Kino Lorber Studio Classics has unveiled the details of their July 2020 Blu-Ray releases including works from such icons as Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, W.C. Fields, Peter Cushing, Bob Hope, Joe Pesci and more. Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:
THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 7/7/20
Synopsis: More Fearsome Than Frankenstein… More Demonic Than Dracula! Edinburgh, 1827. Irish immigrants Burke (George Rose, A New Leaf) and Hare (Donald Pleasence, Halloween) hit upon the idea of selling the bodies of the recently deceased to eminent surgeon Dr. Robert Knox (Peter Cushing, The Skull). Dr. Knox, knowing that experimental vivisection is the only way for medicine to make progress, forms an uneasy alliance with the self-styled body snatchers. When Burke and Hares’ supply of available corpses begins to run out, they decide to speed the process along by murdering the poor and the homeless. Men and women, old and young, everyone becomes a target for the deadly duo, but even as the body count rises, Knox turns a blind eye to their methods in order to further his research. But after one of his own medical students is murdered, Knox finds it difficult to remain impassive. With the public out for the killers’ blood and the Medical Council out to disgrace him, Dr. Knox must use all of his skill and intelligence to preserve the dignity of his profession and to justify his controversial actions in the face of near-universal condemnation. Co-written and directed by John Gilling (The Reptile) and co-starring Billie Whitelaw (The Omen), The Flesh and the Fiends is presented in this special edition in its original U.K. version and its 74-minute U.S. cut, The Fiendish Ghouls a.k.a. Mania.
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas | Includes alternate cut THE FIENDISH GHOULS aka MANIA | Trailers | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitle
THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 7/7/20
Synopsis: From Val Guest, the director of The QuatermassXperiment, Quatermass2, The Abominable Snowman and Hell Is a City, comes one of the greatest doomsday movies ever made! When the United States and the Soviet Union simultaneously set off nuclear explosions, London’s Daily Express begins to report on bizarre weather changes around the world. But when the reporters dig deeper, they discover that the blasts have knocked Earth off its axis and sent it hurtling towards the sun. Now, as scorching heat and devastating floods plague the planet, cities explode in chaos and mankind is left with one last hope: A final massive detonation that will either rebalance Earth’s orbit or destroy the world forever! Produced, directed and co-written by Guest, this British classic is legendary for its brilliant dialogue, chilling realism and one of the most provocative endings in sci-fi history. Beautifully shot in stunning black-and-whit. Cinemascope by Harry Waxman (The Wicker Man, Brighton Rock) and starring Janet Munro (The Crawling Eye), Leo McKern (A Man for All Seasons) and Edward Judd (First Men in the Moon), The Day the Earth Caught Fire is now completely re-mastered in 4K from the original vault materials.
Bonus Features: Brand New 4K Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Richard Harland Smith | Audio Commentary by Co-Writer/Producer/Director Val Guest | 4 TV Spots | 4 Radio Spots | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
SPACED INVADERS (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 7/7/20
Synopsis: EARTH WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! It’s a close encounter of the hilarious kind when five of the universe’s coolest aliens crash-land on planet Earth! Piloted by an ultrahip Martian, the cosmic crew ends up in a sleepy Midwestern town. Unfortunately, it’s Halloween night, and as the local radio station replays Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast, the citizens mistake these little space invaders for harmless trick-or-treaters. Instead of the global invasion they planned on, these misguided Martians bungle their way into a series of madcap misadventures! Co-written and directed by Patrick Read Johnson (Baby’s Day Out, Angus) and starring Douglas Barr (TV’s The Fall Guy) as the town sheriff, with Royal Dano (House II: The Second Story), Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park) and Tony Cox (Bad Santa). Get set for an outrageous blast of intergalactic fun and outlandish special effects in this wacked-out comedy adventure!
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Patrick Read Johnson, Co-Writer Scott Lawrence Alexander, Co-Editor Seth Gaven and Second Unit Director Scott Andrew Ressler | FAN ONE: NEW Interview with CoWriter/Director Patrick Read Johnson | THE SHERIFF OF BIG BEAN: NEW Interview with Star Douglas Barr | SPIFF AND ME: NEW Interview with Star Ariana Richards | BLAZNEE SPEAKS!: NEW Interview with Actor Kevin Thompson | MODEL KITS FROM MARS: NEW Interview with Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll | INVASION OF THE WATERMELON HEADS: NEW Interview with Alien Special Effects Supervisor and Creator John Criswell | Newly Commissioned Art by Jacob Phillips | Reversible Art | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc
Street Date: 7/7/20
Synopsis: SEE AND HEAR 16 GREAT ACTS! THE SHIMMIEST, SHAKINGEST SHIVAREE THAT EVER ROCKED THE INTERNATIONAL BEAT! Go Go Mania, also known as Pop Gear, is a rollickin’ British music revue film featuring concert footage from legendary rock acts like The Beatles, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Herman’s Hermits, The Spencer Davis Group and many others. Each segment is introduced by Jimmy Savile, longtime host of BBC’s Top of the Pops, and includes “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles; “The House of the Rising Sun” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by The Animals; “I’m into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits; “My Babe” by The Spencer Davis Group (featuring Steve Winwood); “A World Without Love” by Peter and Gordon; “Pop Gear” and “Walk Away” by Matt Monro; and many, many more!
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalist/Author Bryan Reesman and Songwriter/Music Journalist/Author Jeff Slate | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/7/20
Synopsis: Britain, 1958. Restless at school and bored with his life, Jim MacLaine (David Essex, Stardust) leaves home to take a series of low-level jobs at a seaside amusement park. With the help of his new friend Mike (The Beatles’ Ringo Starr, Candy), he soon discovers a wild world of cheap sex and petty crime. But when that world comes to a shockingly brutal end, Jim returns home to face his future. As the local music scene explodes, Jim must decide between a life of adult responsibility or a new phenomenon called “rock and roll.” This honest and gritty drama, said to be based on the early life of John Lennon, is considered by fans and critics alike to be the best depiction of the 1950s British rock scene. That’ll Be the Day features a soundtrack of classic songs by The Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion, Del Shannon, Little Richard, Frankie Lymon, Bobby Darin, Ritchie Valens and more, and co-stars another legendary drummer: Keith Moon of The Who.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalist and Author Bryan Reesman | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
FILM NOIR: THE DARK SIDE OF CINEMA IV
[CALCUTTA / AN ACT OF MURDER / SIX BRIDGES TO CROSS]
Street Date: 7/14/20
This collection features three film noir classics.
Calcutta (1946) -From John Farrow, the acclaimed director of Wake Island, The Big Clock, Alias Nick Beal, His Kind of Woman, Hondo and Back from Eternity, comes this classic film noir starring screen legend Alan Ladd (This Gun for Hire, The Blue Dahlia, Shane) with Gail Russell (The Uninvited, Angel and the Badman) and William Bendix (Lifeboat, The Glass Key). Neale (Ladd) and Pedro (Bendix) fly cargo between Chungking and Calcutta. When their friend and fellow pilot Bill is murdered, Neale vows to play judge and jury and bring the criminals to justice himself. Along the way, he meets Bill’s fiancée Virginia (Russell) and becomes suspicious of a deeper plot while also falling for her charms. Beautifully shot by John F. Seitz (The Lost Weekend, Double Indemnity) and co-starring June Duprez (And Then There Were None), this heart-pounding thriller simmers with postwar intrigue.
An Act of Murder (1948) -From Michael Gordon, the acclaimed director of The Web, The Lady Gambles, Woman in Hiding, Cyrano de Bergerac, Pillow Talk and Portrait in Black, comes this classic film noir starring screen legend Fredric March (Death Takes a Holiday, Inherit the Wind) as a man faced with an impossible predicament. Calvin Cooke (March), a no-nonsense judge in a small Pennsylvania town, finds his thoughts turning to end the life of his beloved wife Cathy (Florence Eldridge, The Story of Temple Drake) when he learns that she has an incurable disease and is suffering from unbearable pain. He decides to move forward with his plan and then surrenders himself to the police. Defended by a brilliant attorney (Edmond O’Brien, The Hitch-Hiker), Cooke goes on trial for his life in a case that will decide if he’s legally guilty of murder or morally innocent of killing his wife. This controversial thriller was written by Michael Blankfort (The Dark Past) and Robert Thoeren (The Prowler), based on a book by Ernst Lothar (The Clairvoyant).
Six Bridges to Cross (1955) -From Joseph Pevney, the outstanding director of Foxfire, Female on the Beach, The Midnight Story, Man of a Thousand Faces and The Night of the Grizzly, comes this classic film noir starring screen great Tony Curtis (The Vikings, Trapeze) with George Nader (The Female Animal) and Julie Adams (Bend of the River). For decades, policeman Edward Gallagher (Nader) has tried to steer his lifelong friend and charming thief Jerry Florea (Curtis) from his life of crime. As Jerry graduates from two-bit hood to criminal mastermind, he must choose between the chance at redemption offered by his friend, or the irresistible allure of the crime of the century. Gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer William H. Daniels (Thunder on the Hill) and co-starring Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause) and Jay C. Flippen (Night Passage), Six Bridges to Cross is a thrilling crime drama inspired by the infamous Great Brink’s Robbery of 1950.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton (Calcutta) | NEW Audio Commentaries by Film Historian SammDeighan(An Act of Murder / Six Bridges to Cross) | 1955 Archival TV Promo with Tony Curtis | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK
Street Date: 7/14/20
Synopsis: In his last starring role, comedy legend W.C. Fields (It’s a Gift, My Little Chickadee, The Bank Dick) plays himself in a takeoff on the eccentricities of filmmaking. It’s a harum-scarum collection of song, slapstick and thumbnail sketches, the likes of which defy dramatic law! The focus of the story is on Fields’ presentation of an imaginative script for a new picture at Esoteric Pictures, Inc. The script turns out to be a vehicle for himself-a hero who makes Superman look like a wimp. It’s a Fields-day on a vaudeville bill, with the bulbous-nosed star in every act! In one he is a Russian mujik sampling fermented goat’s milk; elsewhere he drops 2,000 feet from a cliff; in another he goes a-wooing in a tailcoat requiring two flunkies to carry the tails. He even embarks on a frantic car chase, in vintage Keystone Cops style. The mayhem was staged by the great Edward F. Cline, the director of many classic Buster Keaton shorts and features, including One Week, Convict 13, The Haunted House, The Boat and Three Ages.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Eddy Von Mueller | Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look at W.C. Fields: Vintage Documentary | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
THE PALEFACE (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 7/14/20
Synopsis: The Wild West has never been wilder or funnier than in this classic farce which introduced the Academy Award-winning song “Buttons and Bows.” In one of his most popular roles, comedy legend Bob Hope (My Favorite Brunette, Road to Morocco) plays “Painless” Peter Potter, a timid correspondence school dentist earning a shaky living in the lawless West. When “Painless” is seduced into agreeing to a quickie marriage by the voluptuous Jane Russell (The Outlaw), he thinks his luck has changed. Little does he suspect that Russell is actually sharpshooter Calamity Jane, hot on the trail of a dangerous renegade gang and that she is simply using “Painless” as her cover and unwitting dupe! This Old West burlesque, brightened by Technicolor and uproarious slapstick, went on to become one of Bob Hope’s best-loved films and his biggest box-office hit. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod (My Favorite Spy, Alias Jesse James) and co-starring Robert Armstrong (King Kong). In 1952, Hope and Russell returned for the sequel Son of Paleface, co-starring cowboy legend Roy Rogers and his trusty horse Trigger.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Sergio Mims | Entertaining the Troops | Command Performance 1945 | “Buttons & Bows” Sing-Along | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/14/20
Synopsis: Straight Shooting (1917) is a landmark in the history of the Western. It is the first feature directed by the legendary John Ford (here credited as Jack Ford), who revived the career of Harry Carey, one of his greatest stars, to a rough-and-tumble performance as a hired gun of cattle rustlers. “Cheyenne Harry” is a role Carey would play into the 1930s, an amiable antihero who pals around with outlaws but who really has a heart of gold. In Straight Shooting Harry is hired by rancher Thunder Flint (Duke Lee) to intimidate the kindly Sweetwater Sims (George Berrell) off of his farmland, but has a change of heart after getting to know Sims’ family. It becomes a war of ranchers against farmers as Flint organizes a siege of Sims’ property, with Harry and other local farmers banded together against them. It is a thrilling adventure that proves John Ford was born to film the American West.
