There are three video standards in use in the world today; NTSC, PAL and SECAM. Each video listed for sale is clearly marked, showing which standard it conforms to. If you are in any doubt whether the tape will be playable on equipment in your country, please follow this link to view a list of countries and the standards they use. Use the back button of your browser to return to this page.

Similarly with DVD - except there are six encoding standards ! They are divided into regions : Region 1 is the USA, Canada, and US Territories, Region 2 is Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East (including Egypt), Region 3 is Southeast Asia, East Asia (including Hong Kong), Region 4 is Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, Region 5 is the former Soviet Union, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa (also North Korea and Mongolia), and Region 6 is China. All the DVD disks listed at present by Savoyard Books are suitable only for Region 1 - the USA, Canada, and the US Territories.

NTSC Video
DVD - Region 1 - suitable for USA and Canada

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is possibly the movie which uses G&S music and symbolism most knowingly, to tell you what's going on at any one point. It's an under-rated movie in general ! Examples:

"Poor Wandr'ing One" is of course the villain's theme tune - a nice touch, emphasising that her hatreds and obsessions come from her feeling of being alone and adrift, whilst needing to be accepted and saved by Claire's family. Noticeably, after her first murder, she strolls away with the baby in his pram, cheerfully whistling it under her breath.

Additionally, Claire's house is decorated with framed prints of G&S posters. And, in the first scene, the father and Emily are singing "I am the Captain of the Pinafore" together. The family passion for G&S is used to demonstrate their wealth, privilege, culture - and, though I tremble to say it, the extent to which they are cushioned from real life.

This description was written by "Miss Ophelia Frump". Savoyard Books is very grateful to Ophelia for allowing the use of her work on our web-site.