Some movies just don’t get the respect they deserve, which cues pushy reviewers to sing their praises. Forget everything you’ve read and give this Roman Polanski picture a chance — it’s the classiest Halloween treat ever, a lavish blend of Hammer horror, slapstick comedy and wistful romance — plus a vampire horde more balefully scary than a carload of zombies. It’s the beloved Sharon Tate’s best picture, and its vampire king is an original apart from Bela Lugosi and Chris Lee’s Draculas — an aristocratic one-percenter on a satanic mission to put all of humanity in a graveyard of the undead. Warners’ Panavision-Metrocolor restoration is drop-dead beautiful. And they’ve even revived Frank Frazetta’s original ‘jolly chase’ poster art.
The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 107 91 min. / Dance of the Vampires, Your...
The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 107 91 min. / Dance of the Vampires, Your...
- 10/8/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Seth Holt is an odd figure. An editor at first, his career spans classic Ealing comedies (The Lavender Hill Mob, 1951) and gritty kitchen sink drama (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1960), while his overlapping career as producer saw him preside over the classic The Ladykillers (1955). On becoming a director, he worked mainly at Hammer, which made radically different content from Ealing but perhaps shared the same cozy atmosphere.Taste of Fear (a.k.a. Scream of Fear, 1961) is a zestful Diabolique knock-off, while The Nanny (1965) continued Bette Davis' career in horror. It's incredibly strong, beautifully made and quite ruthless: Bette referred to Holt as "a mountain of evil" and found him the most demanding director she'd encountered since William Wyler. During the daft but enjoyably peculiar Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971), Holt developed a persistent case of hiccups that turned the screening of rushes into hilarious occasions. Then he dropped dead of a heart attack,...
- 3/16/2017
- MUBI
Gene Gutowski, who produced three of Roman Polanski‘s 1960s movies and was a co-producer on the director’s 2002 Oscar winning Holocaust drama, “The Pianist,” has died. He was 90. Gutowski’s son Adam Bardach told the Associated Press that his father died of pneumonia at a hospital in Warsaw, Poland. Gutowski and Polanski collaborated on “Repulsion,” “Cul-de-Sac” and “The Fearless Vampire Killers” in the 1960s. They reunited more than three decades later on “The Pianist.” Also Read: William Schallert, Character Actor and Former SAG President, Dies at 93 The movie was “a personal catharsis” for Gutowski, who wrote that “watching crowds of terrified helpless.
- 5/11/2016
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Filmmaker Adam Bardach attended the 30th edition of Warsaw International Festival to premiere his new documentary Dancing Before the Enemy: How a Teenage Boy Fooled Nazis and Lived. The film is a portrait of his father, Gene Gutowski, who survived the Holocaust in Poland and went on to have a successful career in Hollywood, most notably as Roman Polanski's producer. Bardach has made a very personal monument to his father capturing the difficult times under the Nazi occupation in Poland when many of his family members perished in death camps. Gutowski recounts the struggle to survive and the complicated path to the liberty. Bardach revisits painful memories and places in Poland following his father while he provides eye-witness testimony of horrors from the wartime era....
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/23/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Lukasz Palkowski’s Gods was the big winner at this year’s annual showcase of Polish cinema at the Gdynia Film Festival which ended with a gala awards ceremony at the weekend.
Gods (Bogowie), based on the life of Zbigniew Religa who performed the first successful heart transplant in Poland in the 1980s, received the Grand Prix Golden Lions for best film as well as individual awards in the categories of screenplay, make-up, production design and actor in a leading role for Tomasz Kot.
In addition, Gods received the award of the Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad as well as the Journalists’ Award, Elle magazine’s Star of the Stars award for lead actor Kot and Radio Gdansk’s Golden Claquer Award for the longest applauded film at a screening in the Musical Theatre for the Main Competition.
Palkowski made his feature directorial debut in 2007 with Reserve, which won three prize at the festival in Gdynia...
