By Lee Pfeiffer

The Warner Archive has released a Blu-ray of the 1961 comedy Bachelor in Paradise which features the considerable star power of Bob Hope and Lana Turner. As with most Hope vehicles, this is a low-key affair that was designed to please his core base of fans. If the film doesn't break any new ground for Hope the actor, it at least provides plenty of yucks from his trademark wisecracks. Hope plays Adam Niles,an international playboy and best-selling author who has gotten rich by writing books about the sex lives of different nationalities and cultures. When devastating tax troubles force him to return to America, he reluctantly accepts an assignment to help offset his staggering debt to the government. Niles' publisher concocts a scheme whereby he will go undercover to research and write about the sex lives of Americans. He ends up moving to a suburban community known as Paradise, where he assumes an alias and goes about assessing the love lives of his neighbors. The presence of a single man among so many married couples causes an instant scandal, especially when Niles begins wooing neighborhood wives to his lectures about how to improve their sex lives. (This being 1961, it is unsurprising that his conclusions all revolve around what women can do to entice their men. No reciprocal protocols are expected). Before long, husbands are marching on Niles' home like the villagers storming Frankenstein's castle. His main ally is Paradise manager Rosemary Howard (Lana Turner) who puts her career on the line to defend Niles' right to live in the neighborhood, even as she rejects his heavy-handed attempts to seduce her.

Bachelor in Paradise, directed by Jack Arnold and boasting a score by Henry Mancini, is a surprisingly racy premise for a Hope movie. Released during an era when the terms "suburbs" still conjured up images of wife-swapping and orgies, the movie looks positively quaint by today's standards. Women prance around in house dresses as they endlessly ponder what more than can do to please their hard-working hubbies. Some of Hope's zingers still connect and his chemistry with Turner is considerable. The movie also benefits from a terrific cast of supporting actors including sexy Paula Prentiss, Jim Hutton, Janis Paige (as the neighborhood nymphomaniac), Don Porter and the always wonderful John McGiver. The film isn't a comedy classic but provides enough genuine laughs to merit viewing. An original theatrical trailer is included.

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By Hank Reineke

There were passing moments when watching this gorgeously curated Blu-ray of Phil Tucker’s cult 3-D masterwork Robot Monster (1953) that I mulled its reputation as cinema’s most fabled wreck was undeserved. Surely, I thought, I’ve cringingly sat through worse sci-fi films produced before and since. But then some particularly awful line of dialogue (delivered woodenly, of course), or a bizarre plot turn, or a not-so-special effect, or an inexplicable episode of dinosaur wrangling would interrupt my musings, causing a return to sober reality. Phil Tucker’s low-low-low budget monster-piece is a crazed vision, to be sure. But acknowledging that, Robot Monster is most certainly not one of the world’s worst films: it’s too entertaining to be dismissed as such. On the same token, it’s undeniably one of the most desperate and unhinged cinematic artifacts lensed by an indie Hollywood film-outfit of the ‘50s.

The sullied reputation of Robot Monster is the result, no doubt, due to the merciless flailing of the production by the smirking Medved brothers - Michael and Harry – who infamously skewered the film in their pop-culture, eminently readable and caustic tomes The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (1978) and The Golden Turkey Awards (1980). Still the film’s space helmet and gorilla-suit sporting “Ro-man” (as listed in the film’s end credits) – has somehow managed to become as visually iconic a totem of 1950s sci-fi as the gigantic robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (2oth Century Fox, 1951) or the Metaluna monster in This Island Earth (Universal-International, 1955).

As is so often the case, the backstory to the creation of Robot Monster is perhaps more interesting than the artifact produced. The screenplay was written by Wyott “Barney” Ordung. The Californian was trying desperately to break into the film business, initially as an acting student working occasionally in walk-on roles, often uncredited. In a 1983 interview with the late film and 3-D historian Ray Zone, Ordung recalled it was in 1952 when he was approached by Tucker – who he’d known casually from working on a previous picture – to write the script for Robot Monster. Ordung recalled he was originally tasked to play the role of the “Ro-Man” – at least in earliest test footage photography.

Ordung’s script for Robot Monster would serve as his springboard into the world of professional filmmaking. Following that film’s release, the Californian would script the war film Combat Squad (1953) as well as another sci-fi guilty pleasure Target Earth (1954). Still (mercifully) unproduced is the script Ordung wrote directly following the release of Robot Monster. That prospective film was, according to Sun Valley’s Valley Times, to feature Ordung’s “3-D comedy” scenario based on “Mildred Seamster’s Hollywood beauty salon.” The plot would “deal with the varied individuals who patronize a beauty salon and their interesting escapades.” Oy.

That film would not materialize, but it was of little matter as Ordung would soon receive his first directing credit when Roger Corman tapped him to helm Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954). Though Ordung had not previously helmed any sort of film production, it was an offer and partnership of economic necessity. Corman agreed to allow Ordung to direct on the condition he contribute $2,000 of his Robot Monster earnings to the new film’s budget and work for “a piece of the picture.” Hey, a break’s a break.

First-time director Phil Tucker too was looking for his first big break in the film industry and was of the mind that Robot Monster just might be the ticket. But his experience working on Robot Monster was, alas, bittersweet. Less than two months following the release of that film, Tucker was found in Fairbanks, Alaska – of all places - shooting his non-union follow-up epic: the seventy-five minute Venusian “science-fiction thriller” Space Jockey – a film never released and now thought lost. Tucker grudgingly told a journalist in Fairbanks that with only Robot Monster to his credit, he had already soured on the politics of Tinseltown.

“The movie industry is stifled in Hollywood,” he director complained. “They tell you what to write, how to produce it, when to direct it, who [to] put in it and when to try to sell it. It’s a tight little island of rulers and it’s a hard place in which to breathe free.” Tucker did confess he wasn’t trying to be a true auteur in any sense of the word: “I’m not trying to create art. I’m trying to make money,” he offered plainly.

The primary stumbling block to Tucker’s earning any monies was New York-born Al Zimbalist, the executive producer and guiding hand of Robot Monster. The movie was the first of the films Zimbalist would oversee as producer – and occasionally as “writer,” though that was mostly as concoctor of “original stories” and little more. Throughout the 1950s and a bit beyond, Zimbalist delivered such bargain-basement fare as Cat-Women of the Moon (1953), Miss Robin Crusoe (1953), King Dinosaur (1955) and Monster from Green Hell (1957) to the pleasures of a mostly undiscerning cinema-going audience. It was also Zimbalist who steered Robot Monster to go the then popular 3-D filming route. It was an unusual decision for an indie film to be shot on a shoestring budget.

It made some sense. Hollywood’s production of 3-D films was at its zenith in 1953. Box Office would note in April of 1953 that no fewer than sixty-two films to offer the 3-D treatment were either completed, in production or in the planning stages. Practically every major studio was readying a slate of 3-D cinematic fare: Columbia, Paramount, RKO Radio, United Artists and Warner Bros. among them. By far, 20^th Century Fox was leading the way with a scheduled twenty-two 3-D films on the drawing board. There were only a couple of independents in the mix, having chosen to dip their toe in the 3-D pool. Al Zimbalist and Phil Tucker’s “newly organized” Third Dimension Pictures was one of them.

The trades reported on March 21, 1953 that Zimbalist was to employ a unique “Tru-Depth system of 3-D” photography for his in-the-works Robot Monster project. Then, a mere week following the start of the film’s production, Box Office noted that Robot Monster had completed shooting… though no release date had yet been set. Zimbalist was so pleased with the results of the “Tru-Depth” system, that in April of ’53 the Hollywood maverick announced the formation of his “Tru-Stereo Corporation.” The company would “make available a stereoscopic 3-D system to independent producers.” “Tru-Stereo” would serve as an affordable, budget-conscious alternative to the more expensive 3-D systems used by the Hollywood majors.

In fact, there were no fewer than twenty-two competing 3-D systems being used by filmmakers by late spring of 1953. (“Tru-Depth” had since been rechristened as “Tru-Stereo.)” The Tru-Stereo 3-D was proffered as being similar to the others: it too employed two cameras to create the three-dimensional effect. But the system also boasted “an authentic interlocking control which is said to insure against faulty synchronization.” Robot Monster had also boastingly employed “a newly developed stereophonic sound system devised by the Master-Tone Sound Corporation.”

The first casting notices for Robot Monster were announced in March of 1953. Handsome leading man George Nader was reportedly hired to play the role of “Roy” following his appearance in the still unreleased pic Miss Robin Crusoe. Nader’s performance in that film impressed Zimbalist who worked on the same as associate producer. Roy’s love interest, Alice (Claudia Barrett) hadn’t much big-screen experience, but had been steadily working on any number of early television series. The film’s egghead professor would be played by the long-working Ukrainian actor John Mylong, his children, Johnny and Carla, by stage-kids Gregory Moffett and Pamela Paulson, respectively.

