Tag Archives: Donald Pleasence

The 1971 film Wake in Fright comes to 4K in June

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Movie poster for 'Wake in Fright' featuring prominent characters, with a dramatic background and a kangaroo silhouette at the bottom.
Movie poster for 'Wake in Fright' featuring Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, and Chips Rafferty, with a dramatic background and text at the bottom.
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The 1971 film “Wake in Fright” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray in Limited Edition set(s) via Arrow Video on June 30th. The releases will be distributed stateside by MVD Entertainment Group.

Ted Kotcheff directed and co-wrote the screenplay adaptation, based on a novel of the same title. The movie starred Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay, Jack Thompson, Al Thomas, Peter Whittle, Nancy Knudsen, and John Meillon.

The movie is presented “here in a definitive 4K restoration.” The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision (HDR10-compatible) high dynamic range and lossless Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation and lossless Mono sound.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Limited Edition sets are now available for preorder at Amazon. You can also preorder directly via the Arrow Video site or the MVD Shop. The physical extras are pictured below, along with the full list of bonus material further below.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray box set of the film 'Wake in Fright,' featuring a disc, a booklet, and a colorful cover art.
  • Audio commentary by director Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
  • Audio commentary by Peter Galvin, author of The Making of Wake in Fright
  • Return to the ‘Yabba, a featurette tracking down the film’s Broken Hill locations
  • Take in Fright, an interview with director of photography Brian West
  • Sounds of the Outback, a previously unreleased interview with sound editors Keith Palmer and Eddy Joseph
  • The Cinema’s Great Squeaky Bald Git, an appreciation of actor Donald Pleasence by film historian Kim Newman
  • The Filmmaker and the Film Buff, a discussion between Philippe Mora and Paul Harris
  • Yer Mad, Ya Bastard!, an archive interview with director Ted Kotcheff
  • Not Quite Hollywood, an archive interview with actor Jack Thompson
  • Q&A with Ted Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
  • Audio interview with Ted Kotcheff, conducted by Paul Harris
  • Audio interview with composer John Scott, conducted by music historian Daniel Schweiger
  • Alternate scenes from Outback
  • 2009 TV report on the rediscovery and restoration of Wake in Fright
  • Who Needs Art?, a 1971 TV segment with behind-the-scenes footage
  • Chips Rafferty obituary by Ken G. Hall
  • US theatrical trailer and TV spot
  • Foreign Visions of Local Stories, a trailer reel of Australian films helmed by overseas filmmakers
  • Image gallery
  • Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jay Slater, Paul Lê and David Michael Brown plus archive materials
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jeff Marshall

The 1972 film Raw Meat comes to 4K in September

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The 1972 film “Raw Meat” [aka “Death Line”] is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on September 30th via Blue Underground. Gary Sherman directed and co-wrote the film. It starred Donald Pleasence, Christopher Lee, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney, and James Cossins.

The movie has received a new restoration from a 4K scan [16-bit] from the original, uncensored camera negative. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision or HDR10 form of high dynamic range. It will include Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround, and DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with the same audio mixes as listed for the 4K release. The 4K will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.

UPDATED: You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray now available for preorder at Amazon, but not the Blu-ray, so stay tuned for an update. Alternatively, you can preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray via DiabolikDVD. The bonus materials set to be included with the 4K and Blu-ray releases are listed below, sorted by disc.

Disc 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray):

  • Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
  • NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
  • Trailers
  • TV Spots
  • Radio Spots

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):

  • Audio Commentary #1 with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman, Producer Paul Maslansky, and Assistant Director Lewis More O’Ferrall
  • NEW! Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
  • Tales From The Tube – Interview with Co-Writer/Director Gary Sherman and Executive Producers Jay Kanter & Alan Ladd Jr.
  • From The Depths – Interview with Star David Ladd and Producer Paul Maslansky
  • Mind The Doors – Interview with Star Hugh Armstrong
  • Trailers
  • TV Spots
  • Radio Spots
  • NEWLY EXPANDED! Poster & Still Gallery

Further below, after the break, you can find a promotional 4K restoration trailer in HD.

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The Halloween 4K Collection 1995-2002 in October

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“The Halloween 4K Collection (1995-2002)“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 4th via Scream Factory (Shout! Factory).  The release will include the following three films (and versions):

  • “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” (1995)
    • Theatrical Cut (88 min) / Producer’s Cut (95 min)
  • “Halloween: H20” (1998) Theatrical Cut (86 min)
  • “Halloween: Resurrection” (2002) Theatrical Cut (94 min)

Tech specs for the releases include 2160p 4K video presentations, with presumably at least HDR10 form of high dynamic range.  The aspect ratios will be 1.85:1 for “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” and 2.35:1 for the latter two sequels.  Audio will be presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo for all three films.