Gods (Bogowie), based on the life of Zbigniew Religa who performed the first successful heart transplant in Poland in the 1980s, received the Grand Prix Golden Lions for best film as well as individual awards in the categories of screenplay, make-up, production design and actor in a leading role for Tomasz Kot.
In addition, Gods received the award of the Polish Film Festivals and Reviews Abroad as well as the Journalists’ Award, Elle magazine’s Star of the Stars award for lead actor Kot and Radio Gdansk’s Golden Claquer Award for the longest applauded film at a screening in the Musical Theatre for the Main Competition.
Palkowski made his feature directorial debut in 2007 with Reserve, which won three prize at the festival in Gdynia...
- 9/22/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – Whatever you may think about Roman Polanski as a human being (or a criminal for that matter), it is simply undeniable that he is one of our best living filmmakers. From “Repulsion” to “Chinatown” to “The Pianist” to “The Ghost Writer” — he’s a master of the form, one of my absolute favorite directors of all time. One of his lesser-known works (that would be the best film of many other director’s entire careers but arguably doesn’t even rank top ten for Polanski) is the tense, taut “Cul-de-sac,” given the special edition treatment this week by The Criterion Collection.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
“Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental menage a trois in this slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director’s golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasence and Francoise Dorleac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is invaded by a rude, burly American gangster on the run,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
“Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental menage a trois in this slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director’s golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasence and Francoise Dorleac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is invaded by a rude, burly American gangster on the run,...
- 8/17/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Agent 8 3/4 (1964)
Directed by: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley
Synopsis: Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he’s got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage. In fact he is now in the employ of British Intelligence. His pretty chauffeuse on arrival behind the Iron Curtain, Comrade Simonova, is herself a Czech agent. Just as well she’s immediately attracted to 007′s unwitting replacement. [highdefdigest.com]
Special Features: Unknown.
Armed And Dangerous (1986)
Directed by: Mark L. Lester
Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan, Robert Loggia
Synopsis: Dooley, a cop wrongly sacked for corruption, teams up with a useless defense lawyer in their new careers… as security guards. When the two are made fall guys for a robbery at a location they are guarding, the pair begin to investigate corruption within the company and their union.
Agent 8 3/4 (1964)
Directed by: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley
Synopsis: Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he’s got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage. In fact he is now in the employ of British Intelligence. His pretty chauffeuse on arrival behind the Iron Curtain, Comrade Simonova, is herself a Czech agent. Just as well she’s immediately attracted to 007′s unwitting replacement. [highdefdigest.com]
Special Features: Unknown.
Armed And Dangerous (1986)
Directed by: Mark L. Lester
Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan, Robert Loggia
Synopsis: Dooley, a cop wrongly sacked for corruption, teams up with a useless defense lawyer in their new careers… as security guards. When the two are made fall guys for a robbery at a location they are guarding, the pair begin to investigate corruption within the company and their union.
- 8/15/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
DVD Playhouse—August 2011
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
- 8/8/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Cul-de-sac, Roman Polanski’s (The Ghost Writer) 1966 absurdist movie about over-the-top paranoia and bizarre sexuality (sound familiar?), comes to Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion on Aug. 16 for the list prices of $39.95 and $29.95, respectively.
Françoise Dorléac gives hubby Donald Pleasance a makeover in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac.
The film stars Donald Pleasance (Halloween) and Françoise Dorléac (The Soft Skin) as a cowardly eccentric and his slutty French wife, whose isolated beachfront castle is overrun by a burly American gangster (Lionel Stander, Unfaithfully Yours) on the lam. As the tide rises and flocks of chickens close in (!), the trio engages in a sly game of shifting identities, sexual challenges and emotional humiliations. It’s weird, weird stuff that’s both laugh out loud funny and quietly clever as a metaphor for a modern world in chaos.
As is usual for Criterion’s releases, the movie will have a digital restoration, approved by director Polanski,...
Françoise Dorléac gives hubby Donald Pleasance a makeover in Roman Polanski's Cul-de-sac.
