Kino Lorber Studio Classics has unveiled the details of their April 2023 4K UHD and Blu-Ray releases including works from such icons as Henry Fonda, Al Pacino, Rita Hayworth, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Steve McQueen, Irene Dunne, Burt Reynolds and more. Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:
FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA XII
[UNDERTOW/OUTSIDE THE WALL/HOLD BACK TOMORROW]
Street Date: 4/4/23
Synopsis: This collection features three film noir classics.
UNDERTOW (1949) – Best known for fright fare such as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler and Let’s Kill Uncle, cult director William Castle turns his lens on guns and gangsters for the film noir gem Undertow. Scott Brady (I Was a Shoplifter) stars as Tony Reagan, a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Reagan wants only to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before this can take place, however, he is framed for murder and forced to go on the run from both the police and the unknown killers. Dorothy Hart (Larceny) and Peggy Dow (Shakedown) play the love interests in this serpentine tale of mob-and-moll double-crosses, with John Russell (Yellow Sky), Bruce Bennett (Mildred Pierce) and future star Rock Hudson (The Tarnished Angels) in his second film appearance.
OUTSIDE THE WALL (1950) – Richard Basehart (He Walked by Night) stars as Larry Nelson, paroled from prison after serving nearly half of his thirty-year sentence. Larry is determined to not fall into the clutches of the law again and takes a quiet job at a country sanitarium. There he meets and falls for a gold-digging nurse, Charlotte Maynard (Marilyn Maxwell, Race Street), and he knows the only way to enter her web is to make a lot of fast money. So when Larry learns that the sanitarium is a front for a robbery syndicate, he soon finds himself a clay pigeon for the gang. Meanwhile, sweet-and-wholesome nurse Ann Taylor (Dorothy Hart, Undertow) does her best to help Larry out of the unpleasant situation. Also starring Swedish sensation Signe Hasso (The House on 92nd Street), Outside the Wall is a classic noir story of an ex-con’s struggle to go straight.
HOLD BACK TOMORROW (1955) – What Strange Law Answered His Last Request…to Bring THIS Beautiful Woman to His Cell? Hollywood great John Agar (Sands of Iwo Jima, Shield for Murder) stars as Joe, a death row inmate with one final request before his impending hanging: to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a down-on-her-luck former “waitress” named Dora, played by femme fatale extraordinaire Cleo Moore (On Dangerous Ground, The Other Woman). At first these two tormented souls meet with disdain, but soon gain each other’s respect. After a night of raw and unexpected passion, Joe informs Dora that, with her love, he will not be afraid to die. The nihilistic noir two-hander Hold Back Tomorrow comes written, produced and directed by Czech star and cult auteur, Hugo Haas (The Girl on the Bridge, Bait).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Masters | NEW Audio Commentary for UNDERTOW by Scott Brady’s Son Tim Tierney and Professor/Film Scholar Jason A. Ney | NEW Audio Commentary for OUTSIDE THE WALL by Author/Film Historian Alan K. Rode | Theatrical Trailer (Hold Back Tomorrow) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/4/23
Synopsis: Dennis Quaid (D.O.A., Far From Heaven) and Ellen Barkin (Sea of Love, Bad Company) star in The Big Easy, a box-office hit that captivated audiences with its saucy blend of New Orleans nightlife, steamy romance and sultry suspense. When a hood’s murder triggers a bloody gangland drug war, detective Remy McSwain (Quaid) is on the scene. He’s a smooth-talkin’ cop who fits right in with the easy style of Cajun country. Remy meets his match in Anne Osborne (Barkin), a no-nonsense Assistant District Attorney in town to investigate police corruption. At odds from the moment they meet, their electrically charged attraction keeps the sparks flying. Directed by Jim McBride (David Holzman’s Diary, Breathless, Great Balls of Fire!), scripted by Daniel Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop) and co-starring Ned Beatty (White Lightning) and John Goodman (Barton Fink), The Big Easy is one of the strongest—and sexiest—neo-noir thrillers of the ’80s.
Bonus Features: 2021 HD Master by Lionsgate | NEW Audio Commentary by Director Jim McBride, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: Hollywood legend Tyrone Power (The Mark of Zorro, Prince of Foxes) plays a high-stakes game for love and money in the Technicolor adventure The Mississippi Gambler. Mark Fallon (Power), a riverboat gambler on his way to New Orleans, meets Angelique Dureau (pitch-perfect Piper Laurie, Son of Ali Baba, The Hustler), a Southern belle who spurns his charm and advances. Using his winnings to build a casino, Fallon’s card skills make him a fortune, while his pursuit of the fiery Angelique leads to knife fights, family feuds and duels over personal honor. Written by Seton I. Miller (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Here Comes Mr. Jordan) and directed by Rudolph Maté (D.O.A., When Worlds Collide), The Mississippi Gambler is a rip-roaring western romance with a sparkling cast including Julie Adams (Bend of the River).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Toby Roan | Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of the 1916 war against Pancho Villa, They Came to Cordura stars screen icon Gary Cooper (High Noon) as Thomas Thorn, a career Army officer given the humiliating task of leading five Medal of Honor candidates to the military base of Cordura, Texas. Branded a coward during battle, Thorn hopes to learn what these men, each of whom performed heroically under fire, possess which he lacks. But as the grueling journey through the desert progresses, the “heroes” panic, attempting murder and mutiny as the quest for survival reveals their true characters. The brilliant Rita Hayworth (The Lady from Shanghai) co-stars as the seventh member of the group, an American expatriate who gradually comes to appreciate Thorn’s quiet integrity as he leads his mutinous charges through a desperate odyssey. Filled with both exciting action and finely tuned drama, their treacherous trek to the town of Cordura (which is also the Spanish word for courage) is a rugged and riveting tale of bravery far more enduring than the fleeting heroics of battle. Co-starring Van Heflin (Shane) and Tab Hunter (Damn Yankees) under the stirring direction of Robert Rossen (All the King’s Men, The Hustler).
Bonus Features: Introduction by Filmmaker/Film Historian Bertrand Tavernier (28:07) | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: Screen legend Steve McQueen (The Great Escape, Bullitt, The Getaway) delivers a powerful, gripping performance as a defiant loner whose skills as a soldier make him invaluable to his struggling platoon. In the heat of battle during World War II, McQueen and his fellow soldiers find themselves severely outnumbered as they hold off a Nazi advance along the Siegfried Line in France. Using only their ingenuity and bravery, they must bluff the Germans in order to buy some time…and save their lives. The great Don Siegel (Dirty Harry, Charley Varrick, Escape from Alcatraz) directs the explosive action led by an all-star cast, including Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino, James Coburn, Nick Adams and Bob Newhart. If they can fool the enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive, victory is theirs..
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin | Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 4K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: Real-life father and daughter John and Hayley Mills (co-stars of Tiger Bay and The Chalk Garden) headline the swashbuckling romp The Truth About Spring. Tommy Tyler (John Mills, Ryan’s Daughter), an easy-going Caribbean sailor, is searching for sunken treasure with his tomboy daughter, Spring (Hayley Mills, The Parent Trap). Things get complicated in their houseboat when a young, wealthy lawyer (James MacArthur, Swiss Family Robinson) sets sail with them in search of excitement, riches…and maybe even love. Breathtakingly filmed by veteran director Richard Thorpe (Ivanhoe, Jailhouse Rock), the family adventure The Truth About Spring co-stars English screen greats Lionel Jeffries (The Trials of Oscar Wilde), Harry Andrews (Modesty Blaise) and David Tomlinson (Mary Poppins).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani | Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: The ravishing and radiant Jean Seberg (Breathless) and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger) star in this deliciously twisted affair of illicit lovemaking and mysterious murder, all set in the exotic French Riviera. “He’s dead!” Thus begins the story of the beautiful Mrs. Kay Stanton (Seberg), left alone in the paradise of Cannes, France, as her husband, a globetrotting psychiatrist, lectures across Europe. As much as she resists, she can only simply surrender into the arms of a forbidden lover, a handsome, young American ensign. But their night of passion has deadly consequences—or does it? Not all is as it seems as the unfolding drama becomes evermore intriguing and intense. Based on a story by Alec Coppel (Vertigo), this romantic neo-noir thriller features the lush music of Henry Mancini (Touch of Evil, The Pink Panther) accompanied by the remarkable direction of Hollywood veteran Mervyn LeRoy (Little Caesar, Mister Roberts).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson | Moment to Moment with Mancini: Featurette Trailer (2:49) – Newly Mastered in 2K | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/11/23
Synopsis: In this elegant crime drama, a mysterious stranger is the lone passenger disembarking from a train in a sleepy French village. His name is Milan (rock icon Johnny Hallyday, Détective), a criminal intent on knocking over the local bank. Upon his arrival, he is befriended by Manesquier (Jean Rochefort, Symphony for a Massacre), a retired poetry teacher. Through their unexpected friendship, both men come to realize they have been given the opportunity to look back on their lives—complete with dashed hopes and unfulfilled dreams. At the same time, both are given the momentary chance to explore the road not taken. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, Girl on the Bridge), the dazzling Man on the Train captivated audiences at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, where it won the coveted audience awards for both Best Picture and Best Actor (Rochefort).
Bonus Features: Theatrical Trailer | In French with Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: Serial star Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Tarzan the Fearless) and the great Ida Lupino (Road House, Woman in Hiding) star in Search for Beauty, a romantic Pre-Code comedy about two amorous Olympic athletes (he a swimmer; she a diver) brought in to run a health-and-beauty magazine. Don (Crabbe) and Barbara (Lupino) are really excited about their new venture, but they are completely unaware that the owners of the magazine are con artists who have different plans for the publication’s future as a salacious “skin” rag. In the process of finding a way to resist the conspirators’ schemes, Don and Barbara must fight to keep their relationship together. Get ready for laughs, romance and extraordinary dance sequences worthy of a golden medal! Delightfully directed by Erle C. Kenton (Island of Lost Souls, You’re Telling Me) and co-starring Robert Armstrong (King Kong) and James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Lee Gambin and Emma Westwood | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
SERPICO: 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: Serpico is based on the true story of a New York policeman who discovers that honesty is not expected to be part of his job. He endures scorn and mistreatment from his fellow cops while attempting to perform his duties with integrity. The character of Frank Serpico, combining the best elements of the Establishment and counterculture, is a tour-de-force role for Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface). The film is a breathtaking suspense story and a fascinating character study as well as a memorable statement about government’s inherent flaws. Rendered with unflinching realism by director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon), Serpico earned 1973 Oscar nominations for its screenplay by Waldo Salt (Midnight Cowboy) and Norman Wexler (Saturday Night Fever) from the acclaimed biography by Peter Maas (The Valachi Papers), and for Best Actor, cementing Pacino as one of the cinema’s most versatile and iconic talents. Featuring Cornelia Sharpe (The Reincarnation of Peter Proud) as Leslie, Serpico’s girlfriend.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | 5.1 Surround & Lossless 2.0 Audio | Optional English Subtitles / DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson | SIDNEY LUMET: CINEASTE NEW YORK – Featurette (28:47) | LOOKING FOR AL PACINO – Featurette (29:22) | SERPICO: REAL TO REEL – Featurette (9:58) | INSIDE SERPICO – Featurette (12:55) | SERPICO: FAVORITE MOMENTS – Featurette (2:39) | PHOTO GALLERY with Commentary by Director Sidney Lumet (4:24) | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | 5.1 Surround & Lossless 2.0 Audio | Optional English Subtitles
