Classic Films

• Cleopatra | DVD | (13/05/2013) from £9.15   |  Saving you £3.84 (41.97%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Still the most expensive movie ever made, Cleopatra nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. It also scandalised the world with the very public affair of its two major stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. But Joseph L Mankiewicz's 1963 epic deserves to be remembered for more than its off-screen troubles. An extravagantly elaborate production, the sets and costumes alone are awe-inspiring; Mankiewicz's own literate screenplay draws heavily on the classics and Shakespeare; while the supporting cast, led by Rex Harrison as Caesar and Roddy McDowall as his nephew (and future emperor) Octavian, are all first-rate thespians and generally put in more convincing performances than either of the two leads. Mankiewicz's original intention was to make two three-hour films: the first being Caesar and Cleopatra, the second Antony and Cleopatra. But before the film’s completion, and following a boardroom coup worthy of Ancient Rome itself, legendary mogul Darryl F Zanuck took back control of Fox and insisted that Cleopatra be cut to a more economical length. A heartbroken Mankiewicz was forced to trim his six-hour vision down to four. This was the "roadshow" version shown at the film’s premiere and now restored here. Then following adverse criticism and pressure from cinema chains Zanuck demanded more cuts, and the final released version ran a mere three hours--half the original length. Capitalising on the feverish publicity surrounding Burton and Taylor, the shortened version played up both their on- and off-screen romance. This longer four-hour roadshow version allows for a broader view of the film, adding some depth to the politics and manipulation of the characters. But the director’s original six-hour edit has been lost. Perhaps one day it will be rediscovered in the vaults and Mankiewicz’s much-maligned movie will finally be seen the way it was meant to be. Until then, Cleopatra remains an epic curiosity rather than the complete spectacle it should be.

• Hello Dolly | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £6.52   |  Saving you £9.47 (145.25%)   |  RRP £15.99

• Taxi Driver: Anniversary Edition | Blu Ray | (07/11/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Taxi Driver is the definitive cinematic portrait of loneliness and alienation manifested as violence. It is as if director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader had tapped into precisely the same source of psychological inspiration ("I just knew I had to make this film", Scorsese would later say), combined with a perfectly timed post-Watergate expression of personal, political and societal anxiety. Robert De Niro, as the tortured, ex-Marine cab driver Travis Bickle, made movie history with his chilling performance as one of the most memorably intense and vividly realised characters ever committed to film. Bickle is a self-appointed vigilante who views his urban beat as an intolerable cesspool of blighted humanity. He plays guardian angel for a young prostitute (Jodie Foster), but not without violently devastating consequences. This masterpiece, which is not for all tastes, is sure to horrify some viewers, but few could deny the film's lasting power and importance. --Jeff Shannon

• Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Film Collection | Blu Ray | (11/11/2019) from £54.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed. Stanley Kubrick. Own 7 ground-breaking films and a revealing documentary* in one stunning limited-edition collection. This collection contains The Shining for the first time in 4K Ultra HD, as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey in 4K Ultra HD, a 20-page exclusive booklet, and a collection of beautiful art cards. *This collection includes the following films: Lolita (Blu-ray), 2001: A Space Odyssey (4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray), A Clockwork Orange (Blu-ray), Barry Lyndon (Blu-ray), The Shining (4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray), Full Metal Jacket (Blu-ray), Eyes Wide Shut (Blu-ray), and Stanley Kubrick A Life in Pictures (Documentary on DVD).

• The Godfather: Part II | DVD | (08/07/2013) from £4.99   |  Saving you £15.00 (300.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Francis Ford Coppola took some of the deep background from the life of Mafia chief Vito Corleone--the patriarch of Mario Puzo's bestselling novel The Godfather--and built around it a stunning sequel to his Oscar-winning, 1972 hit film. Robert De Niro plays Vito as a young Sicilian immigrant in turn-of-the-century New York City's Little Italy. Coppola weaves in and out of the story of Vito's transformation into a powerful crime figure, contrasting that evolution against efforts by son Michael Corleone to spread the family's business into pre-Castro Cuba. As memorable as the first film is, The Godfather II is an amazingly intricate, symmetrical tragedy that touches upon several chapters of 20th-century history and makes a strong case that our destinies are written long before we're born. This was De Niro's first introduction to a lot of filmgoers, and he makes an enormous impression. But even with him and a number of truly brilliant actors (including maestro Lee Strasberg), this is ultimately Pacino's film and a masterful performance. --Tom Keogh

