Displaying items by tag: George Lucas
It’s Not the Years, It’s the Mileage: Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on its 40th Anniversary
“As soon as Indy stepped out of the shadows in that first scene and revealed himself to us with that badass confidence and intensity, I feel like in that moment, Harrison Ford truly became a movie star of the highest order.” – Charles de Lauzirika, producer/director of Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this multi-page retrospective article commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Lucas & Spielberg action classic that introduced moviegoers to the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones and spawned a franchise of sequels, prequels, games, and theme park attractions.
Raiders, featuring Harrison Ford as everyone’s favorite cinematic archaeologist, was the most successful movie of its year of release and for a period of time the third highest-grossing motion picture of all time. The Oscar-winning movie also starred Karen Allen as heroine Marion Ravenwood, Paul Freeman as archvillain Belloq, Ronald Lacey as villain Toht, John Rhys-Davies as sidekick Sallah, and Denholm Elliott as colleague Marcus Brody.
In 1999 the Library of Congress selected Raiders of the Lost Ark for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” and earlier this year, Raiders and the other movies in the series were released for the first time on 4K UHD (reviewed here). [Read on here...]
- 40th anniversary
- 70 mm
- John Williams
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Indiana Jones
- Harrison Ford
- Steven Spielberg
- George Lucas
- Karen Allen
- Marion Ravenwood
- Paul Freeman
- Belloq
- Ronald Lacey
- Toht
- Nazis
- John RhysDavies
- Sallah
- Denholm Elliott
- Marcus Brody
- archeology
- 1981
- Marshall College
- 1930s
- Mike Matessino
- Scott Higgins
- Bill Hunt
- Eric Lichtenfeld
- Julie Kirgo
- Zaki Hasan
- Steven Awalt
- Van Ling
- Dan Madsen
- Mark O’Connell
- Stephen Danley
- Steve Lee
- Joseph McBride
- Craig Stevens
- Jonathan Rinzler
- Bruce Scivally
- Paul M Sammon
- Saul Pincus
- Laurent Bouzereau
- Tom Shone
- Scott Mendelson
- Sheldon Hall
- James Kendrick
- Jeff Bond
- Michael Kaminski
- Daren Dochterman
- Peter Krämer
- Gary Leva
- WR Miller
- Lee Pfeiffer
- Mark A Altman
- Michael Klastorin
- Chris Salewicz
- Charles de Lauzirika
- William Kallay
- Michael Rubin
- John Cork
- Ray Morton
- Pete Vilmur
- Alison Martino
- Eric Zala
- Steven Jay Rubin
- Scott Mantz
- Cliff Stephenson
- John Scoleri
- Michael Stradford
- Sarah Woloski
- Neil S Bulk
- Beverly Gray
- M David Mullen ASC
- Jon Burlingame
- Joe Fordham
- Gianluca Sergi
- Ioan Allen
- F Hudson Miller
- Jim Bowers
- David C Fein
- John Wilson
- Don Beelik
- Nick Coston
- Gabriel August Neeb
- Tim Bishop
- Gary Gerani
- Scott Rogers
- Caseen Gaines
IT’S OFFICIAL: Paramount and Lucasfilm will release the INDIANA JONES 4-FILM COLLECTION on 4K Ultra HD on 6/8!
All right, that was fast!
It’s now official: Paramount Home Entertainment and Lucasfilm have indeed set the Indiana Jones 4-Movie Collection for release on 4K Ultra HD on 6/8.
Here’s a nice surprise: The set will include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio after all. Per studio confirmation, the exact audio options on the US SKUs will include in English (Dolby Atmos), as well as 5.1 in French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Subtitles will be available in English, Cantonese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Thai.
The 5-disc set will contain all four of the existing films—Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—along with a Blu-ray Disc of legacy bonus features. It does NOT appear that the set will include any new features. You will, however, get Digital copies of each film.
The collectible packaging will be available in two varieties: Regular and Steelbook (exclusive to Best Buy in the US), each with a slipcase. You can see both pictured below (the regular version is also visible at left).
