Kino Lorber Studio Classicsand Kino Cult have unveiled the details of their November 2024 4K UHD and Blu-Ray releases including works from such icons as Billy Wilder, James Cagney, Willem Dafoe, Ashley Judd, Clint Eastwood, Shirley MacLaine, Tommy Lee Jones, and more.Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:
ONE, TWO, THREE (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: Hollywood great James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye) gives one of the richest, funniest, most breathlessly paced performances of his career in this comedy that defrosts the Cold War with gales of laughter. C.R. “Mac” MacNamara (Cagney) is a top-ranking soda executive stationed in West Berlin who’s responsible for his boss’ daughter (Pamela Tiffin, The Hallelujah Trail) while he’s away on business. But when he learns that she’s gone and married a fierce young communist (Horst Buchholz, The Magnificent Seven) and that his boss will be arriving in town in 24 hours, Mac must transform the unwilling beatnik into a suitable son-in-law or risk losing his chance for advancement! Before you can say “one, two, three,” his plans have spun out of control and into an international incident that could infuriate the Russians, the Germans and, worst of all, his own suspicious wife. Legendary director Billy Wilder (Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution, The Apartment) directed and co-wrote this hilarious, fast-paced and lighthearted comedy with his twelve-time writing partner I.A.L. Diamond (Irma La Douce, The Fortune Cookie).
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Film Historian Michael Schlesinger | Billy Wilder and Volker Schlondorff discuss ONE, TWO, THREE (3:01) | Billy Wilder on Politics and ONE, TWO, THREE (6:05) | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/12/24
Synopsis: Triumph of the Spirit is a powerfully moving boxing drama that takes place during WWII at the Auschwitz internment camp. Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) stars as boxer Salamo Arouch, interned at the death camp with his family and friends (which include Edward James Olmos and Robert Loggia). He is forced to fight his fellow inmates to amuse the guards—the loser is sent to the gas chamber. Salamo’s prowess in the ring is both his salvation and his nightmare, as his hollow victories condemn others to death. Still he fights on, hoping he might somehow save his father…his friends…perhaps even his soul.
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Film Critic Manuela Lazic | Theatrical Trailer
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: In the haunting home invasion thriller The Visitors, James Woods (Videodrome) stars as a Vietnam veteran trying to raise his family while blocking out the past. But when two of his menacing ex-army buddies show up on his doorstep (Steve Railsback and Chico Martinez), there is a reckoning for their history of violence. Directed by the legendary Elia Kazan (A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront).
Bonus Features: Audio commentary by Film Historians Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio | Theatrical Trailer
PLAY MISTY FOR ME (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: From Clint Eastwood, the legendary director ofThe Outlaw Josey Wales,Bird,Unforgiven,Million Dollar BabyandAmerican Sniper, comes this terrifying thriller about psychotic obsession. Eastwood (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) stars as Dave Garver, a popular radio disc jockey who repeatedly receives on-air phone requests from a sexy female fan to “play Misty for me.” When the woman, Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter,The Group), orchestrates a rendezvous with Dave at his favorite nightspot, the two begin a torrid affair. But when Dave decides to end the relationship, Evelyn’s obsession turns to violence. Soon everything and everyone in Dave’s life becomes a target for Evelyn’s increasingly deadly campaign of terror. Beautifully photographed by Bruce Surtees (Night Moves) on location in Eastwood’s hometown of Carmel, California,Play Misty for Mecontinues to be considered one of the great modern-day thrillers.Play Misty for Mewas Eastwood’s directorial debut, co-written by Jo Heims (Breezy) and Dean Riesner (Charley Varrick) with a strong supporting cast that includes Donna Mills (Superdome), John Larch (Dirty Harry), Jack Ging (High Plains Drifter) and Eastwood’s mentor, filmmaker Don Siegel.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Screenwriter/Producer Alan Spencer | Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 2020 2K Master by Kino Lorber | Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas | Misty Memories: Interview with Co-Star Donna Mills | Video Essay by Film Historian Howard S. Berger | Play It Again… A Look Back at Play Misty for Me: Documentary | The Beguiled, Misty, Don and Clint: Featurette | TRAILERS FROM HELL with Adam Rifkin | Stills Montage | Clint Eastwood Directs and Acts: Photo Montage | The Evolution of a Poster: Photo Montage | TV Spots | Theatrical Trailer and Teaser | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: From Don Siegel, the legendary director ofInvasion of theBody Snatchers,Coogan’s Bluff,Dirty Harry,Charley Varrick,The ShootistandEscape from Alcatraz, comes this classic western starring screen legends Clint Eastwood (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,High Plains Drifter) and Shirley MacLaine (Sweet Charity,Irma La Douce). Eastwood is a hard-hitting drifter who rides into town and single-handedly rescues a local nun (MacLaine) from a gang of bandits. After meeting a band of Mexican revolutionaries bent on resisting the French occupation of Mexico, the cowboy and Sister Sara decide to join forces with the freedom fighters and set off on a deadly mission to capture the enemy’s garrison. But along the way, a steamy romance develops between them when the soft-spoken hero discovers the nun is not what she seems. Ending with a violent climax at the well-protected fort, this action-packed western classic cemented Eastwood’s status as a true cinematic superstar. Featuring a masterful score by the great Ennio Morricone (A Fistful of Dollars).
