Australian label Via Vision Entertainment has informed us that it is launching a brand new label, Imprint, whose mission will be to bring to Blu-ray restored and remastered long requested and previously unreleased films.
Among Imprint's first releases will be a brand new 4K restoration of Byron Haskin's classic film The War of the Worlds as well as the war drama Waterloo and Ridley Scott's period thriller The Duelists.
In Australia and New Zealand, Imprint's releases will be distributed by local partners Madman Entertainment.
The official press announcement for Imprint's launch, with detailed information for the first batch of releases, is attached below.
They have a special "bundle promotion" if you buy all 5, it knocks the price down to about $137 shipped to the USA. That's not too terrible (about $27 shipped per disc).
"Speaking of a Paramount title, we’ve confirmed with our friends at Via Vision Entertainment that their forthcoming line-up of Impact Films limited edition Blu-ray titles will NOT be region locked. That means War of the Worlds (1953), The Duellists (1977), Waterloo (1970), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), and I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958). So pre-order them here while you can."
Australian label Via Vision Entertainment has announced its next batch of titles from the recently launched Imprint Collection. They are: Major Dundee (1965), Hard Eight (1996), Danger: Diabolik (1968), The Day of the Locust (1975), The Winslow Boy (1999), Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973), The Bob Hope Collection (1939-1940), and Essential Film Noir Collection Volume 1 (1947-1957).
All titles from the new batch will be available for purchase on October 28.
Exact technical specs and supplemental features to be included on the upcoming releases are detailed in the individual press sheets below.
All titles will be made available for pre-order at imprintfilms.com.au on July 31.
Extended cut with the original score of MAJOR DUNDEE is something Eric wanted.
No idea how international shipping from Australia is going these days but the Amazons aren't even shipping to the USA at all right now. Not a great time to be ordering from overseas (or anywhere seemingly)...I did preorder the Fu Manchu set but had to order from Indicator themselves with some other titles to offset the shipping fee and justify it. Somewhat. lol
AndyDursin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:27 am
Extended cut with the original score of MAJOR DUNDEE is something Eric wanted.
As a general rule I tend not to read threads about foreign region releases because I'm never completely sure whether it's something that would be compatible. I lucked out on "Capricorn One" but got burned on "Five Weeks In A Balloon" recently. So I only discovered this information today. First question I have to ask is are these Australian releases region-free?
Earlier, I actually discovered first that there was a German release of "Major Dundee" with the original score properly put back on the extended cut, and now I learn just after that the same thing with the Australian release. I have to admit that even if I'm not able to get this in the near-term there is a part of me that feels a bit of an "I told you so!" to all the people at HTF who kept bashing me on this point when I refused to kowtow to Nick Redman's explanations of why the original score was left off the TT Blu-Ray release of the extended cut. Nick, God rest his soul and God bless him for all the fine work he did on so many other things, simply was dense beyond belief when he kept trying to insist that the only obligation to the original score was to present a Blu-Ray of the theatrical cut only and that it had somehow been a "mistake" that the old DVD release had contained the seamless branching option that allowed people to experience a genuine CHOICE in how to experience the superior longer cut (and while "Dundee" is still a terribly flawed film in its second half, the preview cut at least fills in two major narrative gaps. It is the better cut of the film narrative wise). I'm glad to see that the entities that have tackled the film since TT have finally come to their senses and realized that the long cut MUST have the original score as an option. I only hope that the US market gets the same option someday.
The Via Vision releases are aimed at the international market, there's not enough audience in Australia alone for these, so they are region free from what they announced earlier.
I hadn't kept up on their availability/sales, but it surprisingly looks like a good many of them sold out already. They actually must be holding firm to their pressing amounts, as the secondary market price on a few of them (Duellists especially) is pretty high.
MAJOR DUNDEE is priced as a double release -- the cheapest place to buy it is JB Hifi, which comes out to roughly $52 USA after shipping. Then again it's cheaper than what the TT release now goes for. (They do take Paypal)
Deep Discount also has some for sale. If you wait for a sale you can probably save $$, also the shipping would be more reliable as Australia is notoriously the worst to order from in terms of time and lost discs (I've had both delays AND lost packages).
Only issue I've read is DDD doesn't always get stock on these though they are selling them.
Well I placed my order with them before I saw your Deep Discount listing (I didn't have to enter the Australia phone number thing). It's a testament to how much I want to finally get a Blu-Ray copy of the correct version of the film that I acted as quickly as I did! But who knows maybe I'll just order another copy from DD later if I get impatient!
"Dundee" wins top prize for a film that has the most terrific first half I've ever seen that then sadly falls apart and loses its way in the second half (not to the point where what's left is unwatchable, it's just such a letdown to see a great beginning go so far off course)
You should be fine -- just don't expect to see it for a few weeks when it ships.
Ordering from Down Under is always an adventure. EzyDVD was a good source for a long time but I assume they sustained too many losses because they eliminated international shipping a few years back. JB Hifi I've dealt with many times, but had one or two packages lost from them also. They changed their shipping methods so there's no combined shipping on items -- this isn't to charge you more, they realized odds of delivery were better if discs were mailed in smaller packets individually overseas.
If you used Paypal you have a pretty wide net in terms of using their "resolution center" so fingers crossed. Like you said, you can always order one from DDD and then sell off the other -- these Imprint releases seem like they are doing well on the secondary market so you'll probably make a profit off it!
I think I ordered twice from Australia in the past for a couple TV DVD sets that didn't have a proper US release. That was the "Madmen" label I think. Don't recall how long it took.
"When Worlds Collide" (which I recently revisited for the "read a book thread" that I'll be posting later in the week) I know has also been released. I may decide to go for that eventually too though I don't think a lot of people are raving about the transfer.
But who knows maybe I'll just order another copy from DD later if I get impatient!