Sidney Poitier titles available on blu ray? (1 Viewer)

[Flashgear]

As I have a historical interest in the neglected Korean War and am a fan of the great Sidney Poitier, I would love to see a quality Blu-ray of Columbia's All The Young Men. Thanks Robert for the info on the Itunes digital HD.

Filmed in spectacular Glacier National Park in 1959 and featuring some impressive, well staged action (the battle with the tank!), it also features some off-beat casting with boxer Ingemar Johansson and the recently passed Mort Sahl.

 

[SeanSKA]

From what I've heard and read, you can add Dan Duryea to that list.

I was watching him recently in the 2 Fritz Lang / Edward G Robinson pics- Duryea was just so weasily and slimy. Glad to hear he was not like that in real lefe

 

[Robert Crawford]

I was watching him recently in the 2 Fritz Lang / Edward G Robinson pics- Duryea was just so weasily and slimy. Glad to hear he was not like that in real lefe

Apparently, Duryea was a sex symbol for many women from those type of roles. I guess it's true that many women are attracted to "bad" guys.

 

[Nelson Au]

My first order of Sidney titles arrived yesterday to join my Criterion In the Heat of the Night, Lilies of the Field. I also ordered an import of The Defiant Ones but that order hasn’t even shipped yet. Hope that seller fulfills the order.

 

[chrislong2]

Does anyone know, WITHOUT looking it up on the net, what Sidney's last starring film was? Hint: It hasn't been discussed yet, was a TV movie, and does NOT have a Blu-ray (only a DVD).

 

[Dave Lawrence]

I particularly recommend The Wilby Conspiracy, a very good film with Michael Caine and Nicol Williamson, the latter very skilfully playing a nasty but complex villain.

I agree. I purchased a copy of this last year during one of the Kino sales. I’d never seen it but figured that with both Caine and Poitier in it I couldn’t lose. I was right. Well worth a blind buy for anyone who hasn’t seen it.

Separately, I wish there wasn’t the unavoidable Cosby problem to consider because I so enjoyed the Poitier/Cosby team-ups of the 1970s. I understand why it won’t happen but I would still like to have Blus of Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again and A Piece of the Action.

 

[chrislong2]

Does anyone know, WITHOUT looking it up on the net, what Sidney's last starring film was? Hint: It hasn't been discussed yet, was a TV movie, and does NOT have a Blu-ray (only a DVD).

Well, seeing no takers lol, I'll answer my own question. His last role was in 2001's "The Last Brickmaker in America" where he was "the last brickmaker in America" . It's a sweet, charming made-for-TV film where Poitier's character struggles with purpose after his wife's death and he ends up befriending a troubled teen and teaching him the craft of brickmaking. No blu release (unfortunately) but it at least made it to widescreen DVD and not too long ago I saw it show up on a few streaming services (though I think maybe only in SD/DVD quality not sure).

 

[TravisR]

Well, seeing no takers lol, I'll answer my own question. His last role was in 2001's "The Last Brickmaker in America" where he was "the last brickmaker in America" . It's a sweet, charming made-for-TV film where Poitier's character struggles with purpose after his wife's death and he ends up befriending a troubled teen and teaching him the craft of brickmaking. No blu release (unfortunately) but it at least made it to widescreen DVD and not too long ago I saw it show up on a few streaming services (though I think maybe only in SD/DVD quality not sure).

I didn't want to cheat. Also, I thought it would be To Sir, With Love II (since Peter Bogdanovich also just died) and that answer was wrong by a few years.

 

[Nelson Au]

I watched a trailer for The Last Brickmaker in America on IMDB. Looks like a heart warming little film.

 

[chrislong2]

I watched a trailer for The Last Brickmaker in America on IMDB. Looks like a heart warming little film.

Yes. It's one of those (as some heart warming films tend to do) that kind of flew under the radar especially with origins as a TV movie, but as you probably also noticed, it's got a 7.4 rating on imdb. It's simplistic, but it's got heart and it touches on themes that resonate with people, and Poitier as always is stellar. Plus as a bonus you get to learn how to make bricks. LOL I think I saw it mentioned somewhere that it's available for free streaming on Tubi (with ads I'm sure). I don't know who the rights holder is but I'd like to see a blu.

 

[jayembee]

Well, I don't think any of the DVDs that I have of his films are out on Blu-ray in Region "A". If I'm wrong then I'm sure somebody will correct me.

As far as I know, your list is accurate. For what it's worth, though, Indicator's UK blu-rays of To Sir with Love and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner are both region free (they came out before Sony decided that they wanted Indicator to region lock their titles). Guess Who's Coming to Dinner has also been released on Blu-ray by Sony as a 50th Anniversary edition.

Also, the directed by Poitier but not starring him title Stir Crazy was released on Blu-ray by Image. And the made-for-TV To Sir with Love II was released on Blu-ray in Australia by Via Vision (Region B locked).

