Commissions Earned
“Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1” will be released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 20th via Shout Select (Shout! Studios). This release will include a total of six films in a 12-disc set.
The release will come as a “combo pack” with each 4K receiving its Blu-ray Disc counterpart. All of the films have received new 4K scans and restorations. The tech specs on the 4K release feature a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio for each film. They include Dolby Vision (or HDR10) and DTS-HD Master Audio Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray versions include a 1080p HD video presentation in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio for each film and DTS-HD Master Audio Mono.
UPDATED: The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for preorder at Amazon. You can preorder directly via the ShoutFactory.com website and get a bonus poster. The six films included and their tech specs and bonus materials are listed below.
Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1 | Synopsis
From the drive-in to 4K and Blu-ray, the heavy-duty action of the ’70s subgenre known as “Blaxploitation” has thrilled and captivated audiences for decades. Shout! Select is proud to present an explosive six-film collection of some of the coolest movies to ever hit the streets. Featuring genre legends Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Isaac Hayes, and Yaphet Kotto, these tough-as-nails and unbelievably hip classics of the subgenre — presented here on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra High Definition — are a tremendous entry point into the world of Blaxploitation for newcomers as well as must-haves for discerning fans of genre cinema.
“Across 110th Street” (1972)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 101 min.
If you steal $300,000 from the mob, it’s not robbery … it’s suicide. Anthony Quinn (Zorba The Greek) and Yaphet Kotto (Alien) lead a double-barreled cop thriller with style and violence to spare in Barry Shear’s Across 110th Street. When a crowd of gun-toting gangsters take on the Mafia, the bullets start flying … and cops start dying. In order to bring justice to the streets, two of New York’s finest (Quinn and Kotto) are forced to team up in an unlikely pairing. With the gangsters, the mob, and The Man involved in a three-way dance, one thing’s for sure – the only guaranteed way Across 110th Street … is in a body bag.
DISC 1 – Across 110th Street on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
DISC 2 – Across 110th Street on Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- NEW It’s Where The Action Is The Blaxploitation Films Of A.I.P., Part One – An In-Depth Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Film Critic And Author Odie Henderson, Film Producer and Son Of AIP Film Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff – Lou Arkoff, Afrocentric Film Scholar Dr. Michelle B. Taylor, Author And Film Historian Chris Poggiali, Film Historian Nathaniel Thompson, “Coffy” Director Jack Hill, And Post-Production Supervisor at AIP James L. Honore
- Trailer
“Black Caesar” (1973)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 95min.
Hail Caesar! Godfather of Harlem … the cat with the .45-caliber claws! Fred Williamson stars in his signature role of Tommy Gibbs in the action classic Black Caesar! Growing up on the streets and trying to make his mother proud, Gibbs resorts to running “errands” for The Man. But when a crooked cop beats him up, Tommy realizes there’s a better way to live his American dream: by making The Man deliver for him! Infiltrating – and then destroying – an infamous mob family, Gibbs takes over Manhattan … and tragically loses his hold on the most important things in his life, making him vulnerable to every cutthroat gangster who ever dreamt of ruling an empire! With Williamson’s powerhouse performance and gritty direction by cult movie legend Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, Original Gangstas), it’s little wonder that Black Caesar stands tall among the best the Blaxploitation genre has to offer.
DISC 3 – Black Caesar on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
DISC 4 – Black Caesar on Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
- Trailer
“Hell Up in Harlem” (1973)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 95min.
He may never get to Heaven — but he’s raising Hell Up In Harlem. The Black Godfather, Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson) is back in this explosive sequel to Black Caesar! When Gibbs steals a ledger with the name of every crooked cop and politician on the mob’s payroll, he becomes the most wanted man in the city. Enlisting the aid of his father and an army of Harlem hoods, Gibbs goes from defense to offense, launching a deadly attack on his enemies that sets off a violent chain reaction from Harlem all the way to the Caribbean, climaxing in one of the most mayhem-filled turf war battles in history.
DISC 5 – Hell Up In Harlem on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
DISC 6 – Hell Up In Harlem on Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
- Trailer
“Coffy” (1973)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 90 min.
They call her Coffy – and she’ll cream ya! The great Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) is a one-woman instrument of justice in the no-holds-barred revenge thriller Coffy. A nurse by day and avenging angel by night, Coffy (Grier) turns up the heat when she discovers that her little sister has been doped up by a greedy drug pusher. Vowing to not only put the pusher down for good but also to follow his trail of corruption up to the top – the very top – Coffy is unaware that all is not what it seems … and that the pipeline of drugs just may lead to someone she knows! Directed by Jack Hill (Foxy Brown, Switchblade Sisters) and featuring Sid Haig (House Of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects), Coffy is a thrilling action flick and a showcase for the unique talents of Pam Grier.
DISC 7 – Coffy on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jack Hill
DISC 8 – Coffy on Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Interview With Director Jack Hill
- Interview With Actor Pam Grier
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jack Hill
- Trailer
“Sheba, Baby” (1975)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 90 min.
Pam Grier (Foxy Brown) is hotter than dynamite and just as deadly in this hard-hitting thriller that leaps from one death-defying scene to the next. Sheba Shayne (Grier) is a private eye summoned to her old stomping grounds to help her father keep the mob from moving in on his business. But she gets too close to the fire, narrowly escaping the blast of a car bomb. Gunning for justice, Sheba vows to take revenge. Packing a .44 Magnum, a machine gun, and a few extra surprises to blow the bad guys away, Sheba leaves a blazing trail of blood in her wake, putting the mob on the defensive … until she’s lured into a plot that could flatten her curves once and for all.
DISC 9 – Sheba, Baby on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon
DISC 10 – Sheba, Baby on Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Interview With Screenwriter David Sheldon
- Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon
- Trailer
“Truck Turner” (1974)
2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen & 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1) / DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 91 min.
He’s a skip tracer, the last of the bounty hunters, living on blood money and borrowed time. Isaac Hayes (Escape From New York, South Park) is Truck Turner – a football star turned bounty hunter who’s tracking a sadistic pimp on the mean streets of Los Angeles. But when a tragic accident changes all the rules, suddenly the hunter finds himself being hunted by the city’s deadliest hired killers! Truck strikes back in a series of wild car chases, shootouts, and bone-crushing fistfights, knowing that the battles can lead to only one place: an intense struggle to the death against the brutal leader of L.A.’s crime syndicate, Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto, Live And Let Die). Featuring an outstanding score by Hayes, riveting performances by Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek) and Scatman Crothers (The Shining), and direction by Jonathan Kaplan (Over The Edge, Unlawful Entry), Truck Turner is an explosive force that can’t be stopped!
DISC 11 – Truck Turner on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Director Jonathan Kaplan
DISC 12 – Truck Turner on 4K UHD Blu-ray
- NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
- Audio Commentary With Director Jonathan Kaplan
- Trailer
