On 27 May 2019, Indicator presents an eclectic selection of unhinged, genre-twisting films from some of British cinema’s greatest filmmakers, including Jack Gold (The Reckoning), Richard Loncraine (The Missionary) and Nicolas Roeg (Don't Look Now), and starring some of the world’s most celebrated actors.
First, UK Blu-ray premieres of two unique, uncompromising films: St John L Clowes’ lurid crime drama No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948), which was condemned upon its original release for its depiction of violence, and remains one of British cinema’s most controversial productions; and Jack Gold‘s remarkable Who? (1974), starring Elliott Gould (Little Murders) and Trevor Howard (They Made Me a Fugitive) in a one-of-a-kind sci-fi Cold War thriller.
Next, world Blu-ray premieres of two lesser-seen productions from HandMade Films: Richard Loncraine’s gritty heist thriller Bellman & True (1987), which stars Bernard Hill (Boys from the Blackstuff) and Kieran O’Brien (9 Songs); and the psycho-sexual drama Track 29 (1988), directed by the late, great Nicolas Roeg, written by the legendary Dennis Potter (Brimstone and Treacle), and starring Theresa Russell (Bad Timing) and Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) in one of his earliest screen roles.
Mastered from the finest available materials, each of these collectable Limited Editions contains an array of new and archival extra features, has optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and comes packaged with a Limited Edition exclusive booklet with newly commissioned essays, contemporary reviews, and film credits.
No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 27 May 2019
Possibly the most controversial British film ever produced, this lurid crime drama caused an unprecedented storm of controversy upon release: local councils banned it, the Bishop of London denounced it, and MPs demanded an investigation into the BBFC for allowing it to be seen.
Based on the notorious novel by James Hadley Chase (which itself was condemned by George Orwell), No Orchids for Miss Blandish is a mixture of sex, violence and immorality, and tells the brutal story of a kidnapped heiress who falls for one of her crazed captors.
This fascinating example of British film noir, which the Monthly Film Bulletin described as "the most sickening exhibition of brutality, perversion, sex and sadism ever to be shown on a cinema screen," is now released on UK Blu-ray for the very first time.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray features:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Miss Blandish and the Censor (2019): ex-BBFC examiner Richard Falcon discusses the controversial film's history with the British Board of Film Censors
- Interview with producer Richard Gordon and actor Richard Neilson (2010, 35 mins): filmed interview with the famed US distributor-producer, and the actor
- Soldier, Sailor (1945, 51 mins): World War II docudrama, conceived by No Orchids for Miss Blandish’s writer-director St John Legh Clowes
- Original British and American theatrical trailers
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Robert Murphy, analysis of the different versions of the source novel, an extract from an essay on No Orchids for Miss Blandish by George Orwell, news accounts of the controversy surrounding the film’s release, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
- All extras subject to change
Who? (1974) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 27 May 2019
Adapted from the novel by famed science fiction writer Algis Budrys, Who? is a fascinating cold-war thriller/sci-fi hybrid. Elliott Gould is an FBI agent trying to determine the true identity of a top US physicist who was horrifically injured in a car accident in East Berlin. The scientist is returned to the West encased in a metal mask and body-suit, reconstructed via cybernetic surgery. Is the man behind the metal mask who he claims to be, or is he a Soviet dupe trained to infiltrate US security?
Who?, from director Jack Gold (The Reckoning, The National Health), is one of the most unusual and affecting science fiction thrillers of the 1970s – not least because of the extraordinary performance by Joseph Bova as the masked enigma at the heart of the story.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray features:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Kim Newman on Algis Budrys (2019): the writer and critic on the acclaimed science-fiction author
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by writer and critic Phelim O’Neill, an archival interview with director Jack Gold, a look at Algis Budrys’ source novel, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
- More extras to be announced...!
Bellman & True (1987) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 27 May 2019
Adapted by Desmond Lowden from his novel of the same name, Bellman & True is a tense heist thriller starring Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings, No Surrender) as a computer programmer blackmailed by gangsters into hacking a bank security system.
Directed by Richard Loncraine (Full Circle), Bellman & True deftly balances dramatic realism with stark black comedy and nail-biting suspense. Produced by HandMade Films, Bellman & True is a fine companion piece to their successful thrillers The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray features:
- High Definition remaster
- Original stereo audio
- Interview with director Richard Loncraine (2019): the celebrated filmmaker recalls the production of the film
- Interview with actor Kieran O’Brien(2019): the prolific actor talks about one of his earliest roles
- Interview with writer Desmond Lowden(2019): the screenwriter and author discusses adapting his own novel for the screen
- Interview with composer Colin Towns(2019): the composer looks back at this work on the music for film
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Kevin Lyons, a look at the inspiration behind the film’s title, an archival interview with Bernard Hill, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
- All extras subject to change
Track 29 (1988) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 27 May 2019
The explosive combination of director Nicolas Roeg (Performance, Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth) and writer Dennis Potter (Pennies from Heaven, The Singing Detective) created one of British cinema’s most unique and disquieting works – the hugely underrated Track 29.
Freely adapted from Potter’s BBC TV play Schmoedipus, this unsettling film stars Theresa Russell (Eureka,Black Widow) as an unhappy, possibly unstable, housewife who welcomes a young man (Gary Oldman – Prick Up Your Ears) into her home when he claims to be her long-lost son...
Ambitious, ambiguous and surreal, Track 29 is a kinky psychological send-up of American mores – a view from the dis-united states of consciousness. The glorious supporting cast includes Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Sandra Bernhard (The King of Comedy) and Colleen Camp (The Swinging Cheerleaders).
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray features:
- High Definition remaster
- Original stereo audio
- The BFI Interview with Nicolas Roeg (1994): archival audio recording of the celebrated filmmaker in conversation at London’s National Film Theatre
- Audio commentary with filmmaker and historian Jim Hemphill
- Interview with actor Colleen Camp (2019)
- Interview with editor Tony Lawson (2019): Roeg’s long-time collaborator talks about Track 29 and his work with the late, great filmmaker
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by critic and broadcaster Danny Leigh, Dennis Potter and Theresa Russell on Track 29, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited Edition of 3,000 copies
- All extras subject to change
|
