Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg Box Set Headlining Indicator August Line Up

It may not look or feel like the Summer outside, Indicator have a perfect release to hot up your Summer. Presenting a six-disc limited edition Blu-ray box set dedicated to the unique collaborative relationship between one of cinema’s greatest visual stylists and one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars…Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg At Paramount(1930- 1935).

This deluxe collection showcases the six remarkable and influential American features that these two émigré artists made for Paramount during the first years of the talking picture. Released on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK, the six films are: the sensuous MOROCCO (1930), Dietrich’s triumphant US debut, co-starring the great Gary Cooper; the subversive espionage thriller DISHONORED (1931); the delirious SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932); the extraordinary BLONDE VENUS (1932), co-starring Cary Grant; historical epic THE SCARLET EMPRESS (1934), in which Dietrich gives one of her greatest performances as Russia’s Catherine the Great, and; the deviant THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN (1935).

The box set will be available on 19 August, the same day as the delayed release of the Michael Palin comedy THE MISSIONARY. Originally announced for publication in June, we have had to push the release date back due to the unprecedented amount of restoration work required. This long-overdue Blu-ray world premiere will not only look the best it ever has but will also present the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio for the very first time. We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to work so closely with cinematographer Peter Hannan and director Richard Loncraine on reviving this comedy classic from HandMade Films.

Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg At Paramount(1930- 1935) | 19th August

The collaboration between filmmaker Josef von Sternberg and actress Marlene Dietrich is one of the most enduring in all Hollywood cinema. Tasked by Paramount bosses to find ‘the next big thing’, director von Sternberg lighted upon German silent star Dietrich and brought her to Hollywood. Successfully transitioning from the silent to the sound era, together they crafted a series of remarkable features that expressed a previously hitherto unbridled ecstasy in the process of filmmaking itself. Marked by striking cinematography, beautiful design and elaborate camerawork these vibrantly sensuous films redefined cinema of the time, while Dietrich’s sexually ambiguous on-screen personas caused a sensation and turned her from actor to superstar and icon. Lavish, lascivious and wildly eccentric, the films Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich made for Paramount Pictures in the 1930s provide a unique testimony to Hollywood’s Golden Age.

INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 4K restorations of Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil Is a Woman
• 2K restoration of Morocco
• Original mono audio
• Morocco audio commentary with Daughters of Darkness’ Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
• Shanghai Express audio commentary with critic and film historian David Thompson
• Blonde Venus audio commentary with film and arts critic Adrian Martin
• The Scarlet Empress audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns
• Introductions on all six films by Nicholas von Sternberg, son of Josef von Sternberg
• Josef von Sternberg, a Retrospective (1969): feature-length television documentary by the acclaimed Belgian director Harry Kümel
• Marlene Dietrich: The Twilight of an Angel (2012): Dominique Leeb’s acclaimed French television documentary on Dietrich’s final years
• The Fashion Side of Hollywood (1935): a short compilation film of lighting and costume tests from Paramount productions, including The Devil Is a Woman, and featuring costume designer Travis Banton
• Lux Radio Theatre: ‘The Legionnaire and the Lady’ (1936): a radio play adaptation of Morocco, featuring Dietrich and actor Clark Gable
• If It Isn’t a Pain (1935, 3 mins): excised audio of the deleted musical number from The Devil Is a Woman
• Von Sternberg at the BFI (2009): an audio recording of the 2009 symposium on von Sternberg held at London’s BFI Southbank
• The Art of Josef von Sternberg (2019): Nicholas von Sternberg discusses his father’s works in painting and sculpture
• New video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher on the Hollywood collaborations of Dietrich and von Sternberg
• New interview with Erica Carter, author of Dietrich’s Ghosts, on the Dietrich’s career before von Sternberg
• New interview with So Mayer, author of Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema, on the queer iconography and legacy of Dietrich and von Sternberg’s films
• New interview with Nathalie Morris, film historian and senior curator of the BFI National Archive’s Special Collections, on the costume designs of Travis Banton
• New interview with Jasper Sharp, writer and filmmaker, on the life and career of Shanghai Express co-star Anna May Wong
• Image galleries: on-set and promotional photography, including rare materials
• New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, film credits and more
• UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited Edition of 6,000 copies
• All extras subject to change

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The Missionary | 19th August

Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin writes and stars in this ribald comedy of sex and sensibility. Timid Reverend Charles Fortescue returns to London in 1906 after ten years of service in Africa to start a mission to save the fallen women of Soho. But his dedication to tending to the needs of those in his care soon meets with the disapproval of the church and his patron.

Directed by Richard Loncraine (Richard III, Bellman & True), The Missionary is a charming and beautifully detailed comedy which boasts a superb supporting cast that includes Maggie Smith, Trevor Howard, Denholm Elliott, Michael Hordern, Graham Crowden and Neil Innes.

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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