Radiance Films Announces June Releases
HomeRadiance Films Announces June Releases
Posted March 5, 2025 11:45 AM by Webmaster
Radiance has announced its June batch of releases. They are: The Tale of Oiwa's Ghost (1961), Palindromes (2004), La Terra Trema (1948), and World Noir Vol. 3 (1947-1951).
The Tale of Oiwa's Ghost
When the daughter of an elite family takes a shine to poor samurai Iemon (Tomisaburo Wakayama, Lone Wolf and Cub), he sees an opportunity to climb the social ladder. He just needs to rid himself of his only obstacle: his loving wife Oiwa. He poisons her and dumps her corpse in a nearby swamp, but she returns as a horribly disfigured ghost to haunt Iemon on his wedding night. Crime film specialist Tai Kato (I, the Executioner) brings the famous Ghost Story of Yotsuya to the screen as a gritty tale of murder and greed, with an intense lead performance by Wakayama (The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, Big Time Gambling Boss).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
CANADA STREET DATE: JUNE 23.
Palindromes 4K Blu-ray
Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager - with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don't quite know how to handle - she'll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality. Played by a cast of rotating actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Sharon Wilkins, Aviva's journey towards motherhood never would run smooth. Bringing his trademark dry wit to another series of taboos, Todd Solondz's portrait of middle-American girlhood interrogates the naivety and hypocrisy of the post-9/11 psyche that continues to shape US public life and policy.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
CANADA STREET DATE: JUNE 23.
Palindromes
Special Features and Technical Specs:
In the fishing village of Aci Trezza, Sicily, the Valastro family dream of a better life. Living modestly thanks to merciless wholesalers, eldest son Ntoni takes matters into his own hands and - with the help of a bank loan - starts fishing alone. The venture is initially a success but an unexpected shipwreck means the family must soon fend for themselves. Originally commissioned as propaganda by the Communist Party, master filmmaker Luchino Visconti (The Leopard, Death in Venice) used the real villagers of Aci Trezza as his stars to craft a docu-fictional melodrama about the difficulties of rural life post-World War II. La terra trema was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 1948 Venice Film Festival and is considered one of the finest examples of Italian neorealist cinema.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
World Noir Vol. 3
The conclusion of World War Two saw film noir become firmly established as one of the defining Hollywood film genres, with studios almost unable to keep up with audience demand for more violent and bleak stories of murder, greed and betrayal.
But outside of the USA, a number of European film-makers, many of whom were still reeling from the destruction levied by years of war on their respective countries, were creating works that were every bit the equal of their contemporaneous American counterparts, while often applying uniquely European sensibilities to the recently established noir framework. This set features three such classic examples of European noir from the post-war period, with all three presented on Blu-ray with English subtitles for the very first time.
NOT GUILTY
A wickedly enjoyable noir from prolific French genre director (and French national swimming champion) Henri Decoin, Not Guilty sees Michel Simon (Boudu Saved From Drowning, L'Atalante) as an alcoholic yet brilliant doctor who, after accidentally causing a tragic accident while in a drunken stupor, covers his tracks by weaving a complex web of lies and engineering havoc within a small town.
THE LOST ONE
Peter Lorre (M, Casablanca) stars in and - for the first and only time in his career - directs this story of a troubled man navigating post-war Germany while haunted by a terrible secret. Contemporary German audiences, shattered by the war, found this bleak depiction of their country too depressing and painful on its release in 1951. Since then, The Lost One has achieved recognition as a significant work of both noir and German cinema in its own right.
GIRL WITH HYACINTHS
This early example of Nordic noir is regarded as one of the great films of Swedish cinema, and the masterpiece of Hasse Ekman, one of Sweden's most important and influential directors. Following the sudden suicide of a mysterious young woman, her neighbours are compelled to investigate the circumstances leading to her death, in a twisty, formally daring and taboo-busting narrative that feels far ahead of its time.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Häxan
A series of eerie vignettes depict images of sorcery and evil on screen, from representations of occultism and religious hypocrisy to a chilling witch hunt in the Middle Ages. Directed by and starring Benjamin Christensen as the Devil, Häxan mixes documentary and fiction forms to create an unsettling brew that prefigures everything from Gothic horror to the found-footage film. This legendary horror film was released in numerous edits and this edition collects four such versions of the film for the first time in the UK, including a 2K restoration by the original production company Svensk Filmindustri. Special Features and Techncial Specs:
DISC ONE
The Tale of Oiwa's Ghost
When the daughter of an elite family takes a shine to poor samurai Iemon (Tomisaburo Wakayama, Lone Wolf and Cub), he sees an opportunity to climb the social ladder. He just needs to rid himself of his only obstacle: his loving wife Oiwa. He poisons her and dumps her corpse in a nearby swamp, but she returns as a horribly disfigured ghost to haunt Iemon on his wedding night. Crime film specialist Tai Kato (I, the Executioner) brings the famous Ghost Story of Yotsuya to the screen as a gritty tale of murder and greed, with an intense lead performance by Wakayama (The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, Big Time Gambling Boss).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-definition digital transfer
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Interview with Mari Asato (2025)
- Visual essay on tormented female ghosts by Lindsay Nelson (2025)
- Trailer
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Tom Mes and an archival review of the film
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGION-A/B "LOCKED"
CANADA STREET DATE: JUNE 23.
Palindromes 4K Blu-ray
Ever since she was small, Aviva has desperately wanted a baby. Now a teenager - with thoughts and feelings her well-meaning parents Joyce (Ellen Barkin, Drop Dead Gorgeous) and Steve (Richard Masur, The Thing) don't quite know how to handle - she'll stop at nothing to make that dream a reality. Played by a cast of rotating actors, including Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Sharon Wilkins, Aviva's journey towards motherhood never would run smooth. Bringing his trademark dry wit to another series of taboos, Todd Solondz's portrait of middle-American girlhood interrogates the naivety and hypocrisy of the post-9/11 psyche that continues to shape US public life and policy.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY COMBO PACK
- 4K RESTORATION from the original negative by the Museum of Modern Art approved by writer-director Todd Solondz
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Uncompressed stereo PCM audio
- New interview with Todd Solondz by critic Hannah Strong (2025)
- Todd Solondz and His Cinema of Cruelty, a new video essay by critic Lillian Crawford (2025)
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Bence Bardos, extracts from the original press book, plus archival interviews with Solondz and composer Nathan Larson
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
CANADA STREET DATE: JUNE 23.
Palindromes
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K RESTORATION from the original negative by the Museum of Modern Art approved by writer-director Todd Solondz
- Uncompressed stereo PCM audio
- New interview with Todd Solondz by critic Hannah Strong (2025)
- Todd Solondz and His Cinema of Cruelty, a new video essay by critic Lillian Crawford (2025)
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Bence Bardos, extracts from the original press book, plus archival interviews with Solondz and composer Nathan Larson
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
In the fishing village of Aci Trezza, Sicily, the Valastro family dream of a better life. Living modestly thanks to merciless wholesalers, eldest son Ntoni takes matters into his own hands and - with the help of a bank loan - starts fishing alone. The venture is initially a success but an unexpected shipwreck means the family must soon fend for themselves. Originally commissioned as propaganda by the Communist Party, master filmmaker Luchino Visconti (The Leopard, Death in Venice) used the real villagers of Aci Trezza as his stars to craft a docu-fictional melodrama about the difficulties of rural life post-World War II. La terra trema was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 1948 Venice Film Festival and is considered one of the finest examples of Italian neorealist cinema.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 2K RESTORATION of the film by Cineteca Nazionale
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- New interview with critic Christina Newland
- Interview with Italian politician and journalist Pietro Ingrao
- Interview with assistant director Francesco Rosi
- Interview with Turi Vasile
- Trailer
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new and archival writing
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
World Noir Vol. 3
The conclusion of World War Two saw film noir become firmly established as one of the defining Hollywood film genres, with studios almost unable to keep up with audience demand for more violent and bleak stories of murder, greed and betrayal.
But outside of the USA, a number of European film-makers, many of whom were still reeling from the destruction levied by years of war on their respective countries, were creating works that were every bit the equal of their contemporaneous American counterparts, while often applying uniquely European sensibilities to the recently established noir framework. This set features three such classic examples of European noir from the post-war period, with all three presented on Blu-ray with English subtitles for the very first time.
