In June, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment UK will release Limited SteelBook Blu-ray editions of contemporary hits and classic films from different eras. Amongst them are Richard Attenborough's
A Bridge Too Far, Hugh Hudson's
Chariots of Fire, William Friedkin's
The French Connection, and David Cronenberg's
The Fly.
The Hustler
Low-life pool player Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) begins a downhill slide after losing to Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). However, gambler Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) sees the potential in the boy, takes him in, teaches him the art of the hustle, and sets him on the road to another thrilling pool hall confrontation with the unbeatable Fats. Robert Rossen's acclaimed classic won an Oscar for Best Cinematography and was nominated for a further six. Martin Scorsese's film 'The Color of Money' (1986) is a sequel of sorts, with Newman playing Fast Eddie once again. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
The Longest Day
An all-star international cast re-tells the events of the Allied Landings in Normandy in 1944. Events are seen from various points of view, including the Germans', in an epic and spectacular style. Along with the 43 international stars, the film used 23,000 Allied troops and despite costing over $10 million to make, it has now become one of the most successful films of its genre. John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Henry Fonda head. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
A Bridge Too Far
Painstakingly re-created on actual World War II battlefield locations and boasting a remarkable cast that includes Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford and Laurence Olivier, A Bridge To Far accurately recaptures the monumental scope, excitement and danger behind Operation Market Garden- one of the biggest military gambles in history. JUNE 2.
Battle of Britain
Guy Hamilton's classic war film looks at how England defended itself from the German aerial onslaught of the summer of 1940. Laurence Olivier plays Sir Hugh Dowding, the air chief marshal whose fleet outmanouevre the Luftwaffe, despite a numerical disadvantage; and those few to whom so many owed so much are portrayed by an all-star cast including Michael Caine, Kenneth More and Ralph Richardson. Despite its pro-British slant, the authenticity of the film's impressive flying sequences was guaranteed by the technical advice of Adolf Galland, one of the Nazi's most celebrated World War 2 pilots. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Blockbuster film covering Japan's 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Told from the perspective of both the Japanese and the Americans, it draws upon the talents of four different directors - including Richard Fleischer ('The Boston Strangler') and Kinji Fukasuki ('Battle Royale') - and at a cost of 25 million dollars, was one of the most expensive movies ever made. The film won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Tigerland
Louisiana, 1971. When new recruit Jim Paxton (Matthew Davis) arrives at Fort Polk for basic training he soon makes friends with the rebellious Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell), a soldier who is doing everything he can to get himself thrown out of the army. Bozz has plans to escape to Mexico, but Paxton refuses to go with him, arguing that if he doesn't go to Vietnam, then somebody else will have to go in his place. However, when Bozz makes an enemy of his vengeful and sadistic fellow recruit Wilson (Shea Whigham), the need to get out of the army becomes even more pressing. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
The Fly
In this chilling remake of the horror classic, Jeff Goldblum stars as an overly ambitious scientist who accidentally merges with a housefly while conducting a bizarre teleporting experiment. Now his journalist girlfriend (Geena Davis) suddenly finds herself caring for a hideous creature whose insect half gradually begins to take over. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
The French Connection
'Popeye' Doyle (an Academy Award-winning Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) are tough New York cops attempting to crack a drug smuggling ring. They have a small candy store under surveillance, but Doyle is not happy when he receives the order to work with a pair of French federal agents on the case, one of whom he has a long-standing feud with. Gene Hackman and director William Friedkin both earned Academy Awards for the film, which also took Best Picture. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Patton
The life and times of America's most famous modern general, George Patton (George C. Scott), are recreated in this screen biography which focuses on Patton's controversial exploits during the Second World War, where he eventually gave up command of the Seventh Army after slapping a soldier and accusing him of being a coward - Patton was highly successful in his campaigns over North Africa, Sicily and parts of Europe. Scott won an Oscar for his performance but didn't accept it, and the film won a further six Academy Awards. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Rising Sun
Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) is the LAPD detective investigating the death of a beautiful woman in the boardroom of one of the most prominent Japanese companies in America. Assisted by wise John Connor (Sean Connery), a golf-playing expert in Japanese culture, Smith's investigation takes him into the grey area between big business and organised crime, and sees him deal with both high-tech video manipulation and the occasional outbreak of martial arts action. Tia Carrere and supermodel Tatjana Patitz also star. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
The Last King of Scotland
Oscar-winning drama starring Forest Whitaker. When a naive young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), arrives in 1970s Uganda hoping for fun, sun and to lend a helping hand, he finds himself instead on a shocking ride into the darkest realm on earth. Befriended by the charismatic new leader, Idi Amin (Whitaker), and appointed as his personal physician, Nicholas is originally blinded by his larger-than-life and charming persona. But when the terrible truth of his despotic rule is revealed, he must fight for both his life and soul against one of the cruelest leaders in history. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Chariots of Fire
Hugh Hudson directs this nostalgic tribute to Cambridge University athletes Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, recounting the events of the 1924 Olympics. Abrahams (Ben Cross) is a Jew who experiences racial prejudice at Cambridge, while Liddell (Ian Charleson) is a Scot who runs for the glory of God. The two become rivals on the track, and both are chosen to represent Britain at the Paris Olympics. However, a problem arises when Lidell learns that he is expected to compete on the Sabbath; something that goes directly against his religious beliefs. The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score and Best Costume Design, and received a further three nominations. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Miller's Crossing
Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (Barton Fink, Fargo) create a complex and graphic vision of gangsterism set during Prohibition and featuring a riveting rouges' gallery of killers and con men. Leo (Albert Finney), a likeable Irish gangster boss, rules an Eastern city along with Tom (Gabriel Byrne), his trusted lieutenant and counselor. But just as their authority is challenged by an Italian underboss (J.E. Freeman), Leo and Tom also fall for the same woman. Tom, caught in the jaws of a gangland power struggle, walks a deadly tightrope as he tries to control and manipulate its violent outcomes. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
Hart's War
When Col. McNamara (Bruce Willis) is stripped of his freedom in a German POW camp, he's determined to keep on fighting - even from behind enemy lines. Enlisting the help of a young lieutenant (Farrell) in a brilliant plot against his captors, McNamara risks everything on a mission to free his men... and change the outcome of the war. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.
The Full Monty
This hugely successful British comedy was a hit both in its homeland and the States. After witnessing the hysteria created by visiting strippers The Chippendales, unemployed Sheffield steelworker Gaz (Robert Carlyle) hatches a plan to make his fortune. Along with pal Dave (Mark Addy), he forms a strip act made up of a mixed bunch including depressed security guard Lomper and their former foreman, Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), a ballroom dancer and now also unemployed, who they persuade to choreograph the group. Once they have practiced their routine they set out to reclaim their dignity by going 'the full monty' in their act. STREET DATE: JUNE 2.