The film stars Donald Pleasance (Halloween) and Françoise Dorléac (The Soft Skin) as a cowardly eccentric and his slutty French wife, whose isolated beachfront castle is overrun by a burly American gangster (Lionel Stander, Unfaithfully Yours) on the lam. As the tide rises and flocks of chickens close in (!), the trio engages in a sly game of shifting identities, sexual challenges and emotional humiliations. It’s weird, weird stuff that’s both laugh out loud funny and quietly clever as a metaphor for a modern world in chaos.
As is usual for Criterion’s releases, the movie will have a digital restoration, approved by director Polanski,...
- 5/20/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
It’s so strange, writing this so long after the announcement yesterday. In today’s internet world of instant information, and twenty four second news cycles, yesterday’s August 2011 Criterion Collection new releases may as well have happened last week, or last month. I’m sure that the page views for this post will be markedly smaller than the usual, as I have tried consistently to have the new release post up within minutes of the pages going live on Criterion’s website. I know this all sounds like inside baseball stuff, but it’s on my mind, and darn it, this is my website.
I had a whole, several paragraph long, write up of the August titles, but since I’m finding myself writing this at 10pm on Tuesday evening, I think it’s better if I just scrap that whole thing and start over. I was going on...
I had a whole, several paragraph long, write up of the August titles, but since I’m finding myself writing this at 10pm on Tuesday evening, I think it’s better if I just scrap that whole thing and start over. I was going on...
- 5/18/2011
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Chicago – I unabashedly adore “Repulsion”. A lot of Roman Polanski’s work in the ’60s and ’70s - “Repulsion,” “The Tenant,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Chinatown” - stand as influential films in why I became a film critic and lover of movies in general. So, a Criterion edition of “Repulsion” is kind of a wish-list dream made reality. It lives up to my high expectations.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 1965’s “Repulsion” was years ahead of its time in its transcendence of the modern horror film - It’s not what’s out there that should scare you, it’s what’s in your own mind. “Repulsion” is about urban alienation, paranoia, and the nightmare that could be going on in the apartment next door. It’s a revolutionary, riveting piece of cinema that should be as required viewing as the best of Alfred Hitchcock, if it’s not already.
Repulsion was released on Blu-Ray on July 28th,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 1965’s “Repulsion” was years ahead of its time in its transcendence of the modern horror film - It’s not what’s out there that should scare you, it’s what’s in your own mind. “Repulsion” is about urban alienation, paranoia, and the nightmare that could be going on in the apartment next door. It’s a revolutionary, riveting piece of cinema that should be as required viewing as the best of Alfred Hitchcock, if it’s not already.
Repulsion was released on Blu-Ray on July 28th,...
- 7/31/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Roman Polanski’s second feature film, Repulsion (1965), is considered a classic of the slow-burn, first-person psychological-study genre. Just out on a special-edition DVD and Blu-ray from Criterion, it messily observes and records the unraveling of the sanity of an unbalanced young woman (played by an especially delicate Catherine Deneuve) when she’s left home alone for the weekend by her older sister.
That’s really it for plot, folks; this is more of a non-narrative character study than a densely plotted thriller. But if you hook up with the film’s wavelength, settle in with it and allow the flow of images to lead you along, you’ll find yourself taking an interesting and disturbing journey.
The movie is expertly photographed by Gil Taylor (who would reunite with Polanski a year later on Cul-de-sac), who imbues the first half of the movie with a rather natural look. But once the long,...
That’s really it for plot, folks; this is more of a non-narrative character study than a densely plotted thriller. But if you hook up with the film’s wavelength, settle in with it and allow the flow of images to lead you along, you’ll find yourself taking an interesting and disturbing journey.
The movie is expertly photographed by Gil Taylor (who would reunite with Polanski a year later on Cul-de-sac), who imbues the first half of the movie with a rather natural look. But once the long,...
- 7/29/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Scooter McCrae)
- Fangoria
While there are no mainstream horror releases this week, it's a Huge week for fans of under-the-radar titles, vintage frights, indie and international horror.
There's quite a few re-issues, some titles hitting Blu-ray for the first time, and several collections hitting stores. Below the jump you can view the full list of genre DVD & Blu-Ray titles arriving tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 in this weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List - updated with all the last minute additions and deletions.
The 10th Victim
It is the 21st Century, and society's lust for violence is satisfied by "The Big Hunt," an international game of legalized murder. But when the sport's two top assassins (Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress) are pitted against each other, they find that love is the most dangerous game of all. As the world watches, the hunt is on. Who will become The 10th Victim?
The 10th...
There's quite a few re-issues, some titles hitting Blu-ray for the first time, and several collections hitting stores. Below the jump you can view the full list of genre DVD & Blu-Ray titles arriving tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 in this weekly version of the famous Fangoria Chopping List - updated with all the last minute additions and deletions.
The 10th Victim
It is the 21st Century, and society's lust for violence is satisfied by "The Big Hunt," an international game of legalized murder. But when the sport's two top assassins (Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress) are pitted against each other, they find that love is the most dangerous game of all. As the world watches, the hunt is on. Who will become The 10th Victim?
The 10th...
- 7/27/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (James Zahn)
- Fangoria
His major horror film before "Rosemary's Baby," Roman Polanski's somewhat rare "Repulsion" is now hitting Blu-Ray courtesy of Criterion in July! The HD room broke the news about the release, which is hitting stores July 28. Here are specs: Repulsion * New, restored high-definition digital transfer * Audio commentary featuring director Roman Polanski and actress Catherine Deneuve * A British Horror Film (2003), a documentary on the making of Repulsion, featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Gene Gutowski, and cinematographer Gil Taylor * A 1964 television documentary filmed on the set of Repulsion, featuring rare footage of Polanski and Deneuve at work * Theatrical trailer * Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar and curator Bill Horrigan Click here for our original review of this classic film.. . . .
- 4/22/2009
- ESplatter.com
Starring a very young Catherine Deneuve as Carole Ledoux "Repulsion," is one of Roman Polanski's most thrilling films from his early career. Shot in London with a contrasting black and white scale the film plays on the viewer's fears of urban living and the descent of central character Carole into a darkening madness. Unsettling today as the film was in the past this instant horror classic will shock those looking for something more in the psychological realm of filmaking. "Repulsion," can now be found on Blu-ray this July 28.
Roman Polanski's most paranoid horror film will offer 5.1 suround sound and audio commentary from the director with central character Catherine Deneuve supporting. Not to be missed this newest version of "Repulsion," will be shown in the highest quality visual format high-definition digital and offer a behind the scenes video with several interviews. Have a look at the full list of extras past the break.
Roman Polanski's most paranoid horror film will offer 5.1 suround sound and audio commentary from the director with central character Catherine Deneuve supporting. Not to be missed this newest version of "Repulsion," will be shown in the highest quality visual format high-definition digital and offer a behind the scenes video with several interviews. Have a look at the full list of extras past the break.
- 4/21/2009
- by Michael Ross Allen
- 28 Days Later Analysis
As I'm currently going through somewhat of an obsession with early Polanski right now this news couldn't have come at a better time. His 1965 film, Repulsion, starring Catherine Deneuve has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it as teenager on late night tv. It was totally confusing at the time but completely mesmerizing. Of course now that I'm a little more worldly I think I understand its not so subtle subtext more and can better appreciate it as a slow-burning psychological thriller that shows immense restraint from the young director.
rumor is that Criterion doesn't plan on stopping here either. I've heard from various sources of some repute that they also plan on releasing Cul-De-Sac which would bring my early Polanski collection to a close.
Repulsion is being released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 28, 2009. Full list of special features after the break.
Special Features:
* New, restored...
rumor is that Criterion doesn't plan on stopping here either. I've heard from various sources of some repute that they also plan on releasing Cul-De-Sac which would bring my early Polanski collection to a close.
Repulsion is being released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 28, 2009. Full list of special features after the break.
Special Features:
* New, restored...
- 4/18/2009
- QuietEarth.us
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