Hammer Volume Two: Criminal Intent - Limited Edition Blu Ray [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

Description

Four classic thrillers from the vaults of Hammer Films released on Blu-ray for the very first time, including premiere presentations of the complete, uncensored UK theatrical release versions of Val Guestâ's The Full Treatment and Cyril Frankel's Never Take Sweets from a Stranger and a host of new and exclusive extra features. This stunning Limited Blu-ray Edition Box Set from Indicator is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units. INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES HD restorations of all four films Original Mono audio New title-specific documentaries exploring aspects of each film Two presentations of Never Take Sweets from a Stranger: the original UK theatrical cut, containing original titles and dialogue; and the alternative US version with amended Never Take Candy from a Stranger titles and censored dialogue Never Take Sweets from a Stranger introduction by actor and filmmaker Matthew Holness Archival audio interview with Never Take Sweets from a Strange director Cyril Frankel Two presentations ofThe Full Treatment: the uncensored UK theatrical cut; and the censored US version with alternative Stop Me Before I Kill titles Audio commentary with film historian Michael Brooke and author Johnny Mains onThe Snorkel Audio commentary with film historians Jonathan Rigby and David Miller on Cash on Demand> New and exclusive interviews with cast and crew members, including actors Janina Faye (Never Take Sweets from a Strange) and Lois Daine Cash on Demand), props master Peter Allchorne (The Snorke) and second assistant director Hugh Harlow The Snorke Appreciations of composers Elizabeth Lutyens (Never Take Sweets from a Strange and Francis Chagrin The Snorkel) by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde Hammer s Women: Betta St John (2018):Diabolique magazine s editor-in-chief Kat Ellinger offers an appreciation of the American actress, singer and dancer Hammer s Women: Gwen Watford (2018): British cinema expert Dr Laura Mayne explores the life and career of the prolific English film, stage and television actress Hammer s Women: Diane Cilento (2018): Dr Melanie Williams, author of Female Stars of British Cinema, explores the life and career of the Australian theatre and film actress and author Hammer s Women: Lois Daine (2018): critic and author Becky Booth on the popular English film and television actress Archival documentaries, interviews and featurettes Original trailers Image galleries: extensive promotional and on-set photography, poster art and marketing materials Exclusive booklets for each film, with new essays by Kat Ellinger, Julian Upton and Kim Newman, archival interview materials, contemporary reviews, and full film credits New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing World Blu-ray premieres of all four films Limited Edition Box Set of 6,000 numbered copies Review: Hammer's criminal tales - Another side of Hammer, revealing that the famed studio – from the mid 1950s – wasn’t all horror: in this case, four movies, in a limited box set, with “criminal intent”! The most outstanding of the quartet is “Never Take Sweets From A Stranger”, a harrowing tale of paedophilia in a small Canadian town, given convincing performances by a top rate cast with veteran Felix Aylmer bravely tackling the role of the child molester . Treated without any hint of exploitation, this was probably Hammer’s most serious production but, sadly, failed at the box office. A great shame as this film “with a message” not only deserved far greater attention but also showed the film company was well capable of tackling a controversial subject. “Cash On Demand” and “The Snorkel” are two minor, but effective, crime thrillers. The first (which includes both UK and US versions) finds suave Andre Morell forcing strict bank manager Peter Cushing to rob the vaults in a tensely paced drama while the second has teenager Mandy Miller trying to convince family and police that her father was murdered. But how, she’s questioned, and puts her own life in danger. Finally “The Full Treatment” (or “Stop Me Before I Kill”, the US censored version, also included), a lengthy, meandering drama of recuperating racing driver (Ronald Lewis) doubting his own sanity, with the aid of wife (Diane Cilento) and psychiatrist ( Claude Dauphin). It would have worked better shorter and with a few shocks thrown in! All films are beautifully remastered and come in their own cases, together with booklets and a stack of Special Features that provide valuable insights into the films and actors. Seize the set before it goes out of print, with scarcity inevitably increasing the price of available copies, although I’m sure Hammer devotees would have already added it to their collections. Review: Hammer Volume Two: Criminal Intent Boxset - Powerhouse/Indicator present their second boxset of Hammer Films, featuring 4 black and white releases. The Snorkel and Cash On Demand are presented in 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Never Take Sweets From A Stranger/...Candy From A Stranger and The Full Treatment/Stop Me Before I Kill are presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. All the films feature DTS-HD Mono sound and have English SDH subtitles, but not for the special features or commentaries. The discs are region ABC and are in full front cases with the usual very high quality booklets and in a lovely hardboard slip box. Picture and sound quality are very good indeed. I believe once the 6,000 boxsets sell out, the individual films will be released without the booklets as us the case with some of Powerhouse/Indicator's earlier releases.