Also, The Long Ships appears to have been released on Blu-ray in both Germany and France. Don't know if either is region free or not. And The Bedford Incident appears to have been released region-free in France.

Last weekend, I watched my DVDs of those last two and Buck and the Preacher. The Long Ships is silly fun, and I could probably live without it being on BD. Bedford could probably use a bit of clean-up, but I'm surprised that this hasn't made it out on BD in the US yet, either from Criterion or Sony itself. It really needs to be. The image quality of the Buck and the Preacher DVD was surprisingly good. This could probably make a reasonably good BD.

 

[jayembee]

Sounds like it will be a Kino title

[Referring to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner]

OK, I haven't been keeping up much the last six months (Real Life stuff getting in the way), but does Kino now have a deal with Sony?

 

[jayembee]

My guess is that since Twilight Time or Kino (both of whom released several Kramer titles on blu-ray) never released "The Defiant Ones", then perhaps Criterion has the rights and have been sitting on it for some reason or another

Seems to me that someone was planning to release it in the US. Couldn't swear to it, but I think it was Olive. It never did get released, though.

 

[SeanSKA]

Seems to me that someone was planning to release it in the US. Couldn't swear to it, but I think it was Olive. It never did get released, though.

I believe every Stanley Kramer directed film from 1955 to 1973 (not sure about 71s "Bless the Beasts and the Children") has received a blu-ray release in the US, it is surprising that "The Defiant Ones", his most honored if not most popular film, never made it to blu....at least so far

 

[JMB9]

I would highly recommend the Criterion edition of A Raisin in the Sun. That movie adaptation of the play is an emotional experience and the transfer is superb, sourced from a 4K restoration a few years back.

 

[jayembee]

I believe every Stanley Kramer directed film from 1955 to 1973 (not sure about 71s "Bless the Beasts and the Children") has received a blu-ray release in the US, it is surprising that "The Defiant Ones", his most honored if not most popular film, never made it to blu....at least so far

Every theatrical film directed by Kramer has been released on Blu-ray in the US except:

The Defiant Ones -- on region-free UK release from Eureka
R.P.M. -- on region-free UK release from Indicator
Bless the Beasts and the Children -- not on Blu-ray anywhere that I'm aware of

 

[Robin9]

I wonder if Warner Archive would have the nerve to release Band Of Angels on Blu-ray disc. I'm sure people who enjoy being offended will take offense at a movie which depicts an attractive woman being forced into slavery, but for insensitive, politically incorrect clods like me Band Of Angels is a good film. Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Poitier, the film would find an audience.

I'll re-watch the DVD in the next few days.

 

[Nelson Au]

Guys, I had ordered the Kino Lorber Lilies of the Field blu ray and received it last week. I discovered today its asking price of $94.95! This is insanity, but then the Twilght Time blu ray is going for $139.00 on Amazon. I guess I acted fast enough and I got it for $16.59. My order for The Defiant Ones blu ray is still enroute from Germany.

 

[jayembee]

Guys, I had ordered the Kino Lorber Lilies of the Field blu ray and received it last week. I discovered today its asking price of $94.95! This is insanity, but then the Twilght Time blu ray is going for $139.00 on Amazon. I guess I acted fast enough and I got it for $16.59. My order for The Defiant Ones blu ray is still enroute from Germany.

It's not uncommon for items to skyrocket in price like this, for no sensible reason, especially from places like eBay or third-party sellers on Amazon. Sometimes, it's a case of a gap between the item going out of stock and being reprinted, and people thinking it's out of print. Sometimes it's a simple mistake: the seller in question here might think what he's got is the OOP Twilight Time edition, or that's actually what he has, but he's using a stock image of the Kino edition.

At any rate, the Kino edition is available from Kino themselves for "$24.95 $14.97 (40% off)" though I haven't checked whether it's out of stock at the moment (there might've been a run on Poitier titles recently).

Lilies of the Field | Kino Lorber - Experience Cinema

Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier), an itinerant handyman, is driving through the Arizona desert when he meets five impoverished nuns. Stopping to fix their leaky farmhouse roof, Homer discovers that not only will the Mother Superior not pay him for the job, but she also wants him to build their...

www.kinolorber.com

This sort of thing happens a lot with Criterion titles. Criterion runs out of stock, their store says it's "currently unavailable" until they get more copies pressed, and there's mass gnashing of teeth and rending of garments because everyone thinks it's gone OOP. If a Criterion title actually goes OOP, their product page will explicitly say "Out of Print". If a Kino title goes OOP, they remove the product page from their site.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hey Jerry, thanks for the post. I totally did not think to check the Kino Lorber website! I would have bought from them. I thought part of the reasoning for the sudden price jump was trying to cash in on those people who are trying to collect Sidney’s titles after his passing.