Robin Hood And Hollywood Legends Make Up Indicator August Line-up
This month maybe a wash out for many of us Indicator promise things will get hotter this August. The month will bring us a new batch of UK-only editions, including two Robin Hood adventures from Hammer, a brutal crime drama, and a counter-culture classic…
22nd August is the date to mark in you diaries. First up is Britain’s best-loved outlaw gets the Hammer treatment in Robin Hood At Hammer: Two Tales From Sherwood Forest. Richard Greene and Peter Cushing cross swords in Terence Fisher’s Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), while, in C M Pennington-Richards’ A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), Barrie Ingham dons the Lincoln green. This features-packed 2-disc Limited Edition comes with a poster, an 80-page book, and an array of new and archival extras, including the much-loved Children’s Film Foundation production Robin Hood Junior (1975), starring Keith Chegwin!
Madigan (1968) sees Hollywood legends Richard Widmark (Pickup on South Street, Two Rode Together) and Henry Fonda (Young Mr. Lincoln, Midway) in a gritty police procedural set in Spanish Harlem. Directed by Don Siegel (Charley Varrick, The Lineup) immediately before beginning his series of acclaimed collaborations with Clint Eastwood, Madigan bridged the gap between classic film noir and the tough detective stories of the seventies.
Finally UK release is The Swimmer (1968), one of the few bona fide counter-cultural films to be produced by a major studio. A sun-scorched and surreal suburban satire, boasting a fine performance from Burt Lancaster (Castle Keep, Buffalo Bill and the Indians), The Swimmer is directed by Frank Perry (Diary of a Mad Housewife), and brilliantly adapted from John Cheever’s short story by Eleanor Perry (David and Lisa, Ladybug Ladybug). This classic film is released in an individually numbered Limited Edition, with new and archival extra features, a poster, and an 80-page book.
ROBIN HOOD AT HAMMER: TWO TALES FROM SHERWOOD FOREST ADVENTURE, DRAMA
Britain’s best-loved outlaw gets the Hammer treatment in Robin Hood at Hammer: Two Tales from Sherwood Forest.
For 1960’s Sword of Sherwood Forest, Richard Greene (The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu) reprises the role he made famous in the classic television series The Adventures of Robin Hood. Directed by Terence Fisher (The Gorgon, The Revenge of Frankenstein), and starring Peter Cushing (The Devil’s Men, Corruption) as the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham, the film sees Robin Hood thwart a plot to assassinate the Archbishop of Canterbury (Jack Gwillm, Jason and the Argonauts, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb). The film also boasts an uncredited early role for Oliver Reed (The System, The Damned).
In 1967’s A Challenge for Robin Hood, Barrie Ingham (The Day of the Jackal) dons the Lincoln green as he and his merrie men hide out in Sherwood Forest after his cousin (Peter Blythe, Frankenstein Created Woman) frames him for murder. This action-packed adventure features acting support from Gay Hamilton (Barry Lyndon, The Duellists) and Leon Greene (Adventures of a Private Eye, Adventures of a Plumber’s Mate).
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remasters of Sword of Sherwood Forest and A Challenge for Robin Hood
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary on Sword of Sherwood Forest with author and critic Kim Newman (2022)
- Audio commentary on A Challenge for Robin Hood with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby (2022)
- The BEHP Interview with Sidney Cole (1987): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the Sword of Sherwood Forest producer in conversation with Alan Lawson, Arthur Graham and Rodney Giesler
- The BEHP Interview with C M Pennington-Richards (1990): archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the director of A Challenge for Robin Hood in conversation with Alan Lawson and Colin Moffat
- Jonathan Rigby on ‘Sword of Sherwood Forest’ (2022): appreciation by the author and film historian
- Kim Newman on Robin Hood (2022): the author and critic surveys the many cinematic portrayals of the world-famous English outlaw
- Hammer’s Women: Vanda Godsell (2022): profile of the British stage and screen performer
- Hammer’s Women: Irene Lamb (2022): profile of the casting director whose career encompassed many Hammer productions, Star Wars, and the films of Sally Potter
- Appreciations of the Alun Hoddinott and Gary Hughes scores by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Robin Hood Junior (1975): Children’s Film Foundation spin on the folk hero starring actor and television presenter Keith Chegwin as the young outlaw
- Original theatrical trailers
- Image galleries: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Frank Collins, archival interviews and articles, Jeff Billington on Robin Hood Junior, an overview of contemporary reviews, and film credits
- Limited edition exclusive poster
- UK and world premieres on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 5,000 copies for the UK
MADIGAN (1968) CRIME, DRAMA
Madigan teams Hollywood legends Richard Widmark (Pickup on South Street, Two Rode Together) and Henry Fonda (Young Mr. Lincoln, Midway) in a brutal tale of crime set in Spanish Harlem. As Commissioner Russell tries to keep his precinct in order, detectives Madigan (Widmark) and Bonaro (Harry Guardino) struggle to balance their personal and professional commitments when they are given just 72 hours to apprehend the spree killer who has stolen their weapons.
Directed by Don Siegel (Charley Varrick, The Lineup) immediately prior to his acclaimed collaborations with Clint Eastwood, Madigan is typical of the director’s tough, no-nonsense style, bridging the gap between classic film noir and the gritty police procedurals of the 1970s. Also boasting a script co-written by once-blacklisted writer Abraham Polonsky (Body and Soul, Force of Evil), Madigan’s success led to its being turned into a television series.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with writers and film experts Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman (2022)
- Richard Widmark on ‘Madigan’ (1983): extract from the French television programme Cinéma cinémas
- Super 8 version: cut-down home cinema presentation
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 32-page booklet with a new essay by Elena Lazic, an archival interview with Don Siegel, an extract from A Siegel Film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies
THE SWIMMER (1968) DRAMA
One of the few bona fide counter-cultural films to be produced by a major studio, The Swimmer is a sun-scorched and surreal suburban satire that boasts a fine performance from Burt Lancaster (Castle Keep, Buffalo Bill and the Indians) as Ned Merrill, the all-American man who one day determines to swim home to his Connecticut mansion via a series of pools in his neighbourhood.
Directed by Frank Perry (Diary of a Mad Housewife) imbues Eleanor Perry’s (David and Lisa, Ladybug Ladybug) adaptation of John Cheever’s short story with stunning expressionistic flourishes, creating a true masterpiece of cinema.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with Frank Perry biographer Justin Bozung (2022)
- The original New Yorker short story read by author John Cheever
- Original theatrical trailer
- Illeana Douglas trailer commentary (2019)
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Sophie Monks Kaufman, a profile of writer John Cheever, extracts from interviews with Frank Perry and Eleanor Perry on the making of the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- Limited edition exclusive poster
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 5,000 copies for the UK
- More extras to be announced
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