Eddington, Paul

Adventures of Robin Hood - Complete First Season

This classic television series ran from 1955 to 1960, featuring the tales of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. Richard Greene stars as our gallant hero who fought the forces of the evil Prince John, his local official the Sheriff of Nottingham and any aristocrat or ne'er-do-well who threatened the common people and loyal subjects of King Richard. Robin and his band lived in the shelter of Sherwood Forest, fighting their foes and hoping for the day when their beloved King Richard will return from the Crusades to rule once again. Starring Richard Greene, Alexander Gauge, Simone Lovell (1955 - 1960) B&W Unrated

Marple Classic Mysteries (Caribbean Mystery/4:50 from Paddington/Moving Finger/Nemesis/At Bertram's Hotel/Murder at Vicarage/Sleeping Murder/They Do It with Mirrors/Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side)

Joan Hickson is the epitome of Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth in this DVD boxed set of nine Miss Marple movies from British television. "Little grey-haired cobra," mutters Detective Inspector Slack (David Horovitch), the hard-slogging policeman who finds himself humbled, again and again, by the frail woman's shrewd insight and dogged determination. Whether on a tropical island, in a grand hotel, or on a bus tour of historic sites, Miss Marple never fails to uncover the buried secrets, illicit affairs, tangled finances, and boorish Americans that abound in Agatha Christie's mysteries. Hickson is said to be Christie's own choice for the role (though when Christie told her this, Hickson was taken aback, as she was still fairly young at the time), and it's easy to see why: Hickson is physically unassuming, a perfect village busybody, yet her eyes contain a constant flicker of curiosity and keen intelligence.

This set includes all but three of Hickson's outings as Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery, in which an old bore's death on an island resort sets the plot in motion; The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side, which features an aging movie star and sumptuous marble bathrooms; in 4:50 from Paddington, the launch of Sputnik is accompanied by a strangling on a train; The Moving Finger begins with poison pen letters, but poison and bludgeonings soon follow; At Bertram's Hotel is one of the most unusual stories, as murder doesn't happen until more than 3/4 of the movie has unfolded, and the ending features a dynamic rooftop chase; Murder at the Vicarage, a definitive village mystery which finds Miss Marple solving a killing on her home turf; Nemesis, in which a wealthy old friend of Miss Marple's orchestrates, after his own death, the investigation of a murder long gone cold; Sleeping Murder, one of the best, starts out as more of a ghost story than a mystery and culminates in genuine suspense; and They Do It With Mirrors, in which misdirection--the cunning art upon which any murder mystery depends--is part of the plot itself.

There are a few famous names sprinkled among the casts (among them Donald Pleasance, Halloween, Jean Simmons, Spartacus, and Joan Greenwood, The Importance of Being Earnest, who has one of the most wonderful voices in the history of British cinema), but these BBC dramas depend mostly on solid, enjoyable character actors--actors much like Hickson herself, who labored for decades in bit parts before finding her plum role. The compression necessary to turn a book into a movie sometimes makes sussing out the murderer simpler, but fans of the genre will still be delighted by Miss Marple's perceptive investigations. --Bret Fetzer

Return to post-war England for mystery and a cup of tea with Agatha Christie s most popular creation. The consummate prim and proper crime-fighting spinster, Miss Jane Marple sets down her knitting needles to unwind the most ingenious crimes. As she travels from city to countryside and even the Bahamas, murders, missing bodies and haunted dreams have a habit of falling across Miss Marple s path--which is precisely when, "tail up and head down," the beloved aunt and godmother goes into action. Digitally re-mastered and faithfully adapted from Agatha Christie s best-selling novels, THE CLASSIC MYSTERIES COLLECTION features Joan Hickson (Christie s personal choice to play the spinster sleuth) in over fifteen hours of suspense, misdirection, rich period detail, and the cleverest solutions imaginable. DVD Features: Complete Index of all Miss Marple Stories; Agatha Christie Bio; Joan Hickson Biography/Filmography; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

System Requirements:

Yes, Prime Minister - The Complete Collection

Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's superb sitcom Yes, Prime Minister entered 10 Downing Street with Jim Hacker now Prime Minister of Britain, following a campaign to "Save the British Sausage." Whether tackling defense ("The Grand Design"), local government ("Power to the People"), or the National Education Service, all of Jim Hacker's bold plans for reform generally come to nothing, thanks to the machinations of Nigel Hawthorne's complacent Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey (Jeeves to Hacker's Wooster) who opposes any action of any sort on the part of the PM altogether. This is usually achieved by discreet horse-trading. In "One of Us," for instance, Hacker relents from implementing defense cuts when he is presented with the embarrassingly large bill he ran up in a vote-catching mission to rescue a stray dog on an army firing range. Only in "The Tangled Web," the final episode of series 2, does the PM at last turn the tables on Sir Humphrey. Paul Eddington is a joy as Hacker, whether in mock-Churchillian mode or visibly cowering whenever he is congratulated on a "courageous" idea. Jay and Lynn's script, meanwhile, is a dazzlingly Byzantine exercise in wordplay, wittily reflecting the verbiage-to-substance ratio of politics. Ironically, Yes, Prime Minister is an accurate depiction of practically all political eras except its own, the 1980s, when Thatcher successfully carried out a radical program regardless of harrumphing senior civil servants. --David Stubbs

In an unlikely chain of events, Jim Hacker emerges as the most viable candidate for his party's next Prime Minister. Now that he gets his own car and driver, a nice house in London, a place in the country, endless publicity and a pension for life, what more does he want? Bernard: I think he wants to govern Britain. Sir Humphrey: Well, stop him, Bernard! Named one of the Top Ten TV programs of all time by the British Film Institute, this brilliantly observed comedy of manners pits the well-meaning Prime Minister Jim Hacker against the machinations of the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, in the ultimate political marriage of inconvenience. Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors) stars as Jim Hacker and Academy Award nominee Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George) first drew wide notice in the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby.

The Camomile Lawn

Immensely popular when originally broadcast on Britain's Channel Four in 1992, The Camomile Lawn offers ample proof that British TV drama rises well above American TV in terms of sophistication, maturity, and literary influence. Faithfully adapted by Ken Taylor (The Jewel in the Crown) from the novel by Mary Wesley, this five-part wartime drama bears some thematic and structural resemblance to The Big Chill (in both films, a burial serves as a reunion for long-time friends) and chronicles a variety of secrets, lies, and passions among a close-knit group of relatives in Cornwall, just as World War II begins in 1939. The funeral that frames this fond reminiscence takes place in 1984, and it sparks fond memories of "the Camomile Lawn" at the cliff-side home of Aunt Helena and Uncle Richard (Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington, reunited from the hit Brit-com Good Neighbors), so named because its fresh scent is a reminder of happier times before the war. Among the five cousins whose lives are deeply affected by the war, the dramatic focus remains on young Sophy (superbly played by Rebecca Hall, and in later scenes by Claire Bloom) and the deliberately mercenary Calypso (Jennifer Ehle), who marries for money and finds love--or at least sex--with whomever she pleases while her husband's away in battle.

For a series that features ample nudity, sexual indiscretions, and surprisingly frank treatments of alcoholism, adultery, and rape, The Camomile Lawn remains entirely respectable in the way it weaves passion and pain into a cohesive, engrossing drama, rich in humor and humanity while discreetly handling less savory aspects of its characters' behavior. Also featuring Claire Bloom and Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off) in one of her earliest starring roles, the series develops its characters so effectively that the emotional impact of the war becomes a powerful bond between them, and we experience their joys and sorrows as intensely as they do. Best of all, Taylor's teleplay is blessed by abundant wit and humor--the best defense against the melancholy of war--and director Peter Hall guides his stellar cast with impeccable attention to details of character and context. The result is a very satisfying and richly authentic portrait of privileged England on the brink of war and personal tragedy, imbued with a resilient richness of spirit. A screen-text biography of author Mary Wesley is included (she was already in her seventies when her first novel was published), along with cast and crew filmographies. --Jeff Shannon

It's August 1939 and five cousins gather at their uncle's big house on the Cornish coast. The imminence of war charges the air as they frolic on the fragrant lawn and tempt fate on the terrifying cliffs that one last sultry summer. Returning to the house nearly half a century later for a funeral, they recall how the war rearranged their lives and brought them suffering, sex, and love.