Bonus Features: Audio commentary by film historian Joseph McBride, author of Searching for John Ford: A Life | Hitchin’ Posts (1920, directed by John Ford, fragment preserved by the Library of Congress) | Video essay by film critic Tag Gallagher
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: Get swept away on a magical carpet ride! Prepare for every wish to be answered in the dazzling film spectacular Arabian Nights! See the passionate romance, lavish riches and exotic splendor of this classic fable that was “beautifully mounted in Technicolor” (Leonard Maltin) and is now magically brought to life in HD. Jon Hall (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), Maria Montez (Cobra Woman) and Sabu (The Jungle Book) star in this lush, epic story of two half brothers who battle each other for the power of the throne and the love of a sensual, gorgeous dancing girl. Directed by John Rawlins (Sudan) and co-starring Leif Erickson (The Lady Gambles), Billy Gilbert (The Great Dictator), Shemp Howard (Pittsburgh) and Thomas Gomez (Force of Evil). This thrilling adventure, the first of six films starring Montez and Hall, was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Color), Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration (Color), Best Sound and Best Music Score.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Phillipa Berry | Theatrical Trailer | DualLayered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: From Arthur Lubin, the acclaimed director of Black Friday, Hold That Ghost, White Savage, Phantom of the Opera and Impact, comes this ravishingly beautiful spectacle starring Maria Montez (Cobra Woman) and Jon Hall (Arabian Nights), the third of six films starring the screen duo. Prepare to be dazzled as all the wonder, excitement, triumph and treachery of the Arabian Nights come vibrantly to life in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves! Orphaned as a young child and adopted by a band of notorious thieves, now-grown Ali Baba (Hall) sets out to avenge his father’s murder, reclaim the royal throne and rescue his beloved Amara (Montez) from the iron fist of his treacherous enemy. Lushly shot in glorious Technicolor and featuring a wonderful cast that includes Turhan Bey (Night in Paradise) and Andy Devine (A Star Is Born), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a cinematic feast for the senses to be enjoyed time and again.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Phillipa Berry | Theatrical Trailer | DualLayered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: From Kurt Neumann, the outstanding director of Tarzan and the Amazons, Rocketship X-M, Kronos and The Fly, comes this sensational adventure starring screen greats Tony Curtis (The Vikings, Taras Bulba) and Piper Laurie (The Hustler, Carrie). In ancient Persia, Kashma Baba (Curtis) spends his days as a military cadet and devotes his nights to merrymaking. Everything changes when he meets Kiki (Laurie), who claims to be an escaped slave on the run from an evil caliph (Victor Jory, The Loves of Carmen). Soon, Kashma learns that there is more to her regal story in this exotic classic filled with clattering sword battles and thunderous horseback chases. Beautifully photographed in Technicolor by Maury Gertsman (Singapore, The Glass Web), Son of Ali Baba co-stars Susan Cabot (The Wasp Woman), Hugh O’Brian (Ambush Bay), William Reynolds (All That Heaven Allows) and Gerald Mohr (Sirocco).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin| Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: Starring Yvonne De Carlo (CrissCross), Philip Friend (Thunder on the Hill) and Elsa Lanchester (Witness for the Prosecution), Buccaneer’s Girl is an exciting adventure beautifully shot in glorious Technicolor by legendary cinematographer Russell Metty (Spartacus, Touch of Evil). When brave Boston stowaway Deborah McCoy (De Carlo) is captured by the notorious pirate Frederic Baptiste (Friend), she stealthily escapes to New Orleans and uses her talents to get hired as an entertainer. However, she soon discovers that Baptiste has a secret identity- aristocratic playboy Captain Robert Kingston-and must decide whether to assist him in his daring schemes or turn him over to the law. Frederick De Cordova (Bedtime for Bonzo) directed this rip-roaring swashbuckler filled with romance and intrigue, co-starring Robert Douglas (Tarzan, the Ape Man), Andrea King (The Beast with Five Fingers), Norman Lloyd (Saboteur), Jay C. Flippen (The Lemon Drop Kid), Douglass Dumbrille (The Lives of a Bengal Lancer) and Peggie Castle (99 River Street).