By Darren Allison

"The Next Alfred Hitchcock" was how director Brian De Palma was being celebrated by some back in 1973. It was largely in praise of his latest film, the thriller ‘Sisters’. There is little doubt that ‘Sisters’ is not only homage to Hitchcock’s Psycho, but also a huge nod towards Hitchcock’s entire body of work. As the saying goes - ‘You only borrow from the best’ and of course, it was no secret that De Palma was a huge admirer of Hitchcock’s work.

‘Sisters’ was inspired by a Life Magazine article read by De Palma, about the Russian Siamese twins Masha and Dasha. The film begins with a model named Danielle (played by Margot Kidder), who appears on the local TV game show, Peeping Toms (the film’s first example of its voyeuristic theme). Danielle goes out to dinner with the winning contestant, Phillip Wood. Her strange ex-husband Emile (De Palma regular William Finley) follows Danielle to the restaurant and finally creates a scene. Phillip takes Danielle back to her home in Staten Island. Emile keeps watch outside their apartment, as Danielle and Phillip spend the night together.

The next morning, Phillip is brutally killed (with a large Psycho style knife and in graphic detail) after overhearing Danielle speak to her sister, Dominique. The murder is seen by reporter Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt), from her own apartment (not unlike Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’). The police are not entirely convinced by Grace’s homicide story and they are not enamoured by her personally, perhaps because she had recently wrote a damming story on police procedures. In true Hitchcock style, Grace takes it upon herself to investigate and is drawn into a bizarre story of Siamese siblings, a mysterious mental institute, and identifying the truth behind Dominique and Danielle. It is established that Danielle never recovered from the death of her twin Dominique. Furthermore, Dominique remains alive in the mind of Danielle – a form of guilt lodged deep within her soul - and the result of having been the twin to survive a surgical separation. Danielle’s sexual experience with men (such as Philip or Emile) becomes the catalyst that awakens Dominique and the murderous side of Danielle's damaged mind.

De Palma’s film is a fascinating watch, the observations alluding to Hitchcock’s body of work almost border on blatant, but it is spirited, and because of that, we simply suck it in and revel in it - rather than being repelled by it. Even the ‘Janet Leigh’ element – (the killing off of a likeable lead character so early in the film), is carried out in ‘Sisters’ smoothly and capably. De Palma’s own trademark feature – the use of the split screen process is also deployed well. In particular, the murder of Phillip as witnessed by Grace uses the process to super effect. Whilst one half of the screen illustrates Phillip’s perspective looking from the apartment window across to Grace, the other half focuses on Grace’s window and her POV, looking to Phillip’s window and his eventual demise – all of which is excellent stuff. Fans of Hitchcock may also like to know composer Bernard Herrmann provides one of his truly great 70s scores for ‘Sisters’ – and cements the homage to perfection.

Arrow has produced a delicious looking (1080p) High Definition digital master with fine detail and just the right amount of grain. De Palma chose to shoot on 35mm opposed to 16mm, regardless of budget restraints, which proved to be the right choice as the difference clearly shows. De Palma was aware that blowing up a 16mm print to 35mm would have made a noticeable difference, instead he used 16mm in emphasise certain scenes, and he chose wisely. Viewing Arrow’s Blu-Ray allows us to view the film cleanly whilst never letting us forget we are watching a 70s movie, and as a result – a perfect balance is achieved. Adding to the overall retro experience, the original mono audio is also retained, leaving no room for unnecessary tinkering and tweaking and removing us from the familiar comfort ‘zone’.

Arrow has also provided a nice collection of extras that include an excellent documentary ‘What the Devil Hath Joined Together: Brian De Palma’s Sisters’ – A visual essay by author Justin Humphreys. There is also a generous collection of all new interviews with co-writer Louisa Rose, actress Jennifer Salt, editor Paul Hirsch and unit manager Jeffrey Hayes. The De Palma Digest – A film-by-film guide to the director’s career by critic Mike Sutton is a very nice 30 minute retrospective guide to De Palma’s work, and proves somewhat insightful – especially on his later films which to some degree had slipped under the radar… There is also an archival audio interview with De Palma friend and ‘Sisters’ co-star William Finley (Emile). The original theatrical trailer and gallery of ‘Sisters’ promotional material from around the world, round off the disc very nicely in deed. Whilst a check disc was provided for the purpose of this review, Arrow’s retail version contains a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys and a Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author Kier-La Janisse (House of Psychotic Women) as well as Brian De Palma’s original 1973 Village Voice essay on working with composer Bernard Herrmann and a contemporary interview with De Palma on making ‘Sisters’, and the 1966 Life magazine article that inspired the film.

‘Sisters’ (released on April 28th 2014) is a super addition to the Arrow catalogue and a wonderful opportunity to enjoy De Palma’s first real taste of mainstream cinema in the finest possible quality.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON UK (THIS IS A REGION 2 PAL FORMAT RELEASE)

By Lee Pfeiffer

The latest issue of Cinema Retro (#29) features my exclusive interview with Oscar-winning director William Friedkin in relation to the recent restoration of his 1977 epic adventure film Sorcerer. Regular readers of our magazine and web site know that we have been championing this great movie for years. It was a commercial and critical failure at the time of its release but its stature has grown over the decades and Friedkin told me he considers this his best film. That's quite a statement coming from the man who directed The French Connection and The Exorcist. In the interview, Friedkin discusses his painstaking efforts to finally get a proper video release of the film. An initial DVD release from Universal back in the 1990s was sub-par, to say the least. The print was less-than-stellar and Friedkin was annoyed by the fact that the movie was presented in the wrong aspect ratio. Through a long, convoluted process to determine who even owned the rights (it was co-financed by Paramount and Universal), Friedkin ended up having to sue both studios. The result was a clarification of ownership and Warner Home Video stepped forward to champion financing a restoration of the film. For Friedkin, this was the payoff in terms of finally having the film presented the way he envisioned it being seen. He personally oversaw the restoration and told Cinema Retro last month that he was thrilled with the result. He spoke very highly of Warner Home Video for their efforts in supporting this underrated classic. 

Cut to: the recent release of both the Blu-ray and DVD editions of the restored version. It seems that, although the Blu-ray is right up to expectations (Friedkin told me that it looked as good as what he saw through the camera when the movie was being filmed), someone at Warners botched the DVD release and presented it in the wrong aspect ratio- a truly ironic occurrence, given Warner's reputation for accuracy in its high profile restorations.

In response to our inquiries about the issue, Friedkin E mailed us from New Zealand to say that he will personally supervise a new DVD release of the film during the first week of May and advise everyone when it is ready. He also suggests that consumers who bought the DVD demand a refund. In the E mail, Friedkin also addressed misconceptions that the movie was shot in a widescreen format as well as unauthorized DVD versions that were released internationally. Here is his response:

"There never was a wide screen version of Sorcerer.  The film was shot in 35 mm in the standard 1.85 ratio.  I know of no authorized wide-screen version.  Possibly, someone bootlegged such a monstrosity, but I'm not aware of it. The Blu-ray is the ONLY authorized version of the film. Not a frame has been cut or changed in any way.  The picture and sound, both made from the 35mm master, have of course utilized digital restoration, bringing out all the colors and nuances on the soundtrack.  

There has never been a better version of Sorcerer than the Blu- ray. The DVD, old and ugly and constantly in release from Film Properties was never authorized by me and is terrible."

The interview with Friedkin includes his comments regarding the unauthorized re-editing of the film that took place in markets outside of America, something that frustrates him to this day.

(Cinema Retro #29 is currently shipping in the UK and Europe and will be sent out to subscribers in America other territories in May.)  

By Lee Pfeiffer

William Castle, the legendary gentle giant of horror film producers, had become obsessed with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? when the the film was released in 1962. Starring two aging "has-beens" - Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, who Jack Warner said he wouldn't give a "plugged nickel" for- the film became an unexpected hit with both critics and audiences and revived both women's careers. Crawford, who remained very much the diva even during the lowest points of her career, was delighted with the renewed attention. As she was nearing sixty years old, he found herself in the unlikely situation of appealing to both her traditional fans and also a younger generation. In order to achieve the latter goal, however, she realized she had to change with the times and appear in films that had broad appeal to teenagers. So the former Mildred Pearce was quite enthused when Castle approached her with his own spin on the Baby Jane bandwagon. With horror films all the rage, Castle had carved a sizable niche in the marketplace by producing "B" movies and backing them with "A" marketing campaigns that usually found him front and center in promoting the fare. Castle's dream project, however, was to finally make a film that would be seen as a legitimate horror classic. He enlisted writer Robert Bloch, then red hot as the author of the novel Psycho, to develop a script based on the premise of an aging sexpot who had turned into an ax murderess. He originally envisioned Joan Blondell for the role but an accident left the veteran actress unavailable. Castle then approached Joan Crawford, despite the fact that she was known to be virtually impossible to work with due to her endless list of demands. Nevertheless, Crawford was eager to build on her revived fame and accepted Castle's pitch to star in a film titled Strait- Jacket. The movie got off to a rocky start when the actress playing Crawford's daughter didn't live up to her expectations. Crawford had her fired and Diane Baker, who Crawford liked and had worked with previously, was hired on a minute's notice to step in. Baker had only 24 hours to study the script but was eager to reunite with Crawford.

Strait-Jacket presents Crawford as Lucy Harbin, who we see as a woman in her twenties (yes, the notion of Crawford playing a character that age is as absurd as it sounds.) Lucy is a small town girl with a checkered past. She dresses and acts like a vamp but has finally settled down and has found happiness with her younger husband, Frank (Lee Majors, uncredited, in his first feature film). Returning home from a trip a day early, however, Lucy spies Frank in their bed with an ex-girlfriend, sound asleep. Worse, Lucy and Frank's young daughter is in the next room. Outraged, she creeps into the bedroom wielding a handy ax from the woodpile and proceeds to decapitate them- all in full view of their daughter Carol. The film then jumps twenty years ahead to the present day (1964) and Carol (Diane Baker) is now an attractive, responsible young woman who is living with her aunt and uncle (Rochelle Hudson, Leif Erickson), Lucy's brother and his kind, sympathetic wife. They have raised Carol to adulthood after Lucy was sent to a mental asylum. Now they are nervously awaiting her arrival at their farmhouse. Carol is determined to make her mother feel welcome again and never bring up the past. Lucy's arrival is anything but joyous. There are some awkward sentiments displayed but it is clear that Lucy is frightened to death and consumed by guilt over the pain she has caused her loved ones. Every innocent aspect of the farm seems to bring back terrible memories, from the slaughter of chickens and hogs to everyday implements laying around that remind her of murder weapons. Not helping matters is the presence of a slovenly farmhand (a virtually unrecognizable George Kennedy), who has the demeanor of a serial killer. Nonetheless, Carol and her aunt and uncle try to ease Lucy back to a normal life, showing great patience and compassion. However, things start to go awry, as one would imagine in any William Castle movie of this nature. At Carol's urging, Lucy tries to recapture happier times by donning a wig and the same type of clothing she wore as a much younger woman. The desired effect doesn't occur, however. Instead, Lucy's personality changes to that of the sex-crazed vamp she once was and, in one of the film's most unintentionally hilarious sequences, she attempts to seduce Carol's finance, Michael (John Anthony Hayes) directly in front of the horrified Carol. More weird occurrences begin to happen, culminating in some gruesome ax murders. Lucy is the only logical suspect, but there are some neat twists to the tale that would be inexcusable to reveal here.  

Strait-Jacket is an enormously entertaining flick that was a substantial hit at the boxoffice, thus consigning Ms. Crawford to more films in the shock/horror genre. Sony's burn-to-order DVD is yet another example of the company failing to capitalize on excellentspecial features that are included in this edition (or we should say, "reissued", as this content had been available on a previous DVD release.) There is an amusing promotional short that shows Crawford, William Castle and Robert Bloch in a campy promotion of the film (Bloch totes an ax!); an informative documentary, Battle Axe,  about the making of the film with interesting insights from movie historians; Joan Crawford silent wardrobe tests and fascinating silent footage of Crawford's rehearsals for gruesome ax murder scenes and, rounding out the bonus items is a short TV spot. None of these features are even mentioned on the DVD sleeve. In all, highly recommended. 

(In the next issue of Cinema Retro (#29), writer Don L. Stradley provides an in-depth examination of how horror movies saved the careers of aging leading ladies, including Joan Crawford, who went on to have several hit films in the genre including Strait-Jacket.) 

By Lee Pfeiffer 

Impulse Pictures continues their onslaught of releases of the retro erotic series Schoolgirl Report. The German films were all the rage in European cinemas back in the 1970s and this latest DVD edition (#12, "If Mom Only Knew...", for those who are counting) follows the standard formula. The 1978 film consists of numerous short stories linked by a thin plot device. In this case, the staff of a high school newspaper review letters written to them by fellow students outlining their sexual experiences. As each letter is read, the movie cuts to an enactment of the scenario. In the first episode, a young virgin is raised by her older brother, an airline pilot, after their parents pass away. She can barely control her sexual urges but, without a boyfriend, has no outlet for her passions. She develops an unhealthy crush on her brother, which he initially resists. ("Initially" is a key phrase in these types of movies.) Before long, she's casually walking around the house starkers and one night the unthinkable happens. The girl deludes herself into thinking she can actually establish a normal lifestyle with her brother as her lover...but she is in for a rude and tragic awakening. Another episode is a comedic one that follows the antics of a group of high school kids on a field trip to the forest with their stuffy teachers. After discovering a couple in the woods doin' what comes natural in the woods, the kids become uniformly aroused and run off to various remote locations to re-enact what they have just witnessed. As is usual in these flicks, the teachers are the victims of slapstick comedy. A grittier episode concerns a young girl who comes from a tragic background. Her brother died, her father committed suicide and her mother thinks nothing of having sex with strange men in her presence. She becomes sexually obsessed herself and is chronically pleasuring herself before moving on to becoming a drug addict and prostitute. The remaining two segments revert back to comedy. In one, a mother brings her young daughter to the family doctor for a checkup without realizing she has mixed up the dates. The doctor is out but a plumber who is doing work in the office pretends to be the physician and gives the young woman the kind of exam mom never dreamed possible. More slapstick occurs when the actual doctor returns to the office. In the final chapter, a German family agrees to take an exchange student into their home. They think it will be a girl who can act as a companion to their teenage daughter but it turns out to be a hunky male student from France...and we all know what hunky male French students like to do. In short order, despite dad's fevered attempts to keep them separated, not only is their daughter screaming "C'est magnifique!" but her friends end up sharing in the pleasure, as well. 

As sordid as these scenarios sound, the Schoolgirl Report series is fairly tame by today's standards. The segments are all soft core but there is an abundance of full frontal nudity, both male and female. The films are impressive in one respect: some of the scenarios are well done and evoke some genuinely erotic images. Others, such as the comedic segments, tend to fall into the "guilty pleasure" category. The Impulse DVD features the film in original German language with optional English sub-titles, though it should be pointed out that they are entirely superfluous because the plots aren't very difficult to follow even if restricted to just the visuals. The transfers show a good degree of snap, crackle and pop from the master film source, but that only adds to the retro-based naughty fun.  Click below to order:

We recently reviewed the popular 1972 TV movie The Dephi Bureau, which is the pilot for the short-lived espionage TV series starring Laurence Luckinbill. Some of our readers made us aware of the fact that the Warner Archive DVD release is actually an edited version of the broadcast version. We wrote to the Archive and received this prompt response from Matthew Patterson:

"Thanks for the heads up. It's actually good to know that this TV movie still has such fans. Unfortunately, this was a known issue going into the production process. All of the 35mm original negative and intermediate elements were all cut to the current (shorter) length. This was a very unusual case, and the only longer version we could track down that survived was in faded 16mm reference prints. Of course all this was done 40 yrs ago, and no one back then anticipated future distribution such as home video, so it was decided to go with the higher quality shorter cut for the DVD release. We're slowly trying to get the word out there as to why this was done. And as you know, we try and deliver the best possible elements for even the most obscure releases. So it is actually quite unfortunate that we were unable to track anything better down."

