Tag Archives: John Derek

Columbia Classics Collection Vol. 5 on 4K in October

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The “Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection: Volume 5” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 1st via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The set includes the following six Columbia Pictures films:

  • “All The King’s Men” (1949)
  • “On the Waterfront” (1954)
  • “A Man for All Seasons” (1966)
  • “Tootsie” (1982)
  • “The Age of Innocence” (1993)
  • “Little Women” (2019)

“All of the King’s Men” was directed by Robert Rossen and starred Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, John Derek, Mercedes McCambridge, and Shepperd Strudwick. “On the Waterfront” was directed by Elia Kazan, and starred Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Leif Erickson. “A Man for All Seasons” was directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starred Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Susannah York, Nigel Davenport, and John Hurt. “Tootsie” was directed by Sydney Pollack, and starred Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, Geena Davis, and George Gaynes. “The Age of Innocence” was directed by Martin Scorsese, and starred Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Richard E. Grant, Geraldine Chaplin, and Stuart Wilson. “Little Women” was directed by Greta Gerwig, and starred Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Letts, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Bob Odenkirk. Below is a glimpse at the packaging opened up with the discs (on the left & right sides) and the included hardbound booklet.

Each film in the set will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included along with a digital copy. All six films will be presented in 2160p resolution with high dynamic range and lossless sound. The exact technical specifications of each vary from film to film, so you’ll want to check down further below after the break for the full details. The release will include limited edition slipcovers for each of the six films, a hardbound 80-page booklet, and an exclusive 4K bonus disc. That 4K UHD Blu-ray Bonus Disc contains the following rare 1920s feature films from the Columbia Pictures library:

  • “The Belle of Broadway” (1926) – presented in HD resolution
  • “Ladies of Leisure” (1926) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)
  • “The Desert Bride” (1928) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)
  • “The Scarlet Lady” (1928) – presented in 4K resolution (SDR)

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray set available for preorder at Amazon and retailer Walmart. Further below, after the break, you can find the full tech specs, details about the bonus materials for each film along with a promotional trailer for the 4K set on YouTube in 1080p HD.

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1956 film The Ten Commandments is coming to 4K in March

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The 1956 version of the film adaptation of “The Ten Commandments” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 30th via Paramount. The film, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starred Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Judith Anderson, John Carradine, and Vincent Price.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release include a 6K scan and restoration of the original VistaVision 35mm film presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of HDR (high dynamic range) and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. You can find a bit of information regarding this restoration and the 4K tech specs below, taken from the press release.

“As part of the restoration done in 2010, the film was scanned in 6K and those files were the basis for this brand-new Dolby Vision version, which shows off the full beauty of the original VistaVision negative. The VistaVision format used special cameras to feed 35mm film into the camera horizontally in order to capture a wider image spread over two 35mm film frames, giving VistaVision twice the resolution of regular 35mm film.  In addition, Paramount spent well over 150 hours doing new color work and clean-up on the scan.  The move to Dolby Vision created the opportunity to further improve the look of the film:  blacks are enhanced and improvements were made to smooth out special effects mattes to create the most vibrant and pristine image possible.”

The 4K release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will include the Blu-ray Disc counterpart and a digital code (copy) of the film. UPDATE: you can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at Amazon as well as at retailer Target. The bonus materials set to be included on the 4K release are detailed below.

4K Ultra HD Disc

  • 1956 feature film in 4K Ultra HD
  • Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”

Blu-ray Disc™ #1

  • 1956 feature film in high definition (Part 1)
  • Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”

Blu-ray Disc™ #2

  • 1956 feature film in high definition (Part 2)
  • Commentary by Katherine Orrison, author of “Written in Stone: Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic The Ten Commandments”
  • Newsreel footage of the film’s New York premiere
  • Theatrical trailers, including at 10-minute “making of” trailer

Further below, after the break, you can find the full announcement regarding the upcoming 4K UHD Blu-ray release of this classic film.

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