Kino Lorber Launches ‘Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Label

Official Kino Lorber Press Release

Kino Lorber is proud to announce the launch of its new Kino Lorber Studio Classics label, with the release of eight sought-after titles in July. This marks the first time that all of these classics will be available on Blu-ray, and the first time that Paris Blues will be available on either format.

These are the first of many releases that will bring acclaimed classics to Blu-ray and DVD in splendid HD transfers, including the esteemed Best Picture Oscar® winner Marty, films by Oscar®-winning directors (Billy Wilder, Sydney Pollack, Delbert Mann), and starring some of Hollywood’s biggest names (Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Joanne Woodward, Ernest Borgnine, and Burt Lancaster, to name just a few).

Selected releases will contain supplemental material such as director’s commentary, special documentaries, deleted scenes, and interviews that offer something new for long-time fans of these classics, and will give new viewers a great introduction to these timeless films and the extraordinary talents involved in creating them.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics is proud to offer these eight films as the inaugural releases on the new label in July 2014. Watch for announcements coming soon of more classic films making their Blu-ray debuts from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

We are thrilled to be releasing these iconic Hollywood films on Blu-ray for the first time,” said Kino Lorber President and CEO Richard Lorber. “Our new Studio Classics banner is devoted to bringing the best of Hollywood’s successes, critical and commercial, into the fold of Kino Lorber’s curated collection of world cinema classics, and new award winning independent films. Releasing such timeless films–classics of yesterday and tomorrow–in the highest quality editions will gain new momentum with Kino Lorber Studio Classics. We believe cinema enthusiasts and collectors will be eager to add our new offerings to their home video libraries.

Witness for Protection, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, Sabata, and The Scalphunters will all become available on Blu-ray and DVD on July 22nd, with individual SRPs of $29.95 and $19.95.

Marty, Separate Tables, Duel at Diablo, and Paris Blues will all become available on Blu-ray and DVD on July 29th. The individual SRPs for MartySeparate Tables, and Duel at Diablo are $29.95 for the Blu-ray and $19.95 for the DVD.

The Blu-ray SRP for Paris Blues is also $29.95, while the DVD SRP is $24.95, as this release marks the first time it will be available in that format.

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WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
Screen legends Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton star in this “brilliantly made courtroom drama” (Film Daily) that left audiences reeling from its surprise twists and shocking climax. Directed by Billy Wilder, scripted by Wilder and Harry Kurnitz, and based on Agatha Christie’s hit London play, this splendid, one-of-a-kind classic “crackles with emotional electricity” (The New York Times) and continues to keep movie lovers riveted until the final, mesmerizing frame. When a wealthy widow is found murdered, her married suitor, Leonard Vole (Power), is accused of the crime. Vole’s only hope for acquittal is the testimony of his wife (Dietrich)… but his airtight alibi shatters when she reveals some shocking secrets of her own! Nominated for 6 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Laughton) and Supporting Actress (Elsa Lanchester).

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
The “acting, photography and score are tops” (Leonard Maltin) in this lively satirical homage from legendary director Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard) and his long-time writing partner I.A.L. Diamond (The Apartment). When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared, the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) and Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely) to Scotland, where – to their surprise – they uncover a plot involving a clandestine society, Her Majesty’s Secret Service… and the Loch Ness Monster! But before he can deduce matters to the elementary, Holmes makes an error that may jeopardize the national safety of Britain… and ruin his reputation! The stellar supporting cast includes Christopher Lee, Genevieve Page, Tamara Toumanova, Clive Revill and Stanley Holloway.

SABATA
Who he is and where he came from, no one knows. But the leading citizens of the Western town of Daugherty think he knows too much. And they want to silence him – forever. Get ready for the fast-paced, explosive action as Lee Van Cleef (For A Few Dollars More) stars as Sabata, the mysterious, steely-eyed gunslinger who, after he discovers Daugherty’s elite are the masterminds behind the elaborate bank heist, imposes his bullet-laced brand of justice on the town. Bribes, bullets and even his turncoat best friend can’t stop Sabata as he guns and gallops to a final spectacular shootout that’s one of the biggest gunfights ever seen in the movies. Filmed in Spain and Italy, Sabata is another of producer Alberto Grimaldi’s (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) hard-hitting western, a series that began as an imitation of the Hollywood genre but resulted in the creation of a new screen star – the Western “anti-hero”.

THE SCALPHUNTERS
Directing great Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor) delivers a “rousing good show” (The Film Daily) with this fast-paced western written by William Norton (White Lightning, Gator) with “irresistible humor” and “delightful ironies” (Motion Picture Herald). Starring screen legend Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) and Shelley Winters (Lolita) along with Telly Savalas (TV’s Kojak) and Ossie Davis (Do the Right Thing). The Scalphunters is “a lively, ribald and unpredictable pleasure which carries the western into new country” (Los Angeles Times)! When trapper Joe Bass (Lancaster) is bush-wacked by Indians who steal his furs – and leave him a runaway slave (Davis) in exchange – he’s determined to get his property back. But when the Indians are attacked by outlaws, Joe and his unwanted companion must join forces to retrieve the furs in a startling, action-packed journey that concludes with one of the “all-time cinematic comeuppances” (Citizen News). Co-starring Dabney Coleman (9 to 5).

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MARTY
“I’ve been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life,” says Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine, The Wild Bunch). Yet, despite all his efforts, this 34-year old Bronx butcher remains as shy and uncomfortable around women today as on the day he was born. So when he meets Clara (Betsy Blair), a lonely schoolteacher who’s just as smitten with him as he is with her, Marty’s on top of the world. But not everyone around him shares Marty’s joy. And when his friends and family continually find fault with Clara, even Marty begins to question his newfound love – until he discovers, in an extraordinary way, the strength and courage to follow his heart. Winner of 4 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director (Delbert Mann, Separate Tables), Best Actor (Borgnine) and Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky, Network).

SEPARATE TABLES
Travel to the Beauregard Hotel where the eccentric guests all share one common trait – loneliness. There’s Major Pollack (David Niven), who hides a dark secret behind a polished military veneer; Sibyl Railton-Bell (Deborah Kerr), a shy, neurotic old maid who lacks the courage to break away from her domineering mother; John Malcolm (Burt Lancaster), a disenchanted writer who drowns his bitterness in a pool of alcohol; and Ann Shankland (Rita Hayworth), whose narcissism masks a deep fear of growing old alone and unloved. In one emotional evening, these four unhappy misfits will bare their innermost secrets… and change each other’s lives forever. Winner of 2 Academy Awards® for Best Actor (Niven) and Best Supporting Actress (Wendy Hiller). Nominated for 5 more Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Actress (Kerr) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Terrence Rattigan and John Gay).

DUEL AT DIABLO
Duel at Diablo stars James Garner (Support Your Local Sheriff!), Sidney Poitier (In the Heat of the Night), Bill Travers (Born Free), Bibi Anderson (Persona), and Dennis Weaver (TV’s McCloud) in a tale that “will grip you” (The New York Times) from beginning to end. Frontier scout Jess Remsberg (Garner) bravely leads a wagon train through hostile territory to Fort Conchos. But underneath his valor, he has an ulterior motive: to settle a score with the man he believes killed his wife. When he arrives at the fort, Jess not only learns the shocking truth about the killer, but also that the wagon train has come under Apache attack…leaving Jess their only hope for survival. Stylishly directed by Ralph Nelson (Lilies of the Field) and featuring a memorable and rousing score by Neil Hefti (TV’s Batman).

PARIS BLUES
In Paris Blues, Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are two expatriate jazz musicians living in Paris where, unlike America at the time, Jazz musicians are celebrated and racism is a non-issue. When they meet and fall in love with two young American girls, Lillian and Connie, who are vacationing in France, Ram and Eddie must decide whether they should move back to America with them, or stay in Paris for the freedom it allows them. Ram, who wants to be a serious composer, finds Paris more exciting than America and is reluctant to give up his music for a relationship, and Eddie wants to stay for the city’s more tolerant racial atmosphere. A virtual love letter to both jazz and the city of Paris, Martin Ritt’s film, like a jazz composition, develops several themes simultaneously; it riffs on Eddie’s reluctance to face his roots as well as Ram’s conflict between his love for Lillian and his need to live the artist’s life. With its Duke Ellington score, excellent cast, and a breathtaking “Battle Royal” with Louis Armstrong, Paris Blues is both an excellent drama and a must see film for any jazz lover. Featuring an Oscar® nominated score by the great Duke Ellington.

More information available at Kino Lorber’s website.

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