One of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's best-loved series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons brought a new level of realism and sophistication to Century 21's endlessly popular Supermarionation productions. To mark its fiftieth anniversary, the series has been remastered in HD from the original 35mm film elements for this Blu-ray edition – it has never looked better!
The year is 2068; after a misunderstanding leading to an attack on their Martian city, the Mysterons declare war on the inhabitants of Earth. Ranged against this devastatingly powerful enemy is Spectrum, a worldwide security organisation – its leading operative: Captain Scarlet. Having been captured and replicated by the Mysterons, but breaking free of their control, he now possesses extraordinary powers that make him Spectrum's most powerful agent in the fight to save humanity!
On this disc:
The Mysterons Winged Assassin Big Ben Strikes Again Point 783 Manhunt Operation Time Renegade Rocket White as Snow
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Unseen for over fifty years, this exceptionally rare feature sees comedy legend Norman Wisdom at his best playing a naïve explosives expert who finds himself involved with a criminal gang after uncovering nefarious dealings by a prominent industrialist!
Hailed as one of Wisdom's finest films, it was one of two features he made independently, and marked a departure from his more familiar and endlessly popular comic creation, 'the Gump'. Co-starring Alfred Marks and Susannah York, There Was a Crooked Man was directed by the BAFTA-nominated Stuart Burge.
SPECIAL FEATURES: [] Image gallery [] Original promotional PDFs [] Booklet by Norman Wisdom expert Richard Dacre
One of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's best-loved series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons brought a new level of realism and sophistication to Century 21's endlessly popular Supermarionation productions.
Do they mean the video inserts of human hands when they needed a close-up to show puppets handling something? I found that very disturbing. Love when the Captain miraculously survives the explosion on the alien planet and one of his co-pilots remarks, "What a guy!" So absurd on various levels.
Based on the best-selling works of celebrated Victorian and Edwardian writers, this highly popular anthology series features the world-famous consulting detective's fictional rivals – all of whom operate in the fog-shrouded crime capital of London.
Set in the three decades before the Great War, the episodes present individual and perplexing cases featuring the exploits of detectives created by Conan-Doyle's contemporaries, from R. Austin Freeman's forensics pioneer Dr Thorndyke to Jacques Futrelle's "Thinking Machine", Professor Van Dusen, and Arthur Morrison's corrupt but outwardly respectable Horace Dorrington.
This top-flight, BAFTA-winning series attracted an incredible array of talent, including John Neville, Robert Stephens, Peter Vaughan, Roy Dotrice, Donald Pleasence, Ronald Hines, Peter Barkworth, Donald Sinden, John Thaw, Derek Jacobi, Joss Ackland, Jean Marsh, James Bolam and Richard Beckinsale.
This complete set contains all 26 high-quality episodes.
For the audiences of 1961, accustomed to seeing Tony Hancock as a flickering 405-line black and white image, The Rebel must have come as a revelation: there was The Lad Himself, larger than life, on the big screen, in colour. Stone me, who'd have thought it!
Now, in a revelation to modern viewers, The Rebel has been painstakingly restored from the original camera negative, and it looks better than ever; so pristine and clear that it could almost have been released last week. Just don't start looking for errors in the period detail: it really was made in 1960...
As the 1950s came to a close, the career of Tony Hancock was nearing its zenith. With half a decade of successful radio and TV series to his credit it was time to make the move into films, a step that would see Hancock aiming high, with ambitions to make it as an international star. The grandiose ambition of 'The Lad' might well have come straight from the pen of scriptwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, and is certainly reflected in their script for The Rebel. The Hancock persona as seen on screen would have been very familiar to radio and TV audiences: grandiose, but thwarted ambition, followed by the pompous playing-up to his new found fame – and he was afforded plenty of opportunities to deliver the kind of comic routines, facial reactions and vocal nuances that had made him a star.
This rare chance to see Hancock in colour, and against some vivid Parisian backdrops – many shot on location – looks as sumptuous today as it must have done to the cinema audiences of 1960, even moreso in this stunning new restoration. The colour photography is especially suited to scenes such as those at the party of a modern art collector (Dennis Price), whose multi-hued residence would not have looked out of place in an episode of Batman.
Hancock himself is at the top of his comedic game, fresh from his successful run on BBCtv and radio – yet the film is tinged with poignancy at the thought of what might have been, and the tragedy that lay just a few years in the future. When Nanette Newman's blue-lipglossed existentialist asks of Hancock: "why kill time when you can kill yourself?", it's almost an edge-of-the-seat moment as we wait to see his reaction. He considers the remark, before breezily replying: "Yes, it's a point of view. I suppose so."
