CD-Charts Position 1
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A Christmas Carol [1938] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Mel Blanc, Kathleen Lockhart, Terry Kilburn
directed by: Edwin L. Marin, Hugh Harman

Release Date November 08, 2005
I captured this on video some twenty years ago, but, unfortunately, missed recording the first five minutes. Never mind, it has been a perennial Christmas favourite. Despite the passage of years, it still comes out each December. In fact, if it were not for this film I would probably not have retained my video player! A month ago, I left my previous job and was rewarded with a multi region DVD recorder/player. I immediately sent off for the DVD via Amazon. I can now see the whole film!!

The film is a marvellous evocation of a by-gone era, but one we would all like to still experience. The cast is consistently excellent, the musical accompaniment subtle, appropriate and totally unevasive, and the film captures the mood and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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A Tale of Two Cities [1935] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone
directed by: Hugh Harman, Jack Conway, Jacob Leventhal, John Norling, Robert Z. Leonard

Release Date October 10, 2006
A Tale of Two Cities is an outstanding example of a film which in memory seemed great and a classic, but when seen again is just a classic. That's not faint praise, either. Jack Conway may be listed as director, but make no mistake...this is David O. Selznick's film. It carries his strengths with great emotional impact, but it carries Selznick's flaws just as emphatically. Thanks to Charles Dickens, we have a hugely empathetic tale of noble sacrifice and redemption, played out against the extremes of injustice represented by the French Revolution. Thanks to Selznick, that story has been brought to life with cinematic fervor, strong actors, melodramatic situations, vast and detailed settings, and a screenplay which may run for over two hours but ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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San Francisco [1936] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt, Jessie Ralph
directed by: Hugh Harman, Susan F. Walker, W.S. Van Dyke

Release Date June 20, 2006
Must have been one of the first great disaster movies. Great preformance from Clarke Gable playing the rouge and his friend the Priest played by Spencer Tracey. The movie centres around the disater of the earth quake that did hit the city in the early 1900s however the build up to the event is brillent and the special effects and footage of the quake as good as anything you would view today. I recommend this movie to all who love a film with a good plot and plenty of action.

CD-Charts Position 4
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David Copperfield [1935] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Edna May Oliver, Elizabeth Allan, Jessie Ralph, Harry Beresford, Freddie Bartholomew
directed by: George Cukor, Hugh Harman, Gene Burdette

Release Date October 10, 2006
Released in 1935, George Cukor's adaption of what Dicken's claimed was his favourite of his novels is an absolute gem. Cukor has assembled a wonderful cast to tell the story of David from his chilhood to manhood and the sometimes harrowing adventures he has on the way. There are many unforgettable charectarisations most notably W.C. Fields as Micawber, Edna May Oliver's Aunt Bessie, Roland Young as the sceming Uriah Heep and Basil Rathbone as the downright unpleasant Mr Murdstone. Freddie Bartholomew as the boy David is actually far more effective than Frank Lawton's portrayl of the man David who is rather bland in the role but that is certainly not enough to spoil the film. A huge box office hit in it's day the film was produced by David Selznick ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Melvyn Douglas, Michael Wilding, Zachary Scott
directed by: Charles Walters, Clarence Brown, David Miller, Frank Borzage, Friz Freleng

Release Date February 12, 2008
Joan's 2nd collection is another very good package-not quite up to the quality of the first region 1 collection- I rate these movies as:
1 Flamingo Road 5 stars
2 Sadie Mckee 4 stars
3 A Woman's Face 3 stars
4 Strange Cargo 3 stars
5 Torch Song 3 stars
If you're a fan of Joan's camp movies though, Torch Song is def top of the pile- finally- a plea to the makers of the documentaries- please do not include that nasty daughter of Joan's in any future DVDs-don't they realise that Joan's fans hate that woman?

