Directed By… Sidney Lumet – Volume Two (Blu-ray) ***Preorder*** 3/25

Continue your journey through the films of prolific Oscar-winning director Sidney Lumet, with this second collection bringing together five of his films, including two worldwide Blu-ray debuts:

• The Wiz (1978)
• Daniel (1983)
• A Stranger Among Us (1992)
• Critical Care (1997) – Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
• Gloria (1999) – Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

Limited Edition 5-Disc Hardbox. 1500 copies only.

The Wiz 

Sidney Lumet brought the 1974 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical to the silver screen in 1978, based on the classic novel The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. 

Dorothy Gale, a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on a quest to return home.

Armed with a big budget and a veritable list of stars including Diana Ross, Michael Jackson (in his only film role), and Ted Ross and Mabel King reprising their Broadway roles, The Wiz is arguably Lumet’s most lively and colourful entry in his filmography, and his only musical.

This special release includes the final produced Special Features from renowned film historian Lee Gambin, who sadly passed away in 2024. 

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray of a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative
• NEW Audio commentary by film critic and historian Lee Gambin, author/professor of Media Studies Dr. Alfred L. Martin Jr., actor Mike Hayes and assistant director Lewis Gould (2024)
• NEW Video essay by film critic Michelle Kisner, produced by Lee Gambin (2024)
• Production and costume designer Tony Walton interview and Q and A from the Library of Congress (2018)
• Wiz on Down the Road – featurette
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos + original theatrical 70 mm 6-track DTS-HD Master Audio
• Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Daniel 

Oscar winner Timothy Hutton stars alongside Mandy Patinkin and Lindsay Crouse in Sidney Lumet’s drama Daniel. 

The fictionalised story of Daniel, the son of Paul and Rochelle Isaacson, who were executed as Soviet spies in the 1950s. As a graduate student in New York in the 1960s, Daniel is involved in the anti-war protest movement and contrasts his experiences with the memory of his parents and his belief that they were wrongfully convicted.

Based on the 1971 novel The Book of Daniel by E. L. Doctorow, the film also features performances from Ed Asner, Ellen Barkin, and Tovah Feldshuh. 

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• Archival Interview with Sidney Lumet & Timothy Hutton (1983)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

A Stranger Among Us 

Melanie Griffith stars in A Stranger Among Us, a 90s crime drama from Sidney Lumet.

Detective Emily Eden is a tough New York City cop tasked with going undercover to solve a puzzling murder. Her search for the truth takes her into a secret world of unwritten law and unspoken power, a world where the only way out is deeper in.

Also starring John Pankow, Lee Richardson, and featuring the first credited film performance from James Gandolfini.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Featurette on Sidney Lumet’s later years
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Critical Care 

Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

Sidney Lumet’s Critical Care satirises the American health care system, and features an all-star cast including James Spader, Kyra Sedgwick, Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Wright, Albert Brooks, and Wallace Shawn. 

Werner Ernst is a young hospital resident who becomes embroiled in a legal battle between two half-sisters who are fighting over the care of their comatose father. But are they really fighting over their father’s care, or over his $10 million estate? Meanwhile, Werner must contend with his nutty supervisor, who insists that he only care for patients with full insurance. Can Werner sidestep the hospital’s legal team and do what’s best for the patient?

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay, Roger Ebert awarded the film three out of four stars, describing it as “a stimulating mix of a medical drama and a courtroom showdown.” 

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Audio commentary by film historians Howard S Berger and Nathaniel Thompson
• More NEW Special Features TBC
• Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Gloria 

Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

Sidney Lumet remade John Cassavetes’ 1980 neo-noir thriller Gloria with Sharon Stone in the title role, his third final film.

After serving a prison term for her boyfriend, a streetwise, middle-aged moll named Gloria stands up against the mobs, which is complicated by a six-year-old urchin with a will of his own, whom she reluctantly takes under her wing after his family has been gunned down.

Also starring Jeremy Northam and Cathy Moriarty, the New York Times described the film as “a smoother, funnier, more suspenseful and more endearing version of the 1980 John Cassavetes film”. 

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• Making Of – featurette
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
• Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles