Arrow Video’s April Releases Include 4K UHD Debuts Of Classics From Terry Gilliam, Paul Verhoeven, Kenneth Branagh & More

Arrow Video has announced six new titles to join their collection on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray this April: 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1993), Robocop (1987), Rogue Cops and Racketeers (1976-1977), Twisting The Knife (1997-2003) and 12 Monkeys (1995). These represent a sci-fi classic from Terry Gilliam, an iconic sci-fi satire from Paul Verhoeven, and a monster tale from Kenneth Branagh and more. Details on these films can be found below:

The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter

Street Date: April 5, 2022

Synopsis: After one of its lead actors (cherub-faced action icon Alexander Fu Sheng) unexpectedly died midway through production, fight-choreographer-turned-master-director Lau Kar-leung (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) retooled his latest film, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, as the ultimate action spectacular in tribute to his young star. Loosely based upon the legendary Yang dynasty chronicled in Chinese folklore, the film starts as a family patriarch and all but two of his sons are brutally wiped out in a bloody battle with a rival family. One surviving son (Fu Sheng) returns to his mother and two sisters, driven mad with grief; the other (Gordon Liu) escapes and joins a nearby monastery while in hiding. Once he learns his sister (Kara Hui) has been captured by their enemies, however, the warrior-turned-monk realizes he must renounce his peaceful ideals in order to mount a rescue mission and avenge his family. One of Shaw Brothers’ final all-star martial arts epics before they ceased filmmaking altogether, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is often regarded as Lau’s masterpiece, as elegiac and suffused with anguish as it is thrillingly violent (not least in its bone-crunching, teeth-smashing climax).

Bonus Materials
  • Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
  • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
  • Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio
  • Optional English subtitles, plus hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
  • Brand new commentary by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
  • Newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
  • Interviews with stars Gordon Liu, Lily Li and Yeung Ching-ching, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004
  • A Tribute to Fu Sheng, a short film commemorating the late actor that played before early screenings of The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, presented via a German-dubbed telecine (the best available copy) with English subtitles
  • Alternate opening credits, as The Invincible Pole Fighters
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Aspinall
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Terrence J. Brady

 

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (4K UHD Blu-Ray)

Street Date: April 12, 2022

Synopsis: Kenneth Branagh leads an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Hulce, Ian Holm, John Cleese and Aidan Quinn in his definitive cinematic version of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of gothic terror. At the turn of the 19th century, visionary scientist Victor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) embarks on an obsessive quest to conquer the mysteries of human mortality. But his hubristic bid to create life out of death goes hideously wrong, and succeeds only in begetting a deformed monster (Robert De Niro). Horrified by what he has wrought, the scientist attempts to destroy his creation, but fails. Rejected by his creator and shunned by the world of man, the tormented creature swears vengeance against Frankenstein and his family. As the monster begins to enact his murderous revenge, Victor must face a terrible reckoning with the tragic consequences of attempting to play God. Mary Shelley’s seminal novel is one of the most adapted books of all time, and this retelling faithfully goes back to the original source, lushly transforming the story’s twin themes of love and death into a darkly operatic gothic romance. Unlike many versions of Shelley’s novel, Branagh’s adaptation understands that Frankenstein’s misbegotten creation is as pitiable as he is monstrous, and never loses sight of the human tragedy lying at the core of its horrific tale. Filled with sweeping, atmospheric visuals and powerfully emotional performances from an award-winning ensemble of acting talent, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein stands as a landmark interpretation of this enduring masterpiece.

Bonus Materials
  • New 4K restoration from the original camera negatives by Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Original uncompressed stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Brand new audio commentary by film historians Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains
  • Brand new interview with composer Patrick Doyle
  • Brand new interview with costumer designer James Acheson
  • Brand new interview with make-up designer Daniel Parker
  • Mary Shelley and The Creation of a Monster, a brand new documentary featurette on the origins and evolution of the Frankenstein story, featuring Gothic specialists David Pirie, Jonathan Rigby and Stephen Volk
  • Dissecting Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a brand new featurette with David Pirie, Jonathan Rigby and Stephen Volk on the differences between the novel and Kenneth Branagh’s screen adaptation
  • Frankenstein: A Liberal Adaptation from Mrs. Shelley’s Famous Story for Edison Production (1910): The first screen adaptation of Shelley’s story in a 2K restoration by the Library of Congress, with music by Donald Sosin
  • Original trailers
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Laz Marquez
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Jon Towlson and Amy C. Chambers

 

Robocop (4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook)