CD-Charts Position 6
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Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Frank McHugh, Leo Carrillo
directed by: George Cukor, Hugh Harman, Jack Conway, Murray Roth, Richard Thorpe

Release Date August 07, 2007
Joan's 2nd collection is another very good package-not quite up to the quality of the first region 1 collection- I rate these movies as:
1 Flamingo Road 5 stars
2 Sadie Mckee 4 stars
3 A Woman's Face 3 stars
4 Strange Cargo 3 stars
5 Torch Song 3 stars
If you're a fan of Joan's camp movies though, Torch Song is def top of the pile- finally- a plea to the makers of the documentaries- please do not include that nasty daughter of Joan's in any future DVDs-don't they realise that Joan's fans hate that woman?

CD-Charts Position 7
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Motion Picture Masterpieces: A Literary Tour de Force (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Greer Garson, Laurence Olivier, Ronald Colman, Elizabeth Allan, Norma Shearer
directed by: Felix E. Feist, Gene Burdette, George Cukor, Herman Hoffman, Hugh Harman

Release Date October 10, 2006
Joan's 2nd collection is another very good package-not quite up to the quality of the first region 1 collection- I rate these movies as:
1 Flamingo Road 5 stars
2 Sadie Mckee 4 stars
3 A Woman's Face 3 stars
4 Strange Cargo 3 stars
5 Torch Song 3 stars
If you're a fan of Joan's camp movies though, Torch Song is def top of the pile- finally- a plea to the makers of the documentaries- please do not include that nasty daughter of Joan's in any future DVDs-don't they realise that Joan's fans hate that woman?

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

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Treasure Island [1934] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kruger, Lewis Stone
directed by: Felix E. Feist, Hugh Harman, John Farrow, Victor Fleming

Release Date October 10, 2006
Okay,let's get this out of the way right from the start - Jackie Cooper,who plays young Jim Hawkins,is pretty irritating unless you're a JC fan and after watching this film I'm not.However,he is the only downside in a version of Stevenson's classic tale that far outstrips any of its many rivals.A lot of people are fans of Robert Newton's entertaining turn in the Disney version,perhaps for reasons of nostalgia,and I have fond memories of it myself,but it pales by comparison to this.

Perhaps because it's in b&w it almost feels as if it might have been made at the time the film is set in, and the actors playing the pirates have a scratchy authentic look and sound to them that's absolutely convincing.This is exemplified by Lionel Barrymore,who plays ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Looney Tunes Golden Collection [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, Vincent Price, Stan Freberg, Billy Bletcher
directed by: Abe Levitow, Arthur Davis, Chuck Jones, Constantine Nasr, Friz Freleng

Release Date October 28, 2003
What a treat to be able to watch such pristine presentations of these great cartoons without a network logo stuck in the corner of the screen.
The Region 2 release of this DVD is an HMV exclusive, so at the moment your options are to either buy it there or order the US edition.
At least two of the discs are available seperately but these do NOT include the extras. (Although most of the featurettes are indeed quite short there is at least one substantial documentary, about 'lost cartoons', which is almost an hour long and contains some fasinating stuff including the pilot cartoon for the 'Bosko' series - very dated now in many ways but fascinating - and a complete 'Private Snafu' cartoon).
Yes, there are some notable omissions including ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

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Clark Gable: The Signature Collection [1954] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

starring: Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy
directed by: Clarence Brown, Errol Taggart, George Sidney, Hugh Harman, Jack Conway

Release Date June 20, 2006
What a treat to be able to watch such pristine presentations of these great cartoons without a network logo stuck in the corner of the screen.
The Region 2 release of this DVD is an HMV exclusive, so at the moment your options are to either buy it there or order the US edition.
At least two of the discs are available seperately but these do NOT include the extras. (Although most of the featurettes are indeed quite short there is at least one substantial documentary, about 'lost cartoons', which is almost an hour long and contains some fasinating stuff including the pilot cartoon for the 'Bosko' series - very dated now in many ways but fascinating - and a complete 'Private Snafu' cartoon).
Yes, there are some notable omissions including ... Read More: