Jesus of Nazareth
by Franco Zeffirelli
from Lions Gate
Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection Jesus Of Nazareth brings to life all the majesty and sweeping drama of the life of Jesus (portrayed here by Robert Powell) as told in the Gospels. A star studded international cast featuring Michael York Sir Laurence Olivier James Earl Jones Anne Bancroft Olivia Hussey Rod Steiger and Anthony Quinn adds depth and humanity to the roles of the saints sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The film provides the setting and background for the birth childhood baptism teaching and many miracles of the Messiah culminating in the Divine Resurrection. Directed by Oscar nominee Franco Zeffirelli and acclaimed by critics and religious leaders worldwide Jesus of Nazareth tells the greatest of all stories with tremendous emotion and splendor.System Requirements: Running Time 382 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 012236128113 Manufacturer No: A012811
Originally made for TV in 1977, this in-depth (six hours plus) version of Jesus' life is so thorough that the first hour is devoted solely to the story of his birth. The film doesn't skimp on some of the other landmark events of this famous story either. Director Franco Zeffirelli gives more than 12 minutes screen time each to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Passages of the Bible are quoted verbatim, the locations have a Palestine-like authenticity, and, aside from some of the principals (Robert Powell as Jesus, Olivia Hussey as Mary, and Stacy Keach as Barabbas), many of the non-Roman characters are actually played by Semitic-looking actors. Zeffirelli diligently provides the sociopolitical background that gave rise to Jesus' following and the crisis in belief it caused for the people of Israel (and one or two Romans). While not graphic by today's standards, some of the scenes--baby boys being ripped from their mothers' arms and slaughtered, nails being driven into Jesus' hands--may disturb young and/or sensitive children. --Kimberly Heinrichs
Tommy
by Ken Russell
from Sony Pictures
If you've ever wanted to hear Jack Nicholson sing (or try to) or marvel at the sight of Ann-Margret drunkenly cavorting in a cascade of baked beans, Tommy is the movie you've been waiting for. As it turns out, the Who's brilliant rock opera is sublimely matched to director Ken Russell's penchant for cinematic excess, and this 1975 production finds Russell at the peak of his filmmaking audacity. It's a fever-dream of musical bombast, custom-fit to the thematic ambition of Pete Townshend's epic rock drama, revolving around the titular "deaf, dumb, and blind kid" (played by Who vocalist Roger Daltrey) who survives the childhood trauma that stole his senses to become a Pinball Wizard messiah in Townshend's grandiose attack on the hypocrisy of organized religion.
The story is remarkably coherent considering the hypnotic dream-state induced by Russell's visuals. Tommy's odyssey is rendered through wall-to-wall music, each song representing a pivotal chapter in Tommy's chronology, from the bloodstream shock of "The Acid Queen" (performed to the hilt by Tina Turner) to Nicholson's turn as a well-intentioned physician, Elton John's towering rendition of "Pinball Wizard," and Daltrey's epiphanous rendition of "I'm Free." Other performers include Eric Clapton and (most outrageously) the Who's drummer Keith Moon, and through it all Russell is almost religiously faithful to Townshend's artistic vision. Although it divided critics when first released, Tommy now looks likes a minor classic of gonzo cinema, worthy of the musical genius that fueled its creation. --Jeff Shannon
The Italian Job
by Peter Collinson
from Paramount
Internal countercasting is a big plus in this caper comedy: where else are you going to find Benny Hill and Michael Caine in the same movie? Peter Collinson directs those two as well as Noel Coward, Raf Vallone, Rossano Brazzi, and Irene Handl in a story about the effort to steal gold bullion from the town of Turin. Screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin eschews heist film tradition by placing more emphasis on the gang's getaway than on the complex robbery itself. The film's main claim to comic fame is a wild chase scene set against an enormous traffic jam. The rest of the movie is less memorable, but that extended action sequence is well worth the wait. --Tom Keogh
Shaka Zulu - The Complete 10 Part Television Epic
by William C. Faure
from A&E Home Video
