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Antony and Cleopatra
Shakespeare’s celebrated story of the ill-fated Mark Antony, who gives up his career, his country and his life for the love of Cleopatra the Empress of Egypt. (160 minutes)The Royal Shakespeare Company with Richard Johnson, Janet Suzman and Corin Redgrave. Directed by Jon Scoffield ©1974 ATV London DVD $66.00 CTD101 |
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Beatrix Potter - Artist, Storyteller and Countrywoman
This is the first documentary film about the life of the remarkable author and illustrator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Based on the biography written by Judy Taylor, the film is full of examples of Beatrix Potter's exquisite water colours, of rare family portraits by her father and of spectacular photographs of the countryside that Beatrix Potter loved. Narration is by Lynn Redgrave. (58 minutes)Produced in co-operation with Frederick Warne & Co. ©1993 Weston Woods DVD $44.95 WCD101 |
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CREATURES FANTASTIC
An odyssey to uncover the origins of myths and mythical creatures the world over. What links do dragons, werewolves, vampires, mermaids and unicorns have to natural history? What is the relevance of myth in today's society.This DVD series unravels a fascination shared by writers, artists and scientists over time and makes surprising discoveries about the role of myths in today's world. From the banks of the Nile, the medieval castles of Transylvania and the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, stories are told of fabulous creatures lurking, sometimes close by, sometimes faraway. Through dramatic storytelling, location filming and computer graphic reconstructions, mythical tales from around the world are visualised through brilliantly crafted scenes and take us on and exciting and informative journey through the mysterious caverns of the imagination. Directed by Jenna Hall Produced by Michael Waterhouse A BBC Wildvision Production © Dorling Kindersley Ltd 13 x 25 minute programs Creatures Fantastic Series DVD Set of 6 $396.00 BYD110 or DVDs available individually, $77.00 each volume |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 1 Birds and Things with Wings Classic tales about the Phoenix, the Thunder-bird, the Garuda and the Rokh. Birds continue to play a part in the myths and rites of traditional cultures around the world, revealing a remarkable relationship that harks back to ancient times. Aliens Do aliens really exist or are they just created by man to update stories of dragons and demons? Dramatic reconstructions of some of the most intriguing stories are combined with compelling natural history footage. DVD Format $77.00 BYD111 |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 2 Creatures of the Deep For hundreds of years sailors have recounted tales of seductive mermaids. In this episode, gods become fish to guide man to salvation; men create surfboards to race sharks. What is it about the sea that makes us fear and fantasise? The Apocalypse Doomsday. A day of hellfire, brimstone and death. Is our fear of The Apocalypse a fear of change, death or the end of all creation? DVD Format $77.00 BYD112 |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 3 Dragons Enter the Kingdom of the Dragon. Follow St George into the Dragon's lair. Travel to Egypt and the Far East to discover how dragons mean different things to different cultures. Creatures of the Night Night can bring solitude and fear - fear of beasts that lurk in the darkest shadows. This episode presents dramatic recreations of mythical tales about vampires, witches, ghosts and other monsters. DVD Format $77.00 BYD113 |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 4 Mythical Cats Cats have intrigued us for thousands of years: beautiful but brutal, affectionate yet natural born killers. This program explores our complex relationship with these fascinating creatures, from the terrifying griffin to beguiling eastern tales of tigers on the moon. Man Beasts Strange tales of hybrid creatures - part human, part animal. Follow Theseus through the murky labyrinth in search of the Minotaur, eater of human flesh. Discover how petrifying beasts ruled the hearts and minds of people in a way that the modern mind can barely comprehend. DVD Format $77.00 BYD114 |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 5 Mythical Horses The intriguing relationship between man and horse is celebrated in memorable legends about magnificent, mythical characters. Spirits of the Forest The forest casts a spell over all who visit its dark interior. Lurking within are witches, giants, spirits, hob goblins and wild men. What is it about the forest that stirs the human imagination? Why do we fear being abandoned in the woods? DVD Format $77.00 BYD115 |
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Creatures Fantastic Volume 6 Werewolves Tales of human beings who can transform themselves into wolves and other animals have been told since ancient times. Stories from the European middle ages to present day India are re-enacted. The Underworld Explores the dark unknown - a realm from which there is no return. The search begins in the mystical pyramids of Egypt, across the River Styx and into the legendary Greek underworld. Tricky Tricksters Storytellers through the ages have often told of Tricky Tricksters. What do these tales of deception mean? Are they an essential ingredient in the game of survival. DVD Format $77.00 BYD116 |
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FILM GENRE
A series of documentaries exploring major movies that have defined a particular film genre such as The Western, Science Fiction, The Heist, Epics, World War II & Romance. Examples from around the world and from different time periods illustrate the themes and influences which create a 'genre'.6 x 50 minute programs Produced by Alex di Martino Directed by Jason Wright ©2002 Creatvty Ltd, England in assoc with NBD Television Ltd Film Genre Series Set of 6 DVDs $484.00 SBD111 Or DVDs available individually $88.00 each |
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Film Genre: The Western One of the most popular and widespread of movie genre, Westerns follow the classic storyline of individual fighting against lawlessness and evil played out to expansive backdrops and scenery in films such as Stagecoach and Shane. Global successes such as The Magnificent Seven, Fistful of Dollars and Butch Cassidy won worldwide acclaim and more recently Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven have defined movies as a formidable force in modern cinema. Films include: Stagecoach - Shane - The Seven Samurai - The Magnificent Seven -The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Unforgiven. Interviews include: James Coburn, Eli Wallach, William Goldman, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Katharine Ross. DVD Format $88.00 SBD112 |
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Film Genre: Science Fiction Science fiction movies have tended to incorporate both human fear & paranoia of technology and radical technology, questioning our own identity. This relationship is explored with examples from Metropolis signalling how fascism and technology can go hand-in-hand while Invasion of the Body Snatchers is essentially a metaphor for America's fear of the take-over by communism. Films include: Metropolis - Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Alphaville - Star Wars - Blade Runner - The Matrix - Solaris. Interviews include: Anna Karina, Raoul Coutard, Jan Harlan, Ruter Hauer, Peter Bogdanovich, Kevin McCarthy, Natalya Bondarchuk. DVD Format $88.00 SBD113 |
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Film Genre: Heist The heist has been the centre of many of the greatest films in cinematic history. Examples of this popular genre include Stanley's Kubrick's The Killing influenced by classic film noir but retold in documentary style, Jules Dassin's Rififi featuring a classic heist sequence and the 1960's stylish caper films such as The Italian Job & Topkapi. The more violent heists of Hong Kong cinema became a source for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and the recent re-invention of gangster films. Films include: The Killing - Rififi - I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal On Madonna's Street) - The Italian Job - Reservoir Dogs - Ocean's Eleven. Interviews include: Jules Dassin, Takeshi Kitano, Claudia Cardinale, Mario Monicelli, Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Monte Hellman, James Harris. DVD Format $88.00 SBD114 |
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Film Genre: Epics Biblical & classical stories have been responsible for some of the grandest films throughout movie history. Hollywood has produced such epics as The Ten Commandments and Spartacus and low budget Italian “peplum” movies introduced the bodybuilder hero to cinema with Mr Universe Steve Reeves & Michael Cacoyannis. Although the genre almost disappeared for 30 years, recent advances in digital technology allow directors to recreate the ancient world without massive sets - Gladiator's global success is testament to how popular the genre can still be. Films include: The Ten Commandments - Ben Hur - The Gospel According to Matthew (Il Vangelo secondo Matteo) - Spartacus - Hercules Unchained - Gladiator - Iphigenia. Interviews include: Charlton Heston, Peter Ustinov, Irene Papas, Michael Cacoyannis, Enzo Siciliano, Mimmo Palmara, Tonino Delli Colli, Barbara de Fina. DVD Format $88.00 SBD115 |
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Film Genre: World War II A compelling look at the portrayal of war, revealing the myths, propaganda & rise of realism in the war film. British wartime films were made as propaganda but also drew on a strong documentary tradition. In Italy, Roberto Rossellini filmed Roma Citta' Aperta during the war, using real soldiers and amateur actors. The film became a classic of neo-realism, symbolic of heroic resistance in Italy. In Japan after the war a powerful strand of anti-war films developed, such as Nobi, that stressed the horrors rather than the heroism of war. Germany's Das Boot showed war not as heroic action, but as days of tedium in cramped conditions, interspersed with terrifying action. More recently Hollywood's Saving Private Ryan shows a realistic and harrowing portrayal of the D-Day landings. Films include: In Which We Serve - Rome Open City (Roma Citta' Aperta)- Nobi (Fires on the Plain) - Das Boot - Idi I Smotri - Saving Private Ryan. Interviews include: Sir John Mills, Wolfgang Petersen, Janusz Kaminski, Isabella Rossellini, Elem Klimov, Mario Fiorentini. DVD Format $88.00 SBD116 |
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Film Genre: Romance Romance is part of the attraction of the cinema, with its gorgeous stars and passionate onscreen (and offscreen) love affairs. This programme looks not only at the famous romantic stars of classic Hollywood like Marilyn Monroe and later Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot, but it also at Hollywood's reflection of social attitudes towards sex, love and marriage and how they have changed over time. A comparison between the suppressed feelings of Brief Encounter, the sexual freedom of A Bout de Souffle and the sexual domesticity of Annie Hall provides a new and intriguing angle on the genre of romantic films. Films include: Brief Encounter - Some Like It Hot - And God Created Woman (Et Dien Crea La Femme) - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ieri, Oggi, Domani) - Annie Hall - Jamon, Jamon. Interviews include: Dino de Laurentis, Raoul Coutard, Bigas Luna, Laura Morante, Nora Ephron. DVD Format $88.00 SBD117 |
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IN SEARCH OF SHAKESPEARE
An innovative four part DVD series exploring the life of the world’s greatest writer. The series takes the form of a detective story, a documentary search, and a journey. It follows Shakespeare’s life from cradle to grave, showing how the turbulent times of Queen Elizabeth’s police state – a time of surveillance, militarism and foreign wars - shaped his life and his writing. The series comes from the award-winning team that made ‘In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great’ and ‘Conquistadors’, and is written and presented by historian and broadcaster Michael Wood. Produced by Rebecca Dobbs and directed by David Wallace. ©2003 Maya Vision International Set of 4 x 55 minute programs DVD $186.00 BRD121 or available individually A Time of Revolution Using fascinating new evidence from spies’ reports, local archives and even a coded prison diary, the dark side of Shakespeare’s world is uncovered. Present day witnesses help trace William’s early days, his schooling, his father’s shady business deals and the dark secret that ruined the family. Finally, in Worcester Cathedral, the riddle is solved of William’s shotgun marriage which left him a teenage father whose career prospects looked decidedly slim. DVD $55.00 BRD122 The Lost Years Michael Wood explains how this young man from Stratford became a star of the London stage, and uncovers a tale of religious conflict behind Shakespeare’s lost years. He travels with the Royal Shakespeare Company who perform the plays in a Tudor inn-yard as Shakespeare did; and using Tudor maps and remarkable Victorian photos, tracks down Shakespeare’s first London home. Christopher Marlow, Shakespeare’s great rival, was murdered on a journey by river to Deptford – which left the 29 year old actor as the star of Elizabethan London. DVD $55.00 BRD123 The Duty of Poets Shakespeare rises to fame and fortune in Elizabethan London. With ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’, Shakespeare becomes England’s top entertainer. But now tragedy strikes when his only son Hamnet dies at the age of 11. Plunged into a mid-life crisis, William falls in love with a beautiful teenage nobleman, has a passionate affair with a mysterious married woman and is summonsed for assault. Meanwhile his theatre company builds the Globe Theatre, and is caught up in the rebellion against Queen Elizabeth. But in the midst of it all, William creates some of the greatest characters in the literature of the world. DVD $55.00 BRD124 For All Time The final film looks at Shakespeare’s life in the era of King James 1. Michael Wood unearths Shakespeare’s neighbourhood in London and visits the present queen’s robe makers for evidence of Shakespeare’s role in the royal coronation. Shakespeare’s world would be transformed in 1605 by the Gunpowder Plot, a Jacobean September 11th. The entertainment industry responded, and Shakespeare contributed a daring play about the murder of a King – ‘Macbeth’. Finally Wood follows Shakespeare back to Warwickshire and looks at the riddle of his will, and its strange bequest to his wife Anne. DVD Format $55.00 BRD125 |
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Jane Eyre
The dramatic and exciting story by Charlotte Bronte, about a strong, passionate and principled young woman. Jane Eyre survives a wretched childhood to become a governess and then falls madly in love with her troubled but compelling employer Mr Rochester. (107 minutes)Starring Samantha Morton, Ciaran Hinds, Blanche Ingramas. Directed by Robert Young. ©1997 Granada Media DVD $66.00 BRD108 |
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King Lear
One of Shakespeare's greatest plays - a violent story of misplaced trust and bloody revenge, crumbling power and madness. (160minutes)An Emmy Award winning performance by Sir Laurence Olivier, with John Hurt and Colin Blakely. Directed by Michael Elliott. ©1983 Granada Television DVD $66.00 BRD100 |
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The Merchant of Venice
Set in the dark and dangerous world of shady dealing and grasping greed
where human life is gambled for material gain. Shakespeare’s Shylock
is both the stereotypical Jewish money-lender and a moving portrayal
of the humiliation wrought by bigotry and prejudice. Filmed on location
in Venice. Stars Bob Peck, Paul McGann and Haydn Gwynne. Directed by Alan Hoppox. ©1996 Thames Television Ltd DVD $66.00 PED402 |
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The Merchant of Venice
Adapted from Jonathan Miller's brilliant London stage production, this updated interpretation of Shakespeare's masterpiece shifts the setting from Elizabethan times to late 19th century Venice - allowing for a new relevance and a deeper understanding of the central character of Shylock.With Laurence Olivier as Shylock, Joan Plowright as Portia, Jeremy Brett as Bassanio and Michael Jayston as Gratiano. Duration 129 minutes The National Theatre of England Directed by John Sichel, Jonathan Miller, Writer: John Sichel © Granada Media DVD Format $66.00 BRD105 |
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MYTHS OF MANKIND
A new series of programs attempts to unravel the realities that lie behind some of mankind's most famous myths. Best-selling authors and investigators explore the stories behind the myths, using stunning visuals, dramatic reconstructions and computer-generated images to illustrate their research.Produced and directed by Roel Oostra. ©2003 CTC/Cresset Communications Set of 6 x 50 minute programs
or available individually Myths of Mankind: Dracula The story of Transylvania's bloodsucking 'Count Dracula' is etched firmly in world memory. Few doubt its truth, but in fact it was a work of complete fiction and, as always, the reality is far stranger and far more terrifying. Dracula rose from a nightmare which haunted British author Bram Stoker - it was the product of a tortured soul seeking to purge his demons and his inability to accept death. This documentary analyses the context of Victorian society's fears and prejudices and touches on the meeting with Shelley and Byron which generated the story of Frankenstein. (50 minutes) ©2003 CTC/Cresset Communications
Myths of Mankind: The Flood - Looking for Atlantis Scientists rejected the story of Noah's Ark as a fable, but across the entire world hundreds of myths, all unrelated to the Hebrew or Mesopotamian account, allude to worldwide disasters which wiped out mankind. Plato's version created the myth "Atlantis". This program explores the possibility of a catastrophic Flood, and whether there is missing ancient civilization. (50 minutes) ©2003 CTC/Cresset Communications
Myths of Mankind: Quest For The Holy Grail Out of Europe's darkest centuries emerges a myth to inspire the middle ages. This program explores the very different accounts and origins of the Grail and how the myth has been exploited over hundreds of years. Did the Grail hold the blood of Christ? Did it cause the failure of King Arthur's fellowship of the Round Table? Why did Himmler seek the Grail to serve its mission of racial purity? Those keeping the quest alive today no longer seek a "material cup"; to New Age seekers the Grail symbolises spirituality, but their quest still echoes ancient whispers of a puzzling past. (50 minutes) ©2003 CTC/Cresset Communications
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The Old Man and the Sea
A stunning dramatization of Hemingway’s epic struggle between man
and nature. Anthony Quinn stars as the Cuban fisherman Santiago whose
encounter with a giant marlin becomes a fight for survival as a band
of sharks move in for the kill. Starring Anthony Quinn, Gary Cole, Patricia Clarkson and Alexis Cruz. Directed by Jud Taylor ©1990 Yorkshire Television DVD $66.00 BRD112 |
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Othello
A modern adaptation by Andrew Davies, set in the fascinating, seething
world of police corruption and racism, tension and unrest of London
in the year 2001. With as devastating and tragic an impact as when it
was first written Shakespeare’s classic tale of jealousy, love
and obsession is brought into a modern environment using the universal
themes of the original play to cast light on the problems of racism
today. Program Notes included. (98 minutes)Starring Eamonn Walker, Christopher Eccleston, Keeley Hawes. Directed by Geoffrey Sax. ©2001 LWT, England DVD $66.00 BRD103 |
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Romeo and Juliet
This stunning film is a faithful adaptation of Shakespeare's tragic love story about the star-crossed lovers from two feuding families. The opulence of 16th century Verona is powerfully evoked with sumptuous costumes and sets. (81 minutes)Starring Jonathan Firth, Geraldine Somerville and Jenny Agutter. Directed by Alan Horrox ©1994 Thames Television DVD Format $66.00 PED404 |
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A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens’ immortal story of passion, betrayal and
ultimate self-sacrifice set in Paris and London against the turbulent
backdrop of the French Revolution. Starring James Wilby, Xavier
Deluc, Serena Gordon, John Mills. Directed by Philippe Monnier.©1989 Granada Television/Dune Productions/Antenne 2 (198 minutes) DVD $66.00 BRD109 |
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Tess of the D’Urbervilles
A prestigious two-part adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic story
of a peasant girl whose life is torn apart by the love and jealousy
of two men. Starring Justine Waddell, Jason Flemyng and Oliver Milburn.
Directed by Ian Sharp.©1998 Granada Media (180 minutes) DVD $66.00 BRD110 |
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Waltzing Matilda - The Song That Shaped a Nation
Australia's legendary bush poet, Banjo Paterson wrote the words of Waltzing Matilda while visiting outback Queensland in early 1895. Historian Jonathan King travels to the highlands of Scotland, the cobbled streets of England's medieval Rochester and even a German Hoffbrauhaus tracing the origins of the music. In France, wartime survivors are still singing Waltzing Matilda in memory of Aussie Diggers who died there and in the Outback, the last of Swagmen are still camped by a billabong. Featured artists include Slim Dusty, Bryan Brown, Ted Egan, Judith Durham, John Williamson and many others. (92 minutes) Study Guide written by Jonathan King included.Directed and produced by Bill Leimbach, Produced and presented by Jonathan King. ©1995 Waltzing Matilda Enterprises DVD $66.00 LCD206 |
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Wuthering Heights
Based on Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel this production adheres closely to the spirit of the original story about the almost demonic love between Cathy and Heathcliff. It incorporates not only the grim realities of the time but also the dark supernatural forces, which drive the central characters to their doom. (120 minutes)Starring Robert Cavanah and Orla Brady. Directed by David Skynner ©1998 Granada Media DVD $66.00 BRD111 |
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