Barbara Stanwyck: The Signature Collection - Five-disc set includes Annie Oakley (1935), My Reputation (1946), East Side, West Side (1949), To Please a Lady (1950), Jeopardy (1953), and Executive Suite (1954). Of these, only Executive Suite is considered one of her top 20 films, although Annie Oakley is a lot of fun and features Stanwyck in her 20s. (Available October 30; pre-order now)
Burt Lancaster: Signature Collection - Five-disc set includes The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe - All-American (1951), His Majesty O'Keefe (1954), South Sea Woman (1953), and Executive Action (1973). Jim Thorpe is one of his best, but Executive Action is the real sleeper of this collection, an in-demand political thriller that has long been out of print and is worth the price of the set.
Battleship Potemkin (2-Disc Deluxe Edition) (1925) - Eisenstein's classic true-life silent drama is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time. The 1905 revolt of Russia's peasant class against the Czar's forces is shown in a gripping series of images and vignettes, including the groundbreaking "Odessa Steps" montage scene. This two-disc special edition includes the restoration of missing shots, a new recording of the Edmund Meisel score, and the choice of original Russian intertitles or newly translated English intertitles. 69 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Dolby Digital 5.1 music score; Subtitles: English; "making of" documentary; photo gallery. Silent with music score.
Warner Home Video Directors Series: Stanley Kubrick - Essential ten-disc set includes 2001: A Space Odyssey (Special Edition), A Clockwork Orange (Special Edition), The Shining (Special Edition), Full Metal Jacket (Deluxe Edition) (exclusive to this set), Eyes Wide Shut (Special Edition), and the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures.
Roots: The Next Generations (1979) - The saga continues in this Emmy-winning sequel that stretches from the Reconstruction era to the 1960s and culminates with writer Alex Haley's visit to the African homeland of his ancestors. James Earl Jones stars as Haley; with Georg Stanford Brown, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Al Freeman, Jr. as Malcolm X, and Marlon Brando as George Lincoln Rockwell. 11 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; documentary. Four-disc set. (Released Oct. 9)
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