“Ealing’s first color film is an unabashed celebration of post-war optimism, community spirit, the glories of rural England, and the
romance of the railways.”
— Susannah Straughan, Huffington Post
“It’s hard not to be swept up…Douglas Slocombe’s lush photography of Ealing’s first in Technicoloris mesmerizing all by itself, and adds enormously to the film’s richly rural atmosphere…The cast is peerless, and there are many uniquely Ealing-esque moments throughout.”
— Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk
WHEN BRITISH RAILWAYS MOVES TO SHUT DOWN A DECREPIT
RAIL LINE, THE RESIDENTS OF A TINY VILLAGE BAND TOGETHER IN THIS DIGITALLY-RESTORED CLASSIC COMEDY FROM BRITAIN’S LEGENDARY EALING STUDIOS
THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT
Street Date: December 31, 2019
Blu-ray: $39.95
Available on Blu-ray for the First Time in North America,
This Extras-Laden Release — The Very First Ealing Studios Comedy
Shot in Color — Contains a Trio of Featurettes, Home Movie Footage from Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, an Archival Stills Gallery and More!
SYNOPSIS
A comical and delightful tale of community spirit, written by celebrated Ealing regular and Academy Award® Winner T.E.B. Clarke (The Lavender Hill Mob, Barnacle Bill), directed by Charles Crichton (A Fish Called Wanda, The Lavender Hill Mob) 1953’s THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT tells the story of the inhabitants of the tiny village of Titfield, who endeavor to prove that their single-track railway is a vital form of transportation in this digitally-restored classic from Ealing Studios, whose output from the 1940s and 1950s helped define the Golden Age for British Cinema and the birthplace of the most delectable crop of films to decorate postwar cinema.
After British Railways announce the closure of the Titfield to Mallingford branch line, a group of local residents make a bid to run it themselves, backed by a wealthy member of the community. Unfortunately, this puts them into direct competition with Crump and Pearce, two unsavory characters who own the local bus company who’ve introduced a brand new single-decker bus to Titfield and are determined to cease the running of the train by means fair or foul.
Starring Ealing regulars including Stanley Holloway, Naunton Wayne, George Relp, John Gregson and Hugh Griffith, this special Film Movement Classics Blu-ray release is loaded with bonus programming assuring that a ticket to Titfield will be an unforgettable experience.
BONUS FEATURES
- Featurette: “Making the Titfield Thunderbolt”
- Featurette: “The Lion Locomotive”
- Featurette: Locations
- Home Movie Footage from Cinematographer Douglas Slocombe
- Slocombe on Charles Crichton audio interview
- Original trailer
- Archival stills gallery
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: Blu-ray/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 84 minutes + Extras
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO
Audio: Mono
“The picture is almost endlessly clever and rather Swiftian in its
amusing critique of bureaucracy, nationalism, and isolationism…
A true ensemble comedy”
— Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk
“Loveably dotty, while still smartly caustic, this is the Ealing ethos at its very best. Indeed, with its communal hi-jinks, rich swathe of eccentric characters, and madly original plot it could be their most complete film.”
— Ian Nathan, Empire (UK)
FOLLOWING A SURPRISE EXPLOSION AND THE DISCOVERY OF
A 15TH CENTURY ROYAL DECREE, THE RESIDENTS OF A LONDON DISTRICT SEEK EMANCIPATION IN THIS DIGITALLY RESTORED, OSCAR®-NOMINATED EALING STUDIOS CLASSIC
PASSPORT TO PIMLICO
Street Date: December 31, 2019
Blu-ray: $39.95
Available on Blu-ray for the First Time in North America,
This Uproarious 1949 Post-War Comedy, Nominated for an Oscar® and
“Best British Film” BAFTA, Features Bonus Programming Including a Locations Featurette with Film Historian Richard Dacre, a
Restoration Comparison and More
SYNOPSIS
During the worst heat wave in years, the sleepy district of Pimlico dozes…at least until London’s last unexploded WWII-era bomb goes off with a deafening roar, flinging its citizens headlong into a fantastic adventure. Directed by Henry Cornelius (The Galloping Major) and written by the talented T.E.B Clarke, (responsible for another comedy classic, 1951’s The Lavender Hill Mob), the whimsically charming PASSPORT TO PIMLICO has been hailed by Time Out as “perhaps the most Ealingish of the Ealing comedies.” Nominated for both an Academy Award® for Best Writing, Story & Screenplay and a BAFTA Award, Film Movement Classics brings this Official Selection at Cannes to North America for the very first time on Blu-ray, digitally restored for optimal viewing and loaded with extras.
Investigating the crater caused by the explosion, Arthur Pemberton and his daughter Shirley unearth a buried cellar containing both fabulous riches and an unknown 15th Century royal charter from King Edward IV that decrees that Pimlico can be recognized in perpetuity as Burgundian soil. Since the charter has never been rescinded, Pimlico is now legally the long-lost Duchy of Burgundy, and therefore no longer subject to British law, including postwar rationing and pub closure hours. The locals, quick to see the opportunities, do their best to take full advantage of the situation, while the British government push back with all the authority they can muster in this newly restored classic starring comedy stalwarts including Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Margaret Rutherford and Paul Dupuis.
BONUS FEATURES
- Interview with BFI Curator Mark Duguid
- Locations Featurette with Film Historian Richard Dacre
- Restoration Comparison
- Stills Gallery
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: Blu-ray/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 84 minutes + Extras
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO
Audio: Mono
About Film Movement
Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. It has released more than 250 feature films and shorts culled from prestigious film festivals worldwide. Film Movement’s theatrical releases include American independent films, documentaries, and foreign art house titles. Its catalog includes titles by directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maren Ade, Jessica Hausner, Andrei Konchalovsky, Andrzej Wajda, Diane Kurys, Ciro Guerra and Melanie Laurent. In 2015, Film Movement launched its reissue label Film Movement Classics, featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on Blu-ray and DVD, including films by such noted directors as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway, Bille August, Marleen Gorris, Takeshi Kitano, Arturo Ripstein, King Hu, Sergio Corbucci and Ettore Scola. For more information, please visit www.filmmovement.com. Visit www.filmmovementplus.com for more information about Film Movement Plus, the new subscription streaming service from Film Movement.
