British distributors Arrow Video have sent us a brand new promo clip for their recent 2K restoration of John Mackenzie's classic crime thriller The Long Good Friday (1980), starring the late Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Paul Freeman, Bryan Marshall, and Eddie Constantine.
The new restoration will open in select theaters across the United Kingdom on March 27, and will be available on Blu-ray on May 4.
Synopsis: Acclaimed gangster thriller starring Bob Hoskins as a top London crime boss whose attempts to launch a legitimate business enterprise are disrupted by a number of bombs from an unknown adversary. Harold Shand (Hoskins) is a gangster who has worked his way to the top with utter ruthlessness and a penchant for violence. Recognising that a more secure and prosperous future lies in moving to legal operations, he prepares to trade a life of crime for respectability through a plan to regenerate London's Docklands area. However, when unknown bombers begin targeting his properties and killing his associates, Shand only knows one response - violence. As he and his mistress, Victoria (Helen Mirren), try to hold his crumbling empire together, Shand finds himself facing the ironic prospect of all-out war just as he tries to convert to peace.
Arrow Video UK have announced that they will add six new titles to their Blu-ray catalog: John Frankenheimer's The Train (1964), John Mackenzie's The Long Good Friday (1980), Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa (1986), Masuharu Hasebe's Retaliation (1968), Brian Yuzna's Society (1989), and Nico Mastorakis' Island of Death (1976).
The Train
Directed by John Frankenheimer at the peak of his powers, The Train was made during a tremendous run of top-class pictures that also included Birdman of Alcatraz, Seven Days in May and The Manchurian Candidate, with Seconds soon to follow.
France, 1944. Art lover and fanatical Nazi Colonel Von Waldheim has plundered a Paris museum for its masterpieces, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Cezanne. His intention is to have them transported by rail to Berlin, but one man stands in his way. Aware that the Allied forces are fast approaching the French capital, Resistance fighter Labiche need only stall the train for a few more days, but he'll have to use all of his wits and skills to do so.
Featuring two Oscar-winners in its lead roles – Burt Lancaster as Labiche and Paul Scofield as Von Waldheim – and Jeanne Moreau and Michel Simon in support, The Train combines star power with spectacular action sequences to produce a classic war movie.
Special Features: • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film • Uncompressed 1.0 mono PCM audio • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • Audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer • Optional isolated score by Maurice Jarre • Burt Lancaster in the Sixties – a newly-filmed interview with Lancaster's biographer Kate Buford, tracing the actor's career throughout the decade • French television report on the film's making, containing interviews with residents of the village of Acquigny who worked as extras • Archive interview with Michel Simon • Footage of The Train's gala screening in Marseilles • Theatrical Trailer • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vladimir Zimakov • Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Sheldon Hall, illustrated with original stills and artwork STREET DATE: MAY 11.
Retaliation
In 1969 future sexploitation specialist Yasuharu Hasebe (Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter) teamed up with the inimitable Jô Shishido (Tokyo Drifter, Branded to Kill) for a follow up to their yakuza hit Massacre Gun.
A tale of gang warfare that features a raft of the period's most iconic stars, Akira Kobayashi (Battles Without Honor and Humanity, The Flowers and the Angry Waves) is a yakuza lieutenant who emerges from jail to find his gang dispersed and his aging boss in his sickbed. Shishido is the rival waiting to kill him and a young Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) is the girl caught in the crossfire.
Gritty and cynical, Retaliation is a hardboiled precursor to Kinji Fukasaku's revisionist yakuza pictures of the 1970s.
Special Features: •Limited Edition Blu-ray (3000 copies only) •Restored High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation, on Blu-ray for the first time in the world! •Original uncompressed mono PCM audio •Newly translated English subtitles •Brand new interview with star Jô Shishido •Interview with renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns •Original theatrical trailer •Gallery featuring rare promotional images •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ian MacEwan •Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, newly illustrated by Ian MacEwan and featuring original archive stills STREET DATE: MAY 11.
Society
After producing Stuart Gordon's hit Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III) turned his hand to directing with 1989's Society, and gave birth to one of the ickiest, most original body horror shockers of all time.
Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn't seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he overhears a surreptitious audio recording of his sister's coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he's been seeing - glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape... Is Billy going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighborhood?
Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most leftfield, gag-inducing "climaxes" in all of horror history - just don't eat beforehand!
Special Features: • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation •Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing •New Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna •Governor Of Society with Brian Yuzna •The Masters Of The Hunt with stars Billy Warlock, Devin Devasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell •The Champions Of The Shunt with FX Artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson •Screaming Mad George music video •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork •Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters STREET DATE: MAY 18.
Island of Death
Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a "video nasty".
Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue - including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more!
Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.
Special Edition Contents: • Brand new restoration from the original negative •High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation •Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing •Brand new interview with director Nico Mastorakis •The Films of Nico Mastorakis - the director hosts this documentary covering his varied career in cinema, including a look at Island of Death •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys •Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters STREET DATE: MAY 25.
The Long Good Friday
Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) is a businessman with great ambitions. Spotting the development potential of London's derelict Docklands area years before the Thatcher government, he tries to broker a deal with his American counterpart (Eddie Constantine) that will make them both millions. But who is killing Harold's other associates and blowing up his businesses - and why?
Universally regarded as one of the greatest British gangster films ever made, The Long Good Friday rocketed Hoskins to international stardom. He's given sterling support from Helen Mirren (as his upper-crust mistress), Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Derek Thompson (Casualty), and there's even an early appearance from future James Bond Pierce Brosnan.
But it's Hoskins' film through and through, his towering performance taking on a Shakespearean intensity as he's forced to resort to the down-and-dirty methods that he thought he'd put behind him in order to find out who's muscling in on his territory on what should be the best day of his life. He quickly finds out that this will be a very long Good Friday indeed…
Special Features: • Limited Edition SteelBook™ Packaging featuring original artwork • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentation of a brand new restoration sourced from the original camera negatives and approved by cinematographer Phil Meheux • Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • Audio commentary by director John Mackenzie • Bloody Business, a documentary about the making of the film, including interviews with John Mackenzie, stars Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, producer Barry Hanson and Phil Meheux • Brand new interviews with Barry Hanson, writer Barrie Keeffe and Phil Meheux • Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and BFI curator Mark Duguid, illustrated with original production stills • More to be announced! STREET DATE: MAY 4.
The Long Good Friday + Mona Lisa (Arrow Video) Limited Edition Dual Format Blu-ray
6-DISC SPECIAL EDITION BOXED SET CONTENTS: • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray and Standard Definition DVD presentation of both films, in brand new restorations sourced from the original camera negatives and approved by cinematographer Phil Meheux (The Long Good Friday), director Neil Jordan and cinematographer Roger Pratt (Mona Lisa) • Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • Newly illustrated packaging by Matthew Griffin
THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY DISCS 1 & 2 - BLU-RAY & DVD ? Audio commentary by director John Mackenzie Bloody Business, a documentary about the making of The Long Good Friday, including interviews with John Mackenzie, stars Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, producer Barry Hanson and Phil Meheux Brand new interviews with Barry Hanson, writer Barrie Keeffe and Phil Meheux Original Trailer More to be announced! THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY DISCS 3 & 4 - BLU-RAY & DVD [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] ? Q&A with Bob Hoskins and John Mackenzie, moderated by Richard Jobson Apaches (1977), John Mackenzie's notorious farm safety film, presented in High Definition (1080p) for the first time Introduction to Apaches by cinematographer Phil Meheux More to be announced! MONA LISA DISCS 5 & 6 – BLU-RAY & DVD ? Audio commentary by Bob Hoskins and Neil Jordan Brand new interviews with director Neil Jordan, writer David Leland and producer Stephen Woolley Original Trailer 100-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] ? Featuring new writing on the film by critics Mark Duguid and Mike Sutton plus archive pieces, illustrated with original production stills
Arrow Video have revealed that they are planning to add three new titles to their Blu-ray catalog: Takashi Miike's The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), Luigi Cozzi's Contamination (1980), and Jack Hill's Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967).
Please note that the announcement is for UK and U.S. releases. The U.S. releases will be distributed by MVD Entertainment Group.
The Happiness of the Katakuris
From Takashi Miike, the prolific director of such shocking hits including Audition and Ichi the Killer comes "The Sound of Music meets Dawn of the Dead"! The Katakuris are a family trying to run a peaceful country inn but with a lack of guests there is much excitement for their first visitor, until they wind up dead! As each guest in turn dies in strange circumstances the family agree to hide the bodies but will the coverups come back to haunt them... In The Happiness of the Katakuris scenes of grotesque stop motion animation, surreal musical numbers and zombies combine to make one of the finest horror-comedies ever made.
Special Features: •New High Definition digital film transfer •Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD •Original uncompressed Stereo PCM audio •Audio commentary by director Takashi Miike •The Making of the Katakuris - An original documentary from the film's production featuring interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the cast and crew •Interviews with the Katakuris cast members Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Tetsuro Tanba and Miike •Animating the Katakuris - A look at the creation of the film's stop motion effects with animation director Hideki Kimura and Miike •Trailer and TV Spots •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil •Booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Johnny Mains and a re-printed interview with Miike conducted by Sean Axmaker, illustrated with original stills U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 16. UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 22.
Contamination
Synopsis: Branded as a "video nasty" in the UK, director Luigi Cozzi's Contamination takes the premise of Ridley Scott's classic Alien and peppers it with exploding guts galore and a dangerously infectious soundtrack from celebrated Italian prog-rockers Goblin (Deep Red, Suspiria).
A cargo ship drifts up the Hudson River. Its crew: all dead, their bodies horribly mutilated, turned inside out by an unknown force. Its freight: boxes upon boxes of glowing, pulsating green eggs. It soon becomes clear that these eggs are not of this planet, and someone intends to cultivate them here on Earth. But who? And to what end?
Starring Italian horror veteran Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters), Contamination is an ultra-violent sci-fi epic that really gets under the skin. In space, no one can hear you scream – but on Earth, the terror rings loud and clear!
Special Features: •High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation •Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing •2014 Q&A with Cozzi and star Ian McCulloch, recorded at Abertoir Film Festival •Luigi Cozzi on the Creation of Contamination – an archive documentary hosted by the director and including behind-the-scenes footage •Theatrical Trailer •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin •Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters U.S. STREET DATE: JUNE 30. UK STREET DATE: JUNE 29.
Spider Baby
The credits dub this "the maddest story ever told", a promise that's well on the way to being fulfilled in the opening scene alone, when Virginia traps and kills a hapless deliveryman in her makeshift web. She's one of three siblings who suffer from a unique genetic disorder that causes them to regress back to childhood, while retaining the physical strength and sexual maturity of adults.
Lon Chaney Jr gave one of his most memorable late performances as Bruno, their guardian and protector, who has managed to cover up their crimes until two distant relatives lay claim to their house. When they insist on moving in, Bruno has to cross his fingers and hope that the 'children' behave towards their new guests...
his was the first solo feature by Jack Hill, whom Quentin Tarantino dubbed "the Howard Hawks of exploitation filmmaking", and it remains one of his wildest and weirdest.