Initial copies of The Rebel include a limited edition booklet containing the script for The Day Off - what would have been Galton and Simpson's second film for Hancock had he not turned it down.
A true contrarian, Hancock followed up the cosmopolitan Technicolor escapism of The Rebel with a much more muted and low-key character piece. Though The Punch and Judy Man may feel like a step backwards, with its monochromatic look and bittersweet comedy, it is very definitely a companion piece to The Rebel - with which it shares the same themes of individualism, social one-upmanship and a casual disregard for authority. Newly restored in High Definition from the original 35mm camera negative, The Punch and Judy Man hasn't looked this good since its original cinema exhibition in 1962.
Clearly under the influence of the British New Wave, still just about in vogue when the film went into production, and physical character comedians like Chaplin and Tati, Hancock dispensed with long-time writers Galton and Simpson and wrote the script himself, along with broadcaster Philip Oakes (then Hancock's neighbour and, latterly, biographer). As neither were trained scriptwriters, the resulting tale of seaside Punch and Judy man Wally Pinner strikes a somewhat uneven balance between bittersweet comic drama and the more conventional type of droll character comedy for which Hancock had become famous. Without Galton and Simpson's influence Hancock has free reign to pursue his quest of realism, a quality that he felt – not without some justification – to have been lacking in some of his earlier work.
Shot in scintillating black and white by BAFTA award-winning cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (who would go on to be Director of Photography on a little thing called Star Wars), The Punch and Judy Man is a much riskier proposition than The Rebel - which was on rather safe ground and riffed its plot on the much-lauded Poetry Society episode of Hancock's radio show. Its mixture of low-key, character-driven humour, meandering plotline and occasional slapstick create a comedy that's altogether more challenging and somewhat bleaker than anything Hancock had done previously.
The opening scenes are very low-key indeed. Viewers with long memories may spot the conflation of radio programme schedules as Hancock dresses in his bedroom to the accompaniment of weekday staple Housewives' Choice – which is followed by a very recognisable Saturday Club. This leads into a near mute breakfast table scene, intended to convey the stasis into which Wally's marriage to Delia (Sylvia Sims) has collapsed. The first big laugh comes as he vents his frustrations by inserting a small posy of flowers into the backside of a china pig. But scenes such as this are few and far between in a movie that, like its central character, drifts along for the most part in an amiable, if unfocused, fashion.
The film's most celebrated and best remembered scene is also its longest: finding himself in an ice cream parlour in the company of an amiable urchin, Wally orders exactly the same ice cream confection as the lad, and proceeds to follow his every move as he attacks the gargantuan confection (Hancock is reputed to have cleansed his palate with vodka between takes). The blossoming relationship between the two characters looks as if it's going somewhere, but is not pursued beyond this sequence. Instead, the almost plotless script gravitates towards a climactic gala ball celebrating the 60th anniversary of Piltdown-on-Sea, which rapidly becomes a bunfight in the most literal sense.
The supreme irony of The Punch and Judy Man is that its downbeat, provincial mood was exactly what Hancock had been seeking to avoid when he severed his relationship with Galton and Simpson – their proposed script, The Day Off, would have seen his character taking a literal busman's holiday, through a succession of scenes that reads like an early draft of Billy Liar.
The Punch and Judy Man signalled the end of Hancock's ambitions as a film star. Its poor performance meant there would be no further offers of starring vehicles, and his subsequent appearances on celluloid were limited to a couple of cameos in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines and The Wrong Box. 1968 saw him decamp to Australia to recreate the character he'd spent the last eight years trying to run away from, before he finally took the advice of Nanette Newman's character in The Rebel.
Very exited about The Rebel, I was beginning to think it would never be released. Not bothered about The Punch & Judy Man, it was a very odd choice, but Hancock never made any good choices after The Rebel (& look out for Olly Reed in a tiny part as an artist in a Paris Café).
Some years I read a thick bio about Tony Hancock, very enjoyable reading about the forties & fifties (very tough times in the forties, but then everyone was in the same boat), but when I got to the sixties it became very depressing, it was like a long breakdown, one bad decision after another, very bad behaviour & drowning in a sea of alcohol (I don't think even Richard Burton could have kept up with him then). But...we have all those Hancock Half Hour's & The Rebel.
One the most successful British films ever made, this emotionally moving wartime romance was a popular hit on both sides of the Atlantic - where its idyllic imagery did much to influence the public perception of England's green and pleasant land. Starring Anna Neagle, Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger, I Live in Grosvenor Square (US title: A Yank in London) is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its as-exhibited aspect ratio.