12 ANGRY MEN (1957) (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the twelve members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the dozen men try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a solitary, sweltering room, one juror (Henry Fonda, The Ox-Bow Incident) casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy’s fate. In addition to Fonda (who also co-produced with writer Reginald Rose), the cast includes Lee J. Cobb as his main opposition; Ed Begley as a hateful bigot; E.G. Marshall as a cold, logical stockbroker; Jack Warden as a baseball fanatic and Jack Klugman as the disturbed blood-brother to the defendant. The feature directing debut of Sidney Lumet (Serpico, The Verdict), 12 Angry Men remains “one of the best pictures ever made” (The Hollywood Reporter), a searing examination of race, justice, family and morality.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a New 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani | Audio Commentary by Film Historian Drew Casper | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles / DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 12 ANGRY MEN – 1997 Film Directed by William Friedkin and Starring Jack Lemmon | BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT: Making of 12 Angry Men | INSIDE THE JURY ROOM: Featurette | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: Hollywood legends Irene Dunne (When Tomorrow Comes), Randolph Scott (Western Union) and Dorothy Lamour (My Favorite Brunette) star in High, Wide and Handsome, a rousing musical adventure about a small town that strikes it rich. When their traveling show breaks down in a Pennsylvania village, Doc Watterson (Raymond Walburn, Christmas in July) and his lovely daughter, Sally (Dunne), find a place to stay with aspiring oilman Peter Cortlandt (Scott). All of Peter’s hard work pays off as he and Sally fall in love and he discovers a vein of oil that will make him and all his neighbors wealthy. When a railroad mogul schemes to get the land for himself, the community pulls together to build a pipeline to their dreams. Directed by the great Rouben Mamoulian (Love Me Tonight, The Mark of Zorro) and featuring songs by famed composers Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II (Show Boat), this unforgettable classic is a heartfelt story of finding success against all odds.
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan by Universal Pictures | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Eddy Von Mueller | Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: One of the earliest and quirkiest Hollywood ventures of groundbreaking filmmaker Fritz Lang (Metropolis, Scarlet Street, Human Desire), You and Me is a romantic comedy-drama that packs a punch of social commentary through the hard-boiled love story of a hard-luck couple. Sylvia Sidney (Fury, You Only Live Once) and George Raft (Spawn of the North, Some Like It Hot) star as two former convicts who find honest work in a department store and love in one another—until a dark secret from the past threatens to drive them apart. With dazzling montages and choral sequences that marry the director’s German Expressionist technique to Kurt Weill’s music, You and Me overflows with sheer cinematic joy. Featuring Barton MacLane, Harry Carey, Roscoe Karns, Robert Cummings and the rich cinematography of Charles Lang (The Big Heat).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: From director John Brahm, the visionary filmmaker behind The Undying Monster, The Lodger, Hangover Square and Singapore, comes a journey into the dark and dangerous corners of Rio, starring screen greats Basil Rathbone (If I Were King) and Victor McLaglen (Murder at the Vanities). Crooked Parisian financier Paul Reynard (Rathbone) is arrested for bank fraud and sentenced to a penal colony off the coast of South America. His wife Irene (Sigrid Gurie, Algiers) and faithful servant Dirk (McLaglen) travel to Rio de Janeiro to arrange for Paul’s escape. But once they’ve landed in the Brazilian capital, Irene falls in love with an American engineer (Robert Cummings, The Last Train from Madrid). After his escape, Paul realizes that he’s lost his wife forever to a better man, and seeks revenge. From a story by Jean Negulesco (Road House), the noir-drenched adventure Rio also stars Leo Carrillo (Four Frightened People).
