Another stellar set of announcements greet me this fine morning from Arrow Video, including a long awaited 4K UHD upgrade, a couple of exciting box sets, some Shaw Brothers magic, and one of the most intense and terrifying movies of all time.
Regional distribution rights strike again for the 4K UHD upgrade John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, available only in the UK. Thankfully the actual 4K discs are fully playable in all territories, so those outside of the UK can feel safe importing the discs, though the standalone Blu-ray of Henry is likely to be locked to Region B and one of the bonus discs in the 4K set is a Blu-ray with no region specified as of yet. Meanwhile, on the other side of things, available for the first time on Blu-ray in North America is Lau Kar-Leung's classic The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter.
There are still a few huge releases available for all territories, though. Box sets of Enzo G Castellari eurocrime films The Big Racket and The Heroin Busters, and Claude Chabrol classics Swindle, The Color of Lies, Nightcap, and The Flower of Evil get limited edition releases in the US/UK/Can. Then there's the long anticipated 4K upgrade of Terry Gilliam's science fiction classic 12 Monkeys. I think we all knew it was coming, though it's nice to see it actually announced!
Details for everything available in the gallery below!
THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (US Blu-ray)
After one of its lead actors (cherub-faced action icon Alexander Fu Sheng) unexpectedly died midway through production, master director Lau Kar-leung (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) retooled his latest martial arts epic, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, as the ultimate action spectacular in tribute to the fallen star.
Loosely based upon the legendary Yang dynasty chronicled in Chinese folklore, the film starts as the family patriarch and all but two of his sons are brutally wiped out in a bloody battle. One surviving son (Fu Sheng) returns to his mother and two sisters, deeply traumatized; the other (Gordon Liu) escapes and joins a nearby monastery while in hiding. Once he learns his sister (Kara Hui) has been captured by their enemies, however, the warrior-turned-monk realizes he must renounce his peaceful ideals in order to mount a rescue mission and avenge his family.
Made during the legendary Shaw Brothers studio's twilight years as a filmmaking powerhouse, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is often regarded as director Lau’s masterpiece, as elegiac and suffused with anguish as it is thrillingly violent (not least in its bone-crunching, teeth-smashing climax).
Special Edition Contents:
- Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentation
- Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio
- Optional English subtitles, plus hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
- Brand new commentary by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
- Newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
- Interviews with stars Gordon Liu, Lily Li and Yeung Ching-ching, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004
- A Tribute to Fu Sheng, a short film commemorating the late actor that played before early screenings of The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, presented via a German-dubbed telecine (the best available copy) with English subtitles
- Alternate opening credits, as The Invincible Pole Fighters
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Aspinall
First Pressing Only: Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing on the film by Terrence J. Brady
Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari (US/UK/CA Limited Edition Blu-ray)
Over a long and wide-ranging career, director Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Inglorious Bastards) helmed some of the most infamous of all the poliziotteschi – the gritty, action-packed crime films that proliferated in Italy throughout the 70s. Buckle up for a heart-stopping thrill ride through the seedy underbelly of Italian society in two of his most celebrated thrillers!
In 1976’s The Big Racket, Inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi, What Have You Done to Solange?) is hot on the heels of a gang of ruthless racketeers. Realizing he’s not going to get anywhere within the confines of the law, Nico recruits a crack squad of civilians to dole out their own brand of justice. Then, in 1977’s The Heroin Busters, rule-flouting cop Fabio (Testi) goes deep undercover, chasing a globe-trotting ring of drug-smugglers suspected to be operating out of Rome. But can he and Mike Hamilton (David Hemmings, Deep Red), an Interpol agent with a hair-trigger temper, stay one step ahead of the criminals long enough to bring them down from the inside?
Featuring death-defying stunts, explosive shoot-outs and a pair of addictive, toe-tapping soundtracks courtesy of the De Angelis brothers (Torso) and legendary prog rock group Goblin (Suspiria), these two films represent the crème de la crème of the Italian crime thriller, both making their high definition debuts with stunning new restorations in this feature-packed box set from Arrow!
2-Disc Limited Edition Contents:
- Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original 35mm camera negatives by Arrow Films
- High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations
- Original Italian and English front and end titles
- Restored original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
- New audio commentaries on both films by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Roberto Curti and Barry Forshaw
- Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Colin Murdoch
- Twelve double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
Disc One - The Big Racket:
- The Years of Racketeering, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
- Violent Times, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
- Angel Face for a Tough Guy, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
- King of Movieola, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
- The Great Racket, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Disc Two - The Heroin Busters:
- Endless Pursuit, a new video interview with co-writer/director Enzo G. Castellari
- Drug Squad, a new video interview with actor Fabio Testi
- The Drug Dealer, a new video interview with actor Massimo Vanni
- How They Killed Italian Cinema, a new video interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci
- A Cop on the Set, a new video interview with retired poliziotto and criminologist Nicola Longo
- The Eardrum Busters, a new appreciation and career retrospective of composers Goblin by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Twisting the Knife: Four Films by Claude Chabrol (US/UK/CA Limited Edition Blu-ray)
For five decades Claude Chabrol navigated the unpredictable waters of Cinema, leaving in his wake more than fifty feature films that remain among the most quietly devastating genre movies ever made. Sardonic, provocative, unsettling, Chabrol’s films cut to the quick with a clarity and honesty honed to razor sharpness.
The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus) sees Chabrol at perhaps his most playful as a pair of scam artists, Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault, get in over their heads. But who is scamming who and who do you trust in a life built on so many lies? The murder of a 10 year old girl sparks rumours and gossip in The Color of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge), as suspicion falls on René (Jacques Gamblin) the dour once famous painter, now art teacher, who was the last person to see her alive. Enigmatic, perverse, seductive, Isabelle Huppert encapsulates everything that makes Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) a film John Waters calls “Cinematic Perfection” in this tale of suppressed family secrets. Finally, in The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal), incest, old money and intergenerational guilt come under the scalpel as an outwardly perfect bourgeois family begins to unravel when the wife involves herself in politics.
Though influenced by Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Jean Renoir, Chabrol’s voice was entirely and assuredly his own, influencing in turn filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho, James Gray and Dominik Moll. His amused, unblinkered view of life and refusal to judge his characters makes his films timelessly relevant and accessible to all. Arrow Video is proud to present this second collection of films by Claude Chabrol with a wealth of new and archival extras.
Limited Edition Contents:
- High definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all four films
- New 4K restorations of The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus), Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) and The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal)
- Original lossless PCM French stereo audio on all films plus DTS-HD 5.1 on Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) and The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal)
- Optional English subtitles
- 80-page collector's booklet of new writing by Sean Hogan, Brad Stevens, Catherine Dousteyessier-Khoze, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Pamela Hutchinson
- Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
Disc One - The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus):
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan
- Chabrol’s “Soap Bubble”, a brand new visual essay by Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze, author of Claude Chabrol: The Aesthetics of Opacity exploring the games Chabrol plays with his characters and audience
- Film as a Family Affair, Cécile Maistre-Chabrol, the stepdaughter of Claude Chabrol and his assistant director on fourteen features discusses his life, work and wisdom in this exclusive new hour plus interview
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Archive interview with Isabelle Huppert
- Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
- Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Disc Two: - The Color Of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge):
- Brand new audio commentary by critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan
- Nothing is Sacred, a brand new visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya examining the ideas of art and legacy in Chabrol's The Color of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge)
- What’s Eating Claude Chabrol? a brand new appreciation by film critic David Kalat examining the ways in which Chabrol’s films relate, reflect and refract each other
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
- Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Disc Three - Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat):
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic Justine Smith
- When I pervert good…, a brand new visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya which takes a closer look at late period Chabrol through the lens of his masterful thriller Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat)
- Archive interview with Isabelle Huppert
- Archive interview with Jacques Dutronc
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Screen test for Anna Mouglalis
- Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
- Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Disc Four - The Flower Of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal):
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic Farran Smith Nehme
- Behind the Masks: Remembering Claude Chabrol, a brand new appreciation by Agnès C. Poirier, author of Left Bank: Arts, Passion and the Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950 in which she shares her personal reminiscence of Claude Chabrol and considers his unique position in French culture and cinema
- Behind the scenes featurette
- Archive interview with co-writer Catherine Eliacheff
- Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny
- Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
**Extras Subject to Change**
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (UK Limited Edition 4K UHD & Blu-ray)
Widely heralded as one of the greatest serial killer movies of all time, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer presents a bleak and unflinching dive into the mind of a mass murderer.
Recently released from prison, the nomadic Henry (Michael Rooker, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead) finds temporary abode in the rundown Chicago lodgings of a former jail acquaintance and small-time drug dealer, Otis (Tom Towles). Hiding behind his unremarkable employment as a pest exterminator, Henry leads a double life, prowling the streets by night on a brutal and apparently motiveless killing spree. As the bodies mount up, Otis finds himself inducted into Henry’s dark secret world, but when Otis’ sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) moves in, herself fleeing from an uncomfortable domestic situation, it quickly becomes apparent that two’s company, but three’s a crowd.
Based on the horrific true-life crimes of Henry Lee Lucas, the harrowing controversial debut feature from John McNaughton (Mad Dog and Glory, Wild Things) returns to the UK in its best-looking release ever, in a new 4K restoration supervised by the director himself.
4K Ultra HD Limited Edition Contents:
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives, approved by John McNaughton
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in HDR10.
- Original 2.0 stereo mix and 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee
- Limited edition 60-page booklet featuring new writing by Shaun Kimber, Peter Vronsky, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Julian Petley
- Booklet containing the original storyboards for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Double-sided fold-out poster
- Six collector’s postcards (Limited Edition exclusive)
Disc One - Features & Extras (4K Ultra HD):
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negatives
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in HDR10.
- Brand new audio commentary by John McNaughton & Steven A. Jones
- Two archive commentaries by John McNaughton
- Scene specific commentaries with John McNaughton and critic Nigel Floyd
- Deleted scenes and outtakes
- Original script
- Original theatrical and 30th anniversary trailers
- Image gallery
Disc Two - Bonus Disc (Blu-ray):
- Portrait: The Making of Henry, a 50-minute behind-the-scenes documentary
- In Defense of Henry, an appreciation by Joe Swanberg, Kim Morgan, Jeffrey Sconce, Joe Bob Briggs and Errol Morris
- Twisting the Lens: The Diegetic Camera and Voyeurism in Henry, exclusive new documentary with John McNaughton, Adam Rockoff, Anna Bogutskaya and Jonathan Rigby discussing killers behind cameras
- Henry vs. MPAA: A Visual History, the story of the struggle to get Henry into North American theatres
- Henry at the BBFC with Stephen Thrower, discussing Henry's troubled history at the hands of the British censors
- John McNaughton on Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, exclusive new interview with John McNaughton and Stephen A. Jones, conducted at the time of Henry's UK premiere in February 1990
- Interview with John McNaughton, from 1998
- It's Either You... Or Them: An Interview with Joe Coleman, the artist behind Henry’s legendary original theatrical release poster
- John McNaughton in conversation with Nigel Floyd, interview from 2003
- In the Round: A Conversation with John McNaughton, conducted by Spencer Parsons in 2016
12 MONKEYS (UK/US/CA 4K UHD Blu-ray)
The Future is History.
Following the commercial and critical success of The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam next feature would turn to science fiction and a screenplay by Janet and David Peoples (Blade Runner, Unforgiven) inspired by Chris Marker’s classic short film La Jetée.
In 1996, a deadly virus is unleashed by a group calling themselves the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, destroying much of the world’s population and forcing survivors underground. In 2035, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis, Die Hard) is chosen to go back in time and help scientists in their search for a cure.
Featuring an Oscar-nominated turn by Brad Pitt (Fight Club) as mental patient Jeffrey Goines, Twelve Monkeys would become Gilliam’s most successful film and is now widely regarded as a sci-fi classic. Arrow Films are proud to present the film in a stunning new restoration.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Special Edition Contents:
- Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Terry Gilliam
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven
- The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys, feature-length making-of documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe (Lost in La Mancha)
- The Film Exchange with Terry Gilliam, a 1996 interview with Gilliam and critic Jonathan Romney, recorded at the London Film Festival
- Appreciation by Ian Christie, author of Gilliam on Gilliam
- The Twelve Monkeys Archives
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Nathan Rabin and Ian Christie