Drama

• THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA | Blu Ray | (12/03/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A high point in the already success-laden career of writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz (A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve), and one of the most glamorous and extravagant films from Hollywood s Golden Age, The Barefoot Contessa is a tragic drama about the tumultuous rise and fall of fictional Hollywood actress Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner). Humphrey Bogart plays down on his luck writer and director Harry Dawes, reduced to working for an egotistical and abusive producer, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens). Whilst scouting for the female lead in his new movie, Dawes meets the beautiful and charismatic Maria Vargas, a barefooted flamenco dancer, in a Madrid night club and convinces her to star in his movie. Maria is an overnight sensation, but cannot find satisfaction in the shallow world of Hollywood, and the men in her life who treat her as nothing more than a commodity. Also featuring Edmund O Brien in an Oscar winning role as a duplicitous publicist, and featuring cinematography from the legendary Jack Cardiff, The Barefoot Contessa was a massive success upon release, and The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film in a special Dual Format edition, that includes the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Features: 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray Optional 5.1 and uncompressed LPCM dual mono soundtracks Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Rarely seen archival interview with director Joseph L. Mankiewicz Audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and David Del Valle Original theatrical trailer A collector s booklet featuring a new essay by Farren Smith Nehme; and rare archival material.

• Bob Marley: One Love | Blu Ray | (27/05/2024) from £9.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The story of how reggae icon Bob Marley overcame adversity, and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Buy on phsical media now, the best way to watch and own.

• Sex and the City: Series 2 | DVD | (01/07/2002) from £17.98   |  Saving you £19.00 (118.82%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Much like the novels of Fanny Burney or Jane Austen 200 years before, Sex and the City tackles that perennial female conundrum, how to maintain independence from men (intellectual, sexual, financial) while seeking the ideal life-partner for whom that much-cherished independence can safely be sacrificed. So it is that Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha prowl relentlessly the canyons of Manhattan in search of mates, all of whom fall woefully short of their needs in one crucial way or another. Yet, with biological clocks ticking and suppressed nesting instincts fighting back, the foursome occasionally find themselves dangerously close to despair. The dating game can be deadly serious sometimes. Which is why Sex and the City is not just good TV, it's great TV: for all its refreshingly cynical wit and superficial vivaciousness, the show has at its heart a streak of pathos and painful truth that resonates deeply with its audience. In the show's second season, the scrutiny falls more on the women than their succession of useless dates. Carrie has to learn the painful truth about Big all over again; Miranda has panic attacks about being alone for the rest of her life; Sam is humiliated by the ladies who lunch into confessing that she's a whore; and Charlotte is reduced to trading kinky foot massages for free shoes. Savage love, indeed. On the DVD: Sex and the City, Season 2 has all 18 episodes on three discs. Frustratingly, the menus have no "Play All" facility so you can't just sit back and enjoy--each episode requires navigation from the main menu to an episode list to a redundant preview screen before the play selection is offered. There are mini trailers for each episode and a short (eight-minute) promo featurette. The picture is a little fuzzy in places, doubtless the result of transfer from NTSC format, but is still an improvement over the first season. --Mark Walker

• Touch - Season 1 | DVD | (01/04/2013) from £5.03   |  Saving you £29.96 (595.63%)   |  RRP £34.99

