Absorbing film version of Margaret Mitchell's Pullitzer Prize-winning novel about life in America's Deep South during the Civil War. Winner of ten Academy Awards...
Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive prison escape drama. Not as thrilling as The Great Escape, nor as emotionally cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption, its unflinching emphasis on the barbarism of "civilised" societies is nevertheless unparalleled. Significantly, the only characters to display any real kindness in this film are the social outcasts: the lepers and native Indians; everyone else has been corrupted and debased by the true villain, the penal system itself. Based on Henri Charrière' s heavily fictionalised "autobiography", the film's timeless themes of man's insatiable desire for freedom and the indomitability of the human spirit are thankfully not dependent for their impact on the source material's veracity. Dalton Trumbo's liberal-minded screenplay echoes the themes of his earlier script for Spartacus, and Schaffner's innate gift for epic cinema (this was made just two years after his great war biography Patton) is fully equal to the task of realising it on screen. The director's painterly eye for widescreen composition and his careful pacing impart a gravitas to proceedings even during the film's most squalid depictions of brutality, of which there are many emphasising the cheapness of human life among the convicts and their equally criminal prison guards in the penal colony of French Guiana. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman form a remarkable screen pairing, with Hoffman outstanding as the pusillanimous Dega. McQueen magnificently overcomes his tough-guy persona in the extraordinary solitary confinement sequences as he is gradually reduced to a shambling, cockroach-eating wreck. Longtime collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously scored Schaffner's Planet of the Apes and Patton, attained yet another career high with his music. On the DVD: The anamorphic widescreen print of the original Panavision 2. 35:1 ratio looks fine without being as stunning as some more modern prints; the Dolby 5.1 audio does however do great service to Jerry Goldsmith's score, which can also be selected separately from the Audio Setup menu as an isolated track (note that there's no music at all in the first 20 minutes of the film). The 12-minute "Magnificent Rebel" featurette was made at the time of the film's release , and includes some fascinating footage of Henri Charrière touring the prison se t, reminiscing about his experiences and pontificating ("Society does not want free men, society wants conditioned men"). --Mark Walker
Henri 'Papillon' Charriere's account of life in the infamous and reputedly inescapable Devil's Island prison, brought to the screen with Steve McQueen as its eponymous hero. Refusing to surrender to the cruelty of the prison regime, Papillon protects the bespectacled Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman) from an abusive guard, makes a bid for freedom, and ends up spending a long spell in solitary confinement. When he is finally released back into the main prison, he again refuses to surrender and, along with Dega, makes another escape attempt.
Adapted from Tennessee Williams' play 'Orpheus Descending', this US drama stars Marlon Brando as drifter Val Xavier. Arriving in a small town Val gets a job working for miserable shopkeeper Lady Torrance (Anna Magnani) and later begins an affair with her while her cruel husband Jabe (Victor Jory) is dying of cancer. Discovering that Lady is pregnant, Val decides to stay in town even when he is threatened by Jabe's friend, Sheriff Talbott (R.G. Armstrong), but this only angers Jabe and results in tragedy.
Journalist, screenwriter, novelist, soldier, filmmaker Samuel Fuller was one of American cinema's most prolific and multi-faceted talents. However, the films based on Fuller's early work as a screenwriter remain under appreciated. It Happened in Hollywood: Regarded by Fuller as his first real Hollywood credit', the film has a now-familiar premise: the silent film star who finds they are unable to make the transition to talkies. Blending comedy, romance, action, and a playful self-reflexive streak, the film established Fuller in Hollywood. Adventure in Sahara: Fuller takes full story credit on this rip-roaring adventure yarn inspired he claimed by Victor Hugo, Beau Geste, and Mutiny on the Bounty. Power of the Press: Drawing on Fuller's own experiences as young newspaperman and journalist, this crime drama is a passionate cry for freedom of speech and expression. The film also features Fuller's first fully formed and vital female heroine in the shape of the impassioned Edwina (Gloria Dickson). Special Features: High Definition remasters of all three films Original mono audio It Happened in Hollywood (1937, 68 mins): Richard Dix and Fay Wray star as big-screen actors adapting to the coming of sound in this witty exposé of Tinseltown, directed by Harry Lachman from a screenplay co-written by Samuel Fuller Adventure in Sahara (1938, 57 mins): action-packed drama of revenge and honour, starring Paul Kelly and Lorna Gray, directed by D Ross Lederman from a story by Fuller Power of the Press (1943, 64 mins): Lew Landers directs this hard-edged drama about corruption within the newspaper industry, based on a story by Fuller and starring Guy Kibbee, Lee Tracy and Gloria Dickson All-Star Party (2018, 6 mins): who's who of the stars' and their impersonators in the climactic party scene from It Happened in Hollywood Sam Fuller's Search for Truth with Tim Robbins (2009, 7 mins): the celebrated actor explores Fuller's time as a reporter Image gallery: publicity photography and promotional material for all three films New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft had been playing their respective roles as Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, on Broadway for some time before director Arthur Penn (The Left-Handed Gun) built a mesmerisingly beautiful film around their layers-deep performances. Duke is astonishing as the deaf, blind, mute Keller, who awakens to an awareness of language under Sullivan's determined guidance. Bancroft is fascinating and focused. Penn wisely kept his adaptation unencumbered by cinematic indulgence. The black-and-white film is sparse and charged with the immediacy of the drama. The Miracle Worker's script is by William Gibson, who also wrote the original play. --Tom Keogh
Franklin J Schaffner's Papillon is quite possibly the definitive prison escape drama. Not as thrilling as The Great Escape, nor as emotionally cathartic as The Shawshank Redemption, its unflinching emphasis on the barbarism of "civilised" societies is nevertheless unparalleled. Significantly, the only characters to display any real kindness in this film are the social outcasts: the lepers and native Indians; everyone else has been corrupted and debased by the true villain, the penal system itself. Based on Henri Charrière' s heavily fictionalised "autobiography", the film's timeless themes of man's insatiable desire for freedom and the indomitability of the human spirit are thankfully not dependent for their impact on the source material's veracity. Dalton Trumbo's liberal-minded screenplay echoes the themes of his earlier script for Spartacus, and Schaffner's innate gift for epic cinema (this was made just two years after his great war biography Patton) is fully equal to the task of realising it on screen. The director's painterly eye for widescreen composition and his careful pacing impart a gravitas to proceedings even during the film's most squalid depictions of brutality, of which there are many emphasising the cheapness of human life among the convicts and their equally criminal prison guards in the penal colony of French Guiana. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman form a remarkable screen pairing, with Hoffman outstanding as the pusillanimous Dega. McQueen magnificently overcomes his tough-guy persona in the extraordinary solitary confinement sequences as he is gradually reduced to a shambling, cockroach-eating wreck. Longtime collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously scored Schaffner's Planet of the Apes and Patton, attained yet another career high with his music. On the DVD: The anamorphic widescreen print of the original Panavision 2. 35:1 ratio looks fine without being as stunning as some more modern prints; the Dolby 5.1 audio does however do great service to Jerry Goldsmith's score, which can also be selected separately from the Audio Setup menu as an isolated track (note that there's no music at all in the first 20 minutes of the film). The 12-minute "Magnificent Rebel" featurette was made at the time of the film's release , and includes some fascinating footage of Henri Charrière touring the prison se t, reminiscing about his experiences and pontificating ("Society does not want free men, society wants conditioned men"). --Mark Walker
During the war for Texas independence one man leaves the Alamo before the deadly climax (chosen by lot to help others' families) but is too late to accomplish his mission and is branded a coward. Since he cannot now expose a gang of turncoats he infiltrates them instead; can he now save a wagon train of refugees from Wade's guerillas?
The final western from one of the genre's greatest directors, Budd Boetticher (Ride Lonesome), and the last screen appearance of war hero-turned-movie star Audie Murphy (To Hell and Back), A Time for Dying is an offbeat, elegiac look at the Old West, prefiguring Don Siegel's classic western, and John Wayne's final picture, The Shootist. Richard Lapp stars as a young man with fine shooting skills who crosses paths with real-life figures, such as Jesse James (played by Murphy) and Judge Roy Bean (Victor Jory), only to discover the true violence of the West. Beset by post-production and distribution problems, A Time for Dying is overdue the recognition it deserves.
Mark Twain's Beloved Story. Live Action.
Randolph Scott and Bill Williams star in this classic Western from 1950, directed by Edwin L. Marin. Jim Redfern (Randolph Scott) dreams of owning his own cattle ranch. With partner Mike Evans (Bill Williams), he heads into British Columbia, on the Cariboo Trail. There's a gold rush on and they're joined along the way by old-timer Grizzly Winters, a prospector who hasn't had much luck. Powerful local boss, and villain, Frank Walsh (Victor Jory) and his henchmen stampede Jim's cattle, causi...
He was a Texas hero but branded a coward! Glenn Ford stars in a sprawling, action-packed Western that hurtles from the battle of the Alamo to a gripping wagon train journey through hostile territory. Ford plays John Stroud a freedom fighter who agrees to leavehis post at the Alamo so he can warn his family and neighbours of approaching Mexican armies. When he discovers he’s too late he swears vengeance on the Yankeemercenaries who fighting for Mexico have murdered his wife and child. At the same time Stroud must face the accusations of his outraged countrymen who believe he fled his post in an act of cowardice. Only by confronting the enemy can he redeem himself in his fellow citizens eyes and his own. With a powerful cast that includes Chill Wills, Victor Jory and Julia Adams it is a double barrelled classic in the genre.
Don Jose (Glen Ford), a handsome young Dragoon, is newly arrived in the Spanish city of Seville. Exploring its streets, he comes across the beautiful Carmen (Rita Hayworth), a fiery gypsy girl. Within moments she has picked his pockets - and stolen his heart. Others in the regiment are quick to warn him of Carmen's wayward spirit - but Don Jose is already completely enchanted. In Desperate pursuit of the gypsy temptress, Don Jose finds himself on the road to ruin... and murder. The Loves Of Carmen reunited the director and stars of Gilda and is presented here in a beautifully restored digital transfer that does full justice to the film's breathtaking Oscar - nominated Technicolor cinematography.
Bulldog Drummond At Bay
Papillon (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner 1973): They called him Papillon meaning butterfly. If only he had wings to go with the name. Unable to fly Henri Charriere virtually willed himself free. He persisted until he did the impossible: escape Devil's Island. Based on Charriere's bestseller and shot in Spain and Jamaica Franklin J. Schaffner's film of Papillon united two stars at key career junctions. After a decade of fine work in The Great Escape The Sand Pebbles and Bullitt Steve McQueen found in Charriere another ideal tough-guy role. Coming off The Graduate Midnight Cowboy and Little Big Man Dustin Hoffman again distinguished himself as Dega Charriere's scruffy friend. Midnight Express (Dir. Alan Parker 1973): Brad Davis and John Hurt star in this riveting true story of a young American's nightmarish experiences in a Turkish prison and his unforgettable journey to freedom. Busted for attempting to smuggle hashish out of Istanbul American College student Billy Hayes (Davis) is thrown into the city's most brutal jail. After suffering through four years of sadistic torture and inhuman conditions Billy is about to be released when his parole is denied. Only his inner courage and the support of a fellow inmate (Hurt) give him the strength to catch the Midnight Express (prison code for escape). Missing (Dir. Costa Gavras 1982): Director Constantin Costa-Gavras made his English-language film debut with this political thriller based on a true story. Although the nation depicted is never named directly the action clearly takes place in Chile after the military coup. Missing centers around the disappearance of Charles Horman (John Shea) an American expatriate who lives with his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) in South America. One night armed soldiers enter their home and drag him away. In desperation Beth decides to contact Charles's father Ed (Jack Lemon) and ask for help. In contrast to his left-wing daughter-in-law Ed is staunchly patriotic. But as he gets the runaround from both American and Chilean officials Ed receives a cold hard lesson in political reality... and learns some ugly truths about US involvement in Latin America.
