DVDBeaver Newsletter for the Week of December 20th, 2021
http://www.dvdbeaver.com

THIS WEEK RELEASES include Shawscope lands in UK, amazing Lionel Jeffries,  Atom Egoyan Blu-ray Box, Irish Folklore cartoons, Giallo collection #2, Vampire Lovers, Olivia stuck in an elevator, Tony Soprano's boyhood adventures, Sherlock Vault, "No, Mr. Bond...", Tailor Soldier, Dinosaurs, Humanoids, Vampires, Zombie Cops...
THIS WEEK's CALENDAR UPDATES - (new): More Orson Welles in 4K UHD, British Film Noir, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder's Marilyn in 4K UHD, re-issue Cold War Creatures, Douglas Sirk doubles, Bert I. Gordon giants, Sergio Martino, more Argento in 4K UHD, Tony Richardson, Francis Ford Coppola, early horror classic drawn from Mexico's rich tradition of folklore, Paul Verhoeven in 4K UHD, Japanese Gumshoe homage, Martin Scorsese, Branagh's Frankenstein in 4K UHD...
THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS: Powell-Pressburger brilliance in 4KUHD!,  Hungarian Masters cinephilia, Altman Neo-Noir masterwork, Baker St. sleuth's early adaptations....

PLEASE Join or 2021 Year End Poll! (one day left!)
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/2021_ballot.htm
Criterion up to 50% OFF:

https://amzn.to/3o1DfxO
Enjoy,

Gary

RELEASES the WEEK of December 20th, 2021 (Recommended titles have "**")

**The Amazing Mr. Blunden** [Blu-ray] (Lionel Jeffries, 1972) RB UK Second Sight Films
UK: https://amzn.to/2ZSoowr
COMMENTS: The mysterious but kindly solicitor, Mr Blunden, visits Mrs Allen and her young children, offering her the position of caretaker at a derelict country mansion. More surprises are in store when the children encounter the ghosts of two former young residents and find themselves transported back in time to help their new friends right a 100-year-old wrong.

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**The Atom Egoyan Collection** [Blu-ray] NEXT OF KIN (1984), FAMILY VIEWING (1988), SPEAKING PARTS (1989), THE ADJUSTER (1991), CALENDAR (1993), EXOTICA (1994), and THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997) RB UK Artificial Eye
UK: https://amzn.to/31ATppq
COMMENTS: Smart, sharp, witty and always devilishly unpredictable, the multi-layered films of Canadian-Armenian director Atom Egoyan have shown him to be one of the world’s most enticing and engrossing post-modern auteurs.

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**Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy** [Blu-ray] - RB UK StudioCanal
UK: https://amzn.to/3HhqfvH
COMMENTS: Magic, fantasy and Celtic mythology come to life in Cartoon Saloon’s celebrated Irish Folklore Trilogy, featuring three Academy Award-nominated modern animated classics. The studio’s first film, The Secret of Kells, which beautifully tells the tale of a young monk whose life is changed forever when he learns the secrets of the Book of Kells. Followed by the breathtakingly gorgeous Song of the Sea, which recounts the adventure of a mythical seal-child and her brother on a quest to find home. Finally the triumphant Wolfwalkers delves into the friendship between a young huntress and a free-spirited wolf-girl.

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Galaxy of the Dinosaurs [Blu-ray] (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992) Tempe Video
US: https://amzn.to/2ZTUcBf
COMMENTS: Shot over three and half days in February, 1992 for under $1,500, “Galaxy of the Dinosaurs” keeps tongue firmly in cheek as producer J.R. Bookwalter (“The Dead Next Door”) brazenly intercuts 35mm stock footage from the 1977 movie “Planet of the Dinosaurs” into this camcorder quickie shot in the woods behind his father’s Mogadore, Ohio house. The results are as outrageous as you might expect, one of several reasons the original VHS release remains a coveted collector’s item nearly three decades later. Stopping for a brief lunch break on the planet Gurgon (which looks remarkably like Earth), five innocent Zyroxans (who look remarkably like humans) encounter chaos and terror when a race of ferocious dinosaurs become hell-bent on turning their intergalactic field trip into a full-fledged fright fest! Remastered from original Super-VHS-C camera masters with additional 2020 restoration work, “Galaxy of the Dinosaurs” roars onto Blu-ray together with never-before-seen bonus materials from the Tempe vaults, three audio commentaries, and original 1992 home video presentation captured from the archival edit master.

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**Giallo Essentials Collection Vol. 2** [Blu-ray] What Have They Done to Your Daughters? / Torso / Strip Nude for Your Killer- Arrow US 
US: https://amzn.to/3jRrqYA
CAN: https://amzn.to/3GTQg3h
BEAVER REVIEWs:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_74/what_have_they_done_to_your_daughters_blu-ray.htm

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_79/torso_blu-ray.htm

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews56/strip_nude_for_your_killer_blu-ray.htm

COMMENTS: Arrow Video continues its exploration of Italian cult cinema with this second volume of Giallo Essentials, bringing together three more suspense-filled exemplars of the genre! Featuring grisly murders, amateur sleuths and motorcycle-riding maniacs, these iconic gialli are restored in 2K from their original negatives and are presented alongside a raft of juicy extras!
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Humanoids from Atlantis [Blu-ray] (J.R. Bookwalter, 1992) Tempe Video
US: https://amzn.to/31xanF6
COMMENTS: Faced with a prolonged bitter Ohio winter in March, 1992 and a distributor release date just weeks away, producer J.R. Bookwalter (“The Dead Next Door”) had no choice but to toss out the majority of his “Humanoids From Atlantis” screenplay and have the cast and crew make it up as they went along. The result is a complete cinematic abomination that has to be seen to be believed, but strangely compelling in a meta kind of way.

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Kingdom of the Vampire [Blu-ray] (J.R. Bookwalter, 1991) Tempe Video
US: https://amzn.to/2ZScfHR
COMMENTS: Inspired by ‘60s soap opera “Dark Shadows” and George A. Romero’s underrated thriller “Martin,” producer/director J.R. Bookwalter (“The Dead Next Door”) ushered shot-on-video features into the mainstream with his 1991 horror-drama “Kingdom of the Vampire.” The gloomy tale was far from a financial or critical smash, but paved the way for a tsunami of weird, wild camcorder movies throughout the ‘90s, decades before Hollywood abandoned film for digital cinema.

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**Lady in a Cage** [Blu-ray] (Walter Grauman, 1964) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3jMNm7e
COMMENTS: A suspenseful shocker, Lady in a Cage tells of ten terrifying hours in the life of a beautiful widow (Olivia de Havilland) who is accidentally trapped in her home elevator during a power failure. Her well-oriented world is destroyed as the elevator, nine feet from the floor, becomes a torture chamber - a cage. Unable to escape, her situation becomes desperate when the emergency alarm attracts a drunken derelict and his boozy prostitute friend, both bent on robbery. James Caan projects his raw power as one of the hoodlums who embarks on an orgy of wanton vandalism and sadistic brutality that ends in murder.

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The Many Saints of Newark [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Alan Taylor, 2021) Warner
US: https://amzn.to/3wVQCTn
UK: https://amzn.to/3J3fQ7D
COMMENTS: Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark's history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters start to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, whose influence over his nephew will help shape the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss Tony Soprano.

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No Time to Die [4K UHD Blu-ray] (Cary Joji Fukunaga, 2021) Universal
US: https://amzn.to/3xV24Pt
CAN: https://amzn.to/3e4DvGC 
UK: https://amzn.to/3HiZwyW
COMMENTS: Daniel Craig returns one last time as James Bond, starring alongside OSCAR* winner* Rami Malek in No Time To Die. Bond has lett active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. 

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**No Way to Treat a Lady** [Blu-ray] (Jack Smight, 1968) Shout! Factory
US: https://amzn.to/3vXuKX7
CAN: https://amzn.to/3e542n5
COMMENTS: Suspense master William Goldman (Marathon Man) wrote the novel from which this bizarre black comedy was adapted. It's the extraordinary account of a plumber who kills a dowdy matron, a priest who kills a dowdy matron, and a policeman who kills a dowdy matron. Actually, they are all the same man, a psychotic master of disguise brilliantly played by versatile Rod Steiger (In The Heat Of The Night). The killer also gets his kicks phoning in clues to detective Morris Brummel (George Segal, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre). All of New York trembles as a sixth strangling is reported in the papers. And the man with the makeup kit stalks another victim ... the detective's girlfriend (Lee Remick, The Omen). Suspenseful and macabre, No Way To Treat A Lady is the ultimate game of cat and mouse.

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**One Night in Miami... **[Blu-ray] (Regina King, 2020) Criterion UK
UK: https://amzn.to/3jQpM9R
Already out in:

US: https://amzn.to/3sk6K0k
CAN: https://amzn.to/3edqxGt
COMMENTS: February 25, 1964: Four legendary figures, one motel room, and a defining moment in the history of American civil rights. Adapted by Kemp Powers from his acclaimed play, the feature directorial debut of Academy Award–winning actor Regina King puts viewers in a room with four icons at the forefront of Black American culture as they carouse, clash, bare their souls, and grapple with their places within the sweeping change of the civil rights movement. February 25, 1964, has gone down in history as the day that the brash young boxer Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) defeated Sonny Liston, but what happened after the fight was perhaps even more incredible: Ali, civil rights leader Malcolm X, NFL great Jim Brown, and “King of Soul” Sam Cooke all came together at a Miami motel. Electric with big ideas and activist spirit, One Night in Miami . . . plunges us into the midst of an intimate, ongoing conversation—and a defining moment in American history.

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**Shawscope Volume 1 Limited Edition** [8 Blu-ray + 2 CDs] @ArrowFilmsVideo
UK: https://amzn.to/3pGE8eU
US: https://amzn.to/3pIjScP
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/shawscope-volume-59758847
OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_158/shawscope_volume_one_blu-ray.htm
(King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho)

COMMENTS: Arrow's Shawscope Volume 1 is probably going to win Blu-ray boxset of the year - certainly be high in the voting. Aside from the comical-production of 1977's The Mighty Peking Man, these are all fabulous Wuxia films filled with simple, noble heroes - often embracing extraordinary talents - and scowling evil, contemptuous, villains. Crippled Avengers may be the standout but they are all thoroughly enjoyable. These Shaw Brothers gems in the Arrow boxset are a pure joy. Truly, most fans don't require my endorsement only to tell the package completely exceeded by expectations in all areas. Our highest recommendation! We can't wait for Volume 2 and more!
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"The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection" Blu-ray - Arthur Wontner @FilmDetective
US: https://amzn.to/324gC3B
CAN: https://amzn.to/33CqUbR
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/sherlock-holmes-60037362
OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_158/sherlock_holmes_vault_collection_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: The character of Sherlock Holmes is to date the character most often portrayed on screen. According to Guinness, per 1988, he had appeared in 193 films (today its well over 200.) Film Detective's Blu-ray boxset "The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection" will have the most appeal to Homesian completists. I don't mind Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming as 'Holmes and Watson' plus it was wonderful to see Anna May Wong in 1933's "A Study in Scarlet". Vintage film fans may also be keen. I don't think these escalate to the later Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes entries but they do have the character's charming idiosyncrasies and nemesis Professor Moriarty making three appearances. There is value here. Enjoy. 

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**Time of the Wolf** [Blu-ray] (Michael Haneke, 2003) Strand Home Video
US: https://amzn.to/3FffsAE
COMMENTS: Following a global cataclysm, Anne (Academy Award Nominee Isabelle Huppert) and her family set out for a safe haven at their holiday home. But, when they arrive, the home is already occupied by other survivors. Their hopes for safety are immediately dashed by a violent tragedy, which serves as a lesson to take nothing for granted and expect the worst in this new, harsh landscape. Accompanied by a fierce young boy (Hakim Taleb), the family eventually reaches a train station with the prospect of escaping.

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**Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [4K UHD Blu-ray]** (Tomas Alfredson, 2011) Studio Canal UK
UK: https://amzn.to/3kuBgjB
COMMENTS: The 2011 BAFTA winning adaptation of John Le Carre's classic novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is now available in stunning 4K with newly commissioned artwork. George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a recently retired MI6 agent, does his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the service, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects - all experienced, skilled and successful agents - but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.

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**The Vampire Lovers** [Blu-ray] (Roy Ward Baker, 1970) Shout! Factory 
US: https://amzn.to/3Cx27Cq
CAN: https://amzn.to/3pagtV5
ALT-BEAVER REVIEW: 

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_59/the_vampire_lovers_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: A diabolical female vampire ravages the young girls and other townsfolk of a peaceful hamlet in eighteenth century Europe in revenge for the killing of her fellow vampires years earlier. A rousing hunt for the vampiress ensues as a group of men follow her bloody trail of terror through the countryside. Adapted from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, this "rather erotic Hammer chiller" (Leonard Maltin) stars Ingrid Pitt (Countess Dracula), Madeline Smith (Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell) and Peter Cushing (Horror Of Dracula, The Curse Of Frankenstein).

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Virgin Witch [Blu-ray] (Ray Austin, 1972) RB UK Black House Films
UK: https://amzn.to/3pkVhdO
COMMENTS: When two lovely hitchhikers model at a creepy old English manor house, they find themselves trapped by a witches coven devoted to orgiastic sex, lesbian excess and bloody sacrifice! Once rejected outright by the British censors, Virgin Witch stars the lovely Vicki Michele - Allo Allo!).

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Zombie Cop [Blu-ray] (J.R. Bookwalter, 1991) Tempe Video
US: https://amzn.to/325QAxc
COMMENTS: One Hollywood stunt rarely attempted in shot-on-video movies is the car chase, yet “Zombie Cop” spends a big chunk of its short running time attempting just such a feat, with mixed results. Voodoo rituals, fight scenes, questionable police procedure, and ample gunplay with actors using real weapons firing blanks also contribute to making this one of the most gonzo horror/action hybrids ever made.

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LATEST CALENDAR UPDATES:

January 24th, 2022

**British Film Noir** - Dancing with Crime (John Paddy Carstairs, 1947) / The Green Cockatoo (William Cameron Menzies, 1937) Cohen
https://amzn.to/33AC0xT
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January 31st, 2022

The Great Moment (Preston Sturges, 1944) Kino
https://amzn.to/3IUdN5Q
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February 7th, 2022

Don't Go in the House (Joseph Ellison, 1979) RB UK Arrow 
https://amzn.to/3GWfn5l

**Repeat Performance** (Alfred L. Werker, 1947) Flicker Alley
https://amzn.to/30HKtOQ

**Some Like It Hot 4K Ultra HD** (Billy Wilder, 1959) Kino
https://amzn.to/322Q0Aj
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February 14th, 2022

**Touch of Evil 4K Ultra HD** (Orson Welles, 1958) Kino
https://amzn.to/3e7cLVT

**Touch of Evil** Blu-ray (Orson Welles, 1958) Kino
https://amzn.to/3p7cXLa
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare2/touchofevil.htm
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February 21st, 2022

**Douglas Sirk Double Feature** - The Girl From the Marsh Croft (1935) / The Final Chord (1936) - Kino
https://amzn.to/3FaTDlU

**Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 4K Ultra HD** (Tomas Alfredson, 2011) Kino
https://amzn.to/3e7mvzI

Village of the Giants (Bert I. Gordon, 1965) Kino
https://amzn.to/3q7U7D9
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March 7th, 2021

The Island of the Fishmen (Sergio Martino, 1979) Full Moon Features
https://amzn.to/3F9C9pT

Monster from Green Hell (Kenneth G. Crane, 1957) Film Detective
https://amzn.to/3IXUJ6O

**Phenomena 4K Ultra HD** (Dario Argento, 1985) Synapse Films
https://amzn.to/3F98xcn
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March 21st, 2022

**The Border** (Tony Richardson, 1982) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3GZGFIm
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_review_81/the_border_blu-ray.htm

**Gardens of Stone** (Francis Ford Coppola, 1987) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3p8Xfz6
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_60/gardens_of_stone_blu-ray.htm

**La llorona** (Ramón Peón, 1933) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3qaDEhp

**Mad Dog Morgan** (Philippe Mora, 1976) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3FaLcHa

Odd Couple (Chia-Yung Liu, 1979) RB UK Eureka
https://amzn.to/3E9anZy

**The Phantom of the Monastery** (Fernando de Fuentes, 1934) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3yKeiLk

**RoboCop 4K UHD** (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3yGcUsY

**A Time for Dying** (Budd Boetticher, 1969) Indicator UK
https://amzn.to/3FeOWHC

**To Sleep So as to Dream** (Kaizô Hayashi, 1986) RB UK Arrow
https://amzn.to/3J0gGSP
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March 28th, 2022

Bilitis (David Hamilton, 1977) RB UK Maison Rouge
https://amzn.to/30GUnQN

**The Last Waltz** (Martin Scorsese, 1978) Criterion
https://amzn.to/3EasnTl
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews31/the_last_waltz_blu-ray.htm

**Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 4K UHD** (Kenneth Branagh, 1994) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3p9SiGj

House of Gucci (Ridley Scott, 2021) Universal Pictures UK
https://amzn.to/322Xh37
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February 28th, 2022

**Phenomena 4K UHD** (Dario Argento, 1985) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/31v9bBS

**Phenomena 4K UHD** Arte Originale (Dario Argento, 1985) Arrow UK
https://amzn.to/3EpRKkW
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REVIEWS / COMPARISONS:

**Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye"** Blu-ray - Elliott Gould @KinoLorber
US: https://amzn.to/3295end
CAN: https://amzn.to/33zZ6EN
Kino: https://www.klstudioclassics.com/product/view/id/8772
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/robert-altmans-60068618
OUR COMPARISON:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_60/the_long_goodbye_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Classic Altman Neo-Noir, - a highly intelligent adaptation and deconstructive look at dark cinema mythology. It's a masterpiece and with the Kino Blu-ray 4K look, Tim Lucas commentary and bevy of extras - it gets put in the 'irresistible' category for cinephiles. What an enjoyable package.   

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"The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection" Blu-ray - Arthur Wontner @FilmDetective
US: https://amzn.to/324gC3B
CAN: https://amzn.to/33CqUbR
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/sherlock-holmes-60037362
OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_158/sherlock_holmes_vault_collection_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: The character of Sherlock Holmes is to date the character most often portrayed on screen. According to Guinness, per 1988, he had appeared in 193 films (today its well over 200.) Film Detective's Blu-ray boxset "The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection" will have the most appeal to Homesian completists. I don't mind Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming as 'Holmes and Watson' plus it was wonderful to see Anna May Wong in 1933's "A Study in Scarlet". Vintage film fans may also be keen. I don't think these escalate to the later Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes entries but they do have the character's charming idiosyncrasies and nemesis Professor Moriarty making three appearances. There is value here. Enjoy.  

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**Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's "The Red Shoes" 4K UHD** @Criterion
US: https://amzn.to/3yuj0wl
CAN: https://amzn.to/3s9vOHm
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/michael-powell-59962750
OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_155/the_red_shoes_4K_UHD.htm
COMMENTS: Criterion's 4K UHD release of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Red Shoes is breathtaking in this higher resolution.  Every cinephile HD enthusiast should have in his/her digital library. It is the pinnacle, for a film of this stature and era in 4K UHD. The image is as pristine as one could imagine and the Technicolor is as close to theatrical as fans could have hoped. This will get plenty of votes in our year-end poll, and it, obviously, has our highest recommendation! 

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**Hungarian Masters** Blu-ray Three films by Zoltán Fábri, István Gaál and Miklós Jancsó @SecondRunDVD
UK: https://amzn.to/3ywnWB6
BONUS CAPTURES:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/hungarian-blu-by-59908208
Merry-Go-Round (Körhinta, 1955), Current (Sodrásban, 1963) and Agnus Dei (Égi bárány, 1970)

OUR REVIEW:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_158/hungarian_masters_blu-ray.htm
COMMENTS: Second Run's 'Hungarian Masters' is an absolute gem. I loved 1955's Merry-Go-Round (Körhinta), and especially István Gaál's poetic 1963 Current (Sodrásban) while Agnus Dei (Égi bárány) from 1970 reminded me of Jancsó's The Red and the White - a brutal documentation of war with deep political allegories that will always be relevant. Second Run's Blu-ray package should be very notable in our year-end poll as one of the top boxsets released in 2021. These are masterwork films and it gets our highest recommendation! 

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