News: Latest Cuts

The Spirit is a 2008 US action film by Frank Miller.
With Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson.

Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City.

BBFC category cuts were required for a 12A rated 2008 cinema release. The film was released uncut on 15 rated home video.

See these cuts in Cutting Edge Quick Trims video on YouTube

The Little Vampire is a 2017 Netherlands / Germany / Denmark / UK family animation comedy by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich.
Starring Rasmus Hardiker, Amy Saville and Jim Carter.

UK: Passed U for mild comic violence, threat, very mild bad language after 29s of BBFC category cuts for:

• 2018 cinema release

The BBFC commented:

• Company chose to remove a scene of potentially dangerous imitable behaviour involving electricity in order to achieve a U classification. An uncut PG was available.

Summary Notes

The story of Rudolph, a thirteen year old vampire, whose clan is threatened by a notorious vampire hunter. He meets Tony, a mortal of the same age, who is fascinated by old castles, graveyards and - vampires. Tony helps Rudolph in an action and humor packed battle against their adversaries, and together they save Rudolph's family and become friends.

Mountain of the Cannibal God is a 1978 Italian adventure by Sergio Martino
With Ursula Andress and Stacey Keach.

UK: The Extended Version was passed 18 for strong violence, gore, sex after 2:01s of BBFC compulsory cuts for:

• 2018 Shameless RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 7th May 2018
• 2018 Shameless R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 7th May 2018

The BBFC commented:

• Compulsory cuts required to remove six sequences of animal cruelty .

UK Censorship History

All UK releases have been cut for animal cruelty. The film was banned as a video nasty in 1983. There is an uncut extended version released in the US. This Extended Version was passed 18 for 2018 video but was still cut for animal cruelty.

The Extended Version features 4 minutes of previously unseen rape, bestiality and masturbation scenes. It also restores the explicit castration scene to the movie. This extra material is said to have been taken from the director's private collection.

See further details at Melon Farmers Film Cuts: Mountain of the Cannibal God

Promotional Material

Sergio Martino (director of All The Colours Of The Dark, The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, Torso) invites you on the trip of a lifetime - to THE MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD for sun, wildlife and... flesh munching natives! You might just never come home...

Ursula Andress (Bond Dr No, 10th Victim, The Nurse) travels to the New Guinea jungle in search of her scientist husband who s vanished in the untamed Green Inferno. Soon, giant spiders, killer crocs and deadly snakes bare their teeth as her expedition, lead by cult-fave Stacey Keach, journeys towards the sacred mountain of the Cannibal God! There a flesh-eating demon will enslave her in an eruption of frenzied orgiastic climax... and full porky bestiality!

Banned as a video nasty , Shameless now reinstates the original dramatic gore and the complete extended explicitness to serve up the world s first 2K-sharp restoration of this ferocious unflinching exploitation treat, to be devoured in all its blood-soaked glory!

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978) is presented restored and re-graded from a new 2K scan. This entirely new widescreen release features previously unseen footage (of sex and gore) and is the longest ever UK version.

Exclusive, Limited Edition Serial-Numbered O card

Introduction by Director Sergio Martino

Interviews with Director Sergio Martino about Animal Cruelty on film

Making-of Cannibal Nightmare with exclusive on-set footage etc..

Alternative Credits

Original English audio soundtrack in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono

Theatrical Trailer

Tom Jones is a 1963 UK comedy adventure by Tony Richardson.
Starring Albert Finney, Susannah York and George Devine.

The BBFC has just made the unusual decision to waive animal cruelty cuts. In this case the cuts were to a cockfight.

The BBFC does seem more likely these days to waive cuts to animal cruelty shown to be staged, but maybe this case is different in that the BBFC commented in 2003 that cuts to Tom Jones were r equired to sight of real animal cruelty (cockfighting).

The BBFC has also uprated the age classification from the previous PG rating to a 12 rating this time.

An upcoming BFI release will feature the Theatrical Version and shorter Director's Cut and have both just been rated 12 for moderate sex references, violence, language

Censorship History

Passed X uncut by the BBFC for 1963 cinema release. BBFC have required animal cruelty cuts for all releases from  1971 until 2018 when the cuts were waived for home video release. The film exists in a longer original version and a shortened Director's Cut. Both versions are available MPAA Unrated and so without censor cuts in the US.

Promotional Material

In the early 1960s, at the height of the British New Wave, a movement whose gritty realism they had helped establish, director Tony Richardson and playwright John Osborne set out for more fanciful narrative territory. Tom Jones brings a theatrical flair to Henry Fielding s canonical eighteenth-century novel, boisterously chronicling the misadventures of the foundling of the title (Albert Finney, in a career-defining turn), whose easy charm seems to lead him astray at every turn from his beloved, the wellborn Sophie Western (Susannah York). This spirited picaresque, evocatively shot in England s rambling countryside and featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, went on to become a worldwide sensation, winning the Oscar for best picture on the way to securing its status as a classic of irreverent wit and playful cinematic expression.

Update: Re the BBFC and faked/real animal cruelty

16th April 2018. Thanks to Jon

There was a foreign-language film from a few years back called A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE, and that features scenes of a simian being experimented on and electrocuted!

The scenes had been faked by clever CGI and animatronics, but if you've seen the film, and didn't know that the cruelty was faked, it looks horrendously real, and abhorrent!

