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Arrow Video Launching in the US (1 Viewer)

John Hodson

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In the past couple of years, UK label Arrow Video has reinvented itself from being a minor cult label to - and this is a phrase repeated over and over by commentators - the UK's equivalent to Criterion. It's not just the breadth of superb titles on offer but Arrow's attention to detail, the sheer quality of their transfers, the fascinating and lovingly produced supplements. Today's announcement via Facebook:

***HUGE exciting new announcement***

Arrow Video is heading to the U S of A!

It has been on our minds for a while and we have finally decided to take the plunge and launch in North American in early 2015 and we need you to help us make this dream a reality! So head over to our brand new Indiegogo page to find out more and pledge: http://bit.ly/1rHYtMw




Lauded with positive feedback from a loyal fan base for its great success in releasing various acclaimed restorations of cult and horror releases, Arrow Video have in recent years won several prestigious 'Label of the Year' awards by such notable outlets such as broadsheet newspaper The Guardian and Home Cinema Choice Magazine.

By popular demand Arrow Video will launch into North America with a host of cult titles, receiving deluxe treatment in video, audio, supplements and artwork. Launch titles include Tonino Valerii's Spaghetti Western Day of Anger [I Giorni dell'ira, aka Gunlaw] starring genre icons Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma; Michael Armstrong's bloody and brutal critique of state-funded religious corruption Mark of the Devil in a director-approved release; and the thrillingly bizarro yakuza-samurai-ghost story-horror hybrid from Teruo Ishii, Blind Woman's Curse (1971, also known as Black Cat's Revenge). Future releases include films never-before-released on DVD and/or Blu-ray from European and Japanese cult directors.


Plus - Arrow Video USA - Why You Should Care If You're NOT in the USA
 

EddieLarkin

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$3,500 gets you every future Arrow release? Boy, I wish I had the spare cash! If I could have done that with Criterion in 2008, by now I'd have had all of their releases for less than $10 each!
 

Sgt Pepper

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Great news I know, the Forums are buzzing with the news..............all it seems but here. Thought it might have gained more comments than just us John and we are in the UK. :wacko:
Never mind though.......................be prepared for some reference releases guys.

....................and Eddie LOL.
 

EddieLarkin

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Arrow have perhaps not expressed their intention too well on the campaign page. They've answered several questions here:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=164788&page=586

In a nutshell, they got sick of the US indie labels refusing to put up the cash to go in with Arrow to do new transfers for equivalent releases. Stuff like Motel Hell or the Vincent Price films I guess. So both sides of the pond were getting stuck with old studio masters instead. Now they've decided to take on the US market themselves. Arrow will be one of only two US indie labels to regularly be striking brand new masters for a big portion (maybe the majority) of their releases; the other is Criterion. This really is a game changer for cult/horror stuff in the US and the UK.
 

Sgt Pepper

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FoxyMulder said:
Fantastic news and i hope it leads to more new film scans of great, not so great and, sometimes obscure films.
I hope so and it does look promising mate. :)
 

FoxyMulder

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tele1962 said:
Wow no comments from over the pond on this one????????????????????
I think when the releases start to appear the interest will pick up substantially in the states.
 

cineMANIAC

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I've been following this news pretty much all day on other forums but I didn't realize one key aspect of WHY Arrow has decided to expand to the US market until now. So Arrow is basically muscling it's way into the US because they're tired of labels like Shout not fronting cash to spring for better transfers? Good for them. It's about time someone came in who is ballsy (and passionate) enough to come and rescue these kinds of films and release them the way they're supposed to.
 

EddieLarkin

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That's the impression I get. They had approached other US labels about co-financing new transfers for the titles they were both releasing, but were turned down every time by all labels bar Criterion. So instead of having to settle for old studio masters like they have had to do on many of their titles, they want to use the vastly larger territory the US brings to be able to finance new transfers by themselves.
 

FoxyMulder

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EddieLarkin said:
That's the impression I get. They had approached other US labels about co-financing new transfers for the titles they were both releasing, but were turned down every time by all labels bar Criterion.
I really hope this works out because if they make a success of it then we all get better transfers.

It would be fab if they could redo some of their earlier Italian horror titles, the Argento ones especially, i love the little booklets and extra content you get with the Arrow releases, they provide the same level of information as Criterion does, now all we need is Criterion to enter the UK or European market and it'll be happy days all around. :D
 

FoxyMulder

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Vincent_P said:
There's also Synapse Films.

Vincent
I'm really looking forward to Suspiria next year, all current BD's of that one based on the Italian scan are less than ideal.
 

AnthonyClarke

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My only Arrow title so far is the soon-to-be released limited edition of 'Withnail and I'.
Their catalogue isn't generally to my taste but all strength to them. It's great to see the cult labels expand.
 

walter o

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EddieLarkin said:
Arrow have perhaps not expressed their intention too well on the campaign page. They've answered several questions here:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=164788&page=586

In a nutshell, they got sick of the US indie labels refusing to put up the cash to go in with Arrow to do new transfers for equivalent releases. Stuff like Motel Hell or the Vincent Price films I guess. So both sides of the pond were getting stuck with old studio masters instead. Now they've decided to take on the US market themselves. Arrow will be one of only two US indie labels to regularly be striking brand new masters for a big portion (maybe the majority) of their releases; the other is Criterion. This really is a game changer for cult/horror stuff in the US and the UK.
really? Then I should stop making new HD masters, and re-doing new HD masters if the HD one provided by the licensor stinks.
 

Vincent_P

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Of course- there's also Code Red, Vinegar Syndrome, Scorpion Releasing...

All of these small, indie companies are making their own new HD masters.

Vincent
 

EddieLarkin

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Yeah, granted there are a few others. Some of those labels are so indie they're releasing a tiny number of titles a year (Synapse usually do about 5?). VS is in a particularly unique situation since they have their own scanning facility (I think that's how they started out?), though most of their transfers end up on DVD. Arrow are looking to take the 50-60 Blu-rays they do each year (most of them off the shelf masters) and start to do many more of their own transfers. That and to stop having to drop titles from their schedule when they see how poor the licensors master is.
 

Vincent_P

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However "few" titles these other mentioned companies do, they do the sort of loving, exhaustive work that you attributed as being unique to Arrow and Criterion.

Vincent
 

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