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master (International Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary for by Author and Film Historian Justin Humphreys | Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox, Author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director’s Take on the Italian Western | At Home with Clint: Vintage Candid Interview with Clint Eastwood | Poster and Image Gallery | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 2020 4K Restoration of the Domestic Cut | Radio Spots | TV Spots | Theatrical Trailer | 10 More Clint Eastwood Trailers | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
THE EIGER SANCTION (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: From Clint Eastwood, the legendary director ofPlay Misty for Me,High Plains Drifter,Firefox,Gran TorinoandSully, comes this international espionage thriller set in the Swiss Alps. Jonathan Hemlock (Clint Eastwood,For a Few Dollars More) is a retired professional assassin who has adapted a calmer lifestyle with a pursuit of art collecting. When a close friend is murdered, Hemlock is suddenly forced out of retirement to hunt the deadly double agent that killed his comrade. The search takes him on a breathtaking journey up the Swiss Alps with a team of mountain climbers, one of which is an unidentified. target. Co-starring George Kennedy (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot),The Eiger Sanctionfeatures some of the most exciting mountain-climbing sequences ever captured on film. Two of the film’s best features are the terrific on-location photography by Frank Stanley (Magnum Force) and the hauntingly beautiful score by the great John Williams (Jaws).
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary for by Author and Film Historian Justin Humphreys | Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): 2020 2K Master by Kino Lorber | Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton | Freytag’s Accent: Interview with Actor Reiner Schöne | Archival Interview with Actress/Singer Heidi Brühl by Pepe Ludmir | Vintage 8-Minute Promotional Reel | Poster and Image Gallery | 5 Radio Spots | 4 TV Spots | Theatrical Trailer | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: One of star Joel McCrea’s (Border River) personal favorite films, Cattle Drive is a captivating, character-driven western that draws inspiration from Rudyard Kipling’s classic Captains Courageous. Chester Graham Jr. (Dean Stockwell in his final role as a child actor), the spoiled teenage son of a railroad tycoon, gets lost in the middle of the desert but is rescued by Dan Matthews (McCrea), a cattle herder on his way west. As they head out on the trail together, the young greenhorn soon gets an education in the value of hard work, camaraderie and survival skills from a posse of rough-and-tumble cowboys. Directed by multi-genre master Kurt Neumann (Secret of the Blue Room, Son of Ali Baba, The Fly) and co-starring Chill Wills (The Alamo), this charming coming-of-age tale of the Old West is terrific entertainment for the whole family!
Bonus Features: Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/19/24
Synopsis: California—a land of promise and splendor that lay at the end of a long and bitter trail! Director John Farrow’s (Alias Nick Beal) blazing Technicolor adventure finds screen legends Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) and Barbara Stanwyck (Union Pacific) drawn together at the dawn of the Gold Rush. With Irish farmer Michael Fabian (Barry Fitzgerald) and pistol-slinging saloon gal Lily Bishop (Stanwyck) at his side, Army deserter Jonathan Trumbo (Milland) leads a perilous wagon train to the West Coast. There, he finds that rich landowner Pharaoh Coffin (George Coulouris) is trying to block California from statehood. But Trumbo’s never taken kindly to men in power, and he’s soon dangerously at odds with Coffin…and dangerously in love with “shady lady” Lily. California—a stirring frontier epic packed with authentic action, fiery romance and the glittering excitement of the Gold Rush! Co-starring Albert Dekker, Anthony Quinn and Frank Faylen.