Special Features: •High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the main feature, available in the UK for the first time • Original 2.0 Mono Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) • High Definition transfer of the feature supervised and approved by director Jack Hill • English SDH subtitles for deaf and hearing impaired • Audio commentary featuring Jack Hill and star Sid Haig •Panel discussion from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences FILM-TO-FILM Festival, recorded September 2012, featuring Jack Hill and stars Quinn K. Redeker and Beverly Washburn • The Hatching of Spider Baby - Interviews with Jack Hill, Sid Haig, star Mary Mitchel, fan Joe Dante and more on the making of the film • Spider Stravinsky: The Cinema Sounds of Ronald Stein - The composer of 'The Terror' and 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman' among others is remembered by Harlene Stein, Jack Hill, American Cinematheque's Chris D. and others • The Merrye House Revisited - Jack Hill revisits the original house that was used as the main location in the film • Alternate opening title sequence • Extended scene • Original Trailer • Gallery of behind-the-scenes images •The Host (1960) – Jack Hill's early short film featuring Sid Haig in his first starring role [30 mins] •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys • Collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette, and an extensive article re-printed from FilmFax: The Magazine of Unusual Film and Television featuring interviews with the cast and crew, illustrated with original stills and artwork U.S. STREET DATE: JUNE 16.
Arrow Video has announced that it will release six titles on Blu-ray in June: Terence Fisher's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Michael Mann's Thief, Fernando Di Leo's Milano Calibro 9, Luigi Cozzi's Contamination, Takashi Miike's The Happiness of the Katakuris, and Jack Hill's Spider Baby.
Please note that the announcement includes information for upcoming U.S. and UK releases.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Sherlock Holmes is the most filmed character of all time – but it is arguably this 1959 re-telling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles, from legendary horror studio Hammer and starring genre stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, which stands as the super sleuth's finest cinematic hour.
Rising up out of the swirling mists of Dartmoor, Baskerville Hall stands tall and gloomy. Its occupant, Charles Baskerville, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Could Sir Charles have been the victim of the so-called "Baskerville Curse", which tells of a deadly beast that stalks the surrounding countryside? Unperturbed by the legend, next-in-line Sir Henry Baskerville (a rare leading man performance from Lee) sets out to Dartmoor to assume inheritance of the family estate, under the auspices of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and right-hand man Dr. Watson (Andre Morell).
Imbued with an atmosphere as thick as fog, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a superlative gothic yarn which benefits from game performances from Cushing, Lee and Morell, as well as the expert direction of Terence Fisher, known for helming many of Hammer's most celebrated efforts including The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out.
Special Features:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) feature presentation Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing New audio Commentary with Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby Brand new interview with hound mask creator Margaret Robinson Brand new interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow Andre Morell: Best of British – A featurette looking at the late great actor Andre Morell and his work with Hammer The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes – a 1986 documentary looking at the many incarnations of Conan Doyle's celebrated character, narrated and presented by Christopher Lee Actor's Notebook: Christopher Lee – an archive interview in the which the actor recalls his experiences of making The Hound of the Baskervilles The Hounds of the Baskervilles – Excerpts read by Christopher Lee Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Hammer archivist Robert J.E. Simpson, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
Synopsis: Branded as a "video nasty" in the UK, director Luigi Cozzi's Contamination takes the premise of Ridley Scott's classic Alien and peppers it with exploding guts galore and a dangerously infectious soundtrack from celebrated Italian prog-rockers Goblin (Deep Red, Suspiria).
A cargo ship drifts up the Hudson River. Its crew: all dead, their bodies horribly mutilated, turned inside out by an unknown force. Its freight: boxes upon boxes of glowing, pulsating green eggs. It soon becomes clear that these eggs are not of this planet, and someone intends to cultivate them here on Earth. But who? And to what end?
Starring Italian horror veteran Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters), Contamination is an ultra-violent sci-fi epic that really gets under the skin. In space, no one can hear you scream – but on Earth, the terror rings loud and clear!
Special Features: •High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation •Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing •2014 Q&A with Cozzi and star Ian McCulloch, recorded at Abertoir Film Festival •Luigi Cozzi on the Creation of Contamination – an archive documentary hosted by the director and including behind-the-scenes footage •Theatrical Trailer •Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin •Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters U.S. STREET DATE: JUNE 30. UK STREET DATE: JUNE 29.
Really looking forward to this one, the score is amazing!
Sherlock Holmes is the most filmed character of all time – but it is arguably this 1959 re-telling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles, from legendary horror studio Hammer and starring genre stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, which stands as the super sleuth’s finest cinematic hour. Rising up out of the swirling mists of Dartmoor, Baskerville Hall stands tall and gloomy. Its occupant, Charles Baskerville, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Could Sir Charles have been the victim of the so-called “Baskerville Curse”, which tells of a deadly beast that stalks the surrounding countryside? Unperturbed by the legend, next-in-line Sir Henry Baskerville (a rare leading man performance from Lee) sets out to Dartmoor to assume inheritance of the family estate, under the auspices of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and right-hand man Dr. Watson (Andre Morell). Imbued with an atmosphere as thick as fog, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a superlative gothic yarn which benefits from game performances from Cushing, Lee and Morell, as well as the expert direction of Terence Fisher, known for helming many of Hammer’s most celebrated efforts including The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) feature presentation Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing New audio Commentary with Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby Brand new interview with hound mask creator Margaret Robinson Brand new interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow Andre Morell: Best of British – A featurette looking at the late great actor Andre Morell and his work with Hammer The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes – a 1986 documentary looking at the many incarnations of Conan Doyle’s celebrated character, narrated and presented by Christopher Lee Actor’s Notebook: Christopher Lee – an archive interview in the which the actor recalls his experiences of making The Hound of the Baskervilles The Hounds of the Baskervilles – Excerpts read by Christopher Lee Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Hammer archivist Robert J.E. Simpson, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
British distributors Arrow Video have announced their August Blu-ray slate. Titles include David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983), Joe Giannone's Madman (1982), and John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1948), amongst others.
Madman
Gather around the campfire, and hear the tale of Madman Marz: an ill-tempered old farmer who, one dark night, chopped up his wife and two children into pieces. When the locals caught wind of his heinous crime, they meted out revenge - sinking an axe into his head and hanging him from a nearby tree. But the next day, Marz's body was gone…
Thus the camp counsellor finishes his tale, closing with the warning never to say Marz's name above a whisper, lest the hideously-deformed farmer comes looking for them… Naturally, of course, the first thing that one of the young campers does is to call out Marz's name – precipitating a terrifying night of murder, mayhem and sexy Jacuzzi vignettes!
Inspired by the same Cropsey urban legend which informed its slasher peer The Burning, Madman stands as one of the very best of the camp-based terror flicks and was a clear influence on Hatchet, Adam Green's love letter to the slasher genre.
Special Features: Brand new 4K transfer from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary with director Joe Giannone, Madman stars Paul Ehlers and Tony Fish and producer Gary Sales New Audio Commentary by The Hysteria Continues The Legend Lives: Thirty Years of Madman - 90 minute documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew New Interview with producer Gary Sales New Interview with actor Jimmy Steele New Interview with Madman star, Paul Ehlers New Rare Acoustic Recording of the song inspired by his first viewing of Madman, 'Escape From Hellview', written, produced and performed by former CKY frontman, Deron Miller Theatrical Trailers TV Spots Stills Gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film, illustrated with original archive stills and posters PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! UK RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 3.
My Darling Clementine
Wyatt Earp has long fascinated filmmakers. Actors from Burt Lancaster and James Stewart to Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner have played the legendary gunfighter, but no portrayal is more definitive that Henry Fonda's in My Darling Clementine.
John Ford's first Western since his seminal Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine ranks among the director's finest. Telling the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the friendship between Earp and Doc Holliday, Ford renders this famous tale into a lyrical masterpiece, filmed in his beloved Monument Valley and full of iconic moments.
This limited edition contains two versions of the Western classic – the version that premiered in cinemas in December 1946 and the longer 'pre-release' cut that had played to preview audiences earlier that year – as well as another Wyatt Earp movie from 20th Century Fox, Allan Dwan's Frontier Marshal starring Randolph Scott and Cesar Romero.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of My Darling Clementine's theatrical and 'pre-release' versions and Frontier Marshal Original uncompressed PCM mono 1.0 sound Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw.
BLU-RAY DISC 1: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (THEATRICAL VERSION)
4K digital film restoration Commentary on the theatrical version by author Scott Eyman and Earp's grandson, Wyatt Earp III John Ford and Monument Valley - a 2013 documentary on the director's lifelong association with Utah's Monument Valley containing interviews with Peter Cowie (author of John Ford and the American West), John Ford, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Martin Scorsese Movie Masterclass - a 1988 episode of the Channel 4 series, devoted to My Darling Clementine and presented by Lindsay Anderson Lost and Gone Forever - a visual essay by Tag Gallagher on the themes that run through My Darling Clementine and the film's relationship with John Ford's other works Stills gallery Theatrical Trailer
BLU-RAY DISC 2: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE ('PRE-RELEASE' VERSION), FRONTIER MARSHAL AND OTHER WYATT EARP TALES [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]
2K digital film restoration of the 'pre-release' version of My Darling Clementine What is the Pre-Release Version? - a documentary by Robert Gitt, Senior Film Preservation Officer at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, comparing the two versions of My Darling Clementine
High Definition digital film transfer of Frontier Marshal, Allan Dwan's 1939 Wyatt Earp film starring Randolph Scott Two radio plays inspired by Wyatt Earp - a 1947 adaptation of My Darling Clementine starring Henry Fonda as Earp and Richard Conte as Doc Holliday, and a 1949 Hallmark Playhouse production in which Conte played the role of Earp Frontier Marshall Theatrical Trailer
40-PAGE BOOKLET [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] Booklet containing new writing on My Darling Clementine by Kim Newman (author of Wild West Movies) and on Frontier Marshal by Glenn Kenny, plus an extensive archive interview with screenwriter Winston Miller, illustrated with original archive stills and posters UK RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 10.
Blood Rage
What do you get if you combine Thanksgiving, American TV star Louise Lasser (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman), killer 80s synths and some of the most gruesome special effects in all of slasher history courtesy of Ed (Terminator 2) French. Why, it's Blood Rage of course!
Todd and Terry seem like sweet kids – that is, until one of them takes an axe to face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in. Todd is blamed for the bloody crime and institutionalised, whilst twin brother Terry goes free. Ten years later and, as the family gathers around the table for a Thanksgiving meal, the news comes in that Todd has escaped – and he's heading their way. But has the killer twin in fact been in their midst all along? One thing's for sure, there WILL be blood…
Filmed in 1983 at the tail-end of the slasher golden era but not released until 1987, Blood Rage (also re-cut and released to theatres as Nightmare at Shadow Woods) has been lovingly restored from the original vault materials for its first ever appearance on Blu-ray and DVD. Happy Thankskilling!
