The Arrow Thread

[Susan Foreman]

ARROW ACADEMY

NEW UK TITLE: Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Blu-ray)

David Bowie stars in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Palme d’Or-nominated portrait of resilience, pride, friendship and obsession among four very different men

"David Bowie stars in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Palme d’Or-nominated portrait of resilience, pride, friendship and obsession among four very different men confined in the stifling jungle heat of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Java during World War II.

In 1942, British officer Major Jack Celliers (Bowie) is captured by Japanese soldiers, and after a brutal trial sent, physically debilitated but indomitable in mind, to a POW camp overseen by the zealous Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto). Celliers’ stubbornness sees him locked in a battle of wills with the camp’s new commandant, a man obsessed with discipline and the glory of Imperial Japan who becomes unnaturally preoccupied with the young Major, while Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence (Tom Conti), the only inmate with a degree of sympathy for Japanese culture and an understanding of the language, attempts to bridge the divide through his friendship with Yonoi’s second-in-command, Sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano), a man possessing a surprising degree of compassion beneath his cruel façade.

Produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky), it was the first English-language film by Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses, Gohatto), a leading light of Japanese New Wave cinema, and provided breakthrough big-screen roles for comedian Takeshi Kitano and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also composed the film’s hauntingly memorable BAFTA-winning score. This powerful wartime drama was adapted from Laurens van der Post’s autobiographical novel ‘The Seed and the Sower’ (1963) by screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (The Man Who Fell to Earth)."

Special features:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed stereo audio
• The Man Who Left His Soul on Film (1983), Paul Joyce’s 82-minute documentary profile of Nagisa Oshima
• The Oshima Gang (1983), a 30-minute documentary following the film’s cast and makers at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival
• Video interviews with producer Jeremy Thomas and actor-composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Exclusive newly filmed interview with critic Tony Rayns
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jasper Sharp

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I'm tempted to buy it for the feature length The Man Who Left His Soul On Film documentary, but until it's a bit cheaper, I'll stick with the StudioCanal dual format release.

[Nostalgic]

Had an email from amazon saying Beyond The Door had shipped...really hope it turns up! Will post with updates.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

ARROW ACADEMY

NEW UK TITLE: Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Blu-ray)

David Bowie stars in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Palme d’Or-nominated portrait of resilience, pride, friendship and obsession among four very different men

"David Bowie stars in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Palme d’Or-nominated portrait of resilience, pride, friendship and obsession among four very different men confined in the stifling jungle heat of a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Java during World War II.

In 1942, British officer Major Jack Celliers (Bowie) is captured by Japanese soldiers, and after a brutal trial sent, physically debilitated but indomitable in mind, to a POW camp overseen by the zealous Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto). Celliers’ stubbornness sees him locked in a battle of wills with the camp’s new commandant, a man obsessed with discipline and the glory of Imperial Japan who becomes unnaturally preoccupied with the young Major, while Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence (Tom Conti), the only inmate with a degree of sympathy for Japanese culture and an understanding of the language, attempts to bridge the divide through his friendship with Yonoi’s second-in-command, Sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano), a man possessing a surprising degree of compassion beneath his cruel façade.

Produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor, The Sheltering Sky), it was the first English-language film by Oshima (Death by Hanging, In the Realm of the Senses, Gohatto), a leading light of Japanese New Wave cinema, and provided breakthrough big-screen roles for comedian Takeshi Kitano and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also composed the film’s hauntingly memorable BAFTA-winning score. This powerful wartime drama was adapted from Laurens van der Post’s autobiographical novel ‘The Seed and the Sower’ (1963) by screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (The Man Who Fell to Earth)."

Special features:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed stereo audio
• The Man Who Left His Soul on Film (1983), Paul Joyce’s 82-minute documentary profile of Nagisa Oshima
• The Oshima Gang (1983), a 30-minute documentary following the film’s cast and makers at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival
• Video interviews with producer Jeremy Thomas and actor-composer Ryuichi Sakamoto
• Exclusive newly filmed interview with critic Tony Rayns
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jasper Sharp

Excellent!

