Radiance Films Announces August Releases
HomeRadiance Films Announces August Releases
Posted May 6, 2026 01:42 PM by Webmaster
Radiance Films has announced its August batch of releases. They are: The Magnificent Cuckold (1964), Ten Women in Black (1961), The Hot Spot (1990), World Noir Vol. 5 (1946-1951), and The Last Circus (2010).
The Magnificent Cuckold
Description: A happily married businessman (Ugo Tognazzi, Weak Spot) succumbs to the advances of one of his less square, more open-minded female friends. His eyes now open to the rampant adultery among his high-society acquaintances, he is amazed at the ease with which they lie to their loved ones. Soon, he begins to suspect his loving wife (Claudia Cardinale, Girl with a Suitcase) of infidelity – even as she guesses nothing of his own extramarital affair. Antonio Pietrangeli's luscious adaptation of Fernand Crommelynck's tale of obsession and delusion skewers the changing mores and tenacious prejudices of 1960s Italian society with style. As the troubled husband's paranoia takes him ever further away from reality, his fantasies come to life in sumptuous dream sequences, each one a dashing tribute to the radiant charm of Claudia Cardinale.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
Ten Women in Black
Description: A television executive's nine mistresses conspire with his wife to have him killed. When Miwako, one of the mistresses, tells him of the plot, he decides to fake his own death in front of them all. The women panic and deny that they were ever serious about the murder, while Miwako even takes her own life in remorse. But when they find out the man is still alive, they put their original plan back into action. Given complete creative freedom, Kon Ichikawa made this dark satire, one of the undiscovered gems of Japan's cinematic Golden Age. Featuring a stunning cast of Daiei studio divas and striking monochrome photography by Setsuo Kobayashi (Blind Beast), this is a merciless dissection of social relations and gender roles in affluent post-war Japan.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
The Hot Spot 4K Blu-ray
Description: Harry, a drifter (Don Johnson, Miami Vice) rolls into town and talks his way into a job at a car dealership where he becomes caught between two beautiful women, the boss's conniving wife Dolly (Virginia Madsen, Candyman) and Gloria (Jennifer Connelly), a naive young accountant whose life is complicated by blackmail. When Harry plans to rob the local bank, he becomes enmeshed in a lethal web of lust, greed and extortion, whose only escape is murder. Adapted from Hell Hath No Fury by Charles Williams, The Hot Spot is a dusty, sweaty modern noir that updates the pulp formula of twists and turns with an intensity to match director Dennis Hopper's earlier film roles. Directed by Hopper (Easy Rider, Out of the Blue) with verve, the stellar cast are supported by William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables) and Jack Nance (Eraserhead) accompanied by a brilliant soundtrack featuring Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal and original music by Jack Nitzsche.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
World Noir Vol. 5
Description: Arguably the two most significant and dominant trends in post-war cinema developed on opposing sides of the globe, and opposing sides of the war - America oversaw the birth of film noir, with its hardboiled detectives and femme fatales, and then Italy developed its hugely influential brand of neorealism, with its emphasis on working class struggles, socio-political commentary, and documentary-like aesthetic. While on the surface the two disciplines seemed wildly different in approach, they also had surprising amount in common, sharing a focus on the lowest strata of society, a commitment to depicting its characters in stark and unglamorous ways, and a moral ambiguity to the storytelling that would occasionally tip over into cynical pessimism, reflecting the despair of the post-war period. These two cinematic languages would influence and bleed into one another throughout the 1940s and 50s, and presented here are three Italian neorealist films that clearly derive inspiration and themes from their US noir counterparts.
The Bandit: Returning from war, Ernesto (Amedeo Nazzari, Nights of Cabiria) comes home without a family to welcome him. A chance encounter with a gangster's moll, Lydia (Anna Magnani, Rome, Open City) catapults him to a life of crime. Redolent of American gangster pictures of the 1930s and bathed in chiaroscuro lighting, like many Italian genre films, Alberto Lattuada's The Bandit is a genre hybrid, at once noirish but infused with realism that brings to the fore the desperation of the post-War period. Newly restored, Radiance Films is proud to present this seminal film on any digital format for the first time outside of Italy.
Against the Law: A middle class man laundering money for the mob to make ends meet witnesses a murder during a currency exchange. Fingered as the murderer by police, he and his girlfriend attempt to clear his name. A Hitchcockian wrong man thriller in a crime framework, Pietro Germi's scenario echoes the American noir, with a screenplay co-authored by the former head of Rome's flying squad, Against the Law was noted for its realism on release where it was a hit with audiences and critics. Starring a charming Marcello Mastroianni in his first leading role, Flavio Calzavara's under-seen gem is now restored in 4K and released for the first time on any format outside of Italy.
Four Ways Out: A gang of four ordinary men steal two cases stuffed with money from a football ground. They split up to evade capture but misplaced allegiances and nerves threaten their freedom. A Hollywood-style noir by Pietro Germi (The Facts of Murder), Four Ways Out (also known as The City Defends Itself) features the classic tropes of the genre, femme fatales, desperate men and a cityscape that threatens to swallow up its characters. Awarded Best Italian Film at the Venice Film Festival and newly restored in 4K, it is presented on home video for the first time outside of Italy.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
FROM PARTNER LABEL CHASM FILMS:
Chasm Films is a label dedicated to curating a catalogue of under-seen, under-appreciated and underground contemporary world genre cinema.
The Last Circus
Description: During the Spanish Civil War, a circus clown is recruited to the Republican cause and forced to massacre dozens of Nationalist troops with only a machete. Decades later, his traumatised son Javier (Carlos Areces) becomes a clown himself, albeit a "sad" clown fuelled by the tragedy he has seen. He performs opposite the arrogant "happy" clown Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) and finds himself falling in love with Sergio's partner, the beautiful acrobat Natalia (Carolina Bang). Soon, sad clown and happy clown are locked in a love triangle that spirals into spectacular violence. Written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast), The Last Circus is a landmark in Spanish genre cinema – a blackly comic horror show that revels in the shocking, the transgressive and the absurd.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
The Magnificent Cuckold
Description: A happily married businessman (Ugo Tognazzi, Weak Spot) succumbs to the advances of one of his less square, more open-minded female friends. His eyes now open to the rampant adultery among his high-society acquaintances, he is amazed at the ease with which they lie to their loved ones. Soon, he begins to suspect his loving wife (Claudia Cardinale, Girl with a Suitcase) of infidelity – even as she guesses nothing of his own extramarital affair. Antonio Pietrangeli's luscious adaptation of Fernand Crommelynck's tale of obsession and delusion skewers the changing mores and tenacious prejudices of 1960s Italian society with style. As the troubled husband's paranoia takes him ever further away from reality, his fantasies come to life in sumptuous dream sequences, each one a dashing tribute to the radiant charm of Claudia Cardinale.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE BY CINETECA DI BOLOGNA in collaboration with Compass Film and Studio Cine
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- New interview with Italian film expert Richard Dyer (2026)
- New visual essay by Italian cinema professor Rémi Fournier Lanzoni (2026)
- Alternative colour sequences
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by film critic Phuong Le 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
- REGON-A/B "LOCKED"
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
Ten Women in Black
Description: A television executive's nine mistresses conspire with his wife to have him killed. When Miwako, one of the mistresses, tells him of the plot, he decides to fake his own death in front of them all. The women panic and deny that they were ever serious about the murder, while Miwako even takes her own life in remorse. But when they find out the man is still alive, they put their original plan back into action. Given complete creative freedom, Kon Ichikawa made this dark satire, one of the undiscovered gems of Japan's cinematic Golden Age. Featuring a stunning cast of Daiei studio divas and striking monochrome photography by Setsuo Kobayashi (Blind Beast), this is a merciless dissection of social relations and gender roles in affluent post-war Japan.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K RESTORAITON BY KADOKAWA PICTURES
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- The Kon Ichikawa Story - a feature-length documentary directed by Shunji Iwai, featuring Ichikawa and his wife and screenwriter, Natto Wada (2006)
- Trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Yuka Kimbara
- More to be confirmed
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- REGON-A/B "LOCKED"
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
The Hot Spot 4K Blu-ray
Description: Harry, a drifter (Don Johnson, Miami Vice) rolls into town and talks his way into a job at a car dealership where he becomes caught between two beautiful women, the boss's conniving wife Dolly (Virginia Madsen, Candyman) and Gloria (Jennifer Connelly), a naive young accountant whose life is complicated by blackmail. When Harry plans to rob the local bank, he becomes enmeshed in a lethal web of lust, greed and extortion, whose only escape is murder. Adapted from Hell Hath No Fury by Charles Williams, The Hot Spot is a dusty, sweaty modern noir that updates the pulp formula of twists and turns with an intensity to match director Dennis Hopper's earlier film roles. Directed by Hopper (Easy Rider, Out of the Blue) with verve, the stellar cast are supported by William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables) and Jack Nance (Eraserhead) accompanied by a brilliant soundtrack featuring Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal and original music by Jack Nitzsche.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Uncompressed stereo PCM audio
- Archival interview with Dennis Hopper, who discusses The Hot Spot and features footage of John Lee Hooker and images from the set (1991, 4 mins)
- Interviews with stars Virginia Madsen (2021, 7 mins) and William Sadler (2021, 6 mins)
- Nick Dawson on Dennis Hopper and The Hot Spot, an interview with the editor of Dennis Hopper: Interviews (2023, 20 mins)
- Duane Swierczynski on Charles Williams' source novel, the crime writer and expert looks at the adaptation and provides a background of the author (2023, 25 mins)
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and new artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet featuring writing by critics Elena Lazic on the film, Leslie Byron Pitt on the erotic thriller genre and the film's place within it, and an archival piece on the film featuring an interview with Hopper by RJ Smith
- Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
- Limited Edition of 5000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
UK STREET DATE: AUGUST 17.
World Noir Vol. 5
Description: Arguably the two most significant and dominant trends in post-war cinema developed on opposing sides of the globe, and opposing sides of the war - America oversaw the birth of film noir, with its hardboiled detectives and femme fatales, and then Italy developed its hugely influential brand of neorealism, with its emphasis on working class struggles, socio-political commentary, and documentary-like aesthetic. While on the surface the two disciplines seemed wildly different in approach, they also had surprising amount in common, sharing a focus on the lowest strata of society, a commitment to depicting its characters in stark and unglamorous ways, and a moral ambiguity to the storytelling that would occasionally tip over into cynical pessimism, reflecting the despair of the post-war period. These two cinematic languages would influence and bleed into one another throughout the 1940s and 50s, and presented here are three Italian neorealist films that clearly derive inspiration and themes from their US noir counterparts.
The Bandit: Returning from war, Ernesto (Amedeo Nazzari, Nights of Cabiria) comes home without a family to welcome him. A chance encounter with a gangster's moll, Lydia (Anna Magnani, Rome, Open City) catapults him to a life of crime. Redolent of American gangster pictures of the 1930s and bathed in chiaroscuro lighting, like many Italian genre films, Alberto Lattuada's The Bandit is a genre hybrid, at once noirish but infused with realism that brings to the fore the desperation of the post-War period. Newly restored, Radiance Films is proud to present this seminal film on any digital format for the first time outside of Italy.
Against the Law: A middle class man laundering money for the mob to make ends meet witnesses a murder during a currency exchange. Fingered as the murderer by police, he and his girlfriend attempt to clear his name. A Hitchcockian wrong man thriller in a crime framework, Pietro Germi's scenario echoes the American noir, with a screenplay co-authored by the former head of Rome's flying squad, Against the Law was noted for its realism on release where it was a hit with audiences and critics. Starring a charming Marcello Mastroianni in his first leading role, Flavio Calzavara's under-seen gem is now restored in 4K and released for the first time on any format outside of Italy.
Four Ways Out: A gang of four ordinary men steal two cases stuffed with money from a football ground. They split up to evade capture but misplaced allegiances and nerves threaten their freedom. A Hollywood-style noir by Pietro Germi (The Facts of Murder), Four Ways Out (also known as The City Defends Itself) features the classic tropes of the genre, femme fatales, desperate men and a cityscape that threatens to swallow up its characters. Awarded Best Italian Film at the Venice Film Festival and newly restored in 4K, it is presented on home video for the first time outside of Italy.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K RESTORATION OF ALL THREE FILMS FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVES
- Original uncompressed mono PCM audio for all films
- Newly improved optional English subtitles for all films
- Reversible sleeves featuring newly designed artworks based on original posters
- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring archival pieces and new writing by critics and experts including Farran Nehme, Pasquale Iannone, Beatrice Loyza and Roberto Curti
- 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
- Interview with critic Fabio Melelli on Lattuada's career
- Interview with Evelina Nazzari about her father, actor Amedeo Nazzari
- Interview with Melelli and Nazzari about The Bandit
- Interview with critic Christina Newland on Anna Magnani
- Interview with critic Manuela Lazic on Marcello Mastroianni
- Interview with Italian film expert Stephen Gundle on Flavio Calzavara
- Alternate English language version of Four Ways Out
- New interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti
- Interview with noir expert Imogen Sarah Smith
FROM PARTNER LABEL CHASM FILMS:
Chasm Films is a label dedicated to curating a catalogue of under-seen, under-appreciated and underground contemporary world genre cinema.
The Last Circus
Description: During the Spanish Civil War, a circus clown is recruited to the Republican cause and forced to massacre dozens of Nationalist troops with only a machete. Decades later, his traumatised son Javier (Carlos Areces) becomes a clown himself, albeit a "sad" clown fuelled by the tragedy he has seen. He performs opposite the arrogant "happy" clown Sergio (Antonio de la Torre) and finds himself falling in love with Sergio's partner, the beautiful acrobat Natalia (Carolina Bang). Soon, sad clown and happy clown are locked in a love triangle that spirals into spectacular violence. Written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast), The Last Circus is a landmark in Spanish genre cinema – a blackly comic horror show that revels in the shocking, the transgressive and the absurd.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-definition digital transfer from the original HDCAM
- Interview with director Álex de la Iglesia with newly translated English subtitles
- New audio commentary by Spanish horror expert Valeria Villegas Lindvall
- New video essay by Xavier Aldana Reyes, author of Spanish Gothic (2017)
- Making of The Last Circus (2010)
- Behind the scenes footage
- Visual effects footage
- Trailers
- Newly improved English subtitles
- Limited-edition booklet featuring new writing by Andy Willis, co-author of The Cinema of Álex de la Iglesia (2007) and co-editor of Spanish Popular Cinema (2004)
- Limited edition of 2000 copies, featuring an O-card slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge, full-height Scanavo packaging and reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork and alternative artwork by Nick Charge
