Eureka’s Masters Of Cinema imprint this morning announced their schedule for next Spring. Between January and March the company will be releasing 7 titles from across the world of cinema.
January
Computer Chess. Andrew Bujalski’s latest film, and a rare contemporary outing for Masters Of Cinema stands as one of our favourite films of 2013, so it ought to go without saying that we are delighted to see Computer Chess bestowed with such lavish treatment in home video form. The release is being cited as one of the labels most packed editions. Our review of the film can be found here.
Wings. Just in time for the Oscars comes a British release of the (joint) first Best Picture. The existing Paramount disc in the US is a marvel, and we can only expect that MoC will build upon that stellar work. We’ve covered the existing release of Wings in the past, with the film an undeniable masterpiece of spectacle. We look forward to seeing what Eureka have planned for this.
February
Roma. Fellini’s autobiographical tale of transition makes it three for the Italian filmmaker by the end of February, with his earlier Il Bidone due in the coming weeks. Blu-ray only.
Serpico. Sidney Lumet’s classic crime drama makes for a welcome addition to the series, with Al Pacino’s lauded performance sitting amongst the most celebrated of the era.
Lubitsch In Berlin. A simplified reissue of the existing set. DVD-only.
March
Hands Over The City. Francesco Rosi makes his bow in the series, with Hands Over The City, which might just be the most intriguing title of all those announced this quarter. The winner of the Golden Lion at Venice in 1963, the film stands as a powerful meditation on power and corruption.
White Dog. Perhaps Samuel Fuller’s most controversial picture, the American filmmaker of MoC-series favourite Park Row tackles racism head on in this very provocative film.
Wake In Fright. Continuing the provocative strand, March sees a major release for Ted Kotcheff’s Wake In Fright, which is also receiving a theatrical reissue in advance, and marks the first time an Australian film has appeared in the series.
Coming Soon
Nashville. At the end of this morning’s announcement the team at Eureka teased this major acquisition, which marks the British HD debut of Robert Altman’s epic. Further details in due time.
Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second 
This is extremely helpful. I love to see the MOC collection grow. I can’y wait for these.
White Dog is an amazing flick. At once quintessentially weird late 70s early 80s in style, tone and design, yet astonishingly brutal and frightening. It’s a bit of a lost masterpiece as far as I’m concerned. Paul Winfield is amazing, McNichol turns in the best dramatic performance of her entire career, and Burl Ives plays a shockingly different character than ever before in his career as well. And that doesn’t even address the score by Morricone which hasn’t had a decent release in a while. That whole exchange between Winfield and McNichol when he brings the dog back is just agonizing and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, and the final scenes are crushing.