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Review Warner Home Video / The Time Machine [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Rod Taylor
  • Tom Helmore
  • George Pal
  • Yvette Mimieux
  • Alan Young
  • Sebastian Cabot
Release date: 2000-10-03
Run time: 103 min.
Creator: H.G. Wells
Price: £9.96

Review The Time Machine [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:

In 1960 producer-director George Pal's The Time Machine reshaped HG Wells' thoughtful, ironic novel into a two-fisted action movie, but one that still appeals to children and adults immensely and deserves its classic status. Wells' themes of biological and social evolution are played down, but there is a surprisingly melancholy thread as Rod Taylor's Time Traveller keeps stopping off at future wars to find that human stupidity still persists. In the first week of 1900 a group of fussy Victorians gather in Taylor's chintzy, overstuffed parlour to hear him tell of his expedition to the future, where the world is divided between the surface-dwelling, childish, beautiful Eloi and the hideous, underground, cannibal Morlocks. Wells intended both factions to seem degenerate, the logical final evolution of the class system, but Pal has Taylor pull a Captain Kirk and side with the Eloi and teach them to fight against their oppressors. The time travel sequence remains a tour de force, with a shop window mannequin demonstrating a parade of fashions as the years fly by in seconds and charming but still-effective stop-motion effects. The future is a wonderfully coloured landscape with properly gruesome cave-dwelling monsters and a winning Eloi heroine in Yvette Mimieux. It may not be totally Wells, but it's a treat. On the DVD: The Time Machine arrives on disc in a lovely widescreen print which makes the film seem new all over again. The featurette "Time Machine: The Journey Back" combines some mild behind-the-scenes stuff about the film (and its star prop) with a moving mini-sequel reuniting stars Rod Taylor and Alan Young in a scene that actually addresses a plot point skipped over in the original. -Kim Newman.

Review Universal / The Criminal (Region 2) (Import)
Actors & Directors
  • Joseph Losey
  • Stanley Baker
  • Margit Saad
  • Sam Wanamaker
  • Grégoire Aslan
  • Jill Bennett
Price: £9.67

Review The Criminal (Region 2) (Import) / Universal:

REGION 2 DVD - DUTCH IMPORT - OFFICIAL UNIVERSAL RELEASE.

Review Alpha Video / The Terror of Tiny Town [1938]
Actors & Directors
  • Little Billy
  • Billy Curtis
  • Sam Newfield
  • Yvonne Moray
  • John Bambury
  • Billy Platt
Release date: 2005-02-22
Run time: 62 min.
Creator: Martin G. Cohn
Price: £2.61

Review The Terror of Tiny Town [1938] / Alpha Video:


Review MPI Home Video / Vendetta for the Saint [1968] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Ian Hendry
  • Jim O'Connolly
  • Roger Moore
  • Rosemary Dexter
  • Aimi MacDonald
  • George Pastell
Release date: 2004-08-31
Run time: 94 min.
Creator: Leslie Charteris
Price: £7.41

Review Vendetta for the Saint [1968] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MPI Home Video:


Review Warner Home Video / Easter Parade [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Charles Walters
  • Fred Astaire
  • Peter Lawford
  • Ann Miller
  • Judy Garland
  • Jules Munshin
Release date: 2005-03-15
Run time: 107 min.
Creator: Albert Hackett
Price: £14.65

Review Easter Parade [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:

One of the finest American musicals, Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me in St Louis is an intentionally self-contained story set in 1903, in which a happy St Louis family is shaken to their roots by the prospect of moving to New York, where the father has a better job pending. Judy Garland heads the cast in what amounts to a splendid, end-of-an-era story that nicely rhymes with the onset of the 20th century. The film is extraordinarily alive, the characters strong and the musical numbers are so splendidly part of the storytelling that you don't feel the film has stopped for an interlude. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. com In Easter Parade, Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) is devastated when his longtime dancing partner, Nadine Hale (Ann Miller), breaks up the team to set out on her own. Determined to prove that he can succeed without her, Astaire vows that he can pick any random chorus girl and make her a star. Fortunately for him, the chorus girl he picks happens to be one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, Judy Garland (playing Hannah Brown). Easter Parade turned out to be the first and only collaboration between the two screen legends. Garland made the 1948 film despite ongoing health problems then had to pull out of a planned follow-up, The Barkleys of Broadway (Ginger Rogers replaced her); Astaire had retired following Blue Skies in 1946 but was brought in for this film as an emergency replacement after Gene Kelly broke his ankle playing touch football. Fortunately, Easter Parade always feels like an Astaire film rather than a Kelly film, from its Pygmalion-esque plot (which helps explain the principals' 23-year age disparity) to its score of Irving Berlin standards (some new, some recycled from earlier films). [+]
The film capitalises on the strengths of both stars, Astaire in dance solos, including "Drum Crazy" and "Steppin' Out with My Baby" (MGM's take on Astaire's earlier, persona-defining "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails"), and Garland in vocal solos, including the torchy "Better Luck Next Time". The stars especially shine, however, when they perform together in their vaudeville numbers, most notably the persona-defying hobo routine "We're a Couple of Swells". -David Horiuchi, Amazon. com.

Release date: 1994-02-07
Run time: 96 min.
Creator: John Creasey
RRP: £10.99
Price: £10.00

Review Gideon's Way - The Firebug / The V Men [1965] / Itc Home Video (UK):


Review Bfi Video / Borderline [1930]
Actors & Directors
  • Eslanda Robeson
  • Paul Robeson
  • Kenneth MacPherson
Release date: 2007-05-07
Run time: 71 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £14.75

Review Borderline [1930] / Bfi Video:


Review 20th Century Fox / The Essential John Ford Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • John Ford
Release date: 2007-12-04
Run time: 716 min.
Price: £26.64

Review The Essential John Ford Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC) / 20th Century Fox:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / The Day The Earth Stood Still [1951]
Actors & Directors
  • Michael Rennie
  • Billy Gray
  • Hugh Marlowe
  • Sam Jaffe
  • Robert Wise
  • Patricia Neal
Release date: 2003-03-03
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: Harry Bates
Price: £9.99

Review The Day The Earth Stood Still [1951] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

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.

Review MGM / Rebecca [1940] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Florence Bates
  • Leonard Carey
  • Judith Anderson
  • Nigel Bruce
  • Billy Bevan
Release date: 2008-10-14
Run time: 131 min.
Creator: Franz Waxman
Price: £9.53

Review Rebecca [1940] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:

"Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again. " From the first classic line of this unforgettable film, Rebecca casts its spell. David O. Selznick brought Alfred Hitchcock to the United States in order to give this adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel the proper atmosphere. The resulting film is a stunning marriage of their sensibilities. It paid off critically and financially as well. Like Gone with the Wind, which Selznick released a year earlier, Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Laurence Olivier stars as Maxim de Winter, who, reeling from the recent and unexpected death of his glamorous wife Rebecca, impulsively marries a young and adoring governess (Joan Fontaine). [+]
The new Mrs de Winter tries to fit into her role as mistress of the great house Manderley, but every step she takes is haunted by Rebecca's spirit. The ghost's brooding presence is personified by the insanely meticulous Mrs Danvers, brilliantly portrayed by Judith Anderson. As Fontaine's character begins to uncover the dark secrets of the de Winter clan, the house seems to take on a life of its own. Passionate love and romance blend seamlessly with typically Hitchcockian emphases on guilt, sexuality and Gothic horror. The production values are stunning and the cast is excellent, down to the least of the supporting players. While Rebecca has enough surprises to captivate even the most jaded of moviegoers, it is also one of those rare films that improves with each viewing. -Raphael Shargel.

