Random DVD and Blu-ray announcements

Started by wilder, November 01, 2011, 01:54:56 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

wilder

November 29, 2017

Jacques Doillon's La Drôlesse aka The Hussy (1979) on blu-ray from Gaumont (France), with English subtitles



Misfit François kidnaps young Mado and takes her to live with him in the attic of his parents' home. A strange relationship evolves till the police comes upon them.

La Drôlesse (1979) - Amazon France





Hoping La Pirate (1984) and Ponette (1996) will follow




wilder

Q1 2018 TBD

Jacques Rivette's La Belle Noiseuse (1991) on blu-ray from Cohen Media Group, from a new 4K restoration



Frenhofer, a once-famous artist hasn't painted in ten years. His last work, possibly his masterpiece, La Belle Noiseuse (the beautiful annoyance) remains unfinished. When another artist and his girlfriend Marianne visit, the beautiful and fiercely intelligent young woman inspires Frenhofer, and she reluctantly agrees to be his new model. Twisting Marianne's gloriously undressed body into torturous positions, the posing begins in wary hostility and escalates into a battle of the wills. Yet gradually, their efforts become a sincere collaboration, driving both to dangerous limits. One of the New Wave's greatest directors, Rivette creates a powerful, passionate film about an artist seeking truth, regardless of the cost.


NSFW





Q1 2018 TBD

King Vidor's Ruby Gentry (1952) on blu-ray from Kino



Carolina is the setting for this family drama which has a young tomboy (Jennifer Jones) falling for a local gentleman (Charlton Heston). Their relationship is as tempestuous as her lifestyle, which eventually takes her off to the seas as the captain of a ship.   






February 19, 2018

Frank Borzage's Magnificent Doll (1946) on blu-ray from Arrow UK



Dolly Payne is adored by two leaders of the fledgling American government, James Madison and Aaron Burr. She plays each against the other, not only for romantic reasons, but also to influence the shaping of the young country. By manipulating Burr's affections, she helps Thomas Jefferson win the presidency, and eventually she becomes First Lady of the land herself.

Magnificent Doll (1946) - Amazon UK






February 12/3, 2018

Federico Fellini's Orchestral Rehearsal (1978) on blu-ray from Arrow UK and Arrow US



Made in 1978 for Italian television, Orchestra Rehearsal is possibly Fellini's most satirical and overtly political film.

An allegorical pseudo-documentary, the film depicts an Italian television crew's visit to a dilapidated auditorium (a converted 13th-century church) to meet an orchestra assembling to rehearse under the instruction of a tyrannical conductor. The TV crew interviews the various musicians who each speak lovingly about their chosen instruments. However, as petty squabbles break out amid the different factions of the ensemble, and the conductor berates his musicians, the meeting descends into anarchy and vandalism. A destructive crescendo ensues before the musicians regroup and play together once more in perfect harmony.

Abounding with its director's trademark rich imagery and expressive style, Orchestra Rehearsal marks the last collaboration between Fellini and the legendary composer Nino Rota (due to the latter s death in 1979) who provides one of his most beautiful themes in the film s conclusion.


Orchestral Rehearsal (1978) - Amazon UK



Q1 2018 TBD

Henry S. Kesler's Cold War noir 5 Steps to Danger (1957) on blu-ray from ClassicFlix, from a new 4K restoration



Hitchhiking on a deserted New Mexico road after his car breaks down, John Emmett (Sterling Hayden) gets picked up by Ann Nicholson (Ruth Roman), who is in a rush to reach Santa Fe, N.M. The distraught Ann is being pursued by psychiatrist Frederick Simmons (Werner Klemperer), who has been treating her in Los Angeles since she had a nervous breakdown, but she tells John that she is in possession of nuclear secrets that she must deliver to Dr. Reinhart Kissel (Karl Lindt) at a Santa Fe university.


wilder

February 12, 2018

Carl Theodor Dreyer's Michael (1924) on blu-ray from Masters of Cinema (UK), from a new 2K restoration



Based on Herman Bang's 1902 novel of the same name, Dreyer's film is a fascinating fin-de-siècle study of a "decadent" elderly artist (Benjamin Christensen) driven to despair by his relationship with his young protégé and former model, Michael (Walter Slezak). 

Michael (1924) - Amazon UK






March 12, 2018

The Barefoot Contessa (1954) on blu-ray from Masters of Cinema (UK)



A high point in the already success-laden career of writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and one of the most glamorous and extravagant films from Hollywood's Golden Age, The Barefoot Contessa is a tragic drama about the tumultuous rise and fall of fictional Hollywood actress Maria Vargas. Also featuring Edmund O'Brien in an Oscar winning role as a duplicitous publicist, and featuring cinematography from the legendary Jack Cardiff

The Barefoot Contessa (1954) - Amazon UK



February 19, 2018

Stanley Kramer's Ship of Fools (1965) on blu-ray from Indicator (UK)



Stanley Kramer's star-studded, Oscar®-winning adaptation of Katherine Anne Porter's novel about passengers aboard an ocean liner bound to Germany from Mexico in 1933 forms a potent allegory of a world drifting inexorably towards war. With its incredible cast – including Vivien Leigh (in her last screen role), Simone Signoret, Lee Marvin, George Segal, Oskar Werner and Jose Ferrer – Ship of Fools is a powerful drama and a compelling viewing experience. It remains one of the finest ensemble pieces of the period.








Quote from: wilder on July 23, 2017, 05:17:44 AMFebruary 13, 2018

Martn Rosen's The Plague Dogs (1982) on blu-ray from Shout Factory. From the director of Watership Down.



Two dogs escape the research facility where they've been subjected to cruel experiments, and are subsequently hunted by the government because they may carry the plague.



Quote from: blu-ray.comU.S. label Shout Factory confirmed via social media today that it will work with director Martin Rosen to deliver an extended cut of The Plague Dogs. As a result, the label has postponed the previously announced street date of its upcoming Blu-ray release, which was February 13.

wilder

February 20, 2018

Emir Kusturica's Underground (1995) on blu-ray from Kino



Follows an underground weapons manufacturer in Belgrade during WWII and evolves into fairly surreal situations. A black marketeer who smuggles the weapons to partisans doesn't mention to the workers that the war is over, and they keep producing. Years later, they break out of their underground "shelter" --- only to convince themselves that the war is still going on.






March 13, 2018

The Orchard End Murder (1980) on blu-ray from Kino/Redemption, also available from BFI in the UK



Set in an idyllic Kent village one balmy summer during the 1960s, The Orchard End Murder, an obscure British oddity from 1981, is a macabre tale of murder and mischief.

A young woman from the suburbs (Tracy Hyde, Melody), bored by a countryside tryst, wanders off to explore her surroundings. When she meets a gnome-like stationmaster and his towering, half-witted railway-worker friend (played by Casualty's Clive Mantle), an initially strange encounter turns sinister among the trees of a nearby orchard.

Written and directed by Christian Marnham and shot by Pete Walker's regular cameraman Peter Jessop, The Orchard End Murder is a violent, darkly humorous thriller, unseen since it originally shocked UK cinemas audiences as the supporting feature to Gary Sherman's Dead and Buried.



jenkins

it's arriving straight to discs in the states? i'm reading it as disc news, dvd and blu-ray, January 23.

Donnie Yen has a fucking mustache. oh i can't wait!


wilder

February 27, 2018

Stuart Rosenberg's The Drowning Pool (1975) on blu-ray from Warner Archive. Shot by Gordon Willis.



Private detective Lew Harper (Paul Newman) of Los Angeles investigates a threat in Louisiana bayou country against an old flame of his, Iris Devereaux (Joanne Woodward). Iris is worried that her ex-chauffeur will tell her husband that she has been cheating on him. The story also involves Iris' daughter Schuyler (Melanie Griffith) and Iris' mother-in-law Olivia in several interesting sub-plots.

Harper is caught up in a power struggle between Olivia, the owner of the valuable, oil-rich Devereux estate, and oil tycoon Jay Hue Kilbourne (Murray Hamilton), while local police authority Broussard (Anthony Franciosa) has a personal interest in the family and wants the private eye gone.







