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Fiddler On The Roof [1971]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Molly Picon, Paul Mann
directed by: Norman Jewison

November 10, 2003
The story of life in the village of Anatevka, in Russia, as told through the eyes of the Jewish milkman, Tevye (Chaim Topol).
All of life's emotions are in this film. Joy, despair, fear... All brought to life by brilliant acting, humour and song such as 'If I were a rich man', 'Sunrise, sunset'.
You cannot watch this movie and remain untouched by the plight of the Jewish people, as they sought to go about their business, but suffer bitter persecution for no other reason than being Jewish.
One of my favourite quotes is when a student asks the Rabbi if there is a blessing for the Czar. The Rabbi thinks, then smiles...'May God bless the Czar and keep him... far from us!'
This is a long movie at 3 hours, but it draws in ... Read More:

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King Lear

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Paul Scofield, Anne-Lise Gabold, Ian Hogg, Tom Fleming, Alan Webb
directed by: Peter Brook

June 06, 2005
This is Lear in a completely different light from any other version, I think that much can be guaranteed. Whether or not you like it probably depends on how orthodox you are in terms of Shakespeare, but as for me, I find I prefer this version to, say, the much praised Michael Hordern one. This is lean, mean Lear, stark and brooding and focusing very much more on the psychology than on outwardly events. I find that I think of it as the essence of the play. It's intense, even intrusive in its psychological examination of the characters, and the title role is made even more demanding because of it. Only an actor of Scofield's calibre could pull it off, and he does so in what must be the greatest performance of his film career.

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North By Northwest [1959]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Cary Grant, James Mason, Eva Marie Saint, Leo G. Carroll, Martin Landau
directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

June 01, 2006
I could rave for hours about this film, but suffice to say it's the perfect thriller, the template for countless other films and everyone should have it. This edition (the Warner from 2006) is a simply stunning transfer with that true Technicolor feel and all for a fiver. Incredible.

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Rebecca [1940]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Nigel Bruce
directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

November 26, 2007
The one that got the Best Picture Oscar...even if it was David O Selznick who picked it up as producer. It remains one of his most popular features, especially with women by all accounts, although Germaine Greer isn't a fan.

This was Hitch's first Hollywood film and is a brooding atmospheric film that takes a great novel (which was normally something Hitchcock would avoid like the plague, arguing that if a novel was too good, how could he possibly improve on it) and makes it into a film that is just as good, if not better.

Joan Fontaine makes a compelling "Second Mrs De.Winter" and whilst Laurence Oliver can't quite drop his "luvvy" acting style to make the role as Maxim De Winter equally as compelling, it's fair to say that he does make a good ... Read More:

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David Essex Double Bill - That'll Be The Day / Stardust [1973]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: David Essex, Rosemary Leach, Ringo Starr, Billy Fury, Keith Moon
directed by: Claude Whatham, Michael Apted

February 26, 2007
For any true Rock 'n' Roll fan and any former members of the growing-up cultures of the Fifties and Sixties...Seventies too, you just can't let these two get away - "That'll Be The Day" and it's sequel, "Stardust".

It's a fabulous roller-coaster ride that isn't just limited to the fairground, depicting the social and musical changes of life in 1950's Britain as seen through the eyes of the young man who turns out to be 'the minstrel of a generation' - Jim Maclaine...very amicably portrayed by teen Pop idol (at the time!), David Essex. Infact, it was Mr. Essex who was nominated for the Best Newcomer BAFTA along with Rosemary Leach as Best Supporting Actress in the role of his long-suffering Mother. A stellar cast including Robert Lindsay, Billy Fury, Keith Moon, ... Read More:

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The Cruel Sea [1953]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Jack Hawkins, Stanley Baker, Denholm Elliott, Moira Lister, Virginia McKenna
directed by: Charles Frend

January 08, 2007
The unrelenting echo of the sonar punctuates this understated J. Arthur Rank film with a taut atmosphere of suspense. Novelist Eric Ambler's intelligent script remains faithful to Nicholas Monserrat's novel about the last voyage of HMS Compass Rose and all who sailed on her. The splendid performances of Jack Hawkins as her captain and Donald Sinden as his #1 bring the novel to life, as do the performances of the entire ensemble cast, which includes Denholm Elliott. One of the best aspects of the Rank organization films of this era is the devotion that went into the delineation of even the minor characters.

Some viewers may shun this picture because it was filmed in black and white. This is a shame, because "The Cruel Sea" is so absorbing that such details as lack ... Read More:

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The Haunting [1963]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Fay Compton
directed by: Robert Wise

September 29, 2003
There is no escaping the fact this movie has one of the most haunting use of camera movement ,light compositions and sound editing creating echoes to explosions in harmony with the horror which is chillingly psychological rather then bloody .

No dead cats or decapatitaed skulls or limbs can alternate for the haunted look on the agonized faces of the characters as they struggle to save themselves and their sanity ,the fact it is broodingly driving them to psychosis is presented as a brilliant chess game where the 4 protagonists love and loathe each other .

They are paranormal psychics or just mediums or ordinary human beings trying to come to terms with their own dilemmas is even more haunting then the house which is magnificently evil and one of the greatest ... Read More:

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The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night [1964]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: The Beatles, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Brambell

September 30, 2002
The reviewer who claims that this film was originally made in 4:3 format is quite wrong. Perhaps he means the original video, which was certainly cut to fit a standard TV. But this good DVD is correctly formatted, and nothing has been cut off from the top or bottom.

That having been said, this is a very comprehensive set. The 36' documentary with reminiscences of the film's crew is fun and enlightening. One comes away with the feeling, as if we couldn't guess from the film itself, that spirits were high (pardon the expression) and everyone felt this would be something special.

The remastering here is quite good, tho perhaps not quite Criterion quality. The sound seems just a bit flat, and is much fuller in the restored WS Help!

But, these ... Read More:

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Far From The Madding Crowd [1967]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
starring: Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch
directed by: John Schlesinger

August 25, 2008
Sad to hear that this one is still the same old shocking transfer of a really great and beautifully (Nic Roeg) filmed movie. To use the title of another Julie Christie/Nic Roeg work "Don't Look Now".
Why?
I have a notification from Amazon.com (US) that there is a NEW release due on January 27th 2009 (search it out). If there's any justice in filmdom - THAT one will be the remastered version we've all been longing and waiting for. Thanks to the previous two reviewers!!! And thanks Amazon UK for not automatically appending 57 previous unrelated reviews (of VHS tapes et al) to this release.

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The General Post Office Film Unit Collection Vol.1 - Addressing The Nation [1933]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Classics
by: Gpo

September 22, 2008
I haven't actually seen this whole collection, although I saw a selection at a recent screening called Love Letters and Live Wires. If the screening is anything to go by then this collection will contain a whole host of gems.

These films, which vary in length from a few minutes to the near-half-hour of the legendary Night Mail, were produced by the General Post Office's film unit as information films to enlighten the Great British public about the need to address envelopes properly and how to use the new fangled contraption called the telephone. However, they go far beyond their remit and are innovative little dramas and entertainments in their own right, ranging from love stories, animation and musical comedy (in the peerless Fairy of the Phone).

Even the strictly ... Read More: