Imprint/ViaVision (Australia) Thread: New Announcements

[John Johnson]

StudioCanal have announced the 4K release of Convoy in the UK.





StudioCanal will release on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978), starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, and Madge Sinclair. The two releases are scheduled to arrive on the market on October 28.

Based upon the smash hit country and western song by C.W.McCall (which reached Number 2 in the UK singles charts), Peckinpah's road movie about a massive truckers' convoy features plenty of the director's trademark slow motion set pieces, a bunch of quotable CB banter ("Breaker one-nine, this here's the Rubber Duck!"), and a whole lot of smashed-up police cars.

This action favourite - the most successful of Peckinpah's career - has an incredible supporting cast of some of the greatest character actors to grace the screen, including Ernest Borgnine (Escape From New York), Burt Young (Rocky), Seymour Cassell (In The Soup), and Harry Dean Stanton (Alien).

As well as the McCall song, the soundtrack features a host of tunes by country legends including Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard, Glen Campbell and Billie Jo Spears.

A mighty convoy of dust-raising trucks heads for a state line in South-western America, led by legendary trucker 'Rubber Duck' (Kris Kristofferson). The truckers are protesting against police corruption, federal and states laws and shady politicking. The law is bearing down on truckers and forcing them to obey unrealistic speed limitations which rob them of precious time and money. The national guard, the Army, the Police and the feds are all out to halt the truckers, but the truckers don't want to stop!

Special Features and Technical Specs:
BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
NEW Interview with Franklyn Ajaye
NEW Audio Commentary by filmmaker/ Peckinpah scholar Mike Siegel (German & English)
NEW Video Essay: The Lost Convoy
NEW The Duck Trucks
NEW Promoting Convoy: animated gallery of international posters and lobby cards
NEW Convoy colour stills: 120 rare colour photos
NEW Filming Convoy pt 1: White Sands & the Truck stop: 100 rare bts photos
NEWFilming Convoy pt 2: The Trucks are rolling: 100 rare bts photos
NEW Filming Convoy pt 3: Showdown in Alvarez: 100 rare bts photos
NEW Original trailer
Audio commentary by film historians Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, and Nick Redman
Passion & Poetry – Sam's Trucker Movie
U.S. TV Spot
U.S. Radio Spots x 4
Three Lost Scenes
Injokes, Friends & Cameos
Trucker Notes from Norway
Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=35119

[John Johnson]

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) – 4K UHD + Blu-ray Limited Edition 3D Lenticular Hardcase + Booklet

Release date 4th December.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

Disc One: 4K UHD

HDR10 presentation of the film on 4K UHD
Audio Commentary with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula
To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View — feature length documentary
Fearful Symmetry — feature length documentary
A Conversation with Gregory Peck — feature length documentary
Academy Award Best Actor Acceptance Speech
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award
Excerpt from Tribute to Gregory Peck
Scout Remembers
Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Optional English HOH Subtitles
Disc Two: Blu-ray

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
Audio Commentary with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula
To Kill a Mockingbird: All Points of View — feature length documentary
Fearful Symmetry — feature length documentary
A Conversation with Gregory Peck — feature length documentary
Academy Award Best Actor Acceptance Speech
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award
Excerpt from Tribute to Gregory Peck
Scout Remembers
Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Optional English HOH Subtitles

https://viavision.com.au/shop/to-kill-a ... e-booklet/

[John Johnson]

Field of Dreams (1989) – 4K UHD + Blu-ray Limited Edition 3D Lenticular Hardcase + Art Cards

Release date 4th December.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

Disc One: 4K UHD

HDR10 presentation of the film on 4K UHD
Audio Commentary from Director Phil Alden Robinson and Director of Photography John Lindley
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio English DTS:X / DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Optional English HOH Subtitles
Disc Two: Blu-ray

1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
Audio Commentary from Director Phil Alden Robinson and Director of Photography John Lindley
Deleted Scenes
From Father To Son: Passing Along The Pastime
Roundtable with Kevin Costner, Bret Saberhagen, George Brett and Johnny Bench
A Diamond In The Husks
Galena, IL Pinch Hits for Chisholm, MN
Field Of Dreams: A scrapbook
Bravo special: From Page To Screen
Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Audio English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Optional English HOH Subtitles

https://viavision.com.au/shop/field-of- ... art-cards/

[AndyDursin]

Disappointed in those announcements but I get it. FIELD OF DREAMS and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are Australian 4K debuts but, content wise, there's no reason to spend $$ on these outside that region -- not unless you need a 3D lenticular cover and art cards at 4-5x the cost of the US releases which have been out for years already.

[John Johnson]

Disappointed in those announcements but I get it. FIELD OF DREAMS and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are Australian 4K debuts but, content wise, there's no reason to spend $$ on these outside that region -- not unless you need a 3D lenticular cover and art cards at 4-5x the cost of the US releases which have been out for years already.

Same here, Andy. I did confirmation my copy of Man in a Suitcase has shipped. October should see the release of The Baron: The Feature Films. This was the last title announced by Network (I believe), before they went out of business. Hopefully, they will be another ITC title announced before the end of the year. This seems to be a traditional time for Via Vision to announce them. I'm hoping for The Champions, but more than likely, it will be UFO or Department S.

[Eric Paddon]

My copies of "Voyage of the Damned" and "Capricorn One" arrived yesterday. I started with some of the Capricorn One bonus material. There are new interviews with Brenda Vaccaro and Paul Lazarus that are worth looking at (though Lazarus is much too jokey and without a a trace of self-awareness in his anecdotes about O.J. Simpson). I bailed out of the Elliot Gould interview though when he suddenly started going into a Trump-hate screed. The real joke on people like Gould is that "Capricorn One's" relevance today regarding Deep State conspiracies stems entirely from what has been done against Trump. There is also an 18 minute overview about Goldsmith's score that is quite good.

Will be checking the commentary on the expanded version and I hope I won't have to shut it off along the way for political discourses like I've had to do with so many others.

[Eric Paddon]

The expanded cut commentary track by the two film geeks was kind of "eh". There were thankfully no political digressions but frequently there were rambling digressions on things of no importance whatsoever, and worse, despite the fact that these people have seen this film many many times they were getting a number of plot points completely wrong. For instance, they said Brolin lost his flare gun in the sand when he lost a pistol from the survival kit. There was no coherent explanation of the alternate cut and where it came from nor did they touch on a couple key things the expanded cut brought out, like the fact that the presence of the General at the base means David Huddleston's character was in on the plot. While it wasn't an offensive commentary in the tradition of the horrible one for "Barabbas", it was much too geeky and a lot less intelligent overall and not worth a second listen. Some of the better production anecdotes come from the supplementary material I've already mentioned.

Hyams has a commentary on the theatrical cut I'll give a listen to later.

[John Johnson]

Release date 8th January 2025.



Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, and Agnes Moorehead star in the much-loved 1960s classic fantasy sitcom – and now Imprint Television brings Seasons 1 & 2 to Blu-ray for the very first time in this 15-disc collection. All 74 Season 1 & 2 episodes are presented in 1080p high-definition and LPCM 2.0 Mono sound, in the originally produced black and white picture format.

Added bonuses include colourised versions of each Season 1 & 2 episode (in standard-definition) plus NEW special features including audio commentaries and a documentary on the series.

15-DISC BLU-RAY SET + 172-page hardcover booklet in Limited Edition Hardbox packaging.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p high-definition presentation of all 74 episodes from Seasons 1 & 2, restored by Sony Television from the original elements with LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and optional English HOH subtitles (on HD versions only)
Limited Edition Hardbox packaging with original opening titles animation art
172-page booklet featuring original Story Information for every episode
Option to view episodes in original black and white high-definition, or colourised standard-definition
NEW! Three Audio Commentaries by Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato, Chris York (son of actor Dick York), and film & television historian Rob Ray on the pilot episode I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha, Mother, Meet What’s-His-Name and A is for Aardvark
NEW! Two Audio Commentaries by Bewitched historian Herbie J. Pilato, actor David Mandel (Adam Stephens) and film & television historian Rob Ray on Aunt Clara’s Old Flame and And Then There Were Three
NEW! Behind the Magic – Documentary about the making of the series featuring actor David Mandel (Adam Stephens), Steve Olim (Columbia Make-Up Department), Bewitched historian Herbie J Pilato, film & television historian Rob Ray, Bewitched guest star Eric Scott, and Chris York, son of Dick York.
The Magic Unveiled – 2-part featurette about the series (2005)
Bewitched, Bothered and Be-Bloopered! – featurette on continuity errors in Season 2 (2005)
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33
Optional English HOH Subtitles (on HD versions only)

https://viavision.com.au/shop/bewitched ... vision-15/

[John Johnson]

Release date 8th January 2025.



Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Hayden Rorke, and Bill Daily star in the phenomenally popular 1960s classic fantasy sitcom – and now your wish is granted to own the series as never seen before with this 22-disc Imprint Television collection. All 139 episodes are presented in 1080p high-definition and LPCM 2.0 Mono sound, with Season 1 in the originally produced black and white picture format and Seasons 2 through 5 in glorious colour.

Added bonuses include colourised versions of all 30 Season 1 episodes (in standard-definition) plus the 1985 reunion telemovie I Dream of Jeannie: Fifteen Years Later (in high-definition) plus an audio commentary with Eden, Hagman and Daily, and more.

22-DISC BLU-RAY SET + 300-page hardcover booklet in Limited Edition Hardbox packaging. 1500 copies only.

Fold your arms and blink to pre-order now.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

1080p high-definition presentation of all 139 episodes, restored by Sony Television from the original elements with LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and optional English HOH subtitles (on HD versions only)
Limited Edition Hardbox packaging with original opening titles animation art
300-page booklet featuring original Story Information for every episode
Option to view Season 1 episodes in original black and white high-definition, or colourised standard-definition
Audio Commentary by series stars Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Bill Daily on the first episode, The Lady in the Bottle (2005)
I Dream of Jeannie: Out of the Bottle – featurette with Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Bill Daily and series creator / producer Sidney Sheldon (2005)
I Dream of Jeannie: Fifteen Years Later – 1985 telemovie presented in High-Definition
English Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33
Optional English HOH Subtitles (on HD versions only)

https://viavision.com.au/shop/i-dream-o ... vision-16/

[AndyDursin]

JBHifi is having a 20% off run on discs this weekend, just FYI. Even with shipping it's a good deal (and email afterwards to get the VAT refunded too).

Imprint only sent a single title for review this month and they slotted VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED so I just ordered CAPRICORN from JB. I'm curious to hear how the encoding is. I have the Koch steelbook from years back and it looks really good. Imprint can be hit or miss with that.

The extras sound pretty decent based on Eric's review, despite Gould's cranky-old-man act.

[John Johnson]

My copies of "Voyage of the Damned" and "Capricorn One" arrived yesterday. I started with some of the Capricorn One bonus material. There are new interviews with Brenda Vaccaro and Paul Lazarus that are worth looking at (though Lazarus is much too jokey and without a a trace of self-awareness in his anecdotes about O.J. Simpson). I bailed out of the Elliot Gould interview though when he suddenly started going into a Trump-hate screed. The real joke on people like Gould is that "Capricorn One's" relevance today regarding Deep State conspiracies stems entirely from what has been done against Trump. There is also an 18 minute overview about Goldsmith's score that is quite good.

Will be checking the commentary on the expanded version and I hope I won't have to shut it off along the way for political discourses like I've had to do with so many others.

Some years ago, the late great Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, attrbuted the Moon Landing conspiracy to Capricorn One.

[John Johnson]

Australian label Imprint Films has announced its January batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Film Focus: Burt Reynolds (1973-1976), Blaxploitation (1972-1973), and Film Focus: Marlon Brando Volume Two (1969-1989).

All titles are scheduled to arrive on the market on January 8.

WALK LIKE A DRAGON (1960)

This classic Western is lead by Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord, written and directed by the writer behind historical novel Shōgun, and acclaimed films The Great Escape and To Sir, With Love - James Clavell.

Coming to Blu-ray for the first time worldwide from a brand NEW 4K scan, Walk Like A Dragon is a remarkable tale of bigotry and slavery, filled with racial tensions and cultural conflict in 1870's California.

FILM FOCUS: BURT REYNOLDS

Quintessential leading man Burt Reynolds stars in three action-packed thrill rides from the 70s!
White Lightning (1973)
Hustle (1975)
Gator (1976)
Limited Edition 4-Disc Hardbox, featuring brand NEW Special Features for every film, plus the acclaimed 2020 feature documentary 'I Am Burt Reynolds'.

BLAXPLOITATION

Four classic films from the Blaxploitation genre come to stunning high-definition Blu-ray for the first time ever worldwide, all from brand NEW 4K scans.
The Legend of Black Charley (1972)
The Soul of Black Charley (1973)
Superfly T.N.T (1973)
Detroit 9000 (1973)
Limited Edition 4-Disc Hardbox, featuring brand NEW Special Features for every film, including Interviews and Audio Commentaries.

FILM FOCUS: MARLON BRANDO - VOLUME TWO

Five more classic films from one of the greatest actors of all time, Marlon Brando.
The Night of the Following Day (1969)
The Nightcomers (1971)
Last Tango In Paris (1973)
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
A Dry White Season (1989)
Limited Edition 6-Disc Hardbox, featuring brand NEW Special Features for every film, plus the acclaimed 2015 feature documentary 'Listen To Me Marlon'.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=35331

[Eric Paddon]

Nothing for me in those announcements.

[Edmund Kattak]

How is this newest iteration of CAPRICORN ONE? Is the Theatrical version better than the previous domestic BD? What's the quality on the rare extended version?

[AndyDursin]

There's only been one HD master of CAPRICORN ONE to date so all of these Blu-Rays date back to that master. Whatever differences there are rest with compression and bit-rate, etc. I had both the early Network and Shout discs, then bought the German Koch release which had a higher bit-rate. Imprint's discs are generally pretty good in terms of bit-rate but the compression can be iffy at times, though less so lately.

The extended version comes from a Japanese theatrical print and it's the only source in existence. It's in good shape but is in mono (whereas the film was stereo). From what I've read (haven't gotten my copy yet) the Imprint disc is exactly the same as the Japanese Blu-Ray and probably came straight off their release.

The Imprint's big selling point is having both cuts together along with some new and old (Hyams' commentary) extra features, all in one place.