"Director: John Cox"

• Strauss: Die Fledermaus -- Royal Opera House | DVD | (16/01/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Originally broadcast live by the BBC from the Royal Opera House on New Year's Eve 1990, this production of Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss' masterpiece of comic operetta, was a truly historic occasion, marking the retirement from the stage of one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, Dame Joan Sutherland. Sung in English, in a version by John Mortimer, conducted by Sutherland's husband Richard Bonynge and directed for television by Humphrey Burton, this is an exceptional translation from stage to screen. The story, an elaborate farce with elements of satirical comedy set around a lavish masked ball in 19th-century Vienna comes to life through outstanding performances by a large, vivacious cast, including Judith Howarth, Nancy Gustason and Jochen Kowalski as Prince Orlofsky. Gorgeously designed, wonderfully costumed and enthusiastically played as it is, attention inevitably centres on the "special recital" by the "surprise guests": Sutherland herself, Marilyn Horne and Luciano Pavarotti. No finer, more exhilarating and touching a farewell could have been imagined. After the curtain there is a short, on-stage tribute to Sutherland by Jeremy Isaacs, bringing to a close a glorious, unforgettable evening of music-making for which the word "glittering" might have been invented. --Gary S. Dalkin On the DVD: By presenting the production on two discs the picture quality is maximised, and, by the standards of live-filmed opera, is very good indeed. The discs are presented with PCM stereo sound and a 4:3 TV ratio image. There are options for French and German subtitles, but unless trailers for two further Arthaus DVDs count, there are no extras. The booklet is well documented, though lacking the libretto. --Gary S. Dalkin

• R. Strauss: Arabella -- Glyndebourne/Haitink | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Richard Strauss's elegantly playful opera Arabella (sometimes close to operetta in style) gets a polished, light-hearted, but also serious production at the Glyndebourne Festival. Ashley Putnam gives a glowing performance in the title role and she has a strong supporting cast. John Cox's stage direction and Julia Trevelyan Oman's design create a convincing atmosphere of 19th-century Vienna (not without a dark side to provoke dramatic interest) and Bernard Haitink's conducting of the London Philharmonic is splendidly idiomatic, in the dramatic music as well as the waltz and folk dance melodies that brighten the score. Arabella is the last libretto written for Strauss by Hugo von Hofmannsthal before his untimely death, and it has the high literary value found in all his work, although he did not live to revise Acts II and III. The story focuses on a Viennese family--Count Waldemar, his wife Adelaide and two daughters, Arabella and Zdenka. They are living in genteel poverty and hoping that Arabella, who has several suitors, will marry well and recoup their fortune. They are so poor that Zdenka has been raised as a boy because the family cannot afford to bring out two daughters in Viennese society. A properly rich suitor, Mandryka, shows up and it is love at first sight, until Zdenka confuses the situation. She is in love with one of Arabella's suitors, Matteo, sends him love letters under Arabella's name and seduces him in a darkened bedroom under the pretence that she is Arabella. Mandrkya learns of the seduction but not of Zdenka's deception, and breaks off his engagement to Arabella. There is, of course, a happy ending. Putnam is sweet and troubled in stage presence, silvery in tone and totally charming. John Brocheler is an ardent, impetuous Mandryka and Gianna Rolandi is convincing in the rather difficult role of Zdenka. Gwendolyn Bradley makes an impressive appearance as Fiakermilli, the belle of the coachmen's ball in Act II, one of the opera's favourite features with Viennese audiences. --Joe McLellan

• Various Composers - Opera and Ballet Favourites | DVD | (29/09/2008) from £10.78   |  Saving you £4.21 (39.05%)   |  RRP £14.99

• Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) -- Glyndebourne | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £6.59   |  Saving you £12.66 (237.52%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Funny fast and furious Rossini's masterpiece Il Barbiere di Siviglia is one of the most popular of comic operas with its sparkling and stylish score. John Cox's innovative production for Glyndebourne Festival Opera with good looking authentic designs by William Dudley put plenty of fizz into this old favourite and was a real hit with the critics. The usual Glyndebourne hallmarks of team work and extended rehersal paid handsome dividends in this production filmed in 1982.

• Strauss - Arabella | DVD | (09/06/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £16.99

  Tracklist: 1. Strauss: Arabella - Opening Credits 2. Die Karten fallen besser als das letzte Mal 3. Sie wollen alle Geld! 4. Matteo! 5. Ich danke Frulein 6. Aber der Richtige wenn's einen gibt fr mich 7. Das ist der Schlitten vom Elemer 8. Zum Preis hat sie sich selber eingesetzt 9. Lat uns allein meine Kinder 10. Mandryka! 11. Als in dem Brief an meinen sel'gen Onkel 12. Das ist der Fall von andrer Art 13. Bist du nicht fertig? Ja was hast du denn gemacht die ganze Zeit? 14. Das ist ein Engel 15. Sie sehn nicht aus wie jemand 16. Sie wolln mich heiraten sagt mein Vater 17. Und du wirst mein Gebieter sein 18. Der Ball begehrt nach seiner Knigin 19. Und jetzt sag ich Adieu 20. O Arabella gibt es was Schneres 21. Ein Feigling bin ich 22. Und wenn hier viele Arabella heissen 23. Einleitung 24. ber seine Felder 25. Ich komme heim vom Ball und gehe auf mein Zimmer gute Nacht! 26. Welch ein erregtes Tte--tte 27. Ich gratuliere Ihnen Herr Leutnant 28. Papa Mama! 29. Sehr gut. Jetzt habe ich mein richtiges Vis--vis 30. Mandryka! 31. Kann Ihr Diener im Hof zum Brunnen gehn 32. Das war sehr gut Mandryka

• 5 DVD Movies Drama Pack 2 | DVD | (09/09/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Howards End: 'Only connect'. This famous command is the catalyst which brings together two very different Edwardian families - the one passionate and progressive the other hidebound by wealth and social status - with irreversible and devastating consequences. A dying woman's impulsive wish marks a turning point in the relationship between the cosmopolitan Schlegel sisters Margaret and Helen and the wealthy Wilcox family when Ruth Wilcox bequeaths her idyllic country house Howards End to Margaret. Convinced that he is acting in the best interests of his family the patriarchal Henry Wilcox destroys his wife's 'unofficial' will. But as the lonely repressed Henry falls in love with Margaret and Helen's wilful attacks on class and convention strike at the very heart of the Wilcox family fate decrees that Henry must pay dearly for his deceit. Emma Thompson Anthony Hopkins Vanessa Redgrave and Helena Bonham Carter star in this acclaimed Merchant Ivory adaptation of E.M.Forster's Howards End one of the greatest novels of the century. Muhammed Ali - King Of The World: He called himself 'The Greatest' - and it was a description he merited. Cassius Clay (renamed Muhammad Ali after his controversial conversion to Islam) was quite simply the greatest boxer of the twentieth century a sportsman who overcame the traumas of his childhood to make his mark in the ring through an awesome combination of showmanship and superb technical grace. Climaxing in his crucial 1964 world title fight against Sonny Liston King Of The World traces Ali's meteoric rise to fame through the story of his early years - his struggle against racial prejudice his friendship with black activist Malcolm X his determination to take on the reigning giants of the boxing world and be 'The Greatest'. King Of The World is a must for both boxing fans and lovers of compelling true life drama - an unforgettable portrait of a sporting legend. James Dean - Race With Destiny: The gripping story of James Dean's rise to fame his romantic entanglements and his fatal desire for fast cars that led to his untimely death. Bloodlines: On the night of 7th November 1974 Lord Lucan mysteriously disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny. Was it murder by mistake? This film follows the discoveries of tenacious reporters. Molokai: Hawaii 1872. The British and American's compete for influence and power in the Pacific island of Hawaii. Off the cost of Hawaii is Molokai a small island where lepers are abondoned in exile. It is a society based on the survival of the fittest. Molokai is out of control with food scarce or non-existent and children being led into prostitution and slavery. The responsibility for the leper's welfare rests with Molokai's Chief Administrator and Hawaii's Prime Minister Bishop and Chief Priest who realise that action is required before the Molokai scandal weakens Hawaii's power with America and England. This is the true story of how Father Damien shames the cynical establishment into action and brings compassion and dignity to Molokai against all the odds.