July 2010 MovieMail Film Catalogue
The Genius of Design
Wessex Tales Recommended Starring: Ben Kingsley, John Hurt, Claire Bloom, Billie Whitelaw, David Troughton, Jane Asher Contains: The Withered Arm, Fellow Townsmen, A Tragedy of Two Ambitions, An Imaginative Woman, The Melancholy Hussar, Barbara of the House of Grebe Released: 12th April DVD Extras: 2 discs. UK | 1973 | ACORN | 360 min | Cert 15 | Item # 59358 | P&P £1.50
One of the most celebrated of all television adaptations of great writers, fondly remembered by all who saw it, finally surfaces on DVD. In the 1970s, the BBC commissioned six writers, six directors and a striking cadre of actors to tackle Thomas Hardy’s Wessex Tales. The top-rank talent included writers such as Dennis Potter and William Trevor, directors such as Mike Newell and Gavin Millar, and starred actors of the calibre of Billie Whitelaw, John Hurt, Claire Bloom and Ben Kingsley. It’s interesting to note how (in the 21st century) the performances have a notably ‘modern’ feel; while never losing their plausibility as 19th century characters, the performers give no sense of preserved-in-aspic ‘heritage’ acting – these are real human beings engaged in human dramas that remain timeless. The adaptations (as one might expect from writers of this reputation) are superlative, with a strong emphasis on the macabre (notably in The Withered Arm). Throughout, the Hardyesque universe is powerfully evoked. BF
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£13.99
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This five-part series, made by the team behind the award-winning series The Genius of Photography, tells the story of design from the Industrial Revolution through 1920s modernism, the swinging 60s, the designer 80s and up to the present day. Features interviews with star designers like Philippe Starck and creatives 2 discs. from Apple and Ford.
UK | 2009 | ACORN | 300 min | Cert E Item # 61254 | RRP £19.99 | Released 7th June
Our DVD Price: £13.99
Julia Bradbury’s World Walks: South Africa Walks
Having tackled treks across the UK, Julia Bradbury embarks on a truly grand adventure in South Africa, where she sets out on four very different walks that explore South Africa’s claim to be ‘a world in one country’. She takes in the sundrenched Garden Route, the Drakensburg mountain range, the Kruger National Park and the edge of the Kalahari Desert. UK | 2010 | ACORN | 120 min | Cert E Item # 61484 | RRP £16.99 | Released 5th July
Our DVD Price: £12.74
Kojak: Series 1, 2 & 3
Box sets of the first three seasons of the gritty detective series that follows the investigations of the bald, lollipopsucking, tough-guy detective for the NYPD, the one and only Lieutenant Theo Kojak. Telly Savalas stars. Who loves ya, baby? 6 discs.
USA | 1976 | MEDRA | 1159 min | Cert 15 Item # 61185 | RRP £34.99 | All Out Now
S1: £14.99 S2 & S3: £29.99 each
Luther: Series 1
Starring The Wire’s Idris Elba, Luther is the BBC’s crime series which sees troubled cop John Luther go on a moral crusade, armed with only his convictions. Confronting depravity in its many terrible forms, the stakes get higher and ever more personal, and Luther is led towards the edge of temptation. Will his relentless pursuit of light tip him into the ultimate darkness? UK | 2010 | 2ENT | 354 min | Cert 12 Item # 62181 | RRP £24.99 | Released 21st June
Our DVD Price: £17.99
Interview with Simon Callow Regular readers will know how infrequently we do interviews, but after finding out that Simon Callow was a fan of MovieMail and was available due to the release of series 2 of Chance in a Million, how could we pass up the opportunity?
Highlights Q. When you were 12 years old what were your ambitions? A. To be a television personality Q. Is Brenda Blethyn as perfectly wonderful as her screen persona? A. Much, much more wonderful. That rare thing, a comic actress who is really gorgeous and sexy. But a remarkably clear-sighted human being, too. Q. Which film would you like to see on DVD that is not currently available? A. Orson Welles’s Falstaff film Chimes at Midnight, his masterpiece: greater than Citizen Kane. Q. We were delighted to hear that you are a fan of MovieMail, what is it in particular that you like about us? A. Bringing to my attention the huge range of remarkable movies being released all the time, especially the obscure ones, and the historic reissues. And your useful and informative notes. Read the full interview at moviemail-online.co.uk/callow
Chance in a Million: Series 2 An early sitcom success for Channel 4 in which Simon Callow plays the eccentric, amiable and ever-optimistic Tom Chance – prone to daily doses of outrageous coincidence and innumerable encounters with the law – and Brenda Blethyn his timid librarian girlfriend. UK | 1986 | REV | 180 min | Cert 12 | # 62179 | RRP £19.99
DVD: £12.99 Save £7
Chance in a Million: Series 1 UK | 1984 | REV | 180 min | Cert 12 | # 61643 | RRP £19.99
DVD: £12.99 Save £7
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