Hammer: Volume Five Death & Deceit

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.ExtrasINDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:VISA TO CANTON• High Definition remaster• Original mono audio• Two presentations of the film: Visa to Canton, and Passport to China, with the alternative US titles• Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020)• Hammer's Women: Lisa Gastoni (2020): profile of the Hammer star by critic and writer Virginie Sélavy• Ticket to Ride (2020): film historian Vic Pratt discusses ethnocentrism in sixties British cinema• David Huckvale on Edwin Astley (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde• Original theatrical trailer• Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an account of the RB-47 affair which inspired Visa to Canton, an overview of promotional materials, and film credits• World premiere on Blu-rayTHE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER• High Definition remaster• Original mono audio• Audio commentary with screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, art director Don Mingaye and Hammer historian Marcus Hearn (2008)• Hammer’s Women: Marla Landi (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Kat Ellinger• Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Pirates of Blood River’ (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author• Andrew Keir at the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films (1993): archival video recording of the acclaimed actor in conversation with Stephen Laws• Did I Write That? (2020): Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic, discusses the career of Jimmy Sangster• David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde• Yes, We Have No Piranhas (2020): video essay on the censorship history of The Pirates of Blood River• Original theatrical trailer• Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013): short critical appreciation• Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing• Limited edition exclusive 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• UK premiere on Blu-rayTHE SCARLET BLADE• High Definition remaster• Original mono audio• Two presentations of the film: The Scarlet Blade, and The Crimson Blade, with the alternative US titles• Audio commentary with film historian Kevin Lyons (2020)• Hammer’s Women: June Thorburn (2020): profile of the Hammer star by film historian Josephine Botting• Stephen Laws Introduces ‘The Scarlet Blade’ (2020): an appreciation by the acclaimed horror author• Interviews with Hugh Harlow and Pauline Wise (2020): the second assistant director and continuity person discuss the making of The Scarlet Blade• Almost an Auteur (2020): horror author and critic Kim Newman on the eclectic career of writer-director John Gilling• David Huckvale on Gary Hughes (2020): appreciation of the film’s score by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde• Original US theatrical trail