The St Trinians Collection (4 Disc Box Set)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent .......2008-01-19

This was a great buy kept the kids quite for ages , and well worth the money excellent condition and super fast delivery..Thanks

Girls on top.......2007-12-29

These four films which date from the mid 1950's to the mid 1960's and are a great collection to own. Not only do they contain some great British charactor actors - Alistair Sim, Terry Thomas, George Cole et al but they also define an era when life was very different to today. The first film is undoubtably the best, although the 2nd pushes it fairly close. The fourth is clearly the weakest.

Special mention should go the music composed by Sir Malcolm Arnold which was a sort of comic suite. Particularly memorable was Flash Harry's (George Cole) theme, a funny little Piano piece that is first played when he appears from out of the bushes in the first film. In the first film 'Flash' always appeared from the bushes, which I always thought was quite surreal. Surely flash was an inspiration for Arthur in Minder many years later.

What you get then is inspired British lunacy, which at its best is very funny and even when its not funny the films are interesting to look as they show a caricature of Britain as it was forty to fifty years ago. There are two reasons the set doesn't get five stars. Firstly, and mainly, because the fourth film is a notch below the others and secondly there are no extras in this set which is a shame.

Classic St Trinians Movies.......2007-10-29

Brilliant fun and laughter in these 4 classic films, especially The Great Train Robbery movie.

Girls Gone Wild!.......2007-09-20

This is an excellent value box set of all four 'St Trinian's' films. They are dated now, of course, but there are laughs aplenty. The first one is probably the best (the first three are in black & white and the last one (fairly weak) is in colour. These films are a British institution and, for this price, very good value.

Classic St Trinians.......2007-03-04

Three of these films date from the 1950s, whilst the fourth The Great St Trinians Train Robbery dates from 1966.

The Belles of St Trinians started off this classic series in 1954 and stars that wonderful character actor Alastair Sim who plays a double role as the Headmistress Miss Fritton, and her twin brother a crooked bookie who is out to make a killing when the little horrors become caught up in a betting scam. The delightful Joyce Grenfall adds marvellous support as a policewoman and George Cole as shifty cockney character who gets involved in the betting scams. Its quite funny at times, although rather dated now. Still worth a look though. Look out for many character actors before they became household names such as Joan Sims before her Carry On years, she looks so young in it! And Sid James along with Beryl Reid and Hermionne Baddeley.

Blue Murder at St Trinians involves a crook played by Lionel Jeffries who is a jewel thief and tries to hide within the school much to his dismay. In the meantime, the little horrors win a UNESCO prize to Rome and are off onto their travels to Italy much to the consternation of the local Italians. This is a little better than the first one and is quite hilarious in parts. Once again, character actors abound; Dily Laye, Sabrina, and Terry Thomas who was probably one of the great British character actors in British film history.

Of the four films presented here, The Pure Hell of St Trinians is the best. Its a classic in its own right. The little horrors end up in The Old Bailey charged with burning down the school. However, they are saved from a long prison sentence when a strange couple from the Middle East (Cecil Parker and Irene Handle) take them under their wing. Little do the girls know that the gym slipped 6th Formers are being recruited for a Harem. The episodes throughout as once again Joyce Grenfall and co set out to find the girls in order to bring them home are very funny with some fabulous one liners. Look out for the hilarious dance scenes when many of the characters from the Ministry of Education, almost on the verge of nervous breakdowns, relax by dancing to a silly tune. These scenes are some of the highlights of the film.

The Great St Trinians Train Robbery was made seven years after The Pure Hell and is the weakest of the four. A gang of crooks hide the loot of stolen money on the school premises, and basically the story is set around them trying to get the loot back from the little horrors. Frankie Howard does save this film somewhat, along with George Cole, Reg Varney, Richard Wattis and Terry Scott. It does have its moments, but doesnt really come anywhere up to the standard of the previous three.

Overall, its a good box set to have, good value too considering how many films there are. Good picture and sound, the first three in glorious Black and White, with the final one being in color.

A pleasing box set of classic films although the only drawback is that there are no subtitles, nor any extras to speak off.

Average customer rating:

I'm an advertising man, not a red herring
THE PERFECT ACTION THRILLER
First-rate Hitchcock, plus Grant and Mason. Let's hope Lincoln doesn't sneeze
perfect blend of sheer entertainment with subtextual moral relativism
"I Don't Like the Way Teddy Roosevelt is Looking at Me."

North By Northwest [1959]
Starring: Cary Grant , James Mason , Eva Marie Saint , Leo G. Carroll , and Martin Landau
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000056BB8
Release Date: 2006-06-01

Amazon.co.uk Review

A strong candidate for possibly the most entertaining and enjoyable film ever made by a Hollywood studio, North by Northwest is positioned between the much heavier and more profoundly disturbing Vertigo (1958) and the stark horror of Psycho (1960). In the corpus of Alfred Hitchcock films it shows the director at his most effervescent in a romantic comedy-thriller that also features one of the definitive Cary Grant performances. Which is not to say that this is just "Hitchcock Lite". It's a classic Hitchcock Wrong Man scenario: Grant is Roger O Thornhill (initials ROT), an advertising executive who is mistaken by enemy spies for a US undercover agent named George Kaplan. Convinced these sinister fellows (James Mason as the boss and Martin Landau as his henchman) are trying to kill him, Roger flees and meets a sexy Stranger on a Train (Eva Marie Saint), with whom he engages in one of the longest, most convolutedly choreographed kisses in screen history. And of course there are the famous set pieces: the stabbing at the United Nations, the crop-duster plane attack in the cornfield (where a pedestrian has no place to hide) and the cliffhanger finale atop the stone faces of Mount Rushmore. With its sparkling Ernest Lehman script and that pulse-quickening Bernard Herrmann score, what more could a filmgoer possibly desire? --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

On the DVD: This wide-screen print of the movie looks remarkably fresh, preserving the vivid depth of the original's VistaVision cinematography. The main extra feature is a new and entertaining 40-minute documentary hosted by Eva Marie Saint in which most of the surviving cast and crew give their insights into the making of the picture (we learn for example that canny Cary Grant charged 15 cents per autograph). Screenwriter Ernest Lehman provides an audio commentary and on a separate audio-only track Bernard Herrmann's masterful score can be heard in its entirety. There's also a stills gallery and trailers. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

I'm an advertising man, not a red herring.......2008-03-10

The sheer magic of this film is down to Cary Grant at his most suave and handsome, quite something for a man of 54. Hitchcock kept him in the dark about the plot even as they filmed so his reactions remained spontaneous, but perhaps also because the writers were still scratching their heads over an ending.
JFK would ring Grant just to hear his unique voice and the audience visits NNW again and again to do the same, outclassing as it does even the silken tone of James Mason.
The plot of course is ludicrous: why would they take over a UN official's house when he was away? Why would Van Damm question the Rapid City hotel booking, when that information can only have come from him? How come the security services were not spotted planting Kaplan's clothes in his room?
To offset this there are the one-liners: Games, Mr Kaplan, must we?/What does the O stand for? - Nothing/I'm not letting you out of my sight, sweetheart and so on.
All in all a film right up there with The Third Man and Sound of Music at the top of people's `best-ever' lists.

THE PERFECT ACTION THRILLER.......2007-12-11

VERTIGO did nothing to advance Hitchcock's career in 1957 when he released it, and it's actually not a shame: the following year he decided to go completely against the slow-moving erotic thriller genre and do something shamelessly commercial, escapist and single-handedly create the spy movie. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, states he based his character on the physical characteristics and the suave personality of Cary Grant, as an added note. This could well amount to be the first James Bond film -- a dangerous villain complete with a sidekick, an alluring woman with a dubious nature and an enigmatic "boss," a dashing hero, lush locales setting the scene for powerful chases and escalating danger.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST has one crucial difference to any James Bond film, though: Alfred Hitchcock. While the Bond films have been seen as quintessential action fluff (although fluff of the better kind until the franchise ran out of gas in the 80s), Hitchcock, always the master of subtext as well as suspense, creates memorable scenes that balance sexual tension, sexual innuendo, comedy, and mounting suspense seamlessly. There is never the feeling of being bored as there is too much going on, especially with the sizzling chemistry of Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant, by now a Hitchcock veteran. When they're on screen, dialog crackles and so much more is said with so little gesture -- she closes the lid on her Ice Goddess role, but gives it a nice, cheeky, knowing wink. He of course evolves from the sort of man who while looking and being slightly clumsy and under his mother's thumb -- once it becomes clear he's been marked and is a target for a sinister plot that only later becomes clear -- becomes more assertive in taking matters into his own hands. A quintessential Hitchcock Everyman, Grant has his stamp all over his role. No one can imagine anyone else running away from that crop duster in one of the movies many standout sequences, or saying the reassuring last words to Eva Marie Saint as they cuddle together in the train. When one thinks of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, one thinks Cary Grant.

Easily one of Hitchcock's best films, made while he was at the peak of his career in the bracket formed with THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and MARNIE. Great supporting performances are all over the map, from Jesse Royce Landis as Grant's mother, James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, Martin Landau as Vandamm's protégée who might be a little more than that, and Leo G Carroll as The Professor. Doreen Lang appears early in the movie as Grant's secretary; she would of course be remembered as the woman who shrieks at Tippi Hedren in THE BIRDS and gets slapped by her as the camera holds itself tight on her face.

First-rate Hitchcock, plus Grant and Mason. Let's hope Lincoln doesn't sneeze.......2007-11-04

It's one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, even if the plot makes less sense than usual. There's nice chemistry between Grant and Saint; the set pieces are unusual, especially the crop dusting; Grant's mom, Jessie Royce Landis, has sardonic style and it's pleasant to realize that they were both born in the same year. Leonard (Martin Landau) with a crush on Mason is also great. The train through the tunnel at the end is an excellent example of how Hitchcock could be naughty without being explicit.

Most of all, in my view, Hitchcock and Grant have a worthy adversary in James Mason. The man was a superb actor, a genuine heavy-weight. Mason brings cool style and menace to the part. I think he easily matches Grant in the suave department.

perfect blend of sheer entertainment with subtextual moral relativism.......2007-10-17

During a span of 51 years, Alfred Hitchcock made 57 feature films, from "The Pleasure Garden (1925)" to "Family Plot (1976)". I've watched nearly one-third of them and should say that "North by Northwest" is the fastest, funniest and most beautiful of his caper/thrillers.

