Land and Freedom in March [15 February 2005]

Ken Loach is, without question, one of the greatest directors this country has ever produced and one who has stayed true to the political conviction, humanism and neo-realist style of his breakthrough films Cathy Come Home and Kes. Loach's films have received uneven treatment on DVD and there are some crucial gaps in his filmography, at least in terms of DVD incarnation, but in March one of the key omissions will be released on UK region 2 DVD by Artificial Eye. Land and Freedom is a rare period piece for the director (the story is essentially told in flashback) and features Ian Hart as a young British Communist Party member who in 1936 joins the International Brigade to fight the fascists in Spain, and his experiences there affect him for the rest of his life. A genuinely excellent work, the disk will feature an anamorphic 16:9 transfer and 5.1 sound, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a theatrical trailer, filmographies and a commentary by Loach himself. Given Loach's less than chatty commentary on the Sweet Sixteen DVD, we can only hope Artificial Eye have enlisted someone to sit in the sound booth with him and prompt him for information. Nonetheless, this is a most welcome release that we are certainly looking forward to. Street date: 21 March 2005.

As a footnote, a 'director's cut' of Loach's Carla's Song is also rumoured for an April release, but we have no firm details on this. Given the control Loach has on his projects, it will be interesting to see exactly what this entails. More news when we have it.

Warners get Controversial in May [13 February 2005]

Following on from last month's marvellous Gangster box set, Warner have announced a further set that they have provocatively titled Controversial Classics. The set include seven films and include a couple of absolute humdingers that alone will justify the purchase. Key to the set is Mervyn LeRoy's brilliant 1932 I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang, an angry cry against this archaic penal institution that features a superb central performance from Paul Muni and a gorgeously creepy ending. Just as exciting is the inclusion of John Sturges' electrifying Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), in which a one-armed Spencer Tracy seeks revenge on a bigoted small town for the death of his friend. Also included are Otto Preminger's Advise and Consent (1962), Fritz Lang's Fury (1936), which also stars the wonderful Spencer Tracy, Richard Brooks' Blackboard Jungle (1955), Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd (1957) and Arthur Miller's The Americanization of Emily (1964). All disks, which will also be available seperately, feature digitally remastered prints of the films and an as-yet unspecified collection of extras, though some commentaries and documentaries are promised. Stret date for the disks is set at 10 May 2005.

Three War Films from Andrzej Wajda [7 February 2005]

One of Poland's most revered directors, the great Andrzej Wajda, was responsible for some of the most compelling WW2 dramas made during the 1950s, and in March three of the finest are to be released by Criterion, in April 2005. A Generation (Pokolenie 1955), the Cannes Special Jury Prize winner Kanal (1957) and the film generally regarded as Wajda's masterpiece, Ashes and Diamonds (Popiól i diament 1958) will be released seperately and as a box set containing all three films.

All three films will have new, digital transfers, and will feature the following special features: an audio commentary on Ashes and Diamonds by film scholar Annette Insdorf; new interviews on each film with Andrzej Wajda, assistant director Janusz Morgenstern and film critic Jerzy Plazewski; vintage newsreel on the making of Ashes and Diamonds; Wadja's 1951 film school short Ceramics from Ilza (Ceramika Ilzecka); rare behind-the-scenes production photos, publicity stills, and posters for all three films; a gallery of Andrzej Wajda’s original drawings and paintings; and new essays by film scholars and critics Ewa Mazierska, John Simon, and Paul Coates. Street date for all three films is March 29 2005.

F for Fake from Criterion in April [3 February 2005]

The late, great Orson Welles is still remembered primarily for his admittedly magnificent masterpiece Citizen Kane, but all too often his later career was dismissed as a series of false starts and sherry commercials, but that is to forget one of the most dazzlingly edited, gloriously seductive documentaries ever commited to film, his magnificent 1975 F for Fake, in which Welles explores the fine line between truth and illusion in his own inimitable style.

Now Criterion have once again filled our hearts with joy with the announcement of a 2-disk special edition of the film to be released in April. Featuring the new, high definition anamorphic 1.66:1 transfer and the original mono sound, the extra features include a video introduction by Welles scholar peter Bogdanovich, an audio commentary featuring star Oja Kodar and director of photography Gary Craver, an hour-long 1988 investigation of Welles' unfinished projects entitled Orson Welles: One Man Band, a 1992 Norwegian Film Institute documentary on art forger Elmyr de Hory entitled Almost True, a 10 minute trailer for the film, and a new essay by critic and writer Johnathan Rosenbaum. Street date is set for 26 April 2005.

Bullet Ballet from Artsmagic February [29 January 2005]

Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the great Outsider directors of the modern age, repeatedly refusing to make an even remote commercially minded film and a man whose unique personal vision permeates every frame of every film he makes. Just recently his superb Tokyo Fist finally received at (below par) UK release, and now that film's companion piece, the extraordinary Bullet Ballet, has been announced for both UK and US release by ArtsMagic. Previously only available on a French double-bill with Tokyo Fist, but without English subtitles on either, or a non-anamorphic region 3 disk, this new release looks set to top them both.

Featuring an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer and 5.1 sound, the disk will also include a feature-length commentary by critic, author and Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, an interview with director Tsukamoto, filmographies, trailers and promotional material. Given the rather lax attitude to Tsukamoto films in the past on DVD in the West, one can't help but get excited by this. Maybe there's hope yet for Tsukamoto's still largely unseen but beautifully realised Soseiji [Gemini]. Streetdate for Bullet Ballet is 22 February on region 1, 28 February on region 2.

Wear Dead Man's Shoes in March [25 January 2005]

We like Shane Meadows here at Outsider - he's a very liekable guy and he made both TwentyFourSeven and A Room for Romeo Brass and, maybe not through his own choice, he has remained a true independent and that spirit runs through all of his films, right back to his entertaining shorts such as Where's the Money, Ronnie?. His most recent work, the revenge drama Dead Man's Shoes (which we are screening at the cinema next Tuesday for those in the East Kent area), has been announced for a UK region 2 release on 21 March from Optimum. The rather lovely-looking disk will feature a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and a 5.1 soundtrack, plus the following special features: a commentary by Meadows, regular screenwriter Paddy Consadine and producer Mark Herbert; deleted and alternative scenes; an alternative ending; a documentary entitled 'In Shane's Shoes'; a 'Danger Mouse' music video; Graphic Novel animated sequences; and 'Northern Soul', a short film by Meadows with music by Clayhill. Also included is an audio commentary outtakes Easter Egg, though this is something that winds me up a bit - given that Easter Eggs are supposed to be a hidden feature, what the hell is the point of announcing it as an included extra? Doesn't that make it a regular feature?

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Collector's Edition [16 January 2005]

With the special edition of Park Chan-wook's acclaimed Oldboy set for 21 February, Tartan are to twin it with a collector's edition re-release of his earlier Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, also due to hit the streets on 21 February. Park's tale of a kidnap that goes terribly wrong and the vengeance sought by two of those affected is an extraordinary work that plays as a compelling drama for a good part of its length, then undergoes a startling shift in tone for the final half-hour. Already available in a decent enough, extras-light version, this editioin most definitely looks worth the wait for those who didn't buy the original (though whether it's worth the udgrade will depend on your fondness for commentaries and DTS sound. The anamorphic transfer and DTS ES and Dolby Digital EX soundtracks are joined by an audio commentary from director Park Chan-wook, 'The Judge' - an unreleased film from Park Chan-wook, plus the extras included on the original release: interviews, a 'making of' documentary, a trailer, and film notes by writer Jamie Russell.

Sergio Leone Special Editions on region 2 in April [13 January 2005]

Following on from the special editions releases of Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and, to a certain extent, Once Upon a Time in America (well, the picture quality could have been better on this one), Warner are to release three more of his most famous works, all in 2 disk special editions. A Fistful of Dollars, Leone's calling card and a remake of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, features a restored print with extended footage, an audio commentary by as-yet unspecified participants, a documentary entitled 'A New Type of Hero', an interview with Clint Eastwood, four featurettes - 'Cinque Voci', 'Not Ready for Primetime', 'Restoration, Italian Style' and 'Locations Comparisons' - 'The Network Prologue' additional scene, a rare double-bill trailer for A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More, radio spots and a gallery. The gorgeous For a Few Dollars More also features a restored print with extended footage and an audio commentary, plus 'A New Standard' documentary, an interview with Clint Eastwood, interviews with Sergio Leone, a featurette on alternative versions, a 'Restoration Notebook', a 'Location Comparisons' featurette, the same rare double-bill trailer as on the Fistful disk, the original theatrical trailer, radiuo spotys and a gallery. Finally, A Fistful of Dynamite will have restored picture and sound, an audio commentary, a 'Bigger, Louder, Deeper' documentary on Leone, an interview with screenwriter Sergio Donati, three featurettes - 'The Autry Exhibition: Sergio Leone Comes to the USA', 'Visions and Versions: A Visual Analysis of A Fistful of Dynamite' and a restoration featurette, 'Finding the Original Version' - location comparisons, radio spots, trailers and a gallery. Street date for all three disks is 18 April.

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