Eureka Entertainment has announced its December batch of Blu-ray releases. They are: Horrible History: Four Historical Epics by Chang Cheh (1972-1976), The Secret of NIMH (1982), and The Cat and the Canary (1927).
Often described as the "Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema," Chang Cheh made nearly a hundred films during a long and storied career spent at the Shaw Brothers Studio, where he directed such landmark films as The One-Armed Swordsman, Five Deadly Venoms and The Heroic Ones. Many of his films drew upon Chinese history for inspiration and many of them were based on real people and events. Eureka Classics presents four of his best historical epics in this limited-edition set: Marco Polo, The Pirate, Boxer Rebellion and Four Riders.
In Marco Polo, the eponymous Venetian explorer (Richard Harrison) becomes embroiled in a battle between the Mongol Empire and Chinese rebels in the thirteenth century. In The Pirate, the infamous nineteenth-century raider Cheung Po Tsai (Ti Lung) must evade agents of the Imperial Court while attempting to aid the downtrodden residents of a coastal village. In Boxer Rebellion, a group of Chinese patriots use kung fu to protect their nation against invading forces at the turn of the twentieth century. Finally, in Four Riders, a Chinese veteran of the Korean War enlists three comrades to help him escape the South Korean Military Police Command after he is falsely accused of murdering an American soldier.
Marco Polo, The Pirate, Boxer Rebellion and Four Riders are all fascinating examples of the rewriting of history common in popular genre cinema, directed with aplomb by a veteran of Shaw Brothers in Chang Cheh one of the most celebrated and prolific filmmakers in Hong Kong. All four films are presented on Blu-ray from HD masters supplied by Celestial Pictures.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
High definition presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures
Original mono audio tracks
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Two brand new commentaries by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist / filmmaker Michael Worth
Two brand new commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
National Defence A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on Boxer Rebellion
Rewriting History A new video essay on Chang Cheh's historical films by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
A limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on all four films in this set by writer and critic James Oliver [2000 copies]
Limited Edition [2000 copies]
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grιgory Sacrι (Gokaiju) [2000 copies]
U.S. AND CANADA STREET DATE: DECEMBER 10.
UK STREET DATE: DECEMBER 9.
In 1979, legendary animator Don Bluth made the decision to leave Walt Disney Productions and establish his own animation studio with several former Disney employees. The newly established Don Bluth Productions first made a short Banjo the Woodpile Cat and then its first feature: The Secret of NIMH, adapted from Robert C. O'Brien's popular children's book Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
The widowed Mrs Brisby (Elizabeth Hartman), a field mouse, lives with her children in a cinderblock on the rural Fitzgibbon farm although not for much longer. With harvest season approaching, she must relocate her family before their home is destroyed by the farmer's plough. But her son, Timothy (Ina Fried), has fallen ill and can't be moved. In desperate need of help, Mrs Brisby pays a visit to the Great Owl (John Carradine), who in turn introduces her to Nicodemus (Derek Jacobi): the wise leader of a rat colony living beneath a rose bush on the Fitzgibbon property. The rats are technologically advanced and possess vast intelligence due to their connection to a mysterious place they call NIMH, and agree to help Mrs Brisby due to a cherished friendship with her late husband. But not all of the rats are so kind, and the power-hungry Jenner (Paul Shenar) has a vested interest in making sure that Mrs Brisby and her family stay put
A sweeping fantasy epic realised through astoundingly beautiful cel animation, The Secret of NIMH paved the way for Bluth's later successes An American Tail, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to present this touchstone of American animation on Blu-ray.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
High definition presentation on Blu-ray from a studio supplied master
Brand new audio commentary with animation scholar Sam Summers, author of DreamWorks Animation: Intertextuality and Aesthetics in Shrek and Beyond Archival audio commentary with director Don Bluth and producer Gary Goldman
The Rats of NIMH A new on-camera interview with director and animator Don Bluth
Beyond Your Wildest Dreams - A new on-camera appreciation of The Secret of NIMH with animation expert and fan Stacey Abbott
Courage of the Heart A new video essay by children's media expert Catherine Lester on motherhood in The Secret of NIMH
Secrets Behind the Secret archival featurette
Theatrical trailer
Stills Gallery
A collector's booklet featuring new writing on Don Bluth and The Secret of NIMH by Peter C. Kunze, author of Staging a Comeback: Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Renaissance
Limited edition [2000 copies]
Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring original poster artwork [2000 copies]
Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs) directs one of the most important and influential films in the early history of American genre cinema, which perfected the 'old dark house' formula and set the stage for the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s.
Twenty years after the death of millionaire Cyrus West, his surviving relatives are called together in a decaying mansion on the Hudson River. There, they gather to hear West's lawyer Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) read his last will and testament and discover that West has left everything to his niece Annabelle (Laura La Plante). That is, at least, on the condition that she is judged to be legally sane. As the family settles in for the evening, tensions rise when they are informed that a murderer nicknamed the Cat has escaped from a nearby asylum and is suspected to be somewhere on the grounds. Crosby soon disappears in mysterious circumstances, which proves to be just the first in a series of horrifying events that will punctuate a long, dark night of terror during which Annabelle's sanity will be called into question again and again.
Based upon the 1922 stage production by John Willard, The Cat and the Canary is a perfect blend of horror and black comedy and stands at the apex of a cycle of films adapted from mystery plays throughout the 1920s. It later inspired James Whale's The Old Dark House and has been remade several times but never bettered. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present this cornerstone of horror cinema for the first time ever on Blu-ray from a glorious 4K restoration.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
High definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives supplied by MoMA
DTS-HD MA 5.1 score by Robert Israel; compiled, synchronised and edited by Gillian B. Anderson, based on music cue sheets compiled and issued for the original 1927 release
Audio commentary by author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman
Audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
Mysteries Mean Dark Corners brand new video essay by David Cairns & Fiona Watson
Pamela Hutchinson on The Cat and the Canary brand new interview with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson
Phuong Le on The Cat and the Canary brand new interview with film critic Phuong Le
A Very Eccentric Man & Yeah, a Cat! extracts from John Willard's original play
Lucky Strike Paul Leni gives a full-throated endorsement to the product that got him through filming The Cat and the Canary