Arrow Video will add two titles to its Blu-ray catalog in October: Giulio Paradisi's The Visitor (1979) and Jules Dassin's The Naked City (1948). The distributors have also detailed their upcoming Blu-ray release of Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I (1987).
The Visitor
You may think you ve seen it all, but NOTHING can prepare you for The Visitor! The ultimate excursion into B-movie madness, this 1979 cinematic oddity from schlock producer extraordinaire Ovidio G. Assonitis, director of such deliciously guilty pleasures as Beyond the Door and Tentacles, brings together an extraordinary ensemble cast in a mind-bending tale of a girl and her pet hawk.
At first glance, Katy Collins is just like any other normal 8-year-old girl but appearances can dangerously deceptive. As it turns out, Katy is the Earthly incarnation of an ancient evil by the name of Sateen an intergalactic supernatural entity who was vanquished many light years ago. Katy possesses tremendous powers making her capable of great destruction powers which some are keen to eradicate, and some to harness...
A veritable cult phenomenon thanks to its recent re-discovery, The Visitor combines stunning imagery, incredible set-pieces alongside a truly jaw-dropping cast list which includes John Huston, Mel Ferrer, Shelley Winters and Franco Nero appearing as Jesus.
Special Features: • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements
• Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
•Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
•Interview with Star Lance Henriksen
•Interview with Screenwriter Lou Comici
•Interview with Cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri
•Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Erik Buckman
•Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film and more!
The Naked City
Jules Dassin followed up his explosive prison picture Brute Force with another slice of hard-boiled crime fiction. Within a decade he d make Thieves Highway, Night and the City and Rififi, thus confirming Dassin s position as one of the all-time-great film noir directors.
New York, the middle of summer. A blonde ex-model is murdered in her bathtub and detectives Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and Halloran (Don Taylor) are assigned to the case. Their investigation will lead them through the entire city, from Park Avenue to the Lower East Side, culminating in a thrilling climax atop the Williamsburg Bridge.
Inspired by the work of the infamous tabloid photographer Weegee, The Naked City was the first major Hollywood production to be shot entirely on the streets of New York, making use of more than a hundred authentic locations. Both its editing and its cinematographer would earn Academy Awards, while the film itself would be recognised by the Library of Congress as one of American cinema s most significant motion pictures.
Special Features: •New high definition digital transfer of the film
•Original mono 1.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
•Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
•Audio commentary by screenwriter Malvin Wald
•Jules Dassin at LACMA a 40-minute interview with Bruce Goldstein in which the director discusses his career
•The Hollywood Ten a 1950 documentary short on the ten filmmakers blacklisted from Hollywood for their refusal to name names before the House of Un-American Activities, including The Naked City's screenwriter, Albert Maltz
•Gallery of production stills by infamous photojournalist Weegee
•Theatrical trailer
•Reversible sleeve featuring the original poster and newly commissioned artwork by Vladimir Zimakov
•Collector s booklet containing new writing on the film by Alastair Philips, Barry Salt and Sergio Angelini, illustrated with original production stills
Withnail and I
Camden Town, the arse-end of the sixties. Two struggling, unemployed actors decide some respite is in order and so depart their miserable flat for a week in the Lake District – one that will involve rain, booze, minimal supplies, a randy bull and an even randier Uncle Monty.
Based on the real-life experiences of former actor turned writer/director Bruce Robinson, Withnail and I has become one of British cinema's most fondly remembered comedies. A cult film in the truest sense that has also become a classic.
Perfectly cast – with career-defining roles for Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths and Ralph Brown – and crammed with irresistibly quotable dialogue, Withnail and I is a sheer delight, even on the umpteenth viewing.
Special Features: •New 2K restoration of Withnail and I from the original camera negative, supervised and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan
• Bruce Robinson's follow-up feature, How to Get Ahead in Advertising, newly transferred from original film elements and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Presentation of both films
• Original uncompressed mono 1.0 PCM audio for both films
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Audio commentary by writer-director Bruce Robinson
• Audio commentary by critic and writer Kevin Jackson, author of the BFI Modern Classic on Withnail and I
• All four original 'Withnail Weekend' documentaries, first screened on Channel 4 in 1999, including The Peculiar Memories of Bruce Robinson, which looks at the director's career, Withnail & Us, which focuses on the film's making, and two shorter documentaries, I Demand to Have Some Booze and Withnail on the Pier
• Newly filmed interviews with key members of WITHNAIL and I's behind-the-scenes team (TBC)
• Theatrical trailers for both films
• Exclusive limited edition hardback book packaging (2,000 copies) containing new writing on the films, reprints of key articles on WITHNAIL and I, deleted scenes and more across 200 pages, illustrated with original production stills
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