The film received a 12A rating (for disturbing images ) and the BBFC DIDN'T mention anything in the BBFC Advice about the cruelty. When I emailed them about it, they said as long as the cruelty is fake, they can and will pass it!

If animal cruelty has been faked, and the BBFC are shown evidence to backup that fakeness, then it can be passed, at any rating.

Crucible of Horror (aka The Corpse) is a 1971 UK horror thriller by Viktors Ritelis.
Starring Michael Gough, Yvonne Mitchell and Sharon Gurney.

US: Uncut and MPAA R rated for:

• 2018 Shout! Factory RA Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 10th April 2018

Censorship History

Cut by the BBFC for an X rated cinema release in 1971.

The running time noted for this release is shorter than the original submission to the BBFC, so perhaps this is the cut UK Theatrical Version

Summary Notes

A mother and daughter hatch a scheme to murder their family's domineering and sadistic patriarch.

Death Wish is a 1974 USA crime thriller by Michael Winner.
With Charles Bronson, Hope Lange and Vincent Gardenia.

UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong sexual violence and very strong language for:

• 2018 Universal Pictures UK RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 9th April 2018
• 2018 Universal Pictures UK VoD [UK only] at UK Amazon

UK Censorship History

Uncut by the BBFC for 1974 cinema release but banned (or rather 'delayed') for 13 years on VHS. Eventually released with cuts for 18 rated VHS in 2000. The BBFC later waived its cuts for 18 rated DVD in 2006. Uncut and MPAA R rated in the US.

See further details at Melon Farmers Video Hits: Trash

Promotional Material

In this explosive story of revenge and urban violence, Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a bleeding-heart liberal who has a change of opinion after his wife and daughter are violently attacked by a gang of thugs in their apartment. His daughter is sexually assaulted and his wife is murdered. Bronson then turns vigilante as he stalks the mean streets of New York on the prowl for muggers, hoodlums and the like. Death Wish is a violent, controversial film that is frank and original in its treatment of urban crime and the average citizen’s helplessness in dealing with it. Herbie Hancock wrote the musical score. And watch for a young Jeff Goldblum in his film debut as one of the thugs.

BONUS FEATURES: Theatrical Trailer

Violence in a Women's Prison (Violenza in un carcere femminile aka Caged Women) is a 1982 Italy / France action thriller by Bruno Mattei (as Vincent Dawn).
Starring Laura Gemser, Gabriele Tinti and Maria Romano.

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2018 Severin Films RA Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 8th May 2018
• 2018 Severin Films R0 DVD at US Amazon released on 8th May 2018

UK Censorship History

Banned by the BBFC for 1992 video. Unbanned after massive cuts. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US.

Promotional Material

Bruno Mattei's infamous filth-fest - Uncut in HD for the first time ever.

In an over-the-top career filled with cannibals, zombies, nuns and Nazis, only EuroSleaze maestro Bruno Mattei (THE OTHER HELL, SHOCKING DARK) - along with frequent collaborators/co-writers Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi (TROLL 2, ZOMBIE 3 and 4) - could take the BLACK EMANUELLE series to such insane depths of depravity. When Emanuelle (the legendary Laura Gemser) goes undercover in a penitentiary, she will endure a nightmare of sadistic guards, voracious lesbians, rat attacks, feces fights and enough graphic mayhem for a dozen women-in-prison trash epics.

Gabriele Tinti (EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS), Lorraine De Selle (CANNIBAL FEROX) and Franca Stoppi (BEYOND THE DARKNESS) co-star in this "classic of exploitation" (Yell Magazine) - also known as CAGED WOMEN and EMANUELLE IN PRISON - now featuring a 2k scan from an uncensored inter-positive.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Brawl in Women's Block - Interview with co-director/co-writers Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi.
Archive interview with director Bruno Mattei.
Radio Spot.

Cannibal Ferox is a 1981 Italy horror adventure by Umberto Lenzi.
Starring Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Lorraine De Selle and Danilo Mattei.

UK: Passed 18 for strong bloody violence, gore after some previous cuts waived but still with 1:55s of BBFC compulsory cuts for:

• 2018 Argent Films  video

The BBFC commented:

• Compulsory cuts required to sequences of real animal cruelty.

The previous submission to the BBFC was in 2001 when the video ended up with about 7 minutes of cuts. Just 6s of these cuts were formally required by the BBFC but the BBFC concurred with 6:51s of pre-cuts.

The 2001 BBFC cuts were:

• Cut required to sight of small animal on end of rope banging against side of a jeep

From IMDb, the 2001 pre-cuts were:

• Removed scene of coati being eaten by a snake whilst the adventurers look on.
• Removed scene of a monkey being attacked by a jaguar.
• Removed scene of iguana fending off snake
• Removed scenes of Pat & Mike tormenting a native girl about being a virgin and then threatening to hurt her with a knife drawn across her naked breasts
• Removed scene of live turtle having its head an legs chopped off.
• Removed scene of Mike removing a native's eye with a knife.
• Shortened scene of Joe getting speared and his innards becoming a cannibal feast.
• Removed scene of Mike being castrated with a machete and then the natives eating the tasty morsel.
• Removed flashback to Mike's ex-girl being kicked in the head.
• Removed scene of a crocodile being killed and devoured by natives
• Removed scenes of Mike's hand being chopped off.
• When Zora Kerowa is killed, this edited version plays as though she has disappeared, never once showing either the actual event of the aftermath of the famous "hooks through the breasts" death.
• After having his skull sliced off, cuts to natives eating his brains.

