Eureka! Entertainment has been dropping hints about the rest of its Q1 2018 slate for a while now, but today the British label confirmed the street dates for a host of exciting new releases for their beloved Masters of Cinema series as well as the newly launched Montage Pictures, focusing on contemporary world cinema.
On 12 February, two Masters of Cinema titles previously only available on DVD, get a long-awaited Blu-ray upgrade. Nobuhiko Obayashi’s life-altering horror phantasmagoria House finally gets the Blu-ray treatment. As good a candidate as any for the ultimate batshit crazy Japanese movie experience, House has to be seen to be believed.
On the same day comes the world premiere Blu-ray release of a new 2K restoration of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Michael. It is the story of a ageing decadent artist (Benjamin Christensen), who is driven to despair by his yearnings for his eponymous young protégé (Walter Slezak). The film features sumptuous production design and a cast that also includes famed cinematographer-director Karl Freund (Metropolis, The Mummy) in his only acting role.
Also in February, two new additions to Eureka’s fledgling Montage Pictures range - Strangled, the sensational Hungarian serial killer drama from Árpád Sopsits on 5 February, and The Housemaid, an eerily gothic ghost story from first-time Vietnamese filmmaker Derek Nguyen on 19 February. Both films will be released in dual-format editions.
Moving into March the hits just keep on coming. Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner ignite the screen in The Barefoot Contessa, one of the crown jewels of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s impressive career. This Golden Age classic joins the Masters of Cinema series on 12 March in a gorgeous new 1080p transfer that shows off the sumptuous cinematography from the incomparable Jack Cardiff.
Following on 19 March, Eureka continues its impressive run of King Hu releases with the new 4K restoration of the director’s cut of Legend of the Mountain. This lesser-known masterpiece from Hu is every bit as exhilarating as Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. An epic fantasy-horror about a young scholar protecting a powerful sutra from a host of nefarious characters in the eerily picturesque setting of a remote Buddhist monastery. Primed for rediscovery, Legend of the Mountain arrives in a packed dual-format edition, which includes a limited o-card and supplements from experts David Cairns and Tony Rayns.
Also out on 12 March, Japanese martial arts legend Tak Sakiguchi returns to the screen in the action-packed Re:Born, featuring blistering close-quarters combat newly conceived specially for the film. Rounding out the month, Shirley: Visions of Reality joins Montage Pictures on 19 March - a dream-like recreation of the works of artist Edward Hopper framed by the story of a red-haired New York actress in the early 20th century.
Check out the gallery below for packshots of all the releases mentioned above and full listings of all special features.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
Stunning 1080p presentation from a high-definition digital transfer | Original monaural soundtrack presented as uncompressed LPCM audio | Optional English subtitles | An exclusive video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns | 90-minute archive of interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, scenarist Chigumi Obayashi, actress Kumiko Oba, and Toho promotional executive Shoho Tomiyama | Original Japanese theatrical trailer | A collector’s booklet featuring an essay by Paul Roquet; poster gallery; and archival imagery
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
Stunning 1080p presentation from a new 2K restoration | Score by Pierre Oser (piano, clarinet, cello) presented in uncompressed LPCM stereo | Original German intertitles with optional English subtitles | Full-length audio commentary by Dreyer scholar, Casper Tybjerg | An exclusive video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns | An illustrated audio interview with Dreyer from 1965 | A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by Philip Kemp; a reprint of Tom Milne’s The World Inside Me from 1971; Jean Renoir’s 1968 tribute, Dreyer’s Sin; a translation of the original 1924 Danish programme; a reprint of Nick Wrigley’s essay from the film’s 80th anniversary DVD release; and a selection of archival imagery
DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL FEATURES
Stunning 1080p presentation (On the Blu-ray), with a progressive encode on the DVD | 5.1 Surround and Stereo soundtrack options | Trailer
DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL FEATURES:
Stunning 1080p presentation (On the Blu-ray), with a progressive encode on the DVD | 5.1 Surround and Stereo soundtrack options | Optional English subtitles | Trailer
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray | Optional 5.1 and uncompressed LPCM dual mono soundtracks | Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing | Rarely seen archival interview with director Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo and David Del Valle | Original theatrical trailer | A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by Farren Smith Nehme; and rare archival material.
DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL FEATURES
Limited Edition O-Card (2000 units) – first print run only | 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray, with a progressive encode on the DVD | Uncompressed LPCM mono audio | Newly translated English subtitles | A new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns | A new interview with Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns | Trailer | A collector’s booklet featuring an abundance of archival writing and imagery
DUAL FORMAT SPECIAL FEATURES:
1080 presentation (on the Blu-ray), with a progressive encode on the DVD | Optional English subtitles | Short introduction from the filmmakers | Trailer
DUAL FORMAT FEATURES:
Stunning 1080p presentation (On the Blu-ray), with a progressive encode on the DVD | Trailer | Optional English subtitles