Archive for the 'Eureka Classics' Category
June 2nd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is one of the wonderful highlights of an under-appreciated chapter of director Robert Altman’s career. Between the box office disappointment of Popeye (1980) and the explosive comeback of The Player (1992), Altman returned to lower-budgeted, independent filmmaking, often boldly experimenting with how theatre work could be inventively adapted for cinema and television. This period of Altman’s oeuvre also includes such masterworks as Streamers (1983), Secret Honor (1984), and Tanner ’88 (1988), but was initiated by Come Back, and this funny, touching film of the play by Ed Graczyk (who adapted it for the screen) is a triumph. Continue reading ‘‘Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’ [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD July 22, 2019!’
June 2nd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Director Elia Kazan’s first film, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn shows that the filmmaker’s great empathy for his characters was already quite evident at this early juncture, and this endures as one of the most moving Hollywood dramas of the 1940s. Based on Betty Smith’s novel a bestseller in the U.S. but also one of the most popular books among American soldiers overseas in WWII Kazan’s debut is a sensitive, masterful adaptation. Set among Brooklyn tenements circa 1912, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a portrait of the Nolans, an Irish-American family living in financially challenging circumstances, often made worse by father Johnny’s drinking and employment problems. But matriarch Katie keeps the family together during all of the obstacles, caring for son Neeley and daughter Francie, as well as Katie’s outspoken, oft-married sister Sissy. But just as Francie’s gift for writing opens up new avenues, more tragic developments test the family’s resolve. Continue reading ‘‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD July 22, 2019!’
May 10th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
At the height of the Second World War, a battalion of German ships are safely docked at the “unassailable” port of Bordeaux. Newly promoted Major Stringer (José Ferrer, also behind the camera as director) has a unique idea send a team of commandos out in collapsible canoes, have them paddle seventy miles upriver in arduous conditions and blow up the German ships with limpet mines. Also starring Trevor Howard and Christopher Lee, The Cockleshell Heroes is the true story of one of the most daring raids in British military history, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its worldwide debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘The Cockleshell Heroes’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD July 15, 2019!’
April 21st, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy play three journalists caught up in the 1979 Nicaraguan revolution in Under Fire. Russel Price (Nolte) is a gutsy photo-journalist who gets caught between his love for reporter Claire Stryder (Cassidy) and his friendship with her husband, Alex Grazier (Hackman). Caught up in the war between the Nicaraguan government and the Sandinista rebels, Price loses sight of his objectivity and becomes deeply involved in the skirmish. With cinematography by the great John Alcott (2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon) and one of Jerry Goldsmith s greatest scores (later sampled in Quentin Tarantino s Django Unchained), Under Fire is director Roger Spottiswoode’s greatest filmmaking achievement, a complex political thriller with shades of Casablanca, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its UK debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘Under Fire’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD June 17, 2019!’
March 24th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
One of legendary director Fritz Lang’s first noir films, The Woman in the Window is also rightfully considered one of the most important examples of the genre, a landmark movie that became one of the initial representations of noir first singled out by French critics after WWII. A triumph for Lang, legendary writer/producer Nunnally Johnson (The Grapes of Wrath), and leading man Edward G. Robinson (shedding his earlier gangster roles to portray a love-struck obsessive), the film remains a classic American nail-biter. Robinson is Richard Wanley, a successful psychiatrist biding his time while his wife and children are on vacation when he encounters beautiful Alice (a radiant Joan Bennett), who bears an uncanny resemblance to the subject of a portrait he had just admired. When Richard and Alice retire to her home, her wealthy, jealous boyfriend intrudes, and is killed after a struggle. Alice convinces Richard to cover up the crime, but as Richard’s district attorney friend (Raymond Massey) investigates and the boyfriend’s bodyguard (Dan Duryea) begins to apply pressure to Richard, the walls begin to close in… Continue reading ‘‘The Woman In The Window’ [Eureka! Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD May 20, 2019!’
March 11th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
One of the most inventive, magical, and also exceedingly funny films of recent international cinema, November evokes influences as varied as Guy Maddin and The Brothers Grimm, Bela Tarr and Jan vankmajer, while also remaining wholly and deliriously original. It’s unlike anything else you’ve ever seen and that’s even if you’ve seen a bunch of black-and-white Estonian fairy tale films. Young Lina and Hans are preparing to marry in their village in the woods, when Hans becomes entranced by the arrival of a visiting baroness. Love spells are conjured so that each receives their intended mate, but there are more sinister things afoot. Death can visit in the form of a farm animal…but it’s fine because one can hide by wearing trousers on the head. And, besides, the dead can come back to the village and chat anyway…although when the devil arrives, don’t try to cheat him. And then there are the “kratts” supernatural servants made from discarded bones, tree branches, and trash…just make sure to give them work to do, or else. Continue reading ‘‘November’ [Montage Pictures] on Blu-ray & DVD May 13, 2019!’
February 18th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
Evil bites when a monstrous canine terrorises a helpless family in this legendary cult classic. Based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel, Cujo gives horror a new name. While Donna (Dee Wallace, The Howling, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) and Vic Trenton struggle to save their rocky marriage, their son Tad befriends the loveable St. Bernard who belongs to their mechanic. But what they don t realise is that a bat bite has transformed Cujo from a docile pup to a vicious killer. With Vic away on business, Donna and Tad’s car trouble pushes them into a living nightmare trapped by the demonic, relentless dog from hell. This critically acclaimed thriller promises to have you glued to your seat and foaming at the mouth! Making its UK debut on Blu-ray, with over 7 hours of extra content, Eureka Classics is proud to present Lewis Teague’s Cujo in this special Limited Two-Disc Blu-ray Edition. Continue reading ‘‘Cujo’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD April 29, 2019!’
February 13th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
One of the rare Hollywood studio films to address spiritual belief and religious conviction in a serious and complex fashion, the beloved classic The Song of Bernadette made a star of its leading lady Jennifer Jones, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress, in addition to taking home a Golden Globe during those awards’ very first ceremony (the film also won Globes for Best Dramatic Film and Best Director). A moving portrait of faith, the film is one of the crowning achievements of director Henry King (Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing). Buoyed by outstanding supporting performances by Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb, Charles Bickford, and Gladys Cooper, The Song of Bernadette with sumptuous cinematography by Arthur C. Miller (How Green Was My Valley) is a profoundly affecting drama, no matter what one’s own personal beliefs. Eureka Classics is proud to present this landmark title in UK debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘The Song of Bernadette’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD April 8, 2019!’
February 11th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
The directorial debut of Finnish cinematographer Erik Blomberg, The White Reindeer is one of world cinema s criminally under-seen masterpieces. A vampiric fairy-tale set amongst the starkly beautiful fells of Finnish Lapland, Blomberg combines an almost documentary filming style with avant-garde experimentation to produce a dreamy art-house horror film without compare. A newly-married young woman, Pirita (Mirjami Kuosmanen), becomes frustrated and lonely as her husband, a reindeer herder for a small Arctic village, spends much of his time away from home in devotion to his work. Desperate for affection, she visits a shaman who offers a potion that makes her an irresistible object of desire, but there is a terrible cost. Pirita becomes a bloodthirsty shapeshifter who lures men out into the barren wilderness where she consumes them. Continue reading ‘‘The White Reindeer’ [Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray April 8, 2019!’
January 24th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
From a brand new 2K restoration comes perhaps the greatest martial-arts comedy of all time, Sammo Hung’s Wheels on Meals, starring Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao as the most exciting triple act in action movie history! Fast food chefs Thomas (Chan) and David (Biao) find themselves cooking up trouble when detective Moby (Hung) involves them in the case of a missing heiress. The three friends need all of their daring and physical dexterity when they find themselves facing a triple helping of danger. Also starring Lola Forner ( Armour of God) and Benny The Jet Urquidez (Dragons Forever), who faces off against Chan in an incredible fight sequence that is legendary amongst martial-arts film fans, Wheels on Meals has to be seen to be believed. Eureka Classics is extremely proud to present this iconic piece of action cinema on Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK! Continue reading ‘‘Wheels on Meals’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD March 18, 2019!’
January 23rd, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
One of director Billy Wilder’s biggest box office hits following his landmark comedies Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, the spectacular Irma La Douce — adapted from the 1956 musical for the French theatre — reunites Wilder with his Apartment stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, providing the latter with one of her most fondly remembered (and Oscar®-nominated) early roles. MacLaine is Irma, a popular Parisian prostitute whose new pimp is an unlikely procurer: Nestor (Lemmon) is a former honest cop who was just fired and framed by his boss after Nestor inadvertently had him arrested in a raid. However, Nestor’s love for Irma is making his newfound vocation impossible, so he poses as a phoney British lord who insists on being Irma’s one and only “client.” But when “Lord X” appears to have become the victim of foul play…further comedic complications ensue! Continue reading ‘‘Irma La Douce’ [Masters of Cinema] on Blu-ray & DVD March 18, 2019!’