Special Features: Brand new 2K restoration from original vault materials of three versions of the film: Blood Rage, the original "hard" version, completely uncut and uncensored in a Blu-ray/DVD world premiere; the R-rated Nightmare at Shadow Woods 1987 re-cut, and a third "composite" cut combining all the footage from both Blood Rage and Nightmare at Shadow Woods High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new extensive making-of documentary featuring interviews with various cast and crew Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork to be revealed Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! UK RELEASE DATE: 25th August 2015 US RELEASE DATE: 26th August 2015
La grande bouffe
The most famous film by Italian provocateur Marco Ferreri (Dillinger is Dead), La Grande bouffe was reviled on release for its perversity, decadence and attack on the bourgeoisie yet won the prestigious FIPRESCI prize after its controversial screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
Four friends, played by international superstars Marcello Mastroianni (Fellini's 8½), Michel Piccoli (Belle de jour), Ugo Tognazzi (Barbarella) and Philippe Noiret (Zazie dans le métro) retreat to a country mansion where they determine to eat themselves to death whilst engaging in group sex with prostitutes and a local school teacher (Andréa Ferréol, The Tin Drum), who seems to be up for anything…
At once jovial and sinister, the film's jet-black humour has a further twist as the reputed actors (whose characters use their own names) buck their respectable trend for a descent into fart-filled chaos that delivers a feast for the eyes and mind.
Special Feature: Brand new 2K restoration of the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original French audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Newly translated English subtitles The Farcical Movie – A French television profile of Marco Ferreri from 1975 in which the director discusses, among other things, the influence of Tex Avery, Luis Buñuel and Tod Browning's Freaks Behind-the-scenes footage of the making of La Grande bouffe, containing interviews with Ferrari and actors Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli, Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret Extracts from the television series Couleurs autour d'un festival featuring interviews with the cast and crew recorded during the Cannes Film Festival A visual essay on the film with by Italian film scholar Pasquale Iannone Select scene audio commentary by Iannone News report from the Cannes Film Festival where La Grande bouffe caused a controversial stir, including Ferreri at the press conference Original Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Johnny Mains, illustrated with original archive stills and posters UK Release Date: 17th August 2015 US Release Date: 18th August 2015
Pit Stop
The most dangerous game ever devised, to pit man against man, flesh against steel – the figure-8 race! Jack Hill (Coffy, Foxy Brown) follows up Spider Baby, once again teaming up with Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) in one of his greatest roles for this action-spectacular crash-o-rama!
Richard Davalos (East of Eden) stars as Rick Bowman, a street punk who winds up in jail after a street race goes wrong. Bailed out by race promoter Grant Willard, Davalos is put in the deadly track where he comes up against Haig's maniacal winner Hawk Sidney. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast including Brian Donlevy (The Quatermass Xperiment) in his last film appearance, Ellen Burstyn, billed as Ellen McRae (The Exorcist), and Beverly Washburn (Spider Baby), Pit Stop is one of Hill's lesser known films but arguably his greatest.
Filmed on a real figure-8 track, Hill and his crew were able to capture gripping real-life car wreck scenes lending the film a brilliant sense of realism. You've never seen a motion picture like this before – can you take it?
Special Features: New High Definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Jack Hill High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original Mono 1.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) New UK exclusive audio commentary with director Jack Hill moderated by his biographer Calum Waddell Crash and Burn! - Jack Hill on the making of Pit Stop Drive Hard - Actor Sid Haig speaks about his experience of acting in Pit Stop Life in the Fast Lane - producer Roger Corman on the genesis of Pit Stop Restoring Pit Stop – Restoration demonstration with Technical Supervisor James White Original Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Glenn Kenny and musicologist and writer Gray Newell on the film's soundtrack, illustrated with original stills and artwork U.S. STREET DATE: AUGUST 18.
Videodrome
Combining the bio-horror elements of his earlier films whilst anticipating the technological themes of his later work, Videodrome exemplifies Cronenberg's extraordinary talent for making both visceral and cerebral cinema.
Max Renn (James Woods) is looking for fresh new content for his TV channel when he happens across some illegal S&M-style broadcasts called 'Videodrome'. Embroiling his girlfriend Nicki (Debbie Harry) in his search for the source, his journey begins to blur the lines between reality and fantasy as he works his way through sadomasochistic games, shady organisations and body transformations stunningly realised by the Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Rick Baker.
Hailed by his contemporaries John Carpenter ("he's better than all of us combined") and Martin Scorsese ("no one makes films like he does") as a genius, Videodrome, was Cronenberg's most mature work to date and still stands as one of his greatest.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition digital transfers of the uncut version of Videodrome and four of Cronenberg's early works Original uncompressed mono audio tracks for all films Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all films Limited Edition packaging, fully illustrated by Gilles Vranckx Limited Edition Exclusive Extras VIDEODROME – BLU-RAY DISC 1 AND DVD DISC 2: Restored high-definition digital transfer of the unrated version, approved by director David Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, the on-set correspondent for Cinefantastique Magazine and author of Videodrome: Studies in the Horror Film David Cronenberg and the Cinema of the Extreme – A documentary programme featuring interviews with Cronenberg, George A. Romero and Alex Cox on Cronenberg's cinema, censorship and the horror genre Forging the New Flesh – A documentary programme by filmmaker Michael Lennick on Videodrome's video and prosthetic make up effects Videoblivion: A brand new interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin A brand new interview with producer Pierre David AKA Jack Martin - Dennis Etchison, author of novelizations of Videodrome, Halloween, Halloween II and III and The Fog, discusses Videodrome and his observations of Cronenberg's script The complete uncensored Samurai Dreams footage with additional Videodrome broadcasts with optional commentary by Michael Lennick Helmet Test and Betamax Camera (2000) Cronenberg's short film starring Videodrome's Les Carlson Fear on Film: A round table discussion from 1982 with Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis and Mick Garris Promotional featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Cronenberg, James Woods, Deborah Harry and Rick Baker Original theatrical trailers
DAVID CRONENBERG'S EARLY WORKS: BLU-RAY DISC 3 AND DVD DISC 4 [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of four Cronenberg films Transfer (1966) & From the Drain (1967), Cronenberg's previously unavailable short films newly restored by the Toronto International Film Festival [7 & 12 mins] Stereo (1969) & Crimes of the Future (1970): Cronenberg's early amateur feature films, shot in and around his university campus, prefigure his later work's concerns with strange institutions (much like Videodrome's Spectacular Optical) as well as male/female separation (Dead Ringers) and ESP (Scanners). Newly restored from original lab elements [65 & 70 mins] Transfer the Future – Author and critic Kim Newman discusses Cronenberg's early works COLLECTOR'S BOOKLET [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] An illustrated 100-page hardback book featuring new writing including Justin Humphreys on Videodrome in a modern context, Brad Stevens on the alternate versions, Caelum Vatnsdal on Cronenberg's early works, extracts from Cronenberg on Cronenberg featuring Cronenberg's reminiscences of getting started in filmmaking and shooting all the films in this collection, plus more, illustrated with original archive stills UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 10.
Arrow Video will add six new titles to their Blu-ray catalog in September: The Mutilator (1985), Zardoz (1974), Requiescant (1967), The Firemen's Ball (1967), Closely Watched Trains (1966), and Hard to Be a God (2013).
Please note that the announcement includes upcoming UK and U.S. releases.
Zardoz
In-between the Hollywood productions of Deliverance and Exorcist II: The Heretic, John Boorman embarked on one of the strangest films ever to come from a major studio, Zardoz. The year is 2293. Society as we know it has broken down centuries ago with the Earth's population split into three classes: the Brutals, who work the land and are forbidden from reproducing; their overseers, the Executioners; and the highly-civilised Eternals, who are protected from the outside world by a force-field. But when an Executioner, Zed (Sean Connery, light years from James Bond), smuggles himself into their isolated paradise, he risks unbalancing the system and threatening the status quo…
Photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth (2001: A Space Odyssey) and designed by Anthony Pratt (Excalibur), dystopian science-fiction has rarely looked so beautiful – or been so odd – as it appears in Zardoz.
Special Features:
New 4K digital restoration by Twentieth Century Fox Uncompressed mono 1.0 PCM audio Optional English subtitles Audio commentary by writer-producer-director John Boorman Brand new interview with Boorman Brand new interviews with actors Sara Kestelman and Niall Buggy Brand new interviews with production designer Anthony Pratt, special effects creator Gerry Johnston, camera operator Peter MacDonald, and hairdresser Colin Jamieson Theatrical trailer Radio spots More to be announced! Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin Collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by Julian Upton and Adrian Smith, plus archive interviews, illustrated by original production stills. UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 14.
The Mutilator
Although the slasher film was in decline by the mid-1980s, there were still some grisly delights to be had… and they don't come much grislier than writer-director Buddy Cooper's sickening stalk-and-slash classic The Mutilator!
When Ed receives a message from his father asking him to go and lock up the family's beach condo for the winter, it seems like the perfect excuse for an alcohol-fuelled few days away with his friends. After all, his dad has forgiven him for accidentally blowing mom away with a shotgun several years ago… hasn't he? But no sooner are the teens on the island than they find themselves stalked by a figure with an axe (and a hook, and an onboard motor) to grind…
Originally entitled Fall Break (watch out for the incongruous theme song of the same name!), The Mutilator has earned a reputation amongst horror fans as one of the 'holy grails' of 80s splatter mayhem due to its highly inventive (and not to say, decidedly gruesome) kill sequences, courtesy of FX wizard Mark Shostrom (Videodrome, Evil Dead II). Finally making its long-awaited bow in High-Definition, The Mutilator has returned to terrorise a whole new generation of horror fans!
Special Features:
Brand new 2K restoration from original vault materials of the R-rated and Unrated versions of the film High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new interviews with cast and crew The Mutilator locations visit Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork to be revealed Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film alongside archive articles from Fangoria magazine PLUS MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 28. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 29.
Requiescant
Directed by Carlo Lizzani (Wake Up and Kill, The Hills Run Red) and with a superb soundtrack by Riz Ortolani (Day of Anger, Cannibal Holocaust), Requiescant – Latin for 'Rest in Peace' – ranks among the finest Spaghetti Westerns. Alex Cox named it the "one film to prove that the Italian Western was not solely Sergio Leone's".
Lou Castel (Fists in the Pocket, A Bullet for General) plays a young man who was raised to be a pacifist by a travelling preacher after Confederates massacred his family. But when his step-sister runs away, the pursuit reveals a natural talent as a sharp-shooter as well as a bloody and unexpected confrontation with his past.
Joining Castel are an impressive array of performers, including Mark Damon (Black Sabbath, The Fall of the House of Usher) as the sadistic aristocratic villain, Franco Citti (Accattone, The Godfather) as his henchman, and the great Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini (Salò) in a rare acting role as a revolutionary priest.
Special Features:
Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Optional English and Italian soundtracks in uncompressed PCM mono audio Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack An all-new interview with Lou Castel, recorded exclusively for this release Archive interview with director Carlo Lizzani Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx Illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by Pasquale Iannone UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 21. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 22.
The Firemen's Ball
t's the annual firemen's ball in a small Czech town, and the organisers decide to liven up the usually dull event with a raffle and a beauty contest. But with the former plagued by thievery and the latter by bribery, the event rapidly descends into farce – and that's before a fire breaks out...
The last film that Miloš Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus) made in his native country and language, The Firemen's Ball is a sparkling comedy that's also one of the best showcases of the director's uncanny ability to extract flawless performances out of an entirely non-professional cast largely made up of actual firemen.
It was nominated for an Oscar, but the Czech Communist authorities were so convinced that it was a satirical allegory about official incompetence that the film was officially "banned forever", or at least until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. It's now regarded as one of the greatest of all Czech films.
Special Features:
New 4K restoration by the Czech National Film Archive High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original Czech soundtrack in uncompressed PCM mono audio Optional English subtitles Appreciation by Czech film expert David Sorfa Archival interviews with director Miloš Forman, cinematographer Miroslav Ondrícek and co-writer Ivan Passer New Wave Faces: Michael Brooke salutes the non-professional actors who made an indelible impression on 1960s Czech cinema Reversible sleeve featuring two pieces of artwork from the original release UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 28.
Closely Watched Trains
Shy teenage virgin Miloš gets his first job as a railway dispatcher and is suddenly forced to confront the realities of the adult world, not least the temptations of the opposite sex. But they in turn are more attracted to his more experienced colleague Hubicka and his distinctive way with an inkpad and rubber stamp…
This could easily have fuelled a light comedy, but Jirí Menzel's bittersweet feature debut is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, and the various farcical goings-on threaten to distract attention from the far more pressing business of staying alive – especially since German trains are being attacked by resistance fighters and everyone is under suspicion of collaboration.
Co-written by the great Czech novelist Bohumil Hrabal (author of the classic source novella), Closely Observed Trains won Menzel a Best Foreign Film Oscar when he was still in his twenties, and it remains one of the best-loved of all Czech films.
Special Features:
New 4K restoration by the Czech National Film Archive High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original Czech soundtrack in uncompressed PCM mono audio Optional English subtitles Appreciation by Peter Hames, author of The Czechoslovak New Wave Archival interviews with director Jirí Menzel, cinematographer Jaromír Šofr and film historian Jan Lukeš Closely Observed Films: Michael Brooke explores the six-film collaboration between Menzel and novelist Bohumil Hrabal Reversible sleeve featuring two pieces of artwork from the original release UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 28.
Hard to Be a God
A group of scientists visits the distant planet Arkanar, and discovers a society still trapped in its own medieval era. Unable to interfere with the course of its history, they can only watch in mounting horror as all sparks of intelligent and independent thought are mercilessly snuffed out by Arkanar's cruel rulers. Will they remain enmired in their squalid existence for ever, or can the visitors subtly nudge the more open-minded in the right direction? Truly, it's hard to be a god.
Legendary Russian sci-fi authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (whose Roadside Picnic was filmed as Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky) wrote the source novel, and adapting it was director Aleksei German's dream project for decades. It would take six years of shooting, a further six of post-production and a posthumous premiere before his masterpiece was finally unveiled.
But masterpiece it is: a visually astonishing, almost tactile recreation of an unnervingly recognisable alternative universe, drenched in blood, mud and the tears of the oppressed.
Special Features:
Original Russian soundtrack Optional English subtitles Exclusive interview with Aleksei German Jr, who completed his father's film after his death Interview with co-screenwriter Svetlana Karmalita, the director's widow The History of the Arkanar Massacre, an appreciation of the film by Daniel Bird The Unknown Genius: Michael Brooke looks at Aleksei German's creatively dazzling but politically hobbled career Imagery gallery Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Andrzej Klimowski (to be revealed) UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 7.
Society
After producing Stuart Gordon's hit Re-Animator, Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III) turned his hand to directing with 1989's Society, and gave birth to one of the ickiest, most original body horror shockers of all time.
Teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) has always felt like the odd one out in his wealthy, upper-class Beverly Hills family. For some reason, he just doesn't seem to fit in. But his sense of alienation takes a sinister turn when he hears an audio recording of his sister's coming-out party, which seems to implicate his family and others in a bizarre, ritualistic orgy. And then there are the strange things he's been seeing – glimpses of people with their bodies contorted impossibly out of shape… Is Bill going mad or is there something seriously amiss in his neighborhood?
Packing stomach-churning grue and thought-provoking social commentary in equal measure, Society is a biting horror satire which culminates in one of the most gag-inducing "climaxes"' in all of horror history.
Special Features:
Newly remastered 2K digital transfer of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary by Yuzna Governor of Society – a brand new interview with Yuzna The Masters of the Hunt – a brand new featurette including interviews with stars Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Ben Meyerson and Tim Bartell The Champion of the Shunt – new featurette with FX artists Screaming Mad George, David Grasso and Nick Benson 2014 Q&A with Yuzna, recorded at Celluloid Screams Festival Brian Yuzna in conversation backstage at the Society world premiere 'Persecution Mania' – Screaming Mad George music video Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Nick Percival Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Alan Jones, illustrated with original archive stills and posters UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 7. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 8.
British distributors Arrow Video have detailed their upcoming Limited Edition Blu-ray release of David Cronenberg's film Videodrome (1983), starring James Woods, Deborah Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, and Leslie Carlson. The release will be available for purchase on August 10.
Synopsis: Combining the bio-horror elements of his earlier films whilst anticipating the technological themes of his later work, Videodrome exemplifies Cronenberg's extraordinary talent for making both visceral and cerebral cinema.
Max Renn (James Woods) is looking for fresh new content for his TV channel when he happens across some illegal S&M-style broadcasts called 'Videodrome'. Embroiling his girlfriend Nicki (Debbie Harry) in his search for the source, his journey begins to blur the lines between reality and fantasy as he works his way through sadomasochistic games, shady organisations and body transformations stunningly realised by the Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Rick Baker.
Hailed by his contemporaries John Carpenter ("he's better than all of us combined") and Martin Scorsese ("no one makes films like he does") as a genius, Videodrome, was Cronenberg's most mature work to date and still stands as one of his greatest.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS High Definition digital transfers of the uncut version of Videodrome and four of Cronenberg's early works Original uncompressed mono audio tracks for all films Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all films Limited Edition packaging, fully illustrated by Gilles Vranckx Limited Edition exclusive extras
VIDEODROME – BLU-RAY DISC 1 AND DVD DISC 2 Restored High Definition digital transfer of the unrated version, approved by director David Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, the on-set correspondent for Cinefantastique magazine and author of Videodrome: Studies in the Horror Film David Cronenberg and the Cinema of the Extreme – A documentary programme featuring interviews with Cronenberg, George A. Romero and Alex Cox on Cronenberg's cinema, censorship and the horror genre Forging the New Flesh – A documentary programme by filmmaker Michael Lennick on Videodrome's video and prosthetic make up effects Videoblivion – A brand new interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin A brand new interview with executive producer Pierre David AKA Jack Martin – Dennis Etchison, author of novelisations of Videodrome, Halloween, Halloween II and III and The Fog, discusses Videodrome and his observations of Cronenberg's script The complete uncensored Samurai Dreams footage with additional 'Videodrome' broadcasts, with optional commentary by Michael Lennick Helmet Test and Betamax – Two featurettes by Michael Lennick on effects featured in the film Camera (2000) – Cronenberg's short film starring Videodrome's Les Carlson Fear on Film – A round table discussion from 1982 with Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis and Mick Garris Deleted scenes from the TV version Promotional featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Cronenberg, James Woods, Deborah Harry and Rick Baker Original theatrical trailer
DAVID CRONENBERG'S EARLY WORKS: BLU-RAY DISC 3 AND DVD DISC 4 [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of four Cronenberg films Transfer (1966) & From the Drain (1967) – Cronenberg's previously unavailable short films newly restored by the Toronto International Film Festival [6 & 13 mins] Stereo (1969) & Crimes of the Future (1970) – Cronenberg's early amateur feature films, shot in and around his university campus, prefiguring his later work's concerns with strange institutions (much like Videodrome's Spectacular Optical) as well as male/female separation (Dead Ringers) and ESP (Scanners). Newly restored from original lab elements [63 & 63 mins] Transfer the Future – Author and critic Kim Newman discusses Cronenberg's early works
COLLECTOR'S BOOKLET [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] A 100-page hardback book featuring new writing including Justin Humphreys on Videodrome in a modern context, Brad Stevens on the alternate versions, Caelum Vatnsdal on Cronenberg's early works, extracts from Cronenberg on Cronenberg featuring Cronenberg's reminiscences of getting started in filmmaking and shooting all the films in this collection, plus more, illustrated with original archive stills
Arrow Video has announced that it will release on Blu-ray Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973) and Carlo Lizzani's Wake Up and Kill (1966). The two releases will be available for purchase in the U.S. and UK.
Wake Up and Kill
Wake Up & Kill - this thrilling precursor to the Poliziotteschi genre tells the story of real-life 'machine gun soloist' Luciano Lutring and features of a raft of talent including director Carlo Lizzani (Requiescant), screenwriter Ugo Pirro (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) and the iconic Ennio Morricone!
During the 1960s Luciano Lutring committed more than one hundred armed robberies in Italy and on the French Riviera. To the media he was the 'machine gun soloist', a name he'd earned as he kept his weapon in a violin case. To the public he was a Robin Hood figure, one who only targeted the wealthy, stealing more than 35 billion lire during his criminal career.
Wake Up and Kill was the logical extension of such fame. It became the first feature to commit Lutring's story to celluloid, shooting having begun mere months after his eventual arrest. Capitalising on the breakthrough success of his performance in French television's The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Robert Hoffmann is perfect as Lutring, bringing just the right amount of charisma and youthful exuberance to his first major big screen role.
Directed by Carlo Lizzani (Requiescant), scored by Ennio Morricone, penned by the future screenwriter of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and featuring that film's star, Gian Maria Volonté, in a key supporting role, Wake Up and Kill's true-crime thrills serve as an enthralling dry run for the poliziotteschi movies that would follow a few years later.
Special Features: Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Optional English and Italian soundtracks presented in their original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) Newly-translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack Theatrical trailer Limited Edition illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by Roberto Curti, author of Italian Crime Filmography 1968-1980 and Italian Gothic Horror Films 1959-1969
UK RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 23 U.S. RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24
Battles Without Honor and Humanity
Battles Without Honor & Humanity - this seminal series of epic gangsterism told with gritty realism plays like a head-spinning fusion of Martin Scorsese and Paul Greengrass! This Limited Edition collections features Kinji Fukasaku's (BATTLE ROYALE) original five films in the series with brand new extras, the never-before-seen in the west 'Complete Saga' and a 150-page hardback book! Limited to just 2000 copies (UK) and 3000 copies (USA). Individual editions of each of the five films (the Saga and book remain exclusive to this collection) will become available in 2016!
Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale) gave the world Japan's answer to The Godfather with this violent yakuza saga, influencing filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs) to Takashi Miike (Graveyard of Honor, Audition). Made within just two years, the five-film series brought a new kind of realism and ferocity to the crime genre in Japan, revitalizing the industry and leading to unprecedented commercial and critical success.
Literally exploding onscreen with a mushroom cloud, and ending with Hiroshima's A-bomb Dome, the epic story of Battles Without Honor and Humanity follows over 100 characters through twenty years of gang wars, alliances, betrayals, and assassinations, in an exciting exploration of criminal power and politics in Japan. In the opening episode, ex-soldier Shozo Hirono escapes from the post-war black markets to become a key member of the Yamamori gang, but soon finds himself disillusioned by the selfish duplicity of his bosses. Hiroshima Death Match focuses on a demobilized kamikaze pilot drifting through the early 1950's, whose suicidal impulses find good use as a mob assassin. Proxy War and Police Tactics form a labyrinthine, two-part story of ambition and betrayal set against Japan's rapid economic growth of the 1960's, with Shozo caught between warring factions. Final Episode concludes the series in the 1970's as the former Yamamori gang transforms itself into an economic conglomerate called the Tensei Group, in a bid for mainstream respectability.
Fukasaku and his team broke with the longstanding studio tradition of casting marquee idols as honorable, kimono-clad heroes, defending their gang bosses against unscrupulous villains, and instead adapted true accounts torn from the headlines, shot in a documentary-like style, and with few clear-cut heroes or villains. The vibrancy and dynamism of the filmmaking, plus its shocking violence, Shakespearean plotlines, and wide tapestry of characters, launched a revolutionary new genre, establishing the series as one of the great masterpieces of world crime cinema.
Special Features: Limited Edition Blu-ray Collection High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of all five original films Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays) Optional English subtitles for all five films Remembering Kinji – a new featurette about director Kinji Fukasaku and his work, featuring interviews with Kenta Fukasaku and film critic and Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane Secrets of the Piranha Army – a new documentary about the troupe of supporting actors who appeared throughout the series, featuring new interviews with original Piranha members Masaru Shiga and Takashi Noguchi, plus second-generation Piranha, Takashi Nishina and Akira Murota All the Bad Guys – a new, comprehensive video guide to the actors in the films Fukasaku Family – a new interview with Proxy War and Police Tactics assistant director Toru Dobashi Man of Action – a new interview with series fight choreographer Ryuzo Ueno Tales of a Bit Player – a new interview with supporting actor and stuntman Seizo Fukumoto Last Days of the Boss – a new interview with Final Episode screenwriter Koji Takada Yakuza Graveyard – a new interview with Takashi Miike about Kinji Fukasaku and the yakuza film genre Original trailers for the series Original poster gallery for the series Limited Edition packaging and reversible sleeves for all five films including original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist
THE COMPLETE SAGA [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] English-subtitled premiere of the 224-minute compilation edition of the first four films, previously screened only as part of a limited Japanese theatrical release in 1980 and on the Toei cable channel Introduction by Complete Saga editorial supervisor Toru Dobashi
THE YAKUZA PAPERS [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE] 150-page hardback book featuring writing on the history of the yakuza film genre, the background and continuing importance of the Battles series, and additional essays on the men who made them, including a newly-reprinted and fully annotated edition of Paul Schrader's classic 1974 Film Comment essay Yakuza-Eiga: A Primer, a new, exclusive English translation of screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara's 1974 Scenario magazine essay on his writing process for the first four films, as well as new essays and interviews from critics and authors Chris D., Grady Hendrix, Patrick Macias, Tom Mes, Mark Schilling, and Jasper Sharp. UK LIMITED TO 2000 COPIES U.S. LIMITED TO 3000 COPIES
UK RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 16 U.S. RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 17
Arrow Video have detailed their upcoming Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box release. The four-disc set will be available for purchase on October 26.
Stephen King was once quoted as saying: "I have seen the future of horror… his name is Clive Barker." That future became reality when, in 1987, Barker unleashed his directorial debut Hellraiser – launching a hit franchise and creating an instant horror icon in the formidable figure of Pinhead.
Barker's original Hellraiser, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, follows Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) as she comes head-to-head with the Cenobites – demonic beings from another realm who are intent on reclaiming the soul of her deviant Uncle Frank.
Picking up immediately after the events of the original Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II finds Kirsty detained at a psychiatric institute and under the care of Phillip Channard, a doctor who abuses his position to realise his own dark aims. In Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, a reporter investigating a mysterious death at a nightclub finds herself in the way of Pinhead and the Cenobites, who plan to bring their horrifying world into our own.
Coming at a time when the genre was degenerating into self-parody, Hellraiser offered a fiercely unique vision that approached its horrors with a far greater degree of seriousness than many of its contemporaries.. Along with its sequels, the Barker-produced Hellbound and Hell on Earth, Arrow Video is proud to present some of the most terrifyingly original films in the history of horror in brand new 2K transfers.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENT: Brand new 2K restorations of Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth Uncompressed PCM Stereo 2.0 and Lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II Lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 sound for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all three films Limited Edition bonus disc Exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes 20-page booklet featuring never-before-seen original Hellraiser concept art Limited Edition packaging with new artwork from Gilles Vranckx Set of 5 exclusive art cards Fold-out reversible poster
DISC 1 – HELLRAISER Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon Audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker Audio commentary with Barker and actress Ashley Laurence Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser – brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellraiser, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – actor Sean Chapman talks candidly about playing the character of Frank Cotton in Barker's original Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – Coil member Stephen Thrower on the Hellraiser score that almost was Hellraiser: Resurrection – vintage featurette including interviews with Clive Barker, actors Doug Bradley and Ashley Laurence, special make-up effects artist Bob Keen and others Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser Original EPK featuring on-set interviews with cast and crew Draft Screenplays [BD-ROM content] Trailers and TV Spots Image Gallery
DISC 2 – HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II Brand new 2K restoration approved by director of photography Robin Vidgeon Audio Commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins Audio Commentary with Randel, Atkins and actress Ashley Laurence Leviathan: The Story of Hellbound: Hellraiser II – brand new version of the definitive documentary on the making of Hellbound, featuring interviews with key cast and crew members Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – actor Sean Chapman talks about reprising the role of Frank Cotton in the first Hellraiser sequel Surgeon Scene – the home video world premiere of this legendary, never before-seen excised sequence from Hellbound, sourced from a VHS workprint Lost in the Labyrinth – vintage featurette including interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound: Hellraiser II On-set interview with Clive Barker On-set interviews with cast and crew Behind-the-Scenes Footage Rare and unseen storyboards Draft Screenplay [BD-ROM content] Trailers and TV Spots Image Gallery
DISC 3 – HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH Brand new 2K restoration of the Original Theatrical Version [93 mins] Alternate Unrated Version [97 mins] Brand new audio commentary with writer Peter Atkins Audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and Doug Bradley Hell on Earth: The Story of Hellraiser III – making-of documentary featuring interviews with Atkins, Keen and actor Ken Carpenter Terri's Tales – brand new interview with actress Paula Marshall Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with Hickox On-set interviews with Barker and Bradley Never-before-seen Hellraiser III SFX dailies Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Hellraiser III comic book adaptation [Disc gallery]
DISC 4 – THE CLIVE BARKER LEGACY – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE Clive Barker short films Salomé and The Forbidden Books of Blood & Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – horror author David Gatward provides a tour through Barker's written work, from the first Books of Blood to the recent The Scarlet Gospels Hellraiser: Evolutions – a brand new documentary looking at the evolution of the hit horror franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith – short film
200-PAGE BOOK – 'DAMNATION GAMES' – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE Exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing on Hellraiser and the Barker universe from Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes – including chapters looking at Barker's early work, the genesis and production of the first 3 films in the Hellraiser series and much more, all illustrated with stills and rare material from the Barker archive
Independent distributors Arrow Video have a new batched of titles that will be released on Blu-ray in March and April. Amongst them are Brian Yuzna's Bride of Re-Animator (1989), Nico Mastorakis' The Zero Boys (1986), John Milius' Dillinger (1973), and Francesco Rosi's Three Brothers (1981).
Please note that the announcement includes upcoming U.S. and UK releases.
Bride of Re-Animator
The success of Stuart Gordon's hit horror-comedy Re-animator meant that a sequel was all but inevitable. The resulting follow-up, Bride of Re-animator - this time helmed by director Brian Yuzna (Society, Return of the Living Dead 3) - would prove that there was a good deal more life left in the story of Dr. Herbert West and his ghoulish exploits.
It is 8 years since the Miskatonic massacre. Unperturbed by the disastrous outcome of his previous meddling with the dead, Dr. West (again played by Jeffrey Combs) continues his research into the phenomenon of re-animation; only this time, he plans to create life – starting with the heart of his young protégé Dan's dearly deceased, Meg Halsey. Surely nothing could go wrong? With special effects master Screaming Mad George (the man behind the infamous "shunting" sequence in Society) on hand to contribute a host of characteristically weird and wonderful creations – including zombified bats and a one-eyed finger spider – Bride of re-animator is a more than worthy successor to Gordon's original cult classic.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 3-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS Brand new 2K restorations of the Unrated and R-rated versions of the film, approved by director Brian Yuzna High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin Limited Edition Collector's Booklet Limited Edition Packaging to be revealed
DISCS 1 & 2 – BLU-RAY/DVD – UNRATED VERSION Brand new 2K restoration of the Unrated version Brand new audio commentary with Brian Yuzna Audio Commentary with Brian Yuzna, star Jeffrey Combs, visual effects supervisor Tom Rainone and the effects team including John Buechler, Mike Deak, Bob Kurtzman, Howard Berger and Screaming Mad George Audio Commentary with stars Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott Brian Yuzna Remembers Bride of Re-animator – brand new featurette in which the director looks back at the making of the first Re-animator sequel Splatter Masters: The Special Effects Artists of Bride of Re-animator – Brand new FX featurette with a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Robert Kurtzman of KNB, Screaming Mad George, Tony Doublin and John Buechler Getting Ahead in Horror - archive making-of featurette Deleted Scenes
DISC 3 - BLU-RAY – R-RATED VERSION Brand new 2K restoration of the R-rated version UK Release Date: 11th April 2016 U.S. Release Date: 12th April 2016
The Zero Boys
From cult director Nico Mastorakis, the man behind such eclectic offerings as the controversial Island of Death and the Oliver Reed-starring actioner Hired to Kill, comes The Zero Boys – the genre-bending '80s classic with gruesome sequences that anticipate the torture porn horrors of Hostel and Saw.
For a group of young friends, a weekend of survival games in the wilderness turns into a genuine battle of life and death when one of their number turns up dead. Finding themselves hunted by a bloodthirsty band of maniacs intent on slaughtering them one-by-one, the self-styled "Zero Boys" must now play their war games for real.
Starring Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet, Chopping Mall) and featuring an early score from the legendary Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy), The Zero Boys mixes action, survival and all-out slasher movie elements in a thrilling horror yarn that falls somewhere between Friday the 13th and Deliverance.
Brand new 2K restoration of the film, approved by writer-director Nico Mastorakis Original Stereo audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio Commentary with star Kelli Maroney, moderated by Shock Till You Drop's Chris Alexander Nico Mastorakis on... Nico Mastorakis - brand new interview with Mastorakis on the making of The Zero Boys Brand new interview with star Kelli Maroney Brand new interview with star Nicole Rio Original Theatrical Trailer Stills Gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver UK Release Date: 25th April 2016 U.S. Release Date: 26th April 2016
Outlaw: Gangster VIP Collection
In 1968, acclaimed director Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife, Tora! Tora! Tora!) and rising star Tetsuya Watari (Tokyo Drifter) teamed up for Outlaw: Gangster VIP, a gritty yakuza yarn based on the writings of real life ex-gangster Goro Fujita
The series offers up a depiction of the Japanese underworld that was unprecedented in its realism and its sympathetic portrayal of its protagonist as a man haunted by his past, unable to escape a life of crime. The success of the initial instalment spawned five sequels, continuing the story of the lone wolf "Slasher" Goro and his quest for redemption
The films presented a new kind of realism and violence that would prefigure Kinji Fukasaku's Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, with their winning combination of brutal violence, gang warfare and sweeping romance, these films make for a unique and unforgettable viewing experience
The set includes six films in the Outlaw series released for the first time in the west: Gangster VIP, Gangster VIP 2, Heartless, Goro the Assassin, Black Dagger, and Kill!
Limited Edition Box Set (3000 copies) containing all six films in the Outlaw series, available with English subtitles for the first time on any home video format High Definition digital transfers of all six films, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation Original uncompressed mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Audio commentary on Outlaw: Gangster VIP by Jasper Sharp Visual essay covering the entire series by Kevin Gilvear Original trailers for all six films Extensive promotional image galleries for all six films Exclusive gatefold packaging featuring brand new artwork by Tonci Zonjic Booklet featuring an interview with director Toshio Masuda by Mark Schilling, plus new writing by Schilling, Chris D and Kevin Gilvear UK Release Date: 18th April 2016 U.S. Release Date: 19th April 2016
The Stuff
Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?
The Stuff is the new dessert taking supermarket shelves by storm. It's delicious, low in calories and – better still – doesn't stain the family carpet… What's not to like?! Well, for a start it has a life of its own, and we're not talking friendly live bacteria…
Young Jason seems to be the only one who doesn't love The Stuff – in fact he won't go anywhere near it, after having seen the pudding crawling around the fridge one night. What's more, everyone who eats The Stuff has started acting really weird... Now, teaming up with wise-cracking industrial saboteur "Mo", Jason must put a stop to The Stuff and the organisation behind it or face a gooey, gloopy demise.
Coming courtesy of horror auteur Larry Cohen (director of the It's Alive series and scribe behind the Maniac Cop trilogy), The Stuff is a titillating treat for the taste-buds which blends elements of films such as Street Trash with the straight-up B-movie flavour of The Blob. So grab a spoon and dig on into The Stuff – the taste that delivers… much more than you bargained for!
New High Definition restoration of the film from a brand new 2K scan of the original camera negative Original stereo 2.0 uncompressed PCM Mono audio Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Can't Get Enough of The Stuff: Making Larry Cohen's Classic Creature Feature – Documentary featuring Larry Cohen, producer Paul Kurta, actress Andrea Marcovicci, Steve Neill (mechanical makeup effects) and Kim Newman Introduction and trailer commentary by director and The Stuff fan Darren Bousman (Saw II, Saw III) Original Trailer Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Joel Harley, illustrated with original stills and promotional materials U.S. RELEASE: APRIL 19
Dillinger
The runaway success of Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 proved massively influential: it made stars of Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, introduced a new form of violence to the movies, and inspired a stream of imitators, including Bloody Mama, Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha and the directorial debut of John Milius, Dillinger.
Milius presents John Dillinger as an almost mythical figure, tracing the rise and fall of the Depression era's Public Enemy Number One as he takes on the banks and the G-men, led by the infamous Melvin Purvis.
Starring Sam Peckinpah favourites Warren Oates and Ben Johnson as Dillinger and Purvis, and with a supporting cast including Harry Dean Stanton, Richard Dreyfuss and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, Dillinger is a top drawer gangster picture: explosive, stylish and hugely entertaining.
Brand new 2K restoration of the film from original film materials Original mono soundtrack (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema and Screening Violence Newly-filmed interview with producer Lawrence Gordon Newly-filmed interview with director of photography Jules Brenner Newly-filmed interview with composer Barry De Vorzon Stills gallery Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips Collector's booklet containing new writing by Kim Newman on fictional portrayals of John Dillinger, plus an on-set report containing interviews with writer-director John Milius and others, illustrated with original production stills U.S. STREET DATE: APRIL 26
Three Brothers
Francesco Rosi established himself as one of the greatest chroniclers of Italy's stormy postwar history with such riveting classics as Salvatore Giuliano, The Mattei Affair and Illustrious Corpses. Three Brothers (Tre fratelli) explores similarly knotty social and political territory through the seemingly straightforward story of three siblings returning to their native southern Italy to pay homage to their late mother. However, their various professions – a judge in Rome (Philippe Noiret), a spiritual counsellor in Naples (Vittorio Mezzogiorno), a factory worker in Turin (Michele Placido) – have a profound effect on their response to this reunion.
Although Oscar-nominated at the time, Three Brothers has never previously been released on any video format in the UK. Arrow Academy is proud to present it here in a brand new 2K restoration.
Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional newly translated English subtitles Archival interview with Francesco Rosi Original theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin Booklet featuring an essay by Millicent Marcus, a 1981 interview with Rosi and a selection of contemporary reviews (first printing only) UK RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's penultimate film of the seventies was also his most successful. Popular with audiences and critics alike, among them Roger Ebert and François Truffaut, The Marriage of Maria Braun finally provided its director with the international breakthrough he had craved for so long.
Maria Braun marries a young soldier amid the Allied bombing raids of World World II the day before he must return to the Russian front. Awaiting his return in 1945, she is informed of his death and must endure and navigate the post-war years alone. Mirroring the German Wirtschaftswunder ('economic miracle'), she determinedly rises to prosperity as a self-made woman.
Centred on an astonishing performance from Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla in the lead role, The Marriage of Maria Braun took over four million Deutschmarks in its home country and made over a million dollars in the US. Such success proved influential too – without it we would likely never have seen Helma Sanders-Brahms's Germany, Pale Mother or Edgar Reitz's epic Heimat.
Brand new 4K restoration from original camera negatives Original uncompressed PCM mono audio Optional English subtitles Life, Love & Celluloid, a 1998 feature-length documentary on Fassbinder, written and directed by his regular editor, Juliane Lorenz Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1977, a candid 30-minute interview with the director The Fassbinder Family, an all-new featurette detailing the actors who worked with Fassbinder time and again throughout his career UK STREET DATE: APRIL 4
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
Originally written and produced as a stage play, in transferring The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant to the big screen Rainer Werner Fassbinder created another masterpiece to rank alongside a string of cinematic classics.
Petra von Kant, with two marriages behind her and an absent daughter, is a successful fashion designer. She lives with her secretary, the repressed and subservient Marlene, who will form the second point in a tragic ménage à trois when Petra meets and falls hopelessly in love with a confident young model named Karin.
Harking back to the women's pictures of Hollywood's yesteryear, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is a magnificent showcase for Fassbinder's female stars. Margit Carstensen (as Petra), Irm Hermann (as Marlene) and Hanna Schygulla (as Karin) deliver outstanding performances, three of the finest the cinema has ever seen.
Brand new 4K restoration from original camera negatives Original uncompressed PCM mono audio Optional English subtitles Commentary by filmmaker and lecturer Diane Charleson Life Stories: A Conversation with R.W. Fassbinder, a 50-minute interview with the director conducted for German television in 1978 Role-Play: Women on Fassbinder, a 1992 documentary containing interviews with four of the director's leading ladies, Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla and Rosel Zech UK STREET DATE: APRIL 4
Arrow Video are also bringing dual UK/US standard individual releases for:
1. Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key. 2. The Black Cat
UK Release Dates: 4th April 2016 US Release Dates: 5th April 2016
Arrow Video have announced that they will release on Blu-ray Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi's The Human Condition Trilogy (1959). The three-disc Blu-ray set will be available for purchase on May 30.
Synopsis: One of the towering masterpieces of Japanese and world cinema, this three-part war epic has rarely been seen in the UK, at least partly because of its dauntingly gargantuan nine-hour length. Director Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) was attracted to Junpei Gomikawa's source novel because he recognised himself in the character of the protagonist Kaji, a pacifist and socialist who came of age during the aggressively militaristic 1930s and 40s. Following Kaji's career from factory worker to Japanese army private, Kobayashi unflinchingly examines the psychological toll of appallingly complex decisions made along the way, where being morally 'right' risks an outcome ranging from ostracism to savage beating to death. As Kaji, Tatsuya Nakadai (Sanjuro) is in virtually every scene, providing a rock-solid emotional anchor – and a necessary one in Japan, where the film was hugely controversial for being openly critical of the nation's conduct during WWII. But it's this willingness to confront national taboos head-on that makes it such a lastingly powerful experience.
Special Features: Original Japanese soundtrack (uncompressed mono on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles Introduction to the film by critic Philip Kemp Selected-scene commentary by Philip Kemp Theatrical trailers Booklet with new writing on the film by David Desser ***
Also on May 30, Arrow Video will release a standard Blu-ray edition of Dario Argento's classic film Deep Red (1975), starring David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril, and Eros Pagni.
Synopsis: From Dario Argento, maestro of the macabre and the man behind some the greatest excursions in Italian horror (Suspiria, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), comes Deep Red – arguably the ultimate giallo movie.
One night, musician Marcus Daly (David Hemmings, Blow Up), looking up from the street below, witnesses the brutal axe murder of a woman in her apartment. Racing to the scene, Marcus just manages to miss the perpetrator… or does he? As he takes on the role of amateur sleuth, Marcus finds himself ensnared in a bizarre web of murder and mystery where nothing is what it seems…Aided by a throbbing score from regular Argento-collaborators Goblin, Deep Red (aka Profondo Rosso and The Hatchet Murders) is a hallucinatory fever dream of a giallo punctuated by some of the most astonishing set-pieces the sub-genre has to offer.