  We are all interconnected. Our lives are invisibly tied to those whose destinies touch ours. This is the hopeful premise of the new drama Touch from creator and writer Tim Kring (Heroes, Crossing Jordan) and executive producers Peter Chernin (New Girl, Terra Nova) and Katherine Pope (New Girl, Terra Nova). Blending science, spirituality and emotion, the series will follow seemingly unrelated people all over the world whose lives affect each other in ways seen and unseen, known and unknown. At the story’s center is Martin Bohm (Kiefer Sutherland), a widower and single father, haunted by an inability to connect to his emotionally challenged 11-year-old son, Jake (David Mazouz). Caring, intelligent and thoughtful, Martin has tried everything to reach his son. But Jake never speaks, shows little emotion and never allows himself to be touched by anyone, including Martin. Jake is obsessed with numbers – writing long strings of them in his ever-present notebooks – and with discarded cell phones. Social worker Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) believes that Jake’s needs are too serious for Martin to handle. She sees a man whose life has become dominated by a child he can no longer control. She believes that it’s time for the state to intervene. So Jake is placed in foster care, despite Martin’s desperate objections. However, everything changes after Martin meets Arthur Teller (Danny Glover), a professor and an expert on children who possess special gifts when it comes to numbers. Martin learns that Jake possesses an extraordinary gift – the ability to perceive the seemingly hidden patterns that connect every life on the planet. While Martin wants nothing more than to communicate directly with his son, Jake connects to his father through numbers, not words. Martin realizes that it’s his job to decipher these numbers and recognize their meaning. As he puts the pieces together, he will help people across the world connect as their lives intersect according to the patterns Jake has foreseen. Martin’s quest to connect with his son will shape humanity’s destiny.

• Sunset Song | DVD | (04/04/2016) from £7.09   |  Saving you £12.90 (181.95%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Renowned British filmmaker Terence Davies' most ambitious film to date, SUNSET SONG, adapted from the classic novel by Scottish writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon, is set for release in the UK and Ireland on 4 December 2015 through Metrodome Distribution. The film will receive its World Premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival; a UK Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival where it screens in Official Competition, plus a special Scottish Premiere closer to release. SUNSET SONG stars Agyness Deyn (PUSHER and the Coen Brothers' forthcoming HAIL, CAESAR), Peter Mullan (TYRANNOSAUR, WAR HORSE) and Kevin Guthrie (SUNSHINE ON LEITH). Told with gritty poetic realism by Britain's greatest living auteur, Terence Davies, SUNSET SONG laments the devastation of war and pays fine tribute to the endurance of the land. Set in a rural Scottish community, SUNSET SONG is driven by the young heroine Chris (Agyness Deyn) and her intense passion for life, the unsettled Ewan (Kevin Guthrie) and for the unforgiving land. The impact of the First World War is felt from afar, bringing the rapidly changing modern world to bear on this community in the harshest possible way. Yet, in a final moment of grace, Chris endures the great hardships. Now a woman of remarkable strength, she is able to draw from the ancient land in looking to the future. SUNSET SONG is an epic in emotional scale and deeply romantic at its core.

• Boys On Film 16: Possession | DVD | (12/06/2017) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  As a brooding teenager, BOYS ON FILM is celebrating it s (not so) sweet sixteen with an astonishing selection of the latest international gay short films. Featuring golden boys, teenage lust, self-conscious dolls, chance encounters and a vengeful creature, alongside a holiday romance and a young man s attempt to conceal his sexuality from his mum, BOYS ON FILM 16 is our most possessive collection yet. GOLDEN Dir. Kai Stänicke (Germany) 3 mins As a golden boy becomes a golden man, his carefree spirit wanes under the weight of being different. As he grows up he becomes more introverted until, one day he discovers he s not alone. JAMIE Dir. Christopher Manning (UK) 9 mins Shy, quiet Jamie, spends a revealing afternoon with Ben after meeting on a dating app. As they chat, Jamie finds himself opening up and letting loose his hopes and fears in an unexpected awakening. B. Dir. Kai Stänicke (Germany) 15 mins Torn between a cold relationship with K. and her feelings for another woman, shy and insecure B. is heading for a disaster. For too long she has suppressed her desire and lived a lie. But is it really too late for B. to follow her heart? PYOTR495 Dir. Blake Mawson (Canada/Germany) 15 mins One evening in Putin s Moscow, 16-year-old Pyotr is baited by an ultra-nationalist group known for their violent abductions and attacks on young gay men. But Pyotr isn t as defenceless as he might appear... WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Dir. Charlie Francis (UK) 10 mins When Nick, who still hides his sexuality from his mother, gets a call to say she s coming to visit, he desperately turns to best friend Amanda to pose as his girlfriend. Nick must use charm, cash and emotional blackmail to convince a hungover and reluctant Amanda to continue the ruse. FOLLOW ME Dir. Anthony Schatteman (Belgium) 16 mins Eighteen-year-old Jasper is madly in love with his art teacher. Overcome with confusion and longing, Jasper takes to following his teacher and his new girlfriend wherever they go. CHANCE Dir. Jake Graf (UK) 17 mins Trevor's life has become a void, following the passing of his wife and long term companion, Doris. A chance encounter in the park with a mysterious stranger equally troubled by his own dark past jarringly reawakens him, and forces both men to live again. SIGN Dir. Andrew Keenan-Bolger (USA) 15 mins When Ben summons up the courage to talk to Aaron at their local subway station he is surprised to find that Aaron is deaf. Despite the communication barrier love blossoms, but their very different worlds threaten to tear them apart. AWAY WITH ME Dir. Oliver Mason (UK, France) 11 mins Alex and Paolo have just hooked up in London. Despite only knowing each other briefly, Alex whisks Paolo away to his Aunt's home in Nice. Alex believes it s a holiday romance, but does Paulo feel the same? WE COULD BE PARENTS Dir. Björn Elgerd (Sweden) 15 mins Marely left Erik when he found out he was selling himself for sex. Now, Erik s last chance to get Marely back is to make this film explaining the reason why; so that they could afford to become parents one day.

