Charles Bronson Dominates Indicator January 2021 Slate
In just over 2 months time 2021 will arrive our hopes of a new year will be the long road back to some normality. A new year, a new month means new Indicator movies to enjoy in the comfort of our homes.
The January slate has been announced with a host of internationally acclaimed actors – including Charles Bronson, Wes Studi, Willem Defoe, and Susan Sarandon – and award-winning filmmakers – including John Sturges, Walter Hill, and Paul Schrader.
First, we present the UK Blu-ray premieres of two early seventies Charles Bronson actioners: The Valachi Papers, based on the disclosures of real-life mobster Joe Valachi and directed by Terence Young, features thrilling action, and impressive ensemble performances from Lino Ventura (The Medusa Touch), Joseph Wiseman (The Garment Jungle) and Jill Ireland (Breakout); and The Valdez Horses, which reunites Bronson with director John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven) and co-star Jill Ireland in a moody western that contrasts fist fights and shoot-outs with considered characterisation and an unexpectedly melancholy tone.
Staying on the plains of the wild west, we next present the UK Blu-ray premiere of Geronimo: An American Legend, Walter Hill’s epic about the Apache warrior who refused to accept the destruction of his land and people. Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans) gives a dignified central performance, and is ably supported by Gene Hackman (Cisco Pike), Jason Patric (The Lost Boys), Robert Duvall (Badge 373), and Matt Damon.
Concluding the round-up of January’s new releases, we present the UK Blu-ray premiere of Light Sleeper , a neo-noir which sees writer/director Paul Schrader (Hardcore, Blue Collar) revisit rainswept New York to tell the story of a drug dealer (Willem Dafoe) whose life is thrown into disarray when he encounters an old flame (Susan Sarandon) and becomes involved in a police investigation surrounding a mysterious drug death.
THE VALACHI PAPERS CRIME / DRAMA
Based on the disclosures of mobster Joe Valachi, as recounted in Peter Maas’ best-selling biography and at a sensational congressional hearing, The Valachi Papers tells the story of one man’s brutal journey through the ranks of the Cosa Nostra, and a betrayal that would reveal the secrets of the Mob to the world.
Terence Young (From Russia with Love) skilfully renders the clandestine world of violent gangsters in this stylish European co-production which benefits from thrilling action, a no-nonsense central portrayal from Charles Bronson (Breakout), and impressive ensemble performances from Lino Ventura (The Medusa Touch), Joseph Wiseman (The Garment Jungle) and Jill Ireland (The Valdez Horses).
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original English and Italian mono soundtracks
- Audio commentary with film historian Paul Talbot, author of Bronson’s Loose! The Making of the ‘Death Wish’ Films and Bronson’s Loose Again! (2021)
- New interview with screenwriter Stephen Geller (2021)
- New interview with make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi (2021)
- Valachi: The Violent Era (1972, 7 mins): archival making-of featurette with on-set interviews with Terence Young and Charles Bronson
- On-set Footage (1972, 2 mins): rare behind-the-scenes
- The Valachi Hearings (1963): selection of highlights from Joseph Valachi’s testimony to Senator John L McClellan’s congressional committee on organised crime
- Original theatrical trailer
- TV Spot
- Radio Spot
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for the English soundtrack
- Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Pasquale Iannone, newspaper reports on Joseph Valachi’s criminal career, excerpts from the source book by Peter Maas, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
THE VALDEZ HORSES WESTERN/ACTION
One of several impressive westerns Charles Bronson made during his 1970s heyday, The Valdez Horses reunites the rugged star with celebrated director John Sturges, who he had previously collaborated with on the perennial classics The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape.
A surprisingly thoughtful film, The Valdez Horses sees Bronson play a half-breed rancher whose solitary life taming wild horses is upended when three people enter his life: a young runaway (Vincent Van Patten), a corrupt land owner (Marcel Bozzuffi, The French Connection), and his beautiful sister (Jill Ireland, Breakout, The Valachi Papers).
Beautifully filmed in mountains of Almería, Spain, a quintessential Spaghetti Western location, Sturges’ film contrasts fist fights and shootouts with considered characterisation and an unexpectedly melancholy tone.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Two presentations of the film: with the original The Valdez Horses title sequence, and the alternative Italian title, Valdez, il mezzosangue
- Audio commentary with film historian Paul Talbot, author of Bronson’s Loose! The Making of the ‘Death Wish’ Films and Bronson’s Loose Again! (2021)
- New interview with make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi (2021)
- New interview with uncredited screenwriter Stephen Geller (2021)
- Alternative titles and credits
- Original theatrical trailer
- TV Spot
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Roberto Curti, an archival on-set report with contributions from Charles Branson, Jill Ireland, and John Sturges; interview extracts from Bronson and Ireland, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK Premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
LIGHT SLEEPER CRIME/DRAMA/NEO-NOIR
An impressive neo-noir, which sees writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Hardcore, Blue Collar) revisit rainswept New York, Light Sleeper tells of John LeTour (Willem Dafoe, Auto Focus), a drug dealer servicing a high-society clientele of Manhattan professionals. When his boss (Susan Sarandon, The Hunger) announces she is going straight and John encounters an old flame he still loves, his life is thrown into crisis. As he becomes involved in a police investigation surrounding a mysterious drug death, John prowls the night-time streets in search of redemption.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Selected scene commentary by actors Susan Sarandon and Willem Dafoe (2002)
- New interview with director Paul Schrader (2021)
- The BAM Interview with Paul Schrader and Edward Lachman (2008): The director and cinematographer in conversation on-stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, after a screening of Light Sleeper
- Dear Paul Schrader, Thank You for ‘Light Sleeper’ (2021): a personal reflection on Schrader’s film from the critic and filmmaker Mark Cousins
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Christina Newland, an archival on-set report by Kevin Jackson, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
GERONIMO : AN AMERICAN LEGEND DRAMA/HISTORY
Geronimo: An American Legend recounts the proud history of the famous Apache warrior who refused to accept the destruction of his people and, through his resistance and bravery, earned the respect of those he fought against.
Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans) gives a dignified central performance as the eponymous Native American hero and is ably supported by Gene Hackman (Cisco Pike), Jason Patric (The Lost Boys), Robert Duvall (Badge 373) and, in an early role, Matt Damon, who all play his adversaries in the US cavalry.
Unjustly neglected upon its original release, Geronimo benefits from John Milius and Larry Gross’s respectful, considered screenplay which is elevated by the epic sweep of Walter Hill’s direction. A visually stunning film that beautifully captures the vastness of the frontier landscape, Hill’s film is given extra poignancy by Ry Cooder’s moving score.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original 5.1 surround sound and stereo audio tracks
- Audio commentary with western experts C Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke (2021)
- Interview with musician and composer Ry Cooder (2021)
- ‘Geronimo’ présenté par Bertrand Tavernier (2016): in-depth appreciation of the film by the legendary filmmaker
- Geronimo’s Last Raid (1912): new restoration of the early silent western classic, presented with an optional new score
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Omar Ahmed, diary extracts from screenwriter Larry Gross, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
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