MADAME CLAUDE – BLU-RAY/DVD EXCLUSIVE – NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER FROM CULT EPICS!

Friday 18th December 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Following the worldwide smashes Emmanuelle(1974) and The Story of O (1975), influential French filmmaker Just Jaeckin returned in 1977 with the sensual real-life drama Madame Claude. Starring French New Wave icon Françoise Fabian in the title role along with a sinister Klaus Kinski and the lovely Dayle Haddon, Madame Claude is an incredibly timeless look at one of the most controversial figures in recent French history. Originally released as The French Woman in the United States, Madame Claude is a mesmerizing mixture of elegant eroticism and potent political thriller powered by Jaeckin’s inventive direction and an unforgettable score by legendary French composer Serge Gainsbourg.

Cult Epics is proud to present Madame Claude in a stunning brand new 4k transfer, supervised by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Robert Fraisse, fully loaded with a plethora of new bonus features.

· 4K HD Transfer (from original 35mm negative) supervised by cinematographer Robert Fraisse
· LPCM 2.0 Mono French track
· DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono French track
· Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono English track
· Audio Commentary by Jeremy Richey, author of the upcoming book "Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol"
· 2020 interview with director Just Jaeckin
· Vintage French Theatrical Trailer
· Promotional Gallery
· Cult Epics Trailers
· Dual-layered Disc
· Double-sided Sleeve (Blu-ray Only)

Available for pre-order now on Blu-ray and DVD.

WEB EXCLUSIVE: The first 300 copies ordered directly from Cult Epics come with a Repro Japanese Promo Booklet.

REWINDS 21ST BIRTHDAY

Monday 9th November 2020 - posted by Ulrich

Launched in November 1999, the site has now been operating for 21 years, and we are still going strong. As ownership has changed, the day-to-day operations has stayed the same.

Thanks to all who continue to contribute to make us a valuable resource.

RIP - SITE OWNER SAMUEL SCOTT (1983-2020)

Monday 13th July 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we have to inform you our site owner Samuel Scott suddenly passed at the young age of 36. His passing was far too early and he will be missed.

Sam had a profound love for movies and it showed in his collection and his devotion to keeping this website alive. If you've met Sam in person or through this site you would have met a wonderful human. Sam has been a good friend to a lot of us.

As it stands, we will be keeping DVDcompare going, since this is what Sam would have wanted. For the time being, operations as usual.

Rest in peace Sam, you will be missed dearly.

REWIND ARTICLE: "BEAT BY BEAT - AN APPRECIATION OF BEAT TAKESHI"

Saturday 20th June 2020 - posted by James

Our latest feature is about famed Japanese comedian and filmmaker "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, written by James-Masaki Ryan, which can be read in full here.

Note that a shortened version of the article is also included in the BFI's upcoming Takeshi Kitano Collection Blu-ray boxset, due June 29th.

TRISKEL RECOMMENDS 25 – 31 MAY - PASSION: A BRIAN DE PALMA THRILLER

Wednesday 27th May 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Welcome to the sixth edition of ‘Triskel Recommends’, a weekly series in which we recommend films available to stream online.

With Triskel Arts Centre unable to screen movies as a collective experience and people staying at home in self-isolation, we’ve decided to highlight quality films which we think our patrons would enjoy.

Each week we mix movies to rent and movies which are free to view, international and national cinema, all kinds of genres (shorts, documentaries, experimental, B-movies, foreign language), and links to streaming sites and content that we will curate ourselves.

This week, we are highlighting Passion (2012), the much-maligned Brian De Palma thriller that received its one and only ever Irish theatrical screening at Triskel Arts Centre back in July 2013. De Palma has always been a decisive figure in American cinema, his overtly stylised and cinematic approach to filmmaking (as well as his depictions of violence and sexuality) has confounded many critics and caused much controversy. With Passion, even his most strident supporters have been divided, but those willing to indulge in the unconventional approach to filmmaking and storytelling may find this to be a hidden gem, an intentionally ripe melodrama reminiscent of classic Hollywood pictures from the 1940s and ’50s filtered through De Palma’s unique approach to the subject matter.

Around the time of the Passion screening at Triskel, Chris O'Neill wrote an essay entitled ‘Passion: A Viewers’ Guide’, which was published in the much-missed Experimental Conversations, an online publication run by Cork Film Centre. I have republished that essay below, but please view the film before reading.

Passion is currently available to view on MUBI UK & Ireland, who have very generously given Triskel Cinema members a free 90-day subscription to their services. Cinema members should check their inboxes for the link to take advantage of this offer. Not already a member? Then sign up here. We’re extending our membership so you’ll now get 15 months for just €15.

WIN JAWS 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION 4K UHD FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES!

Wednesday 27th May 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Thanks to our friends at Universal Pictures we have one copy of the new 45th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K UHD edition of Jaws to give away.

In order to enter the draw, you need to follow us on Twitter or Facebook and email us at competition@dvdcompare.net with the subject heading "JAWS45" with your name and mailing address (no P.O. Boxes) for a chance to enter the draw to win. Open to US and Canadian residents only. No DVDcompare staff or family allowed to enter. One entry per person, multiple entries will be deleted. Contest closes on June 8th, 2020.

TRISKEL RECOMMENDS THE EARLY FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER MAY 18-24

Monday 18th May 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

The Triskel Arts Centre in association with Watchmaker Films and Louis Black Productions is making available for online streaming THE EARLY FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER, giving an "insight into the earliest work of the legendary horror film director behind such major classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and Poltergeist (1982)" with Hooper's first feature film Eggshells (1971) and two shorts The Heisters (1964) and Down Friday Street (1966) available for the next seven days.

Available worldwide, the €5.00 rental package includes the films and the following bonus material:
- audio commentary on Eggshells with director Tobe Hooper in conversation with restoration co-producer Louis Black
- an audio recording made in 2018 when Mark Rance of Watchmaker Films (the company behind the restoration of Eggshells) took part in a Q&A following the Irish Premiere of the film at Triskel Arts Centre.

Upon placing your order, you will receive an email with a weblink and passwords to access the films. Although this edition of ‘Triskel Recommends’ ends on Sunday May 24th, the seven day rental access will be valid from the day that you make the purchase even if that extends beyond the 24th.

SEVERIN FILMS AND UMBERTO LENZI GO GIALLO FOR CARROLL BAKER IN JUNE

Monday 4th May 2020 - posted by Eric_Cotenas

Although better known in the United States for his gory cannibal films Cannibal Ferox and Eaten Alive, and his horror films like Ghosthouse, late director Umberto Lenzi actually dabbled in the giallo genre before it was redefined by Dario Argento. Although Lenzi worked near the bottom of the barrel budget-wise (and sometimes talent-wise) in the eighties and nineties, his giallo films were picturesque with irresistible casts doing naughty things against jet-set backdrops to groovy scores, and four of them showcased Carroll Baker in her wild Euro period between the likes of Pretty Baby and The Greatest Story Every Told and her Hollywood return with Ironweed, Star 80.

Orgasmo (1969): In their first startling collaboration, Carroll Baker stars as an American widow who arrives at her late husband’s luxurious Italian estate and surrenders to an orgy of ménages à trois, madness, and murder. Writer/director Umberto Lenzi boldly fills the screen with bourgeois depravity, daring sexuality and unnerving twists for the worldwide hit At The Mountain Of Madness calls “so odd, disturbing and well-made, with that delirious giallo feel that’s like a drug.” Lou Castel (A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL), Colette Descombes (MONIKA) and Tino Carraro (THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS) co-star in this landmark psychosexual thriller – released in the U.S. with extra nudity as PARANOIA and also included here – now scanned from the internegative of Lenzi’s Director’s Cut for the first time on Blu-ray.

BONUS FEATURES
Italian Director's Cut:
• Italian mono with optional English subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Film Critic, Author & Academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
US X Rated Version:
• English mono with optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Mondo-Digital’s Nathaniel Thompson & Troy Howarth, Author of ‘So Deadly So Perverse: 50 Years Of Italian Giallo Films’
• "Giallo Fever" interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• BONUS REMASTERED CD SOUNDTRACK

SO SWEET, SO PERVERSE (1969): Following the international success of ORGASMO, the second Umberto Lenzi/Carroll Baker collaboration is a kinky retelling of DIABOLIQUE featuring lush Paris locations, trippy flashbacks, a swinging score by Riz Ortolani (MONDO CANE, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST) and an all-star EuroCult cast that includes Jean-Louis Trintignant (THE GREAT SILENCE, THE CONFORMIST), Erika Blanc (KILL, BABY…KILL!), Horst Frank (THE CAT O’ NINE TAILS) and Helga Liné (NIGHTMARE CASTLE). Executive produced by Sergio Martino (THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH) from a screenplay by Ernesto Gastaldi (ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK), this “full-blown classic giallo and one of Lenzi’s best” (B-Mania) is now fully restored in a new 2k scan from the original negative.

BONUS FEATURES
• Italian mono with optional English subtitles
• English mono with optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger, Author of ‘All The Colors Of Sergio Martino’
• "Lenzi’s Lenses" Backstage Chat with the Director at The 1999 Nocturno Film Festival Equilateral Triangle: Screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi on Lenzi
• Theatrical Trailers
• Alternate Credit Sequence
• BONUS CD: So Sweet… So Perverse & A Quiet Place To Kill Remastered Soundtracks Plus Bonus Track: Knife Of Ice (Main Title Theme)

A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (1970): In her third collaboration with director Umberto Lenzi, Carroll Baker stars as a glamorous racecar driver entangled in a lurid affair with her ex-husband (Jean Sorel of BELLE DU JOUR and A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN), his wealthy new wife, and a twisted web of lust, murder and deception. Luis Dávila (EAGLES OVER LONDON) co-stars in this 1970 Italian/French/Spanish co-production – released in Italy as PARANOIA, though not to be confused with the 1969 U.S. re-title of ORGASMO – featuring a taut screenplay co-written by Bruno Di Geronimo (WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?) and Marcello Coscia (LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE), plus edgy cinematography by Guglielmo Mancori (WILD BEASTS) with Aristide Massaccesi/Joe D’Amato (ANTHROPOPHAGUS), now scanned from the original camera negative for the first time ever in America.

BONUS FEATURES
• Italian mono with optional English subtitles
• English mono with optional English SDH subtitles
• Audio Commentary with Author & Critic Samm Deighan
• "Sex and Conspiracy" interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
• Alternate Credit Sequence
• Alternate Clothed Scene
• Short Deleted Scene

KNIFE OF ICE (1972): From its opening Edgar Allen Poe quote to the insane climactic twist, this fourth and final collaboration between co-writer/director Umberto Lenzi and Golden Globe winner/Academy Award® nominee Carroll Baker is “something quite unique” (Gore Girl), with Baker as a traumatized mute being stalked through the Spanish countryside by a black-gloved sex maniac who may be a member of a Satanic cult. Evelyn Stewart (THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH), Eduardo Fajardo (NIGHTMARE CITY), George Rigaud (HORROR EXPRESS, EYEBALL) and Silvia Monelli (YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW) co-star in this “offbeat and fascinating giallo thriller” (All Movie), now scanned in 2K from the original negative with all-new Special Features.

BONUS FEATURES
• Italian mono with optional English subtitles
• English mono with optional English SDH subtitles
• "Carroll and Umberto’s Final Stab" interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of ‘Nightmare USA’
• "Until the Silence Screams" interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
• Theatrical Trailer
• Alternate Credit Sequence

Limited to 1,000 copies, the boxed set is available directly from Severin Films on its own or in the The Lenzi/Baker Bundle with a set of four Postcards and a Paranoia (AKA Orgasmo) T-shirt. UPDATE from Severin: “ Big news! We've managed to procure the infamous original SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE 57 page foto-comic and we've created replica copies (translated into English for the first time ever) to give out to EVERY customer that orders the Lenzi/Baker Box Set and Lenzi/Baker Bundle from our webstore.

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