The role of the professor’s wife went to Selena Royle, an actress with a familiar face due to her long run as a dependable player at MGM. Royle was happy to get the role – any role – as she had recently been blacklisted in the pages of Red Channels, “the American Legion’s list of 200 motion picture workers suspected of communist leanings.” Her crime was the organizing and serving of free meals to the un-and-under employed actors in and around New York City during the throes of the Depression. Royle vowed to fight the accusations, telling journalist her post-blacklist acting income had dropped from six figures to a mere three figures by mid-summer of 1952. Robot Monster would be one of her two final feature film appearances, Royle and her husband choosing to immigrate to Mexico in 1957.

Imprint, the Australian-based video label, has announced some more forthcoming releases. All Blu-rays are region-free. Please keep in mind that prices quoted are in Australian dollars. Use a currency converter to see what the price is in your local currency. 

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Enjoy the full presentation of the 1967 crime comedy "Eight on the Lam" which teams Bob Hope with Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters and two Bond Girls: Shirley Eaton and Jill St. John. (To watch the film in full screen mode, click on "Watch on YouTube.")

BY LEE PFEIFFER

The old adage that good things come in small packages applies to movies, specifically "B" movies. They were once a valued staple of the film business during the eras in which local theaters generally showed double features. "B" movies were sometimes the top-billed feature but more often than not they were produced simply to provide programming for the bottom half of the bill at a low cost. This is not to diminish their worth. Most of these productions were quite entertaining and some have gone on to be regarded as cult classics. "The Gun Runners", a 1958 United Artists film, is not a cult classic but it is a "B" movie and it is quite good, largely because this story about a deep sea fisherman has director Don Siegel's firm hand on the tiller. The screenplay is derived from two Ernest Hemingway sources: a 1934 short story, "One Trip Across" and his classic novel "To Have and Have Not" which was brought to the screenin 1944 by director Howard Hawks and star Humphrey Bogart. Only a few years later, it had been remade as "The Breaking Point" starring John Garfield. For whatever reason, the producers assumed there was still fertile ground to be exploit in Hemingway's tales and this loose adaptation also owes some obvious inspiration to John Huston's 1948 classic "Key Largo". Despite the hodgepodge nature of its source material and a micro budget, "The Gun Runners" is engrossing throughout.

Audie Murphy stars as Sam Martin, a down-on-his-luck deep sea fisherman who operates a charter boat out of Key West. Sam is happily married to Lucy (Patricia Owens), a devoted wife whose passion for her husband results in the film having a somewhat edgy content in terms of sexual innuendo, as the young couple can barely keep their hands off each other. Sam's home life may be blissful but he's in deep debt due to slumping rentals of his boat. On an excursion to Havana during the midst of the revolution (which was in progress when the movie was filmed, though California locations are stand ins for Cuban locales), Sam is approached by a couple of shady revolutionaries who want to employ his boat for illicit purposes. Sam rejects their overture but within seconds, he witnesses an inquisitive police officer brutally murdered by the men. He flees Cuba before anyone can place him as an eyewitness. Back home, his fortunes continue to decline and he fears having his boat foreclosed on. Good fortune seems to smile upon him when a wealthy man named Hanagan (Eddie Albert), accompanied by his beautiful young mistress Eva (Gita Hall), wants to pay to charter Sam's boat for a princely sum- with the caveat that they make an unauthorized nighttime visit to Havana without getting a travel permit. Sam takes an immediate dislike to the perpetually jovial Hannigan and doubts his story that he and Eva simply want to sample the nightlife in Havana. Sam reluctantly agrees out of financial desperation. Once in Cuba, however, Hannigan is actually secretly meeting with revolutionaries, who pay him a large sum of cash in return for promising to deliver a cache of weapons to them on his next visit. Things get hairier from there when Hannigan uses financial blackmail to force Sam into making a return visit to Cuba in order to drop off the weapons. In the "Key Largo"-like finale, he finds himself on board the small vessel with Hannigan and his gang of cutthroats (including sadistic Richard Jaeckel) who have every incentive to kill him once the mission is complete. Of particular interest is the screenplay's attempts to remain politically ambivalent in dealing with the Cuban revolution, though the writers clearly seem to paint the rebels in an unfavorable light. (Only a few months after the film's release, the Batista regime would fall to Castro's forces.)