Billeted in a ducal mansion in Grosvenor Square, Staff Sgt. John Patterson - late of Flagstaff, Arizona - finds himself very much a fish out of water. Sharing digs with the aforementioned Duke has its ups as well as downs, but when John meets the Duke's lovely granddaughter he's hard-pushed to know which is which!
SPECIAL FEATURES: [] Image gallery [] PDF material
Very exited about The Rebel, I was beginning to think it would never be released. Not bothered about The Punch & Judy Man, it was a very odd choice, but Hancock never made any good choices after The Rebel (& look out for Olly Reed in a tiny part as an artist in a Paris Café).
Some years I read a thick bio about Tony Hancock, very enjoyable reading about the forties & fifties (very tough times in the forties, but then everyone was in the same boat), but when I got to the sixties it became very depressing, it was like a long breakdown, one bad decision after another, very bad behaviour & drowning in a sea of alcohol (I don't think even Richard Burton could have kept up with him then). But...we have all those Hancock Half Hour's & The Rebel.
Hopefully Punch and Judy Man will be the original full length version - previous DVDs have been cut. It's good that unlike the DVDs which were full frame, both films will be in widescreen. Presumably in the absence of primary studio documentation, Network have opted for a ratio of 1.66:1 as they tend to do if they have no information to the contrary, although both films were probably intended for 1.75:1 presentation for UK cinemas; few films were shown in 1.66:1 by the early 1960s. In the US they would have been shown at 1.85:1.
Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough give outstanding performances in this classy British thriller, with Attenborough winning a BAFTA for Best British Actor and Stanley scoring an Oscar nomination. Written and directed by Bryan Forbes - who also won a Writers Guild award, an Edgar and a BAFTA nomination - Seance on a Wet Afternoon is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Myra Savage, a highly-strung spiritual medium, convinces her weak-willed husband to fake a child kidnapping so she can offer her services to the parents when all seems lost. Though horrified at the prospect, he reluctantly goes along with the plan - but becomes more convinced than ever that Myra is losing her grip on reality...
SPECIAL FEATURES [] Memories on a Wet Afternoon – an interview with Bryan Forbes [] audio commentary with Bryan Forbes [] Theatrical trailer [] Image gallery
A rogues gallery of the cream of British acting star in Basil Dearden's much-loved crime caper The League of Gentlemen. Jack Hawkins gives a memorable performance as an embittered former army officer, alongside Roger Livesey, Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough and Bryan Forbes - who also wrote the BAFTA-nominated screenplay. The film is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
After being 'retired' from the army, an ex-Colonel nurtures a bitter resentment at his country's ingratitude. Luckily for him he's not the only one and he assembles a small group of bankrupt or embittered ex-army officers in a bid to stage an ingenious bank robbery.
SPECIAL FEATURES: [] Theatrical trailer [] Commentary with Bryan Forbes [] The South Bank Show: Richard Attenborough [] Image gallery
This hard-hitting portmanteau drama from Michael Relph and Basil Dearden depicts the emotion, excitement and broad humour of one night's boxing at a downmarket London stadium. Starring Jack Warner as the dressing-room attendant who links the stories together – and co-starring Robert Beatty, Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins and Kay Kendall – Ealing Studios' The Square Ring is presented here as a High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Danny Felton, Adam's Stadium's dressing-room "handler" has seen many fighters come and ago, rise and fall – and tonight's line-up is no exception. Up-and-comers, would-be contenders, "comeback kids", champions-in-waiting – out into the ring they go, and back to his dressing-room they return – bruised, batter, chastened or triumphant.
SUITCASE came out some time ago in the US. The theme is very similar to PRISONER.
"The Omega man" is very similar to "The prisoner" (check out the original FSM-CD, track 3 "Surprise party") but Prisoner - Suitcase? Not by a long shot, at least not to me.
This was included in a Criterion dvd collection of Basil Dearden films in USA, although I don't think there's any bonus features. I wish someone would release "The Two-headed spy" starring Jack Hawkins.
SUITCASE came out some time ago in the US. The theme is very similar to PRISONER.
"The Omega man" is very similar to "The prisoner" (check out the original FSM-CD, track 3 "Surprise party") but Prisoner - Suitcase? Not by a long shot, at least not to me.
D.S.
Glad someone else said it first! Apart from both being quite strident and fairly in-your-face, Suitcase and The Prisoner sound NOTHING alike. Don't know what ya got for ears Bruce! And as much as I love The Prisoner theme it doesn't remotely compare for 'catchy' with Suitcase. That latter track is pretty cool in the jazzy/pop stakes.
Then again, I thought there was a choral bit in Leigh Phillips beautiful extra piece on the shiny new Tadlow Dracula release, so what do I know?...