January 18th, 2019 by Gerard Iribe
One of the finest British war films ever made, Sink the Bismarck! tells the true story of one of World War II s most notorious sea battles. In the Spring of 1941, Nazi Germany s greatest battleship the Bismarck, scourge of Atlantic shipping, is pinned down at her anchorage in Norway. Making a break for freedom and the safety of air cover from the Luftwaffe, the great ship is chased by the Royal Navy, led by the Admiralty s Chief of Operations, Captain Jonathan Shepard (Kenneth More), and WRNS Second Officer Anne Davis (Dana Wynter). Directed by the late Lewis Gilbert (Alfie, The Spy Who Loved Me), Sink the Bismarck! received acclaim for its authenticity and nail-biting combat sequences. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film in its UK debut on Blu-ray. Continue reading ‘‘Sink the Bismarck!’ [Eureka Classics] on Blu-ray & DVD March 11, 2019′
December 13th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
Picnic is a portrait of the desires and frustrations simmering under the surface on an ordinary Labor Day in a small Kansas town. Starring William Holden in one of his most iconic roles, and Kim Novak in the performance that made her a star, the film is one of the most fondly remembered American classics of that decade, adapted by director Joshua Logan from his own Broadway production (which won a Pulitzer for playwright William Inge). Drifter Hal (Holden) returns to his hometown, unemployed and with his college football glory days long behind him. Reunited with his old friend Alan (Cliff Robertson), Hal soon becomes acquainted with the Owens sisters, beautiful Madge (Novak) and budding poetess Millie (Susan Strasberg), along with the Owens family’s boarder, schoolteacher Rosemary (Rosalind Russell). While Millie longs for Hal, his affections turn to Madge, and at the holiday picnic, passions ignite, jealousies erupt, accusations and rage explode, and Hal and Madge must decide if they can escape their small, stifling hometown. Continue reading ‘‘Picnic’ (Eureka Classics) on Blu-ray – February 2019!’
December 6th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) has been closeted in her mansion since the grisly murder of her married lover many years earlier. When the county wants to tear down the house to build a highway, the spinster s relatives and friends appear to rally behind her, but each slowly preys on her mind until the gruesome rumours of the last 40 years appear to be coming true. On hand are cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland), Dr. Drew Bayliss (Joseph Cotten), Jewel Mayhew (Mary Astor), and the scariest inhabitant of all, loyal servant Velma (Oscar® nominee Agnes Moorehead). Continue reading ‘‘Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte’ (Masters of Cinema) Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition – January 2019!’
December 6th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
Paula Biren, Ruth Elias, Ada Lichtman, Hanna Marton: Four Jewish women, witnesses and survivors of the most insane and pitiless barbarism, and who, for that reason alone, but for many others also, deserve to be inscribed forever into the memory of humankind. What they have in common, beside the specific horrors to which each of them were subjected, is a searingly sharp, almost-physical intelligence, which rejects all pretense or faulty reasoning. In a word, idealism. Continue reading ‘‘Shoah: The Four Sisters’ (Masters of Cinema) Blu-ray & DVD editions – February 2019!’
November 15th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
A World War II epic both sweeping and intimate, Yanks is a triumph for director John Schlesinger ( Midnight Cowboy, Sunday Bloody Sunday), and a moving showcase for its splendid ensemble cast led by Richard Gere and Vanessa Redgrave. A war film without battle scenes, Schlesinger’s drama instead focuses on relationships far from the front, examining the romantic entanglements between the stationed U.S. soldiers and the locals in a small town in Northern England in the 1944 period before the Normandy landings. Three very different women find themselves attracted to the American G.I.s at a new military base in town. Gere is Sgt. Matt Dyson, initiating a tentative courtship with a young woman still pining for her fiancée overseas. Redgrave is wealthy socialite Helen, engaged in an affair with a captain (William Devane), while both of them long for their respective spouses far from home. And Sergeant Ruffelo’s fling with Mollie (Wendy Morgan) occurs just as the interactions between the Yanks and their British hosts begin to strain under the tension of the war, and uncertainty about what happens to their new romances. Continue reading ‘‘Yanks’ (Eureka Classics) Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition – December 2018′
November 10th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
The kind of lavish, rousing historical adventure spectacle that doesn’t seem to exist anymore, Khartoum is a majestic, star-studded, BAFTA and Oscar-nominated epic that finds director Basil Deardon ( Victim) delivering a feast for the eyes, as well as a pointed study of English colonialism, religious fanaticism, and the nature of heroism and sacrifice. In 1880s Sudan, thousands of British-led Egyptian troops are massacred by the forces of Arab fanatic Muhammad Ahmad (Sir Laurence Olivier), who believes he is the Mahdi, and nothing less than Mohammed’s chosen warrior in battling against Anglo-Egyptian rule. Legendary Major General Charles George Gordon (Charlton Heston) is sent by Prime Minister William Gladstone (Ralph Richardson) to save the city of Khartoum from the Mahdi, but given only one aide (Richard Johnson), limited support from the British government that sent him there, and a fearless opponent determined to create a new empire, Gordon sees that further bloodshed is imminent. Continue reading ‘‘Khartoum’ (Eureka Classics) Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition – December 2018′
November 5th, 2018 by Gerard Iribe
This dark suburban satire tells the story of a man who is accused of adultery by his ex-fiancée and forced to move in with his parents. While he fights for custody of his four-year-old daughter, he is gradually sucked into a bitter dispute between his parents and their neighbours regarding an old and beautiful tree that casts a shadow on the neighbours’ deck. As the dispute intensifies – property is damaged, pets mysteriously go missing, security cameras are being installed and there is a rumour that the neighbour was seen with a chainsaw. Continue reading ‘‘Under the Tree’ [Montage Pictures] Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition – January 2019′
