RADIANCE'S MARCH RELEASES INCLUDE THREE HARDBOILED THRILLERS, A PALME D'OR WORLD PREMIERE, AND A TIME-TRAVELLING SCI-FI STORY

Sunday 15th December 2024 - posted by Robert

Coming to the UK and US on March 24th/25th: In the spirit of Dirty Harry and Jean-Pierre Melville, three hardboiled thrillers from Alain Corneau - Police Python 357, Série noire and Choice of Arms - with new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives.

The hardboiled genre of crime fiction evolved from the mystery crime novels of the early 20th century - closely associated with the US pulp magazines, these cynical and unsentimental stories of desperate criminals and social corruption were both influenced by and an influence on the golden era of film noir. As their popularity waned in the US, the hardboiled genre remained hugely popular and relevant throughout the 1960s and 70s in France, thanks to the successful Serie Noire imprint and a succession of new translations. In Alain Corneau's early films, he sought to continue the noir tradition in his native France, and was both directly and indirectly inspired by titans of hardboiled genre, including Kenneth Fearing and Jim Thompson. A heady combination of classic noir and 70s grit, these three darkly thrilling films are vastly underrated and important works in the canon of crime cinema. In Police Python 357, Yves Montand (The Wages of Fear) plays a tough cop who, when his lover is found murdered, finds himself implicated in her death and in a battle of wits with a powerful rival, in the second screen adaptation of Kenneth Fearing's The Big Clock. Série noire adapts Jim Thompson's A Hell of A Woman to the banlieues of Paris: in an astonishing performance, Patrick Dewaere (Themroc) attempts to save a young girl from prostitution, with murder the only solution. In Choice of Arms, Yves Montand heads an all-star cast, including Catherine Denueve and Gerard Depardieu, as a former crook pulled out of retirement when a gang on the run turn to him for shelter after a prison break.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features 4K restorations from the original negatives by Studio Canal, presented on three discs, uncompressed mono PCM audio for each film, an audio commentary by Mike White on Police Python 357 (2024), Maxim Jakubowski on Police Python 357's source novel and adaptation (2024), an archival interview with Alain Corneau and François Périer about Police Python 357 from Belgian Television (1976), Série noire set interviews with Alain Corneau, Patrick Dewaere and Miriam Boyer from Belgian Television (1981), "Série noire: The Darkness of the Soul" archival documentary featuring cast and crew on the making of the film (2013, 53 mins), an archival interview with Alain Corneau and Marie Trintignant about Série noire (2002, 30 mins), a visual essay about Jim Thompson adaptations for the screen by Paul Martinovic (2024), an introduction by documentary filmmaker Jérôme Wybon (2024), "Shooting Choice of Arms" interviews with the cast and crew including behind-the-scenes footage (1981), interviews with Deneuve, Montand and Depardieu from the set (1981), an interview with Manuela Lazic on Yves Montand in the 1970s (2024), trailers and optional English subtitles for each film, along with a reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters and a limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new writing by Andrew Male, Nick Pinkerton, Charlie Brigden, and newly translated archival writing, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Amazon US
- Radiance (direct)


Coming to the UK and US on March 24th/25th: A Blu-ray world premiere for The Eel, a transfixing drama starring Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days) and which won master filmmaker Shohei Imamura (Vengeance Is Mine) his second Palme d'Or.

After serving time in prison for murdering his unfaithful wife, Yamashita (Koji Yakusho, Perfect Days, Cure) is released on parole, accompanied only by his pet eel. Hoping to stay out of trouble, he takes over a rural barber shop that quickly becomes a gathering point for the eccentric locals. However, the discovery of a woman's failed suicide starts a chain reaction that brings back past demons - and not just his own. The Eel won master filmmaker Shohei Imamura his second Palme d'Or, after 1983's The Ballad of Narayama and was the breakthrough of its star Yakusho.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a High-Definition digital transfer, uncompressed mono PCM audio, an interview with critic Tony Rayns (2024), an interview with screenwriter Daisuke Tengan (2024), a visual essay by Tom Mes on the year 1997 as a turning point in Japanese cinema (2024), a trailer and a newly improved English subtitle translation, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and a limited edition booklet featuring a newly translated archival interview with Imamura, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Amazon US
- Radiance (direct)


Coming to the UK on March 24th: Alain Resnais' time-travelling sci-fi Je t'aime, je t'aime, a noted influence on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which interweaves themes around love and loss to dazzling effect.

Claude leaves hospital recovered from a failed suicide attempt when some scientists offer him the chance to be part of a project. He will be the first human subject in a time travel experiment. Travelling back in time one year for just one minute, he becomes lost in a continually shifting mosaic of temporal episodes. A noted influence on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in Je t’aime, je t’aime, Alain Resnais (Last Year In Marienbad) brings his cinematic obsession of time to the fore in this ingenious melding of sci-fi and romance.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a 2K restoration, presented on UK Blu-ray for the first time, uncompressed mono PCM audio, an interview with critic and David Jenkins (2024), an audio interview with director Alain Resnais (2007), an interview with actor Claude Rich (2007), an interview with screenwriter Jacques Sternberg and film historian and Resnais expert François Thomas (2007), "In the Ears of Alain Resnais" documentary on the filmmaker with a focus on music and voices in his work, featuring collaborators and critics including the filmmaker himself, actor Lambert Wilson, writer and actress Agnés Jaoui, critic Michel Ciment and others (Geraldine Boudot, 2020, 54 mins) and optional English subtitles, along with a reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original poster designs and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Catherine Wheatley, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Radiance (direct)

WE ARE BACK

Wednesday 27th November 2024 - posted by Ulrich

Hi everyone.

Sorry for the long outage, but Rewind DVDCompare is at this point quite an old site. In fact, we are 25 years old as of this month. Unfortunately, there have been a bit of stuff around the site, that have running out of date for some time, and it was finally time for something to truly break.

Once that happened, we have been working on fixing site stuff, so that we could move to a newer setup, and here we finally are.

We have a two week backlog of titles and reviews to add, but rest assured the site will continue to be active. Thank you for the patience!

RADIANCE'S FEBRUARY RELEASES INCLUDE A THRILLER, A WORLD PREMIERE, A SUNDANCE AWARD-WINNER AND TWO CLASSICS BY A HONG KONG NEW WAVE MASTER

Wednesday 13th November 2024 - posted by Robert

Coming to the UK and US on February 24th/25th: Dominik Graf's (who may be Germany's best-kept secret) heist thriller The Cat, a delirious mix of Die Hard and Michael Mann precision.

Two robbers hold up a bank and its employees, demanding 3 million marks for their ransom. The police plot to storm the bank but are unaware the robbers have an accomplice on the outside, anticipating their every move. Genre master Dominik Graf specialised in crime films and The Cat is one of his greatest. A heist film of the highest order, it grabs you from its opening scenes and doesn't let go. Winner of Best Direction at the German Film Awards, The Cat is an undiscovered treasure and Radiance Films is proud to present it on Blu-ray for the first time outside Germany.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a High-Definition digital transfer newly graded by Radiance Films and overseen by director Dominik Graf, interviews with Dominik Graf (2024, 62 mins), screenwriter Christoph Fromm (2024, 31 mins), and producer Georg Feil (2024, 31 mins), a select-scene commentary by Dominik Graf (2024), a trailer and a new English subtitle translation, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Amazon US
- Radiance (direct)


Coming to the UK and US on February 24th/25th: The latest Kinji Fukaksaku yakuza classic is the director's swansong to the genre and one of his very finest films. Newly restored in 4K and featuring new extras with writer Koji Takada and Yoko Takahashi, it is presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

Loose-cannon gangster Kawada rebels when his two-timing boss forms an alliance with a major crime syndicate. The syndicate's main rivals see Kawada as their perfect proxy, but his furious temper quickly rubs them the wrong way, leaving Kawada to face overwhelming forces. Fukasaku's final yakuza film features some of the strongest women's roles in his career, plus a raucous central performance from Hiroki Matsukata (Cops vs Thugs) and support from the legendary Sonny Chiba.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a High-Definition digital transfer, uncompressed mono PCM audio, new interviews with actress Yoko Takahashi (2024, 15 mins) and with screenwriter Koji Takada (2024, 19 mins), Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito on the real-life Hokuriku Proxy War murder case (2024, 15 mins), a trailer and a newly improved English subtitle translation, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and a limited edition booklet featuring newly translated archival writings on the film, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Amazon US
- Radiance (direct)


Coming to the UK on February 24th: A multi-award-winning masterpiece, What Happened Was... is a brilliantly observed comedy-drama on dating in the big city, anchored by two stunning performances.

Jackie (Karen Sillas) and Michael (Tom Noonan, Manhunter, also writer-director) are co-workers at a New York law firm who, after months of flirtation, agree to meet for a 'first date' at Jackie's apartment. Their initially charged and playful interactions eventually evolve into a long, dark night of the soul, as the two would-be lovers get to know each other properly for the first time, and discover that all may not be as it seems. Winner of the Sundance Festival Jury Prize in 1994, What Happened Was... is a landmark work of American independent cinema anchored around two stunning performances, presenting an often hilarious, often bleak, but always excoriatingly honest exploration of dating in the big city. Radiance is proud to present the film on UK home video for the very first time.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a 4K restoration by Oscilloscope Films, uncompressed stereo PCM audio, interviews with director Tom Noonan and producer Scott Macaulay (2021), Karen Sillas (2021), and with critic Charles Bramesco (2024), a trailer and optional English SDH subtitles, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Adam Nayman, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Radiance (direct)


Coming to the UK on February 24th: Two inspired classic masterpieces by Patrick Tam (mentor to Wong Kar-wai), and starring Hong Kong's finest, Nomad and My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, in their UK Blu-ray premiere across two discs.

An icon of the Hong Kong New Wave and mentor to Wong Kar-wai, Patrick Tam worked with icons including Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love), Leslie Cheung (Days of Being Wild), Kenny Bee (Armour of God) and others in these two inimitable classics. In Nomad, two couples, equal parts rich and working class, bond and experience the frolics of youth. The arrival of a Red Army deserter brings violence and disruption prompting incredible plot twists and inspired set-pieces. My Heart Is That Eternal Rose finds Tam in the more familiar Heroic Bloodshed genre. A young couple are torn apart by a botched Triad job that forces Rick to relocate to the Philippines and Lap to become a gangster's moll. Six years later they meet again but their reunion only reignites the danger that drove them apart. Stunningly shot by David Chung (Once Upon a Time in China) and Christopher Doyle (Chungking Express), both films are newly restored and made available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a 4K restoration of the Nomad director's cut, a 2K restoration of My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, interviews with critic Tony Rayns on Nomad (2024), assistant director Stanley Kwan on Nomad (2024), Nomad producer Dennis Yu (2024), a visual essay on Patrick Tam and the Hong Kong New Wave by author David Desser (2024), an audio commentary on My Heart Is That Eternal Rose by Frank Djeng (2024), an interview with producer John Sham (2019), two episodes of C.I.D. directed by Tam (1976, 49 mins each), a trailer and newly improved English subtitle translations by Dylan Cheung, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow and a limited edition booklet featuring an archival career-spanning interview with Patrick Tam by Arnaud Lanuque and a new essay by Kambole Campbell, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Radiance (direct)

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