Arrow Video & Academy March 2018 Titles
The Criterion of cult, Arrow Video, and their art-house sister label, Arrow Academy, posted their March Blu-ray announcements this morning. Being that Arrow is a British company, keep in mind that not all of their titles will be released both in the U.K. and the U.S., due to distribution rights. However, Arrow always makes it perfectly clear which Blu-rays will be offered in both the U.K. and U.S. versus which ones are U.K. only.
Listed below are the disc descriptions directly from the Facebook pages of Arrow Video and Arrow Academy:
Arrow Video
NEW UK TITLE: Raising Cain (Blu-ray)
Harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.
Release date: 5th March
Having spent the latter half of the eighties trying out new styles of filmmaking Wise Guys knockabout comedy, The Untouchables prestige gangster pic, Casualties of War s Vietnam movie and The Bonfire of the Vanities satirical misfire Brian De Palma returned to what he knew best, the Hitchcockian psycho-thriller, for Raising Cain.
John Lithgow plays three roles: child psychologist Carter, his evil twin brother Cain, and their Norwegian father, Dr Nix, who likes to experimental on the young. Carter s wife is concerned that her husband isn t quite paying their daughter the right kind of attention; she s also having an affair which, upon discovery, threatens to send him into a psychotic rage…
A relentless blend of murder, multiple personalities, cross-dressing, crazed parents, bizarre dream sequences and stunning cinematic assurance, Raising Cain harks back to those twin masterpieces Psycho and Peeping Tom, but is pure unadulterated De Palma.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition digital transfer of the theatrical version
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Hickory Dickory Doc, a brand-new interview with actor John Lithgow
- The Man in My Life, an interview with actor Steven Bauer
- Have You Talked to the Others?, an interview with editor Paul Hirsch
- Three Faces of Henry, an interview with actor Gregg Henry
- The Cat’s in the Bag, an interview with actor Tom Bower
- A Little Too Late for That, an interview with actor Mel Harris
- Raising Pino, a brand-new interview with composer Pino Donaggio
- Father s Day, a brand-new video essay about the multiple versions of Raising Cain by Chris Dumas, author of Un-American Psycho: Brian De Palma and the Political Invisible
- Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
NEW US TITLE: Donnie Darko (Blu-ray)
Arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium.
Release date: 6th March
I WANT YOU TO WATCH THE MOVIE SCREEN. THERE’S SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU.
Fifteen years before Stranger Things combined science-fiction, Spielberg-ian touches and 80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Richard Kelly set the template – and the high-water mark – with his debut feature, Donnie Darko. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as arguably the first cult classic of the new millennium.
Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank’s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum.
Described by its director as “The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick”, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast – pre-stardom Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, heartthrob Patrick Swayze, former child star Drew Barrymore, Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Katherine Ross, and television favourite Noah Wyle – and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. This brand-new 4K restoration, carried out exclusively for this release by Arrow Films, allows a modern classic to finally receive the home video treatment it deserves.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster
- Original 5.1 audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal
- Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval
- Brand-new interviews with Richard Kelly and others
- The Goodbye Place, Kelly’s 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and ideas of his feature films
- Twenty deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
- Trailer
NEW UK TITLE: Flowers on the Attic (Blu-ray)
A dark and chilling Gothic suspense thriller in the classic tradition.
Release Date: 12 March
HOME SWEET HOME IS MURDER…
When her husband dies in a tragic accident, widow Corrine Dollanganger (Victoria Tennant, The Holcroft Covenant) takes her four children to the ancestral family home she fled before they were born. Locked away in the attic by their tyrannical grandmother (Academy Award® winner Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), it falls to older and sister brother Chris (Jeb Stuart Adams, The Goonies) and Cathy (Kristy Swanson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to care for their younger siblings. But with their mother growing increasingly distant and erratic and a mysterious sickness taking hold, will any of the Dollanganger children survive to escape the clutches of the house’s cruel matriarch?
