MIDWAY Special Edition (with Andy's TV Version?) Plus GRAY LADY DOWN, MacARTHUR Coming from Powerhouse Indicator

[AndyDursin]

Indicator licensing 4 from Universal:

MIDWAY

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

High Definition remaster
Original mono and 2.1 Sensurround audio tracks
Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
The Guardian Interview with Robert Wagner (1983): archival audio recording of the film and TV star in conversation with Joan Bakewell at the National Film Theatre, London
They Were There! (1976): Charlton Heston presents this archival documentary featuring interviews with three combatants who survived the battle
The Making of ‘Midway’ (2001): documentary short looking at the film’s production
Sensurround: The Sounds of ‘Midway’ (2001): a look at the film’s use of the Sensurround audio system
The Score of ‘Midway’ (2001): film composer John Williams discusses his work on the film
Selected scenes from the extended TV version
The Battle of ‘Midway’ (1942): Oscar-winning documentary directed by John Ford relaying the battle with footage shot by Navy cameramen
New video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher on John Ford’s acclaimed documentary
Super 8 version: original cut-down home-cinema presentation
Original theatrical trailer
TV spots
Radio spot
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, archival articles on the film and the events that inspired it, an overview of critical responses, and film credits
Limited edition of 3,000 copies

GRAY LADY DOWN

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

High Definition remaster
Original mono audio
Audio commentary with film historian Peter Tonguette (2021)
The Guardian Interview with Charlton Heston (1985): archival audio recording of the great actor in conversation with Quentin Falk at the National Film Theatre, London
New interview with actor Stacy Keach (2021)
New interview with actor Stephen McHattie (2021)
Original theatrical trailer
Radio spot
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Omar Ahmed, archival articles on the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
UK premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition of 3,000 copies

MacARTHUR

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

High Definition remaster
Original stereo audio
Optional 5.1 surround audio
Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
A selection of newsreels capturing General MacArthur through the years, from his arrival in Australia in 1942 to his 75th birthday celebrations
Original theatrical trailer
Radio spot
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Robert Matzen, archival articles on the film and the events that inspired it, an overview of critical responses, and film credits
Limited edition of 3,000 copies

HELLFIGHTERS

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

High Definition remaster
Original stereo audio
Optional 5.1 surround audio
Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
A selection of newsreels capturing General MacArthur through the years, from his arrival in Australia in 1942 to his 75th birthday celebrations
Original theatrical trailer
Radio spot
Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Robert Matzen, archival articles on the film and the events that inspired it, an overview of critical responses, and film credits
Limited edition of 3,000 copies

[Eric Paddon]

Region B releases, right? Too bad for me. It's interesting that for "Midway" they can only reprise the "selected" TV cut scenes from previous releases which means that there's no version of the TV cut to be had at this stage unless they were to go the off-air recording route.

"Gray Lady Down" for me is an underrated movie and its nice to see that get a little more attention. There was stuff shot for that that got left on the cutting room floor too (scenes of Rosemary Forsyth as Heston's wife whose final screen time in the film is about 15 seconds).

[AndyDursin]

Yes they will be B locked. Not really into HELLFIGHTERS but I might do the other three, at least MIDWAY and one another to make the shipping worthwhile.

[AndyDursin]

Indicator might be using my TV version on their Blu-Ray.

I sent them an email about a week ago and just heard back from the disc's producer, who was very pleasant and thankful, because they've asked Universal but haven't managed to get anywhere with it.

I told him my recording is in good shape, has no constant on-screen channel "bug" (TNT flashes just every now and then) and has the end credits intact -- it wasn't recorded at the highest VHS speed because it was airing overnight in a 4 hour slot, but I'm sure with a little clean-up it will suffice.

I'm seeing if I can send it to them digitally tomorrow, just as I did sending Arrow the TV version of LEGEND (which they might use, or at least use the opening of).

Funny I also emailed Kino Lorber about DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID's TV version -- which I have a particularly pristine copy of -- but they weren't interested.

[Eric Paddon]

I should check the quality of my own TV recording from TBS. The Universal fire clearly wiped it out as it did the other expanded TV cuts of theirs. "Airport '77" is the other significant one from my standpoint.

An expanded TV version of "MacArthur" was intended because I have the script and it has a supplementary section for TV scenes which were to involve a Japanese general (thus Peck would not have been called back). But I've seen no evidence they actually shot them.

[AndyDursin]

Interesting on MacArthur.

My Midway is in good shape. The VCR I had used had some premium SLP recording mode (extra heads maybe) so the color accuracy and such were good. The credits being clean and the lack of onscreen ads were lucky too...it was right before they started polluting cable broadcasts with them.

I've checked the torrent site I frequent to see if someone had an original broadcast tape like The Deep but Midway has never turned up that way to date.

[Sgrimes]

I have a hard time calling MIDWAY a great movie, yet I will watch it whenever it appears on my TV screen. No idea why I find this movie so watchable. Nostalgia, probably--I have pretty strong memories of seeing this in grade school. For some reason I would quote Charlton Heston from this movie.

I would agree that GRAY LADY DOWN is underappreciated. The thing that struck me the last time I watched it was how the scene where the submersible finds the sub was copied (with much better miniatures) by THE ABYSS.

[AndyDursin]

Sgrimes welcome aboard!!

[AndyDursin]

Well I'm happy to be disappointed because Universal just sent Indicator a copy of the TV version "digitized from a digibeta tape master" so they don't need my copy. This will mean much better picture quality!

[Eric Paddon]

Now if only we could get this for the US Region.......(Shout??)

[AndyDursin]

That's...bizarre. Did Williams say something remotely critical in that interview? It only ran 6 minutes.

[BobaMike]

Maybe he just couldn't remember anything about the movie?
Other than the 2 marches, what is there worth listening to?

[AndyDursin]

Here it is...I can't fathom what was said that would preclude them from including it. Background score not cleared or sampled from another source? Bizarre.

[Edmund Kattak]

This looks like it was an old segment. Maybe they were complaining about the talk of "ethnic" music for different countries. If so, how low have we gone.

[AndyDursin]

Indeed, it's ancient -- Indicator is including all of those segments from the DVD but Universal asked them not to include the Williams interview.