By Lee Pfeiffer

Since its initial release fifty years ago, director Cy Endfield's British war epic Zulu has grown in stature. The film was understandably a hit in England but was deemed a boxoffice disappointment in the United States perhaps due to the fact that, like Khartoum (1966), the story relates to a historic battle that is well known by Brits by is virtually unknown to American audiences. What no one can dispute is that the film represents masterful movie making. Again, like Khartoum, it is a thinking man's war epic. The film relates the story of the Battle of Rorke's Drift, a tiny British outpost in southern Africa directly in the heart of the Zulu kingdom. A haunting pre-titles sequence shows the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Isandlwana, in which a British expeditionary force was massacred by Zulus in a sophisticated attack that stunned the government in London. Rorke's Drift is lightly defended by a relatively small group of British soldiers who know the Zulus are moving toward them. The officer is charge, Lt. John Chard (superbly played by Stanley Baker) is an engineer with no combat experience. His second in command is Lt. Bromhead (Michael Caine in a star-making performance) who doesn't inspire much confidence, either. He's a snobby dilettante who resents the fact that a sliver of military protocol has made Chard his superior officer. With the Zulu attack inevitable, Chard rises to the occasion and rallies his men by constructing crude fortifications and developing battle strategies. In the meantime, he must deal with a religious fanatic and his daughter (Jack Hawkins and Ula Jacobsson) who he must protect and a largely pessimistic company of soldiers who second-guess his ability to prevent them all from being slaughtered. The arrival of the Zulus is genuinely terrifying especially when Chard and his men realize how overwhelmingly they are outnumbered. Additionally, the Zulus have another unexpected edge: they have all the rifles and ammunition taken from the British soldiers they had defeated. Nevertheless, Chard manages to inspire his men and even Bromhead with his logic and courage. As with most war movies, the historical facts are considerably smudged in the interest of artistic license by that doesn't dilute the overall impact of the movie, which is thrilling. 

Zulu deservedly ranks among the best British films of its era and it has lost none of its impact over the years. The battle sequences are impressively staged and, while the literate screenplay doesn't delve into the political reasons for the Zulu uprising (it was largely prompted by an arrogant English diplomat who broke treaties with the tribe), the film refreshingly doesn't present the natives as another case of "white man's burden". Instead, the Zulus and their chief are seen as noble figures who develop a mutual respect for the British, even as they are trying to kill them. The film features any number of wonderful supporting performances including Hawkins, Jacobbsson, Patrick Magee and Nigel Green and James Booth particularly impressive. Richard Burton provides the moving narration in the film's opening and closing sequences and John Barry provides what is undoubtedly one of his greatest film scores. As director, Endfield does a superb job, though he never got the acclaim he deserved. His long-delayed bu little-seen 1978 prequel to the film, Zulu Dawn, goes into much greater detail about the origins of the Zulu conflict and depicts the British defeat at Isandlwana, which rocked the entire British government. 

The Twilight Time presentation is the best I've ever seen of this classic film and does full justice to the magnificent cinematography. An original trailer is included, an informative collector's booklet with notes by Julie Kirgo, an isolated track for John Barry's score and a very entertaining (and informative) commentary track by film historians Lem Dobbs and Nick Redman. There is still room for another deluxe collector's edition of Zulu (Cinema Retro's own Matthew Field produced an excellent documentary for the British release some years ago that one wishes was included on here), but for the moment, the Twilight Time Zulu is the edition of record. 

The Blu-ray is region free and is limited to only 3,000 copies. We suggest you get a copy quickly as this is destined to be one of those titles you'll ultimately see on eBay selling for a small fortune.

Click here to order.  

(The latest issue of Cinema Retro, #28, features in-depth coverage of the making of the film by Sheldon Hall, author of the book "With Some Guts Behind It" which documents the production of Zulu.)  

By Lee Pfeiffer

The Warner Archive has released the TV pilot film The Delphi Bureau: The Merchant of Death Assignment as a burn to order title. The 1972 film stars Laurence Luckinbill as Glenn Garth Gregory, a mild-mannered, bookish intellectual with a photographic memory who works for a mysterious organization known as The Delphi Bureau that secretly advises the President of the United States on matters of national security. Even Gregory doesn't know anything about the Bureau and says he doesn't know whether there are thousands of other operatives or if he is the sole agent. His only contact is his superior, Sybil Van Loween (Celeste Holm) , a perpetually chirpy Washington D.C. socialite who gives him his assignments but refuses to come to assistance whenever he gets in trouble. As an agent, Gregory is completely on his own. He is unarmed and must rely on his own wits to extract himself from deadly situations, which leads one to believe that the character of MacGyver might have been somewhat influenced by this scenario. In this pilot film, Gregory is assigned to investigate the wholesale theft of surplus military equipment including fighter jets. The trail leads to a gigantic farming complex in Kansas, headed by Matthew Keller (Dean Jagger), a respected elderly philanthropist who is using his resources for experimental of growing food in order to stamp out world hunger. Gregory finds that the complex is actually a cover for the arms smuggling operation and is being run by Stokely, Keller's right hand man. As played by Cameron Mitchell, Stokely drips with phony charm and friendliness that hides the fact that he is a cold-blooded killer intent on preventing Gregory from revealing his findings. The script makes it obvious that in the pre-cell phone era, it was much easier to present scenarios in which the protagonists are completely isolated simply by the fact that they can't get to a public pay phone. 