Originally published in 1979, VC Andrews’ novel Flowers in the Attic was a smash hit, spawning four sequels and going on to sell over 40 million copies worldwide. With undercurrents of incest and child abuse and a haunting score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser), Flowers in the Attic is a dark and chilling Gothic suspense thriller in the classic tradition.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original lossless 2.0 stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- New audio commentary by Kat Ellinger, author and editor-in-chief of Diabolique Magazine
- Home Sweet Home: Filming Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with cinematographer Frank Byers • Fear & Wonder: Designing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with production designer John Muto • The Devil’s Spawn: Playing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with actor Jeb Stuart Adams
- Shattered Innocence: Composing Flowers in the Attic, a new interview with composer Christopher Young
- Production gallery of behind-the-scenes images, illustrations and storyboards
- The original, studio-vetoed ending
- Original theatrical trailer
- Two versions of the script: the unproduced Wes Craven draft, and the final shooting script, including original scenes and reshoots, as well as both endings (BD-ROM content)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bryan Reesman
NEW UK/US TITLE: There’s Always Vanilla (Blu-ray)
Our Romero films head to Blu-ray as standard releases in March
Release dates: 12/13 March
Available for the first time on Blu-ray, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero’s second feature film, There’s Always Vanilla – a biting satire of early ’70s American society and an unjustly overlooked entry in the late director’s filmography.
When young drifter Chris meets beautiful model Lynn by a chance occurrence, the pair hit it off and a romantic relationship ensues. But with their wildly contrasting outlooks on life, it soon becomes clear that the coupling is doomed from the outset.
Starring Judith Streiner (born Judith Ridley) from Night of the Living Dead and Ray Laine, who would go on to appear in Romero’s next film, Season of the Witch, There’s Always Vanilla is a unique entry in the director’s canon and one that’s ripe for reappraisal.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original Uncompressed PCM Mono Audio
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
- Affair of the Heart: The Making of There’s Always Vanilla – brand new documentary featuring interviews with producers John Russo and Russell Streiner, stars Judith Streiner and Richard Ricci, and sound recordist Gary Streiner
- Digging Up the Dead – The Lost Films of George A. Romero – archive interview with Romero discussing his early films There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch
- Location Gallery with audio commentary by Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz
- Memorabilia Gallery
- Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
NEW UK/US TITLE: Season of the Witch (Blu-ray)
Our Romero films head to Blu-ray as standard releases in March
Release dates: 12/13 March
Perhaps the most unclassifiable of filmmaker George A. Romero’s works, 1972’s Season of the Witch sees the Night of the Living Dead filmmaker returning to the realm of the supernatural for this bewitching tale of a housewife driven to an interest in the dark arts.
On the surface, Joan Mitchell has it all – family, friends, and a beautiful home equipped with all the latest appliances. But when a neighbor educates her on the practice of witchcraft, Joan believes she’s discovered the perfect antidote to her monotonous suburban existence, and embarks upon a dark path that will lead to a shocking conclusion.
Filmed as Jack’s Wife and subsequently cut down and retitled Hungry Wives for its theatrical release in an attempt to market it as a sexploitation film, Season of the Witch is arguably one of Romero’s most overlooked films – an intimate and thought-provoking character study that serves as the perfect companion piece to his later Martin.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 4K restoration of the original theatrical version from the camera negative [90 mins]
- Alternate extended version [104 mins]
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original Uncompressed PCM Mono Audio
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
- When Romero Met Del Toro – filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro in conversation with George Romero
- The Secret Life of Jack’s Wife – archive interview with actress Jan White
- Alternate Opening Titles
- Location Gallery with audio commentary by Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz
- Memorabilia Gallery
- Trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
NEW UK/US TITLE: The Crazies (Blu-ray)
Our Romero films head to Blu-ray as standard releases in March
Release dates: 12/13 March
After the experimental outings of There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero returned to rather more distinct horror territory with his 1973 infection opus The Crazies.
When a plane carrying a secret biological weapon crash-lands in the vicinity of a small, rural town, the area descends into chaos. Infected with a virus that sends them into a homicidal frenzy, the locals turn on each other in an orgy of bloody violence. As the army cordons off the town and government agents clash with scientists over the appropriate course of action, a small band of survivors attempt to make their way to safety.
