In March, Arrow Films will launch its new Arrow Academy label, celebrating the best in world cinema. The first title in the range will be the acclaimed
Bicycle Thieves (
Ladri di biciclette, also known as
The Bicycle Thief; Vittorio De Sica, 1948), slated for Blu-ray release on March 28. The classic French thriller
Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955) will follow on April 18.
Special features include:
Bicycle Thieves
- Audio commentary by Robert Gordon, Italian cinema expert and author of Bicycle Thieves (BFI Film Classics)
- Cesare Zavattini: a feature length documentary by director Carlo Lizzani on the great screenwriter, novelist, critic, long time De Sica collaborator and founder of Italian neorealism
- Timeless Cinema: a documentary portrait of director, actor and screenwriter Vittorio De Sica
- Original trailer
- Booklet including brand new writing on the film and a reprint of Cesare Zavattini's "Some Ideas on the Cinema", illustrated with original lobby cards and stills
Les Diaboliques
- Audio commentary with Susan Hayward, author of Les diaboliques (Cine-file French Film Guides)
- Filmed interview with Ginette Vincendeau, French cinema scholar, critic and author
- Original trailer
- Booklet including brand new writing on the film by author and critic Brad Stevens and an interview with Clouzot by Paul Schrader illustrated with stills and rare original set drawings by Léon Barsacq
Bicycle Thieves is region B, while
Les diaboliques is region ABC.
About Arrow Academy
As the once common repertory cinema dies off, Arrow Academy aims to be your at-home repertory cinema, where you can make rich cinematic discoveries and enjoy films with optimal picture and audio presentation, brand new special features to contextualize and comment upon the film for that essential post screening discussion as well as a celebration of the art of the film poster with alternate poster designs, viewable through the front package 'poster frame'.
Arrow Academy lovingly takes its name from one of the most famous repertory cinemas in London: the Academy 1-2-3 where many critics, writers, filmmakers and cineastes first discovered a new kind of cinema, which celebrated the cinema poster with new artwork designs by the famed Peter Strausfeld.