TREASURE ISLAND   DVD         (MGM,1934).In glorious B&W and with magnificent performances by almost everyone.Thank God ,it was made in the Golden Age of Hollywood.So,we don't have to endure the likes of who knows whom...Jackie Cooper is still alive,I think.He is a good Jim Hawkins.Wallace Beery(Long John Silver)and Lionel Barrymore(Captain Billy Bones) are simply great.Charles "Chic" Sale(1885-1937)is superb as Ben Gunn.The greatest Ben Gunn ever.And I don't see anymore actors like Otto Kruger,Nigel Bruce and Lewis Stone(what a marvelous trio:Dr.Livesey,Squire Trelawney and Captain Smollet).And it's good seeing again the menacing canadian Douglass Dumbrille(1890-1974)as Israel Hands.What an entertaining movie!True to the spirit of Robert Louis Stevenson.When we'll see a DVD(a Special Edition DVD, I hope)version of this enchanting film?Thank Heaven for MGM ,John Lee Mahin & Vic Fleming! PRICE£10:+PP

  THE STUDENT PRINCE   excellent musical., May 4, 2003 DVD
"The Student Prince," with Ann Blyth and Mario Lanza is a wonderful and beautiful film. I so enjoy it. It's colorful such a great fairytale and some of the best songs. Mario Lanza and Ann Blyth are great actors abd singers. The costumes and scenery deserve a award. A must see film well worth watching many times.PRICE £10:00+PP

MARIO LANZA(BECAUSE YOUR MINE)   DVD    
Mario Lanza is really good in this musical. It's entertaining and has lovely osngs like, "Because yOur Mine," and "The Lord's Prayer," beautifully. I think this film is neat and creative a good storyline as all of Mario's films have. Doretta Morrow is perfect a shis girlfriend, very attractive and lovely. It's well worth seeing and a must for any Mario Lanza fan.

MARIO LANZA  DVD           Made in 1951, this bio of the legendary Enrico Caruso is a treat for opera lover it's thoroughly enjoyable, and a wonderful filmed record of Mario Lanza, in top form, singing a wide variety of music. PRICE£10:00+PP

MARIO LANZA (FOR THE FIRST TIME)   DVD       
I very highly recommend this Mario Lanza film. It is very enjoyable to watch and colorful. The clothes and scenery are great and also the song selection. It's little shown on television but a really good Mario Lanza film. Mr. Lanza can hit all notes so beautifully. He truly has a angelic voice.PRICE£10:00+PP

  CALL ME MADAM . DVD    Description for Call Me Madam
--In this upbeat musical directed by Walter Lang and featuring music penned by Irving Berlin, Ethel Merman shines as Sally Adams, an American ambassador to a fictional post-war European city. Proving that she was one of the screen's most electrifying presences, Merman helps to make CALL ME MADAM one of the genre's most celebrated pictures.
PRICE £10:00+PP

         VHS

Plot Summary for
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)

The Roman general Livius follows the precepts of Marcus Aurelius, in hopes of creating an empire at peace within and without its borders. The accession of the unstable Commodus puts this goal in jeopardy.

Following his productions of "El Cid" and "55 Days at Peking", producer Samuel Bronston completes his trilogy of historical super-spectaculars with this fantastic, action-packed look at the beginnings of the fall of the Roman Empire. Here is the glory, the greed and grandeur that was Rome. Here is the story of personal lust for power, and the shattering effects of that power's loss. Here is the tale of the plight of a people living on the brink of a political abyss.PRICE £5:00+PP

RICHARD THE 111 STARRING= LAURENCE OLIVIER,JOHN GIELGUD,RALPH RICHARDSON, CLAIRE BLOOM      VHS

MANY OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS HAVE BEEN MADE INTO MEMORABLE FILMS BUT OLIVIERS RICHARD THE 111 IS PERHAPS THE FINEST OF THEM ALL. PRICE £5:00+PP