Read on for the full text of the official Paramount and Lucasfilm press release... [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection 4K
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Raiders of the List Ark 40th anniversary
- George Lucas
- Harrison Ford
- Steven Spielberg
- Lucasfilm
- Dolby Vision HDR
- Dolby Atmos audio
- Steelbook
Criterion’s June slate, Indiana Jones in 4K update, THX 1138 at 50, more release/industry news & In Defense of Home Entertainment
Okay, we’ve got some serious ground to cover in today’s My Two Cents update, so let’s get right to it...
First, we’ve just posted Michael Coate’s brand new History, Legacy & Showmanship column here at The Bits, featuring a terrific new retrospective of George Lucas’ THX 1138 in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary (which was last week on 3/11 – the piece was delayed due to a technical issue). The column takes an in-depth look back at the original theatrical release and also features a great roundtable discussion with film historian Chris Barsanti, documentary filmmaker Gary Leva, and original Director of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm Craig Miller. I think you’ll really enjoy it. So you’ll find that here.
Next up, as some of you may have noticed over the weekend, we posted word on Saturday (see here) that video distributors had begun listing a 4-film Indiana Jones Collection for release on 4K Ultra HD on 6/8. This is still not to be considered official until Paramount and Lucasfilm make their actual announcement, however be aware that I’ve now confirmed it with multiple film industry sources in addition to retail and distribution sources. And it’s really not all that surprising given that 6/12 is marks the 40th anniversary of the original film’s theatrical release. We expect the set to include all four existing films in 4K with HDR10 high dynamic range and the previous DTS-HD Master Audio lossless sound mixes (but that’s still subject to change). [Editor’s Note: We’ve just confirmed that the set WILL include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Details to follow shortly.] The 5-disc set will also include a disc of bonus features that are TBA. Of course, we’ll post more information on this as it comes in.
The other big news today is that our friends at The Criterion Collection have just unveiled their June slate of titles. [Read on here...]
- Lucasfilm
- Steven Spielberg
- Harrison Ford
- George Lucas
- Raiders of the List Ark 40th anniversary
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 4K
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K
- Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection 4K
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- THX 1138 50th Anniversary
- Gary Leva
- Chris Barsanti
- Craig Miller
- Criterion June Slate
- The Human Condition BD
- Streetwise BD
- Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell BD
- Pariah BD
- The Signifyin’ Works of Marlon Riggs BD
- Pickup on South Street BD
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2Movie Collection 4K
- Mission: Impossible remastered BD
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider remastered BD
- Shout! Factory
- Explorers BD
- Vanquish
- David Lynch's Dune 4K
- Basic Instinct 4K
- Studio Canal
- Mandabi
- In Defense of Home Entertainment
- Hercules and the Captive Women BD
- The Film Detective
- Warner Archive Final 4 for 44 sale
- Media Play News
- TK Arnold
- Paramount layoffs
Love, 25th Century Style: Remembering “THX 1138” on its 50th Anniversary
“What’s fun about seeing THX 1138 now, after 50 years, is to see how George Lucas took the rather dark themes and dynamic visual storytelling of his first film and found a way to infuse them into the Saturday matinee style films of the Star Wars series. THX is not his best film, but it’s fascinating to see the seeds of his future work within it.” – Gary Leva, director of Fog City Mavericks
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of THX 1138, George Lucas’s feature-length adaptation of his award-winning 1967 USC student film Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB.
Released two years before American Graffiti and six years before Star Wars, Lucas’s first motion picture starred Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies) and Donald Pleasence (You Only Live Twice, Halloween) and was about a dystopian future where love and individuality are forbidden.
THX 1138 was executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now) as part of a deal in which Warner Bros. would finance and distribute American Zoetrope productions. [Read on here...]