Street Date: April 12, 2022

Synopsis: RoboCop, from Orion Pictures, marked director Paul Verhoeven’s (Flesh + Blood) Hollywood debut and instantly became an enduring sci-fi/action classic when it landed in theaters in the summer of 1987. Verhoeven’s peerlessly exciting and kinetic visuals were matched by a sharp script, iconic cast and exceptional special effects by Rob Bottin (The Thing) and Phil Tippett (The Empire Strikes Back). The film takes place in Detroit in the not-too-distant future. Heroic cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai) is gunned down in the line of duty, only to be resurrected as RoboCop – a cybernetic mix of spare human parts and Motor City steel, and the latest defense against crime designed by the all-powerful OCP Corporation. As RoboCop’s memories of his former life as Murphy resurface, only his ex-partner (Nancy Allen, Dressed To Kill) stands beside him to fight against the vicious thugs responsible for his death, as well as a nefarious top-level OCP executive orchestrating the chaos from above. Unsurpassably thrilling, unexpectedly moving and unforgettably hilarious in equal measure, the future of law enforcement is back in a definitive 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation packed with hours of bonus features and exclusive collectable packaging.

Bonus Materials
  • 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY STEELBOOK EDITION CONTENTS
  • 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by MGM, transferred in 2013 and approved by director Paul Verhoeven
  • Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film on two 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray discs with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Original lossless stereo and four-channel mixes plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Atmos surround sound options on both cuts
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
  • 44-page Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Omar Ahmed, Christopher Griffiths and Henry Blyth
  • DISC ONE – DIRECTOR’S CUT
  • Commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for the Theatrical Cut and re-edited in 2014 for the Director’s Cut)
  • Commentary by film historian Paul M. Sammon
  • Commentary by fans Christopher Griffiths, Gary Smart and Eastwood Allen
  • The Future of Law Enforcement: Creating RoboCop, an interview with co-writer Michael Miner
  • RoboTalk, a conversation between co-writer Ed Neumeier and filmmakers David Birke (writer of Elle) and Nicholas McCarthy (director of Orion Pictures’ The Prodigy)
  • Truth of Character, an interview with star Nancy Allen on her role as Lewis
  • Casting Old Detroit, an interview with casting director Julie Selzer on how the film’s ensemble cast was assembled
  • Connecting the Shots, an interview with second unit director and frequent Verhoeven collaborator Mark Goldblatt
  • Analog, a featurette focusing on the special photographic effects, including new interviews with Peter Kuran and Kevin Kutchaver
  • More Man Than Machine: Composing RoboCop, a tribute to composer Basil Poledouris featuring film music experts Jeff Bond, Lukas Kendall, Daniel Schweiger and Robert Townson
  • RoboProps, a tour of super-fan Julien Dumont’s collection of original props and memorabilia
  • 2012 Q&A with the Filmmakers, a panel discussion featuring Verhoeven, Davison, Neumeier, Miner, Allen, star Peter Weller and animator Phil Tippett
  • RoboCop: Creating A Legend, Villains of Old Detroit, Special Effects: Then & Now, three archive featurettes from 2007 featuring interviews with cast and crew
  • Paul Verhoeven Easter Egg
  • Four deleted scenes
  • The Boardroom: Storyboard with Commentary by Phil Tippett
  • Director’s Cut Production Footage, raw dailies from the filming of the unrated gore scenes, presented in 4K (SDR)
  • Two theatrical trailers and three TV spots
  • Extensive image galleries
  • DISC TWO – THEATRICAL CUT
  • Commentary by director Paul Verhoeven, executive producer Jon Davison and co-writer Ed Neumeier (originally recorded for Theatrical version of the film)
  • Two Isolated Score tracks (Composer’s Original Score and Final Theatrical Mix)
  • Edited-for-television version of the film, featuring alternate dubs, takes and edits of several scenes (95 mins, SD only)
  • Split screen comparisons between the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut, and the Theatrical Cut and edited-for-TV version
  • RoboCop: Edited for Television, a compilation of alternate scenes from two edited-for-television versions, including outtakes newly transferred in HD from recently unearthed 35mm elements

 

Rogue Cops & Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers By Enzo G. Castellari

Street Date: April 19, 2022

Synopsis: Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi – the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. Buckle up for a heart-stopping thrill ride through the seedy underbelly of Italian society in two of his most celebrated thrillers! In 1976’s The Big Racket, Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi, What Have You Done to Solange?) is hot on the heels of a gang of ruthless racketeers. Realizing he’s not going to get anywhere within the confines of the law, Nico recruits a crack squad of civilians to dole out their own brand of justice. Then, in 1977’s The Heroin Busters, rule-flouting cop Fabio (Testi) goes deep undercover, chasing a globe-trotting ring of drug-smugglers suspected to be operating out of Rome. But can he and Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings, Deep Red), an Interpol agent with a hair-trigger temper, stay one step ahead of the criminals long enough to bring them down from the inside? Featuring death-defying stunts, explosive shoot-outs and a pair of addictive, toe-tapping soundtracks courtesy of the De Angelis brothers (Torso) and legendary prog rock group Goblin (Suspiria), these two films represent the crème de la crème of the Italian crime thriller, both making their high definition debuts with stunning new restorations in this feature-packed box set from Arrow!

