Father's day is on the horizon and a whole bunch of cool Blu-ray's are being released to celebrate that fact, a few films of which are particularly some of my Dad's favourites. Sam Peckinpah's bloody anti-war movie
Cross of Iron (out June 3rd), the British WWI classic
The Cruel Sea (June 13th) and the excellent
Ice Cold Alex (June 13th), all digitally restored and available on the first time in Blu-ray. Excitedly if you are in London on father's day weekend, the Odeon Panton St are showing
Cross of Iron and
Ice Cold in Alex from June 17th! OWF have three copies of all three films to give away...
6 JUNE: CROSS OF IRON ONLY ON BLURAY DIGITALLY RESTORED Heralded as the most anti-war war film ever made,
CROSS OF IRON is a bloody and thought-provoking depiction of the horrors of war featuring an epic battle of wills between aristocratic Prussian Officer Stransky (Maximilian Schell) and gutsy Sergeant Rolf Steiner (James Coburn). Director Sam Peckinpah has served as an inspiration for everyone from Tarantino to Kathryn Bigelow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AonZdAfEQgA
Extras: ALL NEW!Passion & Poetry - Sam Peckinpah's War (46:00): A documentary by Mike Siegel featuring James Coburn, Senta Berger, David Warner, Vadim Glowna, Roger Fritz, Katy Haber & Sam Peckinpah. 5 featurettes with 1976 on set audio interviews: Sam Peckinpah (5:06) / James Coburn (5:30) / James Mason (6:05) / Maximilian Schell (4:35) / David Warner (3:14) / Featurette
KRGER KISSES KERN (8:27) /
Letters From Vadim & Sam Featurette (3:48) /
Vadim & Sam - Son & Dad Featurette (5:55) /
Cutting Room Floor Featurette (4:19) /
Mike's Homemovies Featurette - Steiner meets Kiesel again (7:16) / Steiner In Japan (2-3 mins) / Before & After Restoration Comparison / German Trailer (3:10) / USA TV-Spot (0:30) / USA/UK Trailer (3:42).
13 JUNE: THE CRUEL SEA ONLY ON BLURAY DIGITALLY RESTORED The novel
THE CRUEL SEA by Nicholas Monserrat was an unflinching portrayal of life at sea during WWII on a boat tasked with protecting convoys and seeking and destroying U-boats. A runaway success, the novel had already sold over 4 million copies in just 2 years when Ealing decided to make the film version. Filmed aboard an actual Royal Navy corvette,
THE CRUEL SEA tells the story of the sailors aboard the HMS Compass Rose: the bonds that form between them, the daily pressures they face and their epic struggle to overcome the enemy. Nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Film,
THE CRUEL SEA stars Jack Hawkins, Sir Donald Sinden and Stanley Clarke, and is a gripping insight into the lives of unsung heroes at sea during the war, and the agonizing decisions and incredible peril they faced on a daily basis.
Extras: Interview with Donald Sinden
/ Stills gallery
13 JUNE: ICE COLD IN ALEX ONLY ON BLURAY DIGITALLY RESTORED WWII, North Africa. When the Germans begin an attack on the Allied held town of Tobruck in Libya, an evacuation is ordered. A fatigued transport pool Officer Captain Anson (John Mills) and his loyal MSM Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews) commandeer a battered old ambulance, and taking aboard two nurses left behind, they decide to cross the desert back to British lines. They soon encounter a South African officer, Captain Van der Poel (Anthony Quayle) whose two large bottles of gin persuade Anson to let him travel with them. All manner of obstacles threaten to curtail their progress through the desert - a minefield, a broken suspension spring, some quick-sand and Van der Poel quickly arouses suspicion with his obsessive attachment to his large and mysterious backpack, and lack of knowledge of South African tea-brewing techniques. All the while, all that sustains them is Captain Ansons promise of the tall, frothy, ice-cold glasses of beer that await them upon their arrival in Alexandria (the Alex of the title. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaJ5UBi4z2c
Extras: Interview with Sylvia Syms / John Mills home movie footage / Trailer / Photo Gallery To enter, simply fill in the form below; Winners will be notified in July.