• The Favourite | Blu Ray | (13/05/2019) from £8.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots.

• Backbeat | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-14.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  He had to choose between his best friend... The woman he loved... And the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world. A reconstruction of the legendary British rock group's early days before the advent of Beatlemania and world-wide fame. The story focuses on the turbulent and exciting period that the Beatles' spent in Hamburg Germany in 1960-62 when they played in a series of rough-and-tumble dives and came into contact with cutting-edge artists. Among them was photographer A

• The Ebony Tower | DVD | (19/09/2011) from £9.44   |  Saving you £3.55 (37.61%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Featuring a formidable central performance by Laurence Oliver one of Britain s most revered actors this BAFTA-nominated television play was adapted by John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey) from the novel by John Fowles; a distinguished supporting cast includes Greta Scacchi and Roger Rees. Henry Breasley (Olivier) is an elderly painter whose secluded retirement is invaded by David Williams (Rees) a brash young artist commissioned to produce a biographical study of the great man. Breasley shares his home in the South of France with two young English girls both former art students Diana and Anne. In this strange mnage David is left in no doubt about his host's views on modern abstract art. However he is puzzled by the old man's relationship with the girls especially when he also finds himself strongly attracted to Diana...

• The Master | DVD | (03/10/2015) from £12.14   |  Saving you £10.84 (118.47%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Paul Thomas Anderson writes and directs this Academy Award-nominated drama about a US Navy veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who seeks salvation in the company of a charismatic cult leader. Joaquin Phoenix stars as Freddie Quell, a troubled drifter who arrives home to post-WWII America shaken, disillusioned and fearful of the future. A raging alcoholic, Quell cannot begin to make sense of his deeply-rooted inner torment, let alone surmount it. When he meets Lancaster Dodd ...

• Malcolm X | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £10.98   |  Saving you £4.00 (44.49%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Just as Do the Right Thing was the capstone of Spike Lee's earlier career, Malcolm X marked the next milestone in the filmmaker's artistic maturity. It seemed everything Lee had done up to that point was to prepare him for this epic biography of America's fiery civil-rights leader, who is superbly played by Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington, from his early days as a zoot-suited hustler known as "Detroit Red" to his spiritual maturity after his pilgrimage to Mecca, as a Black Muslim by the name of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz. Do the Right Thing climaxed with the photographic images of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King engulfed by flames of rage; Malcolm X explores the genesis and evolution of that rage over Malcolm's lifetime, and how these two great figures--held up to the public as polar opposites within the African-American human rights movement (King for nonviolent civil disobedience, Malcolm for achieving equality "by any means necessary")--were each essential to the agenda of the other. Lee careens from the hedonistic ebullience of Malcolm's early days to the stark despair of prison, from his life-changing conversion to Islam to his emergence as a dynamic political leader--all with an epic sweep and vitality that illuminates personal details as well as political ideology. Angela Bassett is also terrific as Malcolm's wife, Betty Shabazz. --Jim Emerson

• To Be The Best - Barbara Taylor Bradford | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £5.00   |  Saving you £0.99 (19.80%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Anthony Hopkins heads the star-studded cast of the trilogies gripping conclusion. As the powerful and beautiful Paula O'Neill finds her empire under attack it seems that only one man has the expertise and connections to save her.

• All Creatures Great & Small Series 2 | DVD | (29/11/2021) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The critically acclaimed and universally loved - Channel 5 remake of the iconic series about a rural vet - based on James Herriot's real-life memoirs working as a vet in rural Yorkshire during the 1930s and 40s - returns for a second series.Siegfried Farnon, a capricious veterinary surgeon reluctantly hires the recently qualified Herriot to join his rural practice. While initially wary of his new life in the countryside, the young vet ultimately finds the local community spirit and charming animals are more than enough to win him over.

• The Godfather Trilogy | DVD | (08/10/2001) from £27.49   |  Saving you £32.50 (118.22%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Despite making many other distinguished films in his long, wandering career, Francis Ford Coppola will always be known as the man who directed The Godfather trilogy, a series that has dominated and defined their creator in a way perhaps no other director can understand. Coppola has never been able to leave them alone, whether returning after 15 years to make a trilogy of the diptych, or re-editing the first two films into chronological order for a separate video release as The Godfather Saga. The films are an Italian-American Shakespearian cycle: they tell a tale of a vicious mobster and his extended personal and professional families (once the stuff of righteous moral comeuppance), and they dared to present themselves with an epic sweep and an unapologetically tragic tone. Murder, it turned out, was a serious business. The first film remains a towering achievement, brilliantly cast and conceived. The entry of Michael Corleone into the family business, the transition of power from his father, the ruthless dispatch of his enemies--all this is told with an assurance that is breathtaking to behold. And it turned out to be merely prologue; two years later The Godfather, Part II balanced Michael's ever-greater acquisition of power and influence during the fall of Cuba with the story of his father's own youthful rise from immigrant slums. The stakes were higher, the story's construction more elaborate and the isolated despair at the end wholly earned. (Has there ever been a cinematic performance greater than Al Pacino's Michael, so smart and ambitious, marching through the years into what he knows is his own doom with eyes open and hungry?) The Godfather, Part III was mostly written off as an attempted cash-in but it is a wholly worthy conclusion, less slow than autumnally patient and almost merciless in the way it brings Michael's past sins crashing down around him even as he tries to redeem himself. --Bruce Reid, Amazon.com On the DVD: Contained in a tasteful slipcase, the three movies come individually packaged, with the second instalment spread across two discs. The anamorphic transfers are acceptable without being spectacular, with Part 3 looking best of all. Francis Ford Coppola--obviously a DVD fan--provides an exhaustive and enthusiastic commentary for all three movies, although awkwardly these have to be accessed from the Set Up menu. The fifth bonus disc is a real goldmine: the major feature is a 70-minute documentary covering all three productions, which includes fascinating early screen-test footage. There's also a 1971 making-of featurette about the first instalment, plus several shorter pieces with Coppola, Mario Puzo and others talking about specific aspects of the series, including a treasurable recording of composer Nino Rota performing the famous theme. Another section contains all the Oscar-acceptance speeches and Coppola's introduction to the TV edit, plus a whole raft of additional scenes that were inserted in the 1977 re-edited version. Text pieces include a chronology, a Corleone family tree and biographies of cast and crew. Overall, this is a handsome and valuable package that does justice to these wonderful movies. --Mark Walker

• Hustle - Series 2 | DVD | (19/09/2005) from £5.38   |  Saving you £25.61 (476.02%)   |  RRP £30.99

  The con is on! Hustle follows the fortunes of a gang of five expert con artists let loose on the streets of London. From rare comic books to antique banknotes they are specialists in the way of the grifter and all are keen to liberate cash from the amoral and undeserving... Gold Mine: Mickey Danny Albert Ash and Stacie return from a well-earned break to discover that old time grifter Harry Holmes (Ronald Pickup) has been banged up. After attempting to con ruthless

• The Wild One (Standard Edition) | Blu Ray | (19/07/2021) from £13.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Marlon Brando in his breakthrough and most iconic role as Johnny Strabler, ruthless leader of the Black Rebels motorcycle gang who terrorise a small town. Based on real-life events, the film was considered so shocking and inciteful of delinquent behaviour at the time, it was banned in the UK until 1967. Special Features High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary by author and film historian Jeanine Basinger The Wild One and the BBFC (2017, 25 mins): ex-BBFC examiner Richard Falcon discusses the film's history with the British censor Introduction to the film by Karen Kramer (2007, 1 min) Hollister, California: Bikers, Booze and the Big Picture (2007, 28 mins): a look back at the real life events that inspired the film Brando: An Icon Is Born (2007, 19 mins): a documentary exploring the life and career of the legendary actor Super 8 version (1973, 19 mins): original cut-down home cinema presentation with unique narration Original theatrical trailer Image gallery New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

• Nashville (Masters of Cinema) (DUAL FORMAT Edition) | Blu Ray | (16/06/2014) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.99

  A milestone in American cinema and of the key films of the 1970s Robert Altman's Nashville is one of the most influential and dazzling films ever made. Weaving together the stories and interactions of twenty-four major characters with astonishing fluidity this audacious epic vision of America circa 1975 has lost none of its freshness or excitement. Taking place over five days in the nation's music capital Nashville Tennessee the film follows two-dozen characters struggling for fulfilment both personal and professional amongst a backdrop of country and gospel musicians outsider political campaigning and the peripheries of life in between building from one encounter at a time to create a wide-ranging tapestry of rich drama and human comedy. Featuring an exhilarating central vein of musical performances (written in character by many of the actors themselves) and a phenomenal cast including Ned Beatty Karen Black Keith Carradine Geraldine Chaplin Shelley Duvall Scott Glenn Jeff Goldblum Michael Murphy and Lily Tomlin. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this iconic work for the first time ever on home video in the UK. Special Features: New 1080p high-definition restoration More on-disc extras to be announced closer to release! 36- Page Booklet with a new essay vintage stills and more!

• Dancer in the Dark | DVD | (17/09/2007) from £9.99   |  Saving you £6.00 (60.06%)   |  RRP £15.99

  A heart-rending emotionally explosive musical from acclaimed director Lars von Trier. Selma (Bjork) is a Czech immigrant working in a factory in Washington State. Not only is Selma struggling to make ends meet she is also trying to save up for an operation to cure her young son of the genetic disease that is gradually blinding her. Her only joy is the role of Maria in a local production of The Sound of Music... Winner of the 2000 Palme d'Or 'Dancer in the Dark' is an outstanding

• Dersu Uzala | DVD | (21/11/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The legendary Akira Kuraosawa's Oscar-winning classic - his only film produced outside of Japan - is an extraordinary tale of friendship and survival, based on the memoirs of Russian explorer Vladimir Arseniev. In the harsh environs of the Siberian frontier, an expedition led by Arseniev encounters the nomadic Goldi tribesman Dersu Uzala, who agrees to lead the en through the vast uncharted wilderness. Although initially considered by the group as little more than a savage, Dersu's skill, courage and spiritual wisdom soon earn their respect and admiration, as well as instilling in them a new-found compassion for the natural world. Kurosawa's remarkable and visually stunning humanist epic bears the unmistakable hallmarks of the great filmmaking master.

• Big Eyes | DVD | (20/04/2015) from £7.08   |  Saving you £12.91 (182.34%)   |  RRP £19.99

  From director Tim Burton, Big Eyes tells the outrageous true story of one of the most epic frauds in history. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, painter Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) had reached success beyond belief, revolutionising the commercialisation of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes. The bizarre and shocking truth would eventually be discovered though: Walter's works were actually not created by him at all, but by his wife Margaret (Amy Adams). Big Eyes centres on Margaret's awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work.