This lusty, darkly humorous drama reunites Good Neighbors co-stars Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington. Also starring Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice), Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed Off!), Rosemary Harris, Claire Bloom, and Nicholas le Prevost. Faithfully adapted from Mary Wesley's beloved novel by Ken Taylor, who also adapted The Jewel in the Crown for television.

Yes Minister - The Complete Collection

The elegant sitcom-cum-farce-cum-sophisticated political satire Yes, Minister sets off Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker, Minister for Administrative Affairs, against Nigel Hawthorne's discreetly obstructive civil servant Sir Humphrey. The pilot episode, "Open Government," is curious in that it contains opening and closing credits different from and distinctly inferior to the rest of the series. You also sense that Mrs. Hacker was originally intended to have a larger role, with comedy focusing on the clash between political and domestic commitments, until the writers wisely decided to focus on the stand-off between Jim and Sir Humphrey, with Derek Fowlds's mousy private secretary Bernard making occasional interjections.

While Sir Humphrey is at times a little too sinister for sitcom consumption, all the series' classic features quickly show up: Hacker's occasional Churchillian bombast, followed by panicky double takes when flummoxed, and Sir Humphrey's unflappable verbosity as he brings the dead weight of civil service bureaucracy to bear against Hacker's naively optimistic schemes for open government and slashing red tape in episodes like "The Economy Drive." It's ironic that when Yes, Minister was first screened in the '80s, it was during the rampages of early Thatcherism in which government had never been less like the ineffectual politicking satirized here. --David Stubbs

In politics, you have to really get behind somebody before you can stab them in the back! Named one of the Top Ten TV programs of all time by the British Film Institute, this brilliantly observed comedy of manners pits the well-meaning Jim Hacker, a newly appointed Cabinet Minister, against the machinations of a career civil servant, Sir Humphrey Appleby, in the ultimate political marriage of inconvenience. Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors) stars as the The Right Honorable Jim Hacker, a role that was written especially for him, and Academy Award nominee Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George) first drew wide notice in the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby. Yes Minister is the first - and only - series to win the British Academy Award for Best Comedy three years running.

Yes, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister 2-Pak

Yes, Minister
The elegant sitcom-cum-farce-cum-sophisticated political satire Yes, Minister sets off Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker, Minister for Administrative Affairs, against Nigel Hawthorne's discreetly obstructive civil servant Sir Humphrey. The pilot episode, "Open Government," is curious in that it contains opening and closing credits different from and distinctly inferior to the rest of the series. You also sense that Mrs. Hacker was originally intended to have a larger role, with comedy focusing on the clash between political and domestic commitments, until the writers wisely decided to focus on the stand-off between Jim and Sir Humphrey, with Derek Fowlds's mousy private secretary Bernard making occasional interjections. While Sir Humphrey is at times a little too sinister for sitcom consumption, all the series' classic features quickly show up: Hacker's occasional Churchillian bombast, followed by panicky double-takes when flummoxed, and Sir Humphrey's unflappable verbosity as he brings the dead weight of civil service bureaucracy to bear against Hacker's naively optimistic schemes for open government and slashing red tape in episodes like "The Economy Drive." It's ironic that when Yes, Minister was first screened in the '80s, it was during the rampages of early Thatcherism in which government had never been less like the ineffectual politicking satirized here.
Yes, Prime Minister
Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's superb sitcom Yes, Prime Minister entered 10 Downing Street with Jim Hacker now Prime Minister of Britain, following a campaign to "Save the British Sausage." Whether tackling defense ("The Grand Design"), local government ("Power to the People"), or the National Education Service, all of Jim Hacker's bold plans for reform generally come to nothing, thanks to the machinations of Nigel Hawthorne's complacent Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey (Jeeves to Hacker's Wooster) who opposes any action of any sort on the part of the PM altogether. This is usually achieved by discreet horse-trading. In "One of Us," for instance, Hacker relents from implementing defense cuts when he is presented with the embarrassingly large bill he ran up in a vote-catching mission to rescue a stray dog on an army firing range. Only in "The Tangled Web," the final episode of series 2, does the PM at last turn the tables on Sir Humphrey. Paul Eddington is a joy as Hacker, whether in mock-Churchillian mode or visibly cowering whenever he is congratulated on a "courageous" idea. Jay and Lynn's script, meanwhile, is a dazzlingly Byzantine exercise in wordplay, wittily reflecting the verbiage-to-substance ratio of politics. Ironically, Yes, Prime Minister is an accurate depiction of practically all political eras except its own, the 1980s, when Thatcher successfully carried out a radical program regardless of harrumphing senior civil servants. --David Stubbs