This sweeping miniseries from 1986 captures the rise and fall of an African emperor. Shaka Zulu begins following a British expedition sent to bargain with the fearsome Zulu army assembling on the outer edges of the British colonies in South Africa. Led by Lt. Francis Farewell (The Day of the Jackal, A Bridge Too Far), the expedition hopes to bamboozle a superstitious primitive, but their arrogance gets taken down a notch by a cunning and ruthless warlord who has unified vast territories through a combination of political charisma and military discipline. At this point, the focus shifts to how Shaka (the riveting Henry Cele), king of the Zulus, rose from a brutal childhood to royal grandeur--a semi-mythological tale filled with family strife, political intrigue, witchcraft, and bloody warfare. Powerful performances by Cele and Dudu Mikhize (as Shaka's iron-willed mother, Nandi) give this sprawling epic the drive and emotional scope of a Shakespearean drama. Shaka Zulu also draws sneaky parallels between the Zulu and British empires, often to sharp satirical effect. Full of richly conceived characters and compelling political maneuvering, this eight-hour series brings faraway history to living, breathing life. Also featuring Christopher Lee (whose always-steady career exploded at age 79 with juicy roles in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones). --Bret Fetzer
Thriller - The Complete Season One
by Bill Hays
from A&E Home Video
An international cult phenomenon from television genius Brian Clemens (The Avengers Danger Man) now on DVD for the first time all ten spine-tingling movies from the first season of THRILLER available for your viewing terror.Positively Hitchcockian with a liberal dose of the supernatural nothing is what it seems in each feature length episode of THRILLER. Witches serial killers ghosts con-artists Satanists and terrorists are just some of the villains involved in the outlandish plots the unexpected twists and the even more surprising endings. But it's what you can't see--the sinister atmosphere the almost unbearable tension--that makes this one of television's most terrifyingly enjoyable shows ever. Fear has never been better.Innovative and boundlessly inventive THRILLER boasts a galaxy of American and British stars like Donna Mills Bob Hoskins Patrick Magee Helen Mirren Hayley Mills and Stephen Rea.Season 11. Lady Killer2. Possession3. Someone at the Top of the Stairs4. An Echo of Theresa5. The Colour of Blood6. Murder in Mind7. A Place to Die8. File it Under Fear9. The Eyes Have It10. Spell of EvilFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR UPC: 733961709513 Manufacturer No: AAE-70951
Not to be confused with the 1960s American anthology series with Boris Karloff, this Thriller is a British anthology program that ran from 1973 to 1976 and the brainchild of writer-producer-director Brian Clemens, best known for The Avengers. A cult favorite in its native country (though frustratingly difficult to see for the last two decades), the show aired briefly in United States through the ABC Mystery Movie, which repackaged the episodes with new introductions and titles.
Though A&E's boxed set packaging presents Thriller as a horror classic, the ten stories (each running 65 minutes) presented in the Season One set lean more heavily towards suspense in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents vein, though some stories feature distinct supernatural elements: "Spell of Evil" has Diane Cilento as a witch preying on widowed businessman Edward De Souza, while "Someone at the Top of the Stairs" stars Donna Mills (Knots Landing) and Judy Carne as tourists in a boarding house with a terrible secret, and "A Place to Die" addresses pagan rituals. The rest of the episodes generate their chills from distinctly human subjects: "Lady Killer" pits cold-blooded con men Robert Powell and The Avengers' Linda Thorson against naive Barbara Feldon (Get Smart), while "The Colour of Blood" has an attorney's secretary mistake an escaped serial killer for a client. Uniformly well-acted by a solid cast of British and American talent, Thriller: Season One is a taut ten-pack of television frights, delivered with class and skill by Clemens and a talented group of directors. The four-disc set features interviews with Clemens and directors Shaun O'Riordan and John Cooper; Clemens also provides amusingly morbid introductions to each episode à la Hitchcock. --Paul Gaita
The Shaw Collection (Pygmalion / The Millionairess / Arms and the Man / The Devil's Disciple / Mrs. Warren's Profession / Heartbreak House)
by Cedric Messina
from BBC Warner
Six acclaimed adaptations bring to life the memorable characterizations, brilliant command of language, and dazzling wit of Shaw's classic plays, highlighting the vitality of his work, as well as the ideas and critiques embedded in it. Titles included are: Arms and the Man, starring Helena Bonham Carter; The Devil's Disciple, starring Patrick Stewart and Ian Richardson; Mrs. Warren's Profession, starring Coral Browne; Pygmalion, starring Lynn Redgrave; Heartbreak House, starring John Gielgud; and The Millionairess, starring Maggie Smith and Tom Baker.
