British distributors Eureka Entertainment have revealed that they are planning to add a number of exciting titles to their Blu-ray catalog between January and May 2014. Amongst them are Federico Fellini's
Roma (1972), Francesco Rosi's
Hands Over the City (1963), Sidney Lumet's
Serpico (1973), Robert Altman's
Nashville (1975), and Samuel Fuller's
White Dog (1982).
Here's the complete list with the pre-announced titles:
Wake in Fright
Wake in Fright is based on the 1961 novel by Kenneth Cook. It was first released under the title Outback, describing the film's arid, sweltering, wasteland setting of Bundanyabba ("The Yabba"), an earthy mining town where schoolteacher John Grant (Bond) descends into a living hell when he is stranded on his way to meet his girlfriend in Sydney. Struggling to escape a men-gone-wild nihilistic world of binge drinking, habitual gambling, and senseless violence, Grant plunges headlong towards his own destruction, joined for the ride by alcoholic doctor "Doc" Tydon (Pleasance). Street date: March 31.
Hands Over the City
Rod Steiger is ferocious as a scheming land developer in Francesco Rosi's
Hands Over The City, a blistering work of social realism and the winner of the 1963 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion. This expose of the politically driven real estate speculation that has devastated Naple's civilian landscape moves breathlessly from a cataclysmic building collapse to the backroom negotiations of civic leaders vying for power in a city council election, laying bare the inner workings of corruption with passion and outrage. Street date: March 14th.
White Dog
A young actress takes in a white dog, unaware that it's been trained to attack black people on sight. Street date: March 24th.
Serpico
Real life story of undercover police officer Frank Serpico (Al Pacino), who discovers that corruption is rife soon after joining the force. Refusing the payoffs which have become accepted practice, the nonconformist Serpico finds himself spurned and harrassed by his fellow officers. When the strain of performing his job honestly finally becomes too much, Serpico turns first to the disinterested police commission and finally to the 'New York Times' to make his voice heard, and is forced to give evidence in the resulting investigation. However, with the cops as well as the crooks now out for his blood, Serpico discovers that integrity comes at a very high price. Street date: February 14th.
Federico Fellini's Roma
Returning to Rome, the city of his youth, to film a documentary, Federico Fellini finds himself stuck in a huge traffic jam. He recalls the city as it was in the 1920s, and as fantasy and reality proceed to merge, he observes an ecclesiastical fashion show (complete with nuns on roller skates) and discovers ancient murals in a Roman villa. Street date: February 17th.
Wings
Director William A. Wellman's masterpiece is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. This timeless story of love and loss follows two men who go to war and the girl they leave behind. Popular Twenties "It" girl Clara Bow stars in this unforgettable World War I epic alongside Richard Arlen, Charles "Buddy" Rogers and the legendary Gary Cooper in a cameo appearance. The aerial battle sequences still rank among the best in motion picture history. Street date: January 27th.
Computer Chess
Set over the course of a weekend tournament for chess software programmers thirty-some years ago, Computer Chess transports viewers to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. We get to know the eccentric geniuses possessed of the vision to teach a metal box to defeat man, literally, at his own game, laying the groundwork for artificial intelligence as we know it and will come to know it in the future. Street date: January 20th.
Nashville
Robert Altman's Nashville is an explosive drama and a human comedy that delineates and interweaves the lives of 24 major characters during five days in the country music capital of the world. Although its setting is Tennessee, Nashville is a much broader vision of our culture, a penetrating and multi-level portrait of America at a particular time and place. Five Academy Award nominations including Keith Carradine's Oscar-winning song "I'm Easy." Street date: May 2014.
Note: The British distributors are also planning to release on Blu-ray Don Coscarelli's
John Dies at the End on February 24th, as well as Xan Casavettes'
Kiss of the Damned on DVD on January 27th.