1: The Taker When Andy Anderson a policeman friend of former Chief of Detectives Ironside is shot and killed strong circumstantial evidence indicates he was blackmailing someone. Refusing to believe Anderson was on 'the take' Ironside uses all his unorthodox methods. 2: The Past is Prologue Wally Stowe's 17-year masquerade as a law-abiding citizen is about to end as he is arrested as a convicted murderer at his son's graduation party. Chief Ironside an old friend of Stowe's believes his claims of innocence and sets about reconstructing the circumstantial evidence that convicted him. 3: To Kill a Cop When two officers who arrest a noisy drunk on an assault charge are later killed San Francisco Police try to link the events. Despite the lack of evidence Sergeant Brown is determined to make the charges stick.
This box set features the following films: Kramer Vs Kramer (Dir. Robert Benton) (1979): Returning home late from work one night a career-obsessed Ted Kramer is told by his wife Joanna that she is leaving him. After a life of being 'somebody's daughter' or 'somebody's wife ' she's going off to find herself - leaving Ted to care for their 6 year-old son. Ted while trying to hold down his job gets to really know his son: cooking his meals taking him to the park understanding every need and fear. For the first time in his life he feels like a fulfilled parent. But then Joanna returns. And she wants her son back... Papillon (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner) (1973): They called him Papillon meaning butterfly. If only he had wings to go with the name. Unable to fly Henri Charriere virtually willed himself free. He persisted until he did the impossible: escape Devil's Island. Stranger Than Fiction (Dir. Marc Forster) (2006): This is an inventive comedy about a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggling to complete her latest and potentially finest book - she only has to find a way to kill off her main character Harold Crick and she'll be done. Little does she know that Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is inexplicably alive and well in the real world and suddenly aware of her words. Fiction and reality collide when the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold hears what she has in mind and realizes he must find a way to change her (and his) ending. Joan Of Arc (Dir. Luc Besson) (1999): The year is 1429. France is in polical and religious turmoil as members of the royal family battle for rule. But one peasant girl from a remote village gave her country the miracle it was looking for. Milla Jovovich is Joan of Arc a young woman who would inspire and lead her countrymen until her execution at the age of nineteen. Raised in a religious family Joan witnessed her sister's rape and death at the hands of an invading army. Years later as the same war raged on Joan stood before her king with a message she claimed came from God: give her an army and in God's name she would reclaim his diminished kingdom. Tootsie (Dir. Sydney Pollack) (1982): Michael Dorsey is fine actor but an irreproachable perfectionist who can hardly make ends meet; the best he can do for his wallet is take on a couple of jobs as a part-time drama coach and a part-time waiter. But when with the help of a few accessories (including rouge and a padded bra) he transforms himself into Dorothy Michaels everything changes. Dorothy lands a hot job on a soap opera monopolizes the covers of glossy magazines and wins thousands of adoring fans. But when he falls head-over-heels for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange) he's got a real problem: How can he tell Julie he loves her when she thinks he's a she? Accidental Hero (Dir. Stephen Frears) (1992): Davis is ace reporter Gale Gayley who literally falls into the story of a lifetime when she's a passenger on a airplane that crashes into a Chicago bridge. In the smoke and darkness she's saved by a rude foul-mouthed hero who promptly disappears into the night..leaving only his shoe behind. When Gale's TV Station offers a million dollars to the mystery hero a gentle Vietnam vet (Garcia) appears to claim the prize - and share it with the city's homeless. But this screwball Cinderella story is complicated by the fact that the real hero is a small-time crook (Hoffman) whom nobody believes. Both men have something heroic inside as well as something to hide and it's up to Gale to discover the true meaning of courage.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy