Powerhouse Films

[Rob4]

Just the idea that a rare Mexican horror film from the 30s is available is enough for me. Unfamiliarity will make it a worthwhile watch, before another release of Battle Royale taps me on the shoulder

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rob4

Just the idea that a rare Mexican horror film from the 30s is available is enough for me. Unfamiliarity will make it a worthwhile watch, before another release of Battle Royale taps me on the shoulder

I look forward to your verdict at the end of March then You can be a social media influencer.

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Not the recent film, the Mexican one i meant. I presume Mr. Brooke has seen it. Hopefully he might be able to say a few words about it's atmosphere etc.

Considering that it was Mexico's first horror film ever, it's pretty good - you have to make some allowances for it in a way that you don't with the frankly astonishing The Phantom of the Monastery (which can easily withstand serious comparison with pretty much any mid-1930s genre effort you care to name), but this lengthy review from CineSavant's Glenn Erickson absolutely nails its appeal and importance.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Thank you for that link, Michael. That was the sort of article / review i wanted to read.

Both films sound like must haves for me.

[Michael Brooke]

Final specs for Stanley Long's Adventures:



Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976):



Adventures of a Private Eye (1977):



Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978):

[Michael Brooke]

Final specs for One for the Road:

[Susan Foreman]

What do Powerhouse charge for basic P&P at the moment?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

What do Powerhouse charge for basic P&P at the moment?

£1.50 per film.

Postage is free if you spend £50.

[Susan Foreman]

'Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart' - Pre-order available from Powerhouse Films direct - £49:99

Release date: June 20

• DEAD RECKONING (John Cromwell, 1947)
• KNOCK ON ANY DOOR (Nicholas Ray, 1949)
• TOKYO JOE (Stuart Heisler, 1949)
• SIROCCO (Curtis Bernhardt, 1951)
• THE FAMILY SECRET (Henry Levin, 1951)
• THE HARDER THEY FALL (Mark Robson, 1956)

"Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (4 x UK & 2 x World Blu-ray premieres)

A fifth foray into the film noir output of Columbia Pictures, but, this time, with a twist. Not only does this volume bring together six more gems from the studio’s archives, but it also serves as a showcase for the great Humphrey Bogart.

Having established his stardom in the gangster pictures of the 1930s, Bogart fit easily into the world of film noir, where he was equally at home playing troubled servicemen, slick-talking lawyers, black marketeers, gambling den owners, or hard-up journalists.

Columbia Noir #5: Humphrey Bogart brings together five of the iconic actor’s starring vehicles: John Cromwell’s Dead Reckoning, Nicholas Ray’s Knock on Any Door, Stuart Heisler’s Tokyo Joe, Curtis Bernhardt’s Sirocco, and Mark Robson’s The Harder They Fall, plus Henry Levin’s The Family Secret, a rarity starring Lee J Cobb and John Derek that was produced by Bogart’s Santana Pictures, an outfit that regularly delved into the seedy, shadowy world of noir.

Featuring a stunning 4K restoration of The Harder They Fall, and with Sirocco and The Family Secret appearing on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world, this stunning collection includes newly recorded commentaries and critical appreciations, archival documentaries and short films, and a 120-page book. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units."

