As spring hits, Arrow Academy will be releasing a delightful slate of classic cinema, cult film and arthouse favourites to savour as the evenings get lighter and we enjoy a couple of Bank Holiday weekends. As ever, the releases are full of new and archival extras to keep cinephiles quite content.
Revisiting the film that put director Lass Hallström on the map more than 30 years ago, the first of the month’s releases is My Life as a Dog, an arthouse favourite based on Reidar Jönsson’s autobiographical novel.
It follows young Ingemar as he is sent to live in the Swedish countryside during the 1950s, away from his terminally ill mother, and embarks on adventure and new friendships.
Special Features:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations, transferred from original film materials and approved by director Lasse Hallström
Original 1.0 mono audio
Optional English subtitles
Come On Then! (Kom igen, nu’rå!), a 1981 TV film by Hallström about a 35-year-old footballer (played by Swedish pop star Robert Broberg) looking back over his life
Original theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp
First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Peter Walsh
The next May release is The 4 Marx Brothers at Paramount 1929-1933 – a stunning Blu-ray box set covering the classic Paramount-era that saw Chico, Groucho, Harpo and Zeppo release their most enduring comedies.
The set includes five films from The Cocoanuts (1929) to Duck Soup (1933) and shows the Brothers at their finest – all in beautiful high definition, transferred from original film elements by Universal, allowing you to witness the controlled chaos like never before.
Special Features:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all five features, transferred from original film elements by Universal
Original 1.0 mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Commentary on The Cocoanuts by film scholar Anthony Slide
Commentary on Animal Crackers by film historian Jeffrey Vance
Commentary on Monkey Business by Marx Brothers historian Robert S Bader and Bill Marx, son of Harpo Marx
Commentary on Horse Feathers by film critic FX Feeney
Commentary on Duck Soup by Bader and film critic Leonard Maltin
The Marx Brothers: Hollywood’s Kings of Chaos, a feature-length documentary containing interviews with Leonard Maltin, Dick Cavett and others
Three excerpts from NBC’s The Today Show featuring interviews with Harpo Marx, Groucho Marx and Bill Marx
Reversible sleeve featuring two pieces based on artwork from the films’ original release
First pressing only: Perfect-bound book featuring new and archival writing on the films
Following this is a much more recent film from 2016 – but one that is already assured cult status.
The Untamed comes from director Amat Escalante and deftly weaves social commentary with Lovecraftian-style science fiction.
Winning acclaim including the Silver Lion at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and Best Director at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, the film has been described as “ferociously intelligent” (Jonathan Romney, Screen) and “brilliant, frightening” (Rory O’Connor, The Film Stage).
Special Features:
High Definition digital transfer
5.1 DTS-HD Master audio
Optional English subtitles
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original international art and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, writing by critic Jonathan Romney, the director’s statement and extracts from the press book, illustrated with original stills
Last, but by no means least, is Spotlight on a Murderer, the lesser-known third feature from Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face, Judex).
It’s a delightfully playful romp through Agatha Christie and Gothic territory, constantly playing up to the clichés and tropes of the murder mystery genre.
The story follows the heirs of a wealthy count who are told they will not inherit for at least five years after he vanishes without a trace.
They set about to transform the family château into a tourist attraction in order to pay for its upkeep in the meantime, but are beset by a series of tragic, seemingly accidental, deaths.
Special Features:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the feature, restored by Gaumont
Uncompressed French Mono 1.0 PCM Audio
Optional English subtitles
Vintage production featurette from 1960, shot on location and including interviews with Georges Franju and actors Pascale Audret, Pierre Brasseur, Marianne Koch, Dany Saval and Jean-Louis Trintignant
Original theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
First pressing only: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Fujiwara
