The Arrow Thread

[Susan Foreman]

NEW UK, US & CAN TITLE: 'Cruising' (1980) - Limited Edition 4K UHD Pre-order available from Arrow Films direct - UK$35.00

Release date: February 24

"Legendary director William Friedkin brings together Al Pacino, the 70s New York gay scene and a searing punk-rock soundtrack in this one-of-a-kind serial killer thriller, finally restored to its long-unavailable original theatrical version in 4K.

New York is caught in the grip of a sadistic serial killer who is preying on the patrons of the city's underground gay scene. Young rookie cop Steve Burns (Pacino) is tasked with infiltrating the S&M subculture to try and lure the killer out of the shadows ... but as he immerses himself deeper and deeper into the underworld, Steve risks losing his own identity in the process.

Taking the premise and title from reporter Gerald Walker's novel, Cruising was the subject of great controversy at the time of its release and remains a challenging and remarkable movie to this day, with Pacino's haunted lead performance as its magnetic centrepiece. With hours of brand-new bonus features, including never-before-seen material from the deepest recesses of the studio archives, you've never seen Cruising like this."

2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films
• 120-page perfect-bound collector's book featuring articles from The Village Voice and The New York Times, essays from the film's extras cast, an introduction from William Friedkin, and an archive interview with Al Pacino
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sister Hyde

Special Features:

DISC ONE: FEATURE & EXTRAS (4K UHD)

• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless English mono audio, 2.0 stereo, and 5.1
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Two archive audio commentaries by director William Friedkin, one solo and one moderated by critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode
• Brand new commentary featuring original musicians involved with the soundtrack
• I Want to Be the Curator, a brand-new interview with actress Karen Allen
• Deleted scenes and alternative footage
• On-set audio featuring the club scenes and protest coverage
• Censored material reels
• Theatrical trailer, teasers, and TV spots

DISC TWO: EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• Walking the Line, a brand-new interview with actor, film consultant, and former police detective Randy Jurgensen
• Cut Offs, an interview with editor Bud S. Smith
• Who's That Guy?, an interview with actor Jay Acovone
• Pounding the Beat, an interview with actor Mike Starr
• Boy on the Bus, an interview with actor Mark Zecca
• Mineshaft Memories, an archive interview with Wally Wallace, former manager of the Mineshaft
• Breaking the Codes, a brand-new visual essay surrounding the hanky-codes featuring actor and writer David McGillivray
• Stop the Movie, a short film by Jim Hubbard capturing the Cruising protests
• The History of Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the film's origins and production
• Exorcising Cruising, an archival featurette looking at the controversy surrounding the film and its enduring legacy
• William Friedkin's BeyondFest 2022 Q&A at the American Cinematheque
• Extensive image gallery featuring international promotional material, on-set sketches, and more

4K UHD - No good to me

[gag]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

NEW US TITLE: Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) - Available as a Limited Edition 4K UHD with either a standard cover or an Arrow exclusive original artwork cover

Release date: February 11

"A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole.

On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over - as the knife-wielding maniac strikes again and again, Karen's bereaved parents are forced to confront the possibility that Karen's wayward sister Alice might be the one behind the mask.

Bearing influences from the likes of Hitchcock, the then-booming Italian giallo film and more specifically, Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now, Alice, Sweet Alice is an absolutely essential - if often overlooked - entry in the canon of 1970s American horror."

Special Features:

• Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD presentations of three versions via seamless branching: Communion (original), Alice, Sweet Alice (theatrical) and Holy Terror (re-release)
• Original lossless mono audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with Richard Harland Smith
• Archival audio commentary with co-writer / director Alfred Sole and editor M. Edward Salier
• First Communion: Alfred Sole Remembers Alice, Sweet Alice - director Alfred Sole looks back on his 1976 classic
• Alice on My Mind - a brand new interview with composer Stephen Lawrence
• In the Name of the Father
• brand new interview with actor Niles McMaster
• Sweet Memories: Dante Tomaselli on Alice, Sweet Alice - filmmaker Dante Tomaselli, cousin of Alfred Sole, discusses his longtime connection to the film
• Lost Childhood: The Locations of Alice, Sweet Alice - a tour of the original Alice, Sweet Alice shooting locations hosted by author Michael Gingold
• Deleted scenes
• Split-screen version comparison
• Trailer and TV Spot
• Image gallery, including the original screenplay
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Blyth

Standard Cover

Arrow exclusive original artwork cover

US only. No good to me

Great film but new artwork is just utter bobbins, a lot of artwork nowadays I'm not sure what's worse, the person who does the artwork, or the person that's commissions it and allows it to go through.

[Nordicdusk]

Tempted by Crusing i have the blu ray so im on the fence a little and ill definitely be picking up Alice Sweet Alice i dont own a copy on any format.

[Susan Foreman]

An upcoming release

'Don't Torture a Duckling' (1972) - 4K UHD Coming soon from Arrow Video

"When a southern Italian town is rocked by a string of murders, the police and two urban outcasts search for the culprit amid scapegoating within the superstitious community"

MORE INFO TBA

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

Tempted by Crusing i have the blu ray so im on the fence a little and ill definitely be picking up Alice Sweet Alice i dont own a copy on any format.

If you're a fan of Cruising, the biggest difference with the 4K will be that it's the original theatrical version.

Does it make me a bad person if I say thank goodness William Friedkin is no longer with us, or this release would probably never be happening.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

If you're a fan of Cruising, the biggest difference with the 4K will be that it's the original theatrical version.

Does it make me a bad person if I say thank goodness William Friedkin is no longer with us, or this release would probably never be happening.

Thats a buy then Cheers.

[Justin101]

I have only seen the Arrow Blu, what is the difference to the Theatrical version?

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I have only seen the Arrow Blu, what is the difference to the Theatrical version?

That's why we *NEED* DVD Compare !

From the 'alternate versions' part of IMDB:

• UK cinema and 1987 video versions were cut by 54 secs by the BBFC. The 1997 Maverick Directors video release was cut by 39 seconds to remove subliminal shots of anal sex during the murder scenes (one of which appears in the film though heavily darkened) and to edit a pan shot of a gay bar interior and shots of a knife being traced over a bound victims body. Although the uncut version was shown by Sky TV the film was resubmitted to the BBFC in 2003 for a FilmFour showing and many cuts were restored apart from a 1 sec edit to remove the subliminal shots. For the initial release on UK DVD in 2008 all the cuts were waived.
  
• Friedkin made various alterations to the film for a 2007 DVD release, sometimes dubbed a director's cut, most notably adding a blue hue to the entire run time. The original version began with a studio disclaimer that read: "This film is not intended as an indictment of the homosexual world. It is set in one small segment of that world which is not meant to be representative of the whole." In the 2007 cut this has been removed. Two of the other most noticeable deviations from the original theatrical cut include a blurring effect on Pacino while he's under the influence of drugs. Other small changes mainly affect the run time by seconds, including a short scene where Stuart Richards' roommate talks to two police officers after the arrest.
  
• A 2019 Blu-Ray edition supervised by Friedkin maintains some of the changes of his 2007 version while removing some others. Among the biggest alterations is that the blue hue has mostly been done away with for more natural colors. The blurring effects on Pacino's drug trip have been removed as has some visual effects that were added to the murder in the park. The film's title cards now include two black and white insertions of scenes from the film. Short hardcore subliminal shots in the film have been restored to remove scratches and add color (they were originally either blue or black and white). A bedroom murder scene flashback that was black and white in the 2007 version is now color. Other minor changes that fade some scenes to black or extend cross fades have been added.
  
• The French version contains an extra shot during the opening credits of the film: a wall marked with graffiti depicting homosexuals having sex and holding hands, with an inscription below the drawing saying, "We Are EVERYWHERE!!"
  
• The CBS / FOX video release (now out of print) was the most complete version available. It has about 45 seconds of footage of SM bondage and sex (during the Police Night scene) that has been deleted from the Warner Video release, and two lines of dialogue near the end of the film when detectives are searching the killer's dorm room and mention the killers father has been dead for ten years

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

That's why we *NEED* DVD Compare !

Yeah, it sucks that the site is still down.

[gag]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

Yeah, it sucks that the site is still down.

Indeed it does, not sure what other sites can use so I use moviecencorship.