THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER (John Gilling, 1962)
THE SCARLET BLADE (John Gilling, 1963)
THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR (John Gilling, 1965)
Release date: 30 March 2020 (OOP date: 18 March 2024)
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (UK and World premieres on Blu-ray)
Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit collects four films from the early sixties which found Hammer Films looking beyond the horror genre for its next box-office success. Visa to Canton (1961, released in the US as Passport to China) is a torn-from-the-headlines spy thriller; The Pirates of Blood River (1962), starring Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) and Christopher Lee (The Face of Fu Manchu), is a swashbuckling adventure; The Scarlet Blade (1963, released in the US as The Crimson Blade) is an English Civil War-set actioner which follows the fortunes of Cromwell’s Roundheads; and The Brigand of Kandahar (1965) takes Hammer to the North-West Frontier for an action-adventure starring Ronald Lewis (Taste of Fear) and Oliver Reed (The System). All four films are presented for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, while Visa to Canton, The Scarlet Blade and The Brigand of Kandahar make their world Blu-ray premieres. This collection is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:
VISA TO CANTON
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Two presentations of the film: Visa to Canton, with the original UK title sequence, and Passport to China, with the alternative US titles
- New audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films and Television
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Hammer’s Women: Lisa Gastoni (2020, 15 mins): profile of the Visa to Canton star by critic and writer Virginie Sélavy
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Ticket to Ride (2020, 18 mins): film historian Vic Pratt explores the film’s themes, characteristics and production history
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Bond Before Bond (2020, 15 mins): appreciation of Edwin Astley’s score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Original UK theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an account of the RB-47 affair which mirrored events in Visa to Canton’s storyline, selected excerpts from the original Hammer publicity manual, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, art director Don Mingaye, and Hammer historian Marcus Hearn (2008)
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Hammer’s Women: Marla Landi (2020, 12 mins): profile of The Pirates of Blood River actor by writer and film historian Kat Ellinger
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Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Pirates of Blood River’ (2020, 12 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
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Andrew Keir at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1993, 21 mins): archival video recording of the acclaimed actor in conversation with Stephen Laws
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Did I Write That? (2020, 43 mins): Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic, provides a personal account of the career of screenwriter Jimmy Sangster
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Motifs of the Cheerful Heart (2020, 9 mins): appreciation of Gary Hughes’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
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Yes, We Have No Piranhas (2020, 11 mins): video essay on the censorship history of The Pirates of Blood River
- Original theatrical trailer
- Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013, 3 mins): short critical appreciation
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Lindsay Hallam, Jimmy Sangster on The Pirates of Blood River, a selection of promotional materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
THE SCARLET BLADE
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Two presentations of the film: The Scarlet Blade, with the original UK title sequence, and The Crimson Blade, with the alternative US titles
- New audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films and Television
-
Hammer’s Women: June Thorburn (2020, 19 mins): profile of The Scarlet Blade actor by film historian Josephine Botting
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Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Scarlet Blade’ (2020, 7 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
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Doing Battle (2020, 8 mins): second assistant director Hugh Harlow and continuity supervisor Pauline Wise discuss the challenges of making the film
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Almost an Auteur (2020, 28 mins): horror author and critic Kim Newman looks at the career of director John Gilling and considers the films he made for Hammer
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Appropriately Military (2020, 12 mins): appreciation of Gary Hughes’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Original US theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, Jeff Billington on the 1960s film career of Oliver Reed, a selection of extracts from the Hammer publicity manual, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historian Vic Pratt (2020)
-
Hammer’s Women: Yvonne Romain (2020, 8 mins): profile of The Brigand of Kandahar actor by film historian Melanie Williams
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Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Brigand of Kandahar’ (2020, 9 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
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Adventures in Filmmaking (2020, 20 mins): writer and historian Neil Sinyard examines the career and reputation of writer-director John Gilling
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Afghan Ostinati (2020, 13 mins): appreciation of Don Banks’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Naman Ramachandran, an extensive selection of items from the original Hammer publicity manual and pressbooks, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition box set of 6,000 individually numbered units
#PHILTD183
BBFC cert: 12
REGION B
EAN: 5060697920383
