Tag Archives: Steve McQueen

1963 film The Great Escape comes to 4K in January

Amazon Commissions Earned

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)

1971 film Le Mans with Steve McQueen on Blu-ray in June

Amazon Commissions Earned

The 1971 sports racing film “Le Mans” starring Steve McQueen is coming to Blu-ray Disc on June 29th via CBS and Paramount, according to retailers. The film, directed by Lee H. Katzin, co-starred Siegfried RauchElga Andersen, and Ronald Leigh-Hunt. The tech specs and bonus materials for the release have yet to be detailed but stay tuned for a possible update. It is known, via the cover art (pictured above) that the release will come with a digital code (copy) of the film. You can now find the Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon as well as over at retailers Target and Walmart.

The Kid Stays in the Picture comes to Blu-ray in February

– Amazon Commissions Earned –

The 2002 documentary “The Kid Stays in the Picture” is coming to Blu-ray Disc on February 16th, 2021, via KL Studio Classics. The documentary, based on the autobiography by Robert Evans, was directed by Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen, and it features a glimpse into the story of how the Actor turned Producer (Robert Evans) ended up running a major motion picture studio. The story is told via both modern and archival interviews with those such as Eddie Albert, Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo, William Castle, Arthur Hiller, Mia Farrow, Errol Flynn, Peter Bart, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson, Ava Gardner, and the late Robert Evans himself — to just name few. The tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with both 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Stereo lossless sound — likely both in the DTS-HD Master Audio format — on a BD-50 disc. You can find the Blu-ray available to preorder over at Amazon. The bonus materials set to be included on the Blu-ray release are listed below.

  • Audio commentary by Directors Brett Morgan and Nanette Burstein
  • The Truth About Bob:
    • The Film That Saved Hollywood
    • The Kid Speaks
    • On The Red Carpet
    • Up Close With The Kid
    • The Spirit of Life Award
  • The Truth According to Others:
    • Showgirls on Evans
    • The Evans Gag Reel
    • On the Red Carpet
  • Theatrical Trailer

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

the_great_escape_criterion_bluray– Commissions Earned –

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 McQueenJames GarnerRichard 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

Steve McQueen film “Widows” comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray in February

widows_4k

The 2018 Steve McQueen directed film “Widows” is slated for release on both 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc formats February 5th, 2018 via Fox The film’s cast includes Viola DavisMichelle RodriguezElizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Jon Bernthal, Robert Duvall, and Liam Neeson. This film has received mostly positive reviews from critics. In fact, Widows is currently “Certified Fresh” (at time of writing) over at Rotten Tomatoes.

Tech specs for the 4K include 2160p video presented in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos sound. The technical specifications for the Blu-ray release include 1080p video in the 2.39:1 aspect and Dolby Atmos sound. Each version will come in the form of a “comb pack” with the 4K release getting a Blu-ray, and the Blu-ray getting a DVD, with both include a Digital Copy of the film. You can pre-order either the 4K UHD Blu-ray or Blu-ray of the film over at Amazon. Bonus materials set to be include on both releases are listed below.

  • Widows Unmasked: A Chicago Story
    • Plotting The Heist: The Story
    • Assembling The Crew: Production
    • The Scene Of The Crime: Locations
  • Gallery

Further below, after the break, you can find the official announcement for the upcoming releases of this film.

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