February 27, 2018

Harper (1966) on blu-ray from Warner Archive



Paul Newman memorably plays the title role in this box-office hit based on Ross MacDonald's The Moving Target. The first detective film in Newman's then 23-film career, Harper revitalized the genre. Newman's sleuth chews gum fast... and slips out of jams ever faster as he unravels a twisted case of kidnapping and murder. William Goldman's clever script throws quips and a parade of LA-LA-Land characters Harper's way. There's a woman of means (Lauren Bacall), a gun-toting attorney (Arthur Hill), a poolside gigolo (Robert Wagner), a boozy ex-starlet (Shelley Winters), a jazz junkie (Julie Harris), Harper's estranged wife (Janet Leigh) and the unholy order of the Temple of the Clouds (led by Strother Martin). Each may possess a clue. Or a bullet for Harper.



wilder

January 30, 2018

Mick Jackson's Threads (1984) on blu-ray from Severin, from a new 2K remaster, in both standard and limited editions



In September 1984, Threads was aired on the BBC and shocked tens of millions of UK viewers. Four months later, it was broadcast in America and became the most watched basic cable program in history. After more than three decades, it remains one of the most acclaimed and shattering made–for–television movies of all time.

Reece Dinsdale (Coronation Street):, David Brierly (Doctor Who) and Karen Meagher, in a stunning debut performance star in this "graphic and haunting" (People Magazine) docudrama about the effects of a nuclear attack on the working –class city of Sheffield, England as the fabric of society unravels. Directed by Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard, Tuesdays with Moorie) from a screenplay by novelist/playwright Barry Hines (Ken Loach's Kes) and nominated for seven BAFTA Awards.


Threads (1984) - Limited Edition - Amazon

Threads (1984) - Standard Edition - Amazon



wilder

January 23, 2018

Henry Koster's My Cousin Rachel (1952) on blu-ray from Twilight Time, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca)



A young man plots revenge against the woman he believes murdered his cousin, but his plans are shaken when he comes face to face with the enigmatic beauty.






Quote from: wilder on October 15, 2017, 03:41:05 PM
January 23, 2018

Woody Allen's Husbands & Wives (1992) on blu-ray from Twilight Time



Gabe (Woody Allen) and his wife, Judy (Mia Farrow), are shocked to discover that their best friends, Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack), are splitting up. Not only did they not see the breakup coming, but it makes them start to question their own relationship. While Gabe flirts with the idea of dating one of his college students (Juliette Lewis), Sally and Jack discover that being single again isn't all its cracked up to be and contemplate getting back together.






January 23, 2018

Paul Mazursky's Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) on blu-ray from Twilight Time



After returning to Los Angeles from a group therapy session, documentary filmmaker Bob Sanders (Robert Culp) and his wife, Carol (Natalie Wood), find themselves becoming vigilante couples counselors, offering unsolicited advice to their best friends, Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice Henderson (Dyan Cannon). Not wanting to be rude, the Hendersons play along, but some latent sexual tension among the four soon comes bubbling to the surface, and long-buried desires don't stay buried for long.






January 23, 2018

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Dragonwyck (1946) on blu-ray from Twilight Time



For Miranda Wells (Gene Tierney), moving to New York to live in Dragonwyck Manor with her rich cousin, Nicholas (Vincent Price), seems like a dream. However, the situation gradually becomes nightmarish. She observes Nicholas' troubled relationship with his tenant farmers, as well as with his daughter (Connie Marshall), to whom Miranda serves as governess. Her relationship with Nicholas intensifies after his wife dies, but his mental imbalance threatens any hope of happiness.

All to be up for pre-order on Screen Archives on January 10, 2018

wilder

Omg...the reason I started this thread. These releases from Tanelorn never happened, but here we are 6 years later and they're finally coming from Olive Films.

Quote from: wilder on November 01, 2011, 01:54:56 AM
Couple of real odd announcements came about today. I'm starting a thread to keep track of these. Never thought these would come about...

Early Julio Medem Films Heading to Blu-ray
Independent distributors Tanelorn Films have revealed that they are planning to begin releasing on Blu-ray in Q4. The distributors will release three early films by acclaimed Spanish director Julio Medem (Lovers of the Arctic Circle, Chaotic Ana): Vacas (1992), La ardilla roja a.k.a The Red Squirrel (1993), and Tierra a.k.a Earth (1996). Preliminary release dates are yet to be revealed.

