ONE OF THE GREATEST SPAGHETTI WESTERNS OF ALL TIME GETS A STELLAR BLU-RAY RELEASE!
I was never a big fan of Westerns growing up (quite frankly I found them boring), but then I stumbled across Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, and my life changed forever. After that I watched his "Man With No Name Trilogy," the SABATA films, DJANGO, the TRINITY series, and numerous others. And yet I've somehow missed out on KEOMA, which apparently is one of the best in the entire sub-genre. I think it's high time I check it out, now that Arrow Video has taken the trouble to release this amazing Special Edition Blu-ray of Enzo G. Castellari's highly-praised film!
Synopsis: A strikingly original spaghetti western with a unique elegiac tone, Keoma truly is a one-of-a-kind classic of its genre…
The legendary Franco Nero (DJANGO, THE FIFTH CORD) stars in the titular role as a half-breed gunfighter who returns from the killing fields of the civil war to find his hometown riddled with the plague, its inhabitants terrorized (with the help of Keoma’s own estranged half-brothers) by tyrannical gang leader Caldwell (Donald O'Brien - ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST).
Keoma’s father (Willian Berger - SABATA, SARTANA IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH) welcomes his prodigal son’s return, but when Keoma saves a vulnerable pregnant woman (Olga Karlatos - ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS) from Caldwell's thugs, the stage is set for a violent confrontation. With the help of his father and his friend, the freed slave George (Woody Strode - SPARTACUS), Keoma prepares to take a savage revenge on Caldwell and his gang.
Directed with immense flair and virtuosity by veteran Enzo G. Castellari (who channels Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone in equal measure), KEOMA is an epic film of Shakespearean and biblical proportions, which boasts compelling performances and thrilling violent action. Truly epic in scope, KEOMA is considered by many to be one of the greatest spaghetti westerns.
Disc Specs:
Rated R | Color | 101 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio - Uncompressed 1.0 LPCM Mono (English & Italian)
Extras:
NEW! 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative!
NEW! Audio commentary by spaghetti western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry C. Parke!
NEW!The Ballad of Keoma - An interview with the legendary star Franco Nero!
NEW!Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust - An interview with director Enzo G. Castellari!
NEW!Writing Keoma - An interview with actor and writer Luigi Montefiori (AKA George Eastman)!
NEW!Parallel Actions - An interview with editor Gianfranco Amicucci!
NEW!The Flying Thug - An interview with actor Massimo Vanni!
NEW!Play as an Actor - An interview with actor Volfango Soldati!
NEW!Keoma and the Twilight of the Spaghetti Western - A video appreciation by the academic Austin Fisher!
An Introduction to Keoma by Alex Cox, an archival featurette with the acclaimed director
Original Italian and international theatrical trailers
Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel Archive!
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips!
Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Simon Abrams and Howard Hughes!
Arrow Video's fully-loaded Special Edition of KEOMA is currently available wherever Blu-ray discs are sold, and should cost between $24 - $28! Fill that empty spot in your high-def spaghetti western collection now by ordering a copy from AMAZON, BULL MOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from ARROW VIDEO!
CELEBRATE FIVE DECADES OF NERO AND EASTWOOD WITH THESE NEW BLU-RAY RELEASES!
UPDATE: 05/23/2020 - After almost two years, Arrow Video's DJANGO Blu-ray is finally getting released! If you missed out on the Limited Edition (or Steelbook) the last time (like most of us did) you can snap up a copy on June 30, 2020!
UPDATE: 12/10/2018 - Arrow's DJANGO discs are currently ON HOLD (so if you somehow got one, count yourself lucky!) There is a review embargo in place, and the disc is not being shipped due to (from what I've ascertained from several sources) rights issues! I'll post more info as I receive it!
Because I'm quite possibly insane, I task myself with owning the best possible edition for just about every movie in my personal collection. That means that I am constantly double-dipping on titles I already own on DVD or Blu-ray.
And now here I am once again, on the cusp of upgrading two of my favorite Westerns: DJANGO and HANG 'EM HIGH, a pair of films warning of the dangers of leaving someone for dead! While DJANGO fares better (4K restoration, lots of extras, and a bonus film!), HANG 'EM HIGH's Blu-ray does offer up a pair of new audio commentaries! For a closer look a these new releases, please continue reading pardners. :: tips hat ::
DJANGO (1966)
Synopsis: In this definitive Spaghetti Western, Franco Nero (KEOMA, THE FIFTH CORD)
gives a career-defining performance as Django, a mysterious loner who
arrives at a mud-drenched ghost town on the Mexico-US border, ominously
dragging a coffin behind him. After saving imperiled prostitute Maria
(Loredana Nusciak), Django becomes embroiled in a brutal feud between a
racist gang and a band of Mexican revolutionaries...