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- George Lucas
- Star Wars
- THX 1138
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Robert Duvall
- Donald Pleasence
- student film
- Warner Bros
- Albert Kihn
- David Myers
- Walter Murch
- dystopia
- Don Pedro Colley
- Maggie McOmie
- Ian Wolfe
- science fiction
- Chris Barsanti
- Gary Leva
- Craig Miller
- roundtable discussion
- The SciFi Movie Guide: The Universe of Film from Alien to Zardoz
- Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138
- Fog City Mavericks
- Star Wars Memories
BREAKING: Distributors are listing an Indiana Jones: 4-Film Collection for 4K Ultra HD on 6/8, plus fixed Akira 4K discs are shipping
All right, we’ve got a rare Saturday news update here at The Digital Bits with some potentially BIG breaking 4K news for you all today...
Keep in mind that this isn’t to be considered official until Paramount Home Entertainment makes their actual announcement with a press release, official cover artwork, and all the usual details.
However, it appears that retail and distribution sources are starting to list an Indiana Jones: 4-Film Collection for release on 4K Ultra HD from Paramount with an anticipated street date of 6/8.
And for those of you who may be wondering, that’s just in time for the 40th anniversary of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark on 6/12.
We’ve known that the films were being remastered in 4K since last year, so this isn’t too surprising.
In fact, we’ve had the title listed in our 4K Ultra HD Release List for many months now. But it looks like things are finally heating up for an actual release this summer. [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection 4K
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 4K
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 4K
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Akira 4K replacement discs are shipping
- FUNimation
- Raiders of the List Ark 40th anniversary
- George Lucas
- Harrison Ford
- Steven Spielberg
- Lucasfilm
Shout! & Scream’s June Blu-ray slate, plus Songbird, MVD’s Spring Rewind Collection titles, and a Zack Snyder’s Justice League BD & 4K update
We’ve got some new release news to report today...
We’ll start with Shout! and Scream Factory, who have begun to announce their June Blu-ray and DVD release slate. Look for it to include Embattled on 6/1, The Unhealer (2020) and Sesame Street: Cool Counting Collection (DVD only) on 6/8, Sphinx (1981), Kindred (2020), and The Awakening (1980) on 6/15, The Wind Rises (Steelbook), The Secret World of Arrietty (Steelbook), Hunter Hunter, Human Nature: Shout Select (2001), and When Calls the Heart: What The Heart Wants & Before My Very Eyes (DVD only) on 6/22, and Stardust, Just a Gigolo (1978), and Battle Beyond the Stars (Steelbook) on 6/29. You’ll also be able to get a NECA figure of Battle Beyond the Stars’ Saint-Exmin on 6/29 by ordering directly from the Shout website.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release Adam Mason’s Songbird on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on 3/16. Extras will include audio commentary with Mason and co-writer Simon Boyes, deleted scenes with commentary, The Story of Songbird, the Kingdom promo video, and The Making of Kingdom. [Read on here...]
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Shout! Factory
- Scream Factory
- Songbird
- MVD Rewind Collection
- Zack Snyder’s Justice League 4K
- The Unhealer
- Sphinx
- Kindred
- The Awakening
- Human Nature
- Battle Beyond the Stars
- David Bowie
- Stardust
- Just a Gigolo
- Action USA
- Drive
- Mortuary
- The House on Sorority Row
- The Go Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
- Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
- Here Are the Young Men
- My Little Sister
- Warner Bros Home Entertainment
- Ten Minutes to Midnight
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- George Lucas
- THX 1138 50th Anniversary
Empire @ 40: Remembering the Early 70MM Cut
“On my thirteenth viewing, which was the first time I saw it at a different theater than the one I’d gone to since opening day, I knew there were noticeable changes when the final scene began with different music.” — film music historian Mike Matessino
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present a continuation of our 40th anniversary coverage of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time. Part One of our Empire 40th coverage appeared back in May.
George Lucas’s penchant for making revisions to his work is about as legendary as his movies. The majority of Lucas’s alterations have occurred years after his films’ original releases. With The Empire Strikes Back, however, the first (of several rounds of) revisions were actually made while the movie was in first release, and it is this lesser-known aspect of the otherwise very-well-known production that is the subject of this column. [Read on here...]
- Billy Dee Williams
- Peter Mayhew
- Alec Guinness
- Frank Oz
- Kenny Baker
- Anthony Daniels
- Carrie Fisher
- Harrison Ford
- Mark Hamill
- John Williams
- 40th anniversary
- The Digital Bits
- Michael Coate
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Irvin Kershner
- George Lucas
- Star Wars
- Mike Matessino
- Saul Pincus
Betting the Ranch: Remembering “The Empire Strikes Back” on its 40th Anniversary
“The Empire Strikes Back should be remembered as one of the greatest films of all time!” — Skywalking through Neverland co-host Richard Woloski
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 40th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the middle act of George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy and one of the most celebrated and beloved sequels of all time.
The Empire Strikes Back (aka Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back) was directed by Irvin Kershner (The Flim-Flam Man, Eyes of Laura Mars) and starred Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, reprising their popular roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively.
As well, Empire featured returning cast members Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Darth Vader), and an uncredited James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader. Newly introduced in Empire were Lando Calrissian (played by Billy Dee Williams) and Yoda (performed by Frank Oz and a team of muppeteers). [Read on here...]
- Star Wars
- George Lucas
- Irvin Kershner
- The Empire Strikes Back
- History Legacy & Showmanship
- Michael Coate
- The Digital Bits
- WR Miller
- Justin Berger
- Richard Woloski
- 40th anniversary
- John Williams
- Mark Hamill
- Harrison Ford
- Carrie Fisher
- Anthony Daniels
- Kenny Baker
- Frank Oz
- Alec Guinness
- Peter Mayhew
- Billy Dee Williams
Universal sets Sam Mendes’ 1917 for release on Blu-ray, DVD & 4K on 3/24 (plus a big Star Wars 4K update)
All right, we have a major new title announcement for you today, plus a significant Star Wars 4K update.
Let’s start with the announcement: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just set Sam Mendes’ 1917 for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/24, with the Digital release expected on 3/10.
The film was finished as a native 4K digital intermediate, and the 4K SKU will include HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range, with Dolby Atmos audio.
Extras will include feature commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes, a second feature commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins, and 5 featurettes (The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes, Allied Forces: Making 1917, The Music of 1917, In the Trenches, and Recreating History). [Read on here...]
- George Lucas
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 4K
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4K
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens 4K
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 4K
- Solo: A Star Wars Story 4K
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 4K
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 4K
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 4K
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 4K
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 4K
- Star Wars: A New Hope 4K
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 4K
- 4K Ultra HD
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- Sam Mendes
- 1917 4K
Disney & Lucasfilm set Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker for BD, DVD & 4K UHD on 3/31—UPDATED
[Editor’s Note: This news post has been updated with final art for ALL of the Star Wars single-film 4K SKUs and Amazon.com pre-order links as available.]
All right, we expected it and now it’s finally here: Disney and Lucasfilm have just officially set JJ Abrams’ conclusion to the Star Wars saga, The Rise of Skywalker, for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/31—just as we thought—with the Digital release due via Movies Anywhere on 3/17. Audio will be Dolby Atmos on the 4K and 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio on Blu-ray. There’s no mention of HDR, so assume HDR10 only on the UHD disc.
The extras on the Blu-ray and DVD will include over two-hours worth of bonus content, starting with a feature-length documentary, The Skywalker Legacy.
Also included on all versions of the disc will be the featurettes Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase, Aliens in the Desert, D-O: Key to the Past, Warwick & Son, and Cast of Creatures. There will also be the usual wide-release Digital exclusive featurette, The Maestro’s Finale, with composer John Williams reflecting back on his work for the saga. [Read on here...]
- George Lucas
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 4K
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4K
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens 4K
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 4K
- Solo: A Star Wars Story 4K
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 4K
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 4K
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 4K
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 4K
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 4K
- Star Wars: A New Hope 4K
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 4K
- 4K Ultra HD
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt