dvd's - Rented List
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Pre-dating television favourites 'Casualty' and 'Holby City' by decades, 'Emergency Ward 10' was Britain's first medical soap opera. Initially thought of (much like Coronation Street) as a filler programme, the twice-weekly serial rapidly became a favourite with the nation's viewing public. Between 1957 and 1967 it regularly pulled in audiences in excess of 15 million and spawned two spin-off programmes and a feature-film adaptation. Set in the fictitious Oxbridge General Hospital, 'Emergency Ward 10' concentrated as much on the private lives of the staff as it did on their jobs, setting the template for today's modern medical soaps. It also introduced the viewers to medical procedures, earning praise from the British Medical Council for helping to allay the public's fears of hospitals. This series, in common with many from the 1950's and '60's, no longer exists in its entirety. Included in this set are a selection of 24 further episodes from the early 1960's, including episode 724 which features television's first inter-racial kiss - a significant cultural milestone, highlighting the increasing maturity of both television programmes and their audience. - Director:
- James Ferman
- Cast:
- Ian Cullen, Peter Lorenzo, John Carlisle
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Hatton Garden (2019)The Hatton Garden Heist
From BAFTA-winning screenwriter Jeff Pope, this gripping thriller tells the inside story of one of the most spectacular crimes of the last decade - the 'Hatton Garden' heist. Over one Easter weekend, millions of pounds worth of jewels and cash were stolen from a high-security vault in the heart of London's world famous diamond district. Over four tension-fuelled episodes, 'Hatton Garden' plunges viewers into the action as this daring, meticulously planned heist unfolds. Following the destinies of the perpetrators, and the rivalries that emerged as they squabbled over the spoils, it shows how getting into the vault was only half the job - getting away with it was even more complex. The series depicts the devastating impact on the victims of the heist - many were small family businesses that lost everything. But by simultaneously tracking the complex police operation that closed in on the gang, we see exactly how this audacious, headline - grabbing crime ultimately unravelled. - Director:
- Paul Whittington
- Cast:
- Alex Norton, David Hayman, Kenneth Cranham
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Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star in this warm, funny and uplifting true story. 'Breathe' follows the life of Robin Cavendish (Garfield) and his wife Diana (Foy), an adventurous and determined couple who refuse to give up when Robin contracts polio and is given just months to live. Against all advice, Diana brings him home from hospital where her devotion and witty determination transcends his disability. Together and with the help of Diana's hilarious twin brothers, both played by Tom Hollander, and the pioneering ideas of their friend and inventor Teddy Hall (Hugh Bonneville), they find a way to live a full and passionate life. - Director:
- Andy Serkis
- Cast:
- Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Hugh Bonneville
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The future's looking bright for the eccentric Durrells, as we catch up with their lives on the beautiful island of Corfu. They're each channelling their heartbreak in different ways following the events in Series 3. Louisa's keeping busy by opening the doors of the family villa as a guest house. But with cousin Basil her only paying guest, business isn't exactly booming. Larry's struggling to get his risqué Black Book published and enjoying love with two ballet dancers, while Leslie's throwing himself back into his job (and shooting). Animal-mad Gerry now has ambitions to open his own zoo, and Margo's up for another new challenge as she decides to start her own beauty salon. - Director:
- Roger Goldby
- Cast:
- Keeley Hawes, Alexis Georgoulis, Miles Jupp
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Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P. L. Travers' (Emma Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won't budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, they set Mary Poppins free! - Director:
- John Lee Hancock
- Cast:
- Emma Thompson, P.L. Travers, Tom Hanks
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Armchair Theatre Archive: Vol.3 (1966)The Bird, The Bear and the Actress (1959) / The Fishing Match (1962) / The Man Who Came to Die (1965) / Dead Silence (1966)
Pioneering, immensely influential and often challenging, 'Armchair Theatre' was ITV's flagship drama anthology series. Bringing high-quality drama to the viewing public, the series easily demonstrated the network's potential to rival the BBC's drama output, with diverse and powerful plays showcasing some of Britain's most gifted writers. This release comprises four plays featuring performances by some of the era's most celebrated and accomplished actors including Harry H. Corbett, Lee Montague, Kenneth Griffith, Derek Jacobi, Yootha Joyce, Reginald Marsh, Patrick Allen and Ronald Lacey.
Featured Plays:
- The Bird, the Bear and the Actress (1959)
- The Fishing Match (1962)
- The Man Who Came to Die (1965)
- Dead Silence (1966)- Director:
- Ted Kotcheff
- Cast:
- Harry H. Corbett, Barry Jones, Lee Montague
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What if you discovered that your parent had lied to you? That almost everything they'd said about their own history, and yours, was untrue? In 1994, a toddler disappeared from a small Welsh village, never to be seen again. 23 years later, in London, the mother of rising cello star Matilda Gray (Lydia Wilson) commits suicide, without apparent reason. Among her possessions, Matilda discovers tantalising evidence, linking her mother to the Welsh girl's disappearance all those years ago, sending her grief-stricken to Wales. Determined to find out who she really is, Matilda unravels her own identity and exposes long buried secrets that a remote community are trying desperately to forget. One secret is more bizarre, terrifying and dangerous than anything she could have imagined one that has been waiting many years for Matilda to return. - Director:
- Mahalia Belo
- Cast:
- Simon Kunz, Charles Dale, Nicholas Anscombe
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The award-winning 'Detectorists' returns for a third series as we follow in the footsteps of Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones), two friends sharing a devotion to metal detecting. With their eyes on a particular plot of land, they dream of the one find which would bring history to life and change their lives in the process. Having returned from Africa, Andy and Becky (Rachael Stirling) have moved in temporarily with her mother (Diana Rigg) with all the challenges that come with the territory. Lance is trying to kick-start his relationship with Toni (Rebecca Callard), but her living on a barge makes him queasy and his daughter staying at the flat leaves it all rather precarious - with none of this being helped by the re-appearance of his ex-wife. Meanwhile Lance and Andy's search for gold continues as they face enemies old and new. This delightful comedy continues to unearth the hidden depths of those who call themselves 'Detectorists'. - Director:
- Mackenzie Crook
- Cast:
- Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones, Jack Roth
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First broadcast in 1979, 'Shoestring' became one of the most popular British private detective shows of all time, with Trevor Eve playing the dishevelled radio detective Eddie Shoestring. Eddie is an unconventional and unlikely private eye. In fact, with his own phone-in radio show, he's more like a troubleshooting private ear. His scruffy clothes, shaggy hairstyle and off-centre view of life offer him a clever and deceptive camouflage when he's on the crime-solving trail. His listeners' appeals include grisly pranks at a prep school, a missing punk rocker and a victim of a predatory cult. Eddie's quest for justice leads him into some dangerous scrapes - and some funny ones, in investigations full of twists and surprises. - Director:
- Douglas Camfield
- Cast:
- Trevor Eve, Ysanne Churchman, Ian Cross
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"The Leisure Seeker" is the nickname of the old RV used by Ella (Helen Mirren) and John (Donald Sutherland) Spencer to go on vacation with their children in the 1970's. On a summer morning the couple leave their adult and intrusive children astonished as they hop on board that dated vehicle and dash down Old Route 1 towards Key West for a new adventure. Their trip through an America they no longer recognise - between hilarious moments and others of pure terror - is their chance to retrace their married life nourished by passion and devotion, but also by secret obsessions that abruptly resurface and bring surprising revelations right up to the very end - Director:
- Paolo Virzì
- Cast:
- Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Christian McKay
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A powerful World War II drama series set in occupied France starring John Thaw. After going against the wishes of his family to join the Catholic Church twenty years earlier, Monsignor Renard returns to the town where he was born. He finds confusion, mainly caused by an ineffectual Mayor who is at pains to reassure the anxious populace that threats of occupation are premature. Renard is given a cool reception by his brother Yves, resentful that Renard escaped the running of the family business, and is accused of scaremongering when he disagrees with the Mayor. I his tense and moving drama follows Monsignor Renard as he faces the many dilemmas brought about by his return and the imminent occupation. - Director:
- Malcolm Mowbray
- Cast:
- John Thaw, Cheryl Campbell, Dominic Monaghan
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'The Repair Shop' is a workshop of dreams where broken or damaged cherished family heirlooms are brought back to life. Furniture restorers, horologists, metal workers, ceramicists, upholsterers and all manner of skilled craftsmen and women have been brought together in one extraordinary space to restore much loved possessions to their former glory. Many of these items have incredible stories behind them and a unique place in history: from an accordion played in the Blitz by a woman who's now in her nineties, to a beautifully crafted clock made by a father who was completely blind. 'The Repair Shop' is an antidote to the throwaway culture and shines a light on the wonderful treasures to be found in homes across the country. - Director:
- Alice Wylie
- Cast:
- Bill Paterson, Jay Blades, Steven Fletcher
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It is summer 1962, and England is still a year away from huge social changes: Beatlemania, the sexual revolution and the Swinging Sixties. Florence (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward (Billy Howie) are just married and honeymooning on the dramatic coastline of Chesil Beach in Dorset. However, the hotel is old fashioned and stifling, and underlying tensions between the young couple surface and cast unexpected shadows over their long anticipated wedding night. 'On Chesil Beach' is a tender story which shows how the entire course of a life can be changed simply by a gesture not made or a word not spoken. - Director:
- Dominic Cooke
- Cast:
- Billy Howle, Saoirse Ronan, Andy Burse
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The Bookshop (2017)La Librería
Florence Green (Emily Mortimer), is a free-spirited widow in 1950's England. Moving on from the death of her husband, she puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop - the first in a sleepy seaside town. Facing considerable local opposition, most notably from wannabe doyenne of the arts scene Mrs. Gamart (Patricia Clarkson), Florence finds a kindred spirit in Mr. Brundish (Bill Nighy), himself sick of the town's stale atmosphere. When Florence refuses to bend to Gamart's will, they begin a struggle not just for the bookshop but for the very heart and soul of the town. - Director:
- Isabel Coixet
- Cast:
- Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Hunter Tremayne
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