MVD and Eureka Entertainment have announced that they have signed a distribution deal, bringing Eureka’s award-winning Blu-ray catalog to North America for the first time. Eureka Entertainment is one of the leading independent distributors of Blu-rays in the UK. Its UK catalogue contains an extensive collection of classic and cult films, initially released in limited-edition sets. Its collection spans many genres including, amongst others, silent movies, world cinema, action, martial arts, horror, indie dramas, and Hollywood classics.

The first Eureka releases distributed by MVD Entertainment in North America will be one of the most important and influential films in the early history of American genre cinema, Paul Leni’s The Cat and the Canary, and the action-packed superhero spectacle starring Jet Li, Black Mask. Both titles will be released in both territories and will be available for purchase on April 23, 2024. Details on these releases can be found below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMtD-0NOi2A&t]

The Cat and The Canary

Street Date: April 23, 2024

Synopsis: Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs) directs one of the most important and influential films in the early history of American genre cinema, which perfected the ‘old dark house’ formula and set the stage for the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s.

Twenty years after the death of millionaire Cyrus West, his surviving relatives are called together in a decaying mansion on the Hudson River. There, they gather to hear West’s lawyer Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) read his last will and testament and discover that West has left everything to his niece Annabelle (Laura La Plante). That is, at least, on the condition that she is judged to be legally sane. As the family settles in for the evening, tensions rise when they are informed that a murderer nicknamed the Cat has escaped from a nearby asylum and is suspected to be somewhere on the grounds. Crosby soon disappears in mysterious circumstances, which proves to be just the first in a series of horrifying events that will punctuate a long, dark night of terror – during which Annabelle’s sanity will be called into question again and again.

Based upon the 1922 stage production by John Willard, The Cat and the Canary is a perfect blend of horror and black comedy and stands at the apex of a cycle of films adapted from mystery plays throughout the 1920s. It later inspired James Whale’s The Old Dark House and has been remade several times – but never bettered. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present this cornerstone of horror cinema for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a glorious 4K restoration.

Bonus Materials

• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives supplied by MoMA
• DTS-HD MA 5.1 score by Robert Israel; compiled, synchronised and edited by Gillian B. Anderson, based on music cue sheets compiled and issued for the original 1927 release
• Brand new audio commentary by author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman
• Brand new audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Mysteries Mean Dark Corners – brand new video essay by David Cairns & Fiona Watson
• Pamela Hutchinson on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson
• Phuong Le on The Cat and the Canary – brand new interview with film critic Phuong Le
• A Very Eccentric Man & Yeah, a Cat! – extracts from John Willard’s original play
• Lucky Strike – Paul Leni gives a full-throated endorsement to the product that got him through filming The Cat and the Canary
• A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Richard Combs, Craig Ian Mann, and Imogen Sara Smith

Black Mask [2-Disc Limited Edition]

Street Date: April 23, 2024

Synopsis: Jet Li stars in an action-packed superhero spectacle produced by the legendary Tsui Hark! Tsui Chik (Li) is a librarian who leads a quiet, unassuming life – or, at least, that’s what he wants people to believe. In truth, he was once a member of the 701 Squad, a group of elite combatants produced by a failed super-soldier project. In kind with his former comrades, his central nervous system has been altered to render him impervious to pain. When several of his fellow test subjects resurface and embark on a crimewave under the leadership of their former commander Hung Kuk (Patrick Lung), Tsui is forced to use his extraordinary abilities once more. Donning a costume, he sets out to face his past – as the vigilante known as the Black Mask.

Adapted from the manhua by Pang Chi-ming and Li Chi-tak and heavily influenced by Bruce Lee’s turn as Kato in The Green Hornet, Black Mask is one of the most entertaining movies in Jet Li’s filmography and boasts action orchestrated by Yuen Woo-ping, who would later win an Academy Award for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its rarely seen uncut version on Blu-ray from a 2K restoration!

Bonus Materials

• Fully uncut Hong Kong version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
• Original US version presented in 1080p from a 2K restoration
• Original Cantonese Stereo and optional DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Hong Kong Version)
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
• Brand new audio commentary on the US export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Brand new interview with stuntman Mike Lambert
• Brand new interview with film critic Andrew Heskins (easternKicks.com)
• Brand new interview with Leon Hunt, author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger
• Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
• Archival Making of featurette
• Trailers
• Disc 2 (Limited Edition Bonus Disc): Alternate Taiwanese cut of the film | Extended version of Black Mask featuring all the unique footage from the various releases of the film re-inserted

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