Eureka's Masters of Cinema chases Buster Keaton on THE GENERAL in 4K (review)

Buster Keaton went over-schedule and over-budget on the epic comedy THE GENERAL in which he played a Southern train engineer who single-handedly attempts to foil a Northern plot and rescue his two great loves: his girl and his engine.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (U.K.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD (DVDCompare)

THE GENERAL 4K UltraHD specs:

• 2160p24 HEVC Dolby Vision 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Music Score by Carl Davis in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Original English Intertitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• "Bound for Glory: The General as Keaton's Cinematic Manifesto" video essay by Imogen Sara Smith, author of "Buster Keaton: The Persistence of Comedy"
• "A Brave Engineer: Buster Keaton's Last Ride" video essay on locomotives in the films of Buster Keaton by film critic and editor Luke Ryan
• "Peter Kramer on The General" interview 
• "The Silent Years" 1971 TV Introduction by Orson Welles
• "Silents Please" 1960 TV Introduction by Gloria Swanson
• "Filming Locations" featurette
• "Video Tour of The General" featurette
• Home Movie Footage
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies comes with a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring package design by Nick Wrigley and a booklet featuring archival material and essays by critic Philip Kemp and animator Richard Haynes.

Eureka's Masters of Cinema seeks out TERROR IN THE FOG: THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC (review)

Prolific turn-of-the-century British thriller writer Edgar Wallace remained popular in Germany throughout the twentieth century from the continued reprints of his novels to an authorized cycle of films from Rialto Film that Artur Brauner's CCC company attempted to rival with a series of films based on the novels of Wallace's lesser-known son Bryan Edgar Wallace.  In CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE, an adventurer attempts to keep a cursed golden statue out of the hands of a cult bent on world domination.  In THE STRANGLER OF BLACKMOOR CASTLE, a killer stalks the estate, strangling and decapitating victims.  In THE MAD EXECUTIONERS, someone has appointed themselves judge, jury, and executioner, taking the law into their own hands and going after criminals Scotland Yard cannot catch.  In THE PHANTOM OF SOHO, a knife-wielding killer stalks the alleys of the red light district.  In THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY, a series of copycat Jack the Ripper murders terrorizes the city at the same time an actor is playing the killer on the stage, making him the prime suspect.  In THE RACETRACK MURDERS, a series of murders occurs just before Derby Day.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (U.K.) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

TERROR IN THE FOG - THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC: Standard Edition Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One:
• The Curse of the Yellow Snake:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
  
• The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• "What is a Krimi" introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• Disc Two:
• The Mad Executioners:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
  
• The Phantom of Soho:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen (upscaled from standard definition)
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
  
• German Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• International Trailer
  
• "Bryan Edgar Wallace: An Era" interview with Alice Brauner, producer and managing director of CCC Film and daughter of Artur Brauner
• Disc Three - The Monster of London City:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
• "Passing the Blade: From Krimi to Slasher" video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
  
• Disc Four - The Racetrack Murders:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• "Terror in the Fog" discussion between film historians Tim Lucas and Stephen Bissette (alternate audio track on the film)
• German Theatrical Trailer
  
• Standard edition double-walled slipcase featuring artwork by Poochamin.

Currently available only from Eureka Entertainment in the U.K. 

Eureka's Masters of Cinema answers when ADVENTURE CALLS! KARL MAY AT C.C.C. (review)

Although little known in English-speaking territories, Karl May was as famous in Germany for his westerns and other globe-hopping adventures as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie in the rest of the world, still selling millions of copies to this day.  In the sixties, competing studios Rialto Film and C.C.C. undertook a series of Karl May adventures including the characters of Old Shatterhand and his Native American blood brother Winnetou, Balkan explorer Kara Ben Nemsi, and Dr. Karl Sternau searching for Aztec treasure amidst the Mexican Civil War.  Lex Barker stars in seven films from the C.C.C. series with Rialto's famous Winnetou actor Pierre Brice in two films made at the start and end of the cycle.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Entertainment (U.S./U.K.) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

ADVENTURE CALLS! KARL MAY AT C.C.C. Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One:
• Old Shatterhand:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Daliah Lavi Featurette
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer 
• Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the Valley of Death:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Archival Making-of Documentary on "Old Shatterhand" and "Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the Valley of Death" 
• Disc Two:
• The Shoot:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Archival Newsreel
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Through Wild Kurdistan:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Theatrical Trailer
• "Making Karl May's Orient Cycle" archival documentary 
• Disc Three:
• In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Theatrical Trailer 
• "Heroes on Horseback: Karl May at CCC" interview with producer Alice Brauner, managing director of CCC Film and daughter of CCC founder Artur Brauner
• "Prodigal Son" interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on the late career of Robert Siodmak
• Restoration Featurette 
• Disc Four:
• The Treasure of the Aztecs:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Theatrical Trailer 
• The Pyramid of the Sun God:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Optional introduction by  Sir Christopher Frayling, author of "Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone"
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Archival interview with Bernhard Schmid, co-editor and contributor to Karl-May-Verlag 
• Limited hardcase edition of 2,000 copies including a 60-page collector's book featuring new writing on Karl May on page and screen by German popular cinema experts Tim Bergfelder and Holger Haase, a profile of Lex Barker by Boris Brosowski and an essay on Old Shatterhand and Winnetou by Lee Broughton, author of "The Euro-Western".

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Eureka's Masters of Cinema discovers CECILE IS DEAD (review)

Georges Simenon's famous detective Maigret initially dismisses the uncertain fears of a spinster about nightly visitations to the apartment of her invalid aunt by someone who takes nothing but leaves signs of their presence until the young woman's name appears in conjunction with the discovery of a headless corpse in this thriller produced in France under German occupation starring Albert Prejean as Maigret and directed by Maurice Tourneur.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (U.K.) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

CECILE IS DEAD Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• French LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by crime cinema expert Sergio Angelini, host of the "Tipping My Fedora" podcast
• "Maigret and His Continental Films" 2015 introduction to the film by Christine Leteux, author of "Maurice Tourneur: réalisateur sans frontières"
• "My Friend Maigret" 2026 discussion of Inspector Maigret from page to screen with film historian Martin Hall
• The first 2,000 copies come with a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Sean Phillips and a booklet featuring new writing on Cécile is Dead and adaptations of French literature under German occupation by Andrew Watts. 

Eureka's Masters of Cinema hunts down DANGER: DIABOLIK (review)

The ruthless and seductive master criminal and his sexy lady love bedevil both the government and the mafia in Mario Bava's visually-dazzling comic book adaptation DANGER: DIABOLIK starring John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Picoli, and Adolfo Celi with a psychedelic score by Ennio Morricone.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (U.K.) Region ALL 4K UltraHD/Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

DANGER: DIABOLIK 4K UltraHD/Blu-ray specs:

• 2160p24 HEVC 1.85:1 Dolby Vision Widescreen 4K UltraHD and 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen Blu-ray Discs
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 1.0 Mono
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono (Alternate Dub)
• Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by actor John Phillip Law, moderated by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas
• Audio Commentary by film historian Tim Lucas
• Audio Commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• "Criminal Intent: Leon Hunt on Diabolik from Page to Screen"
• "Radical Behaviour?: Pop Art Politics in Danger: Diabolik" video essay by film historian Rachael Nisbet
• "Danger: Diabolik - From Fumetti to Film"
• "Body Movin'" 1998 music video by Beastie Boys (with optional 2005 commentary by Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch)
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• Limited edition hardbound set of 2,000 copies comes in a hardcase with package design by Nick Wrigley and includes a 60-page liner notes booklet featuring new essays on "Danger: Diabolik" by Italian film historian Roberto Curti and comic book scholar Jochen Ecke, a new introduction to fumetti neri by crime genre expert Sergio Angelini and new writing on the film’s director by Troy Howarth, author of "The Haunted World of Mario Bava".

