Independent distributors Olive Films will add six new titles to their Blu-ray catalog in January. Amongst them are
Let There Be Light: John Huston's Wartime Documentaries (1942),
Christmas Eve (1947), and
The Undesirable (1915).
Let There Be Light: John Huston's Wartime Documentaries
Three of the documentaries in this collection received the following accolades: Report From The Aleutians was an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary in 1943; San Pietro (AKA The Battle of San Pietro) was selected for the National Film Registry in 1991; Let There Be Light, censored for 35 year, was also selected for the National Film Registry in 2010.
Presented in cooperation with the National Archives and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this collection features four documentaries directed by John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen) as part of his service as an officer in the Army Signal Corps. The documentaries are not simple propaganda, but reflect Huston's own changing attitudes toward war. Winning Your Wings (18:19 min) is a recruitment film for the U.S. Army Air Forces, hosted by Jimmy Stewart. Report from the Aleutians (44:48 min) reveals the tedium of being stationed at a remote Army post in the islands of Alaska. With San Pietro (32:05 min), however, the tone of Huston's documentaries begin to take a dark turn, documenting an Italian military battle that cost an estimated 1,100 American lives, revealing, in unflinching detail, the retrieval and burial of casualties. The Army chose not to publicly screen the film. The final installment, the emotionally devastating Let There Be Light (57:50 min) narrated by Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), is considered to be one of the most important wartime documentaries ever made, depicting the treatment of "psychoneurotics" (now known as post-traumatic stress disorder), through hypnosis, drugs, and psychotherapy.
Content:
- Winning Your Wings (18:19)
- Report from the Aleutians (44:48)
- San Pietro (32:05)
- Let There Be Light (57:50)
Special Features:
- John Huston's Wartime Documentaries: An Introduction (26:11)
- San Pietro: Raw Camera Footage (32:58)
- Shades of Gray (1:05:46) – The military re-edited and approved version of Huston's Let There Be Light, in which actors were used to portray soldiers.
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.
The Undesirable
Directed by Mihály Kertész – better known to film lovers around the world as Michael Curtiz – the man behind the silver screen classics Casablanca, Mildred Pierce, White Christmas, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
The Undesirable, a silent film treasure thought to be lost forever, was recently discovered in the basement of the Hungarian House cultural center in New York and returned to Hungary for restoration. An eight-month restoration and digitization process was completed by the Hungarian Filmlab, with support from the Hungarian National Digital Archive and Film Institute and the Hungarian National Film Fun, and funded by the Hungarian National Film Foundation. Noted Hollywood producer Andrew Vajna (Terminator, Rambo, Nixon, Angel Heart) played a major role in overseeing the restoration process. The Undesirable features a newly commissioned score by Attila Pacsay (the renowned composer of cinematic pieces including the Academy Award nominated short The Maestro) performed by the Pannonia Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by Peter Illenyi.
Betty (Lili Berky, Duel For Nothing), a young woman living in the country, is told by her dying father that he is really her uncle and raised her as his own when her mother was sent to prison for killing her husband. Alone and not knowing her mother's fate, Betty travels to the city in search of work. There she finds employment as a maid in the house of a wealthy couple and their dashing son, Nick (Victor Varconi, For Whom The Bell Tolls), with whom she falls in love. When Betty is fired from her position after being unjustly accused of theft and escorted from the village, an ironic twist of fate propels the story forward with the sudden appearance of her mother Sarah (Mari Jászai, Bánk Bán) – presumed dead but recently released from prison – on a quest of her own to find her daughter.
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, whose screenplay received an assist from a young Robert Altman (Vincent & Theo), co-stars Academy Award nominees Ann Harding (Best Actress, Holiday) and Joan Blondell (Best Supporting Actress, The Blue Veil).
In the tradition of Miracle on 34th Street and It's A Wonderful Life comes Christmas Eve.
When the unscrupulous Phillip Hastings (Reginald Denny, Rebecca) attempts to declare his eccentric Aunt Matilda (Ann Harding, It Happened On Fifth Avenue) incompetent in order to swindle her out of her savings, it's Matilda's three adopted sons Michael (George Brent, The Kid From Cleveland), Mario (George Raft, Some Like It Hot) and Johnny (Randolph Scott, Trail Street) to the rescue in the heartwarming comedy, and a film for all seasons, Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve was written for the screen by Laurence Stallings (adapted from original stories by Stallings and Richard H. Landau) and photographed by Gordon Avil (The Champ) with art direction by Ernst Fegte (The Lady Eve).
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.
Serial
Inspired by the Cyra McFadden novel The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County, Serial is director Bill Persky's (TV's Kate & Allie) satirical look at the lifestyles of California's 1970's hippie culture.
Viewed through the eyes of Harvey Holroyd (Martin Mull, TV's Roseanne), a man perplexed by the behavior of his wife Kate (Tuesday Weld, Pretty Poison) and their liberal-minded friends, Serial lampoons everything from feminism, free love and sexual politics to cults, motorcycle clubs and the random midlife crisis.
The gifted ensemble cast includes Sally Kellerman (MASH), Christopher Lee (Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), Bill Macy (The Holiday), Peter Bonerz (TV's The Bob Newhart Show), Nina Talbot (Night Shift), Tom Smothers (Get To Know Your Rabbit), Pamela Bellwood (TV's Dynasty) and Stacey Nelkin (Halloween III: Season of The Witch).
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.
Life Tracker
Paying homage to influential films such as Gattaca and MinorIty Report, writer/director Joe McLean weaves an enthralling Sci-Fi tale with Life Tracker. Brand New, Never-before-seen Director's Cut.
What if your DNA could forecast your future? Would you want to know? Bio-tech company Life Tracker Limited has announced it has the capability to not only analyze a person's DNA, but by doing so, predict their future.
This revelation piques the interest of amateur documentary filmmaker Dillon Smith (Barry Finnegan, Forever Midnight, Blackout), who sees this discovery as the ideal subject for his next film. Getting the "man on the street" perspective, along with feedback from his friend Scott (Matt Dallas, Ghost of Goodnight Lane, TV's Kyle XY) and Scott's girlfriend Bell (Rebecca Marshall, Saw 3D:The Final Chapter), he'll be able to fully flesh out the subject matter.
But how much information is too much information? And how much information are Life Tracker Limited and the U.S. government willing to release to people about their futures? This will prove to be the dramatic crux of Life Tracker, as it explores that very question and more, packaging a philosophical debate within an exciting Sci-Fi thriller.
Life Tracker is written and directed by Joe McClean (How To Make A David Lynch Film).
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.
Hana-Dama: The Origin
Hana-Dama: The Origin bears all the hallmarks of the classic Asian horror genre. At turns poetic and brutal, Hana-Dama: The Origin is an entertaining blood-soaked tale of vengeance that pays homage to both Carrie and Heathers.
From the wild imagination of director Sato Hisayasu (Splatter: Naked Blood), one of a group of directors known as the "Four Devils" (who made their mark in the softcore "pink" film genre in the late 1980's), comes a twisted tale of revenge via plant life in the terrifying Hana-Dama: The Origin.
Bullied Japanese high school student Mizuki (Sakuragi Rina, Girl's Blood) has the ultimate revenge on her teenage tormentors in this horror-fest tinged with dark humor.
Possessed by a powerful spirit, Mizuki sprouts a mysterious flower from her head which empowers her with deadly skills to exact revenge, with bloody consequences, against the bullying classmates led by mean girl Aya (Nakamura Eriko, August In Tokyo).
Hana-Dama: The Origin features supporting performances by Shimamura Maika, Fujiwara Kei and Asada Shun.
Special Features:
- Backstage and Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Interview with the Cast and the Director of Hana-Dama: The Origin
STREET DATE: JANUARY 19.