MGM will release a boxed set of DVDs containing four major films from acclaimed director John Frankenheimer. The set includes the DVD debut of The Young Savages which marked Frankenheimer's first collaboration with Burt Lancaster. They would go on to make a number of critically-praised films together including The Train, which is also included in the set. The collection will be released January 22nd.
Here is the official MGM press release:
INNOVATIVE CAMERA ANGLES, CAPTIVATING CAR CHASES AND SOCIALLY RELEVANT STATEMENTS CHARACTERIZE ONE OF CINEMA’S FINEST
THE JOHN FRANKENHEIMER COLLECTION
Young Savages, The Manchurian Candidate, The Train and Ronin
Four Eclectic United Artists Films From The Celebrated Director
Available Together On DVD January 22
LOS ANGELES – From Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra to Robert De Niro, director John Frankenheimer has guided the acting powerhouses of Hollywood and his views on important social issues, philosophical topics and the use of unusual camera angles and blocking techniques made him one of the most celebrated filmmakers in cinema history. MGM Home Entertainment brings together four films that illuminate the vision of a cinematic genius when The John Frankenheimer Collection arrives on DVD January 22, 2008, highlighting the director’s renowned career.
Part of the United Artists family, The John Frankenheimer Collection is being released as part of a larger United Artists 90th Anniversary campaign, an 18-month global celebration that honors the films, directors, actors and music that represent the studio’s rich filmmaking heritage leading up to the 90th anniversary of the studio in 2009.
The best of Frankenheimer is showcased in the collection including the 1961 film The Young Savages, a film that first teamed him with Burt Lancaster (Zulu Dawn, The Island of Dr. Moreau) and is the story of a young boy murdered by a New York gang along with the 1965 film, The Train, a World War II action-drama set in the final days of Nazi occupied Paris, which once again teams Frankenheimer with Lancaster and earned an Oscar® nomination for its script.
Also included in the gift set is Frankenheimer’s most iconic film, The Manchurian Candidate, starring the legendary performer Frank Sinatra (Kings Go Forth, Guys and Dolls) in the story of a Korean War veteran brainwashed by the Chinese government in a plot to assassinate the presidential candidate. Rounding out the collection is Ronin, the espionage thriller starring Robert De Niro (Stardust, The Good Shepherd) and featuring Frankenheimer’s trademark elaborate car chases.
The John Frankenheimer Collection will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.98 U.S./$45.98 Canada.
Young Savages
Based on Evan Hunter’s bestseller “A Matter of Conviction,†The Young Savages is set in an East Harlem mired in racial tension and gang violence. While prosecuting the three Italian teens who murdered Robert Escalante (Jose Perez), a blind 15-year-old blind Puerto Rican from a rival gang, Assistant D.A. Hank Bell (Burt Lancaster) learns that there’s more to this case than meets the eye. Also starring Dina Merrill, Edward Andrews, Telly Savalas and Vivian Nathan, The Young Savages is a gritty film replete with “genuine suspense, continual action and brutality" (Los Angeles Examiner).
The Train
Paris, August 1944. With the Allied army closing in, German commander and art fanatic Colonel von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) steals a vast collection of rare French paintings and loads them onto a train bound for Berlin. But when a beloved French patriot is murdered while trying to sabotage von Waldheim's scheme, Labiche (Burt Lancaster), a stalwart member of the Resistance, vows to stop the train at any cost. Calling upon his vast arsenal of skills, Labiche unleashes a torrent of devastation and destruction loosened rails, shattered tracks and head-on collisions in an impassioned, suspense-filled quest for justice, retribution and revenge. Inspired by an actual event and highlighted by spectacular stunt work and visual effects, The Train is "an edge-of-your-seat, thrilling, suspenseful and superior film" (The Motion Picture)
Presented in black and white with feature length audio commentary by director John Frankenheimer and a music only track highlighting Maurice Jarre’s score.
The Manchurian Candidate
Eerie, shocking, daring, thrilling and mesmerizing, The Manchurian Candidate will leave you breathless (People)! Featuring an all-star cast, including Angela Lansbury in an Oscar(r)-nominated performance, this chilling and controversial (Leonard Maltin) film may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made (Pauline Kael). When a platoon of Korean War G.I.s is captured, they somehow end up at a ladies garden club party. Or do they? Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) can't remember. As he searches for the answer, he discovers threads of a diabolical plot orchestrated by the utterly ruthless
Mrs. Iselin (Lansbury) and involving her war hero son (Laurence Harvey), her senator husband (James Gregory) and a secret cabal of enemy leaders.
Ronin
In a world where loyalties are easily abandoned and allegiances can be bought, a new and deadlier terrorist threat has emerged free agent killers! Featuring "high-octane action" (Gene Shalit, "Today"), a "first-rate cast" (L.A. Daily News) and exhilarating car chases that "are nothing short of sensational" (The New York Times), Ronin is "the real deal in action fireworks" (Rolling Stone) directed by "a master of intelligent thrillers" (Roger Ebert). The Cold War may be over, but a new world order keeps a group of covert mercenaries employed by the highest bidder. These operatives, known as "Ronin," are assembled in France by a mysterious client for a seemingly routine mission: steal a top-secret briefcase. But the simple task soon proves explosive as other underworld organizations vie for the same prize...and to get the job done, the members of Ronin must do something they've never done before trust each other!
Rich in history and devoted to creating powerful, quality films, United Artists (UA) was formed in 1919 by Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith to encourage progressive filmmaking, giving each star the authority and autonomy to create the films about which they were most passionate. The studio responsible for creating some of the finest films of all time including iconic film franchises ROCKY, PINK PANTHER and JAMES BOND and critically-acclaimed and award-winning features RAGING BULL, SOME LIKE IT HOT, WEST SIDE STORY, ANNIE HALL, MIDNIGHT COWBOY and RAIN MAN, contains a library of nearly 1,000 feature films and boasts more than 80 Academy Award®-winning classics.
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