Network Distributing, who don't seem to be pausing for breath at the moment, have announced another two DVD releases as part of their ongoing and ever growing 'The British Film' collection, the single film disc, Edgar Wallace Presents... The Door with Seven Locks and the 4-film collection, British Musicals of the 19302, Volume 2.
Leslie Banks (Hitchcock's original 1934 The Man Who Knew Too Much) in brilliantly malevolent form features in this classy adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s thriller, The Door with Seven Locks. Originally released in 1940 – a short time after the British Board of Censors changed its guidelines on films with supernatural and horror themes – The Door with Seven Locks (PG) is made available here in a brand-new transfer from the only existing 35mm film elements, in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio.
When wealthy Lord Selford dies, he is entombed with a valuable collection of jewels. Seven keys are required to unlock the tomb and release the treasure, but a series of mysterious events cause them be scattered; the Canadian heiress to the Selford fortune attempts to unravel the circumstances, but she and her fellow investigators find themselves caught in a terrifying web of deceit, torture, and murder...
The Door with Seven Locks will be released on UK DVD by Network Distributing on 26th May 2014 at the RRP of £9.99.
Special features will include:
From playful romantic comedies to variety extravaganzas, the British musical films of the 1930s offered audiences a source of much-needed escapism throughout the decade haunted by the Great Depression and the growing menace of war. Now Blossom Time, Over the Garden Wall, Mister Cinders and Everything is Rhythm can be enjoyed by modern audiences on DVD.
This collection represents a wealth of rare gems from the very earliest days of the British talkies, many of which have remained unseen since their original cinema release. Each film is presented uncut, in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited cinema aspect ratio. Often adapting much-loved hits of the music hall as well as serving as vehicles for the era’s composers, performers and band leaders, they showcased home-grown talent alongside some of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
Disc 1
Blossom Time (1934)
World-renowned tenor Richard Tauber features in a dramatisation of the life of Schubert, focusing on the composer’s unrequited love for a dance master’s daughter. Voted the best British film of 1934 by the readers of Film Weekly, Blossom Time includes some of the Viennese composer’s greatest music.
Over the Garden Wall (1934)
An aunt objects to the romance between her nephew and a neighbour’s niece, and the two aunts step in to put an end to the love affair – with comic consequences.
Disc Two
Mister Cinders (1934)
The classic story of Cinderella is reversed in this light-hearted adaptation: here Cinders is a young man who eventually wins the ‘princess’ – in this case an oil millionaire’s daughter. The plot provides plenty of opportunities for ingenious fooling, mixed with romance, comedy and music.
Everything is Rhythm (1936)
Based on the spectacular rise to fame of Harry Roy, the dance-band leader of radio and vaudeville fame, this is the comic tale of a Ruritanian princess who defies her court and elopes with a dance-band leader.
British Musicals of the 1930s: Volume 2 will be released on UK DVD on 26th May 2014 by Network Distributing at the RRP of £14.99. |
