Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Clint Eastwood is Walt Coogan, a deputy sheriff from Arizona on the loose in the urban jungle of New York. Searching for a violent prisoner he has let slip ("It's got kinda personal now"), Coogan, in Stetson and cowboy boots, runs up against hippies, social workers and a bluntly hostile New York police chief played by Lee J. Cobb. It's a key film in the Eastwood oeuvre, the one in which his definitive persona first emerges, marrying the cool, laid-back westerner of the Rawhide TV series and the Italian westerns to the street-wise, kick-ass toughness which would be further developed in the Dirty Harryfilms. Directed by Eastwood's mentor, Don Siegel, Coogan's Bluff has pace, style and its share of typical Eastwood one-liners (to a hoodlum: "You better drop that blade or you won't believe what happens next"). Like all Eastwood's successful movies, it cunningly plays it both ways. Coogan represents the old-fashioned conservatism of the west in conflict with the decadence of city life. Yet he's the perennial outsider, hostile to authority, a radical loner who gets the job done where bureaucracy and legal niceties fail. The film was to be the inspiration behind the TV series McCloud, in which Dennis Weaver took the Eastwood role. --Edward Buscombe
The most American of directors according to celebrated critic Paolo Mereghetti, Damiano Damiani (A Bullet for the General) nevertheless surveyed his own country's mafia history unlike anyone before him, to critical and box office success. Three such classic films are collected in this Blu-ray box set, presented from new restorations. The Day of the Owl stars Franco Nero as a police chief who, while investigating the death of a construction worker, goes up against corrupt officials and a ruthless mafia boss (Lee J. Cobb). Adapted from the celebrated novel by Leonardo Sciascia (Illustrious Corpses, Todo Modo), The Day of the Owl was the first book to openly deal with organised crime in Sicily. A prestigious production, it was in the running for best film at the Berlin Film Festival and found wins at home in the David di Donatello Awards for Claudia Cardinale, Nero, Damiani, and Best Production. Nero portrays a simple man thrown in jail for a misdemeanour in The Case is Closed: Forget It. Inside, he sees the grim reality of life behind bars, where the mafia controls everything. A powerful production with Nero in top form and supported by a strong cast including Riccardo Cucciolla (Rabid Dogs) and John Steiner (Tenebrae), the intensity of Damiani's film places it among the finest prison dramas. Presented in Italian and for the first time with the original English dub. In How to Kill a Judge, Nero plays filmmaker Giacomo Solaris, whose latest film features a judge corrupted by the mafia and who is later found murdered. The real judge the character is based on seizes the footage, but is later killed in the same way. Feeling a degree of responsibility, Solaris investigates, but as the assassinations increase around him, will he reach the source of the conspiracy? Full of twists and a fascinating meta-commentary on cinema, Damiani points the camera at himself and the genre as he investigates the social impact of mafia violence, a fitting end to this survey of Damiani's Cosa Nostra. Limited Edition Features 2K restorations of The Day of the Owl, The Case is Closed: Forget It and How to Kill a Judge New and archival extras for each film Limited edition perfect bound book featuring new writing on the film by experts on the genre Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings The Day of the Owl 2K restoration of the film from the original negative presented in Italian and English audio options Original uncompressed mono PCM audio New interview with star Franco Nero Archival interview with Franco Nero, writer Ugo Pirro and production manager Lucio Trentini Archival interview with Claudia Cardinale from French TV in which she discusses her long and storied career Identity Crime-Sis: filmmaker and Italian crime cinema expert Mike Malloy discusses The Day of the Owl in the context of the formation of the Italian crime film genre Filmmaker Howard Berger looks at the late Italian career of actor Lee J. Cobb Trailer Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters The Case is Closed: Forget It 2K restoration of the film from the original negative presented in Italian and, for the first time, English audio options Original uncompressed mono