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HANNIBAL (1959) is available in High Definition at Amazon.com in the US. Someone made a web rip and some movie download sites have it. It’s in English. This is great news. I couldn’t buy the HANNIBAL in HD with the Japanese Blu-ray and that release did have the English dub.
Will this be the next Kino Lorber release?
Terence Hill and Rita Gam from HANNIBAl (1959)
Amazon finally has SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (1961) Blu-ray release ready for pre-order. Great news!
Includes International 98-minute cut and the 76-minute AIP US cut!
I can’t wait for this one.
The price of the new SON OF SAMSON Blu-ray has been lowered from $17 to $12 at AMAZON.COM
And yet on eBay prices for the same release is going for much more.
How bizarre. And those eBay prices don’t include S&H.
I’m looking for a copy of the Finnish VHS tape of THE DEVILS OF SPARTIVENTO (pictured). The VHS tape was in English and it’s out there but where. If you know someone who has a copy, please post info in the comment section.
I’m also looking for a Scandinavian copy (Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, etc) of THE SEVEN REVENGES starring Ed Fury. Also in English.
Nothing much on the BR front. The one interesting title, and it’s a pretty cool one, comes from the new Maria Montez – Jon Hall BD set. The set, which will be released in July, includes WHITE SAVAGE, GYPSY WILDCAT and SUDAN. Of course, their bigger titles, like COBRA WOMAN, ARABIAN NIGHTS and ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES, have all been available on BD already. So this set is not the top Montez – Hall titles but it’s still great news. SUDAN is a pretty cool movie. Buying the set just for that title will be worth it.
Jon Hall and Maria Montez
The upcoming SON OF SAMSON Blu-ray from Kino Lorber has just gotten a price reduction at Amazon. It was priced as $24.95 before but now sells for $17.99. That’s a pretty good deal. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, do it now and support PEPLUM movies. Official release date: May 10.
Mark Forest and Chelo Alonso
Severin has a CALIGULA Blu-ray bundle. A two pack with CALIGULA: THE UNTOLD STORY (1982), directed by Joe D’Amato, and CALIGULA AND MESSALINA (1981), directed by Bruno Mattei. Now I’m aware that these types of ‘x-rated’ PEPLUM movies are not for everyone but it’s still part of the genre, at one extreme. Besides, the Mattei epic uses a lot of scenes from old PEPLUM movies in it which is always fun to spot.
I have a brief overview of CALIGULA AND MESSALINA at PEPLUM TV blog.
CALIGULA Blu-ray bundle at Severin
SON OF SAMSON Blu-ray release by KINO LORBER is now available for pre-order at Amazon. This is great news.
The BD is still available for pre-order in Canada but there’s still two months left so I’ll wait and see.
Below is the official artwork of the release. Looks great.
This Blu-ray release is a complete opposite of the KL attempted release of the ill-fated GOLIATH AND THE VAMPIRES.
Aside from big Hollywood titles, modest PEPLUM movies in 4K are few and far in between. One of the first Sword and Sorcery movies of the early 1980s is available in 4K, THE BEASTMASTER (1982) from Vinegar Syndrome. I have a soft spot for this movie.
Screenshots available online look great.
Are you ready for PEPLUM movies in 4K?
There are already titles, all of them from Hollywood, that are available in 4K, such as SPARTACUS (1960) and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956). See Youtube video linked above. The scene they used for the comparison (below) is not impressive. I see some different, mostly clarity, or less fuzzy, but of all the scenes they could have used from THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, they used that one? Mind boggling. Oh well…
As usual, Hollywood big titles are getting the 4K treatment first. There are few PEPLUM movies from Italy on Blu-ray so the prospect of seeing HERCULES (1958) in 4K are not in the immediate future.