Actually, the premise for "North by Northwest" is nothing new: a case of mistaken identity. An "ordinary man" accused of a murder he did not commit, and he must clear his name by assuming different identities. "The 39 Steps", "Young and Innocent", "The Wrong Man" and "Saboteur" were based on a similar theme. But what makes "North by Northwest" so special is its rarity in combining a twisted plot with a dazzling cast, great action, ingenious direction to create a yummy blend of suspense, adventure, deceit and Hitchcockian style of wry humor. If any movie shall be called "true cult classic", it is "North by Northwest".

Along with lots of deadly one-liners, the film hosts a bunch of the most memorable scenes in motion picture history: the murder in the lobby of the UN building, Thornhill's witty escape in the auction house, the attack of mysterious crop-duster in the middle of nowhere, all scenes on the train, and the climatic chase atop Mt. Rushmore. Hitchcock proves here again he was master of substitution of the language of the camera for words. Take the crop-duster scene. Without any music or special effects, no other director can afford to create such a claustrophobia on an open space in broad daylight just using natural sounds and complex suspense elements in the rhythm of events and cutting.

The film has a strong subtextual ideologic base too. Far ahead of its time in that it captures the political zeitgeist of late 1950s perfectly: moral relativism dominating the Cold War era. Very good epitome of how the State sacrifices the "ordinary man" for secretive causes involving the national interests.

Last word: pure, plain and vibrant. Despite 50 years have passed since its making, it is still fresh and highly watchable.

"I Don't Like the Way Teddy Roosevelt is Looking at Me.".......2007-09-25

Advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) leads a boring life. The highlight of his week is the play he will be attending with his mother. But when he pops into the club for a quick drink before the show, he is kidnapped.

When he arrives at a country estate, his kidnappers start calling him George Kaplan. Roger has no clue who Kaplan is and says so quite forcefully. Whether they believe him or not, he is forced to drink bourbon and left alone in a car to die.

The only problem for them is he survives. Determined to find out what the heck is going on, he sets out trying to track down Kaplan. His efforts land him as the prime suspect in a diplomat's murder.

With his only lead being a hotel room in Chicago, Roger sets out cross country by train. It is there he meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), a beautiful woman with a secret of her own. Can Roger find the truth? Maybe, but he will have to face low flying crop dusters and a chase across Mount Rushmore to do it.

This is my fourth Hitchcock film, and the first one I enjoyed. The story starts rather quickly and is confusing enough that it held my interest the entire time. Yet is also has some very witty banter and a great romance between the two leads. The acting is superb, easily drawing me into the story.

Unfortunately, it suffers from a common curse of movies from that era, pacing. While I found parts of it rather gripping, I found the parts on the train dull and slow. Yes, it was developing character and building the romance. But I still found my mind starting to wander.

I was about to write Hitchcock off entirely, but after this film, maybe I'll give him another chance. If you are also unfamiliar with the work of this legend, this might be a good place to start.

Average customer rating:

You'll believe a man can bore the pants off you
Dissapointing, a mere chick-flick!!
Not the best film ever but entertaining
Superman
missing main characters and too boring

Superman Returns - 2 Disc [2006]
Starring: Brandon Routh , Kate Bosworth , Kevin Spacey , Parker Posey , and Frank Langella
Director: Bryan Singer
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HEYUQE
Release Date: 2006-12-04

Amazon.co.uk Review

It's fair to say that Superman Returns probably wasn't quite the blockbuster many were expecting. It concentrates its action on a handful of dazzling, audacious sequences, it spends time working with its characters, and it deliberately pays homage to the heritage of the source material. Knitted together by Bryan Singer, the man behind the camera for the first two X-Men features, it's some distance away from the last time the Man of Steel appeared on the big screen.

But that's very much a good thing. Whilst it doesn't quite, and nor did it need to, perform the major surgery that Batman Begins had to undertake on the Dark Knight's adventures, Singer nonetheless leaves distance between his film and some of its predecessors (although there are respectful tips of the hat to the first two films, not least the nostalgia-inducing credits sequence).

The plot finds Superman returning to Earth after several years away, to discover that the world has moved on in his absence. It's not as safe, Lex Luthor is out of prison, and Lois Lane now has a family. Which is the cue for a lot of soul searching, slower, tender moments and character development that divided some sections of the cinema audience.

Yet, thanks to a stirring cast, led by newcomer Brandon Routh, the end product gels extremely well. Routh's performance is a fitting tribute to the late Christopher Reeve, while Kevin Spacey chews up anything he's allowed to as key villain Lex Luthor. Further, credible, support comes in the form of Parker Posey, James Marsden and Kate Bosworth.

It'd be remiss to call Superman Returns a flawless film. After all, the running time could use fifteen minutes taking off, there's not enough Kevin Spacey and there are occasional moments when the pacing feels a little off. But it is a superb return to form for the classic superhero, with the modern day blockbuster ingredients of some meat to go with the action firmly in place. Further instalments, Mr Singer, will be more than welcome. --Simon Brew

Customer Reviews:

You'll believe a man can bore the pants off you.......2008-02-14

God, this is awful. Utterly, utterly tedious; a supposed action film that is slower than your average subtitled foreigh art movie. Spacey going manic lifted things for a brief second or two, but that was all. Crass and dull.

Dissapointing, a mere chick-flick!!.......2008-01-23

This movie is a huge dissapointment. The acting is good, the effects excellent but everything else is a let down. There is nothing that I like about superman in this movie. This movie is aimed at women, there is too much romance and not enough action or story development. Kevin Spacey is good as Lex Luthor, but the film lacks a super-villian and it lacks a big fight finale. Instead we have superman saving people from predictable and boring natural desasters and freek accidents. The inclusion of Lois Lane's husband and the subsequent love-triangle is pointless and a waste of screen-time. I was all hyped up to see this film but I found it that boring that I wanted to hit the forward-wind button.

The overall story of 'Superman Returns' seems to be remarkably similar to the original 'Superman' movie eventhough this is not a remake, its a continuation from the earlier movies. The story therefor is unimaginative and you get a sense of "Ive seen all this before".

I really expected more from the creator of Usual Suspects and the first 2 Xmen movies. A huge disapointment.

Not the best film ever but entertaining .......2007-12-28

I was prepared to really dislike this film having seen the critics reviews but actually it is very entertaining. Brandon Routh is no Christopher Reeves but he makes the role his own and the story is full of excellent special effects and is very touching at times.

I would recommend it, not the best film I have ever seen but nonetheless very entertainting.

Superman .......2007-12-13

I enjoyed this film I thought it had a good story and a good cast. Brandon Routh was a good choice for Superman and it is a very watch able film it maybe could have done with more action in it however I am sure the next film will have more action scenes included.

missing main characters and too boring.......2007-11-28

As someone else said this was painfully slow and drawn out with little content storywise.

Routh has no charisma or presence and is just an extra with too much screen time. Bosworth/Lane is some miserable bird who deserves none of the adoration she gets from her three men (fiance, Superman and Kent), the chief, the politzers and The People. Jimmy Olsen is an annoying OTT hollywood "character" who would actually have been relief from the monotony if they'd put him in the end of the film rather than the start.

I miss the 150 minutes more than the 150 pence I spent on this DVD.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
taking you were you don't wanna go
Brilliant
Some of Statham's best
the one that nearly got away

The Transporter / Transporter 2 [2002]
Starring: Jason Statham , Amber Valletta , Kate Nauta , Jason Flemyng , and Keith David
Director: Cory Yuen , Louis Leterrier , and Francois Leterrier
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
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Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000ELIVDI
Release Date: 2006-03-27

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2008-02-12

Transporter (1) is simply brilliant. Fantastic fight scenes and rollercoaster action that just doesn't stop. Jason Statham is excellent - it's just a shame hollywood is so hung up on always making it's heroes "american" even when they're not! One of the best action films I've seen in years. Transporter 2 isn't as good as the first - it tried to be too much the same film as the original - but it's still definitely worth watching. Get it for The Transporter alone, you won't be disappointed.

taking you were you don't wanna go.......2008-01-14

sometimes you can't win with these 'three for £x' offers. you look around frantically for something interesting and at times just end up picking up anything in a blind panic. sometimes this works, more often than not it doesn't.
it's hard to fully do these car crash pair of movies justice. in his book 'dawn of the dumb' charlie brooker suggests you ask your company marketing person about branding (after, of course, you've punched them). these movies are appalingly bad, with every cliche in the book, like a 15 year old's wet dream. what irked me the most was the constant product placement, which reached depths not seen since pierce brosnan was obscured by a bottle of vodka - laughably obvious at times. in fact maybe these movies were written and directed by marketing people, which would certainly explain a few things.
funnily enough i'm watching 'idiocracy' while writing this. nuff said

Brilliant.......2007-05-04

I really like both these films. Action all the way and Jason Statham is a really good actor he's got such a great acting voice aswell. If you like your action films they don't get any better than this.

Some of Statham's best.......2007-03-20

Brilliant. Both movies are great, even if some of the stunts in #2 are a bit unrealistic (watch the bit when he gets the bomb off the bottom of his car). Apart from that they are both great action movies with a bit of romance in the first one and the makings of a great movie boxset.
My verdict: Buy this set

the one that nearly got away.......2006-07-29

Not being a tv addict, infact being a social reluse i have to say i dont really watch much tv at all,its all doom and gloom, but i watched both of these films on a 'girls night in' and have to say they are superbe and absolutuley refreshingly different. The Characters, the acting, the fight scenes, the car chases, you're thinking 'oh ive seen it all before' and i thought that too, but i was suprisingly shocked at the fact i actually pressed the pause button to make tea! Im not big on buying DVD's, very few make it into my small collection, but these two are a must have and the type you wont tire of watching time and time again.

Average customer rating:

Who is the enemy ?
Not a bad little film except for...
If you like Band of Brothers
Pants
Very good movie

Saints And Soldiers
Starring: Corbin Allred; Alexander Polinsky; Kirby Heyborne; Larry Bagby; Peter Asle Holden
Manufacturer: In2film
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ASIN: B000IB0K8I
Release Date: 2006-10-09

Customer Reviews:

Who is the enemy ?.......2008-03-09

Told from the point of view of the soldier it gave an insight into how it might have been at that part of the war. A film which was thoughtful in its handling of old friends meeting as enemies and allies who did not know each other being thrown together.

Alas even now film makers simply do not understand to paraphrase Some Like it Hot "nobody talks like that!" The Englishman was dreadful!

Not a bad little film except for..........2008-02-19

This isn't a bad little film except for - yes, I know several other reviewers have said the same thing - the very naff 'English' man. I finished watching the film a second time very recently since purchasing the DVD a year ago and felt that I could happily watch it again in another few months if only that naff 'English' character were not in it. It's not that the person who played the part of the British airman is a bad actor, it's just that he is so totally unconvincing as a British person. All other characters in the film did convince me. The Germans seemed like real Germans - I am sure that they got Germans to play the Germans. The Belgian woman and her daughter were also very convincing as a Belgian woman and her daughter. Why on earth didn't the people who made the film get a real English person to play the airman or cast the actor who played the part as another Yank instead? If it weren't for the naff 'British' airman, I'd have given the film four stars.

If you like Band of Brothers.......2008-01-08

I liked this movie. Really into war films but was a bit unsure of this one as I did not know the cast. However turned out to be enjoyable (agree with naff English accent). Thought it was shot similarly to Band of Brothers and set in same location. Only quibble was it went along at a fairly steady pace but raced away towards the end as though they needed to get it finished. Would recommend though.

Pants.......2007-12-17

Pressed eject after less than half the film had elapsed. Another wasted trip to Blockbusters. There have been a number of sub-standard war movies in the last 3 years but this really takes the buscuit. The 'acting' is appalling and it's impossible to empathise - if this truly is based on actual events then it's not doing history or heroes any justice at all.

Very good movie.......2007-10-22

This movie took me by surprise. It's a good movie and have good story too. The mix of german equipment gave the feeling of german troops in late '44. I enjoyed watching it.

I'm really not hung up in who the actors are as long as they play well and the movie has a good story and a "real" feeling.

Average customer rating:

Reflecting our age?
A good film, but a little boring in places.
A Morally Weak Film
An ensemble cast delivers
Dull and spread too thinly

Superman Returns - Single Disc [2006]
Starring: Brandon Routh , Kate Bosworth , Kevin Spacey , Parker Posey , and Frank Langella
Director: Bryan Singer
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BPCUTI
Release Date: 2006-12-04

Amazon.co.uk Review

Customer Reviews:

Reflecting our age?.......2008-02-28

Every generatation re-interprets Superman to reflect our world, and so Superman Returns reflects a fractured society, with single parents, broken hearts and villains we no longer love to hate.

Kevin Spacey is sadly underused in this. His scenery-chewing Lex Luthor is the best bit of the film. But the joy has gone out of watching scenery chewing villains in a world where the real villains are bigger, nastier and even more one-dimensional than the four-colour comic villains we knew and loved.
Lois Lane is a mom, that's a shock. The "question" of her son's parentage isn't that hard to work out... because in our era, the only explanation could be the most painful one. The man she loved and gave herself too left and she found herself pregnant... only too 21st century a take on a love story.

This film captures Superman's human heart, where what we wanted was the Hero. He's struggling with guilt, with unrequited love with the loss of innocence.

We have mixed feelings about Superman these days because we have mixed feelings about ourselves. We want an innocent hero, but we don't believe in them anymore. This film does what Superman has always done: held up a mirror to our souls.

A good film, but a little boring in places........2008-01-30

This is essentially a good film. However, it does backtrack the story and repeats alot of the story of where Superman comes from etc. I was unsure of what a Superman film would be like without Christoper Reeve but I actually didnt notice after the first few minutes as Brandon Routh plays the part very well. This film is well worth the money and I urge you to give it a try.

A Morally Weak Film.......2007-12-20

OK, I have several moral problems with this film.
I have a few practical ones too (people playing pool on a ship, 150 minutes running time?) but unlike the film we're maintaining focus.
So the kid is Superman's? Err, how did that happen. Superman was away for 5 years yet this child is at least 6.
And isn't it unfair for Richard, who seems a nice chap, to be cuckholded and bring up Super's baby thinking it's his own? Isn't that morally wrong?
And speaking of morals, how come Super's good deeds are all just "showing off"? Yeah, he rescues people off buildings and that to loud applause & photos but what about tackling the real evils in society?
A third of Americans have no healthcare - where is he then? Poverty kills more people than buses falling off bridges but does he care?
No. Superman is an upholder of the wealth-centric status quo and perpetuates a system that keeps people in their place - dumb, poor consumers staring blankly at their papers or TVs.
Lois was right - the world doesn't need Superman. It needs a just & fair system rather than flashier news programs.
[PS The above review doesn't count if I find myself in a plane with an engine on fire, natch.]

An ensemble cast delivers.......2007-10-27

Following a mysterious absence of five years Superman comes back to Earth in the epic Superman Returns. Clark's/Superman's alienation, his loneliness lies at the heart of this film. He is a solitary figure - the last of his civilization, apparently not too missed by those from his former personal life and the world as a whole. He returns to find that these emotional ties/foundations have shifted while he was away, and the world has gone its way without him. His old enemy, Lex Luthor, plots to render him powerless once and for all (at least he was thinking of him!). Superman also faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. She has written a Pulitzer Prize-winning essay: "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Lois (Kate Bosworth) now has both a partner and a child. Lois is feisty, independent and strong. She has gone through heartbreak and abandonment.

The scene is set for Superman to prove that the world needs an example to follow - a hero. The 'American way' is absent but the film does not shy away from the underlying Judeo-Christian ethic of a 'Saviour' (and of course Truth and Justice are still present). Strangely the man playing Superman (Brandon Routh) represents an 'American Way' which would win widespread approval. He comes from Norwalk, Iowa and speaks of valuing neighbours and politeness.

Kevin Spacey is outstanding as Lex Luthor. Kevin saw Lex as "The ultimate Capitalist". Spacey saw Lex as motivated by greed: -"He's got wide-ranging evil plans. But at the end of the day, it's really basic. He just wants his cut."