Named to the Top Ten TV programs of all time by the British Film Institute, these brilliantly observed comedies of manners pit the well-meaning Jim Hacker, Cabinet Minister and then Prime Minister, against the machinations of a career civil servant, Sir H

Miss Marple, Set 2 (The Moving Finger / Nemesis / Murder at the Vicarage / At Bertram's Hotel / They Do It with Mirrors)

The Devil Rides Out/Rasputin the Mad Monk

Good Neighbors - The Complete Final Season / Royal Command Performance

Here are the final seven episodes of the 1970s British comedy series, Good Neighbors (entitled The Good Life in England), a show that brilliantly captures the Zeitgeist of the '70s. The Goods, who quit the rat race for a life of subsistence farming, are next-door neighbors to the Ledbetters, some of the fastest rat-race runners around. At first, Margot and Jerry Ledbetter are horrified to see Tom and Barbara Good turn their tiny yard into a series of animal pens and vegetable gardens. But by the final episodes, the two couples have learned how to tolerate their differences and are the best of friends. There's an endless source of humor in this classic dichotomy of rich versus poor, snooty versus earthy. "Troglodytes!" the Ledbetters slam the Goods. "Gracious livers!" the Goods retaliate. There is also an abundant supply of silly scenes involving the Goods' suburban menagerie. The episode in which their chicken boards a passing bus goes delightfully over the edge. The British have always had a wonderful knack for poking fun at themselves, and this knack reaches a pinnacle in statuesque comedienne Penelope Keith's indelible creation of the character Margot Ledbetter. She's the quintessential status-obsessed snob, so preposterously genteel that she can wring three syllables out of the word "no." Keith's performance, especially, keeps Good Neighbors as fresh and funny as the day it was made. --Laura Mirsky

The Devil Rides Out

Christopher Lee, long Hammer Studios' house villain, takes a rare heroic turn as scholar and occultist Duc de Richleau, the kind of role that Peter Cushing had made his métier. Lee plays Richleau with a dark elegance and intensity--he's a commanding figure with a trim goatee who discovers that the son of a war buddy has joined a satanic cult lorded over by the quietly malevolent Mocata (Charles Gray, best known as the narrator in The Rocky Horror Picture Show). Director Terence Fisher, working from a literate script by genre scribe Richard Matheson, creates a strikingly handsome period piece (set in 1920s rural England) dripping in dread as Richleau and Mocata battle for the souls of two young lovers on both physical and spiritual planes. The action scenes are well handled and the towering Lee cuts quite a figure leaping through hoards of robed devil worshippers to save a sacrificial victim, but the film peaks in an eerie supernatural battle in which Richleau and his skeptical party confronts Mocata's demons while protected in a giant pentagram. The effects are coarse and dated by today's standards, but the gorgeous period detail, vivid color, and unsettling imagery create a sinister ambiance, and Fisher's mix of psychodrama and swashbuckling action makes for an engrossing thriller, a life-and-death struggle between two masters of the forces of light and darkness. --Sean Axmaker