PCM audio New interview with star Franco Nero Archival documentary on the making of the film featuring actor Corrado Solari, assistant director Enrique Bergier and editor Antonio Siciliano Video essay on the career of Damiani Damiani by critic Rachael Nisbet Trailer Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters How to Kill a Judge 2K restoration of the film from the original negative presented in Italian and English audio options Original uncompressed mono PCM audio New interview with star Franco Nero New interview with Alberto Pezzotta, author of Regia Damiano Damiani New video essay on the film by filmmaker David Cairns Trailer Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
Burt Lancaster is an uncompromising lawman who defies the odds when he single-handedly confronts a gang of killers in this extraordinarily perceptive and action-packed tale of life and justice on the American frontier. When Sabbath town-boss Vincent Bronson and his drunken ranch hands unwittingly kill and old man in Bannack everyone knows it was an accident. Everyone that is except Bannack's marshal Jered Maddox. A tough no nonsense man of the law Maddox is determined to br
This charming drama about a most unconventional Asian king and the British woman he hires to run a school for his wives and many children is based on the real-life memoirs of Anna Leonowens and her experiences in Siam. Novelized by Margaret Landon this is the story of the ""exasperating"" Anna (Irene Dunne) caught in the excesses of the royal court of King Mongkut of Siam (Rex Harrison). His heart is torn between tradition and the wish to be scientifically modern. Her heart is deeply a
A U.S. Sheriff entrusted with a map of the legendary Valley of Gold is attacked by an unruly bandit gang and his own local townspeople. They are all fired by greed and gold lust but bound together by a fear of their common enemy - the Apache. Based on a novel by Will Henry with music by Quincy Jones.
Six tough, no-nonsense noirs from six of the genre's toughest, no-nonsense directors: Budd Boetticher's Escape in the Fog, in which a nurse and a war veteran take on Nazi spies in San Francisco; Joseph H Lewis' The Undercover Man, inspired by the real-life case against Al Capone; Richard Quine's Drive a Crooked Road, which finds Mickey Rooney moving away from comedies and musicals to a tougher persona; Phil Karlson's 5 Against the House, starring Kim Novak as a nightclub singer embroiled in a casino heist; Vincent Sherman's The Garment Jungle, from which Kiss Me Deadly director Robert Aldrich was famously fired; and Don Siegel's police procedural The Lineup, based on the radio and television series, and as brutal a film as he ever made. All six films are presented for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, with The Undercover Man and Drive a Crooked Road making their world Blu-ray premieres. This stunning collection also boasts a 120-page book, and is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units. ESCAPE IN THE FOG (Budd Boetticher, 1945) THE UNDERCOVER MAN (Joseph H Lewis, 1949) DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD (Richard Quine, 1954) 5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (Phil Karlson, 1955) THE GARMENT JUNGLE (Vincent Sherman and Robert Aldrich, 1957) THE LINEUP (Don Siegel, 1958) Extras: 2K restorations of Escape in the Fog, The Undercover Man and The Garment Jungle High Definition presentations of Drive a Crooked Road, 5 Against the House and The Lineup Original mono soundtracks Audio commentary with film historian Pamela Hutchinson on Escape in the Fog (2020) Audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns on The Undercover Man (2020) Audio commentary with critic Nick Pinkerton on Drive a Crooked Road (2020) Audio commentary with critic David Jenkins on 5 Against the House (2020) Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons on The Garment Jungle (2020) Audio commentary with author James Ellroy and the Film Noir Foundation's Eddie Muller on The Lineup (2009) Audio commentary with film historian David Del Valle and author and screenwriter C Courtney Joyner on The Lineup (2020) Introduction to Drive a Crooked Road by Martin Scorsese (2014) It's a Jungle Out There (2007): archival interview with actor Robert Loggia conducted after a screening of The Garment Jungle Appreciation of The Garment Jungle by Tony Rayns (2020) The Influence of Noir (2009): appreciation of The Lineup by filmmaker Christopher Nolan Two episodes of The Lineup radio series: The Candy Store Murder (1950), written by Blake Edwards and Richard Quine; and The Case of Frankie and Joyce (1951) Screen Snapshots: Mickey Rooney, Then and Now (1953): Columbia Pictures promotional short featuring the famed performer looking back at his series of Mickey Maguire comedies Man on a Bus (1955): short film directed by Joseph H Lewis for the United Jewish Appeal, featuring a star-studded cast, including Walter Brennan, Broderick Crawford, Lassie, and Ruth Roman, and presented in High Definition Original theatrical trailers for Drive a Crooked Road, 5 Against the House, The Garment Jungle and The Lineup The Lineup trailer commentary: short critical appreciation by A History of Violence screenwriter Josh Olson Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with new essays by Iris Veysey, Paul Duane, Jill Blake, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Nathalie Morris, and Sergio Angelini; archival interview extracts with Budd Boetticher, Joseph H Lewis, Phil Karlson, and Robert Aldrich; extracts from the autobiographies of Don Siegel and Vincent Sherman; and film credits World and UK premieres on Blu-ray Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units MORE EXTRAS TO BE ANNOUNCED All extras subject to change
The Exorcist The belief in evil - and that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove The Exorcist the frightening and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity. The Exorcist II: The Heretic Pasuzu the incarnation of evil cast out of little Regan by Father Merrin returns to torment her once again... The Exorcist III A serial killer haunts the streets of
Thieves' Highway was made during a remarkable run of noir pictures that confirmed its director, Jules Dassin, as one of the genre's major forces. Following on from Brute Force and The Naked City, with Night and the City and Rififi soon to follow, it more than deserves its place in such hallowed company. Returning from the war to discover his father has been crippled in an altercation with a brutish mob-connected kingpin, Nick Garcos puts aside thoughts of settling down and instead focuses them on revenge. He buys an old army surplus truck and hits the road a 36-hour non-stop to San Francisco and, he hopes, a little justice Starring Richard Conte as Garcos and Lee J. Cobb as the object of his hate-filled intentions, Thieves' Highway is as tough as film noir gets. Adapting his own novel, A.I. Bezzerides (who would later bring Kiss Me Deadly to the big screen) created a slice of pure pulp poetry.
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Introducing America's Playboy Hero! Move over 007! And watch out Austin Powers! The U.S. has a braver smarter and more randy secret agent. His name: Flint. Derek Flint (James Coburn). In this hilarious spy spoof and exciting action adventure Flint battles Gila the sexy and savvy head agent whose organization is planning to destroy the world. It's a task that demands all of Flint's awesome powers of deduction destruction and - most of all - seduction. Crammed with joke
Kerwin Matthews (5 Against the House) and J Lee Cobb (The Family Secret) star in a film noir exposé of murder and corruption in the fashion world. When a Korean war veteran takes a job at his father's fashion business, he finds they are paying the mob to shut out the union. When pro-union employees begin getting murdered, he decides to take on the gangsters. Based on true stories about mob involvement in the garment industry, The Garment Jungle stands as a pro-union response to On the Waterfront, and is no less tough and controversial than that film original director Robert Aldrich (Kiss Me Deadly) was fired for his refusal to compromise, with Vincent Sherman (Affair in Trinidad) stepping in to complete production. Extras: Indicator Standard Edition Special Features 2K restoration Original mono audio Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020) It's a Jungle Out There (2007, 20 mins): archival interview with actor Robert Loggia, conducted by Alan K Rode of the Film Noir Foundation following a screening of The Garment Jungle Law of the Jungle (2020, 15 mins): writer and film programmer Tony Rayns discusses Robert Aldrich and The Garment Jungle Rip, Sew and Stitch (1953, 17 mins): comedy starring the Three Stooges, in which the trio play tailors who find themselves caught up in criminal activities Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: publicity and promotional material New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Starring Dick Powell (Murder, My Sweet) and Evelyn Keyes (Gone with the Wind), Johnny O'Clock is an exciting tale of gambling, double-crosses, love triangles... and murder! Johnny co-owns a casino with the crooked Guido, and has to dodge the advances of Nelle, Guido's wife. When a hat-check girl and her crooked cop boyfriend turn up dead, the police suspect Johnny, and he must fight to prove his innocence. Directed by Robert Rossen (The Hustler, Lilith), and with a supporting cast that includes Lee J Cobb (The Garment Jungle) and Nina Foch (Escape in the Fog), Johnny O'Clock is a thrilling film noir classic. Product Features 2K restoration Original mono soundtrack Audio commentary with filmmaker and film historian Jim Hemphill (2021) Not One Shall Die (1957, 30 mins): short film by the United Jewish Appeal, directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Guy Madison, Felicia Farr and Agnes Moorehead, made by the core crew of many Columbia noirs, including cinematographer Burnett Guffey, art director Cary Odell, editor Al Clark, set decorator Frank Tuttle, and composer Morris Stoloff Whoops, I'm an Indian! (1936, 18 mins): the casino business spells trouble for the Three Stooges Original theatrical trailer Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
William Holden (The Wild Bunch) and Lee J Cobb (The Garment Jungle, The Exorcist) lead the cast of The Dark Past, a psychological film noir thriller focusing on the art of criminal psychoanalysis. Dr Collins, a police psychiatrist, is held hostage along with his family by escaped gang boss Al Walker and his accomplices. When Collins learns that Walker is plagued by nightmares, he begins to analyse his captor, and a battle of wills ensues... Co-starring Nina Foch (Escape in the Fog), co-written by Marvin Wald (The Naked City), and directed by Rudolph Maté (D.O.A.), The Dark Past is a powerful tale of home invasion and hostages. Product Features High Definition remaster Original mono audio Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross (2021) The Poised Performance (2021, 14 mins): critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson assesses the career of actor Nina Foch The Gulf Screen Guild Theater: 'Blind Alley' (1940, 23 mins): radio adaptation of the James Warwick play upon which The Dark Past is based, starring Edward G Robinson, Joseph Calleia and Isabel Jewell Shivering Sherlocks (1948, 18 mins): the Three Stooges get mixed up with a dangerous gang of criminals hiding out at an isolated mansion Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Film List: Dead Reckoning (John Cromwell, 1947) Knock On Any Door (Nicholas Ray, 1949) Tokyo Joe (Stuart Heisler, 1949) Sirocco (Curtis Bernhardt, 1951) The Family Secret (Henry Levin, 1951) The Harder They Fall (Mark Robson, 1956) A fifth foray into the film noir output of Columbia Pictures, but, this time, with a twist. Not only does this volume bring together six more gems from the studio's archives, but it also serves as a showcase for the great Humphrey Bogart. Having established his stardom in the gangster pictures of the 1930s, Bogart fit easily into the world of film noir, where he was equally at home playing troubled servicemen, slick-talking lawyers, black marketeers, gambling den owners, or hard-up journalists. Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart brings together five of the iconic actor's starring vehicles: John Cromwell's Dead Reckoning, Nicholas Ray's Knock on Any Door, Stuart Heisler's Tokyo Joe, Curtis Bernhardt's Sirocco, and Mark Robson's The Harder They Fall, plus Henry Levin's The Family Secret, a rarity starring Lee J Cobb and John Derek that was produced by Bogart's Santana Pictures, an outfit that regularly delved into the seedy, shadowy world of noir. Featuring a stunning 4K restoration of The Harder They Fall, and with Sirocco and The Family Secret appearing on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes newly recorded commentaries and critical appreciations, archival documentaries and short films, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units. Product Features 4K restoration of The Harder They Fall HD presentations of Dead Reckoning, Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe, Sirocco and The Family Secret Original mono audio Audio commentary with film scholar and preservationist Alan K Rode on Dead Reckoning (2022) Audio commentary with