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Samm Deighan | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/18/23
Synopsis: Lady in a Jam is a classic screwball comedy starring the splendid Irene Dunne (Stingaree, The Awful Truth) as Jane, a young lady who is suspected of insanity after she squanders her entire inheritance yet refuses to accept her poor financial state. Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles, The Bride Wore Boots, Monsieur Beaucaire) is the handsome doctor assigned to her case, unbeknownst to Jane. Posing as her chauffeur, he drives her out west to her rich grandmother, from whom Jane hopes to recoup her fortune. Refusing to give Jane a dime, instead her grandmother allows her to work the family’s played-out gold mine. Jane’s ex-boyfriend (Ralph Bellamy, Hands Across the Table, His Girl Friday) comes into the picture only to discover Jane is smitten with the doctor. A love triangle ensues and finally the gold mine and Jane’s love life start to yield some promise. Deliciously directed by Gregory La Cava (My Man Godfrey, Stage Door).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Allan Arkush and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/25/23
Synopsis: A wonderful spoof of disaster films, The Big Bus is about the world’s first nuclear-powered bus—a 75-ton monster on 32 enormous wheels—and its maiden journey from New York to Denver. Jockeying the world’s greatest bus, of course, is the world’s greatest bus driver (Joseph Bologna, Cops and Robbers). His co-pilot (John Beck, Sleeper) is given to sudden blackouts and has a penchant for driving on the shoulders of the road. A pair of evil-doers (including José Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac) vow to destroy the bus at the outset, thus providing hilarious suspense. Guess who will die (laughing) among the all-star cast also featuring Stockard Channing, René Auberjonois, Ned Beatty, Ruth Gordon, Harold Gould, Larry Hagman, Sally Kellerman, Richard Mulligan, Lynn Redgrave, Bob Dishy, Stuart Margolin and Howard Hesseman. Wonderfully directed by James Frawley (Kid Blue, The Muppet Movie).
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson | TV Spots | Theatrical Trailer
Street Date: 4/25/23
Synopsis: Ex-mercenary Nick Escalante isn’t a violent man by nature. He’s just good at it. And when things get very, very bad, he’s naturally at his best. Las Vegas is the backdrop for all the torrid action of Heat, as screen legend Burt Reynolds (Hustle, Stick) plays the softhearted bodyguard who’s out to protect his friends. When a gangster’s son brutally beats an old flame, it ignites a tightly wound thriller that pits Burt against the mob and culminates in a vicious cat-and-mouse climax. Written by Hollywood’s master craftsman, William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, Misery), directed by Dick Richards (Farewell, My Lovely) and co-starring Karen Young (Criminal Law), Peter MacNicol (Ghostbusters II), Neill Barry (O.C. and Stiggs), Howard Hesseman (Honky Tonk Freeway) and Diana Scarwid (Inside Moves).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Brandon Bentley and Mike Leeder | Alternate Ending | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
BACKTRACK (AKA CATCHFIRE) (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 4/25/23
Synopsis: From iconoclast filmmaker Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider, Colors, The Hot Spot) comes a tense, sexually charged neo-noir for the 1990s. Stunning Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs) stars as Anne Benton, an artist who sees what she shouldn’t—a mob assassination. The police want her to testify; the mob wants her dead. So she goes on the lam, moves to another state and adopts another identity. But she can’t hide from Milo (Dennis Hopper, Speed), the mobster sent to kill her. One look at his target and the hit man has a change of heart. He doesn’t want her life…he wants her love. Before long this unlikely couple is on the run from both the cops and the crooks, dodging bullets and trying to sort out who to trust, who to kill and who to love. The red-hot cast includes Dean Stockwell, Vincent Price, John Turturro, Fred Ward, Julie Adams, Tony Sirico, Sy Richardson, Catherine Keener, Charlie Sheen, Alex Cox, Toni Basil, Joe Pesci and Bob Dylan. This special edition contains both the theatrical version and the Director’s Cut.
Bonus Features: 2018 HD Masters by Lionsgate | NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox and Actress/Screenwriter Tod Davies | Includes Theatrical Cut and Director’s Cut | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 4/25/23
Synopsis: From the legendary Bruce Campbell (star of The Evil Dead and Bubba Ho-Tep) and horror maven Sean S. Cunningham (director of Friday the 13th and DeepStar Six) comes an unrelenting assault of extraterrestrial terror: Terminal Invasion. Inside an isolated airport, seven anxious passengers learn that their charter flight has been grounded by a blizzard. The unhappy passengers are soon stunned into silence by the arrival of Jack Edwards (Campbell), a convicted murderer escorted by two guards. But these soon prove to be the least of the passengers’ problems, as they realize that some members of the group are not who, or what, they seem. Fasten your seatbelts for a pulse-pounding sci-fi thrill ride, co-starring Chase Masterson (TV’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Director Sean S. Cunningham and Executive Producer Chuck Simon | Alien Custom Test | Optional English Subtitles
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.