Radiance Films Announces May Releases (UPDATED)
HomeRadiance Films Announces May Releases (UPDATED)
Posted February 14, 2024 06:13 AM by Webmaster
Radiance Films has announced its May batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Planet of the Vampires (1965), Shinobi (1962-1963), and Trenque Lauquen (2022).
Planet of the Vampires
Description: In the outer reaches of deep space, the spaceship Galliott answers a distress signal from Aura, an unexplored planet. As the ship attempts to land, members of the crew inexplicably begin to attack one another. This is the start of a terrifying expedition into the unknown, one plagued by paranoia, possession and violent mayhem wrought upon the unsuspecting explorers by the planet's mysterious inhabitants. A sci-fi horror hybrid from genre master Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace), Planet of the Vampires is widely regarded as one of the most influential genre films ever made, with a clear influence on films such as Alien and Pitch Black. With a uniquely chilly atmosphere and fantastic production design that belies its low budget origins, Planet of the Vampires is a true genre classic.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Shinobi
Description: It's the 16th century and Japan is in chaos. Samurai clans engage each other in battle over who gets to rule the nation, while warlords call upon the ninja to spy on and assassinate their rivals. Goemon, an ambitious young member of a ninja family, is thrown into the turmoil of Japanese history when his village is wiped out by the forces of leading warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has sworn to eradicate the ninja in his quest for absolute power. Fueled by vengeance, Goemon uses every weapon in his arsenal to bring down Oda and to prove that a ninja is an army of one. Starring "the Japanese James Dean" Raizo Ichikawa (Sleepy Eyes of Death, Conflagration) alongside Tomisaburo Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub, the Bounty Hunter trilogy) and Ayako Wakao (Elegant Beast, Red Angel), the Shinobi series was an epoch-making success and became a social phenomenon that left deep marks on Japan of the 1960s, from children's playgrounds to the leftist counter-culture. Packed with spectacular and oft-copied action scenes, it also established the ground rules for all ninja movies that followed, introducing such classic tropes as the shuriken throwing star and the iconic black mask and suit.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: MAY 27.
Trenque Lauquen
Description: A woman vanishes. Two men take to the road in search of her: they both love her. Why did she leave? This sudden escape becomes the hidden core of a number of fictions that delicately weave together: the secret of the heart of another woman, lost as well, many years ago; the secret of the life of a village in the countryside, governed by a supernatural incident that nobody seems to perceive; the secret of the plains, which never ceases to spread and devour everything. An astonishing epic of two feature-length films six years in the making, Trenque Lauquen's playful mystery and approach to genre has been compared to Twin Peaks and The Endless. Radiance is proud to present one of the most revered works of the year, from Argentine auteur Laura Citarella and the El Pampero Cine collective.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Planet of the Vampires
Description: In the outer reaches of deep space, the spaceship Galliott answers a distress signal from Aura, an unexplored planet. As the ship attempts to land, members of the crew inexplicably begin to attack one another. This is the start of a terrifying expedition into the unknown, one plagued by paranoia, possession and violent mayhem wrought upon the unsuspecting explorers by the planet's mysterious inhabitants. A sci-fi horror hybrid from genre master Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace), Planet of the Vampires is widely regarded as one of the most influential genre films ever made, with a clear influence on films such as Alien and Pitch Black. With a uniquely chilly atmosphere and fantastic production design that belies its low budget origins, Planet of the Vampires is a true genre classic.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM from the original negative under the supervision of Lamberto Bava and carried out at Fotocinema in Rome in collaboration with CSC Cineteca Nazionale
- High-Definition (1080p) presentation of the Italian (90 mins) and English (88 mins) versions of the film
- Uncompressed mono audio
- Archival audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark (2014)
- A documentary feature which explores Planet of the Vampires, Mario Bava and the connection between gothic and science fiction. Co-directed by Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger; featuring interviews with Guy Adams, Xavier Aldana Reyes, Alexandra Benedict, Johnny Mains and John Llewellyn Probert (2024)
- Archival interview with Lamberto Bava
- Super 8 Version - a reconstruction of the cut-down version distributed as Planet der Vampire (17 mins)
- Joe Dante and Josh Olsen trailer commentaries - the filmmakers provide a short overview of the film (2013)
- Trailers
- Press and image gallery from the Tim Lucas / Alan Y. Upchurch collection
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Kyle Anderson, Martyn Conterio, Barry Forshaw, George Daniel Lea and Jerome Reuter plus archival materials
- A collection of six exclusive postcards featuring promotional material
- Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGION-FREE
Shinobi
Description: It's the 16th century and Japan is in chaos. Samurai clans engage each other in battle over who gets to rule the nation, while warlords call upon the ninja to spy on and assassinate their rivals. Goemon, an ambitious young member of a ninja family, is thrown into the turmoil of Japanese history when his village is wiped out by the forces of leading warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has sworn to eradicate the ninja in his quest for absolute power. Fueled by vengeance, Goemon uses every weapon in his arsenal to bring down Oda and to prove that a ninja is an army of one. Starring "the Japanese James Dean" Raizo Ichikawa (Sleepy Eyes of Death, Conflagration) alongside Tomisaburo Wakayama (Lone Wolf and Cub, the Bounty Hunter trilogy) and Ayako Wakao (Elegant Beast, Red Angel), the Shinobi series was an epoch-making success and became a social phenomenon that left deep marks on Japan of the 1960s, from children's playgrounds to the leftist counter-culture. Packed with spectacular and oft-copied action scenes, it also established the ground rules for all ninja movies that followed, introducing such classic tropes as the shuriken throwing star and the iconic black mask and suit.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of Japan
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Interview with Shozo Ichiyama, artistic director of the Tokyo International Film Festival, about director Satsuo Yamamoto
- Visual essay on the ninja in Japanese cinema by film scholar Mance Thompson
- Interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato on star Raizo Ichikawa
- Trailers
- New and improved optional English subtitles
- Six postcards of promotional material from the films
- Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements on the Shinobi no mono series and Diane Wei Lewis on writer Tomoyoshi Murayama
- Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGION-A/B "LOCKED"
UK STREET DATE: MAY 27.
Trenque Lauquen
Description: A woman vanishes. Two men take to the road in search of her: they both love her. Why did she leave? This sudden escape becomes the hidden core of a number of fictions that delicately weave together: the secret of the heart of another woman, lost as well, many years ago; the secret of the life of a village in the countryside, governed by a supernatural incident that nobody seems to perceive; the secret of the plains, which never ceases to spread and devour everything. An astonishing epic of two feature-length films six years in the making, Trenque Lauquen's playful mystery and approach to genre has been compared to Twin Peaks and The Endless. Radiance is proud to present one of the most revered works of the year, from Argentine auteur Laura Citarella and the El Pampero Cine collective.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-Definition digital transfer
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Interview with director Laura Citarella
- Interview with film critic David Jenkins
- Trenque Laquen - A short film by Laura Citarella
- Gallery of behind-the-scenes images
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Caitlin Quinlan and Jake Cole
- Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGION-FREE