NOT GUILTY
A wickedly enjoyable noir from prolific French genre director (and French national swimming champion) Henri Decoin, Not Guilty sees Michel Simon (Boudu Saved From Drowning, L'Atalante) as an alcoholic yet brilliant doctor who, after accidentally causing a tragic accident while in a drunken stupor, covers his tracks by weaving a complex web of lies and engineering havoc within a small town.
THE LOST ONE
Peter Lorre (M, Casablanca) stars in and - for the first and only time in his career - directs this story of a troubled man navigating post-war Germany while haunted by a terrible secret. Contemporary German audiences, shattered by the war, found this bleak depiction of their country too depressing and painful on its release in 1951. Since then, The Lost One has achieved recognition as a significant work of both noir and German cinema in its own right.
GIRL WITH HYACINTHS
This early example of Nordic noir is regarded as one of the great films of Swedish cinema, and the masterpiece of Hasse Ekman, one of Sweden's most important and influential directors. Following the sudden suicide of a mysterious young woman, her neighbours are compelled to investigate the circumstances leading to her death, in a twisty, formally daring and taboo-busting narrative that feels far ahead of its time.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K restoration of Not Guilty by Tf1 presented on Blu-ray for the first time with English subtitles
- High-Definition digital transfer of The Lost One, presented on Blu-ray for the first time with English subtitles
- 2K restoration of Girl with Hyacinths, presented on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Sweden
- Original uncompressed mono PCM audio for all films
- Newly improved optional English subtitles for all films
- Newly designed artwork based on original posters
- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring archival pieces and new writing by critics and experts including Farran Nehme, Martyn Waites, Elena Lazic, Jourdain Searles, and more
- Limited Edition of 3,000 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
- New interview with critic Imogen Sarah Smith on Not Guilty (2025)
- Archival Michael Simon radio interview (1947)
- Archival behind the scenes radio documentary (1947)
- Alternate ending
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- New commentary by Alan Rode and Stephen D Youngkin (2025)
- Interview with critic and historian Pamela Hutchinson on Peter Lorre and The Lost One (2025)
- Interview with programmer and historian Margaret Deriaz on post-war German cinema (2025)
- Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
- New audio commentary by Peter Jilmstad (2025)
- Archival interview with Hasse Ekman (1993, 63 mins)
- Visual essay by novelist Julia Armfield (2025)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
Häxan
A series of eerie vignettes depict images of sorcery and evil on screen, from representations of occultism and religious hypocrisy to a chilling witch hunt in the Middle Ages. Directed by and starring Benjamin Christensen as the Devil, Häxan mixes documentary and fiction forms to create an unsettling brew that prefigures everything from Gothic horror to the found-footage film. This legendary horror film was released in numerous edits and this edition collects four such versions of the film for the first time in the UK, including a 2K restoration by the original production company Svensk Filmindustri. Special Features and Techncial Specs:
DISC ONE
- 2K restoration by Svensk Filmindustri, presented with a score by Matti Bye (2006)
- Witchcraft through the Ages - an alternate cut of the film featuring narration by William S. Burroughs and soundtrack by Jean-Luc Ponty, newly transferred in 2K from a 16mm dupe negative (1968, 77 mins)
- Introduction by director Benjamin Christensen (1941, 8 mins)
- Outtakes - a reel of test footage shot by Benjamin Christensen featuring scenes for Häxan, Hævnens Nat [Night of Revenge] and other work by the filmmaker (1922, 12 mins)
- Recently discovered costume screen test (1922, 2 mins)
- Appreciation by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (2024, 14 mins)
- For Satan: The Convert's Guide to Häxan - A visual essay by Vito A. Rowlands, author of the BFI Film Classics edition of Häxan (2024, 12 mins)
- Audio commentary by horror experts Guy Adams and A.K. Benedict (2024)
- 2K restoration by Svensk Filmindustri, presented with scores by Bronnt Industries Kapital (2007), and Geoff Smith (2007)
- Häxan - The Esoteric Cut - an alternate cut of the film featuring English intertitles and soundtrack by Lawrence Leherissey (Date unknown, 84 mins)
- Witchcraft through the Ages - a French version of the film featuring narration by Jean-Pierre Kalfon, sourced from the best surviving VHS (1990, 82 mins)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Special edition booklet featuring new writing by Pamela Hutchinson
- Special edition of 3000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
