The Very Best Of James Stewart (UK-import)
Collection of 14 classic dramas starring James Stewart. In 'Rear Window' (1954), after breaking his leg during a shoot, photojournalist L.B. 'Jeff' Jefferies (Stewart) is forced to spend a humid summer recuperating in his Greenwich Village apartment, but soon finds a himself a hobby in watching his neighbours with a set of binoculars. After witnessing a strange set of events, Jeff becomes obsessed with the notion that Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), who lives in the apartment opposite, has murdered his wife. In 'Vertigo' (1958), when his fear of heights indirectly causes the death of a colleague, San Francisco cop Scottie (Stewart) retires. He is subsequently hired by magnate Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) to follow his wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), as Elster says he fears for her life. Scottie becomes bewitched by Madeleine, falling in love with her after saving her from a suicide attempt. However, when Scottie's vertigo prevents him saving Madeleine from a second attempt to kill herself, he becomes obsessed with recreating the dead woman's image. In 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946), Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man who has spent his entire life in the small town of Bedford Falls. Despite his yearning to see the world, George has always sacrificed his personal ambitions for the sake of his family and the local community, settling down to marry his childhood sweetheart, Mary (Donna Reed), and raise a family. However, when a huge amount of money goes missing from his savings and loans company he panics and finds himself preparing to commit suicide. He is shown the error of this idea by Clarence (Henry Travers), an angel who has been sent to Earth in order to earn his wings. To this end, Clarence shows George just how badly Bedford Falls and its residents would have turned out had he never been born. In 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (1962), big-city lawyer Ransom (Stewart) heads into the Wild West outpost of Shinbone to bring local outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) to justice. En route, he is met by a posse led by Valance, who beat him within an inch of his life. Passing cowboy Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) rescues Ransom, gets him set up in Shinbone and supports his efforts to be elected sheriff. Meanwhile, he also attempts to teach his clumsy protegé the fundamentals of gunslinging, so that Valance may at last be brought to book. In 'The Glenn Miller Story' (1953), Stewart stars as American bandleader Glenn Miller. A talented young trombonist, Miller falls for Helen Burger (June Allyson) while studying at the University of Colorado. He gets his first big break after leaving college performing his own arrangement of 'Everybody Loves My Baby' at an audition, and builds himself a reputation working for bandleader Ben Pollack (Ben Pollack). Marriage to Helen follows and Miller finds success with his own style after a trumpet player splits his lip, forcing him to substitute a clarinet solo on 'Moonlight Serenade'. He goes on to become the leading jazz...