Why So Blu?

THUNDERCRACK!, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL & STALINGRAD Coming In December From Synapse Films!

Synapse Films will be releasing Thundercrack!, a kinky adult horror film that has a pretty significant cult following and they are touting quite an impressive restoration for the Blu-ray on it.  On top of that, they are also releasing the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will and the documentary Stalingrad.  So, needless to say they have one of the most varied and interesting December slates to coming out here.  And what better time than the holidays to bring all these back into the public conscience?  Click on or scroll down to get all the details.

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YEARS IN THE MAKING! SYNAPSE FILMS’ HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED BLU-RAY RESTORATION OF THE UNDERGROUND FILM CLASSIC THUNDERCRACK! WILL FINALLY BE UNLEASHED THIS DECEMBER!

“Without question, THUNDERCRACK! is one of the great underground sleaze epics, and a touchstone for all independent filmmakers to come!” – Shock Cinema Magazine

One of our most anticipated releases ever, THUNDERCRACK! comes to DVD and Blu-ray this December in one of Synapse Films’ most-packed special editions yet!

Witness if you dare… THUNDERCRACK!… the world’s only underground kinky art adult horror film, complete with four men, three women and rampaging circus animals. With the initial setup of an atmospheric gothic tale — a dark and stormy night breakdown featuring a creepy old house on the hill — it quickly turns into an eerie orgy of graphic humor, horror and sex. A tour de force of underground filmmaking with a plot beyond description, this film fully exposes itself with amazing dialogue and trash-noir lighting through which to peer at the pickles, the puke and the polymorphs.

In 1975, Curt McDowell and writer/actor George Kuchar created the exceptionally perverse and utterly brilliant THUNDERCRACK!, a film not recommended for those with tender sensibilities. A true cult classic that has shocked, excited and amazed audiences worldwide for 40 years, this presentation is the first ever official North American video release!

NOT RATED – 1975 – 160 MINS. – B&W – 2.0 Mono – 1.33:1

TWO-DISC BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New high-definition transfer of THUNDERCRACK! in its original filmed aspect ratio of 1.33:1
• Rare, archival interview segments with Curt McDowell on the second audio commentary track
• BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE! IT CAME FROM KUCHAR (87 mins) – The definitive documentary on the underground filmmaking twin brothers, George and Mike Kuchar, directed by Jennifer Kroot (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE!)
• BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE! BONUS DVD, featuring rare interviews, short films, THUNDERCRACK! audition footage, outtakes and MORE!
• Chapter Selections 

THUNDERCRACK! BLU-RAY SPECIFICATION :

VIDEO: High-Definition 1080p (1.33:1) Presentation / AVC Codec

AUDIO: DTS-HD MA English 2.0 Mono

SUBTITLE: English SDH, French, Spanish, German

REGION: A, B and C

THUNDERCRACK! DVD SPECIFICATION:

VIDEO: Full-Frame (1.33:1) / NTSC

AUDIO: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

SUBTITLE: English SDH, French, Spanish, German

REGION: All (0)

Witness the Horrors of WWII with TRIUMPH OF THE WILL and STALINGRAD on Blu-ray from Synapse Films this December

Two of the most acclaimed films in the Synapse Films library come to Blu-ray in exemplary new editions coming December 8^th, 2015.

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL

“This Synapse disc of Triumph of the Will is an eye-opener and a significant DVD release…  Adds a dynamic to the movie that makes this disc more ‘useful’ than seeing Triumph of the Will projected on a screen.” – Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant

To some, it is a work of art, an example of cinematic genius of the highest order.  To others, it is perhaps the most dangerous and heinous piece of propaganda ever produced.  TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, Leni Riefenstahl’s classic piece of historical filmmaking, filmed during the 1934 Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg, Germany, is considered by many to be one of the most important and notorious films ever made.  In 2001 and 2006, Synapse Films released TRIUMPH OF THE WILL on DVD to equal parts acclaim and controversy and now, in 2015, Synapse revisits TRIUMPH with the definitive Blu-ray that shows this motion picture milestone in a whole new light.

The film, realized by Paul Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, was created to influence all of Germany to support the “power” of the Nazi Party. All during World War II, in every theatre in Germany, either part of, or all of, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL was shown.

An historically significant and, at times, horrifyingly manipulative exercise in propaganda for the Nazi regime, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL continues to be controversial over seventy years after its original release. This historical document has been unavailable in Germany for many decades and Leni Riefenstahl has since come under fire for her personal relationship with Adolph Hitler, spending her life in the shadow of collaborating with the Nazi Party.

This title continues to be one of Synapse Films’ top selling titles and is a hit with schools, universities, and libraries. History buffs and film scholars have celebrated Synapse’s DVD as the best quality version of this film available anywhere.  This all-new remastered version of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL is derived from a new 2K scan, digitally corrected and restored under the supervision of film historian and preservationist, Robert A. Harris (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA; VERTIGO; MY FAIR LADY).  From obscure cult films to film classics, Synapse Films is dedicated to the art of film restoration and we are proud to say that our Blu-ray edition of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL is one of our finest and most significant achievements yet.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

• All-new 2015 high-definition 2K remaster of TRIUMPH OF THE WILL from a duplicate 35mm fine grain master
• Original German language with all-new on screen identifications and newly translated removable English subtitles for the speeches
• Leni Riefenstahl’s short film DAY OF FREEDOM, remastered in high-definition
• Audio Commentary by Dr. Anthony R. Santoro, specialist on National Socialist German history
• Liner Notes

NOT RATED – 1935 – 111 Minutes – B&W – 2.0 Mono – 1.19:1 – SFD0153

BLU-RAY SPECIFICATIONS:

VIDEO: High-Definition 1080p (1.19:1) Presentation / AVC Codec

AUDIO: DTS-HD MA German 2.0 Mono

SUBTITLES: English

REGION: A/B/C (ALL)

STALINGRAD

“Extremely well-produced, thought-provoking, and offering a unique look at events that have been discussed over and over again STALINGRAD is an enormous achievement” – DVD Talk

It has been called the deadliest battle in the history of all wars, with almost 4 million casualties.  Lasting over 6 months, a major Soviet city was decimated and most of its citizens killed, ordered not to flee by Stalin himself.  It is a monumental story that has never been told like this before, and this December, Synapse Films is proud to present the Blu-ray premiere of STALINGRAD, the critically acclaimed WWII documentary nominated for the 2003 International Emmy Award for Best Documentary.

The Eastern Front experienced the viciousness of war on a scale of unimaginable horror and brutality. The bloodiest and most savage fighting took place in Stalingrad between August 1942 and February 1943. Stalin’s city on the Volga had military significance for Hitler: It carried the name of his enemy and therefore had to be destroyed. The ensuing battle sealed the fates of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians and marked the turning point of World War II. It was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. In their three-part HD documentary, internationally recognized award-winning documentary filmmakers Sebastian Dehnhardt, Christian Deick and Jörg Müllner reveal new historical facts while touching the emotions of their audience with new, moving eyewitness accounts and confessions from some of the last survivors.

Filmed from both the German and Russian perspective, the series contains footage shot by soldiers during the siege. The Russian archives opened their doors to the filmmakers, granting them exclusive access to previously unreleased material. The series also contains digitally restored archive film as well as 3-D animation to recreate the city of Stalingrad and plot the course of its destruction.

Originally broadcast in both Germany and Russia in truncated editions, this special edition DVD contains all three STALINGRAD documentaries including THE ATTACK (54 min.), THE KESSEL (56 min.) and THE DOOM (55 min.) in their original uncut forms and a wealth of extra supplementary materials.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:

– High-definition presentation of the original three-part 2003 mini-series
– English language dubbed version featuring footage not seen in the original broadcast
– Deleted interview segments
– Video interview with Dr. Guido Knopp (Professor and Historian)
– “Stalingrad Today” – Views of the City of Volgograd

NOT RATED – 2003 – 165 Minutes – Color & B&W – 2.0 Stereo – 1.78:1 – SFD0154

BLU-RAY SPECIFICATION BOX:

VIDEO: High-Definition 1080p (1.78:1) Presentation / AVC CODEC

AUDIO: DTS-HD MA English 2.0 Stereo
REGION: A/B/C (All)