And previous to that, the video was banned on pre-cert VHS as one of the most notable of the video nasties.

See further details at Melon Farmers Film Cuts: Cannibal Ferox

Summary Notes

Anthropologists take a trip to the jungles of Colombia to study native cannibals. Instead, they find a band of drug dealers, using the natives to harvest coca leaves. After awhile, the natives are tired of being tortured slaves, and turn on their masters, as well as the anthropologists, thus filling the screen with gruesome splatter!

The Misandrists is a 2017 Germany comedy drama by Bruce La Bruce.
Starring Susanne Sachße, Viva Ruiz and Kembra Pfahler.

UK: Passed 18 uncut for strong real sex, graphic medical footage for:

• 2018 Matchbox Films R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 23rd April 2018

There are no censorship issues with this release.

Promotional Material

THE MISANDRISTS refers to a secret cell of feminist terrorists that is planning to liberate women, overthrow the patriarchy, and usher in a new female world order. The group is led by Big Mother (Susanne Sachsse), who operates a school for wayward girls in the countryside as a front for a radical terroristic cell. When a young man, a radical leftist, who is running from the police, happens upon this remote female stronghold, one of the girls takes pity on him and hides him in the basement. His presence eventually disrupts the household and reveals a number of unexpected secrets, as the film moves towards its climax: the revelation of a new style of lesbian porn that is to be used as both propaganda tool and calling card for their new brand of female revolution.

Derek Jarman Volume One: 1972 -1986 is a 2018 set by Derek Jarman, consisting of:

• In the Shadow of the Sun (1972-1974)
• Sebastiane (1976)
• Jubilee (1978)
• The Tempest (1979)
• The Angelic Conversation (1985)
• Caravaggio (1986)

UK: Passed an aggregate 18 uncut for:

• 2018 Bfi Derek Jarman Volume One RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 26th March 2018

Sebastiane is a 1976 UK romance by Paul Humfress and Derek Jarman.
Starring Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James and Neil Kennedy.

Thanks to Peter:

Sebastiane in the upcoming Derek Jarman Blu-ray box set from the BFI contains the infamous erection footage (BBFC advice states There is a prolonged sex scene, which includes sight of an erect penis. There is also a scene showing a pagan ritual dance, in which men wearing giant fake phalluses appear to ejaculate white fluid over a male dancer's face and body.)

The erection was never officially censored by the BBFC for the film's original theatrical release. As Jarman later said: We hid it!......We shot the film in Academy [the 4x3 screen ratio of older films], but showed it to the censors with a widescreen mask on the projector. Sebastiane's hard-on was hidden below the frame-line, and they passed the film uncut. When we projected it in 4x3, the hard-on was still there!

The shots were, however, matted out from subsequent video releases and TV showings.

Jubilee is a 1978 UK drama by Derek Jarman.
With Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell and Toyah Willcox.

Cut by the BBFC for 1978 cinema release. Uncut on home video, 18 rated until 2001, and then 15 rated from 2014.  

By 2017, the script had to be censored for political correctness for a stage version. In the film, a character named Amyl Nitrate used her opening speech to say Hindley instantly became my hero when she was 15. She also said Hindley was a true artist because she knew how to make her desires a reality, and dismissed those who said her crimes were unimaginable because that showed the poverty of your imagination.

Director Chris Goode, who has adapted the script for its stage premiere, said the lines were in the original film to show how punks deliberately wanted to shock society and smash taboos. He initially resisted requests to take out the reference to Hindley but was 'convinced' to do so by a member of the senior artistic leadership of the Royal Exchange.

Promotional Material

Derek Jarman Volume One: 1972-1986
5-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray box set

Jarman's multi-faceted work is inspirational in its fearlessness, yet remains touchingly personal. The dynamism of these features evokes comparison with the bold romanticism of directors like Ken Russell (an early champion) and Michael Powell, as well as artists Paul Nash and John Piper. But Jarman was also a subversive force in film. Beginning with his psychedelic debut feature, In the Shadow of the Sun (1972-1974), then came the provocative Jubilee (1978), the evocative Shakespeare adaptation The Tempest (1979) and The Angelic Conversation (1985), in which he invoked Elizabethan occultist Dr John Dee and explored alchemical imagery, a subject in which he was well versed. In Sebastiane (1976) and Caravaggio (1986) he revived key gay and homo-erotic figures from the past with edgy and unmistakable style.

Derek Jarman's first six feature films have all been newly scanned at 2K from original film elements and are presented in this lavish box set alongside an exciting array of new and archival extras drawn from Jarman's archive of workbooks and papers held in BFI Special Collections. Newly interviewed exclusively for this box set are some of the people who worked on these films; punk legend Jordan, producer and filmmaker Don Boyd, production designer Christopher Hobbs and artist filmmaker John Scarlett-Davis.

Special features

• All films presented in High Definition for the first time in the UK
• Sebastiane : A Work in Progress (c.1975): newly remastered from 16mm film elements held by the BFI National Archive, this sadly incomplete early black and white work-print of Sebastiane differs significantly from the finished film. This previously unseen alternate edit assembled in a different order, featuring a different soundtrack was never subtitled or released
• The Making of Sebastiane (Derek Jarman & Hugh Smith, 1975): previously unseen Super 8 footage shot on location in Sardiniai
• Jazz Calendar (1968): a rarely screened documentary record of the 1968 ballet by Frederick Ashton, performed by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, for which Jarman designed sets and costumes
• Message from the Temple (1981)
• TG: Psychic Rally in Heaven (1981)
• Pirate Tape (WS Burroughs Film) (1982)
• Toyah Willcox: Being Mad (2014); the singer and actress looks back on her role in Jubilee
• Jordan remembers Jubilee (2018): punk icon Jordan looks back on her friendship with Derek Jarman and the making of Jubilee
• Stormy Weather: the Magic Behind The Tempest (2016): Toyah Willcox and Stuart Hopps share their memories of working on Derek Jarman's 1979 production of The Tempest
• Don Boyd remembers The Tempest (2018): Producer and filmmaker Don Boyd remembers the production, release and critical reception of The Tempest
• A Meeting of Minds: Christopher Hobbs on collaborating with Derek Jarman (2018): production designer Christopher Hobbs looks back on his long and fruitfully creative friendship with Derek Jarman
• Fully illustrated 80-page book with new writing on the film, contemporary reviews and full film credits
• ...plus lots more

UK | 1972-1986 | colour | 515 mins (+ extras) | English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles ( Sebastiane is presented in Latin with optional English subtitles) | original aspect ratios | 5 x BD50: 1080p, 24fps | In the Shadow of the Sun / Sebastiane / Jubilee / The Tempest / Caravaggio: : PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) | The Angelic Conversation : PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/24-bit) | Cert 18

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 US horror film by George A Romero.
With Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman.

UK: The Restored Theatrical Version was passed 15 uncut for strong injury detail, threat, violence:
UK: The Work print titled Night of Anubis was passed 15 uncut for: 

• 2018 Sony/Criterion [Restored Version + Workprint] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon

Versions

Cut by the BBFC for 1969 cinema release. Uncut by the BBFC afterwards but there are several variant versions. Uncut and MPAA Unrated in the US. A shortened workprint was found and restored for 2018 Criterion Blu-ray release.

For 2018 release the BBFC has updated its previous consumer advice from moderate horror and violence to strong injury detail, threat, violence

See article from ihorror.com :

George Romero said at the Monster Mania horror convention that a once-lost 16mm work print has finally been found. The work print turned up when elements were being gathered for a brand new restoration of the film.

See pictorial version details from movie-censorship.com .

Movie-Censorship.com takes a look at the workprint just released with Night of the Living Dead. There are a few extra clips in the workprint but the major change is a 10 minute scene that is in the move, but not the workprint

It seems that original distributors asked for a version without a 9 minute scene that takes place at the jump cut in the basement. This includes the largest zombie scene in the film. However the 10 minute scene was in place by the time of the original release.

Additional Material:

• Night of the Living Dead - Added Value - Disc 2 [Additional Material]
• Night of the Living Dead [Additional Material, Audio Commentary With Russell Streiner, Vincent Survinski, Judith O'dea, Bill Hinzman, Kyra Schon and Keith Wayne]
• Night of the Living Dead [Additional Material, Audio Commentary With George Romero, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman and John Russo]
• Night of Anubis [Additional Material, Night of the Living Dead]

The Wild Life is a 1984 USA comedy drama by Art Linson.
Starring Chris Penn, Ilan Mitchell-Smith and Eric Stoltz.

UK: Passed 15 uncut for sexualised nudity, strong sex references, language, drug misuse with previous BBFC cuts waived for:

• 2018 Media Sales/Final Cut Entertainment R2 DVD at UK Amazon released on 26th March 2018

UK Censorship History

Cut by the BBFC for 18 rated video release in 1985. Uncut and 15 rated for 2018 DVD.

Promotional Material

Great party movie, following the adventures of Bill & Tom, two high school buddies at opposite ends of the spectrum. Bill (Eric Stolz) prefers to live life straight-laced, while his friend Tom (Chris Penn) takes nothing seriously except partying all the time. When Bill moves out of his mother's house to live on his own he faces many issues, from his girlfriend, to his brother, to his landlord. Meanwhile, his friend Tom moves in to keep the rent down but proceeds to turn Bill's life upside down. This movie is non-stop comedy from start to finish and is a personal favorite of mine. Soundtrack features guitar virtuoso Edward Van Halen throughout the movie, also features cameos by rockers Lee Ving and Ron Wood. 70s Pornstar legend Kitten Navidad also makes an appearance!

A Depraved Classic of Adult Anime Returns to the Big Screen

Originally released in the US in 1993 to much puzzlement and shock, a rare 35mm print of Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend will screen at Nitehawk (136 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) on April 6 and 7.

The occasion generates a recap of censorship history in the US and UK:

The film's notoriety lies in its extreme violence and visceral visuals. The film's women get the worst treatment; female students are lecherously lensed, starting with scenes of half-clothed locker room horseplay and continuing in excessive up-skirt shots. Maimed and mutilated female bodies randomly litter the background of other scenes. Perhaps the most prominent atrocities are the repeated scenes of rape, with the film's most infamous attack featuring phallic tentacles accosting and probing an unwilling victim. This tentacled violation, which occurs in an early scene, is often cited as the representative moment of this feature-length depravity.