This pilot film spawned a short-lived TV series and it was created by the estimable talents of Sam Rolfe, who had also developed The Man From U.N.C.L.E. a decade previously. There are some similarities to the classic Alexander the Greater Affair two-part episodes of that series especially in a scene in which Gregory is attacked on a farm by a villain driving a tractor- a fate that befell U.N.C.L.E's Illya Kuryakin. Also, actor David Sheiner, who played a bad guy in the episodes, also turns up in the Delphi Bureau pilot flick. There is a tendency to believe that Hollywood's obsession with conspiracy movies went into high gear in the aftermath of Watergate. In fact, there were such films years prior to the 1972 break-in that brought down the Nixon administration. For example, The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May, both classic political thrillers, were produced in the early 1960s. The Delphi Bureau was in production before Watergate but aired during the same year, thus making its premise of untrustworthy government officials quite timely. The movie also bares a coincidental resemblance to director Michael Ritchie's feature film Prime Cut, also released in 1972, in that it presents a rather cynical view of the American heartland with friendly, small town characters being revealed as sadistic murderers. (A chase through a corn field appears both in The Dephi Bureau and Prime Cut).

I very much enjoyed The Dephi Bureau on many levels. The production values are quite opulent and Luckinbill is refreshing as a hero, playing an everyday guy who is rather out of his element in going up against professional killers. Not much is made out of his photographic memory angle but he does have to rely on his wits rather than gadgetry to avoid numerous death traps. The film boasts an impressive cast with Holm particularly amusing as the unlikely head of the Bureau and other deft turns provided by Bob Crane, Joanna Pettet, Bradford Dillman, Dub Taylor and Frank Marth. Given the qualities of the pilot episode, its surprising that the offspring TV series wasn't a hit. However, fans of spy movies of the era will find the DVD well worth adding to their collections.

Click here to order from the Warner Archive.  

Amazon is temporarily offering a special sale on the Universal Monsters Essential Collection Blu-ray boxed set that includes Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Phantom of the Opera, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein and Creature From the Black Lagoon. The set is loaded with 12 hours of bonus materials and includes a collector's book. Click below to order. 

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Sony:

For Immediate Release

“…one of the great shows of television's Golden Age…”

-- The Huffington Post, Maureen Ryan

The Addictive, Emmy Award^®-Winning TV Drama
Starring Emmy Award^® Winners Bryan Cranston & Aaron Paul

BREAKING BAD:
THE COMPLETE SERIES

Newly Created 16-Disc Blu-ray^â„¢ Box Set Available June 3
Featuring Hours of Bonus Content, Including the Two-Hour Documentary
“No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad”

Also Available for the First Time Ever as a 21-Disc Complete Series DVD Set

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (April 7, 2014) – The chemistry continues on June 3 when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases one of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning shows of all time, BREAKING BAD: THE COMPLETE SERIES, available on Blu-ray^™ with newly created packaging, and, for the first time ever, as a complete series set on DVD. Just in time for Father’s Day and graduation gift giving, the explosive saga of high school chemistry teacher-turned-meth kingpin Walter White is available in its entirety, including all 62 uncut, uncensored episodes. The 16-disc Blu-ray set features more than 55 hours of bonus content, including the Blu-ray exclusive “No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad” documentary, chronicling the making of the final season, from filming the first table read to the very last day on set and everything in between. The 21-disc DVD set features more than 50 hours of bonus content.

Starring three-time Emmy^® winner Bryan Cranston (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series) alongside two-time Emmy winner Aaron Paul (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series), Sony Pictures Television’s groundbreaking series achieved record-breaking viewership with more than 10 million viewers in its final season. BREAKING BAD was created by Vince Gilligan (TV’s “The X-Files”), who also served as executive producer with Academy Award^® winner Mark Johnson (1988, Best Picture, Rain Man) and Michelle MacLaren (TV’s “The X-Files”). The series boasts an exceptional ensemble cast, including 

Anna Gunn (TV’s “Deadwood”), Dean Norris (TV’s “Under the Dome”), Betsy Brandt (TV’s “Michael J. Fox Show”), RJ Mitte (TV’s “Switched at Birth”), Bob Odenkirk (The Spectacular Now), Giancarlo Esposito (TV’s “Revolution”) and Jonathan Banks (TV’s “Community”).

Synopsis:
The incredible saga of high school chemistry teacher-turned-meth kingpin Walter White is here in its entirety: all 62 uncut, uncensored episodes! Emmy® winner Bryan Cranston portrays Walter White, a family man who turns to crime after a lung cancer diagnosis unravels his bland but simple life. Recruiting former student and small-time drug dealer Jesse Pinkman (Emmy® winner Aaron Paul) to be his partner in crime, Walt rises to the top of the meth trade, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. But he can’t keep his dogged DEA agent brother-in-law
Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) off his trail forever. Will Walt get away with it all, or die trying? Re-live every moment of this groundbreaking original series with riveting performances by Emmy® winner Anna Gunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Bob Odenkirk, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte and more. Breaking Bad was executive produced by Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson and Michelle MacLaren. The complete box set is loaded with special features.

Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Features:

More than 55 hours of special features, including:

· “No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad,” an exclusive two-hour documentary that chronicles the filming of the final eight episodes.

· Bad Memories – Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul talk about the show ending and some of their favorite moments.

· Bryan Cranston: Director – Go on set with Bryan Cranston as he directs the first episode of The Final Season, entitled "Blood Money."

· Scene Envy – The cast tell us which scene they wish they could have been in.