Mrs. Warren's Profession
by Herbert Wise
from BBC Warner
Suffice to say, Mrs. Warren's profession is not Amway, but its illicit gains have allowed her estranged and unwitting daughter, Vivie, to live a life of affluence and higher education. Bernard Shaw's witty attack on "the hypocrisy of the world" and "fashionable morality" is given a compelling staging in this impeccably acted 1972 BBC production starring the venerable Coral Browne (Auntie Mame ) as the "wicked" Mrs. Warren and Penelope Wilton (The Norman Conquests, Match Point) as the thoroughly modern Vivie, who herself confounds family friends and suitors (by turns incorrigible or lecherous) with her own unconventional mercenary attitudes. Shaw's play, written in 1893, but banned until 1925, is undoubtedly tame by today's standards, but its ideas, passionately debated by mother and daughter, are still provocative. The ironic use of period parlor songs ("That old fashioned mother of mine" is a sample lyric) add to the scandalous fun. --Donald Liebenson
What is the profession that has enabled Mrs. Warren to give her daughter all the benefits of "good society?" Vivie Warren discovers her mother's secrets and embraces her own power as a "modern" woman.Running Time: 109 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 794051253521 Manufacturer No: E2535
The Asylum
by Roy Ward Baker
from Dark Sky Films
When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell) arrives at the Dunmoor Asylum for The Incurably Insane he expects to be interviewed for a job by the asylum s director Dr. Starr. Instead he is met by Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee) who explains that Dr. Starr has suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. Dr. Rutherford states that if Martin can deduce which patient is Dr. Starr then he will be given the position.Is it Bonnie (Barbara Parkins) whose affair with a married man results in murder? Is it Bruno (Barry Morse) a hard luck tailor who is visited by a mysterious stranger (Peter Cushing) carrying a blueprint and special fabric for an unusual suit? Is it Barbara (Charlotte Rampling) accused of murdering her brother and her nurse but insisting that her friend Lucy (Britt Ekland) is responsible? Or is it Dr. Byron (Herbert Lom) who claims the ability to transfer his lifeforce into a mechanical doll?Directed by Roy Ward Baker (The Vault of Horror And Now The Screaming Starts!) and produced by Amicus stalwarts Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky Asylum has been mastered in High Definition from 35mm vault materials.System Requirements:Running Time: Approx. 88 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: PG UPC: 030306811895 Manufacturer No: 8118
One of the patients in an institution for the incurably insane was once its director, and a young psychiatrist (Robert Powell) has to figure out which one as they all tell him their stories. What better setting for a horror anthology? It's an inspired framing device, making this one of the better examples of the genre, even if screenwriter Robert Bloch at times resorts to gimmicks rather than invention. The first two stories are less than brilliant (the first is highlighted by dismembered body parts neatly wrapped in butcher paper wriggling back to life for revenge), but Charlotte Rampling and Britt Eklund are marvelous in the third tale, about a mentally unbalanced young woman and her dangerous best friend. Herbert Lom is also excellent in the final story as a scientist who carves an army of dolls he claims he can bring to life by sheer will power.
Director Roy Ward Baker (Quatermas and the Pit) builds momentum with each story until the dark and deliciously bloody climax. This Amicus Studios production looks visually dull compared to Hammer's gothic gloss, but it features a great British cast (including Patrick Magee and Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing), and ultimately Baker makes that gloomy look work for his increasingly creepy production. Amicus produced a series of horror anthologies, including the original 1972 Tales from the Crypt and The Torture Garden (also scripted by Bloch). --Sean Axmaker
The Perfect Partnership - Fonteyn and Nureyev
from Kultur Video
Margot Fonteyn & Rudolf Nureyev.perhaps the greatest partnership in the history of ballet. For the first time, their most acclaimed performances, which have thrilled audiences worldwide, have been captured on one DVD. The program traces their partnership from its glorious inception in 1962 (in Giselle at Covent Garden), to its grand finale some 17 years later. It is unique in that it includes rare, behind-the-scenes footage of both dancers. This special tribute program has now become even more of a treasure due to the passing of both Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. Their legendary partnership was recently hailed by the press as when ".ballet was never more gripping, never more transporting, that when her perfect pose met his ardent theatricality." Robert Powell narrates and ballet personalities such as dame Ninette de Valois, founder of The Royal Ballet, provide their thoughts and memories on the lives of Fonteyn, Nureyev and their association. The synergy of their partnership was electrifying, and their impact on the world of ballet remains unmatched. This collectors item is an intriguing visual biography of the greatest ballet partnership of all time.
