After leaving the Hollyoaks cast, Gemma undertook a strict fitness regime which led to a new career in glamour modelling. It was around this time that she took part in Total Bootcamp, a popular fitness training course organised by Catherine Jane Pennington. The course is known for giving people the chance to achieve a healthy body and mind. While the courses last just one week, they can produce astonishing results – one participant, for example, lost 1st 4lbs by adhering to the professionally-planned diet and exercise routines.

In 2008, Gemma went on to make her video game debut, voicing LT. Eva McKenna in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, a role she reprised in the 2009 sequel, Uprising. From then on, she enjoyed a range of different roles, with appearances in some of the UK’s most loved programmes, including The Bill and Casualty. These parts were taken alongside work in two successful Dominic Burns films – as Hannah in How to Stop Being a Loser and Harriet Robburts in Airborne.

After appearing in Law & Order: UK, Gemma is due to play the leading female role in Samuel Victor’s Night of the Living 3D Dead, a modern adaptation of George A. Romero’s 1968 zombie classic.

For those not familiar with Shakespeare’s play, Richard III is about Richard (Olivier), the Duke of Gloucester, who cunningly plots to steal the crown of England from his brother, King Edward IV (Hardwicke). It is the latter half of the 15 Century in England at the tail end of the Wars of the Roses that featured rival factions vying for the English crown. It is rather fitting that the first shot of the film be of the crown – the symbol of power in England and the source of conflict in the story.

Not only did Olivier tackle one of Shakespeare’s longest plays, he decided to render it in glorious VistaVision so that the larger than life Richard and his exploits were depicted in glorious color. In a risky act of hubris, the veteran actor makes the film all about the villainous Duke with secondary characters orbiting him. Fortunately, Olivier’s towering presence and ferocious performance warrants the bulk of the film’s screen-time. He has loads of charisma and is so riveting that you can’t take your eyes off him. His take on Richard is a deliciously evil one as he addresses the audience, acting as narrator to his own tale and not above revealing what he plans to do next, thereby making us co-conspirators.

Richard is a cunning sociopath who murders because he wants to be King of England and makes it pretty clear that nothing will stand in his way. He is an out and out villain cum protagonist albeit a witty one. Olivier delivers a tour-de-force performance that is a marvel to watch. It is the choices he makes both as an actor and as a director that results in Richard III being such a fascinating film.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and former governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company John Wilders. Lees starts off by providing some backstory to Shakespeare’s historical plays, chief among them Richard III. He also includes the historical context in which the story is set. Lees analyzes Olivier’s approach to the role and his direction. Wilders offers analysis of the language of the play and the meaning behind it. This is a very engaging and informative track.

The second disc starts off with an episode of the BBC television series Great Acting with Laurence Olivier discussing his career, including Richard III. He speaks fondly of his beginnings in theater and the influence of his father on pursuing a career as an actor. Olivier talks about what influenced his take on Richard III, including his technique and the choices he made.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese takes us through a “Restoration Demonstration” of this classic that included a painstaking detailed process involving the entire image of each frame restored using the best surviving elements.

Also included is a gallery of behind-the-scenes and production still that include a set visit by Salvador Dali!

Finally, there is a T.V. trailer and a theatrical trailer.

internationally acclaimed major motion picture

from visionary director luc besson

finally arrives in america!

\

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF Adle BLANC-SEC

Starring Louise Bourgoin

JOURNEY IN THIS SPECTACULAR EPIC ACTION ADVENTURE ON DVD and TWO-DISC BLU-RAY™  COMBO PACK (BLU-RAY + DVD + DIGITAL COPY)

IN STORES EVERYWHERE ON AUGUST 13, 2013

FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

PRE-ORDER THIS COLLECTION TODAY!

This summer, let your imagination run free. Journey into an awe-inspiring world of action fantasy and visual wonder with popular French comics heroine Adle Blanc-Sec as she leaps from the pages to the screen! On August 13, 2013, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with EuropaCorp, invite families and the young-at-heart across America to be captivated by one of the most highly anticipated international motion pictures of all time when Luc Besson’s The Extraordinary ADVENTURES of Adle Blanc-Sec unleashes on DVD and on two-disc BLU-RAY COMBO PACK. The Blu-ray combo pack allows viewers to enjoy The Extraordinary ADVENTURES of Adle Blanc-Sec on the platform of their choice and includes spectacular movie presentation on Blu-ray, DVD and a digital copy of the movie compatible with PC, MAC, iTunes, iPhone and AppleTV.

Brimming with heart-pounding action, breathtaking cinematography and visceral special effects, this acclaimed feature illustrates the magical power of moviemaking, and delivers wildly entertaining cinematic adventure filled with humor, incredible action, mystery and lush Parisian period details that the whole family will enjoy! Both Blu-ray combo pack and DVD editions offer English and French audio tracks, English subtitles. Insightful bonus features take viewers behind- the-scenes as director Luc Besson and the cast share their passion in bringing this timeless tale to the screen. Available in stores nationwide, The Extraordinary ADVENTURES of Adle Blanc-Sec Blu-ray combo pack is priced to own with a suggested retail price of $24.97, and $14.97 for the DVD. THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ADLE BLANC-SEC The Director’s Cut Edition Two-Disc Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack will arrive in stores this Fall 2013.   

Pre-order is available today on Amazon and ShoutFactory.com before the DVD and the two-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack arrive in stores nationwide on August 13, 2013

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec Two-Disc Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (BLU-RAY + DVD + DIGITAL COPY)

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The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec DVD

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Directed and produced by world renowned filmmaker Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and adapted from Eisner Award winner Jacques Tardi’s celebrated French classic comic book series, this movie features a stellar cast of Louise Bourgoin (Anne Fontaine’s The Girl From Monaco), Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Gilles Lellouche (Love Me If You Dare), Jean-Paul Rouve (La Vie En Rose), Jacky Nercessian (Le Grand Voyage), and  Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).

SYNOPSIS

The year is 1912. This is the story of an intrepid young reporter Adle Blanc-Sec and her quest for the power of life over death. Her journey would take her to distant lands to face many dangers beneath the sands. She will go to any lengths to achieve her aims, including sailing to Egypt to tackle mummies of all shapes and sizes. Meanwhile in Paris, a 136 million-year old pterodactyl egg on display in the natural history museum has mysteriously hatched, and the creature subjects the city to a reign of terror from the skies. But nothing fazes Adele Blanc-Sec, whose adventures include many more extraordinary surprises…

BONUS FEATURES

?         Making-of featurette

?         Music featurette

?         Deleted Scenes

Gate of Hell is based on a play entitled Kesa’s Husband by Kan Kikuchi and is set during medieval times. It is the Heiji rebellion of 1160 as the Taira and Minamoto warrior clans fought for supremacy. In an attempt to fool Minamoto, the Taira imperial guards recruit Kesa (Kyo), a lady-in-waiting, to impersonate the empress. Morito (Hasegawa) is a warrior that agrees to escort and protect Kesa as they escape Kyoto. They seek refuge at Morito’s brother’s house only to find out that his sympathies lie with Minamoto. Over time, Morito becomes obsessed with Kesa and this only intensifies when he finds out that she’s married to an imperial guard named Wataru (Yamagata). The rest of Gate of Hell examines the tragic love triangle that develops between these characters.

The first that strikes you about Gate of Hell is the vibrant color scheme, most notably the kimonos of Kes (orange) and Morito (yellow), the bright splash of red from a samurai’s fatal wound, and the contrasting colors of golden candle light against a dark blue evening sky. The distinctive outfits of the characters mirror their colorful personalities and it helps us keep track of them all. Kinugasa’s Gate of Hell marked the emergence of color in Japanese cinema and demonstrated the use of Technicolor, which originated in Hollywood cinema. It was also part of a prolific and highly acclaimed period of Japanese cinema.

Special Features:

None.

A meteor from outer space crashes to Earth just outside of a small-town in the heart of America. Two young people – Steve Andrews (McQueen) and Jane Martin (Corsaut) witness the meteor’s descent and then en route to checking it out encounter an old man who found it. He appears to have some kind of gelatinous goo all over one of his hands. It came from the meteor and aggressively attached itself to him. Pretty soon, the stuff spreads across his body and continues to grow at an alarming rate becoming large enough to threaten the entire town. It’s up to Steve and Jane to warn everyone and try to stop it.

The Blob is a fantastic fusion of the juvenile delinquent and horror genres. McQueen’s Steve is a bit of rebel, getting in trouble with the police when he races against rival hot-rodders. However, he steps up once the Blob is on the loose and wreaking havoc. Like most monster movies from this era, his initial warnings go unheeded because the police are unwilling to believe a young punk like him.

What separates The Blob from the other creature features of that era is its refusal to go for obvious laughs and play things straight, which is quite something when you consider the inherent silliness of the monster – a slow-moving amorphous blob that absorbs people. And yet, it works because the filmmakers take it so seriously and the actors play it straight. As a result, we take it seriously. This is due in large part to Steve McQueen’s performance, which is grounded and present. He does a lot to sell the threat of the monster and the frustration Steve feels when no one takes him seriously about the creature. He brings a lot of conviction and natural charisma to the role.

The Blob was made independently of Hollywood and is free from the constraints of a studio backlot. Shooting on location gives the movie much-needed realism by grounding the threat in actual locations. The Blob scared people back in the day because it took place in an environment that was easily relatable, anticipating like-minded horror films such as Carnival of Souls (1962) and Night of the Living Dead (1968). The Blob went on to become a cult classic, spawning a sequel and a decent remake in 1988 that amped up the special effects. As dated as it is to us now, the original still works and one can admire the craftsmanship involved, especially on such a low budget.

Special Features:

The folks at the Criterion Collection have given The Blob a Blu-Ray upgrade and the film has never looked better with colors that are lush and vibrant. There are no artifacts or any visible blemishes on this pristine-looking transfer!

There is an audio commentary by producer Jack Harris and film historian Bruce Eder. Harris starts of talking about the origins of The Blob – marrying the juvenile delinquent movie with a serious-minded monster movie. Naturally, he talks about casting Steve McQueen. He also touches upon the challenge of creating the time-consuming special effects. This is an engaging and informative track with lots of filming anecdotes.

Also included is a commentary by director Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and actor Robert Fields. Yeaworth touches upon some of the same things as Harris, like the casting of McQueen and financing the movie. Fields talks about working with McQueen and shares some stories about working on The Blob.

“Blobabilia!” is a gallery of memorabilia from the movie from the personal collection of Wes Shanks. There are all kinds of behind-the-scenes photographs, posters, special effects props and the Blob itself.

Finally, there is a vintage theatrical trailer.

Repo Man follows the misadventures of a white suburban punk named Otto who, after quitting his mundane 9-to-5 job and abandoning the punk lifestyle he once enjoyed, realizes that he has no real direction, no meaning in life until he meets Bud, who cons him into helping repossess a car. At first, Otto rejects Bud’s offer to be a repo man, but after learning that his parents wasted all of his college money on Reverend Larry’s Chariot’s of Fire Honor Role to send Bibles to El Salvador, he decides to become a repo man. Cox uses this initial event as a springboard to introduce a variety of unusual characters and situations that contribute to the satirical commentary on everything from T.V. evangelists to Hippies to punk rock. Initially, he presents these situations as meaningless, random events: a Chevy Malibu driven by a lobotomized scientist with four dead aliens in the trunk that fry anyone who dares open it; three old friends of Otto’s from his punk days rob various variety stores for kicks (“Let’s get sushi and not pay!”); a UFO cult dedicated to finding the dead aliens and exposing them to the world on Johnny Carson; and the FBI who is also in pursuit of the Chevy Malibu. Cox has all of these characters, and many more interact with one another throughout the film, keeping Otto and Bud as the focal point, illustrating that what seems like random, arbitrary events are really all connected.

Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton are excellent as the student and teacher, playing well off each other with the former learning the ropes, and the latter giving out his words of wisdom (“An ordinary person spends his life avoiding tense situations. Repo man spends his life getting into tense situations.”). Tracey Walter as space case Miller is also superb. In most films, Walter has been relegated to nothing roles, but here Cox gives him room to move and he uses the time wisely presenting Miller as maybe the most intelligent guy in the film, or the most insane as he expounds his strange theories (“The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.”) to anyone who will listen.

Cox also establishes a refreshingly uncompromising, bare bones approach and tone to the whole film that, unlike other supposedly anti-establishment films (Heathers and Pump Up The Volume), never lets up. This tone is established with a great punk soundtrack (with the likes of Black Flag, Fear, and the Circle Jerks contributing songs) and almost documentary-like photography from legendary cinematographer, Robby Muller. Best of all, Cox isn’t afraid to cast a critical eye on anyone, even poking fun at the film’s own punk aesthetic in a scene where Otto’s friend, Duke (Rude) dies from a gunshot wound and leaves this touching soliloquy, “I know a life of crime led me to this sorry fate. And yet, I blame society. Society made me what I am.” It’s the old juvenile delinquent/punk cop out which Cox exposes so well as Otto replies, “That’s bullshit. You’re a white suburban punk, just like me.”

Repo Man is a clever social satire that attacks consumer culture on a small scale. Many of the characters have brand names like Miller, Bud, and Lite, while all the products in the film are labeled “Beer,” and “Food.” Cox twists the whole idea of consumerism on its ear, commenting on how we have all become commodities of one form or another to be bought and sold. On one level, the film is a bizarre comedy with memorable dialogue (hence its cult film status) and a killer soundtrack (the title song performed by Iggy Pop no less), but look a little harder and you will find much more going on under the surface. Many obscure films are often labeled a “cult film,” but this one deserves the label with its eclectic cast, a take-no-prisoners attitude towards social commentary and an unconventional plot structure. Repo Man is a very funny, entertaining film worth checking out.

Special Features:

Repo Man originally debuted on DVD thanks to the fine folks at Anchor Bay in a fantastic metal tin package that resembled a license plate and also came with the film’s soundtrack album of West Coast punk rock and nice booklet with photos and liner notes. Sadly, this edition has gone out of print and the rights have reverted back to Universal. Fortunately, the studio coordinated a new edition with Cox and he helped assemble some new extras especially for that edition. The good news for fans of the film is that they can now toss this edition and upgrade to the new Criterion Collection version, which ports over all of the Universal extras and boasts a new and improved transfer.

Disc one starts off with the only carry-over from the Anchor Bay edition is the excellent audio commentary by Cox, producer Michael Nesmith, casting director Victoria Thomas and actors Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss and Del Zamora. This is clearly a trip down memory lane for all involved as they fondly recall making the film. Among some of the trivia dispelled: Chris Penn was originally cast as Kevin (clearly a prototype for Napoleon Dynamite) but that didn’t pan out. Everyone talks about their problems with the studio and tell great stories as they laugh and joke on this thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining track.

“Plate o’ Shrimp” features new interviews with musician Keith Morris (The Circle Jerks) and actors Dick Rude, Olivia Barash and Miguel Sandoval. Rude and Morris talk about how the L.A. punk rock scene influenced the film and honestly reflected what it was like at the time. Naturally, they all talk about how they got involved with the film. Barash said that Cox sent her to UFO conventions for research. All of the participants recount entertaining filming anecdotes with Rude being the standout.

Iggy Pop is also interviewed and he talks about how he got the gig. At the time, he was experiencing hard times and doing the song fulfilled a dream of his – creating a badass theme song for a film. Iggy is his usual engaging and entertaining self as he talks about creating the song.

Cox takes a look at a collection of “The Missing Scenes” with Sam Cohen, the actual inventor of the Neutron Bomb. We get more footage of Duke and his gang, Bud taking a sledgehammer to a faulty pay phone and more of the repo party to name but a few additional scenes.

Also included are two trailers for the film.

The second disc starts off with “Repossessed,” which reunites producers Peter McCarthy and Jonathan Wacks with Cox as they reminisce about Repo Man. The three men talk about how they got the film financed and tell lots of good anecdotes. One highlight involves Cox telling a funny story about meeting with Stanton’s agent to pitch the movie. The director felt that towards the end of shooting the actor was too unpredictable and actually wrote him out of a few scenes. They clearly look back at the experience with fond memories.

“Harry Zen Stanton” features the refreshingly candid actor talking about his life and espousing his personal philosophy that kinda fits with the notion of personal codes and ethics in Repo Man. He comes across as a fascinating guy, a true original, in this excellent interview.

Finally, included is a special treat for hardcore fans – the cleaned up version of the film for T.V. Now, this isn’t some sanitized version made by the studio, but one created by Cox and Rude that features deleted footage and hilarious dubbing over all the cursing the characters do in the film. So, you get stuff like, “flip you,” and “mellonfarmer” instead of their naughtier alternatives.

Fontaine (Leterrier) enters prison bloody and beaten having tried to escape on the car ride there. Handcuffed, he’s dragged unceremoniously and deposited in his cell. He checks himself out and says in voiceover narration, “While waiting in the courtyard, I’d gotten used to the idea of death.” It’s a grim assessment of his lot in life and gives an early indication that Bresson’s film will not try to romanticize its subject, but present it as objectively as possible.

Fontaine is beaten by his jailers and lives in a Spartan cell, which allows him to spend every waking moment devising a plan to escape without any distractions. With the help of fellow inmates, Fontaine is able to get word of his situation to fellow collaborators on the outside. He endures horrible conditions with quiet dignity and a determination to get out. He does not go it alone and is in fact aided by several other inmates all of whom communicate subtly with each other so that their German captors do not catch on. In turn, he bolsters their spirits.

Francois Leterrier uses his expressive face to convey what his character is feeling in a film where most of the dialogue is conveyed via voiceover narration. This allows us access to his innermost thoughts, providing insight into his motivations. The actor also uses his body language to convey Fontaine’s feelings in very economical fashion that is quite impressive considering that Leterrier had no formal training as an actor.

Bresson depicts Fontaine’s methodical process of orchestrating his own escape in matter-of-fact fashion devoid of unnecessary stylistic embellishment. The stark black and white cinematography also contributes to the authenticity of A Man Escaped. Fontaine’s dedication to spending every waking moment of every day thinking about and actively working on a way to escape is very impressive. Instead of simply giving up and accepting his lot in life, he focuses on a goal and never loses sight of it.

Special Features:

The first disc includes a theatrical trailer.

The second disc starts off with “Bresson: Without A Trace,” a 1965 interview the filmmaker did on French television. It’s a lengthy, in-depth look at his career. He also espouses his personal philosophy of filmmaking.

“The Road to Bresson” is a 56-minute documentary from 1984 that acts as a primer on the directors’ style and technique with the likes of Louis Malle, Paul Schrader, Andrei Tarkovsky and Orson Welles speaking highly of the man.

“The Essence of Forms” is a 45-minute documentary from 2010 that includes interviews with several collaborators and admirers. They offer their impressions and opinions of Bresson and his films. They paint a portrait of an uncompromising artist who didn’t like watching other films.

Finally, there is “Functions of Film Sound,” a visual essay on the use of sound in A Man Escaped. It analyzes the variety of sound techniques and its function in the film. At times, the sound dominates the image for Bresson believed that it was just as cinematic as the images.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp starts off as a rousing war movie complete with playful music as a platoon of British soldiers seek out General Candy in a bath house for a code to engage the enemy before the agreed upon time during World War II. He can’t believe that they want to start things early and the scrappy veteran starts a fight with the platoon leader. This segues into a flashback as we meet a significantly older Colonel Candy.

England is mired to the Boer War and Candy sneaks off to Berlin to confront a man spreading gossip that the British are mistreating women and children in South Africa. Once there, he meets a beautiful governess named Edith Hunter (Kerr) who tipped him off in the first place. After insulting a German officer, Candy is challenged to a duel where he faces off against Theo Kretschnar-Schuldorff (Walbrook). In an audacious move, we never see its outcome, but they both survive (barely) and become life-long friends.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is an ambitious epic with Deborah Kerr playing three different characters that weave in and out of Candy’s life at various crucial points. Her characters form a love triangle between Candy and Kretschnar-Schuldorff. The production is marked by a lavish attention to period detail, including impressive art direction and costume design.

Powell and Pressburger’s film never quite connected with filmgoers on a mainstream level as it was released sporadically over the years and in a significantly truncated form in North America. Martin Scorsese saw it at a young, impressionable age and became an important champion of it. So much so, that he spearheaded a restoration so that everyone could see The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as Powell and Pressburger had originally intended.

Special Features:

The first disc features an audio commentary by director Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. The latter talks about when he first saw the film and what drew him to it. He mentions the various running lengths and why it took him years to track down a complete print. Powell soon joins Scorsese and takes us through the making of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

The second disc starts off with an “Introduction by Martin Scorsese.” He provides some backstory to the film, like how Powell and Pressburger originally wanted Laurence Olivier to play Candy. He talks about the various running lengths and speaks admiringly of what he likes about it. Most of this material repeats what was covered in the commentary.

“A Profile of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” is a 24-minute retrospective documentary on the making of the film. Producer Kevin Macdonald, actor Stephen Fry and film critic Ian Christie all talk about what makes it such a great film. This featurette takes us through the production and addresses the controversy that embroiled it back in the day.

Also included is a “Restoration Demonstration,” which sees Scorsese return to take us through the film’s 2012 digital restoration. He explains the process with before and after clips. It is quite impressive to see just how much work went into cleaning up this classic film.

“Optimism and Sheer Will” features film editor Thelma Schoonmaker talking about the film and the career of her late husband Michael Powell. She talks about what makes the film so great.

There is a “Stills Gallery” of production photographs and behind-the-scenes stills.

Finally, there is “David Low’s Colonel Blimp,” a gallery of photos of David Low, the political cartoonist that created the cartoon of Colonel Blimp, which inspired the film. Also included is a collection of his satirical cartoons.

Kit works as a trashman in a sleepy small-town in South Dakota. One day, after work he meets Holly on the front lawn of her house. It is one of the more unusual courtships as we don’t see too many displays of affection between them or declarations of love, but mostly because Holly tells us so in her narration. They gradually fall in love much to the chagrin of her strict father (Oates) who doesn’t approve of Kit. After the two men have a confrontation, Kit and Holly go on the run.

Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, early on in their respective careers, deliver impressive performances. On the surface, Kit seems like a nice enough guy, but Sheen is able to turn this off on a dime to show the dispassionate killer that lurks under the James Dean good looks. It would be easy to dislike Kit, based on all the bad things he does, but it is Sheen’s natural charisma that makes the character so interesting to watch. Initially, Spacek plays Holly as something of an innocent, but she explains in her voiceovers that she had plenty of opportunities to leave or turn Kit in. There is a certain naiveté about Holly and she sees the older Kit as someone wiser in the ways of the world then herself.

Kit and Holly’s escape into the wilderness would mark the beginning of Malick’s preoccupation with nature. He is fascinated by the beauty of it and the wonder it represents, often juxtaposing the environment with the ugliness of human nature as he does in Badlands with Kit’s casual disregard for human life. Malick manages to de-glamorize what could have been a lurid tale by showing Kit and Holly enduring significant stretches of doing every day things or nothing at all. It is like the moments of violence punctuate the otherwise banality of their lives. Malick does a nice job of making the most of his meager budget, filming on location to give Badlands a more expansive feel.

Badlands has become an influential film, inspiring countless like-minded efforts. It would also foreshadow Malick’s subsequent film Days of Heaven (1978), which examines forbidden love with a rural landscape as its backdrop. It was an excellent start to an illustrious career of one of the most unique filmmakers to come out of America.

Special Features:

“Making Badlands” is a 42-minute retrospective documentary featuring actors Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek and production designer Jack Fisk. All three share their initial impressions of Malick. Sheen and Spacek spent weeks rehearsing and improvising little scenes without seeing a script! The two actors recall how much it meant to them at the time to be starring in a film so early in their careers. Fisk talks about how the characters affect the sets he designs and vice versa. This is an excellent look at how the film came together.

There is an interview with producer Edward Pressman. Influences by the French New Wave, he wanted to work with filmmakers interested in making artistic endeavors and found it with Malick. He talks about the challenges of funding Badlands and how much he learned from the experience so early in his career.

Also included is an interview with editor Billy Weber. He touches upon Malick’s working methods and the challenge of editing the film because of his inexperience at the time. He claims that the use of voiceover in Francois Truffaut’s The Wild Child (1970) influenced Malick’s use of it in Badlands.

There is a 1993 episode of the television series American Justice that focused on Charles Starkweather, a teen rebel who ran off with his girlfriend for nine days and killed ten people during that time. This extra provides a nice overview of the people that inspired the main characters in Badlands.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

Stephen Neale (Milland) has just been released from a mental asylum and plans to go to London when he notices a rather festive-looking village fair off in the distance. After being cooped up by himself for a stretch, he’s eager for some human contact and decides to check it out. He encounters a palm reader who gives him a rather cryptic reading that helps him win a raffle for a cake – something that wasn’t meant to happen.

Once on the train bound for London, he meets a blind man who’s not really blind. He hits Neale and takes off with the cake. Neale follows the man over atmospheric countryside at night right when the German air force is bombing a nearby munitions factory. Neale soon finds himself drawn into a shadowy underworld. And with that enticing opening, Ministry of Fear (1944) weaves a paranoid web of deceit that ensnares its protagonist. After the mix-up with the cake, Neale can’t trust anyone he meets, from the phony blind man to two people claiming to be the same woman.

Ray Milland plays the classic wrongly accused man role quite well. Initially, we’re not sure why Neale was in the mental asylum, but over the course of the film we’re given additional clues that it had something to do with the death of his wife, which makes him not an entirely the “innocent” protagonist he claims to be .

Lang’s use of atmospheric lighting, especially during a séance scene is particularly effective. This sequence suggests something out of a horror film, while other scenes, with their urban London setting, hint at film noir. Ministry of Fear may have nothing more on its mind than telling an entertaining story and it certainly does thanks to Lang’s confident direction and the set and art direction which conveys the waking nightmare that Neale has found himself in.

Special Features:

“On Ministry of Fear” features an interview with Lang scholar Joe McElhaney who talks about the film and puts it in the context of the director’s career. The author provides the backstory to the making of the film including how unhappy Graham Greene was with the adaptation. McElhaney gives us a bit of background to Lang and briefly examines some of the director’s themes.

Also included is a theatrical trailer.