Eureka Entertainment has announced its May batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III (1965), A Queen's Ransom (1976), and The Valiant Ones (1975).
Description: Constructed in the late nineteenth century to house political prisoners, Japan's infamous Abashiri Prison served as the inspiration for a popular and prolific run of yakuza movies released between 1965 and 1972. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the first three entries in this landmark series, directed by the "King of Cult" Teruo Ishii (Shogun's Joy of Torture) and starring a titan of Japanese genre cinema, Ken Takakura (The Bullet Train).
In Abashiri Prison, Takakura stars as Shinichi Tachibana, a yakuza sent to Abashiri as punishment for an attack on a rival gangster. He intends to serve his time as a model prisoner until he is shackled to the bullish Gonzo Gonda (Kōji Nanbara), unwittingly roped into an escape attempt orchestrated by Heizo Yoda (Tōru Abe) and forced to face the frozen wilderness of Hokkaidō. In Another Abashiri Prison Story, Tachibana has just been released when he stumbles across a stash of diamonds recently stolen in a bank heist – and attracts unwanted attention from criminals and cops alike. Finally, in Abashiri Prison: Saga of Homesickness, Tachibana reunites with his former yakuza associates, who are trying to go straight. That is, at least, until old rivals come looking for trouble…
Ken Takakura would reprise the role of Tachibana in another seven films under the Abashiri Prison banner – all of them helmed by Teruo Ishii – before the series was rebooted as New Abashiri Prison in 1968, leading to a further eight instalments with Takakura in the lead. It all began with these early entries, presented here for the first time ever on Blu-ray from brand new restorations of the original film elements by Toei.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW RESTORATIONS OF THE THREE FILMS from restorations of the original film elements supplied by Toei
Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
Original Japanese audio (uncompressed LPCM mono)
Brand new audio commentary tracks by Tom Mes, Chris Poggiali and Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
Tony Rayns on Abashiri Prison – brand new interview with critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
Brand new video appreciation by Jasper Sharp and Mark Schilling
Trailers
A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Schilling [2000 units)
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella [2000 units]
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: MAY 28.
UK STREET DATE: MAY 27.
Description: Perhaps even God can't save the Queen in Golden Harvest's A Queen's Ransom (also known as International Assassin), an explosive action-thriller starring George Lazenby (The Man from Hong Kong), Angela Mao (Lady Whirlwind) and the legendary Jimmy Wang Yu (The One-Armed Swordsman).
As Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Hong Kong for a state visit, a band of skilled mercenaries plan her assassination. Contracted by an Irish Republican (Lazenby), the international group of hired killers includes a Japanese explosives expert (Chang Pei-shan), a Thai boxer (Bolo Yeung), a Filipino sniper (Peter Chan Lung) and a veteran of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Wang Yu). As the conspirators move to carry out their plot, two police officials (Ko Chun-Hsiung and Charles Heung) work with a young socialite (Tanny Tien Ni) in a race against time to save the Monarch's head – while also trying to manage a crisis that has brought a huge number of refugees to Hong Kong, including a young Cambodian princess (Mao).
Written and directed by Ting Shan-hsi (Rebel Boxer), A Queen's Ransom was Golden Harvest's attempt to capitalise on the popular success of the political thriller in the wake of The Day of the Jackal. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION OF THE ORIGINAL HONK KONG CUT OF THE FILM
NEW 2K RESTORATION OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXPORT CUT OF THE FILM
Original Mandarin and optional classic English dub (Hong Kong theatrical cut)
Classic English dub (Export version)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary on the Hong Kong theatrical version by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentary on the export version by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Brand new documentary featurette by martial artist and actor Michael Worth
Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
Trailers
A limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver [2000 copies]
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: MAY 28.
UK STREET DATE: MAY 27.
Description: The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen.
During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Chao Lei), China's coastal regions have come under attack by wokou – Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates. Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers – including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) – set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns.
Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on 4K Blu-ray from a 4K restoration.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K RESTORATION from of the original negatives gifted by director King Hu to the Hong Kong Film Archive
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Uncompressed original Mandarin mono restored from the original soundtrack negative
Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones – Brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns
Tsar of all the Wuxia - a new video essay by David Cairns
The Life of a Lucky Stuntman – Brand new interview with stuntman Billy Chan
My Father and I – Brand new interview with actor Ng Ming-choi
Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine
Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine
Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine
A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jonathan Clements
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [2000 copies]
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: MAY 28.
UK STREET DATE: MAY 27.