British label Network will add a number of new titles to its Blu-ray catalog in early 2020. Amongst them are: Basil Dearden's The League of Gentlemen (1960) and The Square Ring (1953), Ralph Thomas' The Love Ban (1973), and Michael Winner's Play It Cool (1962).
The League of Gentlemen
Synopsis: A rogues gallery of the cream of British acting star in Basil Dearden's much-loved crime caper The League of Gentlemen. Jack Hawkins gives a memorable performance as an embittered former army officer, alongside Roger Livesey, Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough and Bryan Forbes - who also wrote the BAFTA-nominated screenplay. The film is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
After being 'retired' from the army, an ex-Colonel nurtures a bitter resentment at his country's ingratitude. Luckily for him he's not the only one and he assembles a small group of bankrupt or embittered ex-army officers in a bid to stage an ingenious bank robbery.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Audio commentary with Bryan Forbes The South Bank Show: Richard Attenborough Theatrical trailer Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 13.
The Love Ban
Synopsis: A rumbustious sex comedy from Ralph Thomas (Deadlier Than the Male) and Betty Box, The Love Ban (aka It's a 2'6" Above the Ground World) stars Hywel Bennett and Nanette Newman as an enthusiastically procreative couple with a family planning problem! Based on the hit stage play – and also featuring Nicky Henson and John Cleese – it is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Young married couple Kate and Mick have a problem – Mick's beliefs forbid him to practice birth control but after six children in eight years Kate has had enough and draws the line! Turned out of his own bed, Mick's erotically charged fantasy life begins to take over...
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.
Play It Cool
Synopsis: Featuring the big-screen debut of Liverpudlian pop idol Billy Fury – 'Britain's Elvis Presley' – this charming, pre-Beatles-era musical feature was among Michael Winner's earliest films. A 1962 box-office hit spawning a Top-Ten single and EP, Play It Cool features cameos from some of the most recognisable stars of the Sixties, with Bobby Vee, Helen Shapiro and Shane Fenton (aka Alvin Stardust) among the artistes encountered by Fury and his fictional band. The film is presented here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements.
Billy Universe and the Satellites, a happy-go-lucky rhythm and twist group, are en route to Brussels to compete in a song contest; on the same flight is Ann Bryant, who's being sent abroad by her wealthy father to try to curb her infatuation with disreputable popster Larry Granger. When fog forces the plane to return to the airport, Billy and friends persuade Ann to join them in the West End, where they will search for Larry. What follows is a whirlwind musical tour of London's nightclubs!
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Theatrical Trailer Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon
Synopsis: Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough give outstanding performances in this classy British thriller, with Attenborough winning a BAFTA for Best British Actor and Stanley scoring an Oscar nomination. Written and directed by Bryan Forbes - who also won a Writers Guild award, an Edgar and a BAFTA nomination - Seance on a Wet Afternoon is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Myra Savage, a highly-strung spiritual medium, convinces her weak-willed husband to fake a child kidnapping so she can offer her services to the parents when all seems lost. Though horrified at the prospect, he reluctantly goes along with the plan - but becomes more convinced than ever that Myra is losing her grip on reality...
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Audio commentary with Bryan Forbes Memories on a Wet Afternoon – an interview with Bryan Forbes Theatrical trailer Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 13.
The Duke Wore Jeans
Synopsis: British pop icon Tommy Steele stars in a wonderfully exuberant musical comedy as a Cockney who wins the heart of a princess when he poses as an aristocrat! Featuring songs written by Lionel Bart, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) star Mike Pratt and Steele himself, The Duke Wore Jeans' soundtrack album scored a number one hit in 1958. The film is presented here as a High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
When the son of an impoverished aristocrat is manoeuvred into a potential arranged marriage under guise of selling access to their famous prize bull, he finds salvation in a chance meeting with a chirpy Cockney lad who happens to be his exact likeness...
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Theatrical trailer Image galley PDF material Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.
Man in an Orange Shirt
Synopsis: This captivating drama from the makers of Broadchurch and Apple Tree Yard explores forbidden wartime love – vividly contrasted with a present-day romance nearly derailed by the consequences of the 1940s tale with which it is so intertwined. Written by best-selling author Patrick Gale, Man in an Orange Shirt features an exciting cast of outstanding young stars alongside Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave.
Southern Italy, 1944: As chaos reigns all around them, British Army Captain Michael Berryman meets war artist Thomas March. Despite having a young fiancée, Flora, straight-laced Michael finds himself falling for Thomas' bohemian charms; their relationship, however, is made impossible by societal pressures.
