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Movies:

There have been lots of great movies released on DVD this year, and the following recommendations are sure to please.  The links below will open a new window in which you can purchase the listed title from Reel Classics' affiliated vendor Movies Unlimited.  These descriptions and links apply to the DVD version of these films, though in many cases, VHS versions are also available. Prices subject to change!

Romance | Comedy | Drama | Musicals | Action/Adventure | Noir/Mystery | Family Fun | Hollywood History | Holiday Classics

ROMANCE:

Garbo: The Signature Collection DVDs  ~$80 Ten-disc set includes "The Garbo Silents Collection" (featuring "The Temptress," "Flesh and the Devil," and "The Mysterious Lady"), "Anna Christie," "Mata Hari," "Grand Hotel," "Queen Christina," "Anna Karenina" (1935), "Camille" (1936), "Ninotchka," and the exclusive documentary "Garbo."

Elizabeth Taylor And Richard Burton: The Film Collection DVDs ~$45 Four-disc set includes "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (Special Edition); "The V.I.P.s" (1963), "The Sandpiper" (1965), and "The Comedians" (1967).

Bogie & Bacall: The Signature Collection DVDs  ~$35 Four-disc set includes "To Have and Have Not," "The Big Sleep" (1946), "Dark Passage," and "Key Largo."

Breakfast At Tiffany's (Anniversary Edition) (1961) DVD  ~$15 Audrey Hepburn plays chic Holly Golightly looking for a rich husband amongst New York's party set who instead finds struggling writer George Peppard. Anniversary edition features audio commentary, "making of" documentary, and  featurettes.

Pride And Prejudice (1940) DVD  ~$18 Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier star in this love and laughter-filled adaptation of Jane Austen's classic romance.

Portrait Of Jennie (1948) DVD  ~$15 This time-transcending romance stars Joseph Cotten as a struggling painter who becomes obsessed with school girl Jennifer Jones.

Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) DVD  ~$20 In this Frank Capra classic, Gary Cooper plays a small-town poet who inherits $20 million, and Jean Arthur co-stars as the cynical reporter who first mocks and later falls for him.

The Stratton Story (1949) DVD  ~$18 Romantic baseball biography starring James Stewart as Monty Stratton, a bush-league pitcher who joins the Chicago White Sox, and June Allyson as the girl who doesn't want to wait until he makes the big-time to marry him.

Howards End (1992) DVD Two-disc special edition of the Merchant-Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel, starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter engaged in a typically civilized English class struggle.

DRAMA:

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2 DVDs  ~$50 Seven-disc set includes "Marked Woman," "Jezebel" (Remastered Version), "The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Old Acquaintance," "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" (Special Edition), and the exclusive documentary "Stardust: The Bette Davis Story."

James Stewart: The Signature Collection DVDs  ~$40 Five-disc set includes "The Stratton Story," "The Naked Spur," "The Spirit of St. Louis," "The FBI Story," "The Cheyenne Social Club," and "Firecreek."

Leading Ladies Of The Studio Era DVDs  ~$40 Five-disc set includes "Now, Voyager," "For Me and My Gal," "Mildred Pierce," "Father of the Bride" (1950), and "Dial M for Murder."

The Paul Newman Collection DVDs  ~$50 Six-disc set includes "Somebody up There Likes Me" (1956), "The Left-Handed Gun" (1958), "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), "Harper" (1966), "The Drowning Pool" (1975), "Pocket Money" (1972), and "The Mackintosh Man" (1973).

A Tale Of Two Cities (1935) DVD  ~$18 The first sound version of Charles Dickens' French Revolution masterpiece stars Ronald Colman doing a "far, far better thing" than he has ever done.

The Champ (1931) DVD  ~$18 The original version of the tear-jerking boxing story stars Wallace Beery in an Oscar-winning performance and little Jackie Cooper.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) DVD  ~$18 Tennessee Williams' scorching tale of family tempers in the deep South stars Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor.

MUSICALS:

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection DVDs  ~$80 Twelve-disc set includes "State Fair" (1945) (50th Anniversary Edition), "State Fair" (1962), "Oklahoma!" (50th Anniversary Edition) (1955), "Carousel" (50th Anniversary Edition), "The King and I" (50th Anniversary Edition) (1956), "South Pacific" (Collector's Edition) (1958), and "The Sound of Music" (40th Anniversary Edition).

South Pacific (Special Edition) (1958) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc special edition includes the original theatrical release and the roadshow version, audio commentary, "making of" documentary and featurettes.

Carousel (50th Anniversary Edition) (1956) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc anniversary edition features audio commentary, featurette, newsreel footage, photo gallery, and the bonus feature "Liliom" (1934).

