Learn The Secrets Of Effective Documentary Storyboarding

Filming a good documentary requires great attention to detail -careful research, passion for the subject matter at hand, and painstaking preparation can combine to create an unforgettable "slice of life" - one that really resonates with viewers. However, you must approach the pre-production part of your project correctly - part of getting it right relies on great storyboarding. Detailed storyboards will allow you to organize a lot of different types of information - you will also be able to plan out the entire pre-production process.

Most documentary filmmakers work hard to create a specific focus or point-of-view (Dylan Avery, creator of the 9/11 conspiracy documentary, Loose Change, is one example of this style), whereas others will strive to avoid bias or editorializing. Whatever approach you take, you will need to go through a process of previsualization before your can craft truly effective storyboards. This previz phase is usually a brainstorming phase, one where test interviews may also be conducted (with or without filming the subject).

The point of previz is to structure a particular focus, and to find subjects who will share their lives to the degree that is necessary to produce a meaningful documentary. During previz, consider locations, research, "casting", and camera shots and angles. Spend a little time thinking about soundtracks, music, and any special effects. Setting the tone and organizing your vision is the goal of previsualization. Sometimes, this is achieved in a group setting - true brainstorming is a group activity. However, you can also work alone - putting your research in a linear order and dreaming up ideas can be very helpful as your prepare to do your storyboarding.

Today, documentary directors are turning away from the tiresome storyboarding methods of past decades. Instead of hiring a live artist, and dealing with delays and drama while waiting for sketches, they are opting for film storyboard software that takes the artist out of the equation. Web storyboard software has come a long way - now, it offers a full complement of pre-loaded artwork, including characters, background, and props. This software is designed to pay for itself over time, by eliminating the need to outsource drawings. It also streamlines the creative process - you can create finished storyboards in mere minutes.

Whichever storyboard method you choose, be it old-fashioned paper storyboards or modern digital storyboards, you will need to map out every second of your documentary - frame by frame. Consider every element of each shot or scene, and then add dialogue and music as well (obviously, this is easier with digital storyboards - the software makes it easy to add or change sound effects). Play with ideas as you craft your storyboard - you can capture the essence of your artistic vision through experimentation. This can lead to a more streamlined, cost-effective filming process. You'll save time, money, and effort when you create polished storyboarding that organizes all the myriad elements of your documentary - before the cameras start rolling.

Today's award-winning and critically acclaimed directors and animators use previsualization technique that visualize scenes in a movie before filming begins. View Free Demo here: Film Storyboarding Software

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Wainwright Walks: Complete BBC Series 1 and2 Box Set [DVD]

Using Wainwright's Pictorial Guides of the Lakeland Fells, presenter Julia Bradbury explores the mountain walks of the Lake District. This collection features all the episodes from the first and second series.

Wainwright
Excellent product. This is a valuable resource for planning a walk in the lakes - the helicopter fly by of the route as well as JB's commentary. You can show the kids if your taking them so that they can see what they are going to attempt. JB fills you with the desire to dust your boots off and get out there.

A Fell-walker's Treasure
Every serious fell-walker, and many a less-energetic Lake District fan, knows about the famous Wainwright Walks and the ubiquitous little handbooks with their reverent commentaries and sparse route-maps. For such folk, and many more who simply love dramatic countryside, this DVD set encapsulates all the rugged beauty of the region and the effort needed to reach the most advantageous viewpoints, admirably transformed into something that can be enjoyed, over and over, from the comfort of an armchair.

Julia Bradbury positively radiates her enthusiasm for the subject, while giving proof positive of her own physical fitness and (in spades!) that of her camera team. The Wainwright commentaries and routes are faithfully depicted and the camera work is superb. A real bonus in a box!

mostly breathtaking
Nice, compact format - breathtaking views of course and a very pleasant companion in Julia Bradbury. It's sure to inspire most anyone to get on their gear and attempt at least one or two of her jaunty peaks.
The Lakes has been one of my favourite places since childhood and this series does it full justice.

Wainwright Walks: Complete BBC Series 1 & 2 Box Set [DVD] From Acorn Media Price: £14.59 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk 28 new or used available from £11.49 Average customer review:

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Sacred Music (The BBCs Groundbreaking TV Series) [DVD] [2010]

Series One of the BBC's groundbreaking classical music programme follows renowned actor and former chorister Simon Russell Beale as he explores the flowering of Western sacred music. This four-part documentary series contains a rich mix of personal, political and musical stories and features some of the greatest music ever written, all performed by Harry Christophers and his award-winning choir, The Sixteen.

Review
A beutifully filmed series that should inspire many to investigate further --The Gramophone.may 2010

The interplay of music,image and appealingly-elaborated context creates a rich polyphony of its own. performance **** Picture and sound **** extras *** --BBC Music Magazine. April 2010

One of the best things the BBC has made in years
These shows were aired in the autumn of 2009 in the afternoon and was perfect viewing before catching the football scores. Here we have all four programmes with extras on two DVDs. Simon Russell Beale takes us through four periods: the Gothic Revolution, Palestrina, Tallis and Byrd, and finally J. S. Bach. The fact the series ends here might suggest that there might be another series (please!) looking at maybe Handel, Henry Francis Lyte and others.

Beale is excellent as a presenter. He has secure knowledege without sounding pompous and arrogant and he also does not try to be "a nice guy" like many others these days. He gets on with the programme without dumbing down leaving others to be anaytical, chiefly Harry Christophers, the conductor of The Sixteen who provide most of the excellent music.

Choral music of this kind rarely gets any attention and to hear it played in these magnificent cathedrals remind us of why they were written. The show also does not force religion onto the viewer and the show can be throughly enjoyed by all. I seriously did not think you could enjoy an hour of Gregorian chant but with the visuals, interviews and performances you can.

At last the DVD!
I saw this series when it first went out in late 2008 on BBC 4 and was captivated by the combination of the glorious music and the learned approach to the development of the western choral tradition; I was frustrated to discover that the BBC hadn't made it available on DVD despite repeating it in 2009 (and now in 2010). Hooray for Corus, yet again!