2017: In a more accepting world, an ageing Flora looks on as her grandson Adam tentatively forms a relationship with his client Steve. But while the external obstacles have fallen away, a minefield of internalised issues and dangerous temptations still line the road to happiness...
STREET DATE: JANUARY 13.
The Square Ring
Synopsis: This hard-hitting portmanteau drama from Michael Relph and Basil Dearden depicts the emotion, excitement and broad humour of one night's boxing at a downmarket London stadium. Starring Jack Warner as the dressing-room attendant who links the stories together – and co-starring Robert Beatty, Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins and Kay Kendall – Ealing Studios' The Square Ring is presented here as a High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Danny Felton, Adam's Stadium's dressing-room "handler" has seen many fighters come and ago, rise and fall – and tonight's line-up is no exception. Up-and-comers, would-be contenders, "comeback kids", champions-in-waiting – out into the ring they go, and back to his dressing-room they return – bruised, batter, chastened or triumphant.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 27.
Cottage To Let
Synopsis: Leslie Banks stars alongside Alastair Sim, John Mills and a very young George Cole in this thrilling wartime espionage drama from award-winning director Anthony Asquith. Adapted from Geoffrey Kerr's smash West End play (which also starred Banks, Sim and Cole), Cottage to Let is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Working in secret for the Air Ministry at his remote country house laboratory, John Barrington is key to the ongoing war effort against the Nazis. Barrington's household, however, has been infiltrated by enemy agents - who plan to take him back to Berlin as prisoner.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 27.
The Iron Maiden
Synopsis: Aviation designer Jack Hopkins is notably absent from his creation's latest test flight. He is, in fact, many miles away indulging his greatest passion: an old showman's traction engine called The Iron Maiden! Jack has his heart set on entering the prestigious Annual Steam Rally at Woburn Abbey, but hadn't reckoned on some fierce and devious opposition!
Michael Craig is the engineering genius whose hobby spells trouble for boss Cecil Parker, with Alan Hale Jr. as the tycoon who eventually comes to share his passion in this stellar comedy from Carry On's Gerald Thomas. The Iron Maiden is presented here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION UK and foreign trailer material Alternative U.S. Titles (mute) Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 27.
I Live in Grosvenor Square (US Title: A Yank in London)
Synopsis: One of the most successful British films ever made, this emotionally moving wartime romance was a popular hit on both sides of the Atlantic – where its idyllic imagery did much to influence the public perception of England's green and pleasant land. Starring Anna Neagle, Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger, I Live in Grosvenor Square is presented here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its as-exhibited aspect ratio.
Billeted in a ducal mansion in Grosvenor Square, Staff Sgt. John Patterson – late of Flagstaff, Arizona – finds himself very much a fish out of water. Sharing digs with the aforementioned Duke has its ups as well as downs, but when John meets the Duke's lovely granddaughter he's hard-pushed to know which is which!
Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: JANUARY 27.
British label Network Releasing has announced that it will add a number of new titles to its Blu-ray catalog. Amongst them are Ralph Thomas' Some Girls Do (1969), Seth Holt's Station Six-Sahara (1963), and Michael Tuchner's Wilt (1989).
Some Girls Do
Synopsis: Richard Johnson returns as Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond in this action-packed take on the exploits of H.C. McNeile's famous fictional hero - this time with an added dose of late '60s whimsy when Drummond comes up against a gang of armed, gorgeous fembots! Some Girls Do is presented here as a new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original aspect ratio.
Drummond is hot on the trail of his nemesis, the devious Carl Petersen, who is hell-bent on sabotaging the new British fighter airplane. Peterson must be stopped - whatever the cost - but this time he's protected by a bodyguard of murderous female androids! Directed by Ralph Thomas (Deadlier Than the Male).
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Extensive Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Station Six-Sahara
Synopsis: Oscar-nominated Carroll Baker gives a memorable performance as a manipulative vamp in this erotically-charged, X-rated thriller written by Bryan Forbes and Brian Clemens and stylishly directed by Seth Holt. Co-starring Ian Bannen, Denholm Elliott and German character actor Peter van Eyck, Station Six Sahara is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film element in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Five dysfunctional individuals man an isolated oil pipeline station in the Sahara, their mutual contempt only overshadowed by their desire for female company. Without warning, a car drives out of the desert night and crashes in front of the station - the driver is badly injured but the passenger, a gorgeous blonde, stirs up the tension amongst the men to unbearable levels.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Extensive Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 10.
