RADIANCE'S MAY RELEASES COMPRISE A CULT CAVEMAN SATIRE, A TENDER TRAINTRACKS DRAMA AND REAL-LIFE PRISON ESCAPES

Wednesday 12th February 2025 - posted by Robert

Coming to the UK and US on May 19th/20th: A primal grunt against the myopic modern world, cult-classic Themroc stars Michel Piccoli (Weak Spot) as the titular blue-collar worker who becomes an urban caveman.

Living at home with his mother, bachelor house painter Themroc (Michel Piccoli, Belle de Jour) leads a dull life. One day, after an unearned run-in with his boss, the usually docile Themroc rebels and dismantles his myopic world. Made on a shoestring budget with no intelligible dialogue, Claude Faraldo's cult taboo-busting satire about a French blue-collar worker-turned-urban caveman anarchically eviscerates mid-century labour and gender politics. Never released on disc in the UK, Themroc may be familiar to British audiences from Channel 4's infamous Red Triangle showings, intended for adults only; now this savage satire can be seen again, newly presented on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a 4K restoration from the original negative by Studio Canal, original uncompressed PCM mono audio, interviews with critic David Thompson (2025), actor Michel Piccoli and director Claude Faraldo (1973), and Manuela Lazic on Michel Piccoli (2025), a gallery and a trailer, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Smith and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Alison Smith, author of French Cinema in the 1970s: The Echoes of May, 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 May 19th/20th: Based on the real exploits of seven-time prison escapee, The Rapacious Jailbreaker is a raw work of '70s Japanese cinema starring Hiroki Matsukata (Hokuriku Proxy War).

In the free-for-all chaos after World War II, black marketeer Ueda (Hiroki Matsukata, Cops vs Thugs) is robbed of a pound of morphine. He takes his brutal revenge, but is arrested for murder and sentenced to 20 years. He escapes and is caught, but no matter where they send him, Ueda won't let prison walls stop him. Directed by a master of the genre and based on the real exploits of a seven-time prison escapee, this ranks as one of the rawest entries in the 1970s cycle of Japanese true-account crime films.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a High-Definition digital transfer, original uncompressed PCM mono audio, an audio commentary by yakuza film expert Nathan Stuart (2025), a visual essay on Sadao Nakajima by Tom Mes (2025) and a new English subtitle translation, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Earl Jackson and an archival review of 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 May 19th: Pietro Germi directs and stars as an ordinary train driver derailed by tragedy in the affecting neorealist classic The Railroad Man.

Pietro Germi (The Facts of Murder) directs and stars in this deeply affecting drama about a train driver. Living modestly with his wife Sara (Luisa Della Noce), Andrea Marcocci's life is thrown into turmoil when he witnesses a suicide on the tracks ahead of him. Tenderly narrated from the perspective of his young son Sandro (Edoardo Nevola), the incident has repercussions on Andrea and his extended family - including his unemployed son Marcello (Renato Speziali) and pregnant daughter Giulia (Sylva Koscina) - who he is expected to support. A huge success on release, with a tough, muscular performance by Germi at its centre, The Railroad Man should sit alongside the likes of Bicycle Thieves and La terra trema in the pantheon of great neorealistic classics.

The Limited Edition Blu-ray features a new 4K restoration by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Surf Film at L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, original uncompressed PCM mono audio, and new interviews with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti (2025, 29 mins) and actor Edoardo Nevola (2025, 23 mins), along with a reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by John Bleasdale and archival writing on Alfredo Giannetti by Simone Starace, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.

PREORDER LINKS:
- Amazon UK
- Radiance (direct)

IMPRINT FILMS - APRIL NEW RELEASES

Sunday 9th February 2025 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

In April, we head back to the 40's, 50's, and 60's, with six new releases - 14 films - including seven worldwide firsts on Blu-ray (available separately below or in a discounted bundle).

Strictly limited to 1500 copies each.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) - 4K UHD + Blu-ray Limited Edition Lenticular Hardcase

One of the most beloved sci-fi films from the 50’s, and a must-see for fans of The War of the Worlds! Our Limited Edition release includes the classic film in 2D on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, the 3D version of the film on Blu-ray, and the made-for-TV sequel It Came From Outer Space II (1996) in standard-definition - all in a Limited Edition Lenticular Hardcase.

FLESH AND FANTASY (1943) / DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)

Two classic 40’s anthology films, with a supernatural twist!

With stories by acclaimed writers such as Oscar Wilde and H.G. Wells, and performances from Hollywood stars including Edward G. Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Field, and Michael Redgrave, this is must-see classic horror at its finest.

Packaged together in a Limited Edition Hardbox, and loaded with brand NEW Special Features, discover these predecessors to The Twilight Zone, filled with thrills, chills, tight scripts and remarkable performances.

TALES OF ADVENTURE - COLLECTION 5 (1954 - 1957)

Five exciting and terrifying 50’s films that are out-of-this-world come together in the next instalment of Tales of Adventure! These sci-fi thrills are filled with suspense and destruction, quintessential entries from the golden era of cosmic obsession. Blast off!

• The 27th Day (1957) • The Night The World Exploded (1957) - worldwide first on Blu-ray • This Island Earth (1955) • Devil Girl From Mars (1954) • The Gamma People (1956) - worldwide first on Blu-ray • Plus bonus film The Underwater City (1962) (standard-definition)

Includes a brand NEW Audio Commentary by Heath Holland (Cereal At Midnight) on This Island Earth, and a brand NEW Audio Commentary (Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw) & Interview (author Jon Towlson) on Devil Girl From Mars.

TALES OF ADVENTURE - COLLECTION 6 (1945 - 1969)

Tales of Adventure takes to the land and sea, in four epic stories of human survival facing extreme adversity. Go deep inside world wars and behind enemy lines, and follow brave defenders in their quest to survive. Take cover!

• Counter-Attack (1945) - worldwide first on Blu-ray • Abandon Ship! (1957) - worldwide first on Blu-ray • King Rat (1965) - worldwide first on Blu-ray • The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

Includes a brand NEW Audio Commentary and Video Essay on The Bridge at Remagen.

BRIDE OF VENGEANCE (1949)

Worldwide first on Blu-ray from a 4K scan!

Critically acclaimed director Mitchell Leisen (Hold Back The Dawn) brought this historical romantic drama to life, a passionate tale set during the Italian Renaissance.

Starring Paulette Goddard (The Cat and the Canary), John Lund (High Society) and Macdonald Carey (Days of Our Lives).

IVY (1947)

Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

Golden Age of Hollywood favourite Joan Fontaine stars as the titular Ivy, an Edwardian belle with a dark side, based on the novel The Story Of Ivy.

Directed by three-time Academy Award nominated filmmaker Sam Wood (Goodbye, Mr. Chips).

BFI APRIL TO JUNE 2025 LINEUP

Thursday 6th February 2025 - posted by James

The BFI announces today its home entertainment releases coming up in April, May and June 2025, with all titles available to pre-order now. Highlights of the second quarter of the year include 4K UHD editions of THRONE OF BLOOD and LA HAINE and on Blu-ray will be ECLIPSE – the 51st BFI Flipside title, and the classic 1975 feature film revealing the grittier side of the music biz – SLADE IN FLAME.


14 April: LA HAINE on UHD

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its sensational premiere at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, Mathieu Kassovitz's LA HAINE will be made available in a new 4K UHD edition. The release will include all the extras from the previously released BFI Blu-ray, as well as a re-print of the 80-page book that accompanied the 25th anniversary edition. The anniversary will also be marked with screenings at selected cinemas across the UK.
LA HAINE UHD BFI Shop Link


21 April: BROTHER and ECLIPSE on Blu-ray



Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano directs and stars in BROTHER (2000), a brutal crime thriller about a Japanese yakuza forced to flee to Los Angeles after the death of his boss. Marking the famed director's first and only English language feature, this is the first time the film has been released on Blu-ray in the UK.
BROTHER Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

Unsettling, strange, and barely seen since it was shot nearly forty years ago, ECLIPSE (1976) is the latest addition to the BFI Flipside collection. With writer and director Simon Perry's approval and involvement, the BFI is now making this unjustly neglected title available on Blu-ray disc for the first time worldwide, in a new scan made from the best-available 35mm materials. Tom Conti stars in a double role as twin brothers.
ECLIPSE Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

19 May: SLADE IN FLAME on Blu-ray/DVD and THRONE OF BLOOD on UHD and Blu-ray



Tom Conti also stars in the newly remastered SLADE IN FLAME. This stone-cold cult classic has been described as 'the Citizen Kane of British pop movies' by critic Mark Kermode and boasts a razor-sharp screenplay, superb performances by Noddy Holder and the boys and a power-packed foot-stomping soundtrack. Directed by Richard Loncraine (Richard III, Full Circle), the cast includes Alan Lake and Johnny Shannon (Performance).
SLADE IN FLAME dual format BFI Shop Link

Our recent run of Akira Kurosawa restorations continues with a 4K UHD set of THRONE OF BLOOD. Considered to be one of the greatest cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare, this truly remarkable film boasts legendary performances from Toshiro Mifune as the doomed warlord Washizu (based on Macbeth) and Isuzu Yamada as the Lady Macbeth-inspired Asaji. The film will also be available as a stand-alone Blu-ray edition.
THRONE OF BLOOD UHD BFI Shop Link
THRONE OF BLOOD Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

16 June: CHANTAL AKERMAN VOLUME 2: 1985-2015 on Blu-ray and FOUR MOTHERS on Blu-ray




CHANTAL AKERMAN VOLUME 2 (1985-2015) covers the second half of Akerman’s career. Highlights on the 5-disc set includes musical comedy Golden Eighties (1986) and her final film, No Home Movie (2015). Previously unreleased, this set finally makes the vast majority of Chantal Akerman's unique cinematic legacy accessible to UK audiences.
CHANTAL AKERMAN VOLUME 2 Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

FOUR MOTHERS (2024) is Colin and Darren Thornton's heartwarming comedy drama, inspired by Mid-August Lunch (2008) and starring James McArdle and Fionnula Flanagan. It was a well-deserved Audience Award-winner at 2024's BFI London Film Festival and plays at the forthcoming Dublin and Glasgow Film Festivals before its release in UK / Ireland cinemas on 4 April.
FOUR MOTHERS Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

23 June: TWENTYFOURSEVEN on Blu-ray



Directed by cult favourite Shane Meadows (This Is England), TwentyFourSeven charts the story of working-class youth finding friendship, self-respect and meaning in a post-industrial Midlands. Shot in black and white and starring Bob Hoskins (The Long Good Friday), the film has been newly remastered by the BFI and is presented on Blu-ray for the first time.
TWENTYFOURSEVEN Blu-ray BFI Shop Link

Each of these BFI releases will contain a selection of extra features and an illustrated book/booklet (first pressing only) to provide contextual information.

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