writer and film historian Pamela Hutchinson on Knock on Any Door (2022) Audio commentary with writer and film historian Nora Fiore on Tokyo Joe (2022) Audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson on Sirocco (2022) Audio commentary with professor and film scholar Jason A Ney on The Family Secret (2022) Audio commentary with critics and writers Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme on The Harder They Fall (2022) The South Bank Show: 'Bogart: Here's Looking at You, Kid' (1997): episode of the British arts television series devoted to the iconic actor Tony Rayns on 'Dead Reckoning' (2022): appreciation by the writer and film programmer Geoff Andrew on 'Knock on Any Door' (2022): the critic and programmer discusses Bogart and Nicholas Ray Bertrand Tavernier on 'Tokyo Joe' (2017): archival appreciation by the celebrated filmmaker and critic Tom Vincent on Sessue Hayakawa (2022): the film archivist looks at the career and stardom of the Tokyo Joe actor from the silent film era through to his Oscar-nominated role in The Bridge on the River Kwai Christina Newland on 'The Harder They Fall' (2022): the critic and writer talks Bogart, boxing and Budd Schulberg Bertrand Tavernier on 'The Harder They Fall' (2017): archival appreciation by the celebrated filmmaker and critic The Negro Soldier (1944): WWII documentary film intended as a recruitment drive for African American enlistees, directed by Stuart Heisler and now preserved by the National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance Jim Pines on 'The Negro Soldier' (2010): audio presentation by the author and lecturer, recorded following a screening of the film at London's BFI Southbank The Negro Sailor (1945): documentary short film, inspired by the success of The Negro Soldier, directed by Henry Levin Watchtower Over Tomorrow (1945): documentary short film about the formation of the United Nations, directed by John Cromwell Tuesday in November (1945): documentary short on the US presidential campaign of 1944, on which Nicholas Ray served as assistant director That Justice Be Done (1945): documentary short on the Nuremberg Trials, written by Budd Schulberg The Big Moment (1954): short film produced by the United Jewish Appeal starring Knock on Any Door and The Family Secret actor John Derek Max Baer on Super 8: home cinema presentations of boxing matches featuring the prize fighter who acted in The Harder They Fall, including his famous bout with Primo Carnera that he would recreate in the film Theatrical trailer for Knock on Any Door Image galleries: publicity and promotional materials New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Imogen Sara Smith, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits World and UK premieres on Blu-ray Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units All extras subject to change
Marlon Brando's famous "I coulda been a contenda" speech in On the Water Front is such a war horse by now that a lot of people probably feel they've seen the film already, even if they haven't. And many of those who have seen it may have forgotten how flat-out thrilling it is. For all its great dramatic and cinematic qualities, and its fiery social criticism, Elia Kazan's has created one of the most gripping melodramas of political corruption and individual heroism ever made in the United States, a five-star gut-grabber. Shot on location around the docks of Hoboken, New Jersey, in the mid-1950s, it tells the fact-based story of a longshoreman (Brando's Terry Malloy) who is blackballed and savagely beaten for informing against the mobsters who have taken over his union and sold it out to the bosses. (Karl Malden has a more conventional stalwart-hero role, as an idealistic priest who nurtures Terry's pangs of conscience.) Lee J Cobb, who created the role of Willy Loman in Death of Salesman under Kazan's direction on Broadway, makes a formidable foe as a greedy union leader. --David Chute, Amazon.com
""You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody instead of a bum which is what I am let's face it."" - Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) Marlon Brando is the longshoreman who finds himself increasingly isolated when he challenges the might and power of the tough New York City dockers' Union. Rod Steiger is his elder brother torn between loyalty to union and love of family. Lee J. Cobb is the powerful union boss while Eva Marie Saint
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