Director Siegel was known for making his films lean and mean and this is no exception. Working with a threadbare budget, he manages to squeeze considerable suspense out of the scenarios with nary a wasted frame of film or a superfluous line of dialogue. Audie Murphy suffices in the lead role, but the part calls out for someone with a harder edge. The film benefits from a marvelous cast of supporting actors with Everett Sloane especially good as Sam's elderly, wino first mate who he keeps on simply out of sentiment. There are also bit parts by Jack Elam and John Ford regular John Qualen. The two female leads are very good but Gita Hall steals the show in the traditional role of glamorous femme fatale, a young woman who is mortgaging her future for the trappings of luxury by serving as Hannigan's mistress. (If she were in a higher profile film, she may have gone on to stardom.) By far the best performance is given by Eddie Albert, who makes for a larger-than-life, smarmy villain. The diversity of this actor is often overlooked. He could play light comedy (he was great in "Green Acres") with exceptional skill while also delivering dramatic performances that are equally impressive.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray features the original trailer with an English track but Italian titles (go figure) and some bonus trailers. I don't want to overstate the merits of "The Gun Runners" but as a "B" movie it exceeds expectations. Recommended.

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Retro-Active: From the Cinema Retro Archives

The 1961 MGM Western A Thunder of Drums has been released by the Warner Archive. The film was regarded as a standard oater in its day but has since built a loyal following who have been eager to have the movie available on the home video market. What sets A Thunder of Drums apart from many of the indistinguishable Westerns of the period is its downbeat storyline and intelligent script, which was clearly geared for adults as opposed to moppets. There's also the impressive cast: Richard Boone, George Hamilton, Charles Bronson, Arthur O'Connell, Richard Chamberlain and Slim Pickens among them.The film opens with a sequence that was very unsettling and shocking for its day: an Indian attack on a tranquil homestead. A little girl is forced to witness the gang rape and murders of her mother and teenage sister. The plot then shifts to the local fort where commandant Boone is overseeing an understaffed cavalry contingent that has to find and defeat the marauding tribe, which has already slaughtered numerous settlers and soldiers. The Indians are window dressing in the story: nameless, faceless adversaries who are not given any particular motivation for their savagery. (These was, remember, far less enlightened times and such conflicts were generally presented without nuance.)

George Hamilton is the by-the-book West Point graduate assigned to the fort as Boone's second-in-command. He gets a frosty reception from minute one. Boone tells him he doesn't meet the requirements of a seasoned officer who can survive in the hostile environment. The two men spend a good deal of their time in a psychological war of wills. Adding to Hamilton's discomfort is the discovery that his former lover, Luana Patten, is not only living at the remote outpost, but is engaged to one of his fellow officers. The two rekindle their own romance and this leads to scandalous and tragic results. 

The film is based on a novel by popular Western writer James Warner Bellah and probably represents the career high water mark of director Joseph Newman, who was destined to toil for decades helming B movies. He gets vibrant performances from his cast. The ever-watchable Boone is in his predictably crusty mode, cynically second-guessing his officers and men, tossing out insults and sucking on an omnipresent stogie. Boone was so dominant in every role he played, one wonders why he never reached a higher status as a reliable box-office figure. Hamilton is in his standard pretty boy mode, but holds his own against macho men Boone and Charles Bronson, who is cast against type as a somewhat dim-witted character of low scruples. Singer Duane Eddy, who was a teenage pop star at the time, made his film debut here with a degree of fanfare, but it was obviously last minute stunt casting as Eddy is given virtually nothing to do except strum a few chords on his guitar. The film boasts some magnificent scenery and some rousing action sequences that are more realistic than those found in  most Westerns of the time. A Thunder of Drums isn't art or even a great or important Western - but it is fine entertainment and the Warner Archive edition looks terrific. A Blu-ray edition is overdue! The only bonus feature is the original theatrical trailer is included (the one seen above is of inferior quality to the trailer featured on the disc, but it does give a good overview of the film).

