Tag Archives: John Sturges

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)

1959 film Last Train from Gun Hill on Blu-ray in June

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The classic 1959 western “Last Train from Gun Hill” is coming to Blu-ray Disc on June 15th via Paramount Presents. The film, which will be spine number 18 in the series, was directed by John Sturges and was shot in the VistaVision cinematographic process. The movie starred Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Carolyn Jones, Earl Holliman, and Brad Dexter. The tech specs for the release have yet to be fully detailed but it is known that this has received a new 6K scan and been remastered by the studio (Paramount), as stated below.

“… remastered by Paramount Pictures from a 6K film transfer of the original VistaVision negative.”

Stay tuned for an update regarding the full tech specs, which should include the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and lossless Mono sound. You can now find the Paramount Presents Blu-ray is listed as available for preorder over at Amazon. The release will come with a digital copy of the film. The bonus materials set to be included on this release, in addition to a physical fold-out poster via the slipcover case, are listed below.

  • Filmmaker Focus: Leonard Maltin on Last Train from Gun Hill — NEW
  • The Last Train From Gun Hill
  • Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
  • The Furies
  • The Black Orchid 

“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