The Century of Warfare
from A&E Home Video
Ride into Aqaba with Lawrence of Arabia. Stand with Patton as his tanks lead the Allied breakout from the coast of Normandy. Patrol the nighttime jungles of Vietnam... A CENTURY OF WARFARE explores the pivotal battles, profiles the commanders and chronicles the myriad ways in which war has shaped the modern world. The 26 hour-long episodes in this monumental set feature an encyclopedic collection of archival film dating back to 1896, creating an unforgettable visual record of every major military engagement from the precursors of World War I to the liberation of Kuwait. THE HISTORY CHANNEL is proud to present this epic, landmark series, now available in its entirety and presented on DVD for the first time ever. DVD volumes:
Volume 1: (3 hours, 28 minutes):
--The Violent Century: THE CENTURY OF WARFARE opens with a look at the defining characteristics of modern war and the development of the weapons that revolutionized combat.
--The World Goes to War: Explore the factors that led to the outbreak of World War I and see why efforts to prevent the coming conflict failed.
--Blood and Mud: Harrowing photos and rare footage show the grim reality of trench warfare on the Western Front.
--War of the Eagles: Three empires clash on the Eastern Front, until the Russian Revolution topples the Czar and the nation withdraws from the fight.
Volume 2: (3 hours, 28 minutes)
--Battle Fleets and U-Boats: Naval warfare in World War I, from submarine attacks and supporting forces on land to the Battle of Jutland.
--Aces High: See how the plane became a weapon, fly with the pioneers of military aviation, and relive the exploits of legendary pilots like the Red Baron.
--War to End All War?: The entry of the United States helped bring World War I to a close, but the harsh conditions of the Versailles Treaty paved the way for a greater conflict to come.
--Enter the Dictators: The years between the World Wars were marked by the rise of totalitarian states in Europe and a growing militancy in the Far East.
Volume 3: (3 hours, 28 minutes)
--The War Clouds Gather: Conflicts in China, Spain and Africa presaged the horrors to come, while Hitler cemented his power and prepared for his bloody campaign of aggression.
--Blitzkrieg: Germany's invasion of Poland introduced the world to a new brand of warfare. Less than a year later, the fall of France left Britain to face Hitler essentially alone.
--Britain Stands Alone: The extraordinary heroism demonstrated by British citizens and soldiers and a vital lifeline from across the Atlantic kept England from falling into Nazi clutches.
--Sand and Sea War: In and around the Mediterranean, Monty battled Rommel, American doughboys got their first real combat experience, and the Italian campaign gave the Allies a foothold in Europe.
Volume 4: (3 hours, 28 minutes)
--Hitler Turns East: Operation Barbarossa--the largest land invasion ever mounted--sent 3 million German troops and 3,300 tanks into the Soviet Union.
--The Long Road Back: Defeated at Stalingrad and denied entry to Moscow, the Wehrmacht embarked on a two-year delaying action as it retreated to Germany.
--Normandy to the Rhine: Follow the preparations for D-Day and the course of the war in Europe after the successful invasion.
--The End in Europe: As Germany was squeezed in the vice of the Allied advance, the Big Three met at Yalta to plan for the aftermath of war.
Volume 5: (3 hours, 28 minutes)
--Oriental Blitzkrieg: Analyze the forces that drove Japan to war and relive the initial victories that gave the Imperial forces an air of invincibility.
--Jungle and Ocean: The American island-hopping campaign drove the Japanese from their Pacific strongholds, but it would take a weapon of a different order bring the war to an end.
--The War at Sea: This sweeping overview of World War II's naval engagements includes footage from Atlantic convoys, major Pacific battles and the amphibious landing at Normandy.
--Air War: Fly in a B-17 on a harrowing daylight bombing raid, see how British aviators staved off the Luftwaffe, and watch as carrier-based fighters battle Zeros in the skies over Midway.
Volume 6: (2 hours, 36 minutes)
--Iron Curtain: Divided at the end of World War II, Europe was a potential flashpoint for 40 years as the superpowers maintained an uneasy peace built on deterrence.
--Oriental Communism: From the withdrawal of the old Colonial powers to the conflict in Korea, instability, regional conflicts and the boiling over of Cold War tensions marked much of the 20th century in Asia.
--Wars in Peace: The perennial problems of civil war, terrorism and bilateral wars have taken on a new urgency in the years since the end of the Cold War, and the international community is struggling to deal with them.
Volume 7: (2 hours, 36 minutes)
--Vietnam: It was a war that proved that might and money do not lead inevitably to victory, and its harsh lessons forced America to rethink its role in the world.
--War in the Middle East: From Israel's continual battles to defend itself to inter-Arab squabbles and the role of oil, trace the many conflicts that have shaken this tumultuous region.
--Gulf War and the Future: The Allied victory over Iraq showed showcased a new generation of weapons and tactics, but evolving threats--particularly from weapons of mass destruction--require a new approach to deterrence.
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