A couple things quickly this morning…
Our own Joe Marchese has just turned in a Blu-ray review of Warner’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. This is the original 1946 film with Lana Turner and John Garfield. Enjoy!
In announcement news today, Criterion has revealed their June Blu-ray and DVD release slate, set to include Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (Cat #139 – Blu-ray and upgraded DVD – due 6/11), Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor’s Safety Last! (Cat #662 – Blu-ray and DVD – 6/18), František Vlácil’s Marketa Lazarová (Cat #661 – Blu-ray and DVD – 6/18), William Cameron Menzies’ Things to Come (Cat #660 – Blu-ray and DVD – 6/18) and Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah (Cat #663 – Blu-ray and DVD – 6/25).
Warner and the BBC have set Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part Two for release on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/28.
Microcinema International has set The Queen of the People, El Cerrito, The Cardboard Bernini and The Great Commanders for DVD only release on 4/23.
Eagle Rock Entertainment has set Garbage: One Mile High... Live for Blu-ray and DVD release on 5/28.
And in other news, here’s something cool via TIME magazine: According to film restoration expert Michael Daruty (who was involved in the recent work on Schindler’s List), Universal is planning to restore and release between 3 and 5 classic catalog films a year on Blu-ray. The best news? They’re currently working on A Touch of Evil, High Plains Drifter and Double Indemnity!
Also, we’ve learned a bit of discouraging news about Space: 1999 – Season Two. Our sources at Network in the U.K. (which does the actual restoration and remastering work on the series) tell us that Season Two Blu-ray is now a mid-2014 title on their project slate. So it seems likely that the Amazon listing is an error or other miscommunication between Amazon and Lionsgate. We’re still waiting to hear back from Lionsgate, but that’s the way it’s looking right now. Lionsgate can’t release it if Network hasn’t finished the work yet. Again, more as it comes in.
And finally a bit of good news: Our own Tim Salmons has learned via Don May, Jr. that director William Friedkin is currently working on a Blu-ray transfer Sorcerer from the original negative! How cool is that? We’ll post more as it comes in.
Meanwhile, here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for Fox’s Broken City (due 4/30), Miramax/Echo Bridge’s Beautiful Girls (due 3/26) and the final release artwork for The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook (due 4/30)…
Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt