Tag Archives: Charles Bronson

Once Upon A Time in the West comes to 4K in May

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The 1969 Sergio Leone film “Once Upon A Time in the West” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 14th via Paramount Presents – as spine number 44 in the series. The movie, co-written by Dario Argento, starred Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gabriele Ferzetti, Woody Strode, Keenan Wynn, and Jack Elam.

UPDATE: Tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in Dolby Vision or HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround as well as a Dolby Digital Mono sound mix. This has received a new restoration as noted below (from a product description):

“Restored from the original camera negative by Paramount’s archive team, L’immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation. Special thanks to Martin Scorsese for his consultation on this restoration.”

The release will include both the 4K and Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as presumably a digital code (copy) of the film – although not yet confirmed. You can find a glimpse at the fold-out poster and packaging below. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is available now for preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included are listed below.

  • Commentary by the Hosts of the Spaghetti Western Podcast –NEW!
  • A Look Back with Leonard Maltin—NEW!
  • Commentary with contributions from directors John Carpenter, John Milius & Alex Cox, film historians Sir Christopher Frayling & Dr. Sheldon Hall, and cast and crew
  • An Opera of Violence
  • The Wages of Sin
  • Something To Do With Death
  • Railroad: Revolutionising the West
  • Locations Then & Now (Gallery)
  • Production Gallery
  • Theatrical Trailer

The Mechanic with Charles Bronson on Blu-ray in May

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The 1972 film “The Mechanic“ starring Charles Bronson will be getting a “Special Edition” Blu-ray release on May 10th via Ronin Flix.  The film, directed by Michael Winner, co-starred Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland, and Frank DeKova.  This will mark only the second time this film has been available on the Blu-ray format since back in 2014 via a release which is now OOP [Out Of Print].

The movie has received a new 2K scan from the interpositive and is presented in 1080p HD video in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo lossless sound.  You can now find the Special Edition Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.  The bonus materials set to be included with this release are listed below.

  • Interview with writer Lewis John Carlino
  • Audio Commentary with author Paul Talbot (Bronson’s Loose book series)
  • Audio Commentary With Cinematographer Richard H. Kline, Moderated By Nick Redman
  • Theatrical Trailer

1963 film The Great Escape comes to 4K in January

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The 1963 film “The Great Escape“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 11th, 2022, via KL Studio Classics. The film, directed by John Sturges, starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and James Coburn.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with lossless 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 (100-gigabyte disc). NOTE: This will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lacks HDR (high dynamic range). A bit of further detail about this presentation can be found in a quote below, taken from the original announcement tweet (by KL Studio Classics) from back in October.

“Fully Restored UHD SDR Master by MGM – Color Corrected in 2020”

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. This 2-disc set will include a Blu-ray with special features. The bonus materials set to be included on the 2 discs are detailed below.

4K UHD DISC 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
  • Audio Commentary with Director John Sturges, Actors James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, Jud Taylor and Many other Crew Members – Moderated by Steven Jay Rubin

BLU-RAY DISC 2:

  • Return to THE GREAT ESCAPE: Making of the Classic with the Cast and Crew (24:09)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Bringing Fact to Fiction – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (12:21)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Preparations for Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (19:50)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Flight to Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (9:22)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: A Standing Ovation – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (5:58)
  • The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones – Narrated by James Coburn (25:01)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Documentary by Steven Clarke (50:47)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews (9:35)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:42)

“The Great Escape” gets Criterion Blu-ray in May

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The 1963 film “The Great Escape“ is officially getting a new Blu-ray Disc release from The Criterion Collection on May 12th. The film, directed by John Sturges, starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and James Coburn. This film is considered a classic, in fact, it’s currently (at the time of writing) rated #135 on the IMDb Top 250 movies. The upcoming Criterion Blu-ray will include a brand new 4K digital restoration in the original aspect ratio (OAR) of 2.35:1 with audio choices of the original uncompressed Mono and an Alternate DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. You can find The Criterion Collection Blu-ray now listed for preorder over at Amazon as well as directly via Criterion. Details about the release and a list of the bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.

  • 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
  • Two audio commentaries, one from 1991, featuring director John Sturges and composer Elmer Bernstein; the other, from 2004, featuring actors James Coburn, James Garner, and Donald Pleasence
  • New interview with critic Michael Sragow
  • “The Great Escape”: Heroes Underground, a four-part 2001 documentary about the real-life escape from the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, including interviews with POWs held there
  • The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones, a 2001 program on the United States Army Air Forces pilot David Jones, the inspiration for Steve McQueen’s character in the film
  • Return to “The Great Escape,” a 1993 program featuring interviews with Coburn, Garner, actors David McCallum and Jud Taylor, stuntman Bud Ekins, and McQueen’s son, Chad McQueen
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley
  • New cover by Sean Phillips