Online DVD Store. BBC

List Price: $99.98
Price: $57.49
You Save: $42.49 (42%)

Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set

Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny, Brian Blessed, Robert East
ASIN : B000EBCEVS
Sales Rank : 575
Director : Martin Shardlow
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051246028
UPC : 794051246028
Release Date : December 24, 2006
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 860

Description

One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes.

Amazon.com essential video

One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury--a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch smellers (who root out spell makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favor from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund--as with his ancestor--can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The new Edmund is a career Army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. No small mention can be made of Atkinson's supporting cast, easily among the finest comic performers of their generation: besides Laurie and Richardson, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny. --Tom Keogh

List Price: $59.98
Price: $26.99
You Save: $32.99 (55%)

The Complete Black Books

Actor: Black Books
ASIN : B000TSTEPA
Sales Rank : 1982
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051419729
UPC : 794051419729
Release Date : December 13, 2007
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 433

Description

Black Books centers around the foul tempered and wildly eccentric bookshop owner Bernard Black (Dylan Moran). Bernard's devotion to the twin pleasures of drunkenness and willful antagonism deepens and enriches both his life and that of Manny (Bill Bailey), his assistant. Bearded, gentle, sweet and good, Manny is everything that Bernard isn't and is punished by Bernard relentlessly just for the crime of existing. They depend on each other for meaning as Fran (Tamsin Greig), their oldest friend, depends on them for distraction. Black Books is a haven of books, wine and conversation, the only threat to the group's peace and prosperity is their own limitless stupidity.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Other
Outtakes
Photo gallery

List Price: $39.98
Price: $23.49
You Save: $16.49 (41%)

Bleak House

Actors: Gillian Anderson, Alun Armstrong, Charlie Brooks
ASIN : B000CEXG0U
Sales Rank : 1460
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051250827
UPC : 794051250827
Release Date : December 28, 2006
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 510

Amazon.com

Andrew Davies isn't much of household name in the U.S., but he's the king of the BBC mini-series. His skillfully adapted scripts for Pride & Prejudice (the beloved Colin Firth version) and many, many more are peerless examples of classic novels done right--cunningly edited and shaped to let all the rich emotion and sharp intelligence spill over with zip and vigor. Bleak House is no exception; it's one of the best Dickens adaptations to date. The mini-series form allows Dickens' panoramic view, brimming with eccentric characters and complex turns of plot, to sprawl out without losing an iota of suspense or momentum. Two innocent young orphans (Patrick Kennedy and Carey Mulligan) are the potential heirs to a fortune, but their fates are snarled in a monumental legal battle known as Jarndyce and Jarndyce. But the heart of the story is another orphan, Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin), whose mysterious parentage proves to be intertwined with the fate of the Jarndyce wards and the aloof Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files). Dickens' story twines through an excoriating vision of the legal system to heartbreaking domestic drama to a murder investigation to near-Gothic horror, all broken into utterly delicious half-hour segments (after the hour-long opening episode). Martin is utterly beguiling, homely at one moment and luminous the next; Anderson's grippingly eerie and brittle performance will delight her fans. But to single out anyone seems absurd, because every character--from the vicious lawyer Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance, White Mischief) to the foppish parasite Skimpole (Nathaniel Parker, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) to the simpering clerk Guppy (Burn Gorman)--is intricately drawn, all hitting a mesmerizing balance between caricature and stark emotional honesty. Bleak House demonstrates that humor, pathos, and social criticism can all be contained in one wonderfully entertaining package. --Bret Fetzer

List Price: $14.98
Price: $10.99
You Save: $3.99 (27%)

To the Manor Born: Silver Wedding Anniversary

Actors: Gillian Anderson, Alun Armstrong, Charlie Brooks
ASIN : B001B3LIP6
Sales Rank : 2813
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929024124
UPC : 883929024124
Release Date : December 09, 2008
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 30

Product Description

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 50 minutes Rating: Nr

Amazon.com

What if you could go back to a favored film, TV series or fairy tale to see just what "happily ever after" really looked like? That's the delicious premise behind To the Manor Born: Silver Anniversary Special. The well-loved Brit-com, which aired from 1979-1981, ended with the marriage of the genteel but newly impoverished Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (the puckish Penelope Keith) and supermarket baron Richard DeVere, after many months of a peculiarly British off-kilter courtship. Fast-forward 25 years, when Audrey and Richard, who've settled nicely into their upper-crust existence, are planning their silver wedding anniversary celebration. The bons mots and barbs fly as though the decades had never ensued, and the characters are as cluelessly endearing as ever. And the humor, perhaps not for all tastes, is decidedly British: "You're a liar and a cheat!" exclaims Audrey to a passerby at one point. "I should have known it--you're from Czechoslovakia!" On the menu for the party, there's much clucking over the appropriateness of the planned quail and truffle terrine. Why? "Bird flu!" announces Audrey. But the actors are so enmeshed in their surroundings, they bring a well-worn comfort to their portrayals that creates a cozy environment to escape into--as inviting as a bay-window seat with boiled-wool blankies. Fans of the series will love to see how the actors have aged (gently) and how the characters haven't. The special "making-of" featurette is a particular delight, with all the actors chatting about considering returning to roles they thought were long wrapped up--and relating their delight in finding their chemistry with each other was just as crisp as it was in the jolly old days. Just right.--A.T. Hurley

