Arrow Academy’s November Blu-ray releases include a rediscovered and riveting Brit noir with a fantastic international case, and a classic Western starring a Hollywood superstar. Both are presented in High Definition with a wealth of formidable extras including audio commentaries, feature-length documentaries, new artwork, and collector’s booklets with brand new writing on the films.

First comes the stylish, long-unseen crime gem Pickup Alley, set amongst the seedy milieu of the international narcotics trade. A globe-trotting adventure boasting a top-tier international cast, Pickup Alley includes shockingly frank portrayals of drug addiction, exotic locations and sleazy villains. Produced by Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli’s Warwick Films, this British cult classic now makes a welcome return in High Definition with a heavy dose of new extras.

Then there is a magnificent two-disc presentation of the superb Western The Far Country, starring screen legend James Stewart made with acclaimed Hollywood auteur Anthony Mann. An epic Technicolour saga set during the heady times of the Klondike Gold Rush, The Far Country is masterfully directed, features a thrilling ‘all guns-blazing’ finale, and takes on a whole new splendour in High Definition.

Pickup Alley (1957) | Blu-ray | 4 November 2019

Stylishly directed by genre film journeyman John Gilling (The Reptile, Plague of the Zombies), Pickup Alley is a long-unseen crime film gem, set amongst the seedy milieu of the international narcotics trade.

Spurred on by the murder of his drug-addicted sister by ruthless crime boss Frank McNally (Trevor Howard – Brief Encounter, The Charge of the Light Brigade), US agent Charles Sturgis (Victor Mature – Cry of the City, Samson and Delilah) launches a transnational woman-hunt for McNally’s shapely associate, Gina Broger (Anita Ekberg – Killer Nun, La dolce vita). His investigation takes him on a thrill-ride from New York to London, Lisbon, Rome, Naples and finally Athens...

A globe-trotting adventure boasting a top-tier international cast, Pickup Alley affords the viewer shockingly frank portrayals of drug addiction; a glamourous travelogue of exotic locations, and intriguing depictions of sleazy villains. Produced by Irving Allen and Cubby Broccoli’s Warwick Films, this British cult classic now makes a welcome return in High Definition with a heavy dose of new extras.

Blu-ray Special Edition contents:

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation transferred from original film elements
• Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• The Warwick Way – writer and curator Josephine Botting on the prolific and successful production company, Warwick Films
• Original 1957 US theatrical release prologue by Congressman Hale Boggs, Chairman of the US Senate Committee of Narcotics
• Original theatrical trailer and TV spot
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options

The Far Country (1954) | Blu-ray | 11 November 2019

An archetypal example of its genre, The Far Country is one of five superb westerns the screen legend James Stewart (Vertigo, Man of the West) made with acclaimed Hollywood auteur Anthony Mann (El Cid, The Man from Laramie).

Mann’s film tells of Jeff Webster (Stewart) and his sidekick Ben Tatum (Walter Brennen – My Darling Clementine): two stoic adventures driving cattle to market from Wyoming to Canada who come to loggerheads with a corrupt judge (John McIntire – Psycho) and his henchmen. Ruth Romain (Strangers on a Train) plays a sultry saloon keeper who falls for Stewart, teaming up with him to take on the errant lawman.

An epic saga set during the heady times of the Klondike Gold Rush, The Far Country captures the scenic grandeur of northern Canada’s icy glaciers and snow-swept mountains in vivid Technicolor. Mann’s direction expertly steers the film to an unorthodox, yet thrilling ‘all guns-blazing’ finale, whilst the imposing landscape takes on a whole new splendour in High Definition.

2-Disc Blu-ray Limited Edition contents:

• Two presentations of The Far Country in both original aspect ratios of 1.85:1 and 2.00:1
• Brand new 4K restoration from the original film elements by Arrow Films
• Original 1.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition booklet with new writing on the film by Philip Kemp and original reviews
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

Disc One

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1
• New audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin
• American Frontiers: Anthony Mann at Universal – an all-new, feature-length documentary with Mann biographer Alan K. Rode, western author C. Courtney Joyner, script supervisor Michael Preece, and critics Michael Schlesinger and Rob Word
• Mann of the West – a newly filmed appraisal of Far Country and the westerns of Anthony Mann by the critic Kim Newman
• Image gallery
• Original trailer

Disc Two

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film in the alternate original aspect ratio of 2.00:1