Great series marred by poor manufacture
Having seen this on television I waited with anticipation for the release of the DVD. The series is informative, well-presented and well-edited, but the sound quality on the DVD is poor (which I do not recollect being a problem with the broadcasts), and one of the disks which I received, while appearing to be in mint condition, skips long periods which several different players describe as "damaged areas". Sadly I confess while expecting to be delighted I emerge disappointed from the experience.

Sacred Music (The BBCs Groundbreaking TV Series) [DVD] [2010] Sacred Music Series One Price: £15.31 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk 22 new or used available from £10.11 Average customer review:

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Heston's Feast [DVD]

Do not try this at home! Stimulating and provoking all the senses, Blumenthal pushes the boundaries and takes dining to a whole new level, creating extreme food adventures and true dinner magic . Heston Blumenthal owns one of the world s finest restaurants. He s famous for his unique approach to food and his experimental style of cooking which has set him poles apart from other chefs. In this exhilarating series Blumenthal reinvents gastronomy. Searching through age-old recipes, the culinary alchemist challenges himself to recreate them as the food of the future. For each unforgettable feast he invites six celebrities to dinner, but they soon discover these are no ordinary dinner parties. Blumenthal goes to extraordinary lengths to recreate the Mad Hatter s Tea Party from Alice s Adventures in Wonderland; bakes four and twenty blackbirds inside a pie; combines a variety of animals to create a mythical beast that s part lamb, part goose, part hog and part chicken; stimulates his guests with ejaculating cakes; and fashions an entirely edible scene based on the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas.


Heston at his mental best
If you know nothing about Heston Blumenthal, then be prepared for something totally different. This isn't a chef showing you how to make a soufflé, it's culinary theatre with a touch of science abuse thrown in. You're never likely to try any of the menu ideas at home, but it's great fun watching him blowing things up & finding new ways to achieve some magical meals. Best of all is the nervous looks on the faces of his guest diners, when presented with unidentifiable & bizarre dishes that are usually not what they seem & the childlike wonder & excitement that follows.
I think it's just brilliant.

Heston's Feast [DVD] From Acorn Media Price: £9.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk 17 new or used available from £7.36 Average customer review:

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Life After People - Complete Season Two (2-Disc Set) [Blu-ray]

Life After People - Complete Season Two (2-Disc Set) [Blu-ray]
From History Channel

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DVD Description
Welcome to Earth. Population Zero. What would happen if every human being on Earth disappeared? This isn’t the story of how we might vanish – it is the story of what happens to the world we leave behind. The second season of the fascinating HISTORY™ series Life After People takes a stunningly graphic journey to a world wiped clean of humanity.

From animal outbreaks to massive structural collapses to hordes of toxins and chemicals unleashed across the globe, Life After People: The Complete Season Two reveals what happens in the hours, days, months and years after people disappear.

• The incredible cutting-edge CGI effects are perfect for the Blu-ray format, revealing in superb quality the scientific details of the fate of every aspect of the man-made world and how the landscape of our planet would forever change in our absence. As each scenario is revealed it is easy to forget you are watching CGI and not the actual disintegration of our planet as we know it.

• 2 discs in a luxury 4 page Digipak in a double walled slipcase.



Stills from Life After People - Season Two (Click for larger image)



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Amelia [DVD]

Amelia [DVD] [2009]
Directed by Mira Nair

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£10.40 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
With her lanky Middle-America looks and her toothy grin, Hilary Swank is a natural fit for the adventurous figure of Amelia Earhart, the world's most famous aviatrix. Amelia ticks through the major achievements of Earhart's career: her 1928 flight across the Atlantic (as a passenger, not a pilot), which made her the first airborne woman to make the trip; more triumphantly, her 1932 solo transatlantic journey; her marriage to publisher George Putnam; and of course the mysterious 1937 around-the-world flight that ended in her vanishing, with engineer Fred Noonan, somewhere near Howland Island in the mid Pacific. With Swank in her pilot togs and director Mira Nair at the helm, the project would seem to have the ingredients for success, but the resulting film is a truly dull, almost featureless affair. The big flights themselves have innate appeal, but otherwise the emphasis is on Amelia's love life, shared between Putnam (Richard Gere) and the dashing Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor)--who, the film clumsily keeps reminding us, is the father of Gore Vidal, seen here as a precocious tyke. A smidgen of Amelia's proto-feminist attitude is included, including her intriguing take on her marriage agreement, but nothing actually cuts deep or generates interest. After a while Amelia becomes a series of events, told with less excitement than the average documentary on the same subject, albeit with prettier photography. --Robert Horton

Synopsis
Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in director Mira Nair's biopic tracing the life of famed aviator Amelia Earhart -- who made history in 1932 by becoming the first woman ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip made the aviatrix a national celebrity -- with help from her publicist George Putnam (Gere), whom she fell in love with and eventually married. Their union was tested, however, as Earhart developed feelings for contemporary Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor ), and the couple's marriage faced the ultimate tragedy years later, as Earhart's fierce independent spirit spurred her to attempt to fly around the world -- a venture that infamously shrouded her in mystery, as the pilot simply vanished after crashing into the Pacific Ocean. Christopher Eccleston and Joe Anderson co-star in the Avalon Pictures production.

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Favela Rising

Favela Rising [2005] [DVD]
Directed by Jeff Zimbalist, Matt Mochary

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Synopsis
A documentary profiling Anderson Sa, a former trader of drugs, who leads his community in non-violent revolution through the music and culture now known as Afro-Reggae.

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How the Earth Was Made [Blu-ray]

How the Earth Was Made [Blu-ray] [2007]
Directed by Robert Strange

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£9.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

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DVD Description
San Andreas Fault: The San Andreas Fault runs 800 miles through some of the most valuable real estate in the world. Through the southern section hasn't had a significant quake for over 300 years, recent warnings have Los Angeles primed for a destructive quake that could wreak havoc on the city.

The Deepest Place on Earth: Lying seven miles below the surface of the sea, the Marianas Trench is the deepest place on Earth. Investigate the mystery of this strange underwater abyss, where a world of fiery mountains, bizarre marine mud volcanoes, and devastating tsunamis reveal how the deepest scar on Earth's crust was created.

Krakatoa: The 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano unleashed an explosion that was heard mroe than 2,000 miles away, and triggered a giant 100-foot tsunami that wiped out more than 36,000 people. What made this corner of our planet so dangerous, and could another catastrophic eruption be on the way?

Loch Ness: Home to the legend of the Loch Ness monster, this lake holds more water than any other lake in Britain. It's only 10,000 years old, but billions of years in the making. Trace the lake's extraordinary history and find out if the famed monster could really have survived in its murky waters.

New York: Built on the remains of mountains that 450 million years ago were as tall as the Himalayas, New York is one of the most man-made spaces on the planet. Learn how everything about it--from the height of its skyscrapers to the position of its harbour--is governed by the amazing forces that shaped it.

Driest Place On Earth: Since human records of the area began, some places in the Atacama Desert have never received rain; yet strange bacteria have been discovered living there. Look into the riddle of this South American desert to discover how this extraordinarily dry landscape was created.

Great Lakes: The Great Lakes of North America are the largest expanses of fresh water on the planet. As the lakes settle to their current levels, geologists delve deep in search for clues of their formation, discovering that the Great Lakes' evolutions are far from over.

Yellowstone: This National Park houses one of the most dangerous geological features on Earth, a hidden super-volcano overdue for a massive eruption. In the past 16.5 million years, the volcano has mysteriously moved hundreds of miles to its present, and active, location. Is this sleeping giant beginning to stir?

Tsunami: Tsunamis are one of the most terrifying forces of nature, destroying all in their path. The December 26th tsunami in 2004 is estimated to have released energy equal to that of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. What are the enormous forces that generate these catastrophic waves deep on the ocean floor?

Asteroids: Until recently geologists could find no evidence that asteroids had actually struck the earth. See both the immense riches now known to be the result of these giant boulders from space, and the decimation their violent impacts had on the first people to live in America.

Iceland: The largest and most fearsome volcanic island on the planet, Iceland is being ripped apart by powerful forces lighting its fiery volcanoes. Could these volcanoes cause climatic chaos and devastation across the planet?

Hawaii: Emerging from the centre of the Pacific Ocean, the origins of the Hawaiian islands have remained a puzzle for generations. See what clues their history of raging volcanoes, vast landslides, and mega-tsunamis might hold about the inner workings of our planet.

The Alps: Spanning seven countries, the Alps are Europe's most important natural landmark. But how did marine fossils get there, seven thousand feet above sea level? A team of investigators attempts to understand how the Alps evolved, and how long they will be around.

Synopsis
How could the planet that was once a simmering sea of radioactive, molten rock evolve to become the universe's greatest refuge for human life? This is the question asked by filmmaker Peter Chin as he descends deep into the volcanoes that formed the planet's crust and dives to the bottom of the ocean to explore the first evidence of life on Earth. Beginning in the distant past and stretching into the far-off future, How The Earth Was Made utilizes cutting edge special effects and breathtaking footage from remote locations in order to find out not only where life came from, but where it could be heading as well.

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Mysteries of the Bible

Mysteries of the Bible (6 DVD Gift Pack)
From History Channel

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DVD Description
This series provides a wealth of astonishing discoveries and unforgettable revelations.

Upheld as the literal word of God by some and the ultimate testament of mankind’s spirituality by others, the Bible has galvanized western history for over 2,000 years. For ages, it has provided a rich treasury of tradition, ritual and mystery that has engaged scholars as much as it has guided the faithful. After thousands of years of debate and question, Mysteries of the Bible explores many of the greatest tales of Scripture.

Filmed on location throughout the Holy Land and utilising modern scientific techniques and newfound archaeological discoveries, Mysteries of the Bible reveals surprising facts and theories behind the legendary figures and fabled stories of the Bible.

ABRAHAM: ONE MAN, ONE GOD
Searching for evidence to support the existence of Abraham, one of the Bible’s most revered figures.

SPARTACUS
The tale of the infamous Thracian warrior who lead a slave revolt of 70,000 gladiators against the Roman Republic.

HEROD THE GREAT
The world’s leading archaeologists and historians search for the truth about one of the Bible’s most legendary villains.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
This is the code that has come to many to be the very definition of moral behaviour.

JACOB’S LADDER
Jacob’s magnificent vision has both fascinated and perplexed people of all religions for centuries.

JOSEPH: MASTER OF DREAMS
Looking for evidence to support the story of Joseph, who used his divine gift to save Egypt from famine.

CAIN AND ABEL
A tale of cold-blooded murder between the world’s first brothers, which in many ways remains a mystery.

QUEEN ESTHER: FAR AWAY AND LONG AGO
An in-depth look into how a woman from ancient Persia came to have such an impact on Judaism?

KING SOLOMON
Explore new answers to some of the oldest questions that have perplexed historians and archaeologists for years.

KING DAVID: POET WARRIOR
Extraordinary new discoveries about one of the bible’s best known characters – slayer of the giant named Goliath.

ARCHENEMY: THE PHILISTINES
What is the truth behind the legend of the Philistines, who were the Israelites most cunning and ruthless enemies.

THE EXECUTION OF JESUS
An exploration into the truth behind the legendary crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

THE LOST YEARS OF JESUS
Scholars reveal intriguing theories of why the Bible is silent about the missing decades of Jesus’ life known as the “lost years”.

THE LAST SUPPER
The significance of the last supper is unparalleled, but details are scant and modern scholars continue to debate the specifics.

PAUL THE APOSTLE
With the exception of Jesus of Nazareth, Saint Paul is the single most important figure in the history of Christianity, this is his story.

THE BIBLE’S GREATEST SECRETS
In the Holy Land today, dozens of specialised archaeologists attempt to unlock the mysteries of vanished civilisations.

BIBLICAL ANGELS
Featuring time and again in the bible, today, angels are still the centre of wonder, popular imagination, and debate.

HEAVEN AND HELL
We try to uncover where do the images of Heaven and Hell come from and what do they tell us about our own fears of sin and redemption?

