The Arrow Thread

[Rik]

Definitely getting The Slayer and Don't Torture a Duckling, already have TCM2 and I'm not arsed for the others

[Susan Foreman]

"NEW UK/US TITLE: Don’t Torture a Duckling (Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD)

One of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced

Release dates: 14/15 August

From Lucio Fulci, the godfather of gore (The Psychic, The Beyond), comes one of the most powerful and unsettling giallo thrillers ever produced: his 1972 masterpiece Don’t Torture a Duckling.

When the sleepy rural village of Accendura is rocked by a series of murders of young boys, the superstitious locals are quick to apportion blame, with the suspects including the local “witch”, Maciara (Florinda Bolkan, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin). With the bodies piling up and the community gripped by panic and a thirst for bloody vengeance, two outsiders – city journalist Andrea (Tomas Milian, The Four of the Apocalypse) and spoilt rich girl Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times) – team up to crack the case. But before the mystery is solved, more blood will have been spilled, and not all of it belonging to innocents...

Deemed shocking at the time for its brutal violence, depiction of the Catholic Church and themes of child murder and paedophilia, Don’t Torture a Duckling is widely regarded today as Fulci's greatest film, rivalling the best of his close rival Dario Argento. Arrow Video is proud to present this uniquely chilling film in its North American high definition debut.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• The Blood of Innocents, a new video discussion with Mikel J. Koven, author of La Dolce Morte: Vernacular Cinema and the Italian Giallo Film
• Hell is Already in Us, a new video essay by critic Kat Ellinger
• Interviews with co-writer/director Lucio Fulci, actor Florinda Bolkan, cinematographer Sergio D’Offizi, assistant editor Bruno Micheli and assistant makeup artist Maurizio Trani
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Timothy Pittides

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and Howard Hughes"

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by bleakshaun

it took them almost 4 years to make a standard release of this. talk about taking their sweet ass time

Because there have been 10,000 copies of the 'limited' one in all the shops from 4 years ago they have them in the 3 for £20 offer in our HMV.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Rik

Definitely getting The Slayer and Don't Torture a Duckling, already have TCM2 and I'm not arsed for the others

I'll be getting Shock Treatment as well, I don't know why it needs 2 covers though

[Susan Foreman]

"NEW UK/US TITLE: Ronin (Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD)

From director John Frankenheimer comes Ronin, a pulse-pounding, action-packed crime thriller featuring an all-star cast headlined by Robert De Niro and Jean Reno

Release dates: 14/15 August

RONIN. Noun, historical. A samurai who no longer serves a daimyo, or feudal lord.

From director John Frankenheimer (Reindeer Games, The Manchurian Candidate) comes Ronin, a pulse-pounding, action-packed crime thriller featuring an all-star cast headlined by Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Heat) and Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional).

On a rain-swept night in Paris, an international crack team of professional thieves assembles, summoned by a shady crime syndicate fronted by the enigmatic Deirdre (Natascha McElhone, The Devil’s Own). Their mission: to steal a heavily guarded briefcase from armed mobsters, its contents undisclosed. But what begins as a routine heist soon spirals into chaos, with the group beset by a series of double-crosses and constantly shifting allegiances, and it falls to world-weary former CIA strategist Sam (De Niro) and laconic Frenchman Vincent (Reno) to hold the mission together.

A latter-day return to form for Frankenheimer, the film evokes the same gritty milieu as classic 70s crime fare like The French Connection, in addition to anticipating the early 21st century trend towards more grounded, realistic action movies, exemplified by the likes of the Bourne franchise. Arrow Video is proud to present Ronin in a brand new, cinematographer-approved 4K restoration, allowing this jewel in the crown of 90s thriller cinema to shine like never before.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director of photography Robert Fraisse
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original English 5.1 audio (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer
• Brand new video interview with director of photography Robert Fraisse
• Paul Joyce documentary on Robert De Niro
• Ronin: Filming in the Fast Lane, an archival behind-the-scenes featurette
• Through the Lens, an archival interview with Robert Fraisse
• The Driving of Ronin, an archival featurette on the film’s legendary car stunts
• Natascha McElhone: An Actor’s Process, an archival interview with the actress
• Composing the Ronin Score, an archival interview with composer Elia Cmiral
• In the Ronin Cutting Room, an archival interview with editor Tony Gibbs
• Venice Film Festival interviews with Robert De Niro, Jean Reno and Natascha McElhone
• Alternate ending
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet illustrated by Chris Malbon, featuring new writing on the film by critic Travis Crawford"

[Susan Foreman]

"NEW UK/US TITLE: Erik the Conqueror (Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD)

Mario Bava’s swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism and forbidden love!

Release dates: 28/29 August

In 1961, director Mario Bava (Rabid Dogs, Kill Baby Kill) turned his hand to the historical adventure genre, capitalising on the recent success of 1958’s Kirk Douglas vehicle The Vikings. The result was a colourful, swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism and forbidden love: Erik the Conqueror.

In 786 AD, the invading Viking forces are repelled from the shores of England, leaving behind a young boy – Erik, son of the slain Viking king. Years later, Erik (George Ardisson, Juliet of the Spirits), raised by the English queen as her own, becomes Duke of Helford, while across the sea, his brother Eron (Cameron Mitchell, Blood and Black Lace) assumes leadership of the Viking horde and sets his sights on conquering England once again, setting the two estranged brothers on a collision course that will determine the fates of their respective kingdoms…

Featuring a bombastic score by frequent collaborator Roberto Nicolosi (Black Sunday) and memorably co-starring the stunning Kessler twins (Sodom and Gomorrah), Erik the Conqueror showcases Bava’s immense talent for creating awe-inspiring spectacle with limited resources. Now restored in high definition for the first time, Arrow Video is proud to present this cult classic in all its original splendour.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original Italian and English mono audio (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava – All the Colors of the Dark
• Gli imitatori, a comparison between Erik the Conqueror and its unacknowledged source, The Vikings • Original ending
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Kat Ellinger"

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bleakshaun

it took them almost 4 years to make a standard release of this. talk about taking their sweet ass time

Took 4 years for them to sell what was it, 10,000 copies of the limited edition? I think most people who wanted the film already have it. This took so long that I bought the Scream Factory release waiting to get this version with the original artwork.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

Took 4 years for them to sell what was it, 10,000 copies of the limited edition? I think most people who wanted the film already have it. This took so long that I bought the Scream Factory release waiting to get this version with the original artwork.

They may as well sell it in Fopp for £6 as soon as it's released.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

[I]"NEW UK/US TITLE: The Slayer (Dual Format Blu-ray & DVD)

Finally The SLAAAAAAAAAAAAYER

[Rik]

That's the one I'm most looking forward to because I've never seen it