• Carousel | DVD | (08/03/2004) from £7.59   |  Saving you £8.40 (110.67%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The 1956 screen adaptation of Carousel, like its immediate predecessor Oklahoma!, boasted then state-of-the-art widescreen cinematography, stereophonic sound, a starring romantic duo with on-screen chemistry, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein imprimatur. Adding to its promise was a source (the venerable Ferenc Molnar play Liliom) that had already been filmed three times. Contributing to the lustre are the coastal Maine locations where 20th Century Fox filmed principal photography. Yet unlike the original Broadway production, and despite evident craft, Carousel proved a box-office disappointment. Why? Hindsight argues that movie-goers of the 1950s may have been unprepared for its tragic narrative, the sometimes unsympathetic protagonist, and a spiritual subtext addressing life after death. Whatever the obstacle, Carousel may well be a revelation to first-time viewers. The score is among the composers' most affecting, from the glorious instrumental "Carousel Waltz" to a succession of exquisite love songs ("If I Loved You"), a heart-rending secular hymn ("You'll Never Walk Alone"), and the expectant father's poignant reverie, "Soliloquy". Top-line stars Shirley Jones (as factory worker Julie Jordan) and Gordon MacRae (as Billy Bigelow, the carnival barker who woos and weds her) achieve greater dramatic urgency here than in the more successful Oklahoma!. MacRae in particular attains a personal best as the conflicted Billy, whose anxiety and wounded pride after losing his job are crucial to the plot. It's Billy's impatience to support his new family that drives him to an ill-fated decision, which transforms the fable into a ghost story. --Sam Sutherland, Amazon.com

• Tokyo Drifter (1966) | Blu Ray | (18/02/2019) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In this jazzy gangster film, reformed killer Phoenix Tetsu's attempt to go straight is squashed when his former cohorts call him back to Tokyo to help battle a rival gang. This onslaught of stylized violence and trippy colours got director Seijun Suzuki (Branded to Kill) in trouble with Nikkatsu studio heads, who were put off by his anythinggoes, inyourface aesthetic, equal parts Russ Meyer, Samuel Fuller, and Nagisa Oshima. Tokyo Drifter is a delirious highlight of the brilliantly excessive Japanese cinema of the sixties. Features: New highdefinition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Video piece featuring new interviews with director Seijun Suzuki and assistant director Masami Kuzuu Interview with Suzuki from 1997 Original theatrical trailer New and improved English subtitle translation PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Howard Hampton

• Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock | DVD | (13/09/2007) from £8.02   |  Saving you £7.97 (99.38%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In one of his best-loved films Elvis stars as Vince Everett a small-time convict introduced to the music business by his cellmate a former country music singer who also teaches Vince the guitar. On his release Vince tastes success as a performer but becomes disillusioned by the record industry until he is advised to set up his own label. He is a sensation but now that he is a superstar will he forget the people who helped to get him there?

• The Jazz Singer | DVD | (02/10/2006) from £12.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (30.79%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Back in 1927, The Jazz Singer entered the history books as the first true, sound-on-film talking picture, with Al Jolson uttering the immortal words, "You ain't heard nothing yet!" But even then it was a creakingly sentimental old yarn. By the time this second remake showed up in 1980 (there was a previous one in 1953) it looked as ludicrously dated as a chaperone in a strip club. Our young hero, played by pop singer Neil Diamond in a doomed bid for movie stardom, is the latest in a long line of Jewish cantors, but secretly moonlights with a Harlem soul group. When his strictly Orthodox father (Laurence Olivier, complete with painfully hammy "oya-veh" accent) finds out, the expected ructions follow. Though the lad makes it big in showbiz, it all means nothing while he's cut off from family and roots. But in the end--well, you can guess, can't you? Diamond comes across as likeable enough in a bland way, but unencumbered by acting talent, and the music business has never looked so squeaky clean--nary a trace of drugs, and precious little sex or rock 'n' roll. As for anything sounding remotely like jazz, forget it. This is one story that should have been left to slumber in the archives. --Philip Kemp