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Eureka's Masters of Cinema stands with APACHE (review)

When Geronimo surrenders, Massai (Burt Lancaster) takes up the mantle as "The Last Apache Warrior" in a one man war against the U.S. Army in Robert Aldrich's third feature film also starring Jean Peters and Charles Bronson.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

APACHE Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English HoH Subtitles
• "The Story of Massai" interview with Austin Fisher, author of "Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western"
• "The Last Sunset in Vera Cruz" interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on Robert Aldrich and the Western
• Theatrical Trailer
• The first pressing of 2,000 copies includes a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring original poster artwork and booklet featuring new writing on Apache by Western scholar Jenny Barrett and film writer Richard Combs. 

Eureka and Masters of Cinema worship THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR (review)

In response to Hollywood and West German westerns that East Germany felt promoted capitalist and colonialist values, the government-controlled studio DEFA mounted their highly successful run of Socialist Realist westerns with Native American heroes with THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR about a Oglala Lakota warrior who tries to keep the U.S. Army from moving his people to the reservations and protect the sacred treasure from greedy gold miners.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE SONS OF GREAT BEAR Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Western scholar Jenny Barrett
• "World Wide West" interview with Austin Fisher, author of "Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western"
• "Homelands" video essay by Lee Broughton, author of "The Euro-Western"
• "Eyewitness Report" 1965 newsreel on the making of the film
• German Theatrical Trailer
• Masters of Cinema Trailer
• Comes in a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Colin Murdoch and a collector's booklet featuring new writing on "The Sons of Great Bear" and DEFA’s approach to the Western by Mariana Ivanova, Academic Director of the DEFA Film Library.

Eureka Video explores STRANGE NEW WORLDS: SCIENCE FICTION AT DEFA (review)

In East Germany, DEFA Studios proposed a Utopian take on science fiction compared to the dystopian West.  In THE SILENT STAR - better known in the U.S. as FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS - an international expedition to Venus traces an alien signal.  In SIGNALS: A SPACE ADVENTURE, a captain uses a routine repair mission to scour the ends of the galaxy for another ship that mysterious broke up in a meteor shower.  In EOLOMEA, eight ships vanish from the same base and a female scientist suspects one of her mentors knows more than he claims with regard to an old project rejected by the U.N.  In IN THE DUST OF STARS, a rocket responds to an emergency call on a distant planet but its inhabitants are a pleasure-loving bunch whose seductive surface hides an ugly secret.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

STRANGE NEW WORLDS - SCIENCE FICTION AT DEFA Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Silent Star:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film scholar by Rolland Man, presented by David Melville Wingrove
• "Red Skies" interview with Soviet cinema expert Claire Knight
• "Robot" 1968 animated short by Klaus Georgi, produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
• "British Filmmaker Visits DEFA" 1959 newsreel documenting Anthony Asquith's visit to the set
• "A Rocket in the Soviet Zone" 1959 newsreel covering the making of "The Silent Star"
• German Theatrical Trailer 
• "Strange New Worlds" Box Set Trailer
• Disc Two:
• Signals - A Space Adventure:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film scholar by Rolland Man, presented by David Melville Wingrove
• Eolomea:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.20:1 Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film scholar by Rolland Man, presented by David Melville Wingrove
• "Blast Off" interview with science fiction scholar Mark Bould
• "Jana and the Little Star" 1971 animated short by Christl Wiemer, produced by the DEFA Studio for Animation Film
• "Cosmonaut Dreams - Made in Babelsberg" documentary featuring special-effects cameraman Kurt Marks, costume designer Barbara Müller-Braumann, and technician Jan-Peter Schmarje
• German Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Three - In the Dust of the Stars:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Pillarboxed Widescreen
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film scholar by Rolland Man, presented by David Melville Wingrove
• "Marx Attacks" video essay by film scholar Daniel Jonah Wolpert
• "Love 2002" 1972 DEFA documentary short by Joachim Hellwig
• "Dusting Off After 30 Years" 1990 interview with cinematographer Peter SuringGerman 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Limited collector's edition of 2,000 copies including a hardcase featuring new artwork by Carly A-F and 60-page collector’s book featuring an introduction by Mariana Ivanova, Academic Director of the DEFA Film Library, and new writing by DEFA historians Sebastian Heiduschke, Sonja Fritzsche and Evan Torner.
  