Bonus Features: Trailers | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Ashley Judd (Twisted) and Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) give searing performances in this skin-crawling exercise in fear and paranoia fromThe Exorcistdirector William Friedkin. Oklahoma waitress Aggie (Judd) lives a largely solitary life in a rundown motel, haunted by a tragic past and hounded by her ex-con ex-husband (Harry Connick, Jr.). But when she sparks a romance with Peter (Shannon), an eccentric drifter, she starts to feel hopeful again—until Peter reveals that he was a victim of government experimentation that left blood-hungry aphids festering under his skin. The couple begins to obsess over the nightmarish idea that they are infected by insects. A controversial, claustrophobic love story,Bugis “a minor masterpiece of tension and insanity” (The Guardian) adapted by Tracy Letts (Killer Joe,August: Osage County) from his play.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin | 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 35mm Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin | A Discussion with William Friedkin (28:02) | Bug – An Introduction: Featurette (11:50) | Theatrical Trailer (1:22) | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: The Huntedpits acting greats Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) in a confrontation of ferocious intensity. Haunted by nightmares of combat, veteran Aaron Hallam (Del Toro) has turned into a top special-forces assassin…gone renegade. And when he viciously murders two game hunters in the Pacific Northwest, the FBI (with Connie Nielsen,Gladiator) turn to the one man who can track Hallam down and bring him in—former warfare instructor L.T. Bonham (Jones). Bonham is grimly familiar with the killer’s predatory techniques—he personally trained Hallam, his most skilled student. Now the teacher must engage his pupil in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with a playing field that moves from Oregon’s rural wilderness to the concrete jungle of the city. The hunt is on. Directed by master craftsman William Friedkin (The French Connection,To Live and Die in L.A.,Rules of Engagement),The Huntedis a lean, mean action-thriller that pulls you in and won’t let go.
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin | 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 35mm Original Camera Negative | Audio Commentary by Director William Friedkin | Pursuing The Hunted: Featurette (8:16) | Filming The Hunted: Featurette (9:33) | Tracking The Hunted: Featurette (4:26) | The Cutting Edge – The Hunted: Featurette (8:41) 6 Deleted Scenes (9:47) | Theatrical Trailer (2:22) | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) stars in Harrison’s Flowers, a devastating love story set in the midst of a chaotic war. Harrison (David Strathairn, L.A. Confidential), is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist who goes missing during the Yugoslav Wars that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Harrison is presumed dead by his colleagues, but his wife Sarah, played with fierce intensity by MacDowell, believes that he is still alive, and that she is the only one who can save him. So she courageously plunges into the middle of battle, risking her own life as she engages in a relentless search to find her husband.
Bonus Features: Audio commentary by film critic Manuela Lazic | Theatrical Trailer
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: In the 1850s two British officers, Captain Richard Burton (Patrick Bergin, Patriot Games) and Lt. John Speke (Iain Glen, Game of Thrones) set out on a spectacular adventure to discover the source of the Nile. They are warned that great dangers await them, but against all odds they push on deeper and deeper into the magnificent, untamed African wilderness, where no Western man had ever gone before. Directed with epic scope by the great Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces) and with lush cinematography by the peerless Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men), Mountains of the Moon is an unforgettable journey into the unknown.
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Film Historian Adrian Martin | The Making of Mountains of the Moon | Theatrical Trailer
THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES (SPECIAL EDITION)
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: From the mind of legendary writer Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes) springs what is perhaps his most epic vision. Capturing mankind’s first venture into the colonization of another planet—and its tragic first contact with another species—The Martian Chronicles is a stunning sci-fi achievement that will take you from the edge of your seat…to the stars! Earth is on the verge of extinction. To survive, mankind must find another place to live. And when three expeditions to Mars, headed by Col. John Wilder (screen legend Rock Hudson, The Tarbished Angels), find suitable conditions for relocation, humans pour in by the shipload, bringing the old evils of Earth with them! As Wilder begins to heed the lessons of the dying Martian civilization, can he save humanity from repeating its own doom? Directed by Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run) and scripted by Richard Matheson (The Last Man on Earth), this monumental miniseries co-stars Gayle Hunnicutt (Target), Bernie Casey (Sharky’s Machine), Darren McGavin (TV’s The Night Stalker), Roddy McDowall (Fright Night), Bernadette Peters (The Jerk), Joyce Van Patten (The Falcon and the Snowman), Maria Schell (The Hanging Tree), Fritz Weaver (Black Sunday), James Faulkner (TV’s Game of Thrones) and more.
Bonus Features: 2018 HD Master by Kino Lorber – From a 2K Scan of the InterPositive | NEW Audio Commentary for Episode 1: The Expeditions by TV Historians Amanda Reyes and Heath Holland | NEW Audio Commentary for Episode 2: The Settlers by TV Historians Amanda Reyes and Justin Kerswell | NEW Audio Commentary for Episode 3: The Martians by TV Historians Amanda Reyes and Daniel Budnik | Interview with Actor James Faulkner | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 12/3/24
Synopsis: When Becca and Tyler are sent to their grandparents’ secluded Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple. Faced with strange rules and increasingly frightening behavior, the children soon realize it will take all their wits to make it home alive.The Visitis a deliciously creepy modern spin on “Hansel and Gretel” from legendary nightmare-maker M. Night Shyamalan (writer-director ofThe Sixth Sense,Signs,Unbreakable,Split and Trap) and Jason Blum (producer ofParanormal Activity,The PurgeandGet Out). “An amusingly grim fairy tale.” — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Bonus Features: DISC 1 (4KUHD): Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc | Optional English Subtitles | DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): Brand New HD Master | NEW Audio Commentary by Entertainment Journalists/Authors Bryan Reesman and Max Evry | The Making of The Visit: Featurette (9:56) | Interviews with Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum and Marc Bienstock | 10 Deleted Scenes (8:34) | Alternate Ending (2:25) | Behind-the-Scenes Footage | Becca’s Photos: Image Gallery (1:13) | Domestic Theatrical Trailer | International Theatrical Trailer | 12 American TV Spots | 8 UK TV Spots | 4 Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Ads | 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio | Dual-Layered BD50 Disc | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Like Alan Ladd’s Shane and Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, The Lonely Man belongs to that saddlebag full of classic films about a gunslinger coming to terms with his infamous past and uncertain future. Grizzled Jack Palance (Attack) stars as Jacob Wade, a notorious outlaw trying to ride the trail of respectability. But where Wade goes, his reputation follows. And so does trouble. Fearful citizens are quick to turn him out of their town. Vengeful killers have vowed to stalk him to his grave. And Wade’s son (Anthony Perkins, Psycho), embittered over his father’s long absence, cannot quell the pain and hate in his heart. Western regulars Neville Brand, Robert Middleton, Elisha Cook Jr., Claude Akins and Lee Van Cleef co-star in this spare, ruggedly entertaining sagebrush saga.
Bonus Features: Brand New HD Master by Paramount – From a 6K Scan of the 35mm VistaVision Original Camera Negative | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Toby Roan | Theatrical Trailer | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: The Godfathers of Italian cult cinema—director Umberto Lenzi (Nightmare Beach) and co-writer Dario Argento (Suspiria)—bring you this blazing WWII actioner about the bold men who challenged the Devil…and won! Grizzled Jack Palance (Shane) puts on a roguish brogue as Scottish Colonel Charley MacPherson, who’s just had his platoon of 28 massacred by the Germans. Furious at his superiors for this suicide mission, he assembles a dirty half-dozen convicts for his next one, along with American explosives expert Major Burke (Thomas Hunter, The Hills Run Red), to clear a path for British commandos through a minefield off the Normandy coast on the night of June 4th, 1944. Aka Legion of the Damned, this rip-roaring classic of the “Macaroni War” genre co-stars Aldo Sambrell (Navajo Joe) with The Longest Day baddies Cürd Jurgens (The Spy Who Loved Me) and Wolfgang Preiss (The Train).
Bonus Features: 2023 HD Master by Paramount Pictures – From a 4K Scan | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Troy Howarth, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Celebrated celluloid creeper John Carradine (Bluebeard, The Black Sleep) strikes again in this undead classic made at the height of WWII. Monogram Pictures revamps the plot of its earlier hit, 1941’s King of the Zombies, as Scott Warrington (Mauritz Hugo) returns to his childhood home in the Louisiana bayou after learning that his deceased sister, Lila (Veda Ann Borg), may have been poisoned. He is shocked to discover that Lila’s husband, Dr. von Altermann (Carradine), is secretly a Nazi madman who has been perfecting a way to turn the dead, including Lila, into an army of zombies who will serve Hitler! Simultaneously spine-chilling and rib-tickling, Revenge of the Zombies was “the first movie to presume the audience knows what a ‘zombie’ is and not provide an explanation” (The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia). With Gale Storm, Robert Lowery, Mantan Moreland, Bob Steele and James Baskett; directed by cult-movie maven Steve Sekely (The Day of the Triffids).
Bonus Features: NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Tom Weaver and Gary D. Rhodes | Optional English Subtitles
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Join the dynamic comedy duo of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby as they travel the world and experience fun-filled misadventures with heaping helpings of cheeky charm and lightning-quick wit! Assisted by the always alluring Dorothy Lamour, these legendary real-life pals teamed up for a series of wildly successful Road movies that continue to tickle the funny-bones. Hop the globe with all 7 classic comedies, collected together for the first time in one stunning package! Road to Singapore (1940) and Road to Zanzibar (1941) were directed by Victor Schertzinger; Road to Morocco (1941) by David Butler; Road to Utopia (1946) and Road to Bali (1952), the only color film in the series by Hal Walker; Road to Rio (1946) by Norman Z. McLeod; and The Road to Hong Kong (1962) co-starring Joan Collins by Norman Panama.
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary for ROAD TO MOROCCO by Film Historian Jack Theakston | Audio Commentary for ROAD TO UTOPIA by Filmmaker Greg Ford and Film & Wall Street Journal Reviewer Will Friedwald | Audio Commentary for ROAD TO BALI by Film Historians Michael Schlesinger and Mark Evanier | Audio Commentary for THE ROAD TO HONG KONG by Filmmaker/Historian Michael Schlesinger | Bob Hope and the Road to Success | Entertaining the Troops | Command Performances 1944 and 1945 | Theatrical Trailers (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia/The Road to Hong Kong) | Optional English Subtitles (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia/The Road to Hong Kong) | No Subtitles (Road to Rio/Road to Bali)
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: She’s the warden’s daughter…and the torch to a thousand explosive desires!After schooling in America, blonde nymphomaniac Angela Thorne (Alexandra Hay,Skidoo,Model Shop) is back in swinging England with only two things on her mind: fun and games. But the Greybourne Prison, governed by her strict father, is Angela’s home—so the insatiable young lady embarks on an outrageous sexual odyssey by seducing both the prison guards and the hardened inmates…right under the upturned nose of her dad! Produced under the titleFun and Gamesby director Ray Austin (Virgin Witch),1,000 Convicts and a Woman!is seventies British sexploitation at its cheekiest. With Sandor Elès (And Soon the Darkness), Harry Baird (The Italian Job), Neil Hallett (X the Unknown), Robert Brown (007’s “M”) and Tracy Reed (Casino Royale).
Bonus Features: “Having Fun Playing Games” an 18-minute featurette by James McCabe, featuring interviews with assistant director Graham Fowler, assistant director Nicholas Granby, stunt actor Paul Weston, and stunt actor Dinny Powell | Audio commentary by Alexandra Hay biographer Dylan Dean Staley (featuring archival interviews with director Ray Austin).
Street Date: 11/26/24
Synopsis: Move over, 007—and make way for the newest, grooviest member of London’s Secret Service! His name’s Bind, Charles Bind (Psychomania’s Nicky Henson), aka Agent No. 1, and he’s assigned to stop a mad millionaire’s (Richard Todd) international murder plot. Accompanied by amorous agent Anna (Aimi MacDonald), this debonair man-of-mystery tangles with an organization of nasty assassins known as K.R.A.S.H. as well as with a variety of gorgeous but dangerous women. With Geoffrey Keen (Moonraker), Sue Lloyd (The Ipcress File), Dudley Sutton (The Leather Boys), Jon Pertwee (Doctor Who) and Milton Reid (The Spy Who Loved Me),No. 1 of the Secret Serviceis a sidesplitting blast of ’70s Bondsploitation from master spy-spoofer Lindsay Shonteff (The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World).
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Alan Spencer, Creator of Sledge Hammer! and Alger Griffiths, Author of The Other Spies: The Many Imitators of James Bond | Interview with editor John Luton | Video essay by filmmaker/historian Chris O’Neill | Deleted scenes | Theatrical trailer
MANIAC (FORBIDDEN FRUIT: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE EXPLOITATION PICTURE VOL. 17)
Street Date: 11/12/24
Synopsis: So perverse that it continues to shock and offend viewers 90 years after its release, Dwain Esper’s Maniac is a deranged retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” in the guise of an educational film on mental illness. This no-budget thriller by self-taught filmmakers has a wildly fragmented style. Its intrusive use of title scrolls, stock footage, and gratuitous nudity make it one of the first true underground films (with a gruesome wink at the eyeball-slicing scene of Un chien andalou). Maniac is presented here in a new 4K restoration, from the original camera negative and other 35mm elements preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and is presented in cooperation with Something Weird and the Sonney Amusement Enterprises Film Collection.
Bonus Features: Four true crime short films by Dwain Esper and Louis Sonney: You Can’t Beat the Rap, The Last Hour of Killer Mears, The March of Crime, and The March of Crime (2nd Ed.) | Audio interview with Dwain Esper and Hildagarde Stadie (1982) courtesy of Mark Woods, Jr. | Audio commentary by Bret Wood (1999), author of Marihuana, Motherhood & Madness | Original theatrical trailer | 2024 Re-release trailer | Trailers for Dwain Esper’s Narcotic (1933) and Marihuana: Weed With Roots in Hell (1936)
