Tag Archives: spaghetti western

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

1964 Sergio Leone film A Fistful of Dollars on 4K May

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The 1964 spaghetti western “A Fistful of Dollars” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 31st via KL Studio Classics.  The film, directed by Sergio Leone, starred Clint Eastwood and Marianne Koch.

In terms of the 4K restoration, the movie has received “over 24 hours of extensive shot-by-shot color grading of the logarithmic restored 4K files provided by L’Immagine Ritrovata” according to Kino Lorber.  Tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation (without HDR) and lossless 5.1 and 2.0 Mono on a BD-100 disc.  The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.  You cannot yet find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon but stay tuned for an update on that.  In the meantime, you can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder directly from Kino Lorber.

The contents of this 2-disc set and bonus materials are listed further below, after the break.

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1966 film Django with Franco Nero on 4K UHD Blu-ray in May

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The 1966 spaghetti western film “Django” starring Franco Nero is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on May 25th via Arrow Video, according to numerous retailers. The Italian film was directed by Sergio Corbucci. The movie has received a 4K scan from the original camera negative and then received a restoration. The tech specs for the 4K release of Django include a 2160p presentation in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range as well as uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM sound — with both English and Italian soundtracks and optional subtitles. There’s currently not a preorder listing for the 4K UHD Blu-ray yet over at Amazon, but there is a placeholder page where you can sign up to be notified (emailed). It’s also worth noting that you can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at online retailers DeepDiscount and DVDDiabolik. The 4K UHD Blu-ray limited edition 2-disc set will include a nice amount of physical extras (pictured below).

Speaking of those physical extras, below you can find a full detailed list of them.

  • Six double-sided collector’s postcards
  • Double-sided fold-out poster
  • 60-page perfect-bound book featuring writing by Howard Hughes and Roberto Curti, and original reviews
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips

The release will also include another Italian (spaghetti western) film starring Franco Nero from 1966, “Texas, Adios” in 1080p HD on a separate Blu-ray Disc from a 2K restoration. Bonus materials set to be included on the 4K and Blu-ray Discs are detailed below.

DISC 1 DJANGO – 4K UHD BLU-RAY

  • Audio commentary by film critic, historian and theorist Stephen Prince
  • Django Never Dies, an interview with star Franco Nero
  • Cannibal of the Wild West, an interview with assistant director Ruggero Deodato
  • Sergio, My Husband, an interview with Sergio Corbucci s wife Nori Corbucci
  • That’s My Life: Part 1, an archival interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti
  • A Rock n Roll Scriptwriter, an archival interview with co-writer Piero Vivarelli
  • A Punch in the Face, an archival interview with stuntman and actor Gilberto Galimberti
  • Discovering Django, an appreciation by spaghetti westerns scholar Austin Fisher
  • An Introduction to Django by Alex Cox, an archival featurette with the acclaimed director
  • Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel archive
  • Original trailers

DISC 2 TEXAS ADIOS – BLU-RAY

  • Audio commentary by spaghetti western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry C. Parke
  • The Sheriff is in Town, an interview with star Franco Nero
  • Jump into the West, an interview with co-star Alberto Dell Acqua
  • That s My Life: Part 2, an archival interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti
  • Hello Texas!, an appreciation by spaghetti western scholar Austin Fisher
  • Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel archive
  • Original trailers