The Fast Lady
Synopsis: James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter give lively performances in this highly popular comedy from the early 1960s. Prominently featuring Julie Christie in a very early role, The Fast Lady is featured here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Fervent cyclist Murdoch Troon is run unceremoniously off the road by impatient car-driving tycoon Charles Chingford. While tracking down Chingford to give him a piece of his mind, Murdoch falls for his beautiful, car-mad daughter and finds himself talked into buying a 1927 vintage Red Label Speed Bentley in order to impress her! But first, he has to learn how to drive...
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 24.
Father Came Too!
Synopsis: James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter star in this hilarious (though somewhat loose) sequel to The Fast Lady! Featuring a remarkable array of comedy talent – including Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Cope, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd – Father Came Too! is featured here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Newlyweds Dexter and Juliet Munro purchase a ramshackle cottage in order to escape her overbearing father, Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Beverly Grant. But Sir Beverley soon turns up on the doorstep, determined to "help"... and the incompetent builder and his skiffling workmates hired by his son-in-law quickly earn the full force of his temper!
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 24.
Contraband Spain
Synopsis: Richard Greene stars as an FBI agent hot on the trail of his brother's killer in this thrilling crime drama from the mid '50s. Made concurrently with Greene's phenomenally successful TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, Contraband Spain also stars Anouk Aimée and Michael Denison. It is is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
A member of a smuggling gang is found murdered on the Franco-Spanish border with counterfeit bills in his pocket. Agent Lee Scott – the dead smuggler's brother – is assigned to investigate.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Wilt
Synopsis: Henry Wilt spends his evenings walking his dog and fantasising about murdering his domineering wife, Eva. Whilst incredibly drunk at a party, Wilt's entanglement with a life-size inflatable doll ends with him dumping it in a convenient hole at a building site. The following morning, when Eva cannot be found, Wilt's activities attract the suspicion of the dogged Inspector Flint of Norwich CID, who firmly believes that Mrs Wilt is now pushing up twenty tons of pre-mixed concrete...
Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith star as the hapless Wilt and his single-minded pursuer in this classic comedy film, adapted from Tom Sharpe's outrageously funny novel by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick. Co-starring Alison Steadman and Diana Quick, Wilt is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Archival interviews Archival on-location footage Theatrical trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 10.
The Square Ring
Synopsis: This hard-hitting portmanteau drama from Michael Relph and Basil Dearden depicts the emotion, excitement and broad humour of one night's boxing at a downmarket London stadium. Starring Jack Warner as the dressing-room attendant who links the stories together – and co-starring Robert Beatty, Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins and Kay Kendall – Ealing Studios' The Square Ring is presented here as a High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Danny Felton, Adam's Stadium's dressing-room "handler" has seen many fighters come and ago, rise and fall – and tonight's line-up is no exception. Up-and-comers, would-be contenders, "comeback kids", champions-in-waiting – out into the ring they go, and back to his dressing-room they return – bruised, batter, chastened or triumphant.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 3.
SUITCASE came out some time ago in the US. The theme is very similar to PRISONER.
"The Omega man" is very similar to "The prisoner" (check out the original FSM-CD, track 3 "Surprise party") but Prisoner - Suitcase? Not by a long shot, at least not to me.
D.S.
Glad someone else said it first! Apart from both being quite strident and fairly in-your-face, Suitcase and The Prisoner sound NOTHING alike. Don't know what ya got for ears Bruce! And as much as I love The Prisoner theme it doesn't remotely compare for 'catchy' with Suitcase. That latter track is pretty cool in the jazzy/pop stakes.
Then again, I thought there was a choral bit in Leigh Phillips beautiful extra piece on the shiny new Tadlow Dracula release, so what do I know?...
If u can't hear a similarity between the TITLE THEME of the two shows I suggest digital hearing aids.
British label Network Releasing has announced that it will add a number of new titles to its Blu-ray catalog. Amongst them are Ralph Thomas' Some Girls Do (1969), Seth Holt's Station Six-Sahara (1963), and Michael Tuchner's Wilt (1989).
Some Girls Do
Synopsis: Richard Johnson returns as Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond in this action-packed take on the exploits of H.C. McNeile's famous fictional hero - this time with an added dose of late '60s whimsy when Drummond comes up against a gang of armed, gorgeous fembots! Some Girls Do is presented here as a new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original aspect ratio.
Drummond is hot on the trail of his nemesis, the devious Carl Petersen, who is hell-bent on sabotaging the new British fighter airplane. Peterson must be stopped - whatever the cost - but this time he's protected by a bodyguard of murderous female androids! Directed by Ralph Thomas (Deadlier Than the Male).