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin| Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: Hollywood legends Errol Flynn (Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk), Maureen O’Hara (The Black Swan, Lisbon) and Anthony Quinn (Zorba the Greek, The World in His Arms) team for a swashbuckling adventure in Against All Flags. Onboard a 1700s merchant ship, determined British naval officer Lieutenant Brian Hawke (Flynn) bravely endures twenty lashes with the intent of using the wounds to help him go undercover on the pirate island of Libertania. Once there, however, Hawke is brought before the colony’s head pirates, the Captains of the Coast, and forced to prove himself in a fight to the death. As he endures the various trials of a pirate, he finds himself drawn to the beautiful buccaneer Spitfire (O’Hara) and torn between her and his mission to disarm the renegade settlement. Veteran filmmaker George Sherman (The Sleeping City, Big Jake) directed this Technicolor epic beautifully shot by legendary cinematographer Russell Metty (Spartacus, Buccaneer’s Girl) and filled with buxom maidens, breathtaking swordplay and dazzling spectacle. Co-starring screen and stage acting great Mildred Natwick (Barefoot in the Park, Dangerous Liaisons).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Stephen Vagg | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/21/20
Synopsis: From Raoul Walsh, the legendary director of The Thief of Bagdad, The Big Trail, The Roaring Twenties, White Heat and Gun Fury, comes this epic seafaring adventure starring screen greats Gregory Peck (Duel in the Sun, The Big Country) and Anthony Quinn (The Guns of Navarone, Against All Flags), and beautifully shot in Technicolor by award-winning cinematographer Russell Metty (Magnificent Obsession, Midnight Lace). Set in 1850, Peck stars as swaggering sea captain Jonathan Clark, who poaches seal pelts off the coast of Russian-owned Alaska. However, the real danger begins upon returning to San Francisco where he falls for a countess (Ann Blyth, Thunder on the Hill) fleeing from her engagement to a greedy Russian prince (Carl Esmond, Ministry of Fear). When Clark learns of her kidnapping, he sets sail-amid gale-force winds and treacherous seas-on a harrowing race to rescue his lady love and beat his longtime rival (Quinn). Featuring breathtaking action sequences, soaring cinematography and bawdy humor, this exciting classic is one to enjoy again and again.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitlespisode: Hello, I Must Be Going) | Optional English Subtitles | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: Sometimes it takes a stranger to give you the courage to follow your heart! Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Carrie, The River) stars in this bittersweet drama about a young mother, her two sons and the mysterious benefactor who touches them all. Frustrated by her dead-end job as a telephone operator and divorced from her drunken second husband (Sam Shepard, Country, The Right Stuff), Nita (Spacek) finds comfort and understanding in the arms of a passing sailor (Eric Roberts, Runaway Train, Star 80). When he leaves, Nita resolves to pick up her boys and start a new life. But first she must confront backstabbing townspeople and the violent Triplett brothers in this suspense-tinged story of being scared, being alone, being in love and being strong enough to face the truth. Written by William D. Wittliff (Legends of the Fall) and directed by veteran production designer/art director Jack Fisk (Violets Are Blue…), Raggedy Man co-stars R.G. Armstrong (White Lightning), Henry Thomas (The Quest) and as the terrifying Triplett brothers, William Sanderson (Blade Runner) and Tracey Walter (The Hunter).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: Screen greats Mel Gibson (The Bounty, Mad Max) and Sissy Spacek (Raggedy Man, Carrie) co-star in this powerful film about the fragility of the American dream. Tom (Gibson) and Mae (Spacek) Garvey are struggling farmers trying to keep their homestead safe from the local power authority who wants to flood their land. When Mae’s former beau, Joe Wade (Scott Glenn, The Challenge), turns out to be in charge of the plan to acquire the property, tensions run high, climaxing in a devastating confrontation on the flooded river banks. Wonderfully directed by Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond, The Reivers) and gorgeously shot by legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (Deliverance, The Long Goodbye), The River features haunting music by the distinguished maestro John Williams (Schindler’s List, Jaws) and strong supporting performances by Billy Green Bush (Monte Walsh) and James Tolkan (Back to the Future). This beautiful and heart-wrenching film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Actress (Spacek), Cinematography and Score.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Filmmaker Daniel Kremer | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: From George Miller, the acclaimed director of Mad Max, The Road Warrior, The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City and Mad Max: Fury Road, comes this heartbreaking drama starring screen legends Nick Nolte (Extreme Prejudice, 48 Hrs.), Susan Sarandon (Atlantic City, Dead Man Walking) and Peter Ustinov (Death on the Nile, Topkapi). For Augusto and Michaela Odone (Nolte and Sarandon), the news that their five-year-old son, Lorenzo, has a rare terminal disease is sobering; to learn there is no known cure is devastating. Despite the prognosis, they embark on an extraordinary mission of love, consulting and sometimes colliding with the world’s top doctors and scientists in the quest to save their son. Their relentless struggle tests their marriage, their beliefs and the boundaries of conventional medicine in this critically acclaimed hit. Based on a true story and beautifully shot by award-winning cinematographer John Seale (Witness, The English Patient), the unforgettable Lorenzo’s Oil was nominated for two Oscars: Best Actress (Sarandon) and Original Screenplay (Miller and Nick Enright).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Peter Tonguette | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: From Howard Franklin, the acclaimed screenwriter of Romancing the Stone, The Name of the Rose and Someone to Watch Over Me and outstanding director of Quick Change and Larger Than Life, comes this story of a 1940s tabloid photographer starring the great Joe Pesci (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, My Cousin Vinny). Prowling the crime-ridden streets of New York, freelance shutterbug Leon “Bernzy” Bernstein (Pesci) dives into a shadowy underworld of mob violence, unlikely romance and dangerous corruption. Bernzy captures life’s grim side in his lens and dreams of the day his pictures will be recognized as works of art. When ravishing nightclub owner Kay Levitz (Barbara Hershey, Hannah and Her Sisters) lures Bernzy into investigating the thugs trying to muscle in on her business, he finds himself mixed up in a realm of black market scams and mafia gang war. Now, Bernzy’s either going to take the fall or take the one-in-a-million shot that could change his life forever. Top-notch cinematography by Peter Suschitzky (Eastern Promises) and a beautiful score by Mark Isham (A River Runs Through It) highlight this old-fashioned crime drama.
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Howard Franklin and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: From Michael Winner, the acclaimed director of The System, The Jokers, Lawman, The Nightcomers, The Mechanic, Death Wish and The Sentinel, comes this charming WWII adventure-comedy. Stephen “Hannibal” Brooks (Oliver Reed, Burnt Offerings, The Hunting Party) is a British prisoner of war assigned to care for an elephant named Lucy in a Munich zoo. When the zoo is bombed by the Americans, Brooks is ordered to transport Lucy by train to a safer zoo in Innsbruck. But when the train is commandeered by German troops, Brooks must escort the feisty pachyderm across the Austrian border on foot. Two of the film’s best features are the terrific color photography by Robert Paynter (Little Shop of Horrors) and original musical score by the great Francis Lai (Love Story). Costarring Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie and Clyde) and Wolfgang Preiss (The Train), Hannibal Brooks was the fourth of six collaborations between star Reed and director Winner.
Bonus Features: Brand New 2K Master | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 7/28/20
Synopsis: From Michael Winner, the acclaimed director of The Jokers, Hannibal Brooks, The Nightcomers, Scorpio, The Stone Killer and The Big Sleep, comes this mischievous comedy, the first of six collaborations between the director and star Oliver Reed (The Hunting Party, The Devils). Reed is the leader of a gang of handsome but unscrupulous young bachelors, who spend a hot summer on a seaside resort in pursuit of women- including Jane Merrow (The Lion in Winter) and Barbara Ferris (A Nice Girl Like Me). One of the gang, jealous of Reed’s success, uses their “system” to hoist the leader on his own petard. Shot on location in Devon by the great Nicolas Roeg (The Masque of the Red Death, Fahrenheit 451) before he turned his attentions to directing, The System, released in the U.S. as The Girl-Getters, boasts a fine supporting cast, including Julia Foster (Alfie), Harry Andrews (The Hill) and David Hemmings (Murder by Decree).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Stephen Vagg | Getting the Girl: Jane Merrow on THE SYSTEM Featurette (17:52) | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