APOCALYPSE: THE PUZZLE OF REVELATION
Visit ancient Megiddio--thought to be the site of the biblical Armageddon--and uncover answers about the apocalyptic prophesies.

Special Features
Ancient Mysteries: The Lost Ark
History’s Mysteries: The Shroud of Turin

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Lisztomania

Lisztomania [DVD] [1975]
Directed by Ken Russell

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Synopsis
Outrageously hedonistic 'rockopera' LISZTOMANIA casts contemporary rock god Roger Daltrey as the world's first music superstar, Franz Liszt. Loosely based on the life of the composer, the film takes a fantastical voyage through rock'n'roll excess and adventure, peppered with cameos from such pop icons as Ringo Starr (as the Pope) and Rick Wakeman (as Thor). The dynamic pairing of THE WHO frontman and visionary filmmaker Ken Russell reunited again after the triumphant TOMMY (made the same year) for another equally flamboyant and extraordinary assault on the senses. Sex, groupies, Nazis, Vikings, Robots and classical music; LISZTOMANIA has it all and more!

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Bus 174 [DVD]

Bus 174 [DVD] [2002]
Directed by Jose Padilha

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£4.57 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

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Synopsis
A documentary recounting the events of June 12, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro when several people fell victim to the hijacking of a bus. Unable to determine the motives of the hijacker, the authorities stood their ground for four hours whilst the television cameras recorded every second, capturing the attention of a nation for the duration of the stand-off. Portuguese dialogue with English subtitles.

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Life In Victorian Britain [DVD]

Life In Victorian Britain [DVD]
From Cromwell Productions

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£6.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Customer Reviews

Not bad3
Life in Victorian Britain(1995) is an OK documentary using excellent pictures and photographs of the age. The sound quality is poor on the DVD but apart from that its watchable. I recommend this for beginners in the victorian era, it covers most parts of the era from lower classes to upper classes, industry and empire and has interviews and dramatised readings. The DVD is one hour long, and also includes a picture gallery. Not a brilliant dvd but i learned alot from it so i recommend.

victorian Britain3
I ordered dvd this hoping I could use it as part of my Project Victorian Britain with my class of nine year olds. It was very interesting but too adult for them. Perhaps this could have been mentioned in the description?

Life in Victorian Britain3
This is an interesting DVD, which does pack in a lot of good information. However,I find the constant 'criticism' over the class system of Victoria's age both unnecessary and hypocritical. We in the West today are living with even greater differences in real wealth between rich and poor than they had then.

Victoria's reign was in fact England's heroic age. A time in which the population, industrial and military strength of both Great Britain and Europe, all grew faster for longer; than ever before or since. It was an age that saw a highly sucessful English ruling class create the largest Empire the world has ever seen. This Empire in turn allowed the establishment of the first genuinely worldwide economic system; a system we all benefit from even today.

The Victorian educational system was, in it's day, the best in the world bar none; as were the British engineering, banking, shipbuilding, and railway industries. In medical and scientific research, England took a world lead which has only recently been lost; and many other Victorian achievements could easily be added to this list.

To conclude; this programme does have a lot to offer, but I feel that there was far more positive information on Victoria's age which could have been included in order to give a more balanced view. Life In Victorian Britain [DVD]

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Rural Britain A novel approach

Rural Britain A novel approach [DVD]
From Go Entertain

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£12.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Customer Reviews

Nice viewing4
All in all a set of discs that is worth viewing. Picture and sound are very good. The whole project falls short, however, of the promises that the title gives. Neither is it a "novel", ie new, nor a "novel", ie based on the novels of the presented authors, approach. So the pun somehow misfires! It is quite simply a series of biographical detail, embedded in rural surroundings and buildings, with little "novel" impetus. But, as stated before, well worth its purchasing price, if you do not expect too much.
By the way, running time is about 150 minutes.

authors and countryside3
Very informative and attractive to watch whilst not being too heavy on the details of the actual writers, therefore, well worth watching but I was left with a feeling that

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In The Shadow Of The Moon

In The Shadow Of The Moon [DVD] [2007]
Directed by David Sington

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£4.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis

America's quest to put a man on the moon, while both fascinating and inspiring, has been well-covered on film, perhaps most notably in "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Apollo 13". Add to that a space program that by the early 2000s ranked near "Abscam" in terms of public interest, and it's easy to see why the documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon might be a tough sell. Yet this simple, stylish look at the Apollo space program is a quietly powerful rumination on the nature of patriotism, heroism, and humanity.

In In The Shadow Of The Moon, director David Sington utilises a narrator-less structure which intercuts stunning stock footage with insightful commentary from the surviving astronauts who walked on the moon. There are no experts, no voiceovers, and no recreations; it's a style that works quite well, recalling the work of Errol Morris. While the space shots and behind-the-scenes footage of NASA operations are fascinating, the astronauts--including Buzz Aldrin, Dave Scott and Alan Bean--are a revelation. Variously witty, heartfelt, modest and humbled when discussing their journeys into space, it's easy to understand why these men were heroes to a generation. Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the documentary is the way in which the viewer is reminded of how genuinely stunning the Apollo mission was--not only for the United States, but for the whole world. One need not be reminded that 1969 was a tumultuous year for Earth, and that Neil Armstrong's famous one small step for man literally united the planet, giving true credence to the latter half of his famous statement. The Shadow Of The Moon expertly recreates that moon-landing moment, without a shred of excess patriotism, pretence or sentiment.

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Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men [DVD] [2003]
From 2 Entertain Video

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£2.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
A humourous series featuring the grumpiest people in Britain - 35-54 year olds. Celebrities including Bill Nighy, Bob Geldof, Rick Wakeman, Michael Grade and John Peel vent their spleens on a range of topics that make them grumpy. The DVD includes all four episodes from the series plus the Christmas Special.

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Religulous

Religulous [DVD] [2008]
Directed by Larry Charles

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£4.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Bill Maher travels to Israel, England, the Netherlands, Vatican City, and across America, speaking to people about faith and religion in the very funny documentary RELIGULOUS. Maher, a stand-up comedian who has hosted the talk shows POLITICALLY INCORRECT on ABC and REAL TIME on HBO and has written such bestsellers as DOES ANYBODY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT? and WHEN YOU RIDE ALONE, YOU RIDE WITH BIN LADEN, reaches out to religious leaders as well as regular folk on the street, discussing the existence of God and the importance of organised religion.
Maher makes it clear from the start that he is not a fan of religion and does not believe in God, and he has fun skewering people who do--including Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Mormons, rabbis, priests, politicians, scientists, evangelical ministers, and even a preacher whose church is a converted truck. He also visits such places as the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida, where he interviews the actor who plays Jesus in a live show there, and the Red Light District in Amsterdam, notorious for its legalised drugs and prostitution. As he has done on his television programs and in his books, Maher questions literal interpretations of the Bible, seeing it more as a collection of fairy tales.
Director Larry Charles (BORAT, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM) intersperses clips from Hollywood films about religion to punctuate Maher's points, often to hilarious effect. The soundtrack is also used effectively, including such songs as the Doobie Brothers' 'Jesus Is Just Alright', Ben Folds's 'Jesusland', and Billy Bragg and Wilco's 'Christ For President'. Like such Michael Moore documentaries as FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, Maher's RELIGULOUS uses humour--and lots of cynicism and sarcasm--to examine controversial theories and topics that people feel very strongly about, no matter what side of the fence they are on. In addition to making audiences laugh, RELIGULOUS will make them think.

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Jesus of Nazareth Special Edition

Jesus of Nazareth Special Edition [DVD] [1977]
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli

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£5.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Originally made for TV in 1977, this in-depth version of Jesus' life opens with a very thorough depiction of the story of his birth. The film doesn't skimp on some of the other landmark events of this famous story either. Director Franco Zeffirelli gives ample screen time each to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Passages of the Bible are quoted verbatim, the locations have a Palestine-like authenticity, and, aside from some of the principals (Robert Powell as Jesus, Olivia Hussey as Mary, and Stacy Keach as Barabbas), many of the non-Roman characters are actually played by Semitic-looking actors. Zeffirelli diligently provides the socio-political background that gave rise to Jesus' following and the crisis in belief it caused for the people of Israel (and one or two Romans). --Kimberly Heinrichs, Amazon.com

DVD Description
Jesus of Nazareth Synopsis

This full un-edited version is a compelling portrayal of the life and death of Jesus (Robert Powell) traced from birth, through to childhood, his baptism by John the Baptist (Michael York) and the miracles; culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection.

Four years in the making, this powerful epic has been critically acclaimed by religious leaders worldwide for its sensitivity and passion. Directed by Oscar ™ nominee, Franco Zeffirelli, this internationally acclaimed and award-winning screen version of the life of Jesus is a captivating production coupled with historical and religious accuracy.

Robert Powell stars as Jesus and a star studded international cast ads depth and humanity to the roles of the saints, sinners and ordinary people who walked in the footsteps of the Lord. The all star cast includes Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Valentina Cortese, James Farentino, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, Tony Lo Bianco, James Mason, Ian McShane, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn, Fernando Rey, Rod Steiger, Peter Ustinov, Michael York and Olivia Hussey as Mary.

Contains 2 hrs of additional running time

Synopsis
This epic chronicle of Christ begins with the arrangements of the wedding between Joseph and Mary, proceeds through Jesus' birth, his encounter with John the Baptist, and all the way to the grueling, transfigurative end. The all-star cast includes Anne Bancroft, Laurence Olivier, Michael York, James Mason, Rod Steiger, and Robert Powell as Jesus. As the beautiful locations, superb performances, and reverent portrayals reveal, Franco Zeffirelli (OTELLO, HAMLET) directed this six-hour-plus television miniseries with palpable passion.

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Exit Through The Gift Shop

Exit Through The Gift Shop [Blu-ray] [2010]
From Revolver Entertainment

Price:

£11.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
The world’s first street art disaster movie.

Exit Through The Gift Shop is the groundbreaking film from Banksy – the world’s most famous graffiti artist; a global phenomenon with a fiercely guarded anonymity.

Capturing the exhilarating behind-the-scenes world of graffiti art, an eccentric Frenchman tries to film and befriend Banksy, only for the artist to turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results.

Featuring exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many more of the world's most infamous graffiti artists at work, Exit Through The Gift Shop is the hilarious true story of low-level criminality, companionship and incompetence.

The story of how one man set out to film the un-filmable. And failed

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Carrington

Carrington [DVD] [1995]
Directed by Christopher Hampton

Price:

£3.43 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Emma Thompson stars as young, boyish and vivacious painter Dora Carrington, with Jonathan Pryce as writer and conscientious objector Lytton Strachey, the unobtainably gay man, that she loves passionately. Directed by Christopher Hampton (DANGEROUS LIAISONS) this unorthodox love-story is based on the real events in Dora's life surrounding the bohemian Bloomsbury art group where her attraction for the bearded bon vivant Strachey began. Having found her intellectual soul mate, she finds herself indulging in sexual escapades with many young attractive men to drown her undying love for the distinguished author, whose physical love she will never win. Starring San West, Rufus Sewell and Steven Waddington as the men she hopes will save her from the spell Strachey unwittingly has over her. Michael Nyman's sumptuous and yearning score is utterly beautiful and fittingly heartbreaking. The film won the 1996 Special Jury Prize at Cannes.

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Around The World In 80 Gardens

Around The World In 80 Gardens : Complete BBC Series [DVD]
From Warner Home Video

Price:

£9.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

DVD Description
Around the World in 80 Gardens is a BBC series that follows broadcaster Monty Don as he travels all over the planet searching for world-class gardens – ancient and modern, large and small, grand and humble. In total, exactly eighty gardens are featured during his 10 journeys, and include the Alhambra, the gardens of the Taj Mahal in India, the gardens of the Villa D’Este in Italy and many important botanic and royal gardens from Thailand to Bali, from New Zealand to Europe and from China to Mexico.

Written and presented by Monty Don, the author of numerous gardening books and articles and the UK's leading gardening broadcaster, Around the World in 80 Gardens is much more than a gardening series, since Monty believes that "..gardens are a really good way to understand a culture". Each programme in this landmark documentary series combines history, natural history and travel and appeals to a wide audience. Each programme traces a personal journey for Monty as he exposes himself to new experiences and to cultures he has never previously encountered, leading him to question his ideas of what a garden actually is. With its intimate and engaging tone, we see how Monty’s own assumptions evolve as he learns from all he encounters…

Synopsis
In the BBC series AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 GARDENS, Monty Don takes you on a virtual tour of some of the world's finest gardens. From ancient to modern, large to small, and grand to humble, each offering boasts its own unique worldly flavour. The first programme gets off to a tranquil start in Mexico City--which is home to the ancient Floating Gardens of Xochimilco--before heading east to the organic allotments and market gardens of Havana. Other locations featured in this series include: Australia and New Zealand, India, South America, The United States of America, China and Japan, The Mediterranean, South Africa, Northern Europe, and South-East Asia.

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London Ink - The Complete Series Two

London Ink - The Complete Series Two [DVD] [2008]
From Revelation Films Ltd

Price:

£9.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
From the makers of MIAMI INK, LONDON INK brings tattooing home and offers an in depth look into the colourful and often painful world of tattoo art. In the first series Louis Molloy moved from his base in Manchester, down to London to set up 'the most talked about tattoo studio in Britain'. This release, featuring the entire second series, follows his progress in the capital.

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Paris Is Burning

Paris Is Burning [DVD] [1990]
Directed by Jennie Livingston

Price:

£7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
An unblinking, behind-the-scenes story of the young men of Harlem who originated 'voguing' and turned these stylized dance competitions into a glittering expression of fierce personal pride.

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Look Back On 70's Telly - Issue 2

Look Back On 70's Telly - Issue 2 [DVD] [1970]
From Network

Price:

£8.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
This wonderful compilation features the best of pre-school television programming from the 1970s, including: TIMESLIP, FOLLYFOOT, YOU MUST BE JOKING, FOUR IDLE HANDS, THE PAPER LADS, THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY, ROBERT'S ROBOTS, GET IT TOGETHER, MAGPIE and any more.

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Deepak Chopra - The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success

Deepak Chopra - The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success [2007] [DVD]
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Price:

£4.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Author Deepak Chopra explores more of the mind-body-spirit collection in THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS, based on his bestselling book. Through this philosophy, Chopra offers insight into attaining one's goals and enjoying life to the fullest. Olivia Newton-John (GREASE) tells her story of triumph over hardship and also contributes new music to the film's soundtrack. Bill Duke (X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) also makes an appearance to discuss the effects of Chopra's ideas on his life.

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Superbike School - The Complete Series

Superbike School - The Complete Series [DVD]
From Odeon Entertainment

Price:

£5.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Customer Reviews

super cool dvd4
had a good look at this dvd and it has some good track riding tips it's not as detailed as the callifornian superbike school but still good a bit light harted and is a real insite in to what you could expect from a track day here in the uk have fun easy ridding

It's good but, it's no Keith Code...4
I got this DVD hoping that I could learn something from it to help my riding and hopefully go a bit quicker on the road.
This DVD is good in showing you how to be smooth, picking the turning points and using good throttle control.
James Whitham shows these 3 guys how to get faster around this selected circuit and it makes you think that you could do with him at every track you go to for trackdays... and you can because I've seen him instructing at "Focused Events trackdays."
He does get them going quicker with his advice and techniques, and the 3 riders are at different levels of riding for you to relate to. James is good but I don't think his explanation of techniques and what he wants them to do is very well translated. That meaning, that when he's describing something he relates to "go like this, and do this" in a broad Yorkshire accent. Hence it's not like Keith Codes Twist of the wrist DVD which teaches you the technologies of riding and you input effects handling, suspension, balance & grip, thus making you quicker. Don't get me wrong I'd love to have James's one on one teachings at a track but that side of it doesn't come across in this film. Maybe if he does another film it will. Enjoy.

Dont expect to learn a great deal3
Worth watchin but doesnt often go into the techniques of riding a superbike. This more follows three students and there riding progresson

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Privilege [BFI FLIPSIDE 007]

Privilege [BFI FLIPSIDE 007] [DVD] [1967]
Directed by Peter Watkins

Price:

£10.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
After directing several extraordinary documentaries for the BBC, including the award-winning THE WAR GAME and CULLODEN, Peter Watkins made his first dramatic feature with this flawed but striking film about Steven Shorter (Paul Jones), a pop singer in a future society--where entertainment is controlled by a totalitarian government--who is packaged to unite the masses and offer sanitized rebellion. Shorter's music and image are used to channel the impulses of rebellious youth; in one concert sequence, the crowd watches him sing a plaintive plea for love and understanding while locked in a cage surrounded by police officers armed with clubs. While Shorter is remarkably popular, he's also living a life created for him by the government, which Steven knows is a sham. When Shorter's handlers decide to revamp his image into that of an obedient, religious boy, he rebels, to his peril. Model Jean Shrimpton made her film debut here as an artist commissioned to paint a portrait of Shorter.PRIVILEGE later became something of a cult film; one of the film's admirers was rock poet Patti Smith, who recorded one of 'Steven Shorter''s songs, 'Set Me Free', on her 1978 album EASTER.


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This Is Elvis

This Is Elvis (2-Disc Special Edition) [1981] [DVD]
Directed by Andrew Solt, Malcolm Leo

Price:

£5.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

DVD Description
Warner Home Video commemorates the 30th anniversary of "The King’s" passing with a collector’s Limited Edition 11-Disc box set and several Special and Deluxe Edition DVD releases, one of which is the fascinating documentary This Is Elvis.

An intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait, This Is Elvis draws on interviews with the people who knew Presley best – family, friends, employees and mentor/manager Colonel Tom Parker – and includes some rare footage, such as home movies, newsreels and several key TV appearances. It traces the life of Elvis from his early days in Tupelo and Memphis and his audition for Sam Phillips at Sun records, through to his early TV appearances, his army years and his first meeting with Pricilla, then his time in movies, his 1968 comeback and touring years in the 1970s, up to his death in 1977. The film is digitally re-mastered with exceptional sound and includes bonus features.

Synopsis
An authorised biography of Elvis Presley from his poverty-ridden childhood in Tupelo, to stardom and his tragic untimely death.

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Lords Of The Mafia (Boxed Set)

Lords Of The Mafia (Boxed Set) [DVD]
Lords of the Mafia

Price:	£7.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #18236 in DVD
* Released on: 2007-03-26
* Rating: Exempt
* Aspect ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
* Formats: Box set, PAL
* Original language: English
* Number of discs: 5
* Running time: 598 minutes

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Documentary which considers the impact of organised crime on the world.

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River Cottage - Catch And Cook

River Cottage - Catch And Cook [DVD] [2010]
From River Cottage

Price:

£10.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they take to the high seas in search of a good catch. The programme offers advice and instruction in preparing your fresh fish from scratch; plus a great selection recipes and ideas, from mackerel sashimi to sea bass baked in a salt crust.

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The Keith Floyd Cookery Collection

The Keith Floyd Cookery Collection (TV Chef, Travel) [DVD]
Keith Floyd

Price:

£36.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Highly acclaimed chef and self-titled 'gastronaut' Keith Floyd, takes you on a culinary journey through the restaurants, bars and celebrated sights of Italy, Spain, Africa and around the Mediterranean in this great collection of FLOYD ON... titles. Also includes FAR FLUNG FLOYD, a series exploring the exotic dishes of the Far East, FLOYD UNCORKED which travels to the wine regions of France, and FLOYD'S FJORD FIESTA, featuring Norway's majestic fjords.

From the Back Cover
Subtitles: None

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Cinema 16 - World Short Films

Cinema 16 - World Short Films [2008] [DVD]
Directed by Guillermo del Toro;Alfonso Cuaron;Guy Maddin;Alexander Sokurov;Taika Waititi;Sylvain Chomet;Jane Campion;Ousmane Sembene;Andrea Arnold

Price:

£12.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
Proof that the best things really do come in small packages, CINEMA 16 - WORLD SHORT FILMS is a collection of inspired shorts, and a must-have for any self-respecting film fan. It features the works of some of the world's most gifted directors (Guillermo Del Toro, Sylvain Chomet, Guy Maddin, Alfonso Cuaron, and Jane Campion), who demonstrate their adroitness at conveying their artistic visions simply and succinctly. But it's not just established directors who are celebrated here; a new generation of filmmaking talent is represented by the likes of Andrea Arnolds' Oscar winner WASP, 2008 Oscar nominee MADAME TUTLI PUTLI, and 2008 Sundance winner ON THE ICE (SIKUMI)

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Deadliest Catch - Series 1

Deadliest Catch - Series 1 [DVD] [2006]
From Go Entertain

ere.
Customer Reviews

Utterly gripping - genuine reality TV5
At last! a documentary in which the real-life people are just that - people doing their job and not being 'personalities' for the camera. This show demonstrates great filming (how the *!* did they do it??), great leadership and very brave men and women on the Bering Sea. It's just about the only show I make an effort to watch 'live', and at last it's come to the UK on Ch4 too!

Great for watching whilst huddled up indoors with a mug of hot chocolate: makes you realise how your own job is not really that taxing after all...

The best5
Not the type of tv show a 15 year old girl should be into really. But with 40 foot waves, freezing cold temperatures and almost always 100% injury rate the Deadliest Catch series has taken me personally be heart. If you enjoy eating crab, then i suggest you buy now and see how much it takes to put it on your plate. The best TV show out there.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE WATCH5
ok, ill be the first to admit that i though this wassomething completely differnt when i saw it on the tv listings. I mean, how interesting can a show about fishermen be!!! Prepare to be amazed by an entertaining look at the drama behind crab fishing. sounds boring i know, but trust me , its really addictive!!

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Have I Got News For You - Best Of The Guests

Have I Got News For You - Best Of The Guests - Vol. 2 [DVD] [1990]
Directed by Ben Fuller, John L. Spencer

Price:

£14.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
A second helping of the topical news quiz show with special guest presenters.

DVD Description
Another dose of the topical news quiz, fronted by special guests with the usual panel pairing of messers Merton and Hislop. This special compilation focus on the best guests of the recent series including Ronnie Corbett, William Hague, Louis Theroux, Jeremy Clarkson, Neil Kinnock and the one and only Boris Johnson. In fact the set includes a whole separate bonus disc devoted just to Boris and his peculiar ramblings/insightful commentaries. There’s also plenty from the various guest presenters, as well as Merton and Hislop, with tons of jokes and deleted sequences never before seen on TV.

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Free Cinema

Free Cinema [1956] [DVD]
From Bfi Video

Price:

£12.93 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Customer Reviews

A Gem of a Collection5
I'm about half way through watching this three disk BFI collection, but I'm inspired already to post my first ever internet review. The Free Cinema movement will no doubt be known to many people who frequent this site, but for those of you don't know it, a few details. Free Cinema was a term coined by Linsay Anderson, who founded the movement back in the mid-1950s. The idea was to bring together, and create a space for, the work of a group of young film and documentary makers who were doing similar things. Basically, this group-initially working independently of one another-were making shortish films and documentaries that focused on working class life in Britain which explicitly tried to get away from the 'gawd blimey, luv a duck' or doth your cap 'yes, mester' portrayal of working class people that characterised much of British cinema up until then, and the slightly patronising if well intentioned work, of earlier documentary makers like John Grierson.

The collection is largely comprised of documentaries, including-for example-the quite famous 'We are the Lambeth Boys', but there are also a few film contributions here. My personal favourite so far is a little gem of a film called Together by an Italian director named Lorenza Mazzetti, who apparently was a co-founder (with Anderson and Tony Richarson), but who I had never heard of before. So far I've watched maybe half the documentaries and, without exception, they're great as both social history and a historical archive (documenting a world that has now pretty much been re-developed to oblivion) and in their own right......really enjoyable stuff. I am not entirely sure how far it's possible to chart a direct lineage between these films/docs and the British social realism of the 1960s, but in the little booklet that accompanies the collection, they are described as 'precusors' and the general trajectory is certainly evident. It's impossible to watch these shorts without images and scenes from fantastic films like Taste of Honey, Billy Liar and Kes coming to mind.......not to mention contemporary British film makers like Lynne Ramsey (in Ratcatcher mode) and Shane Meadows.

