Includes an exclusive double-sided poster only available with direct orders from Powerhouse Films Website (poster features the original UK Quad designs for THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER and THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR, see pictures below).
VISA TO CANTON (Michael Carreras, 1961)
THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER (John Gilling, 1962)
THE SCARLET BLADE (John Gilling, 1963)
THE BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR (John Gilling, 1965)
Release date: 23 March 2020
Limited Blu-ray Edition (UK and World premieres on Blu-ray)
Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit collects four films from the early sixties which found the studio 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 limited edition box set is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.
INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:
VISA TO CANTON
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Alternative feature presentation with the US Passport to China titles
- Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020)
- Hammer’s Women: Lisa Gastoni (2020): profile of the Hammer star by critic and writer Virginie Sélavy
- Ticket to Ride (2020): film historian Vic Pratt discusses ethnocentrism in sixties British cinema
- David Huckvale on Edwin Astley (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the 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 booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an account of the RB-47 affair which inspired Visa to Canton, an overview of promotional materials, 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)
- Hammer’s Women: Marla Landi (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Kat Ellinger
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Pirates of Blood River’ (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- Andrew Keir at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1993): archival video recording of the acclaimed actor in conversation with Stephen Laws
- Did I Write That? (2020): Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic, discusses the career of Jimmy Sangster
- David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Yes, We Have No Piranhas (2020): video essay on the censorship history of The Pirates of Blood River
- Original theatrical trailer
- Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013): short critical appreciation
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 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
- Alternative feature presentation with the US The Crimson Blade titles
- Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020)
- Hammer’s Women: June Thorburn (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Josephine Botting
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Scarlet Blade’ (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- Interviews with Hugh Harlow and Pauline Wise (2020): the second assistant director and continuity person discuss the making of The Scarlet Blade
- Almost an Auteur (2020): horror author and critic Kim Newman considers the films which writer-director John Gilling made for Hammer
- David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the 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 booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, an extract from Oliver Reed’s autobiography, a selection of promotional materials, 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): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Melanie Williams
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Brigand of Kandahar’ (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- Adventures in Film (2020): writer and historian Neil Sinyard examines the career and reputation of writer-director John Gilling
- David Huckvale on Don Banks (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the 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 booklet with a new essay by Naman Ramachandran, an extensive selection of promotional materials, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
Limited edition box set of 6,000 numbered units.
Region B Locked