One of our readers named Peter wrote to us regarding our frustration over the fact that there has been no DVD or Blu-ray edition issued in the USA or UK for director Nicholas Ray's 1963 epic "55 Days at Peking". Peter informed us that he has a French release special edition that is available on Amazon France through the Filmedia company:
"I have the French Blu-ray release. The following is a list of the extras. Note that most of the extras are in French with NO English subtitles. Original interviews with the cast are in English.
- Interview with Olivier Assayas and Nicholas Ray (32 mins)
- The Boxers in Cinema (6 min)
- Boxer Rebellion (12 mins)
- Portrait of Ava Gardner (19 mins)
- Nicholas Ray documentary (47 mins)
- Interviews with Charlton Heston, David Niven, John Moore and Mrs. Heston (30 mins)
- The film's restoration (11 mins)
- Trailer (French) (3 min)
Cinema Retro has not viewed this release but reviews on Amazon France indicate the quality is very good.
UPDATE! Several readers have notified us that there is a top-notch transfer of the film available in the UK through Anchor Bay....However, it is a "bare bones" release without the aforementioned extras on the French version.