Eureka's Masters of Cinema strikes TERROR IN THE FOG - THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC (review)

Prolific turn-of-the-century British thriller writer Edgar Wallace remained popular in Germany throughout the twentieth century from the continued reprints of his novels to an authorized cycle of films from Rialto Film that Artur Brauner's CCC company attempted to rival with a series of films based on the novels of Wallace's lesser-known son Bryan Edgar Wallace.  In CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE, an adventurer attempts to keep a cursed golden statue out of the hands of a cult bent on world domination.  In THE STRANGLER OF BLACKMOOR CASTLE, a killer stalks the estate, strangling and decapitating victims.  In THE MAD EXECUTIONERS, someone has appointed themselves judge, jury, and executioner, taking the law into their own hands and going after criminals Scotland Yard cannot catch.  In THE PHANTOM OF SOHO, a knife-wielding killer stalks the alleys of the red light district.  In THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY, a series of copycat Jack the Ripper murders terrorizes the city at the same time an actor is playing the killer on the stage, making him the prime suspect.  In THE RACETRACK MURDERS, a series of murders occurs just before Derby Day.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

TERROR IN THE FOG - THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One:
• The Curse of the Yellow Snake:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
  
• The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• "What is a Krimi" introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• Disc Two:
• The Mad Executioners:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
  
• The Phantom of Soho:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen (upscaled from standard definition)
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
  
• German Theatrical Trailer
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer
• International Trailer
  
• "Bryan Edgar Wallace: An Era" interview with Alice Brauner, producer and managing director of CCC Film and daughter of Artur Brauner
• Disc Three - The Monster of London City:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kim Newman and Stephen Jones
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• German Theatrical Trailer
• "Passing the Blade: From Krimi to Slasher" video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
  
• Disc Four - The Racetrack Murders:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• English and German LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by authors Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• Introduction by film historian and author Tim Lucas
• "Terror in the Fog" discussion between film historians Tim Lucas and Stephen Bissette (alternate audio track on the film)
• German Theatrical Trailer
  
• Limited edition box set of 2,000 copies includes hardcase featuring new artwork by Poochamin and a 60-page collector’s book featuring a new introduction to the Wallace krimi cycle by film writer Howard Hughes, a new essay on Edgar Wallace and Bryan Edgar Wallace by crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw and new notes on each film by Holger Haase, co-editor of Krimi! magazine.
  

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Eureka's Masters of Cinema spies on MABUSE LIVES! DR. MABUSE AT CCC: 1960-1964 (review)

Fritz Lang's DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER is back in the Cold War era gathering intelligence for blackmail and world domination in THE 1,000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE and plotting world cataclysms in THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE, THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE, THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE, SCOTLAND YARD HUNTS DR. MABUSE, and THE DEATH RAY OF DR. MABUSE.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

MABUSE LIVES! DR. MABUSE AT CCC: 1960-1964 Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One - The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• Alternate Ending from the French Version
• "A Conversation with Dr. M" interview with actor Wolfgang Preiss
• "Eye of Evil" 1966 U.S. Re-Release Theatrical Trailer
• Disc Two:
• The Return of Dr. Mabuse:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• The Invisible Dr. Mabuse:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• "Mabuse Lives at CCC" 2025 interview with producer and managing director of CCC Film Alice Brauner, daughter of CCC founder Artur Brauner
  
• Disc Three:
• The Testament of Dr. Mabuse: 
• 1080p24 AVC MPEG-4 1.66:1 Widescreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• Scotland Yard Hunts Dr. Mabuse:
• 1080p24 AVC MPEG-4 1.37:1 Pillaboxed Fullscreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• "Kriminology" video essay by film historians David Cairns and Fiona Watson
• Disc Four - The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse:
• Original German Version:
• 1080p24 AVC MPEG-4 1.37:1 Pillaboxed Fullscreen
• German and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• Italian Co-Production Version:
• 1080p24 AVC MPEG-4 1.37:1 Pillaboxed Fullscreen (with standard definition inserts)
• Italian LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Introduction by genre film expert and Video Watchdog founder Tim Lucas
• Limited collector's edition of 2,000 copies comes in a hardcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella with a 60-page collector’s book featuring new notes on each film by journalist Holger Haase, a new essay by German film scholar Tim Bergfelder, an archival essay by David Cairns, archival writing by Fritz Lang and notes by Lotte Eisner on Lang’s final unreleased projects.
  

