Kino Lorber Studio Classics and Kino Cult have unveiled the details of their May 2024 4K UHD and Blu-Ray releases including works from such icons as Johnny Depp, William Powell, Cybill Shepherd, Peter Bogdanovich, Harvey Keitel, Alan Ladd, Robert Mitchum, and more. Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: Based on S.S. Van Dine’s bestselling novels, these classic Pre-Code murder-mysteries showcase the case-cracking prowess of the debonair detective Philo Vance, as portrayed by cinema’s icon of gentlemanly sleuthing, William Powell (The Thin Man, Take One False Step). THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929) – Who silenced The Canary? A scheming showgirl known as The Canary turns up dead, and so does the lone witness to the killing. Only Philo Vance stands a chance at cracking this case. Directed by Malcolm St. Clair (A Woman of the World); co-starring screen great Jean Arthur (Easy Living) and the legendary Louise Brooks (Beggars of Life) as the conniving Canary. THE GREENE MURDER CASE (1929) – Members of the wealthy but loathsome Greene family gather at a spooky old castle to establish the terms of a will, only to be mysteriously murdered one-by-one. Philo Vance scrutinizes the clues and suspects. Directed by Frank Tuttle (This Gun for Hire); co-starring the dazzling Jean Arthur (A Foreign Affair) and Florence Eldridge (An Act of Murder). THE BENSON MURDER CASE (1930) – When a ruthless, crooked stockbroker croaks at his luxurious country estate, Philo Vance just so happens to be there to investigate. Directed by Frank Tuttle (Lucky Jordan); co-starring acting ace Paul Lukas (By Candlelight) with William “Stage” Boyd (The Locked Door) and one of Powell’s Thin Man suspects, Natalie Moorhead (Private Detective 62).
Bonus Features: Brand New 4K Restorations of THE CANARY MURDER CASE and THE GREENE MURDER CASE | 2K Restoration of THE BENSON MURDER CASE | NEW Audio Commentaries for THE CANARY MURDER CASE and THE GREENE MURDER CASE by Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw | NEW Audio Commentary for THE BENSON MURDER CASE by Professor and Film Scholar Jason A. Ney | Optional English Subtitles
REPUBLIC PICTURES HORROR COLLECTION
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: These four acclaimed chillers from Republic Pictures are guaranteed to put a tingle down your spine and a smile on your face! THE LADY AND THE MONSTER (1944) – Erich von Stroheim plays a mad scientist bent on keeping the brain of millionaire William Donovan alive after he removes it from Donovan’s dying body. His assistant (Richard Arlen) serves as host for Donovan’s brain impulses; the lady of the title (Vera Ralston) fights against the monstrous experiment. THE PHANTOM SPEAKS (1945) – The vengeful spirit of an executed murderer (Tom Powers) enters the body of a physician (Stanley Ridges), and forces him to do its bidding—namely, murder. A newspaperman (Richard Arlen) must unravel the bloody supernatural secret before it’s too late. THE CATMAN OF PARIS (1946) – After a mysterious cat-like creature slaughters people close to him, Parisian Charles Regnier (Carl Esmond) is suspected of murder. Charles fears that he is the beast, but his paramour Marie (Lenore Aubert) and best friend Henry (Douglass Dumbrille) believe he’s innocent…until the Catman begins to stalk Marie! VALLEY OF THE ZOMBIES (1946) – Long-dead madman Ormand Murks (Ian Keith) once believed that endless blood transfusions would make him immortal. Now resurrected via voodoo, he stalks the city for human blood. A woman (Adrian Booth) falls under Ormand’s hypnotic, vampiric spell.
Bonus Features: HD Masters by Paramount Pictures – From 4K Scans | NEW Audio Commentary for THE LADY AND THE MONSTER by Film Historian Stephen Bissette | Audio Commentary for THE PHANTOM SPEAKS by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas | NEW Audio Commentary for THE CATMAN OF PARIS by Film Historians David Del Valle and Miles Hunter | NEW Audio Commentary for VALLEY OF THE ZOMBIES by Historians David Del Valle and Miles Hunter | Audio Commentary for VALLEY OF THE ZOMBIES by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas | Sidebar on THE LADY AND THE MONSTER On-Camera with Tim Lucas and Steven Bissette | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: Mandy (Peggie Castle, 99 River Street) has not been feeling well since arriving at her husband Dick’s house on the craggy California coastline. Things get worse—and weirder—when she is suddenly possessed by the spirit of Dick’s dead ex-wife, Felicia! Mandy’s sister (Marsha Hunt, Take One False Step) and Dick (Arthur Franz, Invaders from Mars) desperately want Mandy back, but there are many people who have been waiting a long time for Felicia’s return. Sinister people who practice the Black Arts…who will stop at nothing to make sure Felicia is Back from the Dead. Get hypnotized by this strange and eerie tale directed by Charles Marquis Warren (The Unknown Terror), adapted by Catherine Turney (No Man of Her Own) from her novel, The Other One, and shot by Ernest Haller (Gone with the Wind) in gorgeous, black-and-white “Regalscope.”