List Price: $39.99
Price: $27.95
You Save: $12.04 (30%)

Wild China [Blu-ray]

Actor: BBC Video
ASIN : B0016I0AI2
Sales Rank : 2342
Director : BBC Video
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC WARNER
Region Code : 1
Format : Color, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Binding : Blu-ray
EAN : 0883929017164
UPC : 883929017164
Release Date : December 05, 2008
Publisher : BBC WARNER
Manufacturer : BBC WARNER
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC WARNER
Running Time : 300

Description

An exotic fusion of natural history and Oriental adventure, "Wild China" is a series of journeys through four startlingly different landscapes, each based around the travels of a real historical character. With splendour, scale and romance, Wild China lifts the veil on the world's most enigmatic and magnificent country, delving into its vibrant habitats to reveal a land of unbelievable natural complexity. Journey across China from the glittering peaks of the Himalayas to the barren steppe, the sub-Arctic to the tropical islands, through deserts both searingly hot and mind-numbingly cold and see, in pioneering images, a dazzling array of mysterious, beautiful, wild and rare creatures.

Amazon.com

Beautifully filmed and soothingly narrated by Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Wild China takes an expansive look at the fourth largest country in the world. Over a period of more than six hours, the miniseries--which was co-produced by the BBC and China's CTV--lets viewers into a world that is straddling the line between modern-day efficiency and old world traditions. Fans accustomed to travelogues with personable hosts such as quirky Anthony Bourdain or perky Samantha Brown leading them through far away places may get a little bored with the hands-off approach here. But the beauty of this production is in the country and the people, and the way the filmmakers present them in crisply edited vignettes. We see the jumping spiders atop Mount Everest, the winding grace of the Great Wall, and of course some shy pandas that many people equate with China. But some of the best moments are the simple ones--children in a classroom, fishermen working the waters, and monks meditating in monasteries. As did the Planet Earth series, Wild China makes viewers wish they were there. The film doesn't touch heavily on the politics of China, but it isn't lacking because of the omission. As it is, Wild China ends all too soon, leaving viewers longing for more for a country that once didn't welcome foreigners in. --Jae-Ha Kim

List Price: $79.98
Price: $67.99
You Save: $11.99 (15%)

The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection (Wives and Daughters / Cranford / North and South)

Actors: Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith, Emma Ferguson, Travis Oliver
ASIN : B00141188M
Sales Rank : 2815
Director : Brian Percival
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0883929012695
UPC : 883929012695
Release Date : December 20, 2008
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 824

Description

Three BBC miniseries adapted from Mary Gaskells classic novels. Cranford, a market town in the North West of England, is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules, but Cranford is on the cusp of change… North & South follows Margaret Hale, the daughter of a middle-class parson who uproots the family from rural southern England to start a new life in Milton - a northern mill town in the throes of the industrial revolution. Wives and Daughters is set in a richly portrayed society well-stocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers. The well-ordered world of 17-year-old Molly Gibson becomes complicated when her father, a respected country doctor, remarries after many years of widowhood.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
Deleted Scenes
Documentary
Interviews
Production Notes

List Price: $19.98
Price: $11.99
You Save: $7.99 (40%)

The Vicar of Dibley - A Holy Wholly Happy Ending

Actor: Dawn French
ASIN : B000SINSVC
Sales Rank : 1856
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Video
Region Code : 1
Format : Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051413420
UPC : 794051413420
Release Date : December 09, 2007
Publisher : BBC Video
Manufacturer : BBC Video
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Video
Running Time : 110

Description

Dawn French dons her cassock and collar once more for two very special episodes of The Vicar of Dibley, one of the BBC's most popular comedies. It boasts the brilliant comic writing of Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Bridget Jones's Diary) and a gifted ensemble cast including Emma Chambers (Notting Hill) and Richard Armitage (BBC's Robin Hood). The Handsome Stranger - Gerry is fed up with all the "townies" buying weekend cottages in Dibley -- that is, until she meets one particularly charming newcomer. Could he be the one? Or is it Gerry's destiny to end up heartbroken in another 6-foot deep puddle? The Vicar in White - After presiding over the marriages of hundreds of other people, it appears Gerry's big day has finally arrived. Appearances can be deceptive, however, especially when the eccentric residents of Dibley are doing the planning!

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Featurette

Amazon.com

The popular British comedy series The Vicar of Dibley is about as broad in its laughs as any Britcom, yet its heart is even bigger--no surprise since one of its key writers is Richard Curtis (Love, Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral) In A Holy Wholly Happy Ending, the plucky heroine, The Rev. Geraldine Granger (the appealing Dawn French), balances trying to invigorate the residents of her tiny rural village with an art class and book club, while grumbling about the "townies" from London snapping up the houses and draining the character from the place. But the longtime singleton ("always the vicar," she sighs, "never the bride") may change her tune when a handsome townie moves in and commences getting acquainted.

French's determinedly cheery persona is a lot of the appeal of this series, and that our sweet Reverend might find true love at last makes this two-part special extra appealing. The side humor is a trademark as well. The looks on the faces of the (all-male) art class when the first session, figure sketching, begins with the model taking off her robe may be foreseeable, but it's still nothing short of hilarious. As Geraldine would say, "let joy be unconfined!" --A.T. Hurley

List Price: $49.98
Price: $35.99
You Save: $13.99 (28%)

Simon Schama's Power of Art

Actor: Simon Schama
ASIN : B000NTPG84
Sales Rank : 4477
Brand : Warner Brothers
Studio : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Format : Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Binding : DVD
EAN : 0794051299628
UPC : 794051299628
Release Date : December 19, 2007
Publisher : BBC Warner
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : BBC Warner
Running Time : 400

Description

Beautiful. Fascinating. Emotional. Art is all of the above. But only a few are powerful. These are the works that not only lift you off your feet in their sheer artistry, they forever alter the human psyche. Focusing on eight iconic works of art, Power of Art reveals the history of visual imagination through the ages, from the murderous world of baroque Rome to paranoid, revolutionary Paris; from the carnage of civil-war Spain to the paradox of 1950s New York, caught between Cold War jitters and Manhattan glitter. A combination of dramatic reconstruction, spectacular photography and Simon Schama's unique, personal style of storytelling transport the viewer back to the intense moments that great works were conceived and born. The eight works of art profiled in this series are: Caravaggio's David and Goliath; Bernini's The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, Rembrandt's The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis; David's Death of Marat; Turner's The Slave Ship; Van Gogh's Self-Portrait; Picasso's Guernica and Rothko's Seagram Building Murals.

Amazon.com

Watching Simon Schama's Power of Art is like taking an Ivy League course in art appreciation, with the folksy but knowledgeable Schama as guide and interpreter. A collection of hour-long films on eight seminal artists and their groundbreaking works, which originally aired on British television, this boxed set is as entertaining as it is enlightening, with Schama doing for Western art what, say, Steve Irwin did for Australian natural history. Eight artists are featured--Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko--and each portrait of the artist weaves biography and historical context to help explain the true power of his works.

The segment on Van Gogh is, as expected, emotional, yet Schama convincingly portrays Van Gogh as not consumed by madness, but fighting off the episodes with painting. Van Gogh painted one of his most evocative works, Wheat Field With Crows, which even his brother, Theo, recognized was about to put his brother on the artistic map. Yet, as Schama points out, within weeks, Van Gogh had killed himself. "Now why would he want to do that?" Schama muses--and then proceeds to narrate the tormented tale of the answer. Along the way, the viewer gains new appreciation for Van Gogh's signature works, including his famous sunflowers. "Technically, these are still lives," Schama says, "but there's nothing still about them... the sunflowers [seem to be] organisms landing violently from a burning sun." If the reenactments of the artists' lives are a bit overdone, it's forgivable, since the cumulative effect, in an hour, is a new appreciation of the work and the man.

Extras include frank and very funny commentaries by Schama and his co-producer, and lots of behind-the-scenes dish on how certain scenes were achieved. The teeming French opera scene in the "David" episode, for instance, was cast using just 20 French extras and then the rest created by CGI--"the scene works better, really, than [the film] King Kong," Schama says with delight. --A.T. Hurley

Browse BBC Online

Little Britain: The Complete Collection

Black Adder - The Complete Collector's Set

Description

Amazon.com essential video

The Complete Black Books

Description

Bleak House

Amazon.com

To the Manor Born: Silver Wedding Anniversary

Product Description

Amazon.com

Wild China [Blu-ray]

Description

Amazon.com

The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection (Wives and Daughters / Cranford / North and South)

Description

The Vicar of Dibley - A Holy Wholly Happy Ending

Description

Amazon.com

Simon Schama's Power of Art

Description

Amazon.com

Red Dwarf Complete Collection (18DVD)