· Shocking Moments - The stars reveal the moments that shocked them most.

· A Look Ahead to the Final Season – The cast gives their thoughts on what an amazing final season this is going to be!

· From Walt to Heisenberg – From high school teacher to deadly meth dealer, watch as Walter White quickly transforms into Heisenberg.

· How Will It End? – At the beginning of Season 5, the cast gives their thoughts on how they think the show will end.

· Avenging Agent: Dean Norris as Hank Schrader – A look at the character Hank Schrader and the man who played him, Dean Norris.

· Scene Stealer: Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader – A look at the character Marie Schrader and the woman who played her, Betsy Brandt.

· A Criminal Attorney: Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman – A look at the character Saul Goodman and the man who played him, Bob Odenkirk.

· Jesse’s Journey:  Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman – A look at the character Jesse Pinkman and the man who played him, Aaron Paul.

· Skyler Breaks Bad:  Anna Gunn on Season Four – Actress Anna Gunn and series creator Vince Gilligan explore Skyler’s character evolution through the fourth season.

· Growing Up in the White House:  RJ Mitte on Walter, Jr. – RJ Mitte, Anna Gunn, Bryan Cranston and series creator Vince Gilligan discuss the extraordinary dynamics of the White family, and Walter, Jr.’s unique role.

· The Ultimate Chess Match – Members of the cast and crew discuss Walter White and Gus Fring’s extraordinary and complicated battle of wits and their struggle for Jesse’s allegiance.

· Looking Back:  A Season Four Retrospective - Season Four’s most surprising and memorable moments.

· Ted's Wipeout – In Episode 411, “Crawl Space,” Ted Beneke suffers a head injury while trying to escape from Saul’s goons. In this featurette, Christopher Cousins (Ted) explains how this shocking stunt was accomplished.

· The Truck Attack Storyboard Comparison – A side-by-side comparison of the Los Pollos Hermanos truck attack and the brilliant shot-by-shot storyboards that were created for the episode “Bullet Points.”

· Walt and the Challenger Storyboard Comparison – A side-by-side comparison of Walt’s joy ride in Walt Jr.’s new Dodge Challenger and the storyboards that were developed for that sequence by the writer and director, Peter Gould.

DVD Special Features:

More than 50 hours from Season 1 through the Final Season

Broadcast Year: 2008-2013 (AMC)

BREAKING BAD: THE COMPLETE SERIES is not rated.

CLICK LINK BELOW TO PRE-ORDER AND SAVE $$$$

By Darren Allison

James Glickenhaus's Vigilante Classic Survives its Dark and Controversial Past

Arrow’s commitment to releasing finely polished versions of cult greats appears to be beyond question. I recently viewed their deluxe Blu-ray release of the 1980 grindhouse favourite The Exterminator. I have some vivid memories of The Exterminator, a film that practically sucked me from the high street and into the lobby of my local cinema some 34 years ago. What a poster: an unidentifiable urban soldier wearing a black biker helmet and using a flame thrower as his weapon of choice! Yep, it was an image that was always going to get me to the box office for my ticket and of course, the latest copy of Film Review magazine. The Exterminator was quite an extraordinary film; lame of course by today’s standards – perhaps, but in 1980 is was really something rather wild.

Director James Glickenhaus wastes little time in his narrative style, a huge hilltop explosion sees a soldier flying through the air. We are undoubtedly in the middle of a war zone – the Vietnam War. The next cut reveals we are in an enemy camp, and an interrogation of 3 bound U.S. soldiers. Two of the captive soldiers, John Eastland (Robert Ginty) and Michael Jefferson (Steve James) witness the slow decapitation of their fellow marine. Both Eastland and Jefferson manage to escape before they are killed. They manage to reach a helicopter and escape. We dissolve into a night helicopter shot of New York – and the opening credits roll. It’s an amazing pre-credit sequence that manages to pull you straight into the action and you’re hooked. It is soon established that both men have simply escaped one hell hole to arrive back home to another. Working together in the gritty city of New York, Eastland learns that his buddy Jefferson has been the victim of a gang attack which has left him paralysed. Unhappy with the police and the slow progress in apprehending the attackers, Eastland sets out to avenge his friend and track down the gang in a one-man revenge vendetta.

The Exterminator turned up the heat considerably and set the bar for an altogether new standard of ‘Death Wish’ -type vigilante thriller. Glickenhaus presented us with a genuine urban ugliness – the likes of which we had never witnessed before. While it was not considered a ‘big budget’ movie – in the general sense of the words, you can certainly see where the money shots are. The incredibly real throat cutting and decapitation sequence still stands out, even by today’s standards – it remains a brilliantly created special effect by the legendary Stan Winston. Yet there is nothing overly stylised here – the action, the atmosphere and above all, the revenge killings – arguably border on bad taste. However, Ginty’s portrayal of a troubled survivor – an anti-hero of circumstance rather than choice, never fails to keep the audience firmly on his side. Whilst the moralistic side of your conscience will no doubt be screaming out legitimate concerns, Ginty’s ‘everyman’ appeal will most certainly still have you rooting for him by the time of the final reel.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Warner Home Video.

Burbank, Calif., March 25, 2014 – The Harry Potter™ Wizard’s Collection, released in 2012, sold more than 30,000 sets at $499.99 SRP and is now completely sold out. To continue offering fans access to the most successful film franchise in history, a new collection will be available April 29 -- the Harry Potter™ Hogwarts Collection. The collectible box set is sure to please fans who want the world of Harry Potter™ conveniently available in one place. Included in this set are all eight Harry Potter™ films, plus a whopping 45+ hours of previously released bonus material that contains the complete eight-part documentary series, ”Creating the World of Harry Potter.”

