BFI to launch DVD and Blu-ray ‘Dual Format Editions’

The BFI announces today the introduction of ‘Dual Format Editions’, in which both the DVD and Blu-ray versions of selected releases – main features and extras alike – will sit side-by-side in a competitively-priced single package.

Dual Format Editions launch on 26 April, at RRP £19.99, with two classics from the master of Japanese cinema, Yasujiro Ozu: Tokyo Story (1953) and Early Summer (1951). Over the next 12 months a total of 25 releases will be packaged in
this way.

Sam Dunn, Head of BFI Video Publishing, comments:

‘The idea behind Dual Format Editions is to provide film lovers with the ultimate win-win solution in a time of financial uncertainty and technological confusion. Not only does the price mean that the BFI’s quality Blu-rays are instantly more
affordable, but the inclusion of both DVD and Blu-ray in a single package means that the DVD buyer is safeguarded against upgrades they may make in the future at no extra cost.’

Existing Blu-ray customers will benefit both from the lower price and from the inclusion of a DVD, which offers greater flexibility for viewing away from the home cinema environment.

Other titles lined up for the BFI Dual Format treatment this year are the Quay Brothers’ exquisite Institute Benjamenta (1995); Tony Garnett’s controversial Prostitute (1980); celebrated James Bond director Guy Hamilton’s long-lost The
Party’s Over (1965) starring Oliver Reed; Gerry O’Hara’s swinging The Pleasure Girls (1965) starring Ian McShane and Klaus Kinski; a collection of acclaimed Hollywood director Tony Scott’s early films, including Loving Memory (1970); and
Mike Sarne’s colourful Swinging Sixties masterpiece Joanna (1968).

Over the past 18 months the BFI has embraced the Blu-ray format and built a unique and exciting catalogue of High Definition releases. Providing a platform for both critically acclaimed and little-known films, the BFI Blu-ray range not
only includes classics such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Red Desert and Salò, but also showcases lesser-known, but equally arresting, works by unduly neglected filmmakers like Jeff Keen, Bill Douglas and Jane Arden.

Looking ahead, the BFI will continue to present a rich and diverse selection of works on Blu-ray in order to provide viewers with the opportunity to experience and engage with film like never before.

Los Angeles, CA) – First Look Studios proudly announces the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the critically acclaimed BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, director Werner Herzog’s darkly comedic interpretation of the of the popular action/crime genre. The screenplay, written by veteran crime scribe, William Finkelstein (“NYPD Blues”, “LA Law”, “Hill Street Blues”), allows for Nicolas Cage’s critically acclaimed performance as Detective Terrence McDonagh to be truly memorable.  Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun – Times gave the film four stars and A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips of “At the Movies” rave, “See it. Cage is astonishing…otherwise you wont believe it.” BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS is available on DVD and Blu-Ray April 6, 2010 at an SRP of $28.98 and $29.98, respectively.

In Werner Herzog’s BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs — while playing fast and loose with the law.  He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous. Also starring Val Kilmer, Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner, Fairuza Balk, Shawn Hatosy and Jennifer Coolidge.

 BAD LIEUTENANT:PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS – Specifications

Format – DVD Running Time – 121 minutes

Rated – R

Pre-Book Date – March 2, 2010

Street Date – April 6, 2010

Sound: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround

SRP: $28.98 (DVD) and $29.98 (Blu-Ray)

Aspect ratio: 16 X 9 2.35 Anamorphic Widescreen

Special Features: BAD LIEUTENANT:PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS Photography Book, Photos by Lena Herzog, Theatrical Trailer, The Making of “BAD LIEUTENANT:PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS,” English and Spanish Subtitles and Previews

HARD RIDE TO HELL

The Grisly Chase Begins On DVD May 25
From RHI Entertainment and Vivendi Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA (March 2, 2010) - Demon-worshiping bikers fire up their engines for blood when HARD RIDE TO HELL,burns its way onto DVD May 25 from Vivendi Entertainment and RHI Entertainment.  After accidently witnessing a cruel human sacrifice, a group of defenseless campers find themselves on the run from a savage gang of bikers on the hunt for their next human offering.  As the campers attempt to seek protection at an abandoned church, they find a dangerous priest on a mission from God and a mysterious young boy who carries a horrific secret.  A road trip of nightmares, the Spike TV original movie stars Miguel Ferrer (Traffic), Laura Mennell (Watchmen), and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps: Unleashed).  HARD RIDE TO HELL will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.93. 

Synopsis:
A lonely stretch of Texas desert highway leads a group of campers on a one-way ride to hell after witnessing an obscene blood sacrifice. Now, with a group of biking devil worshipers on their tail, they are pawns in an ancient battle between good and evil.  Pursued to a decrepit old church in a ghost town, the campers fall victim to a new hell - a strange young boy harboring a terrifying secret and a priest with a terrifyingly divine mission of his own.
 
BASICS
Price: $19.93
Street Date: May 25, 2010
Pre-book Date: April 27, 2010
Catalog Number: RH01373
Language:  English
Running time: 94 minutes
Rating: NR

FULLY RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL GLORY, DIRECTOR JOHN HUSTON’S MONUMENTAL CLASSIC DEBUTS ON DVD AND BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
THE AFRICAN QUEEN
The Final Film  from AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies to Arrive on DVD Makes its Long-Awaited Premiere March 23, 2010
Including Nearly an Hour of All-New Bonus Material

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (January 11, 2010) – Filled with adventure, drama, humor and romance, the epic and enduring cinematic classic THE AFRICAN QUEEN will finally make its way home when it debuts on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time ever on March 23, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment.  Meticulously restored using state-of-the-art 4K digital technology, THE AFRICAN QUEEN will now be available for a new generation to appreciate and for long-time fans to see again, as if for the first time. Legendary director John Huston’s treasured romantic adventure stars the incomparable Humphrey Bogart as hard-drinking boat captain Charlie Allnut—a role that won him his only Academy Award® (Best Actor, 1951)—and renowned actress Katharine Hepburn as missionary Rose Sayer in a tale of two disparate people thrown together by fate and drawn together by love.

A six-year journey filled with challenges nearly as difficult as those faced by Rose and Charlie, the restoration process began at the source: Romulus Films—one of the film’s original production companies—provided access to the original three-strip negative at a London facility where the film was carefully scanned and digitized.  The separate elements were then transferred to Los Angeles and painstakingly recombined and inspected frame by frame to ensure that every detail aligned and that any dirt and scratches were removed. 

To ensure that the restored picture matched the filmmakers’ original vision, Paramount arranged a screening of an MPAA archive print for the film’s original cinematographer, Academy Award® winner Jack Cardiff*, whose comments were recorded live during the screening.  That same archival print was later screened alongside the newly restored version so that the restoration team could ensure that all of Cardiff’s notes had been addressed.  The result is a vibrant, warm picture that reverentially recreates the film as it was originally meant to be seen.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN will be available as a single disc DVD or Blu-ray and also in Commemorative, Limited Edition DVD or Blu-ray box sets.  Both the DVD and Blu-ray feature a new documentary entitled “Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen”, which includes new interviews with contemporary film experts such as Martin Scorsese and incorporates home movies, archival images and more.  The Commemorative box set includes either the DVD or Blu-ray detailed above, plus an audio disc with a recording of the Lux Radio Theater broadcast of The African Queen, a reproduction of Katharine Hepburn’s out-of-print memoir The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind, a Senitype® film frame collectible reproduction and postcards featuring reproductions of images related to the film.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN DVD & Blu-ray

THE AFRICAN QUEEN DVD is presented in full screen format with English, French and Spanish Mono and English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English, French and Spanish Mono and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  Special features are as follows:

Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen—This comprehensive documentary takes a look back at the production with commentary about the cast, the challenges of the filming locations and how the spectacular cinematography impacted the industry overall. Includes on-camera interviews with notable Hollywood icons, critics and crew members from the film including Martin Scorsese, Tony Huston, Richard Schickel and more, plus never-before-seen archival images and home movie footage provided by the estate of cinematographer Jack Cardiff.

The Commemorative, Limited-Edition DVD and Blu-ray box sets include the above along with:

An audio disc with a recording of the Lux Radio Theater presents The African Queen radio broadcast
A Senitype® film frame collectible reproduction
Collectible postcards featuring reproductions of images related to the film
A reproduction of Katharine Hepburn’s out-of-print memoir The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind