New to Blu: Classics > August 9

An eclectic mix of classics and curiosities bow today on Blu-ray, including Lifeboat, Man of the West, Night of the Hunter, Paths of Glory and Vanishing Point.

Priced from $20-$25 each, they’re an affordable but less lavishly packaged alternative to the costly Criterion editions of some of these movies that have been released only in the US.

In NZ, they’re being distributed by Shock Entertainment, which has divided the 13 titles into Hollywood Gold and Cinema Cult labels.

The former comprises: Bandolero, The Boston Strangler, Exodus, The Devil’s Brigade, Hang ‘Em High, Lifeboat, Man of the West, The Night of the Hunter and The Unforgiven.

Cult Cinema ranges from two Stanley Kubrick classics, Paths of Glory and The Killing, to engimatic road movie Vanishing Point and sci-fi dross Masters of the Universe.

The Hollywood Gold titles are mostly vanilla with trailers, save for The Boston Strangler and Lifeboat, whereas all the Cinema Cult releases have limited extras.

Other new Cinema Cult titles that are DVD-only are The Hidden, Burn Witch Burn, Driller Killer and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea.

Hollywood Gold DVD-only releases, which go on sale next week, include: The Flight of the Phoenix, Gigot, Morituri, The Invisible Man Returns, Man of a Thousand Faces, The Young Sinner, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Tower of London, The Tomb of Ligeia, The Honey Pot, The Secret of Santa Vittoria and Black Magic.

Another Hollywood Gold DVD-only release, Blood and Sand, has just been dusted off for Blu-ray in the US while due next month from Shock are Blu-ray editions of Midnight Lace and Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

In the meantime, here are the extras for this month’s Gold and Cult releases:

HOLLYWOOD GOLD

Boston Strangler

• Split Screen Personality: William Friedkin on Richard Fleischer’s The Boston Strangler
• Real Killer, Fake Nose: Richard Fleischer’s The Boston Strangler Remembered

Lifeboat

• Making of Lifeboat
• Hitchcock’s 1944 wartime short films: Bon Voyage and Adventure Malgache
• Alfred Hitchcock 1962 audio interview

CINEMA CULT

Masters of the Universe

• Audio commentary by director Gary Goddard

The Killing

• Includes bonus feature: Stanley Kubrick’s Killer’s Kiss
• Excerpted interviews with actor Sterling Hayden from the French television series Cinema Cinemas
• Trailers

Paths of Glory

• Audio interview
• TV interview with Kirk Douglas

Vanishing Point

• 1970 Dodge Challenger info
• Built for Speed: A Look Back at Vanishing Point featurette
• Audio commentary: Director Richard C. Sarafian
• 0A-5599 featurette
• Theatrical trailer and TV spots