Hammer Volume Five : Death & Deceit (Blu-ray Limited Edition) (Powerhouse Films) [UK]

paulboland

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Sep 10, 2012
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Release date: March 23, 2020
Purchase links: Powerhouse Films - Amazon UK - Zavvi
Price: £42.99 (Powerhouse - Zavvi) - £40.00 (Amazon)
Notes: Region B Locked - Limited to 6,000 - Includes an exclusive double-sided poster only available with direct orders from Powerhouse Films Website
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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).
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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
 
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This turning out to be a fine collection now they have the rights to more Hammer. Shame they can't do a box set of the Lee Dracula films. That would be awesome.
 
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I have the TT release of Pirates of Blood River but will certainly dble dip for the rest.
These Indicator: Hammer sets, are excellent collections and I'm happy to grab them all.
Received word just 2 days ago my Vol 4 is in the mail.
:happy:

edit: Worth a mention, Indicator is also releasing about the same time, The Vinny Price flik The Mad Magician, in 3D!
Another guaranteed pick-up.
 
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^^ Sad to see that they've elected to use this stupid and antiquated Region locking.
I received my Vol-4 today and the first thing I checked was region coding.
Still lists "all".
To me it's not a biggie, I have 2 region all players but I certainly don't support this step. :censored:
 
^^ I fully agree, I'm sure PH Indicator would love to open sales to every person on the planet but purchasing "The Rights" to do so is always the dilemma.
In this instance, I can't see Hammer being the hiccup as they have not mentioned any plans for a separate NA release, so I'd be curious as to where the divide lies with this, or most Region locked Blus....:dunno:
 
^^ I fully agree, I'm sure PH Indicator would love to open sales to every person on the planet but purchasing "The Rights" to do so is always the dilemma.
In this instance, I can't see Hammer being the hiccup as they have not mentioned any plans for a separate NA release, so I'd be curious as to where the divide lies with this, or most Region locked Blus....:dunno:
The film's licensor instructed Powerhouse for all 4 films to be region locked B
There was nothing Powerhouse Films could do about this and had no choice but to region lock to B

Hammer fims are getting a lot of releases now outside UK in various countries some films will have licence restrictions in regards to region coding

StudioCanal now handel licensing for all Hammer Films catalouge globally this deal was signed in September 2019
This deal affects new releases and re-releases of the hammer films catalouge.
The Hammer Volume 4 Boxet released in November 2019 was planned and worked on before StudioCanal signed the deal with Hammer this is why that box set was not region locked and does not have the StudioCanal Logo.
StudioCanal also handel sales and marketing in UK and some other countries so you will see more future hammer film releases be region locked

Sony Pictures Entertainment would have been instructed by Studiocanal to region lock these film titles
Sony then passed on this restriction info to Powerhouse Films


Note the StudioCanal Logo on the back of the box set
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^^ Thanks again @paulboland :)
I knew licencing was assuredly involved, just didn't know who the players were.
I did not know about that deal betwixt Hammer and StudioCanal.
Not the best news I've heard today. SC has gobbled up a great many rights as of late and will now be calling a LOT of the shots on some shows we all love.
 
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Not the best news I've heard today. SC has gobbled up a great many rights as of late and will now be calling a LOT of the shots on some shows we all love.

ITV Global also gobbled up the rights to a lot of classic films and by and large SC and ITV global have been doing a great job of film restoration and you can bet the deal they
did with Indicator was because of how impressive those 5 Box sets have been. Like Anolis in Germany way beyond the call of duty.



I actually watched all 4 of those films at the weekend and really enjoyed them. Only The Pirates of Blood River had I seen before because I have the region FREE Twilight Times one!
With a Visa To Canton you can see what inspired the Saint TV series and the other two The Scarlett Blade and The Brigand of Kandahar I was amazed how grim they were. And boy
did Oliver Reed do a lot of Hammer films. He really was a superb actor....