He said he wanted Lex to be a "formidable nemesis" for Superman. I think he succeeded in conveying this but the role also had humour. There were very funny exchanges between his moll Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey) and he. The Director, Singer, said of her role: - "Parker brings incredible dimensions to Kitty, who is spiritually related to the first and second film's Miss Tessmacher. And like Tessmacher, Parker's Kitty is both fun and cheeky and a great foil for Lex, but Kitty also has somewhat of a conscience, which Lex definitely doesn't have."

The special effects, sets and costumes are all that you would expect from a Hollywood blockbuster. The scenes of Superman hovering, flying and gliding are fantastic.

Superman Returns has had some critical coverage. I think it is largely undeserved. It delivers a good all-round family film and compares well with previous ones. There are some fine performances from an ensemble cast.

Dull and spread too thinly.......2007-10-11

I bought this because a) it was £1.99 and b) its a superhero film and my superhero film shelf would feel incomplete without it.
Having said that the film is very dull. A couple of set pieces show what it might have been but the rest is wordy and confusing.
The 80's Superman was of its time and a bit tongue-in-cheek which worked well. This one wants to be the darker, grittier 21st Century comic book hero (like Batman) but that only makes the cheesier bits seem out of place. The Spiderman films worked because it capture the teen angst of the comic book. This same angst just doesn't work with Superman. The 'Lois as a mother and getting married' plotline was redundant and handled clumsily.
Anyway, I've got it and got it cheap so I don't really have to watch it ever again... probably.

Average customer rating:

exodus a pre 1967 war film on Israel

Exodus [1960]
Starring: Paul Newman , Eva Marie Saint , Ralph Richardson , Peter Lawford , and Lee J. Cobb
Director: Otto Preminger
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00015N56A
Release Date: 2004-02-02

Amazon.co.uk Review

Otto Preminger's 1960 adaptation of Leon Uris's novel Exodus is a sprawling tale of the founding of modern Israel, starring Paul Newman as a resistance leader. The film works best as an example of Preminger's estimable skill with all levels of drama and action, but as a reflection upon history it is compromised by stereotypes, unpersuasive relationships and a certain moral ambivalence about issues related to the subject. There are good and exciting sequences, however, particularly one involving an effort to break through a British blockade and get to the homeland. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

exodus a pre 1967 war film on Israel.......2004-02-29

Exodus is a pro Israel film. What is wrong with that? In Europe
most of the media puts the Arab point of view every hour with no attempt at "fairness".There is an element of stereo type of the British, Arabs and also the Palestinian Jews.Since the 1967 war we need reminding that the only Palestinians that fought for the Allies in the two World Wars were the Palestinian Jews now called Israelis.The word "Palestinian" has been inaccurately appropiated by the Arabs of palestine only.A dramatic epic and a reminder of the fact that the Arabs rejected all offers of negotiation which could have avoided refugee problems and war, and that the British Administration was not evenhanded but 100% pro Arab because of Arab oil and bolstered by traditional public school Anti semitism. Every one should see this moving film of the renaissance of the Jewish State after 1800 years.

Customer Reviews:

The Saint: The Complete Monochrome Series.......2008-03-03

Roger Moore is great, no question about it! The problem is more in the
contents. When I ordered this box from Sweden it claimed it had all
the 71 white/black episodes and it has. It also claimed that it contained
all of them. That I am not so sure about anymore. I remember in 1982
when 10 episodes were presented in television and these 10 episodes
were presented as the absolute first ones. Unfortunately, I only
remember one episode which was dealing with the intrigues in the racing
world, but I can not remember the title of the episode. What I remeber
is the woman`s fictitious name called Cynthia Quillen. I hope I spell
it right now. Now, this episode was not included in this box and
naturally it leads me to suspect that there might be several episodes
that were excluded from this box. Is there anyone else who also suspect
this?

El Santo, una serie mítica.......2008-02-12

Yo no había nacido todavía cuando empezó a emitirse la más famosa e inolvidable serie de televisión. Protagonizada por Roger Moore, el actor más elegante y guapo que haya habido nunca, destilando una clase y un saber estar inimitables e inconfundibles. Una delicia para los nostálgicos de una época ya pasada pero no olvidada. ¡Maravillosa!

The Black and White episodes are finally here!!!!.......2007-12-27

I have waited with bated breath to have the entire collection of episodes of The Saint. Now I have them. I too purchased "The Saint: The Early Episodes, Sets 1 and 2". I had wondered why the other B/W episodes had not been released in a box set or otherwise. It would have been ideal for me as I live in the US and technically need Region 1 DVD's, which is what code my other B/W's are. It would have been great to just add to the collection I had already started. However, right now I am just thrilled to have the complete 71 B/W episodes all together. I am getting a multi-region DVD player so that problem will be taken care of as well. I already have the complete set of color episodes that A&E released several years ago. Now I have all 118 episodes of The Saint starring Roger Moore, the one and only Simon Templar!!!

The Black and White Saint episodes!.......2007-05-09

Being a huge fan of ITC shows and of course "The Saint" with Roger Moore, I was happy to see that all of the Black and white episodes were released. Like several other reviewers of this series, I was very disappointed why only the first 29 episodes were released as "The Saint The Early Episodes Set 1 and 2 and why the remaining episodes 29-71 were never released in another box set. This Monochrome Set is great but I really don't want to spend extra money to purchase the entire Black and White series when I already own half of them.

