On 23 September, Indicator shines a light on a quartet of outstanding, yet little-seen films which star some of Britain's most celebrated acting talent.
First, Alberto Cavalcanti’s classic They Made Me a Fugitive (1947), starring Trevor Howard (Who?, The Missionary) as a former RAF officer who turns to a life of crime after the Second World War, gets its long-overdue UK Blu-ray premiere release. Also includes two rare RAF short films which capture Howard in his first-known screen appearances.
Secondly, Michael Winner’s The System (1964), starring Oliver Reed (The Damned, The Triple Echo) receives its world Blu-ray premiere. The first of six collaborations between the great actor and the controversial Death Wish director, the film follows the exploits of a gang of young men in pursuit of women – including Jane Merrow (The Appointment) and Barbara Ferris (A Nice Girl Like Me) – during a hot summer season in Devon.
Next, Indicator presents its second world Blu-ray premiere – the fascinating, yet little-seen sixties drama 90º in the Shade (1965). Directed by Jiří Weiss (Romeo, Juliet and Darkness), and co-written by playwright David Mercer (Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment), this hugely underrated film features an impressive cast, including Anne Heywood (The Fox), James Booth (The Man Who Had Power Over Women), and Ann Todd (Taste of Fear).
Last but by no means least is another long-overdue UK Blu-ray premiere – Matthew Chapman’s Hussy (1980), starring Helen Mirren (Age of Consent) as a prostitute who has an affair with a man, played by John Shea (Missing), who harbours a dark secret.
Mastered from the finest available materials, each of these collectable Limited Editions contains an array of new and archival extra features, English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and comes packaged with a limited edition exclusive booklet containing newly commissioned essays, contemporary reviews, and film credits.
They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 23 September 2019 | £15.99
Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti (Went the Day Well?, Dead of Night), They Made Me a Fugitive is a prime example of British film noir.
Trevor Howard plays Clem Morgan, an RAF officer during the war, now unemployed since demobilisation. Turning to the black market, he finds himself embroiled in a life of crime that will lead to prison, a daring escape, and a deadly manhunt.
Boasting striking cinematography by Otto Heller, whose later credits would include Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom and classic Cold War thriller The Ipcress File, this UK Blu-ray premiere of They Made Me a Fugitive is accompanied by two rare short films, made during Howard’s own time in the RAF during WWII, featuring his earliest known on-screen appearances.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray contents:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- The John Player Lecture with Alberto Cavalcanti (1970): archival audio recording of the celebrated director in conversation at London’s National Film Theatre
- Neil Sinyard on ‘They Made Me a Fugitive’ (2019): new appreciation by the author and film historian
- Squaring the Circle (1941): dramatised Royal Air Force training film, starring Trevor Howard in his earliest known film role
- The Aircraft Rocket (1944): extract from a multi-part RAF technical film, featuring Howard
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Nathalie Morris, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000
- All extras subject to change
The System (1964) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 23 September 2019 | £15.99
The first of six collaborations between two of British cinemas most infamous figures – Oliver Reed and Michael Winner – The System finds both at their creative peak.
Reed is leader of a gang of youths, who spend a hot summer season in Devon in pursuit of women – including Jane Merrow and Barbara Ferris.
Filmed on location, and shot by the great Nicolas Roeg before he turned his attentions to directing, The System boasts a fine supporting cast, including Julia Foster (Alfie), Harry Andrews (The Deadly Affair), and David Hemmings (Fragment of Fear).
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray contents:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historians Thirza Wakefield and Melanie Williams (2019)
- Interview with actor Jane Merrow (2019)
- Haunted England (1961): a short film by director Michael Winner exploring some of the haunted castles of England
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with new essays by Andy Miller and Vic Pratt, 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
90º in the Shade (1965) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 23 September 2019 | £15.99
A rare Anglo-Czech co-production, 90° in the Shade is a fascinating, little-seen drama directed by Jiří Weiss and co-written by David Mercer.
Set at the height of summer, the film concerns shop assistant Anne Heywood, and two men who will affect her life: James Booth, the married man with whom she is having affair, and Rudolf Hrusínský (The Cremator), an auditor who has family problems of his own.
Filmed simultaneously in English and Czech versions, Indicator presents both cuts on Blu-ray for the first time ever.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray contents:
- Two presentations of the film: 90° in the Shade, the English-language version; and Třicet jedna ve stínu, the Czech-language version
- High Definition remasters
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historian Michael Brooke (2019)
- Degrees of Separation (2019): a demonstration of the differences between the two versions of the film
- The Rape of Czechoslovakia (1936): documentary film by director Jiří Weiss on the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia
- The Other RAF (1942): documentary by Weiss on the Russian Air Force
- 100,000,000 Women (1942): documentary edited by Weiss on the role of Soviet women in the Second World War
- Before the Raid (1943): dramatised account of Norwegian fishermen outwitting occupational forces during World War II, directed by Weiss and written by acclaimed author Laurie Lee
- The IWM Interview with Jiří Weiss (1990): archival audio recording, made by the Imperial War Museums, featuring the director discussing his WWII filmmaking experiences
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for 90° in the Shade
- Newly translated English subtitles for Třicet jedna ve stínu
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Jonathan Owen, 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
Hussy (1980) | Limited Edition Blu-ray | 23 September 2019 | £15.99
Written and directed by Matthew Chapman (Strangers Kiss), and starring the great Helen Mirren, Hussy is an offbeat blend of adult thriller and almost romantic comedy.
Set in the seedier side of London, the film focuses on a prostitute, played by Mirren, who begins an affair with a man, played by John Shea, harbouring a dark secret.
Part of producer Don Boyd’s efforts to reinvigorate British cinema in the late seventies and early eighties, with films such as The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle and the cinema version of Scum, Hussy is an unsung and underseen gem deserving of a wider audience.
Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray contents:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with writer-director Matthew Chapman (2019)
- Interview with actor John Shea (2019)
- Interview with actor Jenny Runacre (2019)
- Interview with produced Don Boyd (2019)
- Interview with Sam Peffer (2012): rare audio recording with the late artist and poster designer
- Original ‘U’ and ‘X’ theatrical trailers
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Rebecca Nicole Williams, 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
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