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Tom Weaver, Gary D. Rhodes and Larry Blamire | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians David Del Valle and Dana M. Reemes | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: Barry Newman (Vanishing Point) is Tony Petrocelli, an Italian-American, Harvard-educated, root-beer-swilling courtroom cowboy in the rich Southwestern cattle town of Baker. Tony takes on the defense of a physician accused of murdering his wife who insists that the killing was committed by an unknown assailant—even though the evidence is questionable. With “a man is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” as his motto, the hotshot young lawyer crusades against a star state prosecutor (Harold Gould, The Big Bus) in this crackerjack courtroom drama co-starring Diana Muldaur (McQ) and directed by the mighty Sidney J. Furie (The Ipcress File). Loosely based on the infamous Sam Sheppard murder case, The Lawyer later spawned the hit TV series Petrocelli (1974-’76), also starring Newman in his iconic role.
Bonus Features: 2021 HD Master by Paramount Pictures – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer and Film Director Paul Lynch, with Archival Excerpts from Director Sidney J. Furie | Newman’s Law: Interview with Star Barry Newman (21:34) | Lawyers’ Wives and Lost Loves: Interview with Actress Diana Muldaur (10:56) | Theatrical Teaser (0:40) | Newly Commissioned Key Art by Vince Evans | Optional English Subtitles
DAISY MILLER (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: From cinema giant Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon) and the classic novella by Henry James (The Turn of the Screw), Daisy Miller stars the sensational Cybill Shepherd (Taxi Driver) as the free-spirited young American living abroad in Europe with her daffy mother and bratty kid brother. A woman who does as she pleases yet who seldom pleases anybody but herself, Daisy is very liberated and very much ahead of her time as her behavior scandalizes the Victorian high society of 1878. With sumptuous cinematography, Oscar-nominated costumes and a streak of delightfully acerbic humor, Bogdanovich’s adaptation is “one of the few great films based on a great book” (Richard Brody). Co-starring Bogdanovich favorites Barry Brown (The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid), Mildred Natwick (Barefoot in the Park), Eileen Brennan (The Sting) and Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein).
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | Remembering Daisy Miller: NEW Interview with Star Cybill Shepherd (10:14) | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Peter Tonguette | Audio Commentary by Director Peter Bogdanovich | Introduction by Director Peter Bogdanovich (12:45) | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 5/21/24
Synopsis: This quirky cult favorite follows the comic misadventures of Bob (Allan Katz), mysterious inhabitant of the UCLA campus clock tower. Bob’s been handed over to the university’s Psychology department for study. It’s up to Dr. Webster (Tom Skerritt, Alien), speech therapist Diane Girard (Cindy Williams, TV’s Laverne and Shirley) and Bob’s reluctant roommate Alex (Corey Parker, Biloxi Blues) to teach this primitive misfit the ways of the civilized world. Bob tackles it all, from frisbee to “nookie,” with one goal in mind: to win the affections of his true love, Cathy (Melora Hardin, TV’s Monk). The problem? Cathy is Alex’s girlfriend! Will the lumpy, tower-dwelling human hairball find love? Or will the miserable Dr. Fisk (Jessica Harper, Suspiria) have him put away as a menace to society? Find out, in this riotous campus comedy for every Tom, Dick and Quasimodo who ever dreamed of being a Big Man on Campus! Directed by Jeremy Kagan (TV’s Columbo, The Sting II) and written by the Big Man himself, Allan Katz (TV’s M*A*S*H and Rhoda)!
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the 35mm Interpositive | NEW Audio Commentary by Director Jeremy Kagan and Film Historian Andrew Bentler | What About Bob?: NEW Interview with Actor and Screenwriter Allan Katz (16:02) | Alternate Ending: Featuring Optional Audio Commentary by Director Jeremy Kagan (9:01) | Stills Gallery (2:59) | Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
BAD LIEUTENANT (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: He has survived on the streets for twenty years. He’s a gambler. A thief. A junkie. A killer. A cop. Now he’s investigating the most shocking case of his life, and as he moves closer to the truth, his self-destructive past is closing in. NYC auteur/provocateur Abel Ferrara (The Driller Killer, King of New York) and co-writer Zoë Lund (Ms. 45) gaze unflinchingly into the life of a Bad Lieutenant. Starring screen legend Harvey Keitel (Mean Streets, Reservoir Dogs) at his most brilliant and brutal in what is perhaps the most incendiary and notorious film of the 1990s. The stellar supporting cast includes Victor Argo (Taxi Driver) and Paul Calderon (The Last Castle).
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director Abel Ferrera and Cinematographer Ken Kelsch | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Triple Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director Abel Ferrera and Cinematographer Ken Kelsch | NEW Interview with Cinematographer Ken Kelsch | Bad Neighborhoods: The Locations of Bad Lieutenant – NEW Featurette | Retrospective Documentary: Featuring Exclusive Interviews with the Cast and Crew | Theatrical Trailer | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: Sci-fi and horror collide in 3 bone-rattling and bizarre B-Movie classics! THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957) – A millionaire (John Howard) leads a remote jungle expedition to find the legendary “Cave of the Dead” where his wife’s (Mala Powers) brother had disappeared long ago. Instead, they stumble upon a mad doctor who has created a horde of foam-spewing, fungus-covered monster-men! Directed by Charles Marquis Warren (Back from the Dead) and shot by Joseph F. Biroc (Bwana Devil) in spine-chilling “Regalscope.” THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK (1958) – When a brilliant scientist (Ross Martin) is accidentally killed, his preserved brain is transferred to the body of a giant robot so that it can continue to serve mankind. But when it gains awareness of its own hideousness, this steel colossus embarks on a rampage of destruction! Directed by Eugène Lourié (Gorgo) and co-starring Mala Powers as the deceased man’s horrified wife and Otto Kruger as his obsessed, mad-scientist father. DESTINATION INNER SPACE (1966) – When an object of unknown origin is detected in the area of an underwater laboratory, scientists investigate and come face to face with the object—an extraterrestrial saucer! They board the craft and discover a mysterious cylinder, which they take back to the lab for closer inspection. It is then that events take a monstrous turn! Directed by Francis D. Lyon (Castle of Evil) and starring Scott Brady, Sheree North and Gary Merrill. Destination Inner Space was shot in Eastmancolor by cinematographer Brick Marquard (Foxy Brown).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas | Includes Both the International 98-Minute Cut and the 76-Minute AIP US Cut | Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
REVENGE OF THE NINJA (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: The Ninja are back! Brandishing swords and fists, leaping and kicking, wielding blow darts and explosives, they know a thousand ways to kill. Martial arts legend Shô Kosugi (Pray for Death, Rage of Honor) delivers a heart-pounding display of strength, speed and lethal Ninja know-how in this action-packed thriller that takes us back to the good old days of the kung fu extravaganza. When a band of Ninja assassins slaughters the family of Cho Osaki (Kosugi), he flees to America in the hope of building a new life. A former Ninja himself, Osaki tries to escape his deadly past but soon discovers he has become the pawn of a ruthless drug trafficker—an American Ninja intent on killing anyone who crosses his path…including Osaki! Directed by action maestro Sam Firstenberg (Avenging Force) and produced by Cannon legends Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, Revenge of the Ninja is terrific entertainment with slam-bang action scenes, mind-blowing stunts and legendary villains like Professor Toru Tanaka (The Perfect Weapon)!
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema | Audio Commentary by Director Sam Firstenberg and Stunt Coordinator Steven Lambert | Intro by Sam Firstenberg | Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
THE PERFECT WEAPON (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: One man becomes a deadly strike force in this crackling action-thriller starring martial arts sensation Jeff Speakman (The Expert). Speakman plays a drifter and Kenpo karate expert who returns home to discover his mentor has been murdered by a ruthless drug lord. Determined to avenge the killing, he must contend with the cop assigned to the case—his long-estranged brother (John Dye, Best of the Best). Caught between the arm of the law and his own code of honor, Jeff heads toward a final showdown with a sadistic assassin (Professor Toru Tanaka, Revenge of the Ninja). Directed by Mark DiSalle (Kickboxer) and supervised by Kenpo karate Grand Master Ed Parker, The Perfect Weapon features black belt Speakman in the most dazzling karate sequences ever captured on film. Anytime…Anywhere…Anyplace…Jeff Speakman is The Perfect Weapon. Featuring Mariska Hargitay (TV’s Law & Order: SVU) and Dante Basco (Hook) with screen legends Mako (An Eye for an Eye), James Hong (Missing in Action) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat).