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Eureka's Masters of Cinema visits SIRK IN GERMANY 1934-1935 (review)

Before Douglas Sirk became Hollywood's King of Melodramas, he worked in a variety of genres in his native Germany but always with an eye towards biting social commentary about life under the Nazis.  In the comedy APRIL, APRIL! a pompous man and his socialite wife scramble to save face after they have been the victims of a prank.  In THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT, an unwed mother endures public shame as she attempts to live honorably in a repressive society.  In PILLARS OF SOCIETY, a man returns to his Norwegian home after twenty years and discovers that he has been scapegoated by his corrupt brother-in-law.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SIRK IN GERMANY 1934-1935 Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.19:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen Transfers of APRIL, APRIL!, THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT, and PILLARS OF SOCIETY
• German LPCM 2.0 Mono Audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentaries on all three films by Douglas Sirk expert David Melville Wingrove
• Shorts: 
• Zwei Windhunde (Two Greyhounds) (1934) 
• Dreimal Ehe (Three Times Before) (1935) in two versions 
• Der eingebildete Kranke (The Imaginary Invalid) 
• "Magnificent Obsessions" 2025 interview with film historian Sheldon Hall
• Limited to 2,000 copies. 
• Comes with an O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Scott Saslow and a collector’s booklet featuring a new extended essay on Sirk’s early works by German cinema expert Tim Bergfelder.
  

Eureka's Masters of Cinema meets master criminal FANTOMAS (review)

Master criminal Fantomas steals and murders his way through Parisian high society with Inspector Juve on his coattails, but he really is a man of a thousand faces with underlings everywhere in this pulp adventure from Louis Feuillade (JUDEX).

REVIEW LINK: Eureka (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

FANTOMAS Blu-ray specs:

• Five feature-length episodes on two Blu-ray discs
• 1080i50 MPEG-4 AVC 1.33:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• French Intertitles with optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentaries on the first two episodes by film historian David Kalat
• "Cast a Long Shadow" interview with author and critic Kim Newman
  

Eureka's Masters of Cinema goes bump in the night with THE CAT AND THE CANARY (review)

On a dark and stormy night, a young heiress is threatened by greedy relatives and an escaped maniac in the OG "old dark house" film THE CAT AND THE CANARY.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (US/UK) Region A/B Blu-ray (DVDCompare) 

THE CAT AND THE CANARY Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Robert Israel Score in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Original English Intertitles
• Audio Commentary by author Stephen Jones and author/critic Kim Newman
• Audio Commentary by film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby
• "Mysteries Mean Dark Corners" video essay by David Cairns and Fiona Watson
• Interview with writer and film critic Pamela Hutchinson
• Interview with film critic Phuong Le
• Extracts from John Willard's Original Play
• "Lucky Strike" Paul Leni Cigarette Brand Endorsement
• The first pressing comes with a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Richard Combs, Craig Ian Mann, and Imogen Sara Smith.
  

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Eureka and Masters of Cinema celebrate THE VALIANT ONES in 4K (review)

Japanese ronin and Chinese bandits ravage the coasts of China during the 16th century.  The emperor sends a new governor to the province who ruffles feathers when he employs a skilled strategist and his unconventional team to lure the pirates into a trap in King Hu's lesser-seen THE VALIANT ONES.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (US/UK) Region ALL 4K UltraHD (DVDCompare)

THE VALIANT ONES 4K UltraHD specs:

• 2160p24 HEVC 2.35:1 Widescreen (Dolby Vision)
• Mandarin LPCM 1.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) 
• "Tony Rayns on THE VALIANT ONES" 
• "Tsar of All Wuxia" video essay by film historian David Cairns 
• "The Life of a Lucky Stuntman" interview with stuntman Billy Chan 
• "My Father and I" interview with actor Ng Ming-choi 
• "Memories of Hu" interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine 
• Interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine 
• Interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine 
• First pressing of 2000 copies also includes a slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) and a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jonathan Clements.

