Radiance Films Announces November Releases
HomeRadiance Films Announces November Releases
Posted August 2, 2023 06:22 PM by Webmaster
Radiance Films has announced its November batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Le Combat dans l'île (1962) and The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin (1981-1986). Also coming soon from Raro Video is Gang War in Milan (1973).
Le Combat dans l'île
Description: Clement (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Il sorpasso) is a wealthy son of an industrialist who lives a secret life as a right-wing terrorist. Double-crossed following an assassination attempt he flees to the countryside with his wife, Anne (Romy Schneider, La piscine) where they stay with his childhood friend, Paul (Henri Serre, Jules et Jim). Clement plots his revenge but Anne falls for Paul and a love triangle is just one of many complications in this multi-layered discovery from the French New Wave. With the support of producer Louis Malle, Alain Cavalier (Fill 'Er Up with Super) directed his debut, a noirish drama beautifully shot by cinematographer Pierre Lhomme (Army of Shadows). While echoing the political turmoil of the 1960s, the film probes bourgeois values and the relationship between sex and violence, acting as a precursor to The Conformist and demonstrating the influence of Chabrol.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 27.
The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin
Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Piotr Szulkin's satirical, surrealistic apocalypse trilogy is Polish cinema's best-kept secret. These highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct, visual sensibility.
In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news…
Meanwhile, in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, the survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark…
Finally, in the darkly comic Ga, Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest…
Frequently butting heads with Polish authorities both before and after the collapse of Communism, writer and director Piotr Szulkin remains a unique visual stylist whose parables of power transcend easy genre pigeonholing.
LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
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FROM RARO VIDEO:
Gang War in Milan
Description: Salvatore "Toto" Cangemi is a produce purveyor in Milan that also runs a profitable twin business moonlighting as a pimp. The appearance of a ruthless and greedy French gangster called Le Capitaine threatens Toto's livelihood. Le Capitaine wants to unite organised crime in Milan and take a large share of the profits for himself. Toto wants no part in Le Capitaine's plan and wants to continue quietly running his own low-key ring, but no one says "no" to Le Capitaine. He threatens an all-out war to keep his organisation and reputation intact.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Le Combat dans l'île
Description: Clement (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Il sorpasso) is a wealthy son of an industrialist who lives a secret life as a right-wing terrorist. Double-crossed following an assassination attempt he flees to the countryside with his wife, Anne (Romy Schneider, La piscine) where they stay with his childhood friend, Paul (Henri Serre, Jules et Jim). Clement plots his revenge but Anne falls for Paul and a love triangle is just one of many complications in this multi-layered discovery from the French New Wave. With the support of producer Louis Malle, Alain Cavalier (Fill 'Er Up with Super) directed his debut, a noirish drama beautifully shot by cinematographer Pierre Lhomme (Army of Shadows). While echoing the political turmoil of the 1960s, the film probes bourgeois values and the relationship between sex and violence, acting as a precursor to The Conformist and demonstrating the influence of Chabrol.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- Original uncompressed French mono PCM audio
- Interview with Alain Cavalier from French television show Cinema page (1962, 5 mins)
- Faire la mort: A commentary featurette by Cavalier on photos from the Cinémathèque française (2011, 5 mins)
- Interview with star Jean-Louis Trintignant from the Belgian television show Cinescope (1983, 7 mins)
- The Succulence of Fruit: An interview with French critic Philippe Roger who provides an analysis of the film and Cavalier's work (2020, 37 mins)
- Un américain - Cavalier's first short film about a sculptor who comes to Paris (1958, 17 mins)
- France 1961 - a short film made by Cavalier on the occasion of Zeitgeist's DVD release of the film (2010, 13 mins)
- Behind-the-scenes photos including images from the archive of Louis Malle
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Ben Sachs who considers the film in the context of the French New Wave and genre filmmaking; and scholar and author of Late-Colonial French Cinema Mani Sharpe looks at the film and its political dimension
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REIGON-A/B "LOCKED"
UK STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 27.
The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin
Masquerading as both works of science fiction and horror, Piotr Szulkin's satirical, surrealistic apocalypse trilogy is Polish cinema's best-kept secret. These highly imaginative works of fantasy are bound by a preoccupation with the machinations of power and a distinct, visual sensibility.
In a radical reworking of the H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds: Next Century, tells the story of Iron Idem (Roman Wilhelmi), a television host, who finds himself contending with a Martian invasion, whose takeover involves collaborating with the state and manipulating the populace through a media apparatus made up entirely of fake news…
Meanwhile, in O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization, the survivors of a claustrophobic, subterranean world in ruins are pacified by Soft (Jerzy Stuhr), who engineers a mass collective dream of escape through means of a mythical vessel, The Ark…
Finally, in the darkly comic Ga, Ga: Glory to the Heroes, Scope (Daniel Olbrychski) must be tried and convicted of a heinous crime for him to participate in a bloody, televised gladiator contest…
Frequently butting heads with Polish authorities both before and after the collapse of Communism, writer and director Piotr Szulkin remains a unique visual stylist whose parables of power transcend easy genre pigeonholing.
LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 2K RESTORATIONS of each film supervised by Piotr Szulkin, DoP Witold Sobocinski, and sound engineer Nikodem Wolk-Laniewski with additional restoration work by Radiance Films, presented on three discs, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Audio commentary on Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes by Daniel Bird (2023)
- Retrofuturism - Interview featurette with production designer Andrzej Kowalczyk on creating the world of O-Bi, O-Ba (2023)
- PRL - Polish People's Republic Post-Apocalyptic Parables - a new video essay by Dobrotka Więckiewicz exploring Szulkin's rejection of the science-fiction label (2023)
- Programme of complementary grotesque and absurdist short films: Labyrinth (Jan Lenica, 1963, 15 mins), Banquet (Zofia Oraczewska, 1977, 8 mins), Cages (Miroslaw Kijowicz, 1967, 8 mins)
- New and improved English subtitles
- Reversible sleeves and box art featuring original artworks by celebrated artist Andrzej Pagowski
- Limited edition 80-page booklet featuring new writing by Michal Oleszczyk, Olga Drenda, Ela Bittencourt, Piotr Kletowski and Daniel Bird
- Limited Edition of 2,000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGION-FREE
***
FROM RARO VIDEO:
Gang War in Milan
Description: Salvatore "Toto" Cangemi is a produce purveyor in Milan that also runs a profitable twin business moonlighting as a pimp. The appearance of a ruthless and greedy French gangster called Le Capitaine threatens Toto's livelihood. Le Capitaine wants to unite organised crime in Milan and take a large share of the profits for himself. Toto wants no part in Le Capitaine's plan and wants to continue quietly running his own low-key ring, but no one says "no" to Le Capitaine. He threatens an all-out war to keep his organisation and reputation intact.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High Definition digital transfer from the original camera negative presented with Italian and English audio options
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Audio commentary by Andrew Nette
- Introduction by Mike Malloy
- A new visual essay on Lenzi's poliziotteschi by Troy Howarth, author of Make Them Die Slowly: The Kinetic Cinema of Umberto Lenzi
- Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters
- New and improved English subtitle translation for Italian audio and English SDH for English audio
- Limited edition booklet with new writing by Roberto Curti and an archival essay by Mike Malloy
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with limited edition booklet and reversible sleeve
- REGION-FREE
