Criterion has scheduled April 14th as the street date for the Blu-Ray debuts of Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels (1941) and Carol Reed's Odd Man Out (1947). Click here for details.
Showing posts with label James Mason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James Mason. Show all posts
ECLIPSE: Three Wicked Melodramas from Gainsborough in October
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES: | Three Wicked Melodramas from Gainsborough October 9th Criterion Retail $44.95, Our: $35.99 The Man in Grey (1943), Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), The Wicked Lady (1945) |   |
Criterion has announced an October 9th release date for Three Wicked Melodramas from Gainsborough.
The 3-disc set will contain the previously unreleased films: The Man in Grey (1943), Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945) and The Wicked Lady (1945).
Retail will be $44.95, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $35.99.
SYNOPSIS:
During the 1940s, realism reigned in British cinema—but not at Gainsborough Pictures. The studio, which had been around since the ’20s, found new success with a series of pleasurably preposterous costume melodramas. Audiences ate up these overheated films, which featured a stable of charismatic stars, including James Mason, Margaret Lockwood, Stewart Granger, and Phyllis Calvert.
Though its films were immensely profitable in wartime and immediately after, Gainsborough did not outlive the decade. This set brings together a trio of Gainsborough’s most popular films—florid, visceral tales of secret identities, multiple personalities, and romantic betrayals.
The Man in Grey (1943)
This tale of treachery put both the Gainsborough melodrama and actor James Mason on the map. The star-to-be plays Lord Rohan, a cruel nobleman who marries the naive and sweet-natured Clarissa (Phyllis Calvert) for the sole purpose of producing an heir; meanwhile, Clarissa’s conniving best friend, Hesther (Margaret Lockwood), secretly plots against her for her own nefarious ends.
The Man in Grey, directed by Leslie Arliss, was such a box-office success that Gainsborough used it as a template, launching a cycle of increasingly rococo films.
Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945)
A lurid tale, Madonna of the Seven Moons, directed by Arthur Crabtree, is among the wildest of the Gainsborough melodramas.
Set in Italy, it begins as a relatively composed tale about a respectable, convent-raised woman (Phyllis Calvert) who is haunted by the memory of being raped as a teenager. When her grown daughter returns from school, her life begins to crack up in monumentally surprising ways. Stewart Granger also plays a prominent role in this sensational tale.
The Wicked Lady (1945)
Margaret Lockwood devours the screen as a tightly wound seventeenth-century beauty with loose morals, who steals her best friend’s wealthy fiancé on the eve of the wedding. And that’s only the beginning of this piece of pulp from director Leslie Arliss: there are no depths to which this woman won’t sink.
James Mason costars, and nearly steals the movie, as a highwayman with whom our anti-heroine becomes entangled.
VCI: Stewart Granger in Fanny by Gaslight, Caravan, Love Story in May
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Caravan (1946) May 15th VCI Retail: 14.99, Our: $12.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Fanny by Gaslight (1945) May 15th VCI Retail: 14.99, Our: $12.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Love Story (1944) May 15th VCI Retail: 14.99, Our: $12.99 | |
Three Stewart Granger films have been announced by VCI for release on May 15th. They are:
- Caravan (1946) - Jean Kent, Anne Crawford
- Fanny by Gaslight (1945) [a.k.a. Man of Evil] - James Mason, Phyllis Calvert
- Love Story (1944) [a.k.a. A Lady Surrenders] - Margaret Lockwood, Patricia Roc
MGM MOD: 6 More Including Rebel In Town, Master of the World
6 more MGM MOD's have been released and are now available for rent. They are:
- Hero's Island (1962) - James Mason, Neville Brand, Kate Manx, Rip Torn
- Hong Kong Confidential (1958) - Gene Barry, Beverly Tyler, Noel Drayton, Allison Hayes
- Master of the World (1961) - Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster
- Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953) - John Payne, Donna Reed, Gerald Mohr, Lon Chaney Jr., Anthony Caruso
- Rebel In Town (1956) - John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish, Ben Cooper, Ben Johnson
- The Steel Lady (1953) - Rod Cameron, Tab Hunter, John Dehner
Lolita (Blu-Ray) in August
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Lolita (Blu-Ray) August 23rd Warner Retail: 19.98, Our: $15.99 |  |
More Blu-Ray from Warner as they have announced Lolita (Blu-Ray) (1962) for release on August 23rd.