Urotsukidoji was initially released in three parts, between 1987 and 1989, as an original video animation (or OVA), ie it was not made as a broadcast TV series.

The first part was released in the US edited into a feature length film after 30 minutes of censor cuts for material deemed too extreme for the US. It ended up being rated NC-17. The film gained a reputation as the cinematic obscenity that forged the stereotype that All Anime Is Naughty Tentacles .

... Read the full article from hyperallergic.com

... See further BBFC cuts details at Melon Farmers Film Cuts: Urotsukidoji

A Study in Terror is a 1965 UK crime mystery thriller by James Hill.
Starring John Neville, Donald Houston and John Fraser.

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2018 Mill Creek Entertainment (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 3rd April 2018

UK Censorship History

Cut by the BBFC for cinema release. Uncut on home video and in the US.

Promotional Material

Sherlock Holmes takes on his greatest mystery... Jack The Ripper!

Three of 19th Century England's most famous characters come together for the first time in this sumptuous, exciting mystery, as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson set out to bring down history's most notorious serial killer: Jack The Ripper!

When a suspicious package arrives at the master sleuth's Baker Street home, he and his old friend must join the hunt before more murders are committed... even though the trail may lead to places they'd rather not go. John Neville is one of the most authentic Holmes portrayers ever, and he's ably supported by Donald Houston as Watson, as well as such British acting royalty as Anthony Quayle, Robert Morley, Frank Finlay, Barbara Windsor, Cecil Parker and, in one of her earliest screen roles, Academy Award winner Dame Judi Dench (1998, Best Supporting Actress, Shakespeare in Love).

The Sadist of Notre Dame (El sádico de Notre-Dame, aka Demoniac) is a 1979 Belgium / France / Spain horror by Jesús Franco.
Starring Jesús Franco, Lina Romay and Olivier Mathot.

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2018 Severin Films (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 3rd April 2018
• 2018 Severin Films R1 DVD at US Amazon released on 3rd April 2018

Censorship History

Banned by the BBFC under the title Demoniac from 1985 until 2003 when it was passed 18 after 2:25s of cuts. The BBFC cuts were waived for 2017 DVD. The film started out as Sexorcism/Exorcism and was significantly reworked reworked with new material to become El Sadico de Notre-Dame. The legacy is that there are now multiple versions with different mixes of sex and violence including a hardcore version.

See further details at Melon Farmers Film Cuts: Demoniac

Promotional Material

THE SADIST OF NOTRE DAME - The infamous Franco rarity now uncut & uncensored in HD for the first time ever!

In 1979, legendary writer/director Jess Franco (VAMPYROS LESBOS) re-purposed elements of his satanic sex shocker EXORCISM with all-new footage to create a depraved new epic that - even by Uncle Jess' standards - achieves new levels of EuroSleaze insanity.

Franco himself stars as a defrocked priest turned hooker-slashing psychopath, prowling the streets of Paris in a fever of violence, voyeurism, rampant nudity and S&M depravity. Olivier Mathot (TWO FEMALE SPIES WITH FLOWERED PANTIES), Pierre Taylou (HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA), Antonio DeCabo (VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD) and Jess' beloved muse Lina Romay (MACUMBA SEXUAL, MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD) co-star in what Franco considered to be his most personal film of all, now scanned in 4k from elements discovered in the crawlspace of a Montparnasse nunnery.

Special Features:

The Gory Days of Le Brady - Documentary short on the legendary Parisian horror cinema.
Stephen Thrower on Sadist of Notre Dame - Interview with the author of "Murderous Passions - The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco."
Selected Scenes Commentary with "I'm In a Jess Franco State of Mind" Webmaster Robert Monell.
Treblemakers - Interview with Alain Petit, author of "Jess Franco Ou Les Prosperites Des Bis."

The Teenage Prostitution Racket (Storie di vita e malavita) is a 1975 Italy adult thriller by Carlo Lizzani and Mino Giarda (co-director).
Starring Cinzia Mambretti, Cristina Moranzoni and Annarita Grapputo.

US: The Italian Version is uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2018 Raro Video USA R0 Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 27th March 2018
• 2018 Raro Video USA R1 DVD at US Amazon released on 27th March 2018

Censorship History

Cut for UK X rated cinema release in 1976 and again for 18 rated VHS in 1986. The Italian Version is director approved but does not include hardcore inserts shot by Mino Giardia. These are are inlcuded in the the German language version.

Promotional Material

Occupying a creepy cinematic netherworld somewhere between Eurocrime and erotica, Carlo Lizzani s Teenage Prostitution Racket (Storie di Vita e Malavita) is an unapologetically sordid film that explores the troubled sexuality of a series of young women coming of age in 1970s Milan. Beginning on the outskirts

Xtro is a 1982 UK alien film by Harry Bromley Davenport.
With Philip Sayer, Bernice Stegers and Danny Brainin.

UK: Previously passed 15 uncut for strong sex and horror for:

• 2018 Second Sight Limited Edition [Theatrical + Video versions] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 28th May 2018

UK Censorship History

No censors cuts but exists in two versions, one with a happy end, the other with a downbeat end. The film was seized by police during the video nasties moral panic but no action was taken against the film.

Promotional Material

Three years ago young Tony watched with horror as his father was taken into the night sky by a mysterious blinding light and never seen again. Until now. His father is coming home but he's not the man he used to be!

A 'must-see' cult rental of the 80s, Xtro is one of the most outrageously bizarre, gory and insanely enjoyable horror films of its time complete with infamous 'alien birth' scene. 'Not all extra terrestrials are friendly'!

SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION FEATURES:

• Limited Edition packaging
• New restoration featuring option of alternate endings plus the original UK video version edit
• New director restoration
• 'Xploring Xtro' - a new 57 minute documentary featuring interviews with Harry Bromley-Davenport, Mark Forstater, Bernice Stegers, Susie Silvey, 'Tik' – Tim Dry, 'Tok' – Sean Crawford, Robert Pereno, Alan Jones and Craig Lapper
• 'The World of Xtro' - a new featurette with Dennis Atherton, Harry Bromley-Davenport and Mark Forstater
• 'Beyond Xtro' – a new featurette with Harry Bromley-Davenport and Mark Forstater looking ahead to new reboot 'Xtro – The Big One', including excusive test footage
• 'Xtro Xposed'
• 'Loving The Alien: A Tribute to Philip Sayer' featuring exclusive Brian May music tribute
• Soft cover booklet with new writing by Kevin Lyons plus behind-the-scenes stills and promo material
• Original soundtrack CD
• Rigid slipcase featuring original UK video and UK theatrical artwork
• English subtitles for the hearing impaired

The City of the Dead is a 1960 UK horror by John Llewellyn Moxey.
With Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis and Christopher Lee.

US: Uncut and MPAA PG-13 rated for:

• 2018 Vci Limited Edition (RA) Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 27th March 2018

US Censorship.

Exists as the Extended Original Version and a cut US Version.

Previous VCI releases have feature both versions.

Promotional Material

A college student Nan is researching the history of witchcraft. Taunted by her brother and fiancé, who have voiced their concerns, Nan arms herself with resolve and drives to the small New England village of Whitewood. She is glad she was able to count on the support of her professor. A bit anxious but consumed with curiosity, she will soon embark herself on the journey of her life! Introducing.

A Pistol for Ringo is a 1965 Spain/Italy action western drama by Duccio Tessari.
With Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho and Lorella De Luca.

BBFC category cuts were required for 'U' rated 1966 cinema release. Uncut for 12 rated Blu-ray in 2018.

The Return of Ringo is a 1965 Italy / Spain action western romance by Duccio Tessari.
Starring Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho and Lorella De Luca.

BBFC category cuts were required for an 'AA' rated cinema release in 1970. Uncut for 12 rated Blu-ray in 2018.

UK: A Pistol for Ringo was passed 12 uncut for moderate violence, brief sexual threat with previous BBFC cuts waived:

UK: The Return of Ringo was passed 12 uncut for moderate violence with previous BBFC cuts waived for:

• 2018 Arrow [A Pistol for Ringo + The Return of Ringo] RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 26th March 2018

There is also a US release.

Promotional Material

The original Ringo films introduced another iconic hero to the spaghetti western; a clean-cut sharp shooter who was markedly different to Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name.

In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife.

Hugely successful upon their original release, thanks in part to the skilled direction of Duccio Tessari (The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night), the Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western, spawning numerous unofficial sequels, due to their gripping set-pieces and unforgettable musical scoring by Ennio Morricone. Arrow Video is proud to present both films in sumptuous new restorations that truly brings their stylish cinematography to life.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negative

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation

Original Italian and English soundtracks

Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio

Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack

Audio commentaries for both films by Spaghetti Western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke

They Called Him Ringo, an archival featurette with star Giuliano Gemma

A Western Greek Tragedy, an archival featurette with Lorella de Luca and camera operator Sergio D Offizi

Revisiting Ringo, a new video interview with critic and Ringo fan Tony Rayns

Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegal Archive

Original trailers

Gallery of original promotional images

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Howard Hughes and a newly-translated interview with Duccio Tessari

Blood and Black Lace is a 1964 Italy/France/Monaco horror by Mario Bava.
With Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok and Thomas Reiner.

UK: Passed 18 uncut for:

• 2018 Arrow Video RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 26th March 2018

Censorship History

Heavily cut by the BBFC for an X rated 1965 cinema release. The same version was passed 15 on VHS. Cuts were waived for 18 rated release in 2000 but is a marginally shortened US Version. Set for an uncut release on 2015 Blu-ray. Uncut in the US since 2005.

Summary Notes

Isabella, a young model is murdered by a mysterious masked figure at a boarding house run by Max Morlacchi and his lover Countess Cristiana Como. When Isabella's boyfriend is suspected of the killing, her diary, which apparently has some incriminating evidence linking her to the killer, dissapears, the masked killer begins killing off all the models in and around the house to find the diary.

Women in Love is a 1969 UK romance by Ken Russell.
Starring Alan Bates, Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson.

US: Presumably it is the cut UK cinema version that is MPAA R rated for:

• 2018 Criterion Collection RA Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 27th March 2018
• 2018 Criterion Collection R1 DVD at US Amazon released on 27th March 2018

UK Censorship History

The male wrestling scene was a British censorship milestone. It was the first to show full frontal male nudity, albeit reduced by the censor. The certificate was downgraded to 15 for 2004 DVD.

Promotional Material

With this film, the audacious Ken Russell vaulted onto the international stage, drawing on the psychosexual radicalism of D. H. Lawrence's classic novel to shatter taboos in his own time. Set in an English mining community on the crest of modernity, WOMEN IN LOVE traces the shifting currents of desire that link the emancipated Brangwen sisters (Jennie Linden and an Oscar-winning Glenda Jackson) to a freethinking dreamer (Alan Bates) and a hard-willed industrialist (Oliver Reed) as well as the men's own erotically charged friendship. Coupling earthy sensuality with kaleidoscopically stylized images, Russell pursues this quartet to the heights of agony and ecstasy, crafting a breathtaking drama of human sexuality at its most liberating, dominating, and destructive extremes.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

TWO-DVD SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration

- Two audio commentaries from 2003, one featuring director Ken Russell and the other screenwriter and producer Larry Kramer- Segments from a 2007 interview with Russell for the BAFTA Los Angeles Heritage Archive- A BRITISH PICTURE: PORTRAIT OF AN ENFANT TERRIBLE, Russell's 1989 biopic on his own life and career- Interview from 1976 with actor Glenda Jackson- Interviews with Kramer and actors Alan Bates and Jennie Linden from the set- New interviews with director of photography Billy Williams and editor Michael Bradsell- SECOND BEST, a 1972 short film based on a D. H. Lawrence story, produced by and starring Bates- Trailer- PLUS: An essay by scholar Linda Ruth Williams

The 'Burbs is a 1989 USA comedy by Joe Dante.
With Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher.

US: Uncut and MPAA PG rated for:

• 2018 Shout! Factory Collectors Edition RA Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 20th March 2018

UK Censorship History

Cut by the BBFC for a PG rated cinema and VHS release. Uncut for DVD but with a 12 rating. Uncut and PG rated in the US.

Promotional Material

Tom Hanks stars in The ’Burbs, a comedy about a suburbanite whose plans for a peaceful vacation at home are disturbed by a creepy new family on the block. Much to the disappointment of his wife (Carrie Fisher), Ray Peterson (Hanks) and his three neighbors set out to investigate the next-door residence after they begin to observe strange happenings. Set in an average neighborhood that is anything but ordinary, The ’Burbs blends slapstick comedy and spine-thrilling mystery and is superbly directed by cult filmmaker Joe Dante (Piranha, Gremlins, Matinee, The Howling).

Ichi the Killer is a 2001 Japan action crime comedy by Takashi Miike.
Starring Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori and Shin'ya Tsukamoto.

US: Uncut and MPAA Unrated for:

• 2018 Well Go USA RA Blu-ray at US Amazon released on 20th March 2018

Censorship History

The film was substantially cut by the BBFC for all UK releases. THE US MPAA Unrated version is uncut but there is also a cut MPAA R rated Version.

The advertised running time indicates that this release is the unuct Director' Cut.

Promotional Material

Takashi Miike s ICHI THE KILLER has endured as one of the most influential pieces of genre filmmaking of the last two decades, and now it returns in a stunning all-new digitally restored special edition approved by Miike himself. This visceral, bloody, and often hilarious film follows Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a notoriously sadistic yakuza enforcer whose search for his boss killer brings him into the orbit of a demented costumed assassin known as Ichi (Nao Ohmori).

Bonus Features
Audio Commentary with Director Takashi Miike & Manga Artist/Writer Hideo Yamamoto
Still Gallery
Trailer

Language: Japanese (original)
Available Subtitles: English

Derek Jarman Volume One: 1972 -1986 is a 2018 set by Derek Jarman, consisting of:

• In the Shadow of the Sun (1972-1974)
• Sebastiane (1976)
• Jubilee (1978)
• The Tempest (1979)
• The Angelic Conversation (1985)
• Caravaggio (1986)

UK: Passed an aggregate 18 uncut for:

• 2018 Bfi Derek Jarman Volume One RB Blu-ray at UK Amazon released on 26th March 2018

Sebastiane is a 1976 UK romance by Paul Humfress and Derek Jarman.
Starring Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James and Neil Kennedy.

Thanks to Peter:

Sebastiane in the upcoming Derek Jarman Blu-ray box set from the BFI contains the infamous erection footage (BBFC advice states There is a prolonged sex scene, which includes sight of an erect penis. There is also a scene showing a pagan ritual dance, in which men wearing giant fake phalluses appear to ejaculate white fluid over a male dancer's face and body.)

The erection was never officially censored by the BBFC for the film's original theatrical release. As Jarman later said: We hid it!......We shot the film in Academy [the 4x3 screen ratio of older films], but showed it to the censors with a widescreen mask on the projector. Sebastiane's hard-on was hidden below the frame-line, and they passed the film uncut. When we projected it in 4x3, the hard-on was still there!

The shots were, however, matted out from subsequent video releases and TV showings.

Jubilee is a 1978 UK drama by Derek Jarman.
With Jenny Runacre, Nell Campbell and Toyah Willcox.

Cut by the BBFC for 1978 cinema release. Uncut on home video, 18 rated until 2001, and then 15 rated from 2014.

By 2017, the script had to be censored for political correctness for a stage version. In the film, a character named Amyl Nitrate used her opening speech to say Hindley instantly became my hero when she was 15. She also said Hindley was a true artist because she knew how to make her desires a reality, and dismissed those who said her crimes were unimaginable because that showed the poverty of your imagination.

Director Chris Goode, who has adapted the script for its stage premiere, said the lines were in the original film to show how punks deliberately wanted to shock society and smash taboos. He initially resisted requests to take out the reference to Hindley but was 'convinced' to do so by a member of the senior artistic leadership of the Royal Exchange.

Promotional Material

Derek Jarman Volume One: 1972-1986
5-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray box set

Jarman's multi-faceted work is inspirational in its fearlessness, yet remains touchingly personal. The dynamism of these features evokes comparison with the bold romanticism of directors like Ken Russell (an early champion) and Michael Powell, as well as artists Paul Nash and John Piper. But Jarman was also a subversive force in film. Beginning with his psychedelic debut feature, In the Shadow of the Sun (1972-1974), then came the provocative Jubilee (1978), the evocative Shakespeare adaptation The Tempest (1979) and The Angelic Conversation (1985), in which he invoked Elizabethan occultist Dr John Dee and explored alchemical imagery, a subject in which he was well versed. In Sebastiane (1976) and Caravaggio (1986) he revived key gay and homo-erotic figures from the past with edgy and unmistakable style.

Derek Jarman's first six feature films have all been newly scanned at 2K from original film elements and are presented in this lavish box set alongside an exciting array of new and archival extras drawn from Jarman's archive of workbooks and papers held in BFI Special Collections. Newly interviewed exclusively for this box set are some of the people who worked on these films; punk legend Jordan, producer and filmmaker Don Boyd, production designer Christopher Hobbs and artist filmmaker John Scarlett-Davis.

Special features

• All films presented in High Definition for the first time in the UK
• Sebastiane : A Work in Progress (c.1975): newly remastered from 16mm film elements held by the BFI National Archive, this sadly incomplete early black and white work-print of Sebastiane differs significantly from the finished film. This previously unseen alternate edit assembled in a different order, featuring a different soundtrack was never subtitled or released
• The Making of Sebastiane (Derek Jarman & Hugh Smith, 1975): previously unseen Super 8 footage shot on location in Sardiniai
• Jazz Calendar (1968): a rarely screened documentary record of the 1968 ballet by Frederick Ashton, performed by The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, for which Jarman designed sets and costumes
• Message from the Temple (1981)
• TG: Psychic Rally in Heaven (1981)
• Pirate Tape (WS Burroughs Film) (1982)
• Toyah Willcox: Being Mad (2014); the singer and actress looks back on her role in Jubilee
• Jordan remembers Jubilee (2018): punk icon Jordan looks back on her friendship with Derek Jarman and the making of Jubilee
• Stormy Weather: the Magic Behind The Tempest (2016): Toyah Willcox and Stuart Hopps share their memories of working on Derek Jarman's 1979 production of The Tempest
• Don Boyd remembers The Tempest (2018): Producer and filmmaker Don Boyd remembers the production, release and critical reception of The Tempest
• A Meeting of Minds: Christopher Hobbs on collaborating with Derek Jarman (2018): production designer Christopher Hobbs looks back on his long and fruitfully creative friendship with Derek Jarman
• Fully illustrated 80-page book with new writing on the film, contemporary reviews and full film credits
• ...plus lots more

UK | 1972-1986 | colour | 515 mins (+ extras) | English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles ( Sebastiane is presented in Latin with optional English subtitles) | original aspect ratios | 5 x BD50: 1080p, 24fps | In the Shadow of the Sun / Sebastiane / Jubilee / The Tempest / Caravaggio: : PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) | The Angelic Conversation : PCM 2.0 stereo audio (48kHz/24-bit) | Cert 18

The Soultangler is a 1987 USA horror by Pat Bishow.
Starring Bill Bernhard, Jennifer Brown and Tom Ciorciari.

US: Uncut and MPAA R rated for:

• 2018 AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) [Original Version + Director's Cut] R1 DVD at US Amazon released on 13th March 2018

Versions

Exists as an Original Version and a Director's Cut

Promotional Material

If RE-ANIMATOR was shot on Long Island for the price of a used car, THE SOULTANGLER would be the result. Insane genius Dr. Anton Lupesky has developed a drug that allows users to inhabit corpses and transform into rabid maniacs! Can reporter Kim Castle stop the carnage and save our species from annihilation?! This epic of outsider filmmaking is a dream-like wasteland that's punctuated with severed heads, evil beasties, and hooded slashers. Filmed in basements and garages, director Pat Bishow's earnest devotion to storytelling in the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft elevates THE SOULTANGLER beyond kitsch and into heavenly territory.

The Planter's Wife is a 1952 UK adventure drama by Ken Annakin.
Starring Claudette Colbert, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel.

UK: Passed PG for mild violence, threat after 1:18s of BBFC compulsory cuts for:

• 2018 Strawberry Media video

The BBFC commented:

• Compulsory cut required to remove sight of animal cruelty (cobra and mongoose fight) in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy.

Summary Notes

The marriage of rubber-plantation owner Jim Frazer and his wife, Liz, which has survived many disasters, including years in a Japanese internment camp, is at a breaking point. Under constant threats of bandit attacks and concerned with the safety of his plantation and the people on it, Jim spares no time for his marriage. Liz is to take their young son, Mike, home to school in England, and, without telling Jim, does not plan to return. A neighboring plantation is attacked and the owner killed just prior to her departure. Liz and Jim get arms and ammunition from a near-by town, and a night of terror follows as the bandits attack.