The bonus materials have not yet been officially announced.  It has been hinted by Justin Beahm that his Reverend Entertainment is working on some new bonus materials for the “Halloween: Resurrection” film specifically.  But, again, the special features are “in progress” and will be announced later.  So, stay tuned for an update on both.

This 4K set will come in the form of an 8-disc set with each film getting its own thick packaging and individual array cases (pictured below) with the Blu-ray Disc counterparts, housed inside a larger thick cardboard case.  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray set available for preorder over at Amazon as well as directly via the ShoutFactory.com store, where you’ll get 3 exclusive bonus posters (while supplies last).

Escape from New York gets 4K stateside release in May

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The 1981 film “Escape from New York“ will officially be getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” release on May 17th via Scream Factory in the US (United States).  The film, directed by John Carpenter, starred Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, and Tom Atkins.

UPDATES:  The tech specs include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and likely Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range as well as some lossless audio mix, although yet specified.  This will be using the Studiocanal 4K restoration.  It is known (via the artwork, pictured above) that this release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with the 4K getting its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.  The 4K UHD Blu-ray Collector’s Edition is now available for preorder over at Amazon.

The full list of contents for this 3-disc set is listed below which includes the bonus materials.

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

  • 4K Restoration By StudioCanal
  • Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
  • Audio Commentary With Producer Debra Hill And Production Designer Joe Alves
  • Audio Commentary With Actress Adrienne Barbeau And Director Of Photography Dean Cundey

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

  • 4K Restoration By StudioCanal
  • Audio Commentary With Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
  • Audio Commentary With Producer Debra Hill And Production Designer Joe Alves
  • Audio Commentary With Actress Adrienne Barbeau And Director Of Photography Dean Cundey

DISC THREE (BLU-RAY):

  • Big Challenges In Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects Of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
  • Scoring The Escape – A Discussion With Composer Alan Howarth
  • On Set With John Carpenter – The Images Of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK With Photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker
  • I Am Taylor – An Interview With Actor Joe Unger
  • My Night On Set – An Interview With Filmmaker David DeCoteau
  • Deleted Scene: The Original Opening Bank Robbery Sequence With Optional Audio Commentary
  • Return To Escape From New York Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailers
  • Photo Galleries – Behind-The-Scenes, Posters And Lobby Cards

1985 Dario Argento film Phenomena gets a 4K in March

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The 1985 Dario Argento film “Phenomena“ starring Jennifer Connelly is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 8th, 2022 via Synapse Films, in conjunction with Arrow Video. The film, co-written, produced, and directed by Dario Argento, co-starred Daria Nicolodi, Fiore Argento, Fiorenza Tessari, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Patrick Bauchau, and Donald Pleasence. MAJOR NOTE: This will be a limited edition set and only 6000 will be produced.

The movie has received a new 4K restoration for “all three versions of Phenomena, including the original Italian version (116 mins.), the International cut (100 mins.), and the U.S. “Creepers” cut (83 mins.).”

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p 4K video presentation in the 1.66:1 (matted) aspect ratio spanning across a 2-disc set. The first 4K UHD Blu-ray disc will contain the Italian version of the film, and the second 4K UHD Blu-ray disc will contain the International and “Creepers” versions. Now, the audio here for the 3 different versions of the film is going to have a lot of options, including multiple English and the Italian language mixes in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo configurations as well as PCM 1.0 Mono in a few instances. As it gets a bit complex, I’ve noted all of the audio mixes included for all 3 different versions below with the subtitles offered as well.

  • Lossless Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks, derived from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements
  • Lossless “hybrid” English/Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack
  • Lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo soundtracks on the international version, derived from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements
  • Lossless English PCM 1.0 mono soundtrack on Creepers, mastered from the original 3 track DME magnetic mix
  • Rare alternate 2.0 stereo mix on the international version, featuring different sound effects and music cues
  • Lossless English PCM soundtracks on Creepers, mastered from the original 3 track DME magnetic mix and presented in two variants: 1.0 mono and an alternate 2.0 mix with stereo music
    • English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
    • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the hybrid soundtrack
    • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. And you can expect that price to drop some, as it’s the MSRP (list price). Remember, Amazon offers a preorder price guarantee. In fact, you can also find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at online retailer DiabolikDVD for a considerable bit cheaper. That said, I’d expect Amazon will drop to that price or be forced to match it.