Source


January 30, 2018

Julio Medem's The Red Squirrel (1993) on blu-ray from Olive Films



Lisa suffers a motorcycle accident and loses her memory. Jota is a musician, desperate after separating from his girlfriend. When he meets Lisa he takes advantage of the situation and reinvents her life according to his desires.

The Red Squirrel (1993) - Amazon






January 30, 2018

Julio Medem's Vacas (1992) on blu-ray from Olive Films



Set in the Basque region, a story of the rivalry of two families, period 1870-1935

Vacas (1992) - Amazon






January 30, 2018

Julio Medem's Tierra (1996) on blu-ray from Olive Films



Angel, an exterminator recently released from a mental hospital, comes to rid a small Spanish town of tiny grubs in the soil. The local wine-making industry has found these pests responsible for giving their product an "earthy" taste that has divided local opinion. While in town, Angel becomes involved with two beautiful and very different women, and impacts their lives on a grand scale. Can either of these women accept the fact that Angel travels with a "ghost" of himself, or that he routinely speaks with the deseased townspeople?






January 30, 2018

Big Lunas' Jamón Jamón (1992)  on blu-ray from Olive Films



Jose Luis is an executive at his parents underwear factory where his girlfriend Sylvia works on the shop floor. When Sylvia falls pregnant, Jose Luis promises her that he will marry her, most likely against the wishes of his parents. Jose Luis' mother is determined to break her son's engagement to a girl from a lower-class family, and hires Raul, a potential underwear model and would-be bullfighter to seduce Sylvia.

Jamón Jamón (1992) - Amazon


NSFW


ono

Julio Medem is one of my favorite directors.  One of my favorite critics has always had such good things to say about him, but it's been so hard to get my hands on these films, so this is exciting news!

wilder

March 5, 2018

Andre DeToth's western-noir hybrid Ramrod (1947) on blu-ray from Arrow UK, also available from Olive in the US



One of the classic Westerns of its era, Ramrod stars Veronica Lake as Connie Dickson, a headstrong cowgirl who's plans to marry a sheep rancher are thwarted when a powerful local cattle baron, Frank Ivey (Preston Foster), and her own father (Charles Ruggles), force her fiancé to flee town. Refusing to kowtow to these powerful men, Connie inherits her ex-fiancés land and determines to run the ranch with the help of her new ramrod, reformed alcoholic Dave Nash (Joel McCrea). But Dave's diplomatic attempts to resolve the dispute fall upon deaf ears and a bloody turf war on the open range ensues. With Ramrod, Andre DeToth (a Hungarian-American director who has earned praise from Tarantino and Scorsese) skilfully creates a dangerous world of greed, lies and murder whilst garnering superb performances from McCrea and Lake, two of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1940s.

Ramrod (1947) - Amazon UK

See also, David Meuel's book The Noir Western: Darkness on the Range 1943-1962

wilder

March 19/20, 2018

Robert Altman's Images (1972) on blu-ray from Arrow UK & Arrow US, from a 4K restoration of the original camera negative



Originally conceived in the mid-sixties, Images concerns a pregnant children's author (Susannah York, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival) whose husband (Rene Auberjonois) may or may not be having an affair. While holidaying in Ireland, her mental state becomes increasingly unstable resulting in paranoia, hallucinations and visions of a doppelgänger.

Scored by an Oscar-nominated John Williams, with "sounds" by Stomu Yamash'ta (The Man Who Fell to Earth), Images also boasts the remarkable cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind).


Images (1972) - Amazon




jenkins

i still have my The Old Dark House dvd, but everything i hear sure makes it sound like i need that blu-ray. glad to see Lucas also mentioned The Lost World. Fritz Lang's silent were on five lists. Beggars of Life and Varieté were represented. J'accuse and Feuillade. Buster Keaton: Sherlock, Jr., The General, Steamboat Bill, Jr. okay okay i need to watch The Marseille Trilogy. Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology. Napoleon. The Last Laugh. The Four Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929–1933.

the jenkins list sounds like a jenkins list, except i think Housekeeping is okay. i clearly need to see The Fabulous Baron Munchausen.


jenkins