• Pillow Talk/Lover Come Back/It Happened To Jane | DVD | (21/01/2008) from £19.93   |  Saving you £-4.94 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Pillow Talk: Day is an uptight interior decorator forced to share a party line with an amorous playboy who ties up the line with his exploits while she is trying to conduct business. When the two accidentally meet he's taken with her beauty and pretending to be a wealthy Texan begins to court her mercilessly. Though flattered by this stranger's attention it's not long before she discovers his true identity. Now it's her turn to have a little fun...at his expense! Lover Come back: Jerry Webster (Hudson) and Carol Templeton (Day) are rival Madison Avenue advertising executives who each dislike each other's methods. After he steals a client out from under her cute little nose revenge prompts her to infiltrate his secret VIP campaign in order to persuade the mystery product's scientist to switch to her firm. Trouble is the product is phony and the scientist is Jerry who uses all his intelligence and charm to steal her heart! It Happened To Jane: Jane Osgood (Day) is a widowed mother who runs a struggling lobster business in coastal Maine while Harry Malone (Kovacs) is a wealthy businessman who has bought out the local railroad. He harbors big plans for it aiming to transform it into a luxury passenger train replacing the freight train the residents of the area depend upon. When a large lobster shipment of Jane's is rerouted and returned to her dead she decides to fight back and sues Malone with the help of her longtime friend and lawyer George Denham. This instigates a battle of increasingly epic proportions as Malone uses every trick in the book--as well as his massive bank account--to quell the resolve of the spitfire businesswoman; Jane for her part has public sympathy on her side. A reporter for the national news doing a story on Jane (Steve Forrest) begins to fall in love with her and she is forced to decide between the romantic journalist and her childhood friend George. The magical pairing of Lemmon and Day is augmented by the beautiful location photography in Maine and a stellar supporting cast including Mary Wickes Russ Brown and a rare film appearance from Kovacs.

• Finian's Rainbow | DVD | (16/05/2005) from £9.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (80.08%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Musical morality tale about prejudice directed by Francis Ford Copolla and starring Fred Astaire. Based on a Broadway show from the late 40's. Astaire plays an Irishman who's moved to a small southern town. His plan is to bury a leprechaun's pot of gold that he's brought with him - so that it will grow faster. But his plans go awry when his daughter makes the wrong wish while Astaire stands over the magical pot...

• The Three Musketeers (Vintage Classics) | Blu Ray | (08/05/2023) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A swashbuckling new 4K restoration of THE THREE MUSKETEERS from director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, Help!) and featuring a stellar cast including Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch and Richard Chamberlain. In 17th Century Paris, young, naïve and energetic D'Artagnan leaves home to seek his fortune as a swordsman. He soon makes friends with the three musketeers: world-weary Athos, comically arrogant Porthos and chivalric Aramis. Their enemy is aristocratic schemer Cardinal Richelieu, who plots to prove the infidelity of the Queen to King Louis XIII to increase his own power. Product Features Neil Sinyard on The Three Musketeers The Saga of the Musketeers Part 1 The Making of The Musketeers vintage EPK Original US trailer Original UK trailer

• Raising The Wind | DVD | (15/02/2010) from £10.35   |  Saving you £5.64 (54.49%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A group of music students decide to share a flat together which results in a series of amusing adventures.

• The Day the Earth Stood Still | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £7.99   |  Saving you £2.00 (25.03%)   |  RRP £9.99