Starring cult icon Lynn Lowry (Shivers, I Drink Your Blood), the influence of Romero’s The Crazies can be felt in everything from the director’s own subsequent work – many commentators have noted the stylistic and thematic similarities to his zombie classic Dawn of the Dead – right up to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and beyond.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
- Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original Mono Uncompressed PCM Audio
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
- Romero Was Here: Locating The Crazies – Romero historian Lawrence DeVincentz takes us on a guided tour of Evans City, PA and the locations used in The Crazies
- Crazy for Lynn Lowry – cult star Lynn Lowry discusses her early career including her role in The Crazies
- Q&A with Lynn Lowry filmed at the 2016 Abertoir Film Festival
- Audio interview with producer Lee Hessel
- Behind-the-scenes footage with optional commentary by Lawrence DeVincentz
- Alternate Opening Titles
- Image Galleries
- Trailers & TV Spots
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
NEW UK/US TITLE: A Pistol for Ringo & The Return of Ringo: Two Films by Duccio Tessari (Blu-ray)
The Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western, sdue to their gripping set-pieces and unforgettable musical scoring by Ennio Morricone.
Release date: 19/20 March
The original Ringo films introduced another iconic hero to the spaghetti western; a clean-cut sharp shooter who was markedly different to Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name.
In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife.
Hugely successful upon their original release, thanks in part to the skilled direction of Duccio Tessari (The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night), the Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western, spawning numerous unofficial sequels, due to their gripping set-pieces and unforgettable musical scoring by Ennio Morricone. Arrow Video is proud to present both films in sumptuous new restorations that truly brings their stylish cinematography to life.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
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- Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original Italian and English soundtracks
- Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
- Audio commentaries for both films by Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
- They Called Him Ringo, an archival featurette with star Giuliano Gemma
- A Western Greek Tragedy, an archival featurette with Lorella de Luca and camera operator Sergio D’Offizi
- Original trailers
- Gallery of original promotional images
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Howard Hughes and a newly-translated interview with Duccio Tessari
NEW UK/US TITLE: Killer Klowns from Outer Space (Blu-ray)
A cinematic experience unparalleled in this galaxy, now newly restored by Arrow Video for this stellar edition.
Our US pre-order links will be live soon!
Release date: 26/27 March
Step aside Pennywise… These Killer Klowns from Outer Space are outta this world – literally! – and they’re packing deadly popcorn guns and cotton candy cocoons!
When Mike and his girlfriend Debbie warn the local police that a gang of homicidal alien-clowns have landed in the nearby area (in a spaceship shaped like a circus big-top, no less), the cops are naturally sceptical. Before long however, reports are coming in from other anxious residents detailing similar run-ins with the large-shoed assailants. There can no longer be any doubt – the Killer Klowns from Outer Space are here, and they’re out to turn the Earth’s population into candy floss!
Written and produced by the Chiodo brothers – knowns for their work on a host of special-effects laden hits such as Team America: World Police and the Critters movies – Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a cinematic experience unparalleled in this galaxy, now newly restored by Arrow Video for this stellar edition.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Newly remastered stereo 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Archive audio commentary with the Chiodo Brothers
- Let the Show Begin! Anatomy of a Killer Theme Song – an all-new interview with the original members of the American punk band, The Dickies
- The Chiodos Walk Among Us: Adventures in Super 8 Filmmaking – all-new documentary highlighting the making of the Chiodo Brothers childhood films, from the giant monster epics made in their basement to their experiments in college
- New HD transfers of the complete collection of the Chiodo Brothers 8mm and Super 8 films, including Land of Terror, Free Inside, Beast from the Egg, and more!
- Tales of Tobacco – an interview with star Grant Cramer
- Debbie’s Big Night – an interview with star Suzanne Snyder
- Bringing Life to These Things – a tour of Chiodo Bros. Productions
- The Making of Killer Klowns – archive production featurette
- Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr. – archive interview with co-writer/producer Charles Chiodo and visual effects supervisor Gene Warren Jr.
- Kreating Klowns – archive interview with Charles Chiodo and creature fabricator Dwight Roberts
- Komposing Klowns – archive interview with composer John Massari
- Klown Auditions
- Deleted Scenes with filmmaker’s audio commentary
- Bloopers
- Image Galleries
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
Arrow Academy
NEW UK TITLE: Ramrod (Blu-ray)
One of the classic Westerns of its era starring Veronica Lake as Connie Dickson
Release date: 5th March
One of the classic Westerns of its era, Ramrod stars Veronica Lake as Connie Dickson, a headstrong cowgirl who’s plans to marry a sheep rancher are thwarted when a powerful local cattle baron, Frank Ivey (Preston Foster), and her own father (Charles Ruggles), force her fiancé to flee town.
