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Hammer Goes Blu-ray

post #1 of 59
1/19/12 at 7:17am
Thread Starter 

Attached is a link to a Deadline Hollywood bit concerning the announcement that Hammer is partnering with Studio-Canal and others, including Warner, Fox and Paramount, to bring 30 of their classic films to Blu-ray.  Most excellent news and the announcement is a good read.

 

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/hammer-teams-with-studiocanal-others-for-major-restoration-of-film-library/#more-216967

 

Dracula, Prince of Darkness is first with a UK date in March.

 

 

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post #2 of 59
1/19/12 at 7:30am
Hammer's gone Blu-ray; Quatermass & The Pit, Paranoiac, Vampire Circus (to name but three already out there). I'm only hoping Sony, MGM, and Universal jump aboard this band-wagon.
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post #3 of 59
1/19/12 at 7:35am
Looks like this upcoming Halloween season should see some of the fruits of this partnership. They say 30 titles in HD, but I doubt they will all be released in 2102. Even still, that's quite impressive and encouraging.

I expect it to hit the UK sooner than North America.

Hopefully, this leads some of the old OOP Anchor Bay released titles getting re-issued through Lionsgate.
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post #4 of 59
1/19/12 at 9:59am
They've also started a restoration blog with more details:

http://blog.hammerfilms.com/

Super happy I'm region free. Q&TP is one of, if not thee, best blu-rays in my collection. The details, colors and quality of the work therein is outstanding.
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post #5 of 59
1/19/12 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bgart13 View Post

They've also started a restoration blog with more details:
http://blog.hammerfilms.com/
Super happy I'm region free. Q&TP is one of, if not thee, best blu-rays in my collection. The details, colors and quality of the work therein is outstanding.

Yeah, I can't wait for a US release. Do you have any recommendations for a good region free Blu-Ray player?
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post #6 of 59
1/19/12 at 11:40am
I've got a Sherwood bdp-5004 that plays every dvd and bd I've tossed at it. Have to change a code in the remote for some rb and r2 discs but it's easy enough.
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post #7 of 59
1/19/12 at 11:59am
Thanks Ben.
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post #8 of 59
1/19/12 at 12:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan^H View Post

Yeah, I can't wait for a US release. Do you have any recommendations for a good region free Blu-Ray player?

I have two region and zone free Panasonic BD-60 players I bought from eBay. They work great. It's nice to never have to even consider the region or zone when buying favorites.
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post #9 of 59
1/19/12 at 4:21pm

I've lucked out so far with two UK Masters of Cinema BDs playing on my Panasonic BDT-107, and I'm tempted to give this one a try.  I don't wanna wait!

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post #10 of 59
1/19/12 at 5:05pm
For those among us without a Region Free machine, down among the comments on the blog they answer one poster (actually, the same question is asked by several posters) that hopefully they can announce a U.S. partner soon. I hope the operative word here is "soon" rather than "hopefully" .
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post #11 of 59
1/19/12 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Sowers View Post

For those among us without a Region Free machine, down among the comments on the blog they answer one poster (actually, the same question is asked by several posters) that hopefully they can announce a U.S. partner soon. I hope the operative word here is "soon" rather than "hopefully" .

Good to know. I'll give them until the end of Feb. If they haven't made an annoucement by then, it's a region free player for me. I can't believe Dracula Prince Of Darkness is coming. The Anchor Bay release I own is pathetic. Non Anamorphic, lifeless transfer. I'm dying to see an HD remaster as it is one of my favorite Dracula(Hammer) films.
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post #12 of 59
1/19/12 at 9:28pm
wow.... 'the digital bits' website is also reporting that many more hammer titles are in the works for this year, then goes on to link to a bbc article--

http://www.digitalbits.com/#mytwocents

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16629619


this is getting exciting, i hope they're released in america soon!!!!!
Edited by marcco00 - 1/19/12 at 10:28pm
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post #13 of 59
1/20/12 at 4:45am

Whoa....... the Hammer Horror mother lode!  eek.gif

 

I've got no excuse anymore to get a region free BD player after this bit of news.

