FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE, Terence Fisher, director/Hammer

The worldwide impact of Hammer’s cottage industry was remarkable given the modest size of the British studio. Its imaginative (and, for the time, sensational) reinvention of Gothic material, incorporated both nonpareil production design and the cream of the British acting profession; the workings of the studio resulted in a highly efficient, machine-tooled product (which nevertheless allowed striking creativity within commercial parameters, with journeymen directors such as Terence Fisher blossoming into true auteurs). Proof? The studio’s Four Sided Triangle, now appearing from Hammer’s new incarnation in a 4K restored Limited Collector’s Edition. While it may be true that the science fiction genre was not Terence Fisher’s favourite field, there is no question that his sheer professionalism makes everything here work like clockwork. Two young scientists discover the secret of how to duplicate life, with devastating consequences. Cult actress Barbara Payton is the imported star, while the film is co-created and directed by Fisher, Hammer Films’ most celebrated technician. The film has been restored from the original film negatives and this lavish limited collector’s edition 2-disc set has a slew of tempting extras. Hammer have really pushed out the boat on this release.

J-HORROR RISING: SHIKOKU and ISOLA: MULTIPLE PERSONALITY GIRL, etc. various directors/Arrow

Admirers of the increasingly influential J-Horror genre will be tempted by this well curated collection, a brace of films that will have aficionados relishing their striking visual qualities as well as their pulse-raising effect. With malign ghosts wreaking havoc this side of the grave and young women gifted (or cursed) with preternatural powers, these are prime examples of the wave of horror films that appeared in Japan at the turn of the millennium, collectively labelled as J-Horror. Courtesy of Arrow, the films have been remastered from the best available elements and reinforced with a host of new and archival extras, including an illustrated collector’s booklet sporting new essays on the genre by one of the UK’s leading experts in the field, Jasper Sharp, along with other authoritative voices including Anton Bitel and Sarah Appleton,

YOU’LL NEVER GET RICH, Sidney Lanfield, director/Powerhouse Indicator  If ever proof were required of the sheer star clout of Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, a glance at You’ll Never Get Rich will provide a comprehensive demonstration. This big budget musical from Columbia may enshrine a showcase for two of the era’s most luminous stars, but is relatively low voltage when compared to the duo’s other dual outing, You Were Never Lovelier. But with a Cole Porter score and impressive production values, it’s a highly diverting piece – and when Astaire and Hayworth are on the dance floor, it’s a potent reminder that terpsichorean skills like this are largely a thing of the past. And the film has never looked better than in this splendid Blu-ray transfer from Indicator.

THE WHOLE TRUTH, John Guillermin, director/Indicator

Let’s talk about two films directed by John Guillermin for which I provided booklet essay, one a new issue and one from a couple of years ago (both products of the excellent Indicator label). In Guillermin’s groundbreaking Town on Trial (1956), the seething eponymous British town sports a colourful array of simmering sexual transgression, corporate corruption and individual bad faith. John Mills’ tough cop’s attempts to solve a crime open up unpleasant ramifications for many in the town, and his scattershot approach allows for a penetration of the various social strata (from the cheap bars to the snooty country clubs). Two years later, Guillermin once again showed his expertise with a beguiling thriller. The Whole Truth begins with producer Max Paulton (played by Stewart Granger) struggling to complete a film on the French Riviera, and finding it difficult to deal with his prima donna star Gina Bertini (Gianna Maria Canale), with whom he has had a now-terminated affair. After an encounter at a hotel (which we are not shown), Paulton’s wife (Donna Reed), unaware of her husband’s philandering, finds a bloodstain on his cuff. But then a man claiming to be an inspector from Scotland Yard (George Sanders) arrives to tell Paulton that Gina has been murdered. The Whole Truth has a variety of surprises up its sleeve and keeps the viewer pleasurably wrongfooted. Apart from my contribution, the new Indicator disc also has a top-notch commentary with Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons.

THE BORDERLANDS, Elliot Goldner, director/Second Sight  Fans of intelligent and allusive horror movies will find much to relish in this disturbing experience from writer-director Elliot Goldner. The Borderlands arrives as a Limited Edition Blu-ray from Second Sight Films  All is not well at a thirteenth century church in rural Devon, and a cadre of Vatican investigators are dispatched to find out the truth behind some bizarre happenings… needless to say, much macabre mayhem follows, all handled with great assurance by Elliott Goldner.

On 21st April, Silva Screen Records will release the 3rd volume of the widely popular Epic Themes Series performed by London Music Works. Tracks from the first two Epic Themes albums feature on many Spotify playlists and have now reached a combined Spotify streaming count of over 135 million. Today, epic sound and trailer music could be thought of as interchangeable. Finally getting well deserved recognition, trailer music demands an entirely different approach to composition, relying on a 2-minute form, in which every second counts. The finest trailer music seizes the listeners, keeps them fully immersed, bewitched and on the edge of their seats throughout. In addition to the best recent trailer music from highly sought out composers such as Thomas Bergen, Zack Hemsey, Harry Lightfoot, Jo Blankenburg, this 15-track digital album collection also features Hans Zimmer’s glorious ‘Suite’ from Planet Earth II and Lorne Balfe’s ‘Theme’ from His Dark Materials

On 20 March, INDICATOR returns with UK-premiere Blu-ray releases of four outstanding Hollywood productions – including a pair of pre-Code masterpieces – from three of American cinema’s most-celebrated auteurs.

Often overlooked amongst director Ernst Lubitsch’s comedies and musicals, BROKEN LULLABY is a riveting and brilliant romantic drama from the pre-Code era, starring Lionel Barrymore (It’s a Wonderful Life), Nancy Carroll (The Kiss Before the Mirror), and Phillips Holmes (The Criminal Code).

Director James Whale (Frankenstein) directs Nancy Carroll (Broken Lullaby) and Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz) in THE KISS BEFORE THE MIRROR, a ravishingly staged pre-Code drama of infidelity which was made between Whale’s Universal horror classics The Old Dark House and The Invisible Man.

In BLUEBEARD’S EIGHTH WIFE, the second Lubitsch offering from INDICATOR in March, Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night) and Gary Cooper (Morocco) star in one of the director’s greatest films, which also boasts a sizzling screenplay by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend, Sunset Blvd.).

Finally for March, the immortal screen couple of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) takes the lead in STATE OF THE UNION. This fabulously witty political comedy drama from director Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life) also features supporting turns from Angela Lansbury (Gaslight) and Adolphe Menjou (The Sniper).

Mastered from the finest available materials, each of these essential releases contains expertly encoded presentations, a range of new and archival extra features, English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, and booklets with new essays, historical articles, contemporary reviews, and film credits.

Mediumrare Entertainment has the crime drama EMILY THE CRIMINAL for 2023. An extraordinarily assured debut from writer/director John Patton Ford, EMILY THE CRIMINAL sees Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) as a young woman driven to credit card fraud in Los Angeles. Plaza is absolutely hypnotising in the title role, Plaza, better known for her comedy roles, here completely immerses herself in the role of Emily – unable to find a decent job because of a past conviction, and driven to desperate measures.

With a commenary by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, Eureka Entertainment are releasing REVOLVER; a suspenseful crime thriller starring Oliver Reed, co-written and directed by the legendary Sergio Sollima, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from a brand-new 4K restoration. Available as part of the Eureka Classics range from 16 May 2022, the first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase & Collector’s Booklet.

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN will be available to own on early digital release on 18th March and DVD & Blu-ray from 21st March from StudioCanal. The film is the extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public’s perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy). The film boasts an all-star ensemble supporting cast including Andrea Riseborough and Toby Jones