Refusing to kowtow to these powerful men, Connie inherits her ex-fiancés land and determines to run the ranch with the help of her new ramrod, reformed alcoholic Dave Nash (Joel McCrea). But Dave’s diplomatic attempts to resolve the dispute fall upon deaf ears and a bloody turf war on the open range ensues.
With Ramrod, Andre DeToth (a Hungarian-American director who has earned praise from Tarantino and Scorsese) skilfully creates a dangerous world of greed, lies and murder whilst garnering superb performances from McCrea and Lake, two of the biggest Hollywood stars of the 1940s.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements
- Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin
- Andre DeToth in Conversation with Patrick Francis, far-reaching audio-only interview conducted by the documentary filmmaker
- Newly-filmed appreciation by expert on American genre films, Peter Stanfield
- Andre DeToth Interviewed at the National Film Theatre, a career-spanning archival interview from 1994, conducted by writer and broadcaster Kevin Jackson
- Gallery of original promotional images
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Adrian Danks, contemporary reviews and production stories
NEW UK/US TITLE: Images (Blu-ray)
Newly restored in 4K, Robert Altman’s Images joins the Academy line
Release date: 19/20 March
The early seventies were a period of remarkable activity for Robert Altman, producing masterpiece after masterpiece. At the time he came to make Images, MASH and McCabe & Mrs. Miller were behind him, with The Long Goodbye, California Split and Nashville still to come.
Originally conceived in the mid-sixties, Images concerns a pregnant children’s author (Susannah York, who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival) whose husband (Rene Auberjonois) may or may not be having an affair. While holidaying in Ireland, her mental state becomes increasingly unstable resulting in paranoia, hallucinations and visions of a doppelgänger.
Scored by an Oscar-nominated John Williams, with “sounds” by Stomu Yamash’ta (The Man Who Fell to Earth), Images also boasts the remarkable cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond (Close Encounters of the Third Kind).
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original English mono audio (uncompressed LPCM) soundtracks
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Audio commentary by Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
- Scene-select commentary by writer-director Robert Altman
- Interview with Robert Altman
- Brand new interview with actor Cathryn Harrison
- An appreciation by musician and author Stephen Thrower
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Carmen Gray and an extract from Altman on Altman
UK/US TITLE: Sacha Guitry: Four Films 1936-1938 (Dual format Blu-ray + DVD)
This set presents some of Guitry’s most enjoyable works for the first time on Blu-ray
Release date: 26/27 March
Sacha Guitry has been referred to as the Gallic Noël Coward – a celebrated polymath who worked as a stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and as an acclaimed playwright. Four Films 1936-1938 brings together a quartet of 1930s features by Guitry, each based on his own, earlier works for the theatre.
The New Testament (Le Nouveau testament) follows a holier-than-though physician who is scuppered by his own hypocrisy. My Father Was Right (Mon père avait raison) tells of a man who, after being left by his wife for another man, raises his son to be wary of women. Let’s Make a Dream… (Faisons un rêve…) is another story of mistrust, between husband, wife and their lovers. And the history of one of France’s most famous streets is retold in Let’s Go Up the Champs-Élysées (Remontons les Champs-Élysées), featuring multiple performances from Guitry himself.
This set presents some of Guitry’s most enjoyable works for the first time on Blu-ray, with each film amply displaying the versatile talents of this unique performer and artist.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
- Limited Edition Dual Format Collection [2000 copies]
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original French mono soundtracks on all films (uncompressed LPCM on Blu-ray)
- Optional English language subtitles
- Newly filmed introduction to the films of Sacha Guitry by French cinema expert and academic Ginette Vincendeau
- Selected scene commentaries by Ginette Vincendeau
- Four video essays on different Guitry themes by critic Philippe Durant
- Interviews about Guitry with writer and director Francis Veber, and filmmaker Pascal Thomas
- Let’s Make a Dream… sound tests
- Let’s Make a Dream… theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeves featuring newly commissioned artwork by Scott Saslow for all films
- Limited edition 60-page book illustrated with original stills, featuring new writing by Craig Keller and Sabrina Marques; and credits for all films [Limited Edition Exclusive]