Criterion in February 2018: LIVING DEAD, LAMBS, GALLOWS and More

A fascinating lineup will be on tap from the Criterion Collection in February 2018.

Widely available in horribly-presented public domain versions for years, a new 4K restoration of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead will be rolled out, including "never-before-seen footage from the production," according to the official statement, along with "hordes of interviews and programs exploring the incredible story of the making of this trailblazing independent film."

I can't help proudly stating that I owned an original copy of Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs when Criterion first released the horror classic on DVD -- let's not talk about the awful moment I realized I'd lost it in a cross-country move -- so I am very happy to hear that the film is returning to the Collection. As you'd expect, it is the beneficiary of a new 4K restoration and will include the original audio commentary with Demme, Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, as well as "extensive" supplements.

As to Louis Malle's tightly-wound Elevator to the Gallows, I saw it during a theatrical re-issue years ago; it's an outstanding thriller that will arrive on Blu-ray in a new 2K resotration.

Also scheduled for February: Tony Richardson's comedy Tom Jones, Satyajit Ray's character study The Hero, and Kon Ichikawa's An Actor's Revenge. For details on these and other new and upcoming releases, visit the official Criterion Collection site.