Is Black & White Best?.......2007-04-12

I only had a couple of B&W episodes on video, so I haven't got the duplication issues previous reviewers have had. I have no memories of these stories at all - my childhood memeories are all of the colour era & presuambly the 70s repeats did not include the B&W episodes. So this set is a gem as far as I am concerned, much as the pre-Diana Rigg Avengers episodes were. The stories are pretty well written, but then being based on the Charteris originals they should be I guess. There are little grating points such as the strange semi-American accent that Roger Moore adopts, and the far too frequent re-using of certain actors in different roles (sometimes in consecutive stories). You sometimes get confused as to whether they are supposed to be a returning character or not. Also, did they have to have so many story titles consisting of a woman's name? Of course I'm nit-picking with tongue firmly in cheek. It's classic 60s television, but from memory, quite different from the colour, non-Charteris based era.

Well worth buying. Now for the colour episodes...

The Saint - The Complete Colour Series (14 Disc Box Set)

Average customer rating:

The Colour Stories Are Good As Well
The name's Templer, Simon Templer...
Show the modern rubbish how it's done, Simon!
about time too!
Majestic Stuff This Certainly Is. A MUST BUY!!!!!

The Saint - The Complete Colour Series (14 Disc Box Set)
Starring: Roger Moore , and Ivor Dean
Manufacturer: Network
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EMTJQ0
Release Date: 2006-04-03

Customer Reviews:

The Colour Stories Are Good As Well.......2007-09-10

Well it has taken me many months to get through the black & white and then the colour stories, but it has been well worth it. I wasn't sure how the colour era would compare to the monochrome stuff, but in fact I think it works just as well. For the most part I didn't find the stories too different from the early Charteris based ones, although they were perhaps a little more Avengers-like at times. The only fly in the ointment is the almost constant presence of Claude Eustace Teal. Not that I have anything against him - I think he's a wonderful character, played superbly by Ivor Dean - it's just that poor old Claude seems to be the only Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard! I'm still not sure why they changed the theme tune for the final season.

The special features are a bit thin on the ground and the very entertaining documentary could have been a bit longer.

All in all well worth buying. Enjoy!

The name's Templer, Simon Templer..........2006-08-11

This huge 14 disc set contains all the colour episodes of The Saint produced plus a superb documentary featuring Roger Moore and so much more.

Superb value and a superb collection of one of ITC's many great series.

A must buy.

Show the modern rubbish how it's done, Simon!.......2006-07-27

Anybody who cares to read my other reviews will notice that I'm a BIG fan of "old" television. It isn't "nostalgia" (These programmes were repeats when even I saw them the first time) and it's not a case of "rose-tinted spectacles" (I have the shows right here to watch now) - I just love how much more interest there was in telling a good story and how the main objective was for the audience to have fun. I can think of nothing on television now that delivers in the way the 'classics' did - Literally nothing. Sad, isn't it?
Here we have my favourite ITC series - Roger Moore's mere presence in something automatically elevates that film or show to "watchable" status, in my opinion. His charisma, warmth and wit shine through any role he adopts and the SAINT is no exception. His interpretation of SIMON TEMPLER is different to the character of the novels, but for me he will always be the definitve SAINT. Stories range from intruiging to insane (The infamous HOUSE ON DRAGON'S ROCK does perhaps go too far in concept but is still, ultimately, fun!) but even the most outlandish instalments have you glued to the adventures of a genuine hero fighting for what's right. Add to that some of the most beautiful female guests to tangle with the SAINT (Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson, Anette Andre and Pauline Monroe are my favourtie "Saint girls") and this series becomes a delight!

To be honest, I do prefer the black and white stories - The monochrome adds to the atmosphere and that period was also more reliant on the actual stories of Leslie Charteris. Still, it was perfectly logical for NETWORK to release the colour episodes first as most casual buyers consider black & white productions worthless (How silly!). Initially, this set seems expensive, but don't forget that you're getting 47 episodes as well as two feature film compilations (And if you do think this is too expensive, wait until the black & white box set comes out, especially to those of us who bought the CARLTON set!) - Also, these episodes have a high "rewatchability" factor so you'll probably find yourself dipping into this set quite often.

The extras are as impressive as we've come to expect from NETWORK - There are commentaries for several episodes from members of the crew, with Roger Moore chipping in now and then (Although his words appear to have been recorded seperately), original trailers for every single episode (A great idea) and a witty 45 minute documentary looking at various aspects of the show (including less than favourable comments from Leslie Charteris himself) - This documentary could actually have been longer and that's the only complaint I can bring against this set. The packaging is beautiful, the presentation a delight (Even the Network logo adopts a "halo" when the DVD starts up) and it's clear that the staff at NETWORK love the subject as much as I do. With my CHAMPIONS boxset in the post (Can't wait!) this really is a golden age for collectors of classic television and I really recommend this set.

about time too!.......2006-07-22

i never thought i would see the day when all the colour episodes of my favourite cult programme "the saint" would be released on one d.v.d collection. the extras are pretty impressive as well, including an informative documentary on the making of the colour series.
by the time the programme made the transition to colour in 1966, things were changing; the plots were slightly more involved and fanciful(which i don't think is a bad idea), roger moore was begin to produce and direct some of them but also there was more location filming. i think all this helped the series considerably and also proved itself adaptable at change.
i'm certain most of the episodes here, have hardly been shown on t.v. only a handful were released on video back in the 90s, so you had to be grateful for what was available. gladly, this has all changed. the quailty of the picture and sound have been improved immensely.also included, are two collective booklets detailing the making of each episode and information about its star roger moore.at the end of one of these, is information and photographs concerning upcoming releases of other cult programmes.
hopefully, this release will be the first of two; the complete series of the black and white episodes should be released in a boxset just like this one, within a couple of months. i can't wait. with the colour series comprising 47 programmes and the black and white comprising 71 programmes, that would make for a lot of viewing.
the price is expensive at £100, but worth the grief to treasure these colour instalments. enjoy!

Majestic Stuff This Certainly Is. A MUST BUY!!!!!.......2006-04-10

I can never rate a DVD Boxset highly enough, and there is complete justification to rate The Saint 100%. There are a great deal of extras including Edwin Astley's complete Saint scores to accompany the image galleries, and the documentary is definitely worth watching as Roger Moore's predecessor, Ian Ogilvy narrates this insight into the making of the Colour series with interviews with the likes of Alvin Rakoff, Roy Ward Baker, Robert S Baker, Alexandra Bastedo, and Johnny Goodman, leaving Roger Moore to tell us how he made them, and lets face it, his was the definite Simon Templar.

The series trailers are all there too. All 47 of the episodes, and the main feature-film versions for "The Fiction Makers", and , "Vendetta For The Saint".

Network have went for all the trimmings, and it has paid off brilliantly, and whats more, #1.70 of every Saint Boxset that is bought will go towards Heaven's Angels, the charity co-founded by Virgin boss, Richard Branson to help fund projects in the likes of Africa, and India.

Customer Reviews:

Still the champion.......2007-11-27

Forty years on, Grand Prix is still the best motor racing film ever made. The cars may be faster now, filming techniques improved and special effects more advanced, yet the film still has a truly epic scale and a feeling of veracity down to the last gear change that would be impossible to duplicate today. It feels real because much of it is real, the actors (with the exception of Brian Bedford) doing much of the driving themselves, with the production even entering cars in real races to seamlessly match footage. The real danger is only underlined by the fact that so many of the professional drivers in the film died racing themselves (ten in the decade following the filming alone). The crashes are there, along with the knowledge that that's what many in the crowd come for, but more than that, each race has a different character: more than just a different look, they're almost tone poems at times, one race from the driver's seat, another from a spectator's, another almost inside a character's head. Yet throughout, unlike later films, you always have a clear idea of what is going on and what point the race scenes are trying to make. The sequences have clearly been thought through and designed both emotionally as well as visually, with the great use of long lenses to establish scale and speed as cars drift in and out of focus giving the film a feel at once realistic and almost dreamlike (an impression further heightened in Saul Bass' almost balletic split-screen sequence). It's still a remarkably good looking film, too, not least because it was made at a time when the cars still looked like bullets rather than vacuum cleaners.

The plot itself may be simply a globe-trotting star-studded soap opera at heart - the roadshow equivalent of a doorstop bestseller - but it's a more than serviceable framework to hang the racing scenes on: after a spectacular crash in the Monte Carlo Grand Prix that cripples team mate Brian Bedford, James Garner's Formula One tries to work his way back on the circuit by racing for Toshiro Mifune's fledgling team while having an affair with Bedford's wife Jessica Walter. But while top-billed Garner may be the nominal and not particularly sympathetic lead, it's Yves Montand's ageing champion gradually realizing the absurdity of what he does but unable to quit who makes the greatest impression: so much so that when Garner disappears for much of the last third of the movie you barely miss him. Yet the cars remain the real stars, thanks to John Frankenheimer's constantly imaginative direction and his obvious enthusiasm for the material without ever losing himself in the minutiae as Steve McQueen did with Le Mans.

The film used every 65mm SuperPanavision camera then in existence, and thankfully the widescreen DVD transfer is a considerable improvement over the TV prints. Although it hasn't restored Mifune's voice, which was reportedly in the version shown at the film's premiere but subsequently replaced by Paul Frees on all prints (Adolfo Celi is also very obviously dubbed, possibly by Maximilian Schell), it does boast a good array of featurettes covering the making of the film and the Overture and Entr'acte from Maurice Jarre's excellent score have been retained.

Stuck In Fourth.......2007-10-17

This was always one of my favourite films as a kid, so i set aside an evening to watch the 2-disc Special Edition. Now, maybe my imagination ran away with me a bit when i was younger, but i'm sure that a few of the crashes have been deleted from this particular edition. I distinctly recall an incident (probably at Spa) when one of the competitors crashes into some bails of hay, and a group of spectators rush to help. One guy carlessly chucks his fag away, resulting in car, driver and barn erupting in a fireball. Now, i know this Government doesn't want us to smoke any more (not in public, anyway) but the reason for editing this sort of stuff from films escapes me. I also remember more than one car ending up in the sea at Monaco. If i dreamt all of this, or it's from another film entirely, could someone put me straight.
Being an anal sort i am now scouring the Net for another version, as the one I have is 165? mins and the one advertised is 176 mins.
Other than that, thoroughly enjoyable !!

great bargain.......2007-07-12

Just bought this dvd for under three pounds from Amazon. This must be the best bargain ever. Not only do you get the complete film as theatrically released in the cinema (usually shown on tv in a much cut version), but a superb second disc with several interesting features about the making of the film, footage of the f1 races during the sixties and interviews with drivers of that era.

The