Product Details

• Actors: Donald Sinden, Dermot Walsh, Tod Slaughter, George Curzon, Margaret Lockwood
• Directors: Robert S. Baker, John Gilling, George King, Carol Reed, Gordon Perry
• Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: VCI Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Run Time: 465 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001CR4970
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,222 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

SIEGE OF SIDNEY: The dramatization of true events sets the stage for this drama. The date is 1911 and a standoff is sparked between Russian anarchists and police officers. The young woman trapped in the middle thinks back to the events that led up to the siege with unpleasant memories. Violence and flashbacks to the events provide the tension to sustain the viewer to stay till the end! THE FRIGHTENED MAN: Charles Victor, the owner of a small furniture & antique shop uses extra cash from handling stolen good to put his son through Oxford. However, the son gets himself kicked out and comes home to sponge off the old man. When Victor s savings are depleted, the son wants more and gets himself involved with some heavy duty bad guys. Tragedy is the name of the game in this one. CRIMES AT THE DARK HOUSE: When lady luck smiles sometimes, it doesn t last! The inheritance of a large estate leads to murder, when a madman kills the recepient only to gain entrance to the estate so that he can murder his enemies. HOODED TERROR: Made on a low budget, this drama thriller is both classy & suspenseful. The house of horrors has plenty for the horror fan to enjoy. This restoration is a must for horror fans! GIRL IN THE NEWS: The perfect plot! An unsuspecting nurse, once acquitted of murder, is hired as a nurse for the wheelchair-bound Mr. Bentley. This falls into the plans of Mrs. Bentley and the butler lovers plotting to set Ms. Graham up when Mr. Bentley is found dead. TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER: Diana Dors plays Calico, the sexy vamp (or tramp?) and Terence Morgan, the staid little office worker and love interest of Calico. Things heat up when the shady but handsome brother arrives from London. Instant attraction strikes between Calico & the brother making her plan of theft take off. Product Specs: 3-DVD9s; Dolby Digital; 465 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA NR; Year 1938, 1940, 1952, 1960; SRP - $29.99

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Low-Quality Transfers, October 30, 2008

By	Nom de Review - See all my reviews

The quality of the picture and sound in "British Cinema Classic B Film Collection, Vol. 1" is mediocre. The picture is generally blurry, the sound fuzzy. Most of the films carry the logo of a TV distributor. One of them, "The Siege of Sidney Street," was filmed in a widescreen process called Dyaliscope (2.35:1), but on this disc the picture is cropped to the old TV ratio (1.33:1). The right and left sides are cut off.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth getting if only for "Tread Softly Stranger" with Diana Dors, February 1, 2009

By	Steven I. Ramm "Steve Ramm "Anything Phon... (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

These obscure British films have never been on DVD in US before and - to my knowledge at least most were not on VHS. I chanced on to this one to see the 1958 film "Tread Softly Stranger" with Diana Dors - which received excellent reviews when released in the UK as a PAL DVD. I'm glad I spent the time on this film. Not only is Dors - a combo Jayne Mansfield (but with a slimmer figure) and Marilyn Monroe actress - both sexy and erotic, but the tale of a robbery gone wrong has some great twists and turns. The other films on this set aren't quite as good in my opinion.

The prints are not sharp but apparently the best that can be hoped for until someone takes the time - and money - to restore them. But at least they are out there for all the word to see. The other improvement that could be made with this set is a series of film notes about the actors, directors and the British film industry.

Steve Ramm
"anything Phonographic"

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "British Cinema Classics ... B Film Collection Vol. 1 ... VCI Ent. (2008)", August 29, 2008

By	J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

VCI Entertainment presents "BRITISH CINEMA CLASSIC B FILM COLLECTION VOL.1" --- (1938-1960) (465 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- The titles included in the set are: The Siege of Sidney Street (1960), The Frightened Man (1952), Crimes at the Dark House (1940), The Hooded Terror (1938), Girl in the News (1940) and Tread Softly Stranger (1958) ------- A standout is "Crimes at the Dark House" (1940) is a British film starring Tod Slaughter, Sylvia Marriott and Hilary Eaves and was directed by George King. It is loosely based on the novel The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins --- In this lurid melodrama Tod Slaughter plays a villain who murders the wealthy Sir Percival Glyde in the gold fields of Australia and assumes his identity in order to inherit his estate in England --- On arriving in England he schemes to marry an heiress for her money and, with the connivance of the enigmatic Count Fosco, embarks on a killing spree of all who suspect him to be an impostor and get in the way of his plans to be the Lord the Manor --- Outstanding performance by the legendary Tod Slaughter, who always gave us his best in every film.

My fellow reviewer Annie Van Auken has given the synopses on each film on this page --- Listed below are some of the cast and release dates from the six British Cinema Classics from VCI.

Films with Titles, Date Released, Time, Directors & Some of the Cast members:

First up we have - "SIEGE OF SIDNEY STREET" (11 October 1960) (93 mins/B&W) - Robert S. Baker & Monty Berman (Directors)

Cast includes:
Donald Sinden ... Mannering
Nicole Berger ... Sara
Kieron Moore ... Toska
Peter Wyngarde ... Peter
Godfrey Quigley ... Blakey
Tutte Lemkow ... Dmitrieff
Bart Bastable ... Sgt. Tucker
George Pastell ... Brodsky
Angela Newman ... Nina

Second we have - "THE FRIGHTENED MAN" (March 1952) (69 mins/B&W) - John Gilling (Director)

Cast includes:
Dermot Walsh ... Julius Roselli
Barbara Murray ... Amanda
Charles Victor ... Mr. Roselli
John Blythe ... Maxie
Michael Ward ... Cornelius
Thora Hird ... Vera
John Horsley ... Harry
Annette D. Simmonds ... Marcella

Third we have - "CRIMES AT THE DARK HOUSE" (March 1940) (69 mins/B&W) - George King (Director)
.
Cast includes:
Tod Slaughter ... The False Percival Glyde
Sylvia Marriott ... Laurie Fairlie / Anne Catherick
Hilary Eaves ... Marion Fairlie
Geoffrey Wardwell ... Paul Hartwright
Hay Petrie ... Dr. Isidor Fosco
Margaret Yarde ... Mrs. Bullen
Rita Grant ... Jessica, the Maid
David Horne ... Frederick Fairlie
Elsie Wagstaff ... Mrs. Catherick
David Keir ... Lawyer Merriman

Fourth feature - "HOODED TERROR" (1938) (70 mins/B&W) - George King (Director)

Cast includes:
George Curzon ... Sexton Blake
Tod Slaughter ... Michael Larron
Greta Gynt ... Madamoiselle Julie
Tony Sympson ... Tinker
Charles Oliver ... Max Fleming
Marie Wright ... Mrs. Bardell
David Farrar ... Granite Grant
Norman Pierce ... Inspector Bramley
H.B. Hallam ... Monsieur Bertrand
Bradley Watts ... Paul Duvall

Fifth feature - "GIRL IN THE NEWS" (31 January 1941) (78 mins/B&W) - Carol Reed (Director)

Cast includes:
Margaret Lockwood ... Anne Graham
Barry K. Barnes ... Stephen Farringdon
Emlyn Williams ... Tracy
Roger Livesey ... Bill Mather
Margaretta Scott ... Judith Bentley
Wyndham Goldie ... Edward Bentley
Basil Radford ... Doctor Threadgrove
Irene Handl ... Gertrude Mary Blaker
Mervyn Johns ... James Fetherwood
Betty Jardine ... Elsie
Kathleen Harrison ... Cook
Felix Aylmer ... Prosecuting Counsel

Sixth feature - "TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER" (August 1958) (90 mins/B&W) Gordon Parry (Director)

Cast includes:
Diana Dors ... Calico
George Baker ... Johnny Mansell
Terence Morgan ... Dave Mansell
Patrick Allen ... Paddy Ryan
Jane Griffiths ... Sylvia
Maureen Delaney ... Mrs. Finnegan
Betty Warren ... Flo
Thomas Heathcote ... Sgt. Lamb
Russell Napier ... Potter
Norman Macowan ... Danny
Wilfrid Lawson ... Holroyd
William Kerwin ... Michael

Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections.

Total Time: 465 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video 8535 ~ (9/16/2008)