With DJANGO, director Sergio Corbucci (THE GREAT SILENCE) upped the ante
for sadism and sensationalism in Westerns, depicting machine gun
massacres, mud-fighting prostitutes and savage mutilations. A huge hit
with international audiences, Django’s brand of bleak nihilism would be
repeatedly emulated in a raft of unofficial sequels.
Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 91 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.66:1)
Audio - English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Limited Edition Steelbook Cover Art.
Extras:
NEW! Restoration from a 4K scan of DJANGO from the original camera negative!
Audio commentary by film critic, historian and theorist Stephen Prince.
NEW! Interview with star Franco Nero!
NEW! Interview with assistant director Ruggero Deodato!
NEW! Interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti!
NEW! Interview with Sergio Corbucci’s wife Nora Corbucci!
Archival interview with co-writer Piero Vivarelli.
Archival interview with stuntman and actor Gilberto Galimberti.
NEW!Discovering Django - An appreciation by Spaghetti Westerns scholar Austin Fisher!
An Introduction to Djangoby Alex Cox - An archival featurette with the acclaimed director.
Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel Archive
Original trailers
TEXAS, ADIOS (1966)
Synopsis: Released as DJANGO 2 in some territories, TEXAS, ADIOS features Franco Nero as a Texan sheriff who travels across the frontier into Mexico with his younger brother to confront the man that killed their father!
Disc Specs:
Not Rated | Color | 93 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio - English & Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Extras:
NEW! Restoration from a 2K scan of TEXAS, ADIOS from the original camera negative!
Audio commentary for by spaghetti western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry C. Parke!
NEW! Interview with star Franco Nero!
NEW! Interview with co-star Alberto Dell'Acqua!
NEW! Interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti!
NEW!Hello Texas! - An appreciation by Spaghetti Westerns scholar Austin Fisher!
Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel Archive
Original trailer
ADDITIONAL LIMITED EDITION BONUS MATERIALS:
NOTE: The majority of these extras features only apply to the "standard" Limited Edition, and not the Steelbook!
Six double-sided collector's postcards!
Double-sided fold-out poster!
Limited edition 60-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by Howard Hughes and Roberto Curti, and original reviews!
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips!
(STEELBOOK ONLY) Limited edition fully illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Howard Hughes and original review!
Arrow Video's stellar Limited Edition of DJANGO is due out on
Tuesday, December 11th! Both the "standard version" and the Steelbook
cost between $35 - $40 and will probably sell out FAST. So hurry up and
get a copy ASAP! The regular Limited Edition can be procured from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE (in store only), or directly from ARROW VIDEO. The Limited Edition Steelbook is readily available from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE (in store only), and ARROW VIDEO!
HANG 'EM HIGH (1968) Synopsis:
They strung him up. They left him to die. But they made two fatal
mistakes: they hanged the wrong man ... and they didn't finish the job.
Oklahoma,
1873: Jed Cooper (Clint Eastwood), mistaken for a rustler and killer,
is lynched on the spot by crooked lawman Captain Wilson (Ed Begley) and a
rampaging band of vigilantes. But as Wilson and his gang flee the
scene, there's one very important detail they've overlooked — Cooper is
still alive!
Saved in the nick of time by a marshal,
Cooper takes on the job of deputy marshal in order to bring hard-handed
justice to the Oklahoma territory ... and to the nine men who "done him
wrong." Co-starring Inger Stevens and Pat Hingle, HANG 'EM HIGH is a
savage and action-packed western adventure, presented to you in this
celebratory 50th Anniversary Edition!
Disc Specs:
Rated PG-13 | Color | 115 minutes | Region A
Video - 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio - English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & Dolby Digital Mono
Extras:
NEW! Audio Commentary With Western Film Historians Lem Dobbs And Nick Redman!
NEW! Audio Commentary With Film Historian Jim Hemphill!
Theatrical Trailer
Shout Select's 50th Anniversary Blu-ray of HANG EM' HIGH is also
available on Tuesday, December 11th, and should cost around $30! (Ack!
HANG 'EM HIGH? More like PRICE 'EM HIGH!) Yeah that's a bit steep,
especially considering that it seems like they just ported over the
previous transfer from the much cheaper MGM Blu-ray,
but the two new audio commentaries might just be worth it? If you have
your heart set on owning this 50th Anniversary release, get it now from AMAZON, BULLMOOSE, DIABOLIK DVD, or directly from SHOUT! FACTORY.