The single disc Blu-Ray will retail for $19.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99.
SYNOPSIS:
Newly arrived in Ramsdale, New Hampshire, European emigre Humbert Humbert is smitten. He plans to marry Charlotte Haze. That way he'll always be close to his dear one - Charlotte's precocious daughter! Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick explores the theme of obsession.
James Mason plays devious, deluded Humbert: wedded to needy Charlotte (Shelley Winters); rivaled by the ubiquitous Clare Quilty (chameleonlike Peter Sellers); and enraptured to his gelatinous core by the blithe teen (Sue Lyon) with that "lovely, lyrical, lilting name" - Lolita.
BONUS FEATURE:
- Theatrical Trailer
BRITISH VCI: Miranda, Tiara Tahiti in July
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Miranda (1948) July 5th VCI Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Tiara Tahiti (1962) July 5th VCI Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99 | |
More British classics are on the way from VCI as they have announced Miranda (1948) with Glynis Johns, Googie Withers, Griffith Jones, John McCallum and Margaret Rutherford and Tiara Tahiti (1962) with James Mason, John Mills, Claude Dauphin and Herbert Lom for release on July 5th.
Each will retail for $19.99, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99. Bonus features are not expected.
Miranda
Paul Marton is a Harley Street doctor who announces to his wife that he intends to take a fishing holiday alone. He sets off for Cornwall and indulges in a spot of fishing until one day he catches a beautiful mermaid!
Meanwhile, his wife receives a telegram saying that her husband will be returning accompanied by a patient. Expecting an aging invalid, she is shocked on their arrival to see a beautiful young woman with her legs wrapped in cloth. Will anyone discover Miranda’s fishy secret?
Tiara Tahiti
Sir John Mills and James Mason star as two long-time rivals. Brett (James Mason) is the nephew of a wealthy uncle, and envied by Clifford Southey (John Mills), a clerk for the firm. Brett’s cool and privileged demeanor make Southey constantly jealous, so when Brett is appointed to Southey’s regiment where he has been in charge for a long time, Southey is fearful of the effect this will have both on his authority and his self-esteem.
Sure enough, Brett becomes an instant hit and undermines Southey’s control. When Southey discovers that Brett is indulging in a spot of black-market trading, he informs the authorities. Disgraced and ousted by his family, Brett sets off for Australia. Southey thinks he has won, but the rivalry is far from over.
JAMES MASON: Candlelight in Algeria in March
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Candlelight in Algeria (1944) March 15th VCI Retail: $14.99, Our: $12.99 | |
More from VCI as they have announced Candlelight in Algeria (1944) for release on March 15th.
The James Mason World War II drama will be a single disc and bonus features are not expected.
Pandora and The Flying Dutchman, Special Edition & Blu in August
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Pandora and The Flying Dutchman (Special Edition) (1951) August 3rd Kino Retail $29.95, Our: $23.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Pandora and The Flying Dutchman (Blu-Ray) (1951) August 3rd Kino Retail $34.95, Our: $27.99 | |
Kino has scheduled an August 3rd release date for special editions of Pandora and The Flying Dutchman in separate standard and Blu-Ray DVDs.
Each is expected to be a single disc release. Details below.
SYNOPSIS:
In this timeless romantic fantasy from director Albert Lewin, Ava Gardner stars as a nightclub singer vacationing in Spain, with whom all men fall hopelessly in love. But Pandora, never having known true love, is indifferent to her suitors' affections. Until, one evening, she swims out to a mysterious yacht and meets its captain (James Mason).
Mastered in HD from the 35mm negative of the 2009 restoration, this Kino edition preserves Jack Cardiff's (The Red Shoes) vivid Technicolor cinematography with breathtaking clarity.
BONUS FEATURES:
- Comparison of original vs. restored Technicolor footage
- Alternate opening title sequence
- Three theatrical trailers
- Two galleries of documents, stills, and behind-the-scenes photos
- El Torero de Cordoba, an eighteen-minute documentary about the legendary Spanish bullfighter
A Star Is Born: Standard and Blu Special Editions in June
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | A Star Is Born (Special Edition) (1954) June 22nd Warner Retail $20.97, Our: $15.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | A Star Is Born (Blu-Ray) - Special Edition (1954) June 22nd Warner Retail $34.99, Our: $27.99 | |
Expected for some time, Warner has announced a June 22nd release date for the "Gloriously restored" A Star is Born (1954) in both a Standard and Blu-Ray release. Both two-disc DVD sets are loaded with bonus features (below) while the "40 pages of gorgeous photography, film history and more" is exclusive to the "Blu-Ray Book."
BONUS FEATURES (Subject to change):
- Introduction
- Additional Takes:
- The Man That Got Away - Pink Dress
- The Man That Got Away - Brown Dress #1
- The Man That Got Away - Brown Dress #2
- The Man That Got Away - Brown Dress #3
- The Man That Got Away - Brown Dress #4
- Here's What I'm here For - Alternate Take
- Lose That Long Face - Alternate Take
- Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo - Alternate Take
- When My Sugar Walks Down the Street - Outtake
- Suicide Scene - Alternate Take
- Film Effects Reel
- A Report by Jack L. Warner Vintage Featurette
- Huge Premiere Hails 'A Star is Born' Newsreel Montage Vintage Featurette
- 'A Star is Born' Premiere in Cinemascope
- Pantages Premiere TV Special Vintage Featurette
- A Star is Bored (1956 WB Cartoon)
- Audio Vault
- Oliver on the Phone with the Director Discussing Norman - Outtakes
- Norman and Esther on the Roof of the Hotel Lancaster - Outtakes
- 12/28/1942 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast with Judy Garland and Walter Pidgeon
- Judy Garland Radio Interview
- Born in a Trunk
- Someone at Last – Rehearsal
- Someone at Last
- My Melancholy Baby
- Black Bottom
- Swanee
- Theatrical Trailers of the 1937, 1954 and 1976 Film Versions
Bigger Than Life (1956) - Standard & Blu in March
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Bigger Than Life (1956) March 23rd Criterion Retail $39.95, Our: $29.99 | |
| WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: | Bigger Than Life (Blu-Ray) (1956) March 23rd Criterion Retail $39.95, Our: $31.99 | |
Criterion has announced a March 23rd release date for Bigger Than Life (1956). Both a standard and a Blu-Ray release are part of the announcement and each will be a single disc release. Bonus features and a synopsis are below.
SYNOPSIS:
Though ignored at the time of its release, Nicholas Ray's Bigger Than Life is now recognized as one of the great American films of the 1950s. When a friendly, successful suburban teacher and father (James Mason, in one of his most indelible roles) is prescribed cortisone for a painful, possibly fatal affliction, he grows dangerously addicted to the experimental drug, resulting in his transformation into a psychotic and ultimately violent household despot.
This Eisenhower-era throat-grabber, shot in expressive CinemaScope, is an excoriating take on the nuclear family. That it came in the day of Father Knows Best makes it all the more shocking—and wildly entertaining.
BONUS FEATURES
- Audio commentary featuring critic Geoff Andrew (The Films of Nicholas Ray)
- Profile of Nicholas Ray (1977), a half-hour television interview with the director
- New video appreciation of Bigger Than Life with author Jonathan Lethem (Chronic City)
- New video interview with Susan Ray, widow of the director and editor of I Was Interrupted: Nicholas Ray on Making Movies
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic and video maker B. Kite
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