MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

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MichaelB
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MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#1 Post by MichaelB » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:08 pm

Eureka Entertainment Ltd have struck a unique partnership with Universal Pictures to release select catalogue titles in Eureka's The Masters of Cinema Series in coordination with Universal's centenary celebrations in 2012. With the first releases coming this October and November - in time for Christmas - they will release the never-before-released-on-DVD Universal horror ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932), starring Charles Laughton, on DVD in October, and Orson Welles's TOUCH OF EVIL (1958) and Douglas Trumbull's SILENT RUNNING (1971) in November on limited edition Blu-ray only. A number of other titles are planned for Universal's centenary year in 2012.

Here is the full line up of releases from Eureka Entertainment and its UK distributed label Bounty Films for October and November 2011.

October

THE YELLOW SEA, Bounty Films, In UK cinemas from 21 October 2011
Korean crime drama starring Yun-seok Kim and directed by Hong-jin Na who won critical acclaim for his previous film The Chaser. DVD & Blu-ray release planned for February 2012.

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (Masters of Cinema), Eureka Entertainment, DVD only, 24 October 2011
The infamous, once-banned, Universal horror classic - nightmarish surgical experiments take place on a remote island with Charles Laughton holding the scalpel (also starring Bela Lugosi).

THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (Masters of Cinema), Eureka Entertainment, Dual Format: Blu-ray/DVD, 24 October 2011
Shohei Imamura's transcendent saga of mountain life hardships won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1983. Not to be confused with Kinoshita's version from the 1950s.

A MAN VANISHES (Masters of Cinema), Eureka Entertainment, DVD only, 24 October 2011
What begins as a factual investigation by Shohei Imamura soon goes radically off-path, resulting in one of the most unusual - and much-requested - "documentaries" ever made.

GUILTY OF ROMANCE, Eureka Entertainment, In UK cinemas from 30 September 2011, DVD & Blu-ray, 31 October 2011
An erotic thriller by cult Japanese director Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Cold Fish) which premiered with a Gala Screening during Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It will get its UK premiere at this year’s Cambridge Film Festival.

THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN, Eureka Entertainment, DVD & Blu-ray, 31 October 2011
The first full length feature film in the magic of claymation. It’s an amazing journey of imagination, humour and heart. A must for fans of Aardman Studios.

LOVELY BY SURPRISE, Eureka Entertainment, DVD only, 31 October 2011
A truly unique and visually stunning take on meta-fiction, which follows the journey of novelist Marian Walker as she attempts to finish her first novel. At turns funny, lyrical, dark and mysterious, this enigmatic film explores past and present, art and reality, life and death, ultimately revealing the strength and beauty of the human heart.

HELLDRIVER, Bounty Films, DVD & Blu-ray, 31 October 2011
The absolutely insane Yoshihiro Nishimura, director of Tokyo Gore Police and the amazing Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl, is back with another foray into disturbing wonder with a Japanese zombie movie.

November

TOUCH OF EVIL (Masters of Cinema), Eureka Entertainment, 2 x Blu-ray, 14 November 2011
Orson Welles's iconic film noir masterpiece in a ridiculously deluxe new edition, offering three versions of the film in both of its intended aspect ratios (1.37:1 and 1.85:1) for the first time anywhere in the world on Blu-ray.

SILENT RUNNING (Masters of Cinema), Eureka Entertainment, Blu-ray, 14 November 2011
One of the most beloved science fiction films ever made - directed by Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, and The Tree of Life visual effects supervisor) - in a new Blu-ray special edition for the first time anywhere in the world (Blu-ray only).

Further details about each release will be sent through over the course of the next few weeks

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jamie_atp
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:21 pm

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#2 Post by jamie_atp » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:27 pm

News of the year :-)

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eerik
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:53 pm
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#3 Post by eerik » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:38 pm

Universal also has UK rights to RKO films, right? Citizen Kane?

Rev.Powell
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:53 pm

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#4 Post by Rev.Powell » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:03 pm

eerik wrote:Universal also has UK rights to RKO films, right? Citizen Kane?
And the early Paramount catalogue (= Von Sternberg).

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Jeff
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#5 Post by Jeff » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:11 pm

Great news. I wonder how much, if any, overlap there will be with existing Universal Criterions?

Criterion also has several more Universal titles in production for the same time period: Lonesome, Design for Living, Ministry of Fear, and The Game to name a few. Nick's already said no to Lonesome, but I wonder if Island of Lost Souls might be the first of several Universal titles to get near-simultaneous releases on both shores.
eerik wrote:Universal also has UK rights to RKO films, right? Citizen Kane?
The Warner set of CK would be hard to top, but... The Magnificent Ambersons? [-o<

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Peacock
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#6 Post by Peacock » Tue Jul 19, 2011 2:28 pm

Jeff wrote:The Warner set of CK would be hard to top, but... The Magnificent Ambersons? [-o<
Good call! The UK dvd of Ambersons was released in the same line as Touch of Evil, and I can't see them agreeing to license out Touch of Evil and not Ambersons.... but then again, Universal might not have an HD master; and I doubt WBUSA would be willing to license it out (if they have even made one) - but fingers crossed!

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Finch
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#7 Post by Finch » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:02 pm

Warner are drowning the original movie in a sea of mediocre extras so I definitely think that their set of Kane could be bettered by MoC but I can't imagine Universal passing on the opportunity to release of their best known UK catalogue titles themselves. Ambersons has already been released so unless Uni have gotten or produced a new master, I can't see why MoC would want to reissue the existing disc under their banner.

Re the limited edition: I wonder if that means that Uni are letting MoC release the first batch of discs and then distributing susbsequent pressings under their banner?

Rev.Powell
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:53 pm

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#8 Post by Rev.Powell » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:28 pm

Well, Nick did say here that the MoC piggy-bank could stretch to a couple of HD restorations a year. And it's not as if Ambersons is some niche obscurity of dubious sales potential, so if they are licensing titles from Universal it would surely be one of their safer investments.

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eerik
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#9 Post by eerik » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:34 pm

Well, I'd rather three copies of MoC's Citizen Kane than one copy of Warner's. But, of course, MoC should look for something more rare.

Calvin
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:12 am

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#10 Post by Calvin » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:45 pm

I wonder how many of the rare titles will have underwent HD scans, the lack of which was MoC's reason for not taking on Lonesome. Here is the line of titles that Touch of Evil was released in in the UK.

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matrixschmatrix
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#11 Post by matrixschmatrix » Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:53 pm

It'd be amazing if they could release The Blue Dahlia- I've been holding off on the existing disc, as it seems like the transfer is fairly weak, and it seems like it's fairly easy to get some good extras together for films noir.

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#12 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:47 pm

The claymation Mark Twain film is nothing to sneeze at. It'll be great to see what they do with it.

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AlexHansen
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#13 Post by AlexHansen » Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:32 pm

Got my fingers crossed for some Hitchcock.

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SamLowry
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:14 pm
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#14 Post by SamLowry » Mon Nov 14, 2011 1:14 pm

Frankenstein & Bride Of Frankenstein would be at the top of my wish list.

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#15 Post by RossyG » Sat Nov 19, 2011 6:49 am

SamLowry wrote:Frankenstein & Bride Of Frankenstein would be at the top of my wish list.
According to a reliable source on another website, the Universal horrors are on their way next year as part of the studio's 100th anniversary collection.

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colinr0380
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#16 Post by colinr0380 » Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:09 am

In terms of other classic Universal sci-fi/horror, I'd love to see an extra packed Blu-ray special edition of The Incredible Shrinking Man, from either Criterion or Masters of Cinema! A thrilling film with one of the best voiceovers in cinema, continually providing a great comment on 1950s American masculinity and intervention in 'foreign lands' deposing the indigineous inhabitants ("if only I was a little stronger, a little bigger...","I still had my weapons. With these bits of metal I was a man again...", "I would become the master of my new world...")

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eerik
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Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#17 Post by eerik » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:56 pm

Will the "relationship" with Universal continue after 2012?

peerpee
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Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm

Re: MoC gets access to Universal catalogue

#18 Post by peerpee » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:29 pm

No idea! -- We've got a bunch more coming in Q3/4 though.

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