CONFIRMED: Samson and Delilah (Blu-Ray) & Rawhide - Season 7

On Monday we mentioned that Paramount had scheduled Samson and Delilah (Blu-Ray) and Season 7 of Rawhide for March releases and today we can confirm those dates along with the retail prices.

Click here to read the full story.

BLU OLIVE: Harlow & Summer and Smoke in July

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Harlow (Blu-Ray) July 23rd Olive Films Retail: $24.95, Our: $17.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Summer and Smoke (Blu-Ray) July 23rd Olive Films Retail: $24.95, Our: $17.99

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Two of the first DVD titles that Olive released when their Golden Age barrage began in 2010 are being released on Blu-Ray: Harlow (1965) and Summer and Smoke (1961).

Both will street on July 23rd and retail for just $24.95 each.

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OFFICIAL: Samson and Delilah in March

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Samson and Delilah (1949) March 12th Paramount Retail $24.99, Our: $19.99

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Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) comes to DVD on March 12th.

Starring Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Henry Wilcoxon, this long-awaited Biblical epic has been restored from the original nitrate Technicolor negatives and will feature French and Spanish dubbing, as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles. No additional bonus features are expected.

Retail will be $24.99, but It is available at ClassicFlix.com for just $19.99.

Paramount Press Release

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Legendary director Cecil B. DeMille’s epic masterpiece Samson and Delilah makes its long-awaited DVD debut on March 12, 2013 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the title roles, Samson and Delilah tells the story of the Bible’s fabled strongman and the woman who seduces and betrays him. The film brings to life Samson’s incredible feats, including his battle with a lion, his single-handed assault on a thousand Philistine soldiers, his struggle with a giant and finally the spectacular climax in which he pulls down the pagan temple. But it is Delilah’s quest for revenge and ability to bring down even the mighty Samson that drive this thrilling and powerful story. The lavish production earned five Academy Award® nominations and won for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. The film also stars venerable actors George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Henry Wilcoxon.

Sometimes referred to as DeMille’s rehearsal for The Ten Commandments, Samson and Delilah was enormously popular around the world upon its release in 1949. Over 60 years later, the original film elements required significant work in order to return the film to the vibrant masterpiece that had so thrilled theater audiences. The original nitrate three-strip Technicolor negatives were scanned in 4K, and the three strip image was registered, cleaned and color corrected in 4K. In addition, DeMille’s original nitrate print was used in order to complete the original music overture and special effect work was done to clean up original optical images, a particularly tricky three-strip challenge. Finally, the original mono audio track was cleaned up and restored.

Interestingly, the restoration team noticed a shimmer effect in some of the scenes. Since they were simultaneously restoring Sunset Boulevard, they looked at production photos of Norma Desmond’s visit to the Samson and Delilah set and saw the enormously powerful lights that were required for the Technicolor production. This explained the shimmer effect, which was left intact. Arriving just in time for Easter, the Samson and Delilah DVD will be presented in full screen with English Mono Dolby Digital, French Mono Dolby Digital and Spanish Mono Dolby Digital, as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles. 

DEMILLE: Samson and Delilah (1949) in March

No further details at this time, but Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah (1949) starring Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders and Angela Lansbury will be released by Paramount in March. Stay tuned for more details.

The Manchurian Candidate (Blu-Ray) in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

The Manchurian Candidate (Blu-Ray) (1962) May 10th MGM Retail: 19.99, Our: $15.99

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Announced a few weeks ago as an exclusive at Best Buy, MGM has now announced a general release for The Manchurian Candidate (Blu-Ray) on May 10th.

It will retail for $19.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99.

NOTE: Because we picked up some from Best Buy it is currently available for rent.


SYNOPSIS:
Eerie, shocking, daring, thrilling and mesmerizing, The Manchurian Candidate "will leave you breathless" (People)! Featuring an all-star cast, including Angela Lansbury in an Oscar-nominated performance, this "chilling and controversial" (Leonard Maltin) film "may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made" (Pauline Kael).

When a platoon of Korean War G.I.s is captured, they somehow end up at a ladies' garden club party. Or do they? Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) can't remember. As he searches for the answer, he discovers threads of a diabolical plot orchestrated by the utterly ruthless Mrs. Iselin (Lansbury) and involving her war hero son (Laurence Harvey), her senator husband (James Gregory) and a secret cabal of enemy leaders.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Interview with Frank Sinatra, George Axelrod and John Frankenheimer
• Audio Commentary by John Frankenheimer
• "Queen of Diamonds" featurette with Angela Lansbury
• "A Little Solitaire" featurette with William Friedkin
• How to Get Shot
• Original theatrical trailer

The Manchurian Candidate (Blu-Ray)

Currently an exclusive to Best Buy, we've acquired some copies of The Manchurian Candidate (Blu-Ray) for rental.

For those wishing to purchase from us, Best Buy exclusives usually expand to general release a few months after they've had it so we'll have it available for sale once it does.