Movies on DVD and Blu-ray: 02/14/15

Saturday, 14 February 2015

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

Directed by Delmer Daves and starring Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget, William Marshall, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan and Jay Robinson as Caligula.

3-disc 3-film DVD Collection bought in 2004

101mins

Theatrical Trailer.

The Robe (1953)

Directed by Henry Koster and starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie and Jay Robinson as Caligula.

Special Edition DVD bought in 2009

Blu-ray bought in 2014

133m 31s

Blu-ray

Introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese

Audio Commentary with David Newman, Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
“The Music of The Robe: Alfred Newman’s Score” isolated music track
“The Making of The Robe” documentary (32mins)
"The CinemaScope Story" featurette (19mins)
"From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood" featurette (25mins)
1969 Audio Interview With Screenwriter Philip Dunne
"BonusView" picture-in-picture mode:
-"The Robe Times Two: A Comparison of Widescreen and Standard Versions"
-"A Seamless Faith: The Real-Life Search for The Robe"
Advertising The Robe:
"Movietone News"
Theatrical Trailers
Interactive Pressbook
Still Galleries

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, Anne Crawford and Stanley Baker.

DVD bought in 2003

115mins

All-new introduction by Mel Ferrer
Premiere newsreel
Vintage concert hall musical short "Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor"

"King Arthur at the Movies" essay

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine.

DVD bought in 2007

113m 14s

Audio commentary with Tim Zinnemann (son of the director), and actor Alvin Sargent
"The Making Of From Here To Eternity"
Excerpt from "Fred Zinnemann: As I See It"
Theatrical trailer

Shane (1953)

Directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde and Jack Palance.

DVD bought in 2005

118mins

Audio commentary with George Stevens Jr. and associate producer Ivan Moffat
Theatrical trailer

Stalag 17 (1953)

Directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Neville Brand and Peter Graves.

Special Collector's Edition DVD bought in 2006
Special Edition Blu-ray bought in 2015

120mins

Blu-ray

Blu-ray extras -

Audio commentary with actors Richard Erdman and Gil Stratton, and co-playwright Donald Bevan
New video interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard (24mins)
Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen (22mins)
The Real Heroes of Stalag XVII B (25mins)
28 page collector's booklet

The War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by Byron Haskin and starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les Tremayne, narrated by Sir Cedric Hardwicke.

Special Collector's Edition DVD bought in 2005

85mins

Audio commentary by actor Gene Barry and actress Ann Robinson
Audio commentary by Joe Dante, Bob Burns, and Bill Warren
Extras:
"The Sky is Falling: Making The War of the Worlds"
"H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction"
"The Mercury Theater on the Air Presents: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast" (59min)
Theatrical trailer
12-page Booklet

Invaders from Mars (1953)

Directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter and Arthur Franz.

Special Edition DVD bought in 2004

79mins

US and alternate British versions of the film

Still Gallery

Theatrical Trailer

It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Directed by Jack Arnold and starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush and Charles Drake.

DVD bought in 2006

81mins

Audio commentary by film historian Tom Weaver
"The Universe According to Universal" - an original documentary on 'It Came from Outer Space'
Photograph and poster gallery
Theatrical trailer

House of Wax (1953)

Directed by Andre de Toth and starring Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones and Charles Bronson.

DVD bought in 2005

88mins

Bonus movie - Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray. 77mins

"Round-the-Clock Premiere: Coast Hails House of Wax" newsreel footage