1 March 2008

One of the most respected directors of Hollywood past, Otto Preminger's filmography is littered with great movies and powerhouse performances, in spite of his outspoken dislike of input from actors who were, in his view, simply "here to act." A fiercely independent producer-director, Otto Preminger as much as any other filmmaker changed the face of Hollywood forever with films such as Laura (1944), Fallen Angel (1945), Carmen Jones (1954) and Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

The BFI, in association with Twentieth Century Fox and Hollywood Classics, have announced a two-disc release for March containing two of Preminger's early works, which offer insight into the working methods of this renowned Austrian director.

In Margin for Error (1943), wisecracking Jewish cop Moe Finkelstein (Milton Berle) has just been put in charge of guarding the proto-Nazi German embassy in New York. He encounters the egoistical, villainous consul (a scene-stealing performance by Preminger himself), his American wife Sophie (Joan Bennett) who is desperate for a divorce, and the Consul's secretary, the sheltered Baron Von Alvenstor whose blind allegiance to his motherland is being severely tested by both his boss's increasingly maddening power-hungry pursuits and his own growing affection for Sophie.

A Royal Scandal is a risqué comedy set at the height of the Russian dynasty that features a rare appearance from Tallulah Bankhead in one of her finest roles as Empress Catherine the Great. There is also a hilarious cameo from Vincent Price, a sparkling script and the stunning black and white cinematography that has come to mark Otto Preminger's work.

The DVDs are accompanied by a fully illustrated 14-page booklet with film essays by Philip Kemp, a director biography and cast and credit details. The 2-disc set will be released by the BFI on 31st March 2008 at the RRP of £19.99. Both discs will feature optional subtitles for the hearing impaired.