Bonus Materials
  • 2-DISC LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
  • Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original 35mm camera negatives by Arrow Films
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
  • Original Italian and English front and end titles
  • Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
  • Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
  • New audio commentaries on both films by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
  • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and Barry Forshaw
  • Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
  • Twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
  • DISC 1 – THE BIG RACKET
  • The Years of Racketeering, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
  • Violent Times, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
  • Angel Face for a Tough Guy, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
  • King of Movieola, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
  • The Great Racket, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery
  • DISC 2 – THE HEROIN BUSTERS
  • Endless Pursuit, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
  • Drug Squad, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
  • The Drug Dealer, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
  • How They Killed Italian Cinema, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
  • A Cop on the Set, a new video interview with retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo
  • The Eardrum Busters, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Goblin by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Image gallery

 

Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol

Street Date: April 26, 2022

Synopsis: For five decades Claude Chabrol navigated the unpredictable waters of Cinema, leaving in his wake fifty-five feature films that remain among the most quietly devastating genre movies ever made. The Swindle sees Chabrol at perhaps his most playful as a pair of scam artists, Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault, get in over their heads. But who is scamming who and who do you trust in a life built on so many lies? The murder of a 10-year-old girl sparks rumors and gossip in The Color of Lies, as suspicion falls on René (Jacques Gamblin) the dour once famous painter, now art teacher, who was the last person to see her alive. Enigmatic, perverse, seductive, Isabelle Huppert encapsulates everything that makes Nightcap a film John Waters calls “Cinematic Perfection” in this tale of suppressed family secrets. Finally, in The Flower of Evil, incest, old money and intergenerational guilt come under the scalpel as an outwardly perfect bourgeois family begins to unravel when the wife involves herself in politics. Though influenced by Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Jean Renoir, Chabrol’s voice was entirely and assuredly his own, influencing in turn filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho, James Gray and Dominik Moll. His amused, unblinkered view of life and refusal to judge his characters makes his films timelessly relevant and accessible to all. Arrow Video is proud to present this second collection of films by Claude Chabrol with a wealth of new and archival extras.

Bonus Materials
  • LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
  • High definition Blu-ray presentations of all four films
  • New 4K restorations of The Swindle, Nightcap and The Flower of Evil
  • Original lossless PCM French stereo audio on all films plus DTS-HD 5.1 on Nightcap and The Flower of Evil
  • Optional English subtitles
  • 80-page collector’s booklet of new writing by Sean Hogan, Brad Stevens, Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Pamela Hutchinson
  • Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
  • DISC ONE – THE SWINDLE
  • New commentary by critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan
  • New visual essay by scholar Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze
  • New interview with Cécile Maistre-Chabrol
  • Behind the scenes
  • Interview with Isabelle Huppert
  • Introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
  • Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol
  • Trailer
  • Image gallery
  • DISC TWO – THE COLOR OF LIES
  • New commentary by critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan
  • New visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya
  • New visual essay by film critic David Kalat
  • Behind the scenes
  • Introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
  • Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol
  • Trailer
  • Image gallery
  • DISC THREE – NIGHTCAP
  • New commentary by film critic Justine Smith
  • New visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya
  • Interview with Isabelle Huppert
  • Interview with Jacques Dutronc
  • Behind the scenes
  • Screen test for Anna Mouglalis
  • Introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
  • Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol
  • Trailer
  • Image gallery
  • DISC FOUR – THE FLOWER OF EVIL
  • New commentary by film critic Farran Smith Nehme
  • New visual essay by Agnes Poirier
  • Behind the scenes
  • Interview with co-writer Catherine Eliacheff
  • Introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
  • Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol
  • Trailer
  • Image gallery

 

12 Monkeys (4K UHD Blu-Ray)

Street Date: April 26, 2022

Synopsis: THE FUTURE IS HISTORY Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven) inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée. In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis, Die Hard) is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure. Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to present the film in a stunning new restoration.

Bonus Materials
  • Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Terry Gilliam
  • 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
  • Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo soundtracks
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven
  • The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys, feature-length making-of documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha)
  • The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam, a 1996 interview with Gilliam and critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at the London Film Festival
  • Appreciation by Ian Christie, author of Gilliam on Gilliam
  • The Twelve Monkeys Archives
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Nathan Rabin and Ian Christie

 

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