Arrow Announcements, Speculation & Wild, Irresponsible Conjecture

[dwk]

If I'm not misremembering, Michael Brooke hinted that he heard that Criterion had a bit of a nightmare working with him on Thief.

Anyway, after dealing with Hurricane Billy, I'm not sure that Arrow wants to deal with another difficult director.

[Calvin]

s for Hitchcock, I'm down for basically any of the Universal-owned catalogue (the late 60's/early 70's stuff less so) and Psycho would obviously be top of Arrow's list (especially after they already handled Psycho II). However, the thing that might hold them back from doing such an exhaustive release is that Turbine already did it and they might then see it as pointless unless they could see a good return on it; I vaguely remember Fran Simeoni was once asked if Arrow would consider licensing The Big Gundown (or was it The Swimmer?) from Sony and he basically said 'what's the point?' due to there being the region-free Grindhouse release with plenty of extras still available; they might feel the same about Psycho. I guess they could still do the original with the 'uncut' version added like you say, and maybe even throw in the Gus Van Sant remake as a Limited Edition exclusive, and produce their own disc of extras (the rights for 78/52 are likely still with Dogwoof).

I doubt Arrow could top The Swimmer, but they certainly could Psycho - just making the uncut version available in English-speaking territories and outside of the box set (I suspect the awareness of the German release is lower than it would be if a US/UK release) would be reason enough, but also Arrow's usual assortment of critic commentaries / video essays is something that hasn't been done for the Universal Hitchcocks. While Psycho's existing extras are essential, they firmly exist within the usual studio-approved talking head realm.

Though if I had to pick one, I'd probably go for a release of Vertigo with Guy Maddin's The Green Fog.

[swo17]

Any Universal Hitchcock could be bettered with a top-notch Arrow encode

[Calvin]

Frenzy is one I'd really like to see Indicator tackle.

[rapta]

Though if I had to pick one, I'd probably go for a release of Vertigo with Guy Maddin's The Green Fog.

Agreed. That would hands-down be disc-of-the-year material right there, at least in my opinion. They could even try and use the Harris-Katz restoration and ask Robert Harris to be involved in any remastering work, assuming Universal would allow it of course (not sure).

[Calvin]

Though if I had to pick one, I'd probably go for a release of Vertigo with Guy Maddin's The Green Fog.

Agreed. That would hands-down be disc-of-the-year material right there, at least in my opinion. They could even try and use the Harris-Katz restoration and ask Robert Harris to be involved in any remastering work, assuming Universal would allow it of course (not sure).

I'm not sure why you'd want an older restoration with much-derided added Foley effects?

[MichaelB]

If I'm not misremembering, Michael Brooke hinted that he heard that Criterion had a bit of a nightmare working with him on Thief

I have absolutely no idea what Criterion’s specific experience was working with Mann on Thief, although Mann’s reputation as a perfectionist tinkerer obviously preceded him.

But Arrow specifically chose not to work with him because they thought it was highly probable that he’d insist on them only including his controversial revisionist version (the one that the notorious Dr Svet Atanasov insists is the original theatrical version, although my challenge to him to produce a single 1981 review that mentions what would have been a incredibly unusual colour scheme for back then remains unmet many years later), whereas Arrow very much wanted to be able to offer a choice, and some decent extras.

[tenia]

There's no way the 4K grading is original, but there's also no way the old magenta-pushed MGM master is too. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

[dwk]

I have absolutely no idea what Criterion’s specific experience was working with Mann on Thief, although Mann’s reputation as a perfectionist tinkerer obviously preceded him.

Sorry, must have been someone else.

[rapta]

According to BBFC submissions, Arrow have three pretty big titles lined up for later this year or early next year...

The Last of the Mohicans
True Romance
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Seems they've got these from the Morgan Creek library via Revolution Studios when they licensed Nightbreed. I'd be surprised if they skipped Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and maybe even Exorcist III/Exorcist: The Beginning/Dominion.

[FrauBlucher]

Arrow Academy tweeted announcements coming Friday and this pic

[Dr Amicus]

It's the feature film spin-off of Are You Being Served!

[domino harvey]

Cotton Candy Comes to Harlem

[Dr Amicus]

Cotton Candy Comes to Harlem

That would be suspiciously good for an Arrow clue (although some of their recent ones have been more sensible - e.g. The Major and the Minor).

How about Hairspray? Or would that be more Video than Academy?

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Barbarella

[Calvin]

Maybe something starring Joseph Cotten? They made a point of singling out The Halliday Brand as underrated in their blurb for Terror in a Texas Town and it has never had a UK DVD release.

[FigrinDan]

[dwk]

Disney. So it probably isn't Ed Wood

[How rude!]

Arrow Academy tweeted announcements coming Friday and this pic

First one that comes to mind is Fassbinder's Lola

[dwk]

I believe that Lola is a StudioCanal title. So it probably isn't that.

[Pepsi]

Demy: Model Shop

[rapta]

Demy: Model Shop

Good guess. I reckon you're right.

Would also be consistent with Columbia titles released via the Academy line over the past year - Pickup Alley, Crime and Punishment, The Running Man, Nightfall, The Prisoner, My Name is Julia Ross, So Dark the Night, Born Yesterday, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, Gas Food Lodging. And as with the von Sternberg, Tourneur, Lewis and Mazursky titles, I'm slightly surprised Indicator didn't get this one.

[DRW.mov]

Just won an early copy of THE PREY at Horror Trivia and it had an Arrow postcard in it for

Spoiler

Slaughterhouse-Five

[FrauBlucher]

Model Shop and The Limits of Control for December

[soundchaser]

Model Shop and The Limits of Control for December

I like the irony of their tweet referring to "cryptic clues" for The Limits of Control when Model Shop may have been the only Academy clue anyone actually guessed correctly.