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Director Mark DiSalle and Action Film Historian Mike Leeder | Street Speed: NEW Interview with Star Jeff Speakman (23:18) | Deleted & Extended Scenes (9:01) | Theatrical Trailer (2:00) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: The year is 2003. Chaank Industries, ruthless world leaders in future weapons technology, hires a new Chief Executive, Hayden Cale. Cale soon uncovers a secret and unethical weapons project the company is involved in. Her first order of business is to shut it down. Her troubles just begin as she also tries to fire the company technological mastermind, Jack Dante—a childlike psychotic with a dark genius for exotic weapons design. Dante retaliates by unleashing into the corporate headquarters the Death Machine—the ultimate killing unit. A weapon that tracks its target by sensing fear and has the power to rip through walls with its hard steel strength and razor teeth. Cale must wage a desperate bloody battle with the terrifying force that has no mercy, no pity and no fear in this cutting-edge cyberpunk classic from filmmaker and SFX wizard Stephen Norrington (Blade, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Dante is played with oddball relish by Brad Dourif (Child’s Play, Spontaneous Combustion) in a cast featuring Ely Pouget (The Rift), William Hootkins (Star Wars, Hardware), John Sharian (The Machinist), Richard Brake (3 from Hell) and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy). This 2-disc special edition loaded with extras includes three cuts of the film, The 100-minute U.S. version, the 122-minute foreign version and newly created 106-minute director’s cut in 7.1 surround sound.
Bonus Features: DISC 1: THE U.S. VERSION (100 Minutes) Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the Interpositive | NEW Audio Commentary by Horror-Fix.com’s James G. Chandler and Ash Hamilton | U.S. Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles | NEWLY CREATED DIRECTOR’S CUT (106 Minutes) NEW Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Stephen Norrington and Film Historian Michael Felsher | NEW Technical Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Stephen Norrington | NEW Audio Conversation with Writer/Director Stephen Norrington and Creature Creator & Make-up Artist Alec Gillis | Isolated Original Score Audio Track| 7.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2: THE FOREIGN VERSION (122 Minutes) 2019 Restoration | Conducting Chaos: Composer Crispin Merrell on the Sound of Death Machine (25m) | Cutting Edge Action: Editor Paul Endacott talks about Death Machine (19m) | Cyberpunk on a Budget: Costume Designer Stephanie Collier on Death Machine (18m) | Looking Death in the Eye: Producer Ray Burdis talks about Death Machine (16m) | Mechanical Mayhem: Co-Producer Stuart St Paul remembers Death Machine (21m) | Artwork & Design Still Gallery (4m) | Behind-The-Scenes Still Gallery (9m) | German Theatrical Trailer (3m) | Japanese Theatrical Trailer (3m) | Vintage BTS Promo from Japanese Laserdisc (6m) | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: Eisenhower is President. Rock ’n’ Roll is king. And Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the baddest hood in his high school. Screen idol Johnny Depp heads up a divine cast as the irresistible bad boy whose amazing ability to shed one single tear drives all the girls wild—especially Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane), a rich, beautiful “square” who finds herself uncontrollably drawn to the dreamy juvenile delinquent and his forbidden world of rockabilly music, fast cars and faster women. It’s the hysterical high-throttle world of 1954 in this outrageous musical comedy from the marvelously maniacal mind of John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray). Also starring Susan Tyrrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Kim McGuire, Darren E. Burrows, Stephen Mailer and Polly Bergen, with appearances by Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, Joe Dallesandro, Joey Heatherton, David Nelson, Willem Dafoe and Patricia Hearst.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand NEW HDR/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters, Moderated by Black Mansion Films Producer Heather Buckley (Theatrical Cut) | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): Brand NEW HD Master (Director’s Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Theatrical Cut Original Camera Negative, 4K Scan of the Director’s Cut Interpositive (7 Minutes) and Uprez of the SD Master for the Additional Missing Parts | Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters (Director’s Cut) | Bringing Up Baby: NEW Featurette with Writer/Director John Waters, Associate Producer /Casting Director Pat Moran, Cinematographer David Insley and Actress Mink Stole (38:10) | Pop Icons: NEW Interview with Actress Amy Locane (14:12) | Part of a Collection: NEW Interview with Actress Traci Lords (19:23) | A Few Yucks: NEW Interview with Actor and Rock Legend Iggy Pop (9:17) | All These Misfits: NEW Interview with Actress Ricki Lake (8:16) | So Tired of Being Good: NEW Interview with Actress Patricia Hearst (8:42) | In The Sandbox: NEW Interview with Actor Darren E. Burrows (10:12) | Hip To Be Square: NEW Interview with Actor Stephen Mailer (9:15) | Talking Hair: NEW Interview with Barber Howard ‘Hep” Preston (10:03) | It Came from… Baltimore!: 2005 Documentary with Cast and Crew (47:40) | 5 Deleted Scenes (7:03) | Theatrical Trailer | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: The irresistible Tony Shalhoub returns to his acclaimed, award-winning role for a stellar seventh season in the quirky and irreverent detective show, Monk. New cast-mate Hector Elizondo (Dr. Neven Bell) as Monk’s new shrink, replaces the great Stanley Kamel (Dr. Charles Kroger) who passed away in 2008. Joining Monk and cast of other regulars (Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford) are the phenomenal guest stars Bob Costas, Brad Garrett, Robert Loggia, Eric McCormack, Joanna Pacula, Evan Peters, Gena Rowlands, Sarah Silverman, David Strathairn, John Turturro, Casper Van Dien, Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn and many more in 16 hilarious, unforgettable episodes—including the star-studded 100th episode, Mr. Monk’s 100th Case! Despite his overwhelming fear of germs, crowds, small places and almost everything else, Monk proves once again why he’s TV’s top super-sleuth and why mystery lovers “can’t deny how amusing it all still is” (Entertainment Weekly).
Bonus Features: All 16 Season Seven Episodes – Newly Restored in 4K | Anatomy of an Episode: Featurette with Stars Tony Shalhoub and Traylor Howard, Guest Star Bob Costas and Members of the Monk Crew (9:02) | 6 Video Commentaries: Mr. Monk Buys a House with Creator/Co-Writer Andy Breckman (4:33) | Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever with Writer Hy Conrad (4:38) | Mr. Monk Is Underwater with Writer Jack Bernstein (2:46) | Mr. Monk Falls in Love with Writers Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (5:18) | Mr. Monk’s 100th Case with Writer Tom Scharpling (3:35) | Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized with Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross (3:31) | Monk P.I. – Promotional Ad | 5 Little Monk Webisodes: Little Monk and the Geography Bee (3:59) | Little Monk and the Saturday Rehearsal (4:21) | Little Monk and the Balloon (3:45) | Little Monk and the Talent Show (3:38) | Little Monk and the Little Trophy (4:39) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham (Of Human Bondage) and made at the height of the Second World War, The Hour Before the Dawn stars Franchot Tone (Five Graves to Cairo) as Jim Hetherton, a pacifist Englishman who becomes a conscientious objector at the onset of WWII. The sultry Veronica Lake (So Proudly We Hail) plays Dora Bruckmann, the beautiful Austrian refugee whom Jim marries. But what neither he nor anyone else suspects is that Dora is actually an agent planted by the Nazis, and her main concern is finding the location of a secret airfield in the vicinity of the Hetherton estate in order to help Hitler’s planned invasion. By preying on his beliefs, Dora manages to manipulate Jim into potentially betraying his country. Billed as “a story of turbulent emotions, exciting times, impassioned love…and a sinister, deadly secret,” The Hour Before the Dawn was directed by Frank Tuttle (Lucky Jordan, This Gun for Hire), shot by John F. Seitz (The Lost Weekend) and scored by Miklós Rózsa (Secret Beyond the Door).
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the 35mm Original Fine Grain | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot | Theatrical Trailer (Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: Following their noir classics This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia, screen legends Alan Ladd (Lucky Jordan) and Veronica Lake (The Hour Before the Dawn) team up for the fourth and final time in Saigon. After World War II, Larry (Ladd) learns that his flying buddy Mike will only live a short while longer due to shrapnel injuries. In order to finance one last wild trip for his friend, he accepts a lucrative flying job from a crooked profiteer. The plane takes off with sultry secretary Susan (Lake) on board—who, of course, falls for dashing Larry. However, danger awaits them when they’re forced to land their plane—and smuggled cargo—in Vietnam, with the police hot on their trail. Directed by Leslie Fenton (Whispering Smith), Saigon is a breathtaking, romance-laden adventure for Lake and Ladd!
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master – From a 2K Scan of the 35mm Original Fine Grain | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Lee Gambin and Elissa Rose | Theatrical Trailer (Mastered in 2K) | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: The noir genre is known for its labyrinthine plots, but Arthur Ripley’s The Chase takes the “wrong man” premise to unexpected extremes. Robert Cummings (Saboteur) stars as Chuck Scott, a down-on-his-luck veteran who lands a job as a chauffeur to a sadistic millionaire (Steve Cochran, Private Hell 36) and his reptilian bodyguard (Peter Lorre, My Favorite Brunette). Scott plays white knight to his boss’s suffering wife, stealing her away to Havana. But when she is fatally stabbed in a crowded nightclub, Scott is accused of murder, and must flee the shadowy streets of Cuba in a reckless attempt to prove his innocence. Adapting a novel by Cornell Woolrich (author of Rear Window and The Bride Wore Black), screenwriter Philip Yordan (The Big Combo) introduced a number of twists to the original story, including a third-act surprise that transforms what might have been a conventional story of an ill-fated love into something truly mind-bending and surreal – making it one of the most unique entries in the hardboiled genre. Co-starring legendary French actress Michèle Morgan (Port of Shadows) and wonderfully directed by Arthur Ripley (Voice in the Wind).
Bonus Features: Mastered in HD from 35mm Elements Preserved by UCLA | Audio commentary by Filmmaker Guy Maddin | Two Radio Adaptations of Cornell Woolrich’s Source Novel, The Black Path of Fear, Starring Cary Grant and Brian Donlevy | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: From legendary director Raoul Walsh (High Sierra, White Heat) comes what Martin Scorsese hails as Hollywood’s first “western noir.” Screen icon Robert Mitchum (The Night of the Hunter) plays Jeb Rand, one of Hollywood’s early anti-heroes—an orphan-turned-war-hero caught in the middle of a violent family feud. Written by Niven Busch (Duel in the Sun), Pursued is the story of Jeb’s love for his stepsister, Thorley (a terrific Teresa Wright, Shadow of a Doubt), which triggers a fatal gun battle with her brother Adam (John Rodney, Key Largo). Despite this tragedy she marries Jeb, intent on avenging the death on their wedding night. But Jeb’s dark past closes in with the arrival of a stranger with a score to settle who sets off a brutal climax of treachery, murder and shocking revelations. Judith Anderson (Rebecca) plays Mrs. Callum, the widow who takes in young Jeb; Dean Jagger (Dark City) plays Grant, a one-armed stranger who seems bent on tormenting Jeb; Alan Hale (The Crusades) plays Jake Dingle, a casino owner who becomes Jeb’s business partner; and Harry Carey Jr. (Man of the East) plays Prentice, a young man also in love with Thorley. Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by James Wong Howe (Hud) and a rousing score by Max Steiner (Casablanca) further enrich Walsh’s brilliant blending of two distinctly American film genres.
Bonus Features: 2022 HD Master by Paramount Pictures – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative, Dupe Negative and Comp Print | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith | Introduction by Martin Scorsese | Optional English Subtitles
ARTHUR DONG’S ASIAN AMERICAN STORIES
Street Date: 5/28/24
Synopsis: With over 150 international film awards to his name, the full scope of Arthur Dong’s storytelling mastery is brought to light in this Blu-ray collection of films that explore the Asian American experience. This illuminating anthology includes four films spanning over 30 years that showcase Dong’s historically acute focus on Asian Americans at the crossroads with Hollywood, pop culture, tradition, immigration, racism, and genocide. The Academy Award®-nominated short documentary Sewing Woman (1982) is based on the life of Dong’s mother, a bittersweet journey of one woman’s determination to survive: from an arranged marriage in old China to the working class comforts of America. Forbidden City, U.S.A. (1989) profi les the groundbreaking entertainers from the renowned all-Chinese Forbidden City Nightclub in 1940s San Francisco. Hollywood Chinese (2007) is a smart and lively look at the ways the Chinese have been imagined in the movies, from silent classics to contemporary blockbusters. The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor (2015) chronicles the journey of a Cambodian doctor from his imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge to a harrowing escape to America, and from his Academy Award®-winning performance in The Killing Fields (1985) to his mysterious murder in Los Angeles Chinatown.
Bonus Features: Alternate Khmer audio for The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.