Eureka Entertainment today announced its Blu-ray release sdlate for October, and it's a varied and rather tasty-looking collection. First up, we have a joy for spaghetti western fans in the shape of The Sabata Trilogy, Gianfranco Parolini’s trio of genre classics built around the eponymous gunslinger. Next is Full Alert, a raw, intense & gritty psychological crime thriller from celebrated Hong Kong director Ringo Lam. Also in October is a second set of early silent features from the legendary film studio, Early Universal Vol. 2. Last but definitely not least, a treat for martial arts fans with a superb-looking box set, Cinematic Vengeance! 8 Kung Fu Classics from Director Joseph Kuo.
THE SABATA TRILOGY | Blu-ray | 18 October 2021 | £29.99
Three iconic spaghetti westerns by director Gianfranco Parolini in one explosive Blu-ray set!
Sabata (1969)
Who he is and where he came from, no one knows. But the leading citizens of the Western town of Daugherty think he knows too much. And they want to silence him; forever. Get ready for the fast-paced, explosive action as Lee Van Cleef (For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) stars as Sabata, a mysterious, steely-eyed gunslinger who imposes his bullet-laced brand of justice on the town.
Adiós Sabata (1970)
Yul Brynner (Westworld, The Magnificent Seven) takes the reins as the title character in this action-packed sequel. Under the brutal rule of local garrison leader Colonel Skimmel, a group of Mexican revolutionaries hire gunslinger Sabata to rob a transport of Austrian gold in order to buy weapons. But Colonel Skimmel has other plans, taking the gold for himself and blaming the revolutionaries, but no scheming colonel is going to keep Sabata from earning his pay!
Return of Sabata (1971)
The great Lee Van Cleef returns as the famous freewheeling gunslinger Sabata. This third and final go-round for the enigmatic sharpshooter who administers a unique brand of justice in the American West in the years following the Civil War finds Sabata in the role of victim. Sabata’s skills as a gambler and thief are unparalleled. However, when a shifty band of desperadoes bilks him out of $5,000, he wants revenge!
BLU-RAY BOX SET FEATURES:
- O-Card Slipcase
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork for each film
- 1080p presentations on Blu-ray from High Definition transfers
- English and Italian audio options
- Optional English SDH Subtitles
- Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by author / critic Kim Newman
- Adiós, Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by filmmaker and historian Mike Siegel
- Return of Sabata – Brand new feature length audio commentary by authors C. Courtney Joyner & Henry Parke
- New video pieces on each film by Austin Fisher, author of Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema
- Trailers
- Stills Galleries
- A Limited Edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Western expert Howard Hughes
FULL ALERT [GO DO GAAI BEI] (1997) | Blu-ray | 18 October 2021 | £16.99
A late career highlight from Ringo Lam, an action-packed tale of cops and robbers presented in the director’s inimitable style.
Perfectionist, workaholic Inspector Pao (Lau Ching-wan, Running Out of Time) finds himself up against Mak Kwan (Francis Ng, The Mission), a seasoned criminal intending to use his explosive skills to pull off a huge heist. Pao must use his own resources to stop Mak and prevent heavy civilian casualties.
With heartstopping car chasrs on the streets of Hong Kong and brilliant performances by the two leads, Full Alert is an intelligent, high velocity action movie considered to be one of director Ringo Lam’s finest works.
BLU-RAY FEATURES:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [2000 copies]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a High Definition transfer from the original film elements
- Original Cantonese audio
- Optional English Subtitles
- Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
- Audio commentary by director Ringo Lam
- Original theatrical trailer
- A LIMITED EDITION collector’s booklet featuring new writing by David West (NEO Magazine) [2000 copies]
* All extras subject to change
EARLY UNIVERSAL VOL 2 (1916-1926) | Blu-ray | 25 October 2021 | £19.99
The Masters of Cinema Series presents three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (dir. Stuart Paton, 1916)
Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad, steampunk submarine, The Nautilus. Incorporating material from Verne’s Mysterious Island, the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail).
The Calgary Stampede (dir. Herbert Blaché, 1925)
Real life rodeo champion Hoot Gibson plays Dan Malloy, an expert rider who wins the big one, the Calgary Stampede. When the father of his new French-Canadian girlfriend (Virginia Browne Faire) turns up dead, Malloy is the only suspect!
What Happened to Jones? (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926)
Reginald Denny plays a wealthy young bachelor on the night before his wedding. He is convinced to attend a poker party which is promptly raided, sending him on the run in a series of increasingly hilarious disguises.
BLU-RAY BOX SET FEATURES:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase [2000 copies]
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from restorations undertaken by Universal Pictures (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and What Happened to Jones? restored in 4K, The Calgary Stampede restored in 2K)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – score by Orlando Perez Rosso
- The Calgary Stampede – score by Chris Tin
- What Happened to Jones? – score by Anthony Willis
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – New video appreciation by author / critic Kim Newman
- The Calgary Stampede – Brand new audio commentary by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney
- What Happened to Jones? – New audio commentary by film historian and writer David Kalat
- A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films included in this set
* All extras subject to change
CINEMATIC VENGEANCE! 8 KUNG FU CLASSICS BY JOSEPH KUO (1974-1979) | Blu-ray | 15 November 2021 | £46.99
Although his name may not be as instantly recognisable as some of his contemporaries, Joseph Kuo was an incredibly successful filmmaker who consistently produced crowd-pleasing spectacles always in line with what audiences at the time wanted to see.
Often handling writing, directing, and producing duties, the success of this multi-hyphenate filmmaker is even more remarkable considering that the majority of his films were produced independently, at a time when the kung-fu genre was dominated by the big Hong Kong studios. Cinematic Vengeance! collects eight of these independent productions, all fully restored and making their worldwide debuts on Blu-ray.*
The films:
- The 7 Grandmasters [Jue quan] (1977)
- Shaolin Kung Fu [Shao Lin gong fu] (1974)
- 18 Bronzemen [Shao Lin Si shi ba tong ren] (1976)
- Return of the 18 Brinzemen [Yong zheng da po shi ba tong ren] (1976)
- The Shaolin Kids [Shao Lin xiao zi] (1977)
- The World of Drunken Master [Jiu xian shi ba die] (1979)
- The Old Master [Shi fu chu ma] (1979)
- The 36 Deadly Styles [Mi quan san shi liu zhao] (1982)
BLU-RAY BOX SET FEATURES:
- 8 Films across four Blu-ray discs, all fully restored and presented in 1080p HD
- Limited Edition Hardbound Case featuring newly commissioned artwork by Darren Wheeling
- Limited Edition 60 page booklet featuring new writing on the films included in the set by James Oliver, illustrated with archival imagery and materials
- Limited Edition set of 8 facsimile lobby cards
- Disc 1 & 2 - Includes The 7 Grandmasters, The 36 Deadly Styles, The World of Drunken Master, and The Old Master
- Disc 1 & 2 - Original Mandarin Soundtracks
- Disc 1 & 2 - Optional English dubbed audio tracks
- Disc 1 & 2 - Optional English subtitles
- Disc 1 & 2 - Brand new Audio commentary tracks from a variety of Hong Kong cinema experts
- Disc 1 & 2 - Trailers
- Discs 3 & 4 - Includes Shaolin Kung Fu, The Shaolin Kids, 18 Bronzemen, and Return of the 18 Bronzemen
- Discs 3 & 4 - Original Mandarin Soundtracks
- Discs 3 & 4 - Optional English dubbed audio tracks
- Discs 3 & 4 - Optional English subtitles
- Discs 3 & 4 - Brand new Audio commentary tracks from a variety of Hong Kong cinema experts
- Discs 3 & 4 - Trailers
*All extras subject to change*
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