  The very epitome of a cult SF classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still is more often referenced than seen, which is a pity since it remains even now one of the most thought-provoking examples of the genre. The title is a misnomer, a mere tease to entice 1950s audiences into the cinema in the expectation of seeing another sensationalist B-movie about murderous aliens (i.e. Communists). In fact, Robert Wise's film of Edmund North's screenplay is a thoughtful Cold War allegory about a Christ-like visitor (Michael Rennie) who comes to Earth preaching a message of salvation for mankind, only to be spurned, killed then finally resurrected (significantly, Rennie's character Klaatu adopts the pseudonym "Mr Carpenter" while on the run from the authorities). Aside from its philosophical message, the film also boasts memorable imagery--notably the giant robot Gort--a much-quoted catchphrase in "Klaatu barada nikto", and one of composer Bernard Herrmann's most admired scores, featuring the theremin and other electronic instruments that must have sounded very otherworldly back in 1951. The result is a bona fide landmark in cinema SF with a central message about "weapons of mass destruction" that's still uncannily relevant today. On the DVD: The Day the Earth Stood Still has been splendidly restored for its DVD incarnation from the original 35 mm print, and the results are demonstrated in the "Restoration Comparison" feature. Also included is a fascinating 1951 newsreel showing Klaatu receiving a certificate of merit amid stories of Communist threats, the Korean war and beauty pageants ("Pomp and pulchritude on parade in Atlantic City"). Best of all is an absorbing commentary track with director Robert Wise in conversation with Nicholas Meyer (both men have Star Trek movies on their CV). --Mark Walker

• The Charge Of The Light Brigade | DVD | (26/01/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Charge of the Light Brigade was an infamous battle in the Crimean War considered one of the greatest military blunders in history and immortalized in the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The ill-conceived expedition to the Crimea was marked by an incredible lack of strategy and planning inadequate weapons camouflage food health care and communications. In the final battle all the soldiers had to protect them was their courage and blind faith. As Tennyson put it: Ours is not to question why/Ours is but to do and die. The film is a classic dissection of the pointlessness of war and the horrors inflicted on the common man who goes to fight in the name of his country. Directed by Tony Richardson and starring Trevor Howard Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement Howards End) and John Gielgud (Murder on the Orient Express Arthur The Charge of the Light Brigade was nominated for 6 BAFTAs.

• Voices (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (22/04/2024) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Real-life husband and wife David Hemmings (Blowup, Deep Red) and Gayle Hunnicutt (Eye of the Cat, Fragment of Fear) star in this tense British shocker from director Kevin Billington (The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer). After a tragic family accident, Claire (Hunnicutt) suffers a mental breakdown. In an effort to help her recovery, Robert (Hemmings), her husband, takes her to convalesce in a grand country house, but her already fragile sanity is soon threatened by ghostly apparitions and terrifying visions. Product Features New restoration from a 4K scan of the original separation masters by Powerhouse Films Authentic presentation of this unique mixed-media production, which combines film-shot and video-captured material Original mono audio Audio commentary with writers and film experts Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman (2022) Wide Boys (2022, 18 mins): film historian Vic Pratt charts the ups and downs of John Daly and David Hemmings' production company, Hemdale Mon Brave! (2022, 8 mins): filmmaker Peter Crane recalls his personal and professional relationship with Hemmings Voices from the Past (2022, 4 mins): a look at the challenges of restoring Voices Image gallery: promotional and publicity material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• The Lion In Winter | DVD | (25/08/2008) from £13.87   |  Saving you £-0.88 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Behind the great stone walls of an English castle the world's most powerful empire is in crisis. Three sons struggle to win their father's favor - as well as his crown. King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his queen Eleanor (Hepburn) engage in a battle of royal wits that pits elder son Richard (Anthony Hopkins) against his brothers while the cunning King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) takes advantage of the internal fracturing in his bid to destroy their kingdom.

• Monkey Business | DVD | (23/07/2012) from £10.83   |  Saving you £-0.84 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  After a chimpanzee gets loose in a pharmaceutical lab and randomly concocts a youth-restoring drug, staid scientist Dr. Barnaby Fulton (Cary Grant) unknowingly samples the potion and acquires the energy and tempement of a college student!

• Cabaret | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £15.99   |  Saving you £-10.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

• Manhattan | Blu Ray | (26/08/2013) from £54.99   |  Saving you £-42.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Nominated for two Academy Awards and considered one of [Woody] Allen's most enduring accomplishments (Box office) Manhattan is a wry touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white (Allen's first film in that format) and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score Allen's aesthetic triumph is a prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence (Time). Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates a seventeen year- old girlfriend Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) he doesn't love and a lesbian ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage... and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress Mary (Diane Keaton) Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfilment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake - and the gateway to true love... is a revolving door.