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

With Russia currently dominating world news in an unfavorable way and authoritarian political figures making headlines even in democracies, it's relevant to look back on the 1983 crime thriller "Gorky Park", which has been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. The film was based on Martin Cruz Smith's international bestseller and was unique in its day because it centered on subterfuge within the Soviet law enforcement system and was set primarily in Moscow. Director Michael Apted had hoped to be the first major Hollywood studio production to shoot within the Soviet Union but unsurprisingly he was turned down due to the fact that the story dealt with systemic corruption throughout every layer of the government. Apted settled for the next best thing, shooting in Finland and Sweden, both of which make convincing substitutes for the USSR. Transforming the lengthy, complex novel to a screenplay could have been no easy task, even for acclaimed screenwriter Dennis Potter ("Pennies from Heaven"). Although the film has a leisurely running time of 128 minutes, there are still some portions of the story that are not fleshed out enough to be easily understood.

The movie gets off to a gripping start when three young people drift away from the crowd at a winter festival in Moscow's Gorky Park. They are shot dead shortly thereafter, although we don't know why or by who. Police detective Arkady Renko (William Hurt) is first on the scene and he discovers that the snow-covered bodies have been horribly mutilated with their fingers removed and their faces skinned so that their can be no recognition of the victims. This leads to some particularly gory scenes in which a pathologist skillfully manages to recreate their facial features using synthetic skin. In a country and political system in which everyone is justifiably paranoid, Renko begins to suspect that the KGB might have been behind the killings and are looking to set him up as a fall guy. An interesting cast of characters is gradually introduced. Irina Asanova (Joanna Pacula in her screen debut) is a glamorous actress who was a friend of the victims. Renko cannot persuade her that they are dead, as she has been assured that they escaped into exile by Jack Osborne (Lee Marvin). He's a well-connected, rich American businessman who deals in the lucrative trade of sable furs. Renko is immediately suspicious that Osborne, with his bought-and-paid for allies in Soviet law enforcement, is somehow tied to the murders. This results in a few of those scenes moviegoers love in which the hero and villain banter words, using euphemisms to represent their actual thoughts as they engage in a duel of wits. The more dedicated Renko becomes in solving the crime, the more he realizes his is putting his own life in danger. He later gets assistance from an American visitor, William Kirwill (Brian Dennehy), a detective who is in Moscow to try to solve the murder of his brother, who was one of the three victims. Together, he and Renko begin to unravel a tangled web of corruption, deceit, betrayal and more murders. 

"Gorky Park" enjoyed good reviews at the time of its release but it was a boxoffice disappointment. Viewing the new Blu-ray, I found it more intriguing and enjoyable than I had previously- even though the plot gets very complicated and so many characters are introduced that by the end of the movie, I can't say for sure why the original three murder victims were killed. The movie was an important early starring role for William Hurt and he's adequate in the role but rather bland at times, although he and Pacula engage in the kind of steamy sex scene that was de rigueur at a time before movies became largely devoid of eroticism. Pacula gives a very fine performance that earned her a Golden Globe nomination and Dennehy steals every scene he's in, although the premise of an American detective thinking he will have free reign to operate in one of the most oppressive societies in the world is a bit of a stretch. Ian Bannen is a welcome presence as Renko's superior officer, who may be in the pocket of Osborne. As the American fur trader, Lee Marvin is terrific in a marvelous late-career role. It must be said that the largely British cast of supporting actors retain their natural accents, which proves to be a distraction since they are supposed to be playing Russians. Hurt supposedly complained about this because, for the sake of consistency, it forced him to adapt his own version of a British accent, which seems like a hybrid with American English. It doesn't work at all and it's surprising that a skilled director like Apted didn't simply encourage his cast to adopt Russian accents. The production design is rich and expensive-looking but James Horner's score, which was acclaimed in some quarters, sounds dated and very much from an era in which synthesizers were employed ad nauseum.

For those of who came of age during the Cold War period, the film is a reminder of how every aspect of Soviet life was put under scrutiny, with paranoia instilled in citizens to keep everyone off-balance and reluctant to trust anyone else. Despite the Putin regime's quashing of many societal freedoms, today's Russia still enjoys far more freedoms and prosperity than it did when "Gorky Park" was made. Michael Apted's direction is first-rate. Dennis Potter's screenplay excels at showing what life is like in an authoritarian state, where the trappings of democracy are undermined by the fact that everyone knows that there are people who follow the people who follow them. What I found surprising and refreshing is that Renko, who is aware of and frustrated by the Orwellian aspects of his country, remains a dedicated law enforcement official who proudly serves the Soviet state. "Gorky Park" is not a classic but it is a compelling and offbeat thriller that holds up today. 

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks very good, indeed. Cinematographer Rolf D. Bode's cinematography really impresses, as he shot the film in a rather washed out, colorless manner to reflect the blandness of the Soviet state. The release is one of the few from KL that doesn't include a commentary track, but there is an excellent 16-minute recent interview with Michael Apted, who says he rarely revisits his own films but did so in this case. He says he was surprised at how well the film has held up but expresses his frustration that, despite good reviews, the movie was not successful at the American boxoffice, though it did well internationally. Apted recalls the challenges of trying to replicate Moscow in Helsinki and speaks well of his cast and crew. He says that Lee Marvin, though appearing healthy on screen, was in intensive care in a hospital just prior to filming, as he suffered from emphysema. He relates that Marvin was especially enthused about the film because it gave him a rare opportunity to play a character who was sophisticated and highly cultured. The Blu-ray also includes the original trailer, a teaser trailer and TV spots for "Gorky Park" and an extensive number of trailers for other action films available from KL.

A personal observation: it should be noted that the interview segment with Michael Apted was produced by Walter Olsen, co-founder with his brother Bill of the Scorpion Releasing video label. Scorpion had partnered with KL in recent years to release many under-radar-films on Blu-ray. Walter passed away in May just months after his brother died. Those of us who value their contributions to the home video industry mourn their passing. 

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On September 27, the Australian video company Imprint/ViaVision will release a 4-film box set showcasing films starring George Peppard. Here are the details:

With his dashing good looks and irresistible charm, George Peppard became one of the most iconic actors of the 1960s. 

Enjoy four forgotten gems from his prolific career for the first time on Blu-ray in Australia:

• P.J. (1968)
• Pendulum (1969)
• The Executioner (1970) – Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
• Newman’s Law (1974)

Limited Edition 4-Disc Hardbox. 1500 copies only.

P.J. (1968) – Imprint Collection #252

Peppard faces off against Raymond Burr (Rear Window) when he becomes entangled in an affair with deadly consequences in P.J.

Private eye P.J. Detweiler is reluctant to protect the mistress of a millionaire from attacks by his client’s wife and greedy family. In truth, P.J. is walking into a deadly intrigue in which he is to play a central part. 

Special Features & Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K scan
• NEW Audio Commentary by film historian & author Toby Roan
• Audio Commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
• NEW Interview with author & screenwriter Courtney Joyner on the career of director John Guillermin
• NEW Video essay on George Peppard & John Guillermin 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono

Pendulum (1969) – Imprint Collection #253

George Peppard embarks on a relentless quest for justice in this thrilling classic.

Cynical Washington, DC, police captain Frank Matthews risked his life to catch a young rapist and murderer. But the psychopath is set free when a civil liberties’ attorney proves to the Supreme Court that Matthews never read the killer his rights. When Matthews’ wife is found murdered alongside her lover, and he becomes the prime suspect, Matthews decides his best option is to capture the real killer himself.

Special Features & Technical Specs:

• 1080P High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• Special Features TBC
• Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono

The Executioner (1970) – Imprint Collection #254

Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

Joan Collins, Keith Mitchell and Judy Geeson also star in The Executioner, the nail-biting thriller and worldwide first on Blu-ray.

When a covert operation in Vienna goes awry, British Intelligence operative John Shay suspects his colleague, Adam Booth, may be a double agent. Appointing himself executioner, Shay kills Booth and then assumes his identity to obtain conclusive evidence that Booth was a traitor.

Special Features & Technical Specs:

• 1080P High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• Special Features TBC
• Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono

Newman’s Law (1974) – Imprint Collection #255

The creator of Banacek, Anthony Wilson, and George Peppard reunite in the gritty police drama Newman’s Law.

When a hard-nosed LA cop is booted from duty after being falsely accused of extortion, he goes rogue to investigate an organised crime case, uncovering a conspiracy that might extend to the highest levels of his own department. 

Special Features & Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K scan
• NEW Audio Commentary by film historian Steve Mitchell and producer/screenwriter Cyrus Voris
• NEW Interview with director Jeff Burr on the career of director Richard T. Heffron
• Radio Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
• Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono

Any pre-order titles will be dispatched in the week leading up to its aforementioned release date. Special features and artwork are subject to change.

Imprint limited editions tend to sell out quickly. Click here to pre-order. (Prices are in Australian dollars. Use  a currency converter to see what the price is in your local currency.) The Blu-ray set is Region-Free.