The asking price might seem a bit steep if you like to buy your films in order to watch at leisure and have a budget. But there is 320 or so minutes of material on the three disks, so actually it's a real bargain. To wet your appetite a little more, along with the above mentioned, there are also contributions from the likes of Polanski and Traffaut too. If you're a fan of social realism stuff or documentary, you should certainly rent this.......I'd say it's an essential for your collection.

British Cinema at it's best!5
Messrs Anderson, Reisz, Richardson and co,
Delivering a vision of Britain at a time of transition and captured in this excellent compilation of films. The true essence of the "Free Cinema" movement is evident, from Lyndsay Anderson's "O'Dreamland" (1953)which features an amusement park in Margate and has a magpie quality, taking the Richard Hoggart tone to it's subject critiquing the erosion of the traditional working class values. I also enjoyed Anderson's "Every Day Except Christmas" (1957) which observes the tradition and honest endeavours of the workers at the Covent Garden Market. "We are the Lambeth Boys" (1959) (Reisz) is also a favourite as the film explores the positive side of Youth Culture and the role of the community youth Club in South London. I would recommend anyone with an interest in the development of British Cinema in a historical or documentary context to buy this excellent product!

free cinema (1956)5
A very interesting collection of short documentary films from 1956. Every film was a glimps into our past history . Highly recommended for any one interested in social history. A rare gem.


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The 11th Hour

The 11th Hour [DVD] [2007]
From Warner Home Video

Price:

£4.97 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The 11th Hour may not have enjoyed the profile of the last major documentary to tackle the issues and challenges of climate change (that’d be Al Gore’s engrossing Oscar-winner An Inconvenient Truth), but it’s no less compelling, and proves to be a thought-provoking feature in its own right.

Producer and narrator Leonardo Di Caprio, who also shares a writing credit, is the glue that holds The 11th Hour together, and this diligent documentary presents a lot of information. What’s more, it balances its subject matter a little more accessibly than An Inconvenient Truth. The latter appeared to rush through the segment where it addressed the things we can do to help fight climate change, but The 11th Hour--in among some very hard-hitting material--makes sure that it devotes enough of its focus to the what-happens-next.

To top it off, it’s attracted some heavyweight world figures to stand before the camera. Some you will have heard of (Professor Stephen Hawking and Mikhail Gorbachev, for instance), and others are less known, but the cumulative effect of their contributions gives The 11th Hour a gravity and power that is hard to ignore. And while occasionally you can’t help but feel it slips into being a little too preachy, it tackles a serious subject exceptionally well. A documentary absolutely not to be missed, for more than one reason. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Leonardo DiCaprio (THE DEPARTED, TITANIC) presents this thought-provoking documentary about the fragile state of our planet's ecosystems and the dangers we face. We've all seen the devastating effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and now scientists and experts from around the world believe that unless we act immediately to cut carbon emissions and switch to renewable energy sources, humankind is in very real danger of becoming extinct. The film explores how we arrived at this unfortunate predicament, blaming industrial civilisation for much of the damage and world leaders for allowing it to happen. It's not all doom and gloom though; if we reduce the human footprint on Earth by a wide enough margin, we can effectively change the course of our planet's future. THE 11TH HOUR gathers an impressive list of supporters, including former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey, and over 50 leading scientists.

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Who Killed The Electric Car?

Who Killed The Electric Car? [DVD] [2006]
Directed by Chris Paine

Price:

£3.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Delivery. Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk
It begins with a solemn funeral…for a car. By the end of Chris Paine's lively and informative documentary, the idea doesn't seem quite so strange. As narrator Martin Sheen notes, "They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline." Paine proceeds to show how this unique vehicle came into being and why General Motors ended up reclaiming its once-prized creation less than a decade later. He begins 100 years ago with the original electric car. By the 1920s, the internal-combustion engine had rendered it obsolete. By the 1980s, however, car companies started exploring alternative energy sources, like solar power. This, in turn, led to the late, great battery-powered EV1. Throughout, Paine deftly translates hard science and complex politics, such as California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate, into lay person's terms (director Alex Gibney, Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, served as consulting producer). And everyone gets the chance to have their say: engineers, politicians, protesters, and petroleum spokespeople--even celebrity drivers, like Peter Horton, Alexandra Paul, and a wild man beard-sporting Mel Gibson. But the most persuasive participant is former Saturn employee Chelsea Sexton. Promoting the benefits of the EV1 was more than a job to her, and she continues to lobby for more environmentally friendly options. Who Killed the Electric Car? is, otherwise, a tremendously sobering experience. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
In the 1990s, following California's passing of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, American car companies began producing electric cars for mainstream consumption. GM's EV1, which was by all accounts quiet, fast, and capable of driving up to 80 miles on one charge, used no gasoline and quickly developed an intensely devoted following in California. But even as its popularity grew, car manufacturers were fighting the mandate; it was overturned, and by 2005 just about every single EV1 had been recalled, crushed, and shredded. GM put its resources into the Hummer instead. WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? looks at the tangled web of interests behind the car's untimely demise, laying out convincing cases against the auto industry, big oil, corrupt federal and state governments, and consumers themselves. Chris Paine's directorial debut is not especially stylish, but it is effective. He leads viewers through the twisty maze of politics and profit that surrounds the main story, taking time to dwell on the passionate attachment that many of the cars' drivers still feel for them. Appropriately, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen--the embodiment for many Americans of socially conscious leadership, thanks to his many years on THE WEST WING--and features interviews with a motley array of celebrities from Mel Gibson to Ed Begley, Jr., but the real star of the movie is the doomed car itself and all that it stands for. The film is not especially fair or balanced; very little screen time is devoted to criticism of electric cars, and the only person on camera defending the oil companies is a singularly slimy and unappealing spokesperson from whom most viewers would be unwilling to buy a used car of any variety. But it certainly succeeds as a rousing, if occasionally depressing, call to awareness and action.

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