Special Features: Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative Original Italian soundtrack in DTS-HD MA mono 1.0 and lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio, and original English soundtrack in DTS-HD MA mono 1.0 English subtitles for the Italian Soundtrack Optional English subtitles for the English Soundtrack Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock Introduction to the film by Claudio Simonetti of Goblin Profondo Giallo – a brand new visual essay by Michael Mackenzie featuring an in-depth appreciation of Deep Red, its themes and its legacy Rosso Recollections: Dario Argento's Deep Genius – the Deep Red director on the creation of a giallo masterpiece The Lady in Red - Daria Nicolodi Remembers Profondo Rosso Music to Murder For! - Claudio Simonetti on Deep Red Profondo Rosso: From Celluloid to Shop – a tour of the Profondo Rosso shop in Rome with long time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi Italian Trailer
Arrow Video will add four new titles to their Blu-ray catalog: Return of the Killer Tomatoes, Suture, Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol 2, and Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan.
Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
The killer tomatoes are back! But this time around, they're going to have to contend with late '80s George Clooney and his wicked mullet… Is it a fruit? Is it a vegetable? Nope, it's Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
Ten years on from the Great Tomato War, mankind lives in fear of another uprising by the waxy red menace. Meanwhile, Professor Gangreen – played with gusto by the great John Astin from TV's The Addams Family – sets out to pursue his own evil ends by creating a burgeoning army of tomato militia men (who, somewhat conveniently, look just like regular men).
Following on from the 1978 cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Return of the Killer Tomatoes came armed with a healthy sense of its own ridiculousness and would expand upon a franchise that now comprises four films, two TV series and a video game. So what are you waiting for? Make Return of the Killer Tomatoes one of your five-a-day now!
Special Features: UK only! High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations *UK only!* Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary with writer-director John De Bello Brand new interview with star Anthony Starke Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 27 U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 28
Suture
nspired by the paranoid visions of John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate and Seconds, the desert noir of Detour and the black and white widescreen beauty of Hiroshi Teshigahara's The Face of Another and Woman of the Dunes, Suture is one of great feature debuts – by writer-directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee – and a truly unique piece of cinema.
The wealthy and self-assured Vincent (Michael Harris) meets his blue collar half-brother Clay (Dennis Haysbert) at their father's funeral and is struck by their similarity. He decides to murder Clay and take his identity, only Clay survives the assassination attempt with no memory and is mistaken for Vincent. The fact that Harris is white and Haysbert is black only complicates a film that probes into the nature of identity.
After viewing an early rough cut, Steven Soderbergh came on board as executive producer and enthusiastic patron. Suture went on to become a hit on the festival circuit, including Sundance where it deservedly won the award for Best Cinematography.
Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Audio commentary with writer-directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee All-new interviews with Siegel, McGehee, executive producer Steven Soderbergh, actor Dennis Haysbert, cinematographer Greg Gardiner, editor Lauren Zuckerman and production designer Kelly McGehee Deleted scenes Birds Past, Siegel & McGehee's first short film, about two young San Franciscans who journey to Bodega Bay along the path set by Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock's classic, The Birds. US theatrical trailer European theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by maarko phntm UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 20 U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 21
Nikkatsu Diamond Guys: Volume 2
Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan, inaugurated a star system in the late 1950s, finding talent and contracting them to a series of wild genre pictures. This collection celebrates these "Diamond Guys" with three classic films from directors Buichi Saito (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril), Ko Nakahira (Crazed Fruit), and Haruyasu Noguchi, who is a new discovery for the West.
In Saito's Tokyo Mighty Guy, mega star Akira Kobayashi stars as Jiro in the rambunctious tale of a chef who opens a restaurant in the busy Ginza district. His culinary skills and dashing good looks bring in the women as well as unwanted trouble, while an explosive political scandal builds around his girlfriend's business...
Next, Jo Shishido (Massacre Gun, Retaliation), one of the most popular Diamond Guys in the West, stars in Danger Paws, a crime caper from Ko Nakahira about counterfeiting. When one billion yen goes AWOL, "Joe the Ace" (Shishido) spies an opportunity to get rich quick, but things soon go wrong as it turns out he isn't the only one who'll stop at nothing to get his hands on the missing cash...
Finally, Shishido stars once again in Noguchi's screwball classic Murder Unincorporated. When the mysterious "Joe of Spades" executes one of the bosses of a powerful syndicate, his colleagues, fearing for their own lives, call on the services of assassin agency Murder Unincorporated to take care of the problem. This unique entry showcases some of the most peculiar killing tactics to ever hit Japanese cinema!
Presented on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time in the West, these thrilling genre films feature some of Nikkatsu's leading talent at the top of their game.
Special Features: Limited Edition Blu-ray collection (3000 copies) High Definition digital transfers of all three films in this collection, from original film elements by Nikkatsu Corporation Original uncompressed mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Specially recorded video discussions with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp on Diamond Guys Jo Shishido and Akira Kobayashi Original trailers for all three films Extensive promotional image galleries for all films Reversible sleeve featuring brand new artwork by Graham Humphreys Booklet featuring new writing on all the films and director profiles by Stuart Galbraith IV, Tom Mes and Mark Schilling UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 13 U.S. RELEASE DATE: JUNE 14
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
The remarkable career of the movie industry's most admired and influential special-effects auteur, the legendary Ray Harryhausen, is the subject of Gilles Penso's definitive documentary Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan.
Leaving no doubt as to Harryhausen's seminal influence on modern-day special effects, the documentary features enlightening and entertaining interviews with the man himself, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, John Landis, Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more. These filmmakers, who today push the boundaries of special effects movie-making, pay tribute to the father of Stop Motion animation and films such as 'The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms', 'It Came from Beneath the Sea', 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Mysterious Island', 'Jason and the Argonauts' and 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad' – the films that enthralled them as children and inspired them to become filmmakers in their own right.
Special Features: Interviews with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Peter Lord, Rick Baker 12 Interview outtakes with Joe Dante, John Lasseter, Nick Park and more! A message to Ray Deleted Scenes On the set of Sinbad Paris Cinematheque Q&A London Gate Theater Q&A Audio commentary with the filmmakers Original Trailer Ray Harryhausen Trailer Reel U.S. STREET DATE: JUNE 28
Arrow Video will add to its catalog Joe Dante's Matinee, Brian De Palma's Raising Cane, Brian Trenchard-Smith's Dead End Drive-In, Juan Piquer Simón's Slugs, and Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes.
Matinee
HALF MAN… HALF ANT… ALL TERROR!
So says the advertising campaign for Mant!, the latest low-budget schlock-horror classic from cigar-chomping producer Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman, The Big Lebowski), who more than makes up for his films' lack of production values by festooning them with gimmicks that would turn even William Castle (The Tingler) green with envy.
But the most potent gimmick of all is accidental: Woolsey schedules a sneak preview of Mant! in Key West, Florida, in October 1962, unaware that the Cuban missile crisis is about to flare up. Will the threat of genuine nuclear war distract the locals from the movie, or will they find it doubly terrifying?
Directed by the legendary Joe Dante (The 'Burbs), this delightful film isn't just an affectionate love-letter to the sci-fi and horror films that he grew up with in the 1950s and 60s, it's also a witty and intelligent exploration of the way that the most successful genre films worked by preying on the very real fears of their audiences about everything from Soviet satellite launches to atomic mutation.
Special Features: High definition digital transfer supplied by NBC Universal Lossless stereo audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Paranoia in Ant Vision, a discussion with director Joe Dante about the making of the film Mant!, the full length version of the film-within-a-film Discussion with Joe Dante on the effects of Mant! Vintage 'making of' featurette Rare on-set footage, sourced from Joe Dante's personal collection Original theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Jenkins UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 12.
Raising Cain
Having spent the latter half of the eighties trying out new styles of filmmaking – Wise Guys' knockabout comedy, The Untouchables' prestige gangster pic, Casualties of War's Vietnam movie and The Bonfire of the Vanities' satirical misfire – Brian De Palma returned to what he knew best, the Hitchcockian psycho-thriller, for Raising Cain.
John Lithgow plays three roles: child psychologist Carter, his evil twin brother Cain, and their Norwegian father, Dr Nix, who likes to experimental on the young. Carter's wife is concerned that her husband isn't quite paying their daughter the right kind of attention; she's also having an affair which, upon discovery, threatens to send him into a psychotic rage…
A relentless blend of murder, multiple personalities, cross-dressing, crazed parents, bizarre dream sequences and stunning cinematic assurance, Raising Cain harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.
Special Features: Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Brand new interview with John Lithgow Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh MORE to be announced! First pressing only: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by David Jenkins UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 12.
Dead End Drive-In
One of Quentin Tarantino's favourite directors, Brian Trenchard-Smith was a key figure in the Ozploitation movement, responsible for The Man from Hong Kong, Stunt Rock, Turkey Shoot, BMX Bandits… and dystopian cult classic Dead-End Drive In!
Set in a near-future where the economy has crumbled and violent gangs play havoc in the streets, the powers-that-be have decided to lure the delinquent youth into drive-in cinemas and keep them there. No longer just a place to watch trashy movies and make out, these outdoor picture shows have become concentration camps for the unruly and unwanted.
With its day-glo colour scheme, new wave soundtrack and extraordinary stunt work, Dead-End Drive-In is in the tradition of Ozploitation milestones Mad Max and The Cars That Ate Paris only very, very eighties.
Special Features: Brand new 2K restoration from original film materials Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Audio commentary by director Brian Trenchard-Smith The Stuntmen, Trenchard Smith's classic television documentary on Grant Page (Mad Max, Road Games) and other Australian stunt performers Hospitals Don't Burn Down, Trenchard-Smith's 1978 public information film told in pure Ozploitation fashion Theatrical trailer First pressing only: fully-illustrated collector's booklet containing writing on the films by Cullen Gallagher and Neil Mitchell UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 19. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 20.
Slugs
From celebrated Spanish director Juan Piquer Simón, the man behind the truly demented slasher flick Pieces (1982), comes a terrifying tale of mutant slugs on the rampage in small-town America.
The townsfolk of a rural community are dying in strange and gruesome circumstances. Following the trail of horrifically mutilated cadavers, resident health inspector Mike Brady is on the case to piece together the mystery. He soon comes to a terrifying conclusion – giant slugs are breeding in the sewers beneath the town, and they're making a meal of the locals!
Based on the novel by acclaimed British horror author Shaun Hutson, Slugs outdoes its creature feature peers by adding an extra dose of gross-out gore into the equation, culminating in one of the most squirm-inducing animal attack movies ever to slither its way across screens.
Special Features: Brand new restoration from original film elements Original Uncompressed PCM Stereo audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by writer and filmmaker Chris Alexander Here's Slugs In Your Eye – an interview with actor Emilio Linder They Slime, They Ooze, They Kill: The Effects of Slugs – an interview with special effects artist Carlo De Marchis Invasion USA – an interview with art director Gonzalo Gonzalo The Lyons Den – an interview and locations tour with production manager Larry Ann Evans 1988 Goya Awards promo reel Original Theatrical Trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter Fully-illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by writer Michael Gingold UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 26. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 27.
The Hills Have Eyes
Horror master Wes Craven achieved critical and commercial success with the likes of Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street – but for many genre fans, the director's seminal 1977 effort The Hills Have Eyes remains his masterpiece.