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Extensive Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Station Six-Sahara
Synopsis: Oscar-nominated Carroll Baker gives a memorable performance as a manipulative vamp in this erotically-charged, X-rated thriller written by Bryan Forbes and Brian Clemens and stylishly directed by Seth Holt. Co-starring Ian Bannen, Denholm Elliott and German character actor Peter van Eyck, Station Six Sahara is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film element in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Five dysfunctional individuals man an isolated oil pipeline station in the Sahara, their mutual contempt only overshadowed by their desire for female company. Without warning, a car drives out of the desert night and crashes in front of the station - the driver is badly injured but the passenger, a gorgeous blonde, stirs up the tension amongst the men to unbearable levels.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Extensive Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 10.
The Fast Lady
Synopsis: James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter give lively performances in this highly popular comedy from the early 1960s. Prominently featuring Julie Christie in a very early role, The Fast Lady is featured here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Fervent cyclist Murdoch Troon is run unceremoniously off the road by impatient car-driving tycoon Charles Chingford. While tracking down Chingford to give him a piece of his mind, Murdoch falls for his beautiful, car-mad daughter and finds himself talked into buying a 1927 vintage Red Label Speed Bentley in order to impress her! But first, he has to learn how to drive...
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 24.
Father Came Too!
Synopsis: James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter star in this hilarious (though somewhat loose) sequel to The Fast Lady! Featuring a remarkable array of comedy talent – including Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Cope, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd – Father Came Too! is featured here as a brand-new High Definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Newlyweds Dexter and Juliet Munro purchase a ramshackle cottage in order to escape her overbearing father, Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Beverly Grant. But Sir Beverley soon turns up on the doorstep, determined to "help"... and the incompetent builder and his skiffling workmates hired by his son-in-law quickly earn the full force of his temper!
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Theatrical Trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 24.
Contraband Spain
Synopsis: Richard Greene stars as an FBI agent hot on the trail of his brother's killer in this thrilling crime drama from the mid '50s. Made concurrently with Greene's phenomenally successful TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, Contraband Spain also stars Anouk Aimée and Michael Denison. It is is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
A member of a smuggling gang is found murdered on the Franco-Spanish border with counterfeit bills in his pocket. Agent Lee Scott – the dead smuggler's brother – is assigned to investigate.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Wilt
Synopsis: Henry Wilt spends his evenings walking his dog and fantasising about murdering his domineering wife, Eva. Whilst incredibly drunk at a party, Wilt's entanglement with a life-size inflatable doll ends with him dumping it in a convenient hole at a building site. The following morning, when Eva cannot be found, Wilt's activities attract the suspicion of the dogged Inspector Flint of Norwich CID, who firmly believes that Mrs Wilt is now pushing up twenty tons of pre-mixed concrete...
Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith star as the hapless Wilt and his single-minded pursuer in this classic comedy film, adapted from Tom Sharpe's outrageously funny novel by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick. Co-starring Alison Steadman and Diana Quick, Wilt is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Archival interviews Archival on-location footage Theatrical trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 10.
The Square Ring
Synopsis: This hard-hitting portmanteau drama from Michael Relph and Basil Dearden depicts the emotion, excitement and broad humour of one night's boxing at a downmarket London stadium. Starring Jack Warner as the dressing-room attendant who links the stories together – and co-starring Robert Beatty, Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins and Kay Kendall – Ealing Studios' The Square Ring is presented here as a High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Danny Felton, Adam's Stadium's dressing-room "handler" has seen many fighters come and ago, rise and fall – and tonight's line-up is no exception. Up-and-comers, would-be contenders, "comeback kids", champions-in-waiting – out into the ring they go, and back to his dressing-room they return – bruised, batter, chastened or triumphant.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION Image galley Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 3.
British label Network has officially announced its March batch of Blu-ray releases. Amongst them are: Man at the Top (1973), Room 43 (1958), and Alfie Darling (1975).
Room 43 a.k.a. Passport to Shame
Synopsis: A superior sexploitation thriller showcasing fiery performances from both Herbert Lom (as a sinister pimp) and Diana Dors (as one of his workers), Passport to Shame was the feature directorial debut for BAFTA-nominated Alvin Rakoff. With camerawork from Nicolas Roeg and a memorable performance from Odile Versois as the innocent caught up in a life of crime, it is presented here as a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Vicki, a young French girl on the run from the Parisian police, arrives in London. Believing herself to be safe, she is horrified to discover that Nick - a violent, scheming pimp - has designs on making her the latest acquisition to his "girls of the night"...
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 23.