Astaire And Rogers: The Complete Film Collection [DVD] DVDs  ~$85 Eleven-disc boxed set includes "Flying Down to Rio," "The Gay Divorcee," "Roberta," "Top Hat," "Follow the Fleet," "Swing Time," "Shall We Dance" (1937), "Carefree," "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle," "The Barkleys of Broadway," and the documentary "Astaire & Rogers: Partners in Rhythm."

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 1 DVDs  ~$50 Five-disc boxed set includes "Top Hat," "Follow the Fleet," "Swing Time," "Shall We Dance" (1937), and "The Barkleys of Broadway."

Astaire & Rogers Collection, Vol. 2 DVDs  ~$50 Five-disc boxed set includes "Flying Down to Rio," "The Gay Divorcee," "Roberta," "Carefree," and "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle."

The Betty Grable Collection, Vol. 1 DVDs ~$50 Four-disc set includes "Down Argentine Way," "Moon Over Miami," "The Dolly Sisters," and "My Blue Heaven."

Bing Crosby: Screen Legend Collection DVDs ~$25 Three-disc set featuring five Crosby classics: "Waikiki Wedding" (1937), "Double or Nothing" (1937), "East Side of Heaven" (1939), "If I Had My Way" (1940), and "Here Come the Waves" (1944).

Guys And Dolls (Special Edition) (1955) DVD  ~$25 Special edition of Frank Loesser's beloved Broadway musical starring small-time hood Frank Sinatra, high-roller Marlon Brando, sanctimonious Jean Simmons, and congested Vivian Blaine includes documentaries and a scrapbook.

Daddy Long Legs (1955) DVD  ~$18 Dance-filled extravaganza starring Leslie Caron as a French orphan whose schooling is sponsored by an anonymous American millionaire (Fred Astaire).

ACTION/ADVENTURE:

John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection DVDs  ~$70 Ten-disc set includes "Stagecoach" (Special Edition), "The Long Voyage Home," "They Were Expendable," "Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," "3 Godfathers," "The Searchers" (Ultimate Collector's Edition), and "The Wings of Eagles."

Clark Gable: The Signature Collection DVDs  ~$50 Six-disc set includes "Dancing Lady," "China Seas," "Wife vs. Secretary," "San Francisco," "Boom Town," and "Mogambo."

American Heroes Collection DVDs  ~$25 Three-disc set includes "The Bridges at Toko-Ri," "Hell Is for Heroes" and "In Harm's Way."

King Kong (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1933) DVD ~$25 Two-disc special edition features audio commentary, seven-part "making of" documentary, and featurettes.

Treasure Island (1934) DVD  ~$18 Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper star in the first sound filming of Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless tale of pirates, ships and hidden treasure.

The Black Swan (1942) DVD  ~$15 A classic swashbuckler starring Tyrone Power as a 17th-century pirate who finds his most challenging conquest in Maureen O'Hara.

Forbidden Planet (50th Anniversary Special Edition) (1956) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc special edition of the milestone science-fiction adventure, as well as its follow-up, "The Invisible Boy" (1957).

FILM NOIR/MYSTERY:

Fritz Lang Epic Collection DVDs ~$90 Five-disc set includes "Die Nibelungen," "Metropolis," "Spies," and "The Woman in the Moon."

Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 DVDs ~$40 Six-disc set includes "Border Incident" (1949), "His Kind of Woman" (1951), "Lady in the Lake" (1947), "On Dangerous Ground" (1952), "The Racket" (1951), and the documentary "Film Noir: Bringing Darkness Into Light."

Boris Karloff: Icons Of Horror Collection DVDs  ~$25 Two-disc set includes "The Black Room" (1935), "The Man They Could Not Hang" (1939), "Before I Hang" (1940), and "The Boogie Man Will Get You" (1942).

Double Indemnity (1944) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc set of Billy Wilder's film noir masterpiece co-scripted with Raymond Chandler and starring Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman who is lured by femme fatale Barbara Stanwyck.

The Wrong Man (1956) DVD ~$15 Henry Fonda stars as a New York nightclub musician wrongly accused of robbery in this harrowing Alfred Hitchcock classic based on a true story.

Fallen Angel (1945) DVD  ~$15 Shadowy film noir from director Otto Preminger about an aspiring con man (Dana Andrews) who falls for a voluptuous waitress Stella (Linda Darnell).

FAMILY FUN:

Shirley Temple Collection, Vol. 4 (B&W/Color Versions) DVDs  ~$25 Three-disc set includes "Captain January," "Just Around the Corner" (1938), and "Susannah of the Mounties."

Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 4 DVDs  ~$55 Four-disc (7 hour) set includes 15 Bugs Bunny adventures, including 1958's Academy Award-winning "Knighty Knight Bugs" and 1975's "Bugs Bunny Superstar"; Porky Pig; Speedy Gonzales; and 15 cat-themed cartoons.

The Little Mermaid (1989) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc special edition includes deleted scenes, music video, computer games, and the bonus short "The Little Match Girl" (2006).

Lady And The Tramp (1955) DVD  ~$25 Two-disc special edition includes standard and Widescreen versions, deleted scenes, "making of" documentary, music video, trivia, games and DVD-ROM content.

Captains Courageous (1937) DVD  ~$18 An Oscar-winning adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel about a Portuguese fisherman (Spencer Tracy) who befriends a millionaire's spoiled young son (Freddie Bartholomew) on a fishing boat.

COMEDY:

The Premiere Frank Capra Collection DVDs ~$50 Six-disc boxed set includes "It Happened One Night," "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," "You Can't Take It with You," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and, exclusive to this collection, "American Madness" (1934).

Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection DVDs  ~$50 Seven-disc set includes "The Great McGinty" (1940), "Christmas in July" (1940), "The Lady Eve" (1941), "The Great Moment" (1944), "Sullivan's Travels," "The Palm Beach Story," and "Hail the Conquering Hero."

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection, Vol. 1 DVDs  ~$45 Four-disc set includes "My Friend Irma" (1949), "My Friend Irma Goes West" (1950), "That's My Boy" (1951), "Sailor Beware" (1952), "Jumping Jacks" (1952), "The Stooge" (1952), "The Caddy" (1953), and "Scared Stiff" (1953).

Classic Comedy Teams Collection DVDs  ~$25 Three-disc set includes the Three Stooges classics "Meet the Baron" and "The Gold Raiders," the Laurel and Hardy films "Air Raid Wardens" and "Nothing But Trouble," and the Abbott and Costello outings "Lost in a Harem" and "Abbott and Costello in Hollywood."

The Complete Thin Man Collection DVDs ~$50 All six films from the popular MGM series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's sophisticated crimesolvers, Nick and Nora Charles, including "The Thin Man" (1934), "After the Thin Man" (1936), "Another Thin Man" (1939), "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941), "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1944), and "Song of the Thin Man" (1947).

Holiday (1938) DVD ~$25 Classic George Cukor comedy stars Cary Grant as a free-spirited young man who is introduced to his fiancee's stuffy society family and falls in love with her sister (Katharine Hepburn).

Mister Roberts (1955) DVD  ~$18 Henry Fonda re-created his Broadway stage role in this classic WWII naval comedy co-starring James Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon.

HOLLYWOOD HISTORY:

The Dick Cavett Show: Hollywood Greats DVDs  ~$35 Four-disc set featuring episodes of "The Dick Cavett Show" in which the late-night host interviews such Hollywood icons as Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Mel Brooks, Frank Capra, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, Katharine Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Groucho Marx, Robert Mitchum, and Orson Welles.

Billy Wilder Speaks (2006) DVD ~$25 Billy Wilder -- the masterful and renowned writer/director of enduring Hollywood classics including "Double Indemnity," "Sunset Blvd.," "Some Like It Hot," and "The Apartment" -- shares his thoughts about making movies in a series of candid interviews.

HOLIDAY CLASSICS:

It's A Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) (1946) DVD ~$18 Frank Capra quintessential Christmas film stars James Stewart as a small-town banker who is driven by circumstances one Christmas Eve to consider suicide.

Miracle On 34th Street (Special Edition) (1947) DVD  ~$18 Perennial holiday film classic relates the tale a Macy's department store Santa Claus claiming to be the genuine article; starring Edmund Gwenn (in an Academy Award-winning performance), Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and John Payne. Special edition includes a 1955 remake-for-TV starring Thomas Mitchell from "The 20th-Century Fox Hour." as well as an audio commentary and documentaries.

The Bells Of St. Mary's (1945) DVD  ~$13 Bing Crosby plays priest Father O'Malley sent to shore up a financially troubled parish school run by strong-willed nun Ingrid Bergman. The first graders' Christmas pageant is not to be missed.

A Christmas Carol (1938) DVD  ~$17 Classic version of the holiday favorite featuring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit.

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) DVD  ~$17 Wonderful holiday farce stars Barbara Stanwyck as a journalist out to make points with editor Sydney Greenstreet by inviting a war hero (Dennis Morgan) home for a family Christmas dinner. Now all she's gotta do is cobble together a family! Reginald Gardiner, S.Z. Sakall, Una O'Connor co-star. 101 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English mono, French mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Special Edition) (1966) DVD  ~$17 Two-disc special edition of the original made-for-TV Chuck Jones animated version of Dr. Seuss's famous story about a Grinch who hatches a scheme to take away Christmas from the little Whos in Whoville; narrated by Boris Karloff.

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