Radiance Films Year End 2023 Sale

Around the world there are many physical media fans love foreign films. Whether there Italian, Japanese, Spanish, or French. One thing is for sure there are a lot of entertaining foreign films through history.

Radiance Films have been releasing some deluxe Blu-ray release of many of these foreign films. 2023 has seen some amazing Blu-ray release and Radiance Films has made sure to be on the list of some of those amazing releases.

Well, MVD Shop are giving Physical Media fans a chance to stock up on some of these releases. With the 2023 Year End Sale. Here are just some of the Radiance Blu-rays. Most of which are included in this Year End Sale.

Yakuza Graveyard (1976) When he falls for the beautiful wife of the jailed boss of the Nishida gang, things start to spiral out of control for detective Kuroiwa (Tetsuya Watari, Graveyard of Honour). In a world where the line between police and organized crime is vague, he finds himself on the wrong side of a yakuza war when his superiors favour Nishida's rivals, the Yamashiro gang. Co-starring the iconic Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) and featuring Nagisa Oshima as chief of police, Yakuza Graveyard sees director Kinji Fukasaku (Battles without Honour and Humanity) at the peak of his powers.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

* High-Definition digital transfer

* Original uncompressed mono PCM audio

* Appreciation by filmmaker Kazuya Shiraishi (2022)

* The Rage and the Passion - A visual essay by critic Tom Mes on Meiko Kaji and Kinji  Fukasaku's collaborations (2022)

* Gallery of promotional imagery

* Easter Egg

* Trailer

* Newly translated English subtitles

* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mika Ko on the representations of Koreans in the yakuza film, and newly translated re-prints of a contemporary review and writing by screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara

* Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable  OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

The Iron Perfect (1977) Based on the true story of Cesare Mori, the Iron Prefect who was sent to Sicily for an Eliot Ness-in-The Untouchables style clean up of the mafia. Mori approaches organized crime on the island with uncompromising force even in the face of mass murders designed to scare him off. Pasquale Squitieri (The Climber) directs this stunning period piece which won the David di Donatello award for best film and features spaghetti western icon Giuliano Gemma brilliantly playing against type as the titular hero, winning him an award for his performance at the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Alongside Gemma are the cream of international film from the period with co-stars Claudia Cardinale (The Day of the Owl) and Francisco Rabal (Sorcerer), the key surveyor of Italy's civic cinema screenwriter Ugo Pirro (The Working Class Goes to Heaven) and legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in America).

SPECIAL FEATURES:
* 2K restoration of the film from the original negative presented with Italian and English audio options
* Uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Archival interview with director Pasquale Squitieri and star Giuliano Gemma (2009)
* New interview with Squitieri biographer Domenico Monetti (2023)
* New appreciation of Giuliano Gemma and the film by filmmaker Alex Cox (2023)
* Original trailer
* New and improved English subtitles for Italian audio and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for English audio
* Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Italian cinema expert Guido Bonsaver and an original article on the real-life Cesare Mori and his Mafia raid as depicted within the film
* Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of text and markings

Elegant Beast (1962) In their humble two-room apartment, the Maeda family seem ever so self-effacing - but their modest fade hides another truth. Daughter Tomoko is the mistress of a bestselling author with well-lined pockets. Son Minoru embezzles funds with his lover Yukie (Ayako Wakao, Red Angel), who has her own hidden agenda. And father Tokizo (Yunosuke Ito, Ikiru, Lone Wolf and Cub) is a former military man who swears he will never return to the poverty he knew during the war, no matter what the cost. One after another, those affected by the Maedas' schemes show up on their doorstep. But these visitors all have their own duplicitous agendas. With each knock on the door, the gamesmanship reaches a whole new level. Elegant Beast was adapted by Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba, Naked Island) from his own stage play. Director Yuzo Kawashima, mentor of Shohei Imamura and a major influence on the Japanese New Wave, makes magnificent widescreen use of the single apartment setting to deliver a ferocious satire on Japan's post-war economic miracle.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
* New 4K restoration
* Uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato
* Appreciation by filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda
* Visual essay by critic Tom Mes on post-war architecture in Japanese cinema
* Trailer
* New and improved English subtitles
* Reversible sleeve
* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Midori Suiren and contemporary archival writing

Red Sun (1970) Thomas (Marquard Bohm, Kings of the Road) gets a ride to Munich where he finds his ex-girlfriend Peggy (counter culture activist and model Uschi Obermaier) who takes him in. In her flat he finds Peggy and her roommates have a commune-like lifestyle where they kill the men in their lives after five days, but will Thomas realize in time?

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
* High-definition digital transfer overseen by director Rudolf Thome
* Select scene commentary with Thome and Rainer Langhans, Obermaier's boyfriend and Kommune 1 member who served as inspiration for the film and was on set for the shoot
* Rote Sonne between Pop Sensibility and Social Critique - A newly produced visual essay by scholar Johannes von Moltke on Red Sun, which looks at the social and cultural influences on the film and provides context for the era in which it was made (2022, 21 mins)
* From Oberhausen to the Fall of the Wall: A visual essay by academic and programmer Margaret Deriaz tracing the development of the New German Cinema from the Oberhausen Manifesto to the fall of the Berlin wall (2023, 50 mins approx.)
* Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
* Limited edition 52-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by Samm Deighan, newly translated archival letters by Wim Wenders, critic Enno Patalas and the German Film Evaluation Office on the film's official submission, newly translated archival interview with Rudolf Thome and an overview reviews
* Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of logos and markings

The Sunday Woman (1975) An odious architect is beaten to death and a high society wife (Jacqueline Bisset, Day for Night) and her gay friend (Jean-Louis Trintignant, The Conformist) are the key suspects with a discarded letter implicating them in the crime. Commissioner Santamaria (Marcello Mastroianni, Fellini's 8 ½) is assigned to the case and tries to uncover the murder suspect in upper-class Turin. With a murder mystery narrative worthy of Agatha Christie, The Sunday Woman is also a sharp critique of Turin's upper crust. The screenplay, by the celebrated duo Age & Scarpelli, famed for their masterpieces in the Commedia all'Italiana boom including Big Deal on Madonna Street and The Organizer, is a whip-smart adaptation of the best-selling novels by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini with the lead character of Santamaria inspired by the real-life head of the Flying Squad. The much-heralded director Luigi Comencini (Misunderstood) often worked in a combination of comedy and drama, finding humour in tragedy, and is only waiting to be rediscovered as a master of post-war Italian cinema.

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
* 2K restoration of the film from the original negative, presented in the original 1.33:1 and an alternate 1.85:1 widescreen presentation
* Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Newly filmed interview with academic and Italian cinema expert Richard Dyer, who looks at The Sunday Woman (2022, 18 mins)
* Archival interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli who discusses his work on the film (2008, 22 mins)
* Newly filmed interview with academic and screenwriter Giacomo Scarpelli, who discusses the life and work of his father, Furio Scarpelli and his writing partner Agenore Incrocci (2022, 36 mins)
* Archival French TV interview with Jean-Louis Trintignant in which the actor discusses The Sunday Woman (1976, 4 mins)
* Trailer
* Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
* Limited edition 24-page booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mariangela Sansone and a reprint of an archival piece on the film
* Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

The Facts of Murder (1959) Inspector Ingravallo has been called to a Roman apartment building to investigate a robbery. Once there he questions the tenants but soon realises something is amiss. As the investigation progresses a simple robbery leads to a murder case... Directed by and starring Petro Germi (The Railroad Man) as the growling Inspector, The Facts of Murder was loosely adapted from celebrated author Carlo Emilio Gadda's novel and is shot with inky shadows reminiscent of film noir, while the mystery element prefigures the giallo. Featuring a cast of wonderful supporting actors including Claudia Cardinale (The Day of the Owl) and Claudio Gora (Il sorpasso), the film won multiple awards at Italian institutions including the Golden Globe for Best Film.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
* New 4K restoration of the film by L'Immagine Ritrovata at the Cineteca di Bologna, world premiere on High Definition Blu-ray (1080p)
* Uncompressed mono PCM audio
* New interview with Pietro Germi expert Mario Sesti (2023)
* The Man With the Cigar in His Mouth - a documentary about Pietro Germi featuring interviews with his colleagues and collaborators including Mario Monicelli, Claudia Cardinale, Stefania Sandrelli, Giuseppe Tornatore among others (Mario Sesti, 1997, 41 mins)
* What's Black and Yellow All Over? All Shades of Italian Film Noir - visual essay by Paul A. J. Lewis on the presence of noir trends in Italian cinema and the evolution of the genre (2023)

The Messiah of Evil (1973) A woman arrives in a sleepy seaside town after receiving unsettling letters from her father, only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hunger for human flesh. From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of American Grafitti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Howard the Duck, this dreamy and atmospheric film transposes the post-Night of the Living Dead zombie movie to a surreal small-town American setting, presented through gorgeous Techniscope visuals that echo the stylish European horror of Mario Bava and Hammer. A true cult film, Messiah of Evil, which was also released as Dead People, has overcome distribution challenges to enjoy growing awareness and high acclaim after decades of word-of-mouth enthusiasm among horror cinema fans and critics around the world.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
* New 2023 restoration from a 4K scan of the best-surviving elements of the film from the Academy Film Archive
* Uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Audio commentary by critics and horror experts Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower
* Archival interview with co-writer-director Willard Huyck by Mike White from the Projection Booth Podcast (2019, 37 mins)
* What the Blood Moon Brings: Messiah of Evil, A New American Nightmare - A documentary feature which explores Messiah of Evil in the context of American independent cinema of the 70s, as well as examining the film's allegiance to several subgenres of horror
* Visual essay on American Gothic and Female Hysteria by critic Kat Ellinger (2023, 22 mins)
* English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
* Limited edition booklet featuring writing by Bill Ackerman

A Moment of Romance (1990) Small-time hood Wah Dee (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs) is enlisted by Triad boss Trumpet (Tommy Wong, The Killer) as a getaway driver for a daring heist that goes wrong. Thinking fast Dee takes Jo Jo (Jacklyn Chien-Lien Wu, The Barefooted Kid) hostage to save his skin, but the bosses order her to be killed. They escape and begin a forbidden relationship while being chased by both sides of the law. Produced by Johnnie To (Throwdown) and Ringo Lam (City on Fire) the film is sensationally directed by Benny Chan in his feature debut. With a breakneck pace and violence reminiscent of To and Takashi Miike and the beautiful and emotive sensibility of Wong Kar-wai, the film features stunning performances from Lau, and Wu in her debut work. A Moment of Romance is a classic of Hong Kong cinema that has been much imitated but rarely bettered.

LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
* 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative
* Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Newly translated English subtitles by Dylan Cheung
* Audio commentary by Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng
* In Love and Danger: HK Cinema Through A Moment of Romance - A new visual essay by critic and Asian cinema expert David Desser on the genre tropes in A Moment of Romance and their use in Hong Kong cinema (2023, 26 mins)
* Archival audio interview with Benny Chan who discusses his start in the industry, A Moment of Romance, and his collaborators on the film (2016, 21 mins)
* Trailer
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the iconic cast and crew by critic Sean Gilman; and a profile of Benny Chan by Tony Williams, co-editor of Hong Kong Neo Noir

Le Combat Dans L'ile (1962) Clement (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Il sorpasso) is a wealthy son of an industrialist who lives a secret life as a right-wing terrorist. Double-crossed following an assassination attempt he flees to the countryside with his wife, Anne (Romy Schneider, La piscine) where they stay with his childhood friend, Paul (Henri Serre, Jules et Jim). Clement plots his revenge but Anne falls for Paul and a love triangle is just one of many complications in this multi-layered discovery from the French New Wave. With the support of producer Louis Malle, Alain Cavalier (Fill 'Er Up with Super) directed his debut, a noirish drama beautifully shot by cinematographer Pierre Lhomme (Army of Shadows). While echoing the political turmoil of the 1960s, the film probes bourgeois values and the relationship between sex and violence, acting as a precursor to The Conformist and demonstrating the influence of Chabrol.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
* 2K Restoration from the original camera negative
* Original uncompressed French mono PCM audio
* Interview with Alain Cavalier from French television show Cinema page (1962, 5 mins)
* Faire la mort: A commentary featurette by Cavalier on photos from the Cinémathèque française (2011, 5 mins)
* Interview with star Jean-Louis Trintignant from the Belgian television show Cinescope (1983, 7 mins)
* The Succulence of Fruit: An interview with French critic Philippe Roger who provides an analysis of the film and Cavalier’s work (2020, 37 mins)
* Un américain - Cavalier’s first short film about a sculptor who comes to Paris (1958, 17 mins)
* France 1961 - a short film made by Cavalier on the occasion of Zeitgeist’s DVD release of the film (2010, 13 mins)
* Behind-the-scenes photos including images from the archive of Louis Malle
* Trailer
* Optional English subtitles
* Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Ben Sachs and scholar and author of Late-Colonial French Cinema, Mani Sharpe

The Sting of Death (1990) In the aftermath of World War II, a writer's love affair with another woman drives his wife mad with distrust. Realizing his errors, he tries all he can to save her from literally losing her mind. Kohei Oguri's haunting adaptation of the novel by Toshio Shimao is shot in a hyperreal style that is equal parts painterly and unflinching. Featuring striking set design, powerful lead performances and a vivid evocation of small-town life in postwar Japan, The Sting of Death won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival while stars Ittoku Kishibe and Keiko Matsuzaka won numerous awards for their performances. Radiance Films is proud to present this remarkable film on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.

SPECIAL FEATURES: 
* Documentary on the Japanese film renaissance of the 1990s featuring interviews with Kohei Oguri, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kaneto Shindo and others (Hubert Niogret, 2011, 52 mins)
* Interview with film scholar Hideki Maeda (2023)
* Trailer
* Newly translated English subtitles
* Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
* Limited edition booklet featuring a newly translated interview with director Kohei Oguri
* Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

One thing I love about Radiance Films is they are not attached to only one genre or one region. We see action, adventure, drama, horror and more. And Radiance Films releases feature new 2k and 4k restorations of this films. And these restorations are things of beauty. They are so impressive; it is hard to put into words. But not only do these releases include stunning looking restorations. They are filled with audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes. trailers, still galleries. Amazing!

So, if you are looking to save some major cash in some amazing foreign films. I highly recommend jumping on this year End Sale. You can save 40% off Suggested Retail Price on select releases from Radiance Films’ incredible catalog! Happening now through January 5th at 12 noon EST. Head over to MVDShop and check out the great deals before they are gone!