Man at the Top
Synopsis: Kenneth Haigh, Nanette Newman and Harry Andrews give memorable performances in this hard-hitting film which traces the progress of Joe Lampton, the aggressively ambitious protagonist of John Braine's Room at the Top. Offering a grittier treatment than both the 1959 film adaptation and the early '70s television series that followed, Man at the Top is featured here in a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
Northerner Joe Lampton becomes involved with Lord Ackerman, the powerful chairman of a pharmaceutical concern, his beautiful wife Alex and daughter Robin. But trouble starts when Joe is made Managing Director of one of Ackerman's companies and makes a shocking discovery: his predecessor committed suicide.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Fullscreen version Music suite of Roy Budd's original score Theatrical trailer Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 2.
Keep Fit
Synopsis: One of the successful run of pre-war Ealing comedies that secured George Formby's enduring popularity with the British public, Keep Fit sees everyone's favourite gawp trying, once again, to win the girl of his dreams! It is presented here as a High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Gormless George, a feeble department store barber's assistant, has a thing for attractive manicurist Joan. Hector, his rival for Joan's attention, is a handsome, moustache-sporting man-about-town who is no stranger to playing dirty tricks. When scrawny George becomes mistakenly involved in a local fitness campaign, he finds himself competing against the caddish Hector for his true love's affections!
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Extensive Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 16.
Home at Seven
Synopsis: Reprising his role in R.C. Sherriff's West End stage hit, Ralph Richardson stars as a staid London bank clerk whose inexplicable amnesia leaves him without an alibi in the aftermath of a murder; Jack Hawkins co-stars as his doctor alongside Margaret Leighton his equally perplexed wife.
Home at Seven saw Richardson taking on the mantle of director for the first and only time in his career – the result is a taut, compellingly human drama with a gripping sense of mystery. It is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from the original film elements and its original theatrical aspect ratio.
When David Preston returns home at seven, his distraught wife tells him that he did not come home at seven – or at any other time – the previous evening. David recalls nothing between the time he left the bank on Monday and his arrival home that following evening and his doctor is inclined at first to treat it lightly. Then everything changes when it emerges that during his 'lost day', a murder and robbery took place..
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 2.
Alfie Darling
Synopsis: Sixties icon Alfie Elkins makes a ribald return appearance in this sequel to the classic comedy-drama that shot Michael Caine to stardom. Alan Price stars as the Jack-the-Lad with an over-active libido alongside Jill Townsend, Hannah Gordon, Rula Lenska and Joan Collins. Alfie Darling is presented here as a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Alfie makes a good living driving huge trucks across Europe, with a girl hidden away in every place he visits - as well as some along the way! Then he meets cool, aloof Abby, who resists his charms - but Alfie was never one to shy away from a challenge!
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 9.
The Mind Benders
Synopsis: Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure and John Clements give compelling performances in this tense, memorable thriller from BAFTA-winning director Basil Dearden. Tinged with Cold War paranoia but featuring, at its core, a very human drama, The Mind Benders is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
When experimental physiologist Professor Sharpey commits suicide, security officer Major Hall suspects treasonous motives. Deeply shocked at the accusation, Sharpey's partner sets out to prove that their sensory deprivation experiments were responsible - by experimenting on himself!
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Theatrical trailer Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 2.
The Man in the Iron Mask
Synopsis: Following the success of The Count of Monte-Cristo, Richard Chamberlain once again stars in a thrilling adaptation of another classic tale from Alexandre Dumas. Directed by Mike Newell and showcasing a memorable performance from co-star Patrick McGoohan, The Man in the Iron Mask also features Louis Jourdan, Jenny Agutter, Ian Holm and Ralph Richardson. It is presented here as a High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
Abducted and imprisoned, Phillipe is unaware that he's the rightful heir to the throne of France. While Phillipe was spirited away at birth by the treacherous and manipulative Fouquet, his twin brother Louis has grown into an easily manipulated spendthrift who is unconcerned for the welfare of the country. Phillipe's freedom now depends on the skill and bravery of the Captain of Musketeers – the legendary D'Artagnan!
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Theatrical trailer Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 9.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Synopsis: Richard Chamberlain leads an all-star cast in this stirring adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic tale of injustice, revenge and retribution. Co-starring Trevor Howard, Louis Jourdan, Donald Pleasence and Tony Curtis, The Count of Monte-Cristo is presented here as a High Definition transfer from the original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.
It is the height of the Napoleonic era and, for Edmond Dantes, things are looking up - with an impending marriage and a promotion to captain his own ship. But when three men falsely accuse him of conspiring with Napoleon he is sentenced to an agonising life on the isolated island fortress of Monte-Cristo, kept going only by his overwhelming desire for revenge.
Special Features and Technical Specs: BRAND NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM Image gallery Theatrical trailer Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature STREET DATE: MARCH 9.
