen Sara Smith

• Down From The Mountain | DVD | (05/11/2001) from £14.54   |  Saving you £5.45 (37.48%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Down from the Mountain is a treasurable record of a unique event: a live concert from Nashville featuring the artists and songs from the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Anyone who was delighted by that enchanting film and its traditional Americana soundtrack will find this concert an irresistible delight. It's not just a rehashing of the songs from the film, however, but an opportunity for some of the finest names in Bluegrass to perform a variety of traditional songs. Here we have Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris playing separately before coming together for an a cappella rendition of "(Didn't Leave) Nobody but the Baby". Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley chills the spine with his lonesome "O Death", while bluesman Chris Thomas King wails "John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto'". There are other marvellous performances from old-timey stalwarts The Cox Family and The Whites, more Gospel-infused singing from the Fairfield Four, and impressively authentic fiddling from John Hartford. Oddly, the only song not to be heard is the original film's standout item, "Man of Constant Sorrow". The concert is also available on CD. On the DVD: The disc's packaging is misleading, as it only lists 12 songs when there are several more in the concert, all of which are listed and can be accessed from the menu. There's a good 25-minute backstage documentary also included, plus some liner notes from the Coens. --Mark Walker

• Long Ships | DVD | (28/07/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Viking brothers Rolfe (Widmark) and Orm (Russ Tamblyn) steal the Norse king's funeral ship, as well as his beautiful daughter Gerda (Beba Loncar), and head off in search of the fabled 'Mother of Voices,' a huge solid-gold bell and battle a maelstrom, a mutinous crew and vengeful Moorish troops...

• An American Tragedy (Limited Edition) | Blu Ray | (15/01/2024) from £19.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When jewel thief Madeleine (Dietrich) leaves Paris with a string of pearls, she conspires to smuggle them across the Spanish border with the unwitting assistance of American mechanic Tom (Cooper). But retrieving the jewels turns out to be harder than she thinks, and she finds herself falling for Tom. Product Features INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES 2019 restoration from a 4K scan Original mono audio Audio commentary with film historian Josh Nelson (2023) Tony Rayns on An American Tragedy (2023): extensive discussion of Josef von Sternbergs little-seen gem by the writer and film programmer Video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive with a new essay by Imogen Sara Smith, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits World premiere on Blu-ray Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK All extras subject to change

• Little House On The Prairie - Series 5 - Complete | DVD | (26/05/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  This collection presents the entire fifth season of Little House On The Prairie the beloved television series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels about the trials and tribulations of a young family that settles on the wild Minnesota frontier. With no cowboys indians or feisty town saloons this isn't your typical western; instead it is a story of a loving family in search of a future in a young and growing community.

• Two In Clover - The Complete Series | DVD | (03/05/2004) from £6.99   |  Saving you £18.00 (257.51%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The comedy series about self-sufficiency written by Harry Driver and Vince Powell (""Nearest and Dearest"" ""Love Thy Neighbour"") from 1969 which pre-empted ""The Good Life"" by six years. All the episodes from the comedy series starring Carry On stalwart Sid James.

• Rosemary's Baby 4K UHD Collector's Edition | Blu Ray | (23/09/2024) from £31.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The chilling classic that birthed a new direction in horror, based on the bestseller by Ira Levin (THE STEPFORD WIVES) and produced by William Castle (THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL). Newlywed Rosemary (Mia Farrow) has no idea that her wedded bliss is about to come to a horrific end. After she becomes pregnant, her husband becomes odd, her neighbours (Sidney Blackmer and Oscar® winner* Ruth Gordon) border on obsessive, and her normal life turns into a surreal nightmare. Slowly, she begins to realise that a seed of evil has been plantedand she is its host.This collector's edition includes the following:¢ Rigid Slipcase ¢ Digipack ¢ Original Theatrical Poster¢ 6 Art Cards ¢ Reproduction Production Notes from 1968 ¢ All Of Them Witches Collectible Board¢ Button Badge StickerSpecial Features:-Rosemary's Baby A Retrospective-Mia and Roman-50th Anniversary Redband Trailer-Theatrical Trailer

• Ealing Boxset | Blu Ray | (31/03/2014) from £19.99   |  Saving you £20.00 (100.05%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Ealing Studio output from the 1940s and the 1950s helped define what was arguably the golden age for British cinema. This Blu-ray collection brings together three much loved comedy classics directed by Ealing stalwarts Robert Hamer Charles Crichton and Alexander Mackendrick and starring the great Sir Alec Guinness in some of his most memorable roles.

• Charlie Chan | DVD | (01/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.24

  Though the Charlie Chan film franchise has earned brickbats for its casting of Caucasian actors as the Asian sleuth, the movies have retained popularity among aficionados of '40s-era B-crime pictures, and the six-disc Charlie Chan Chanthology, all featuring Sidney Toler as Chan, should please that crowd. The Missouri-born Toler starred in 11 Chan pictures for Fox before purchasing the rights to the character from creator Earl Derr Biggers's widow and bringing it to budget studio Monogram, where he starred in 11 more Chans before his death in 1947 (Roland Winters replaced him in six more features until 1949). At Monogram, Chan became a Secret Service Agent (a move calculated to cut down on exotic locations and sets), and comedy was integrated into the plots via Mantan Moreland's chauffeur Birmingham Brown; Benson Fong also joined the cast as Number Three Son Tommy, with occasional appearances by daughter Frances (Frances Chan) and son Eddie (Edwin Luke, brother of Keye Luke, who played Number One Son Lee in the Fox Chans). Other than that, the six films collected here (the first six Chans for Monogram, and all but five directed by Phil Rosen) are largely indistinguishable from one another save for the murder victims and their demises. In The Secret Service, Chan investigates the death of a wartime inventor; a San Francisco socialite expires in The Chinese Cat; daughter Frances is involved in the murder of a psychic in Meeting at Midnight (a.k.a. Black Magic); another government scientist is killed in The Jade Mask, and death by remote control is the focus of The Scarlet Clue. Director Phil Karlson (Kansas City Confidential) adds some noirish atmosphere to The Shanghai Cobra, which has bank employees dying from apparent snakebites. Dated and controversial as they may be, the Chan films are engaging diversions for vintage mystery fans. No extras are featured in the set. --Paul Gaita