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Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit
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Visa to Canton | The Pirates of Blood River | The Scarlet Blade | The Brigand of Kandahar
Licensor Information
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Featuring: Richard Basehart, Kerwin Mathews, Lionel Jeffries, Ronald Lewis, Athene Seyler, Glenn Corbett, Oliver Reed, Lisa Gastoni, Christopher Lee, Jack Hedley, Duncan Lamont, Eric Pohlmann, Peter Arne, June Thorburn, Yvonne Romain, Marne Maitland, Marla Landi, Katherine Woodville, Bernard Cribbins, Alan Gifford, Kevin Scott, Burt Kwouk
Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit collects four films from the early sixties which found the studio looking beyond the horror genre for its next box-office success. Visa to Canton (1961, released in the US as Passport to China) is a torn-from-the-headlines spy thriller; The Pirates of Blood River (1962), starring Kerwin Mathews (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) and Christopher Lee (The Face of Fu Manchu), is a swashbuckling adventure; The Scarlet Blade (1963, released in the US as The Crimson Blade) is an English Civil War-set actioner which follows the fortunes of Cromwell’s Roundheads; and The Brigand of Kandahar (1965) takes Hammer to the North-West Frontier for an action-adventure starring Ronald Lewis (Taste of Fear) and Oliver Reed (The System). All four films are presented for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, while Visa to Canton, The Scarlet Blade and The Brigand of Kandahar make their world Blu-ray premieres. This collection is strictly limited to 6,000 numbered units.
Details by Film
Visa to Canton
Year: 1960
Time: 75
Aspect Ratios
1.85:1
Audio
English PCM Mono 1.0
Streaming Options
Free with Ads
2
The Pirates of Blood River
Year: 1962
Time: 87
Aspect Ratios
2.35:1
Audio
English PCM Mono 1.0
Streaming Options
Free with Ads
2
The Scarlet Blade
Year: 1963
Time: 83
Aspect Ratios
2.35:1
Audio
English PCM Mono 1.0
Streaming Options
No streaming options currently available for this title in your region.
The Brigand of Kandahar
Year: 1965
Time: 81
Aspect Ratios
2.35:1
Audio
English PCM Mono 1.0
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Discs:
BD-50 (4 Discs)
Total: 4 Discs
Regions:
B (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
2.35:1
Audio Options:
English PCM Mono 1.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included:
- Audio commentary with screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, art director Don Mingaye, and Hammer historian Marcus Hearn (2008)
- Two presentations of the film: Visa to Canton, with the original UK title sequence, and Passport to China, with the alternative US titles
- Audio commentary with film historian Vic Pratt (2020)
- New audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films and Television
- Hammer’s Women: Marla Landi (2020, 12 mins): profile of The Pirates of Blood River actor by writer and film historian Kat Ellinger
- Two presentations of the film: The Scarlet Blade, with the original UK title sequence, and The Crimson Blade, with the alternative US titles
- Hammer’s Women: Yvonne Romain (2020, 8 mins): profile of The Brigand of Kandahar actor by film historian Melanie Williams
- Hammer’s Women: Lisa Gastoni (2020, 15 mins): profile of the Visa to Canton star by critic and writer Virginie Sélavy
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Pirates of Blood River’ (2020, 12 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- New audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Films and Television
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Brigand of Kandahar’ (2020, 9 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- Ticket to Ride (2020, 18 mins): film historian Vic Pratt explores the film’s themes, characteristics and production history
- Andrew Keir at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1993, 21 mins): archival video recording of the acclaimed actor in conversation with Stephen Laws
- Hammer’s Women: June Thorburn (2020, 19 mins): profile of The Scarlet Blade actor by film historian Josephine Botting
- Adventures in Filmmaking (2020, 20 mins): writer and historian Neil Sinyard examines the career and reputation of writer-director John Gilling
- Bond Before Bond (2020, 15 mins): appreciation of Edwin Astley’s score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Did I Write That? (2020, 43 mins): Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic, provides a personal account of the career of screenwriter Jimmy Sangster
- Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Scarlet Blade’ (2020, 7 mins): appreciation by the acclaimed horror author
- Afghan Ostinati (2020, 13 mins): appreciation of Don Banks’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Original UK theatrical trailer
- Motifs of the Cheerful Heart (2020, 9 mins): appreciation of Gary Hughes’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Doing Battle (2020, 8 mins): second assistant director Hugh Harlow and continuity supervisor Pauline Wise discuss the challenges of making the film
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- Yes, We Have No Piranhas (2020, 11 mins): video essay on the censorship history of The Pirates of Blood River
- Almost an Auteur (2020, 28 mins): horror author and critic Kim Newman looks at the career of director John Gilling and considers the films he made for Hammer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- Original theatrical trailer
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an account of the RB-47 affair which mirrored events in Visa to Canton’s storyline, selected excerpts from the original Hammer publicity manual, and film credits
- Appropriately Military (2020, 12 mins): appreciation of Gary Hughes’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Naman Ramachandran, an extensive selection of items from the original Hammer publicity manual and pressbooks, and film credits
- Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013, 3 mins): short critical appreciation
- Original US theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Lindsay Hallam, Jimmy Sangster on The Pirates of Blood River, a selection of promotional materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, Jeff Billington on the 1960s film career of Oliver Reed, a selection of extracts from the Hammer publicity manual, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
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Visa to Canton
The Pirates of Blood River
The Scarlet Blade
The Brigand of Kandahar
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Audio
Supplements
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