The Harry Potterâ„¢ Hogwarts Collection will be offered at the new lower price of $249.99 SRP.

Films Included in this Collection – All on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet*

· Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ Theatrical Version on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet and Extended Cut on Blu-ray

· Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ Theatrical Version on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet and Extended Cut on Blu-ray

· Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet

· Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet

· Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 1 2D on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet and 3D Version on Blu-ray

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2 2D on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD with UltraViolet and 3D Versions on Blu-ray

Special Features for Hours of Entertainment – everything previously released including the eight-part documentary “Creating the World of Harry Potter” on Blu-ray:

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 1: The Magic Begins

The magic begins. The choices, the breakthroughs, the early decisions that impacted all the films are explored here via rare footage, cast and crew reminiscences and more. Learn about the extensive search by producer David Heyman and director Chris Columbus for the perfect actors to portray Harry, Ron and Hermione and see the earliest meeting of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

Be on the scene as imagination and know-how combine to create a look that's distinctly wizardly. From details tiny (what about Hermione's buckteeth?) to huge (Quidditch, anyone?), this is the fun and fascinating opening of a whole new portal into Harry's world. Begin the magic.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 2: Characters

"We really do look at the story and characters first," producer David Heyman says. "That's the heart and that's the soul of the film." And that's the heart and soul of this incisive, decade-spanning exploration of how the series' actors bring the beloved Harry Potter characters to life. Discover which parts of the J.K. Rowling books helped Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and more stars make their roles leap from page to screen.

See screen tests, including Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) working with the established stars. Learn why so many of Britain's acting greats wanted to be part of Harry Potter's world...and which ones became mentors to the young stars. Share each director's vision as you watch Daniel, Rupert and Emma grow up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Your journey into Harry's world continues.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 3: Creatures

Soar on the back of Buckbeak. Battle a Hungarian Horntail. Trace Voldemort's terrifying transformation from grotesque infant-like creature to Dark Lord. Fascinating footage lets you experience the Harry Potter world of creatures through new eyes with this revealing look at a new group of wizards: the artists who create the monsters and marvels. Roam the Harry Potter Creature Effects workshop, where actors with a little FX magic are turned into beasts and sketches turn into animatronic wonders. Join Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as they share stories about acting opposite everything from tiny computer-generated pixies to a four-ton mechanical spider (guess which young star is really afraid of spiders). New discoveries and new revelations all make your journeys into Harry's world even more thrilling!

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 4: Sound & Music

Can you imagine the Yule Ball without the Potter Waltz? Quidditch without the whoooosh of flying? Or any Harry Potter film without the iconic Hedwig's Theme? Now, absorbing interviews and behind-the-scenes glimpses let you share the vision of composers, sound experts and others who make the Harry Potter films enchantment for the ears as well as the eyes. Experience sound and music that magnify triumph and fear, joy and suspense while transporting viewers on an emotional journey alongside the on-screen characters. Learn how specially created musical motifs identify individual characters and places. Watch as Foley artists use unusual techniques to replicate everyday sounds. Discover a whole new way to look at – and listen to – Harry's world.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 5: Evolution

Deeper. Bolder. Darker. As the eight Harry Potter films trace Harry's journey from innocent schoolboy to selfless hero, the series undergoes a transformation. Evolution – packed with exclusive content – takes you along for every exciting step of the 10-year filmmaking odyssey. Join the four directors and key members of the crew and cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, as they explore how the creative vision for the films evolved to maintain the integrity and increasing intensity of J.K. Rowling's expansive literary series. From the ever-changing architecture of Hogwarts castle and growing landscape of the wizarding world, to the darkening palette of each successive film, to the young actors maturing along with their characters, it is a wondrous and spectacular adventure to experience.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 6: Magical Effects

In Harry Potter's world, portraits come to life, potions transform, time reverses, Quidditch players soar, dragons attack and magic is everywhere. Explore the moviemaking magic that created the wizardry and wonder of the Harry Potter film series. Now, fascinating insights, interviews and watch-it-happen footage let you experience the triumphs of the technical wizards who conjured up an awe-inspiring alternate reality. Share the fun as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson negotiate the moving stairs. Marvel as an oversized water tank transforms into the depths of the black lake for the Triwizard Tournament. Discover which amazing sequence was filmed entirely using computer-generated imagery. Watch as blue- and green-screen backgrounds transform into towering structures and endless landscapes. You don't know the magic until you've seen Magical Effects.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 7: Story

Over the course of ten years, screenwriter Steve Kloves worked tirelessly with author J.K. Rowling to develop her seven magical books into eight magical films. From the beginning, Kloves had to decide what to keep, what to change and what to cut while staying true to Rowling's vision, initially without even knowing how the series ended! Learn the story behind the stories and see how the two collaborated and developed a friendship based on mutual trust and respect, as they sit down together for an intimate, free-flowing conversation. Gain new insight into J.K. Rowling's own conceptions of her beloved characters, and hear how Kloves was able to adapt them faithfully for the screen while maintaining the fine balance between heart, humor and heroism that exemplifies the series.