 

No way am I waiting for US releases that may never come.

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post #14 of 59
1/22/12 at 10:39am

BRING IT! been waiting on this for some time, wondering who is going to be the US distributor for the titles not controlled by WB, don't know if Anchor Bay still has the US distribution rights?

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post #15 of 59
1/22/12 at 1:21pm
I think most, if not all, of the Hammer titles that Anchor Bay released belong to StudioCanal, so Lionsgate will probably be the US distributor.
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post #16 of 59
1/22/12 at 2:59pm
I just want Q and the Pit.

I love that movie and just noticed that the original tv series is available on DVD at Amazon.
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post #17 of 59
1/22/12 at 3:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD View Post

I just want Q and the Pit.
I love that movie and just noticed that the original tv series is available on DVD at Amazon.

Yes, I love the film too and a fine screen adaptation it is (the BD is superb). But the TV series is actually *much* better.
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post #18 of 59
1/22/12 at 3:55pm
I watched it on VHS about 16 years ago so I don't remember. Plus it was a very poor quality recording.
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post #19 of 59
1/22/12 at 9:20pm
The screen caps on the U.K. QUATERMASS AND THE PIT Blu-ray look amazing. I eagerly look forward an American release. I am also looking forward to THE DEVIL RIDES OUT on Blu-ray, as well as the more obvious Hammer classics.
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post #20 of 59
1/23/12 at 9:56am

Yes, please, let's get these great films released on Blu in the United States as well!!! Barring that how about region-free UK discs??? I am totally lusting after Quatermass and the Pit in HD. My old non-anamorphic DVD is anemic in comparison.

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post #21 of 59
1/23/12 at 10:48am
Q and The Pit (aka Five Million Years To Earth) for me also.
Love that movie.
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post #22 of 59
1/23/12 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derrick King View Post

I think most, if not all, of the Hammer titles that Anchor Bay released belong to StudioCanal, so Lionsgate will probably be the US distributor.


Considering how terrible Lionsgate has been with releasing the StudioCanal Collection art house titles in the US, this is not promising news, IMO.

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post #23 of 59
1/23/12 at 9:53pm

cant remember, but how long was that Studio Canal-Lionsgate contract for, reason is that titles were no longer available to Criterion, but i believe Criterion just recently released or is going to release a studio canal title, so maybe they can broker a deal with a different company, maybe anchor bay, or image, VCI also might be a good choice, if done correctly

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post #24 of 59
1/24/12 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway View Post



Considering how terrible Lionsgate has been with releasing the StudioCanal Collection art house titles in the US, this is not promising news, IMO.

They should be the same transfers still...or are you referring to them just not getting released?
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post #25 of 59
1/24/12 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dana martin View Post

cant remember, but how long was that Studio Canal-Lionsgate contract for, reason is that titles were no longer available to Criterion, but i believe Criterion just recently released or is going to release a studio canal title, so maybe they can broker a deal with a different company, maybe anchor bay, or image, VCI also might be a good choice, if done correctly



I don't know, but I'm unaware of an upcoming StudioCanal title that Criterion is releasing. While there are some titles in the UK StudioCanal Collection that Criterion still has rights to, Criterion doesn't have them through StudioCanal, but through another company.

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post #26 of 59
1/24/12 at 10:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave H View Post


They should be the same transfers still...or are you referring to them just not getting released?


The latter.

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post #27 of 59
1/24/12 at 11:29am
It'll be a curious situation if Lionsgate is the distributor -- mainly because they are re-releasing BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB via their new MOD program. confused.gif
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post #28 of 59
2/21/12 at 12:34pm
I just to the tv movie DVD from amazon.

Looks like a boot.

Back

6c47de18.jpg

Front

11d67074.jpg
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post #29 of 59
2/21/12 at 1:03pm
Boot.

The real deal is cheap enough from Amazon.co.uk

500

Watched it again Sunday - superb.
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post #30 of 59
2/21/12 at 1:05pm
BTW, here's a review of the new UK BD release of Dracula: Prince of Darkness.
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