Taking a detour whilst on route to Los Angeles, the Carter family run into trouble when their campervan breaks down in the middle of the desert. Stranded, the family find themselves at the mercy of a group of monstrous cannibals lurking in the surrounding hills. With their lives under threat, the Carters are forced to fight back by any means necessary.
As gruelling a viewing experience today as it was upon initial release, The Hills Have Eyes stands alongside the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead as one of the defining moments in American horror cinema.
Special Features: Brand new 4K restoration from original film elements, supervised by producer Peter Locke Original mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 6 x postcards Reversible fold-out poster featuring new and original artwork Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Brad Stevens and a consideration of the Hills franchise by Ewan Cant, illustrated with original archive stills Audio commentary with Wes Craven and Peter Locke Looking Back on The Hills Have Eyes – making-of documentary featuring interviews with Craven, Locke, actors Michael Berryman, Dee Wallace, Janus Blythe, Robert Houston, Susan Lanier and director of photography Eric Saarinen The Desert Sessions – brand new interview with composer Don Peake Alternate ending, in HD for the first time Trailers and TV Spots Image Gallery Original Screenplay (BD/DVD-ROM Content) Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED! UK STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 26. U.S. STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 27.
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Individual releases of Russ Meyer's two Twentieth Century Fox productions – Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Blu-ray) and The Seven Minutes (DVD).
Arrow Video will add a number of new titles to its Blu-ray catalog. Amongst them are John Frankenheimer's 52 Pick Up, Andrzej Zulawski's Cosmos, and Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dekalog.
52 Pick-Up
In 1986, John Frankenheimer – the director of The Manchurian Candidate, Seconds and French Connection II – made the unlikely career move of working with schlockmeisters Cannon Films. Adapting Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name, 52 Pick-Up's union brought about the perfect blend of high calibre thrills and Cannon-grade trash.
Roy Scheider (Jaws, Cohen and Tate) plays a successful businessman whose life quickly falls apart when a compromising videotape of him and his mistress (Kelly Preston) becomes a tool for blackmail. Unable to go to the police without compromising the political career of his wife (Ann-Margret), he must take things into his own hands – and delve into a world of drugs, sleaze, pornography and snuff.
Co-starring Prince protégé Vanity and John Glover (who was described as "the best, most reprehensible villain of the year" by Roger Ebert), and featuring a host of cameos from the stars of the 'Silver Age of Porn', 52 Pick-Up has been described by Leonard as his favourite big-screen adaptation of his works.
Special Features: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Doug Brod recorded exclusively for this release Hardcore Cameos, a guide to the many cameo appearances by pornographic actors in 52 Pick-Up Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist First pressing only: Collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by the Badlands Collective UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 17.
Burnt Offerings
When college lecturer Ben Rolf (Oliver Reed, The Brood, The Devils) and his family rent a remote country mansion at a bargain price, they believe they're in for an uneventful summer. Little do they realise that they've just moved into a veritable house of horrors! As the malevolent force that dwells within its walls exerts its dark influence on the minds of its new inhabitants, and the sinister occurrences begin to mount up, it grows increasingly clear that this is a holiday they'll never forget... provided any of them live to tell of it.
Also starring Karen Black (The Day of the Locust) and Bette Davis (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?), Burnt Offerings provides a unique and chilling portrait of a modern family in meltdown. Presented in high definition for the first time in the UK, there has never been a better time to revisit – or discover for the first time – this unforgettable slice of American Gothic.
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM Original uncompressed PCM mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by film historian Richard Harland Smith Acting His Face, an interview with actor Anthony James Blood Ties, an interview with actor Lee Montgomery From the Ashes, an interview with screenwriter William F. Nolan Portraits of Fear, an animated gallery of promotional materials and behind-the-scenes stills Theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love First pressing only: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Kat Ellinger UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 17.
The Burning
Of all the many slice-and-dice films that emerged in the early '80s, few remain as gruesomely effective as The Burning – the notorious "video nasty" now finally unleashed on Blu-ray!
When an ill-advised prank misfires, summer camp caretaker Cropsy is committed to hospital with severe burns. Released after five years, hospital officials warn him not to blame the young campers who caused his hideous disfigurement. But no sooner is Cropsy back on the streets than he's headed back to camp with a rusty pair of shears in hand, determined to exact his bloody revenge…
With standout gore effects courtesy of FX legend Tom Savini, The Burning proved too shocking for UK censors upon its original video release. Now, fully uncut and in High Definition, The Burning is ready to reclaim its place as the ultimate summer camp nightmare.
Limited Edition SteelBook packaging (4000 copies) Original mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary with director Tony Maylam and critic Alan Jones Audio commentary with stars Shelley Bruce and Bonnie Deroski Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues Blood 'n' Fire Memories – a detailed look at the creation of the film's make-up effects with special effects artist Tom Savini Slash & Cut – an interview with editor Jack Sholder Cropsy Speaks – an interview with actor Lou David Summer Camp Nightmare – an interview with actress Leah Ayres Brand new interview with composer Rick Wakeman Behind-the-Scenes Footage Theatrical Trailer Make-Up Effects Still Gallery Poster & Still Gallery First pressing only: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Justin Kerswell UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 10.
Dekalog
When Krzysztof Kieslowski began production on a ten-part Polish television series whose budget was so low that he could only afford two takes maximum, nobody foresaw that the end result would be acclaimed as one of the greatest cinema achievements of the late twentieth century.
But that's what Dekalog is: as much an intricate work of moral philosophy as it is a collection of psychologically riveting narratives. Each standalone story revolves around the consequences arising from a breach of one of the Ten Commandments, but this is no finger-wagging religious tract: Kieslowski was one of film history's keenest observers of human nature, and his troubled, vainglorious, self-deceiving, deeply flawed characters (many played by some of Poland's finest character actors) are all too universally recognisable.
But Dekalog is merely the highlight of a box set that compiles virtually all of Kieslowski's television work, starting with his first professional short fiction film and continuing with four feature-length pieces that are in every way as probing and incisive as his better-known cinema films.
4K restoration of all ten episodes, presented in their original broadcast aspect ratios Original Polish mono soundtrack (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-rays), with optional English subtitles Pedestrian Subway (1973, 29 mins), Kieslowski's professional fiction debut, about a man trying to repair a failed marriage First Love (1974, 52 mins), a docudrama about a teenage couple coping with an unwanted pregnancy Personnel (1975, 67 mins), Kieslowski's first feature-length fiction film, a partly autobiographical piece about a Warsaw theatre company The Calm (1976, 82 mins), one of Kieslowski's most powerful early films, about a man rebuilding his life in mid-70s Poland after a short prison sentence Short Working Day (1981, 73 mins), Kieslowski's study of a political strike, controversially told from the viewpoint of a Communist functionary trying to keep order Krzysztof Kieslowski: Still Alive (2007), an affectionate 82-minute portrait of the director by his former student Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, including interviews with dozens of friends and colleagues Collector's booklet featuring a lengthy essay on Dekalog and Kieslowski by Father Marek Lis, plus Kieslowski's own intensely self-critical discussion of all the films in this set and Stanley Kubrick's famous eulogy to Kieslowski and co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz More extras in development! UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 17.
Cosmos
When two young men arrive at a family-run guesthouse in rural France, their anticipation of a few days' peace and quiet is undermined by a variety of sinister occurrences. A small bird is found murdered, its neck in a tiny noose, a strangely sexualized stain appears on a wall, and a slug crawls across the breakfast tray.
Are these all signs comprising a portent of truly cosmic significance, or merely bizarre coincidences? And is it any wonder that one of the visitors, Witold (piercing-eyed Jonathan Genet) has such difficulty writing his novel, or that his companion Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) prefers to find solace in earthier pleasures?
The final film by the late Andrzej Zulawski, director of the legendary Possession (the only Cannes-winning arthouse film to be officially classified as a video nasty), Cosmos adapts Witold Gombrowicz's legendarily challenging novel into a beguilingly witty combination of (deceptively) lighthearted French farce and a complex, knowing reflection on the absurdities both of humanity itself and the way that we define our notion of the universe according to our individual hang-ups.
High Definition digital transfer of the film supervised by Andrzej Zulawski New subtitle translation approved by Zulawski Hanging Sparrows: A retrospective making of interview featurette including cast (Jonathan Genet, Victoria Guerra, Jean-Francois Balmer, Clementine Pons), crew (cinematographer Andre Szankowski and others) and archive footage of director Andrzej Zulawski A Brief History of Gombrowicz - An interview with Rita Gombrowicz and on the life and work of Witold Gombrowicz Bleurgh - Daniel Bird on the films of Andrzej Zulawski and adapting Cosmos into English Trailers Reversible sleeve featuring two artwork options First pressing only: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 10.
Love and Death
Having tackled the future in Sleeper, Woody Allen now moves almost as far back in time to Russia during the Napoleonic Wars.
Cowardly scholar Boris Grushenko (Allen) is more interested in the beautiful Sonja (Diane Keaton) than he is in fighting for his country, but when she ditches him for a prosperous herring merchant he decides to enlist in the army for a life of epic battles and all too personal duels.
Allen's wonderfully funny spoof was inspired by his deep love of Russian literature, film and music, and Ingmar Bergman pops up too in the form of a visiting Angel of Death. It's a significant advance on his other "early, funny films" in that it's no longer just an excuse for a series of gags – there are plenty of those here, but they're much more integrated into the film as a whole, a sign of his growing maturity as a writer-director.
UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 3.
Sleeper
In Sleeper Woody Allen satirises seventies dystopianism whilst resurrecting the slapstick comedy of the silent era, if Interiors was Allen's Bergman film, and Stardust Memories his Fellini film, then Sleeper could be thought of as his Buster Keaton film.
After a hospital mishap puts health-food shop owner Miles Monroe (Woody Allen) in a coma, he wakes up 200 years later to find himself in a very different and not exactly brave new world. All women are frigid, all men are impotent, and everyone lives in a police state run by a mysterious leader who hasn't been seen in months. But why?
However, this is no dystopian sci-fi thriller, but one of Woody Allen's funniest films as his mid-1970s New York values and mores keep colliding with the new 22nd-century reality. He disguises himself as a robot butler, encounters a drastically genetically modified chicken, investigates the mysteries of the Orgasmotron and is reprogrammed to make himself believe that he is really Miss America. Meanwhile rebel activist and terrible poet Luna Schlosser (Diane Keaton) tries to keep him focused, knowing that he is uniquely valuable to the cause thanks to his lack of a normally compulsory biometric identity.
In the U.S. DEKALOG has recently been announced for September release by Criterion, but with none of the extra films that will be included on the Arrow release.
Along with Love & Death & Sleeper, Arrow are also releasing Bananas & Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), the first time on Blu-ray of both of 'em.
I see that (as is usual with Allen's films) there are no special features on LOVE & DEATH or SLEEPER. Is that something over which Allen has control? I understand that he doesn't want to participate in any commentaries or interviews. But does he hold sway over whether the video label can commission outside extras?