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K restoration of The Harder They Fall
• HD presentations of Dead Reckoning, Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe, Sirocco and The Family Secret
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with film scholar and preservationist Alan K Rode on Dead Reckoning (2022)
• Audio commentary with writer and film historian Pamela Hutchinson on Knock on Any Door (2022)
• Audio commentary with writer and film historian Nora Fiore on Tokyo Joe (2022)
• Audio commentary with film historians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson on Sirocco (2022)
• Audio commentary with professor and film scholar Jason A Ney on The Family Secret(2022)
• Audio commentary with critics and writers Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme on The Harder They Fall (2022)
• The South Bank Show: ‘Bogart: Here’s Looking at You, Kid’ (1997): episode of the British arts television series devoted to the iconic actor
• Tony Rayns on ‘Dead Reckoning’ (2022): appreciation by the writer and film programmer
• Geoff Andrew on ‘Knock on Any Door’ (2022): the critic and programmer discusses Bogart and Nicholas Ray
• Bertrand Tavernier on ‘Tokyo Joe’ (2017): archival appreciation by the celebrated filmmaker and critic
• Tom Vincent on Sessue Hayakawa (2022): the film archivist looks at the career and stardom of the Tokyo Joe actor from the silent film era through to his Oscar-nominated role in The Bridge on the River Kwai
• Christina Newland on ‘The Harder They Fall’ (2022): the critic and writer talks Bogart, boxing and Budd Schulberg
• Bertrand Tavernier on ‘The Harder They Fall’ (2017): archival appreciation by the celebrated filmmaker and critic
• The Negro Soldier (1944): WWII documentary film intended as a recruitment drive for African American enlistees, directed by Stuart Heisler and now preserved by the National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance
• Jim Pines on ‘The Negro Soldier’ (2010): audio presentation by the author and lecturer, recorded following a screening of the film at London’s BFI Southbank
• The Negro Sailor (1945): documentary short film, inspired by the success of The Negro Soldier, directed by Henry Levin
• Watchtower Over Tomorrow (1945): documentary short film about the formation of the United Nations, directed by John Cromwell
• Tuesday in November (1945): documentary short on the US presidential campaign of 1944, on which Nicholas Ray served as assistant director
• That Justice Be Done (1945): documentary short on the Nuremberg Trials, written by Budd Schulberg
• The Big Moment (1954): short film produced by the United Jewish Appeal starring Knock on Any Door and The Family Secret actor John Derek
• Max Baer on Super 8: home cinema presentations of boxing matches featuring the prize fighter who acted in The Harder They Fall, including his famous bout with Primo Carnera that he would recreate in the film
• Theatrical trailer for Knock on Any Door
• Image galleries: publicity and promotional materials
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Imogen Sara Smith, extensive archival articles and interviews, new writing on the various short films, and film credits
• World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units

[Susan Foreman]

'Pastor Hall' (1940) - Pre-order available from Powerhouse Films direct - £15:99

Release date: June 20

"Limited Edition Blu-ray

When the quiet German village of Altdorf is taken over by an SS platoon which proceeds to enforce Hitler's ideals upon its inhabitants, a kindly pastor questions the agenda of ‘The New Order’ while members of his parish turn a blind eye to the insidious indoctrination. Before long, he is punished for his vocal opposition and is sent to Dachau, where, despite the abuse and brutality which he suffers, he refuses to give in to the madness and inhumanity of National Socialism.

Adapted from Ernst Toller’s 1939 play of the same name, and based on the true story of Protestant minister Martin Niemöller, Pastor Hall is the impressive third feature from the Boulting brothers (Brighton Rock). Starring Wilfrid Lawson (Pygmalion) as the iconic pastor, and Nova Pilbeam (Young and Innocent) as his formidable daughter, the film was one of the first anti-Nazi dramas ever made and had its original production delayed by British censors who were not yet ready to be openly critical of Hitler's regime.

A bold and stirring tribute to the universal power of faith, courage and personal conviction, Pastor Hall has been newly restored from 4K scans of the nitrate duplicate negative by Powerhouse Films and is finally available on Blu-ray for the first time in the world."

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• New restoration from a 4K scan of the nitrate duplicate negative by Powerhouse Films
• Original mono audio
• Matthew D Hockenos on Martin Niemöller (2022): the author of Then They Came for Me: Martin Niemöller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis discusses the life and legacy of the German pastor
• Richard Falcon on ‘Pastor Hall’ (2022): the ex-BBFC examiner discusses the film’s history with the British Board of Film Censors
• Newsreel footage (1946): extract from Welt in Film featuring Niemöller speaking about post-war German guilt
• The Dawn Guard (1941): short film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Pastor Hall actors Percy Walsh and Bernard Miles as members of the Home Guard
• Minefield! (1944): documentary short film produced by Roy Boulting for the Army Film Unit
• New and improved subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Fiona Kelly, archival articles, new writing on the short films, and film credits
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 4,000 copies for the UK and US