Review Warner Home Video / Classic Musicals Collection: Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Charles Walters
  • Judy Garland
  • William Powell
  • George Sidney
  • Joseph Barbera
  • Dave O'Brien
  • Gene Kelly
  • Robert Walker
  • Fred Astaire
  • Lucille Ball
Release date: 2006-04-25
Run time: 559 min.
Price: £26.95

Review Classic Musicals Collection: Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:


Review Warner Home Video / Sergeant York [1941]
Actors & Directors
  • Howard Hawks
  • Walter Brennan
  • Gary Cooper
  • Stanley Ridges
  • Joan Leslie
  • George Tobias
Release date: 2000-02-14
Run time: 129 min.
Creator: Tom Skeyhill
RRP: £9.99
Price: £17.45

Review Sergeant York [1941] / Warner Home Video:


Review Second Sight Films Ltd. / Madame De... [1953]
Actors & Directors
  • Vittorio De Sica
  • Max Ophüls
  • Jean Debucourt
  • Jean Galland
  • Danielle Darrieux
  • Charles Boyer
Release date: 2000-07-10
Run time: 96 min.
Creator: Marcel Achard
RRP: £15.99
Price: £12.60

Review Madame De... [1953] / Second Sight Films Ltd.:


Review Cult Epics / Slogan [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Pierre Doris
  • Jane Birkin
  • Henri-Jacques Huet
  • Daniel Gélin
  • Andréa Parisy
Release date: 2008-09-30
Run time: 90 min.
Creator: Claude Beausoleil
Price: £12.80

Review Slogan [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Cult Epics:


Review Shout Factory/NBC Universal/Vivendi Visual En / Ironside: Season 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Abner Biberman
  • Don Mitchell
  • Charles S. Dubin
  • Anton Leader
  • Allen Reisner
  • Barry Shear
  • Elizabeth Baur
  • Barbara Anderson
  • Don Galloway
  • Raymond Burr
Release date: 2007-10-16
Run time: 1260 min.
Price: £19.55

Review Ironside: Season 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Shout Factory/NBC Universal/Vivendi Visual En:


Review 20th Century Fox / Island in the Sun [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Dorothy Dandridge
  • James Mason
  • Michael Rennie
  • Joan Fontaine
  • Robert Rossen
  • Joan Collins
Release date: 2006-01-10
Run time: 119 min.
Price: £6.34

Review Island in the Sun [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / 20th Century Fox:


Review Anchor Bay / The Alec Guinness Collection [1955] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Dennis Price
  • Valerie Hobson
  • Alec Guinness
  • Anthony Kimmins
  • Charles Crichton
  • Peter Sellers
  • Alexander Mackendrick
  • Joan Greenwood
  • Robert Hamer
Release date: 2002-09-10
Run time: 451 min.
Creator: John Dighton
Price: £18.69

Review The Alec Guinness Collection [1955] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Anchor Bay:


Review Universal Studios / Battle Hymn [1956] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Don DeFore
  • Martha Hyer
  • Dan Duryea
  • Rock Hudson
  • Anna Kashfi
  • Douglas Sirk
Release date: 2004-05-25
Run time: 109 min.
Price: £5.54

Review Battle Hymn [1956] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Universal Studios:


Review Columbia TriStar / Commandos Strike at Dawn [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Lillian Gish
  • Ray Collins
  • John Farrow
  • Anna Lee
  • Cedric Hardwicke
  • Paul Muni
Release date: 2003-05-13
Run time: 98 min.
Creator: Irwin Shaw
Price: £21.95

Review Commandos Strike at Dawn [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Columbia TriStar:


Review MGM / Best Years of Our Lives [1946] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Actors & Directors
  • Teresa Wright
  • Fredric March
  • Virginia Mayo
  • Myrna Loy
  • Dana Andrews
  • William Wyler
Release date: 2000-07-18
Run time: 172 min.
Creator: Robert E. Sherwood
Price: £6.25

Review Best Years of Our Lives [1946] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / MGM:


Models & Brands:
The Time Machine [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Criminal (Region 2) (Import), The Terror of Tiny Town [1938], Vendetta for the Saint [1968] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Easter Parade [1948] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Gideon's Way - The Firebug / The V Men [1965], Borderline [1930], The Essential John Ford Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Day The Earth Stood Still [1951], Rebecca [1940] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Classic Musicals Collection: Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory (REGION 1) (NTSC), Sergeant York [1941], Madame De... [1953], Slogan [1969] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Ironside: Season 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC), Island in the Sun [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Alec Guinness Collection [1955] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Battle Hymn [1956] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Commandos Strike at Dawn [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Best Years of Our Lives [1946] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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