• Creating the World of Harry Potter - Part 8: Growing Up

They grew up with the world watching them. By the time the final film wrapped, the young stars of Harry Potter had spent nearly half their lives on set. In Growing Up, new and vintage interviews featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and other cast and crew show how the actors have grown over the course of the series, while behind-the-scenes footage gives an exclusive look at their lives as actors and as children who've grown into young adults. From early interviews shortly after being cast, to the poignant final day of filming, watch how their ideas of acting, fame, their characters and themselves have changed through four directors, eight films and ten years. Learn how the more experienced actors took the younger ones under their wings and see the friendships that only years of collaboration could create. Finally, say farewell to the series with Daniel Radcliffe as he delivers an emotionally charged speech to the cast and crew as the final film wraps.

· Harry Potter™ Hogwarts Collection Blu-ray Bonus Disc

• More than 3 hours of features including:

§ “The Harry Potters You Never Met” - Meet the stunt doubles for Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as they demonstrate how they balanced major stunt work while seamlessly mimicking the actors they represented.

• “Designing the World of Harry Potter” - Explore how production designer Stuart Craig and his creative team brought J.K. Rowling's imagination to life on the screen.
• “When Harry Left Hogwarts” (Extended Version) - Hear candid and emotional stories about the final days on set in this extended behind-the-scenes look.

§ “50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments” (Definitive Version) - Take a look back with cast members who share their on and off-screen memories.

§ “Secrets Revealed! Quidditch” – At last, the secrets behind the special effects required for the breathtaking Quidditch scenes are revealed.

§ “Secrets Revealed! Hagrid”- See the camera tricks, towering stand-in and voluminous body suits behind the beloved Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Sony  

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (March 31, 2014) – George Clooney’s action thriller THE MONUMENTS MEN marches its way onto Blu-ray Combo pack, DVD and Digital* May 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Based on the
non-fiction book of the same name by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter, the film pays tribute to the real men and women who risked their lives to recover and return thousands of cultural treasures stolen by the Nazis during World War II.

The Blu-ray^™ Combo Pack is loaded with bonus materials, including two all-new featurettes that highlight the making of the film. The first, “George Clooney’s Mission,” features interviews with Clooney, as well as the rest of the cast, on the elements that went into completing THE MONUMENTS MEN. The second featurette, “Marshaling the Cast,” features a cast discussion on the real men and women they brought to life on screen. Exclusively available on the Blu-ray are two additional exclusive featurettes. “In Their Own Words” is a unique piece that offers the most comprehensive and direct insight into the hearts and minds of these heroes, featuring an interview with Harry Ettlinger, one of the last surviving members of the Monuments Men. “A Woman Amongst the Monuments Men” features a discussion with
Cate Blanchett on the historic, wartime female character she plays in the film (Claire Simone).

A Smokehouse production, THE MONUMENTS MEN is directed by Clooney, and written by Clooney and Grant Heslov. Starring in the film is an exceptional ensemble cast, including two-time Academy Award^® winner Clooney (Argo, Best Motion Picture of the Year, 2012), Academy Award^® winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, 1997), Bill Murray (The Grand Budapest Hotel), John Goodman (Argo), Academy Award^® winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, 2011), Bob Balaban (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Hugh Bonneville (TV’s “Downton Abbey”) and Academy Award^® winner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, 2013).

Synopsis:

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, THE MONUMENTS MEN focuses on an unlikely
World War II platoon, whose job it was to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves so they could be returned to their rightful owners.  In a seemingly impossible mission, the Monuments Men, as they were called, find themselves risking their lives in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1,000 years of culture.

About the Real Monuments Men:

Hitler had decreed that if he died and the war was lost, nearly 5 million pieces of stolen art were to be destroyed. In an effort to thwart the Nazis’ intent, President Roosevelt, with the support of General Eisenhower, created the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives) unit in 1943, and tasked them with the job of rescuing and protecting Europe’s art masterpieces. Ultimately, more than 300 men and women worked in the MFAA between 1943 and 1951, returning thousands of cultural items that had been looted or displaced during the war.

Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack Special Features:

• George Clooney’s Mission
• Marshaling the Cast

Exclusive to the Blu-ray:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Real Monuments Men
• A Woman Amongst the Monuments Men

NOTE: This review pertains to the Region 2 UK release. 

By Mark Mawston

There are some films that stick with you- films that made a real impact but were impossible to track down after that one fleeting TV screening in pre-DVD and streaming days. Could they be as good as you remember or were they obscure for a reason? This was my worry when I was given my review disc of Brian De Palma’s Phantom of The Paradise, a film I’d been wanting to revisit for years.

I remember watching this in my room after college one late Monday night and thinking it was the epitome of the term “cult movie”. I simply loved it.  I was fully aware of the huge following The Rocky Horror Picture Show had and was shocked that this film wasn’t as famous. For years I’d asked anyone who mentioned Richard O’Brien’s cult classic if they felt the same about Phantom of The Paradise and most of the time I was met with “Phantom Of The What?” I thought I was in a minority who loved this film but on watching Arrow’s superb transfer of the film and its stunning extras, I see that the film has a healthy following amongst the great and the good of movie cultdom, including Edgar Wright, Quentin Tarantino and especially Guillermo del Toro.

Phantom of The Paradise is now available from the Arrow Video label. The feature-packed disc is released as both a Limited Edition Steel Book and deluxe Blu-ray featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by The Red Dress. This exciting Blu-ray release also includes an exclusive collector’s booklet featuring new writing about the film by festival programmer Michael Blyth and an exploration of the film’s troubled marketing history by Ari Kahan, curator of SwanArchives.org, illustrated with original stills and promotional material.