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Oct 22, 2020 - 2:01 PM
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By: |
johnjohnson
(Member)
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Eureka Entertainment has announced that it will release on Blu-ray The Don is Dead (1973). The label will also reissue The African Queen (1951) and Buster Keaton: Three Films - Volume Two, 1924-1926 (1924-1926).
The Don is Dead
Description: A criminally underrated and explosively violent gangster saga from director Richard Fleischer, The Don Is Dead features one of the all-time great casts of tough guy actors: legendary multiple Oscar®-winner Anthony Quinn, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), and Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now) are joined by Al Lettieri (The Getaway), Joe Santos (The Friends of Eddie Coyle), Abe Vigoda (The Godfather), Vic Tayback (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore), Victor Argo (Taxi Driver), and Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses). Riddled with as many double crosses as bullet hits, The Don Is Dead is like a gritty 70s pulp paperback come to bloody life.
After his Vegas crime family don father dies, Frank Regalbuto (Forster) now places his loyalties with Don Angelo DiMorra (Quinn), but a rival family wants to trigger a gang war and destroy the DiMorra clan. They make Frank think that his girlfriend Ruby (Prime Cut's Angel Tomkins) is locked in an affair with Don Angelo, hoping Frank will take revenge. Enlisting the Fargo brothers hit men, Tony (Forrest) and Vince (Lettieri) — who have some nasty sibling rivalry issues of their own — Frank is determined to rise to the top and wreak vengeance, no matter the body count that results.
Fleischer directed The Don Is Dead just after his science fiction classic from the same year, Soylent Green, and this just demonstrates the eclectic filmmaker's versatility. Also responsible for everything from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Fantastic Voyage (1966) to Doctor Dolittle (1967) and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Fleischer could clearly do it all, but he was at his best with riveting thrillers like The Boston Strangler (1968), Compulsion (1959), and the noir classic The Narrow Margin (1952). The Don Is Dead fits in with those suspenseful shockers, and is ripe for rediscovery.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
1080p presentation on Blu-ray
Uncompressed LPCM audio (original mono presentation)
Brand new feature length audio commentary by author Scott Harrison
Theatrical trailer
A collector's booklet featuring an extensive essay on the crime films of director Richard Fleischer by film writer and journalist Barry Forshaw
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
STREET DATE: JANUARY 18.
Buster Keaton: Three Films - Volume Two, 1924-1926
Synopsis: Between 1920 and 1929, Buster Keaton created a peerless run of feature films that established him as "arguably the greatest actor-director in the history of the movies". Collected here are three further films from that era; The Navigator, Seven Chances and Battling Butler. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present all three films from stunning 4K restorations in their UK debuts on Blu-ray.
The Navigator (1924, dir. Buster Keaton & Donald Crisp) Wealthy Rollo Treadway (Keaton) suddenly decides to propose to his neighbour across the street, Betsy O'Brien (Kathryn McGuire. Keaton was unhappy with the audience response to Sherlock Jr. , and endeavoured to make a follow-up that was both exciting and successful. The result was the biggest hit of Keaton's career.
Seven Chances (1925, dir. Buster Keaton) Jimmy Shannon (Keaton) learns he is to inherit seven million dollars, with a catch. He will only get the money if he is married by 7pm on his 27th birthday, which happens to be that same day!
Battling Butler (1926, dir. Buster Keaton) A rich, spoiled dandy (Keaton) pretends to be a champion boxer, "Battling Butler", to impress the family of the girl he loves. When the real Butler shows up, he decided to humiliate the imposter by having him fight the "Alabama Murderer" !
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATIONS OF ALL THREE FILMS FROM THE COHEN FILM COLLECTION, with musical scores composed and conducted by Robert Israel
The Navigator – Audio commentary by silent film historians Robert Arkus and Yair Solan
Seven Chances – Brand new audio commentary by Joel Goss and Bruce Lawton
Boats, Brides, and Boxers – video essay by David Cairns
The Navigator – A short documentary on the making of the film and Keaton's fascination with boats as sources of comedy, by film historian Bruce Lawton
What, No Spinach? (dir. Harry Sweet, 1926) – Short film
Buster Keaton & Irwin Allen audio interview from 1945 [6 mins]
Buster Keaton & Arthur Friedman audio interview from 1956 [32 mins]
Buster Keaton & Robert Franklin audio interview from 1958 [56 mins]
Buster Keaton & Herbert Feinstein audio interview from 1960 [48 mins]
Buster Keaton & Studs Terkel audio interview from 1960 [38 mins]
A collector's book featuring new writing on all three films; and a selection of archival imagery
STREET DATE: JANUARY 18.
The African Queen
Synopsis: Three movie giants come together in the cinematic classic The African Queen, combining the masterful direction of John Huston with the fabulous chemistry of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in their only onscreen pairing. Adapted from a novel by C.S. Forester, this wartime romantic adventure sees the pair forced to travel together down a hazardous East African river after the outbreak of World War I.
Katharine Hepburn plays Rose Sayer, the maiden-lady sister of a prim British missionary (Robert Morley) . When invading Germans kill her brother and level the village, Charlie Allnut (Bogart in the role which won him his only Oscar), the slovenly, gin-swilling captain of a tramp steamer called the African Queen, offers to take Rose back to civilisation. She can't tolerate his drinking or bad manners; he isn't crazy about her imperious, judgmental attitude. However, it does not take long before their passionate dislike turns to love. Together the disparate duo work to ensure their survival on the treacherous waters and devise an ingenious way to destroy a German gunboat.
The African Queen is one of the most beloved films in the history of cinema, and may well be the perfect adventure film. With a roller-coaster storyline complemented by the chemistry between its stars, and masterful direction from John Huston, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The African Queen on Blu-ray in a special Limited Edition.
4K RESTORATION COMPLETED BY PARAMOUNT
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Uncompressed LPCM audio (original mono)
Isolated Music & Effects track
Audio Commentary by cinematographer Jack Cardiff
A brand new and exclusive interview with film critic and writer Kim Newman
Newly filmed interview with film historian Neil Sinyard
Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen [59 mins] a comprehensive documentary about the making of the film
Trailer
A collector's booklet featuring new and archival writing on the film
STREET DATE: JANUARY 18.
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=27619
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