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Eureka finds life (and death) ON THE SILVER GLOBE (review)

A precursor to David Lynch's big screen release of DUNE - and made around the same time Alejandro Jodorowsky was preparing his own adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel - ON THE SILVER GLOBE is based on a turn-of-the-century sci fi novel by director Andrzej Zulawski's great uncle Jerzy Zulawski about the discovery of life on another planet and its effect on the human visitors attempting to undo the ills of human existence and start anew only to repeat the same mistakes on a tragic scale.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Entertainment (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

ON THE SILVER GLOBE Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - On the Silver Globe:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen 
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by film historian Daniel Bird 
• "Adam Żulawski on Jerzy Żulawski" interview with the author's grandson 
• "Return to the Silver Globe" locations visit with cinematographer Andrzej Jaroszewicz 
• "The Cinematography of On the Silver Globe" documentary by film historian Daniel Bird 
• "Lunar Futurism" documentary by film historian Daniel Bird
• Disc Two - Escape to the Silver Globe:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 Widescreen 
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Stereo 
• Optional English Subtitles
• Comes with a collector's booklet featuring writing by Daniel Bird and Andrew Graves, as well as archival writing from the time of the films’ production.
  

Eureka summons THE DEVIL at THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT (review)

The first two films of exiled Polish filmmaker Andrzej Zulawski take a subversive look at his country's history in fantastical forms.  In THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT, a Polish Jewish man from an aristocratic family flees the murder of his wife and child by Soviet soldiers only to become involved with a woman who is his wife's exact double, forcing him to reflect on his past life and things he has blocked out about it.  Banned until 1987, THE DEVIL is the tale of a young aristocrat imprisoned for an assassination attempt and freed by a Satanic figure who follows him home and exposes the web of betrayal, perversion, and murder behind the image of his noble family.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Entertainment (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT/THE DEVIL Blu-ray specs: 

• Disc One - The Third Part of the Night:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen 
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• "Michael Brooke on The Third Part of the Night" film historian interview
• Disc Two - The Devil:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen 
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• "Michael Brooke on The Devil" film historian interview 
• "Lukasz Żulawski on The Devil" actor interview
• Comes with a collector's booklet featuring writing by Philip Kemp.
  

Masters of Cinema duels with SAMURAI WOLF I + II (review)

Akira Kurasawa's YOJIMBO has long been known as an influence on Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, but Hideo Gosha returned the favor with the spaghetti western-tinged wandering ronin film duo SAMURAI WOLF in which a lone samurai wanders into violent situations and dispenses his own justice.  From the director of THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI and VIOLENT STREETS.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Entertainment (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SAMURAI WOLF I + II Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - Samurai Wolf:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English SubtitlesAudio Commentary by film historian and writer Chris Poggiali 
• "Outlaw Director - Hideo Gosha" interview with the director's daughter Tomoe Gosha
• Disc Two - Samurai Wolf II:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 2.35:1 Widescreen
• Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian Jasper Sharp 
• "Lineage of the Wolf" interview with critic and writer Tony Rayns
• The first 2,000 copies include a limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella, reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork, and collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes.
  

Masters of Cinema meets the Devil during the third part of the night on the Silver Globe in ANDRZEJ ZULAWSKI: THREE FILMS (review)

Polish maverick filmmaker Andrzej Zulawski (POSSESSION) had one of his films banned and another halted three-quarters into production and was asked to leave the country twice... and also invited back twice.  In his debut THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT, a young man witnesses the murders of his mother, wife, and child by the German occupation and joins the resistance movement.  When a man is shot and captured in his place, he discovers that the man's pregnant wife is a double for his wife.  As he tries to redeem himself by helping her, he starts to reflect on his marriage and disturbing things he did not want to acknowledge.

In THE DEVIL, a young man captured for an attempted assassination of the King is freed by a mysterious man who then shows him that his family and friends have betrayed him.  The cost of his revenge may be his soul.

In ON THE SILVER GLOBE, astronauts land on another planet hoping to start civilization over again only to make the same mistakes.  When another astronaut arrives years later to investigate, he finds himself held up by the people as a living god with all that entails when he cannot answer their questions about life and death.  An epic with a notoriously-troubled production history, the film's year-long production was halted in 1977, finished in 1986, and released in 1988.  A delirious precursor to DUNE (Jodorowsky's and Lynch's).

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

ANDRZEJ ZULAWSKI: THREE FILMS Blu-ray specs:

• Disc One - The Third Part of the Night (1971):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Michael Brooke on THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT" interview
• Disc Two - The Devil (1972):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• "Michael Brooke on THE DEVIL" interview 
• "Lukasz Żulawski on THE DEVIL" interview
• Disc Three - On the Silver Globe (1988):
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.66:1 Widescreen 
• Polish LPCM 2.0 Mono 
• Optional English Subtitles 
• Audio Commentary by film historian Daniel Bird 
• "Adam Żulawski on Jerzy Żulawski" interview with the author's grandson 
• "Return to the Silver Globe" locations visit with cinematographer Andrzej Jaroszewicz 
• "The Cinematography of ON THE SILVER GLOBE" documentary by film historian Daniel Bird 
• "Lunar Futurism" documentary by film historian Daniel Bird
• Disc Four - Bonus Disc:
• "Escape to the Silver Globe" documentary by Kuba Mikurda
• The first 3,000 copies come in a limited edition hardbound slipcase.
• Comes with a 60-page collector’s book featuring "The Enigmas of Żulawski", a new essay by Philip Kemp; "Unidentified Film Object", Daniel Bird’s revised and edited notes for a presentation on the production history and restoration of "On the Silver Globe"; a new essay by Andrew Graves; a transcription from a 1979 samizdat journal criticising the official Polish coverage of "On the Silver Globe"; and an archival letter written by the crew of "On the Silver Globe".
   

Masters of Cinema finds love and laughs in THREE AGES (review)

Buster Keaton's second feature and first one co-directed by him stars the comedian as a man who experiences the travails of love in the Stone Age, Ancient Rome, and the modern age in a parody of D.W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

THREE AGES Blu-ray specs: 

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.37:1 Pillarboxed Fullscreen
• Music Score by Rodney Sauer in LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Original and Restored English Intertitles
• Audio Commentary by film historian David Kalat
• "This Side of Impossible" video essay by David Cairns
• "Under the Flat Hat" video essay by Fiona Watson
• "The Six Ages of Comedy" featurette based on an essay by Butser Keaton
• "Lavender Talking Keaton" interview with actor Ian Lavender
• "Man's Genesis" 1912 short by D.W. Griffith parodied in THREE AGES
• "The Locations of THREE AGES" video essay John Bengtson
• 1958 Alka Seltzer Commercial
• "Buster Keaton at Shell Chateau" 1936 radio show appearance
• "Buster Keaton on Art Finley" 1960 radio interview
• Buster Keaton French Radio Interview Excerpt
• Come with a collectors booklet featuring new writing by Philip Kemp and Imogen Sara Smith.
• The first 2,000 copies include a limited edition slipcase.
  

Masters of Cinema rebirths SAMURAI REINCARNATION (review)

After his Christian followers are slaughtered by the Tokugawa Shogunate, Shiro Amakusa turns his back on God and calls forth the demons of hell to help him take vengeance on the shogun in this supernatural samurai film starring Sonny Chiba and Ken Ogata from the director of VIRUS.

REVIEW LINK: Eureka Video (UK) Region B Blu-ray (DVDCompare)

SAMURAI REINCARNATION Blu-ray specs:

• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 Widescreen
• Japanese and English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Optional English Subtitles
• Audio Commentary by film scholar Tom Mes
• "Samurai Fictions" interview with director Kenji Fukasaku's son filmmaker Kenta Fukasaku
• Theatrical Trailer
• Collector's Booklet by Jonathan Clements
• The first 2,000 copies come with a limited edition slipcase.