55 Days at Peking (1963)       VHS

Directed by Nicholas Ray  (more)   Due to mainland China's hostility and isolation from the Western world, a full-scale 60-acre replication of Peking 1900 (sewers and all) was built in the plains outside Madrid, and Chinese/Asian extras were flown in from all over Europe to provide the local Peking (the old name of Beijing) citizenry. A number of costumes for the Royal Chinese Court (the Empress, Prince Tuan's, etc.) were authentic ones from Tzu Hsi's actual court. They were loaned by an illustrious Florentine family (which wished to stay anonymous) but was able to rescue them from the collapse of the dynasty right after the Boxer rebellion. The Last Emperor (1987) Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci     VHS/DVD   A truly exceptional work of art, beautiful in every way. The cinematography is unparalleled and the shots of the Forbidden City alone would be worth the admission fee. But the greatness of the movie lies in the bizarre and profoundly touching story that it tells: the life of a man who became Emperor of China at the age of three and died a humble gardener. Pu Yi is a complex, difficult character, whose early life of privilege hides his utter impotence before the forces that use him to their own ends. Only when the last veil of imperial dignity is removed does he become fully human. Along the way Bertolucci manages to tell the story of twentieth century China in all its grandeur and contradiction. The final scene of the movie is, in particular, bound to stay with the viewer forever. A masterpiece... PRICE £8:00+PP Cromwell (1970)   Directed by Ken Hughes      vhs Writing credits Ken Hughes (screenplay) Cromwell" ,which I saw when it was released ,has stood the test of time quite well,thanks to all these wonderful actors.In his own way,Cromwell was an incorruptible person ,ahead of his time,who predates Robespierre .The fact that he substituted a dictatorship for another one does not ruin his main revolutionary idea:a king is not infallible, the absolute monarchy means tyranny.A century and a half later ,minister Turgot told Louis XVI :"do not forget Charles the first,Sire!"  PRICE £5:00+PP       MUSIC MAN        vhs/dvd The Music Man" is one of only a handful of such films that defy the passage of time, one of the best musicals Hollywood ever produced. It is a quintessential slice of Americana, featuring wonderful music, engaging characters, and an uplifting story. It’s pure Iowa corn: Sentimental, nostalgic, gentle, and innocent; and its appearance on DVD is the best thing that could have happened to it. Just as Gable was born to play the lead in "Gone With the Wind" and Bogart in "Casablanca," so was Robert Preston destined to play Professor Harold Hill, con man extraordinaire. (When the Warner studio bought the screen rights, they wanted a bigger star in the lead role; their first choices were Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant. PRICE £5:00+PP UNDER MILK WOOD (RICHARD BURTON,ELIZABETH TAYLOR)      VHS Classic performances, Wonderful direction & Faultless Lines, Immediately wraps you up in the wonderful innocence of the Welsh village from the opening credits. Funny, witty, wry, enjoyable, sad: just a few of the adjectives to describe this masterpiece. Great performances by Taylor, Burton and O'Toole with a memorable cameo by David Jason. This film will stick in your mind long after you see it, and see it you must. PRICE £5:00+PP ANNIE GET YOUR GUN    DVD STARRING: BETTY HUTTON,HOWARD KEEL Finally available on video and DVD, Annie Get Your Gun is a wonderful movie musical like they don't make any more. The color, the production, the performances, and the music are terrific. Betty Hutton is perfect as Annie. Giving a performance closer in style to Ethel Merman's, perhaps, but Hutton truly makes the role her own. As Frank Butler, Howard Keel is in fine voice and matches Hutton's strong screen presence. I know it's not politically correct to like the way the Indians are depicted or the "I'm an Indian Too" number, but I do. The humor isn't mean spirited, nor are the Indians portrayed as total goons. In fact, J. Carrol Naish makes a pretty wise Chief Sitting Bull, helping Annie win the heart of Butler. Louis Calhern and Edward Arnold are perfect as the competing showmen Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill respectively. Keenan Wynn rounds out the supporting cast as Buffalo Bill's assistant, Charlie Davenport. Besides the great score and cast, the movie contains some beautiful color cinematography. There is a great shot from the air as Annie and Frank compete in skeet shooting that is truly amazing. A great example of what Hollywood was capable of producing during the old studio system, Annie Get Your Gun is sure to please most viewers. And if you're a Betty Hutton fan, you're in for a treat. She's terrific. PRICE £10:00+PP