[Nostalgic]

Another update from amazon saying Beyond The Door may take another 2 days to get here......

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Nostalgic

Another update from amazon saying Beyond The Door may take another 2 days to get here......

Mine shipped from them yesterday said ill have it Wednesday which is the normal length of time it takes to get here anyway so no changes here so far.

[Nostalgic]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

Mine shipped from them yesterday said ill have it Wednesday which is the normal length of time it takes to get here anyway so no changes here so far.

Nice to know its at least in the process!

That ROTLD pic is amazing btw!

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Nostalgic

Nice to know its at least in the process!

That ROTLD pic is amazing btw!

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

ARROW ACADEMY

"*** BLACK ANGEL REPLACEMENT DISC PROGRAMME***

Due to a technical glitch during the authoring of our BLACK ANGEL release, the film’s original 1.33:1 aspect ratio image was mistakenly altered to appear within a 1.28:1 ratio. This is incorrect and has resulted in a slight vertical compression to the image.

Our initial stock is being dispatched, so whilst we will fix this on future pressings, we will be setting up a disc replacement service for anyone who has already pre-ordered this release. The new encode is now ready so we anticipate that replacement discs will be available shortly. We will of course follow up with another post once the replacement disc programme is live so please do keep an eye on our page for updates.

Many thanks for your understanding and continued support!"

https://arrowfilms.com/news/black-an...aPGzF6K_Rjq5YQ

"BLACK ANGEL REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME

Good news, the replacement programme for BLACK ANGEL is now open! If you require a replacement disc, please read the info below before getting in touch.

If you’ve ordered a copy of BLACK ANGEL direct via the Arrow Store skip down to the ***DIRECT ORDERS VIA THE ARROW STORE*** section. For anybody who has ordered elsewhere (be it online, in store etc.) please continue reading...

So the replacement programme is now up and running! To obtain your replacement disc, please email support@arrowfilms.co.uk with BLACK ANGEL REPLACEMENT DISC in the subject header, a copy of your proof of purchase attached along with the best shipping address for us to dispatch the disc out to (and current phone number). Our team will not be able to confirm receipt of each email individually but will get back to you as soon as they can to confirm that a replacement will be shipped out.

--------------------------------------------------------------


*******DIRECT ORDERS VIA THE ARROW STORE*******
If you ordered a copy of the film direct via our store, you should have received an email confirming that the replacement discs were ready to be dispatched. The most recent delivery address that was in your account has been used for this shipment (if your information has changed, or you have not received this email, please contact support@arrowfilms.co.uk.) If you are based in the UK and have not received your discs by 20th April, please contact support@arrowfilms.co.uk and we will do our best to see to your request. International customers please allow longer for delivery. When emailing be sure to include “BLACK ANGEL REPLACEMENT DISC” in the subject heading of the email, or respond directly the email our team have sent out to you.


-------------------------------------------------------------

And there we have it! If you have any additional questions that aren’t covered here or in the FAQ below do let us know!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for your patience whilst we rolled out this replacement programme.


***FAQ***


Q: This is the first I’ve heard of any issues, what is wrong with the disc for BLACK ANGEL?

A: Sadly, a technical glitch during authoring resulted in the aspect ratio being incorrect. You can read more about this here

Q: How do I get a copy of my replacement discs for BLACK ANGEL?
A: If you have purchased your copy of BLACK ANGEL from the Arrow Webstore, your replacement discs have been dispatched automatically with the information we have in your Arrow account. If you have not received your disc by 1st May, please contact support@arrowfilms.co.uk.

Q: What counts as a proof of purchase?
A: A copy of your receipt or order confirmation - this can be a screengrab or a photograph.

Q: What can i do if I no longer have my proof of purchase?
A: Please write the date and your full name on the face of your BLACK ANGEL discs, and attached the photo to your email. This will count as your proof of purchase.

Q: How long will it take my replacement disc to arrive?
A: If you are in the UK, please allow up to 2 weeks for shipping, and 4 weeks for all other countries. They should arrive quicker but we have to account for Covid-19 impacting on some services."

[Nostalgic]

Beyond the door arrived!!!!