[Susan Foreman]

'Enter Santo: The First Adventures Of The Silver-Masked Man' (1966) - Limited Edition Blu-ray pre-order available at PowerHouse Films direct - £24:99

Release date: December 5

"Immediately recognisable by his distinctive silver mask, the heroic wrestler known as El Santo (‘The Saint’) was Mexico’s most popular luchador, becoming a folk hero and the star of a hugely popular series of action films. Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man presents the two earliest cinematic excursions of this icon of Mexican popular culture.

In Santo vs. Evil Brain (Santo contra cerebro del mal) (1961), the dastardly Doctor Campos is kidnapping and brainwashing scientists. When undercover detective Santo falls prey to Campos’ scheme, Lieutenant Zambrano (Enrique Zambrano) and El Incognito (Fernando Osés) must come to his assistance to foil Campos’ plans. Meanwhile, in the same year’s Santo vs. Infernal Men (Santo contra hombres infernales) (1961), the trio of Santo, El Incognito, and Zambrano team up once again to fight a band of drug smugglers.

Shot in Cuba in the final days before Fidel Castro entered Havana, these two films represent the celluloid birth of a true screen legend, and spawned a further fifty Santo films. Beautifully restored in 4K from the original negatives, these thrilling films finally receive their world Blu-ray premieres in this individually numbered Limited Edition two-disc set, complete with new and archival extra features, including a feature-length documentary, a poster, and an 80-page book."

2 x BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• Brand new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives of Santo vs. Evil Brain and Santo vs. Infernal Men
• Original mono audio
• Perdida (2011), feature-length documentary by Viviana Garc?*a-Besné, granddaughter of Jorge Garc?*a-Besné, exploring her family’s massive contribution to Mexican cinema, including initiating the Santo series
• Archival interview with actor Joaqu?*n Cordero (2010)
• Santo vs. Evil Brain restoration comparison
• Santo vs. Infernal Men restoration comparison
• Perdida image gallery: stills collection from the Calderón family
• New and improved optional English translation subtitles
• Limited Edition exclusive 80-page book
• Limited Edition exclusive poster
• World premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 6,000 copies for the UK and US

All extras subject to change