The release will come only with the 4K UHD Blu-ray, and bonus materials will be included on it, which are listed further below along with physical extras (pictured first below).

  • Limited edition slipcase packaging designed by artist Wes Benscoter
  • Reversible sleeve artwork
  • Collector’s booklet featuring liner notes from Mikel J. Koven, Rachael Nisbet and Leonard Jacobs
  • Fold-out poster
  • A set of lobby card reproduction artcards
  • Audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento (on Italian Version)
  • Of Flies and Maggots, a feature-length 2017 documentary produced by Arrow Films, including interviews with co-writer/producer/director Dario Argento, actors Fiore Argento, Davide Marotta, Daria Nicolodi and others…
  • U.S. theatrical trailer and radio spots for ‘Creepers’
  • Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
  • “Jennifer” music video, directed by Dario Argento
  • Japanese pressbook gallery
  • Audio commentary on the international version by Argento scholar and author Derek Botelho and film historian, journalist and radio/television commentator David Del Valle
  • The Three Sarcophagi, a visual essay by Arrow producer Michael Mackenzie comparing the different cuts of Phenomena

1963 film The Great Escape comes to 4K in January

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The 1963 film “The Great Escape“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 11th, 2022, via KL Studio Classics. The film, directed by John Sturges, starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and James Coburn.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with lossless 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 (100-gigabyte disc). NOTE: This will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lacks HDR (high dynamic range). A bit of further detail about this presentation can be found in a quote below, taken from the original announcement tweet (by KL Studio Classics) from back in October.

“Fully Restored UHD SDR Master by MGM – Color Corrected in 2020”

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. This 2-disc set will include a Blu-ray with special features. The bonus materials set to be included on the 2 discs are detailed below.

4K UHD DISC 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
  • Audio Commentary with Director John Sturges, Actors James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, Jud Taylor and Many other Crew Members – Moderated by Steven Jay Rubin

BLU-RAY DISC 2:

  • Return to THE GREAT ESCAPE: Making of the Classic with the Cast and Crew (24:09)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Bringing Fact to Fiction – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (12:21)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Preparations for Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (19:50)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Flight to Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (9:22)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: A Standing Ovation – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (5:58)
  • The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones – Narrated by James Coburn (25:01)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Documentary by Steven Clarke (50:47)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews (9:35)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:42)

Halloween (1978) [Collector’s Edition] – 4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots

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All screenshots are uncompressed in full 3840 x 2160 resolution.
SOURCE: 2021 4K UHD Blu-ray release.

Technical Specs:
Data capacity: 72.45 Gigabytes (BD-100)
The Movie Uses: 63.9 GB
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
HDR Form(s): HDR10, Dolby Vision

Click on thumbnails for full-sized images lossless PNG image format.
This set of screenshots: 42 total

Screenshots Comparisons

REVIEW SOON!

4K UHD Blu-ray Screenshots:

Blu-ray vs. 4K Screenshots Comparison:

SOURCES: 2007 Blu-ray (left), 2021 4K UHD Blu-ray (right)

 

4K 2018 vs. 2021 Screenshots Comparison:

SOURCES: 2018 4K UHD Blu-ray (left), 2021 4K UHD Blu-ray (right)

Available As:

2021 4K UHD Blu-ray Release

5 Halloween films on Collector’s Edition 4K October

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The first five films in the “Halloween” film franchise have all received new 2021 4K scans and are officially coming to the 4K UHD Blu-ray format in “Collector’s Edition” form individually for each on October 5th via Scream Factory. Those films getting released include the following:

The films each, as previously mentioned have all received a new 4K scan this year and the tech specs for all include a 2160p video presentation (in a variety of aspect ratios) with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range and new Dolby Atmos sound mixes, as well as some additional mixes. Since things like those aspect ratios and sound mixes vary film-to-film, I’ll be letting you look at the full press release later further below.

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listings for each of the films over at Amazon and you can access them via their titles above. You can also find them listed over at ShoutFactory.com with some additional extras you won’t find anywhere else.

The extras included on these new 4K UHD Blu-ray Collector’s Editions for each film are pretty elaborate, spanning across multiple discs in some instances. So, once again, I’ll be providing you with the full press release and details below, after the break.

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