Paul Newman’s recent passing was sad. In the midst of all the numerous eulogies were clips from various films that have yet to be released on DVD. Thankfully five of these films will receive a proper release right after Valentine’s Day. There doesn’t appear to be a box set in the works. When Time Ran Out is a popcorn disaster film of the first rank. You’ll want to double feature it with Newman’s The Towering Inferno. Warner Home Video gives us all the details.
Paul Newman Films on DVD February 17
Best Picture Oscar® Nominee Rachel, Rachel Leads Five DVD Debuts Including The Silver Chalice, The Helen Morgan Story,
The Outrage, When Time Ran Out
Burbank, Calif. November 3, 2008 – On February 17, just prior to the 81st Annual Academy Awards®, Warner Home Video (WHV) will again pay tribute to Paul Newman with the DVD debut of Rachel, Rachel, the first Newman-directed film, nominated for 4 Oscars® including Best Picture. Four other previously unavailable titles from the actor’s varied career will also be released on DVD for the first time: The Silver Chalice, The Helen Morgan Story, The Outrage, and When Time Ran Out. All will be available as single discs at the affordable price of $19.97 SRP each.
These new titles follow ten of Newman’s outstanding films currently available from WHV — seven (Harper, The Drowning Pool, The Left-Handed Gun, Mackintosh Man, Pocket Money, Somebody Up There Likes Me and The Young Philadelphians) in The Paul Newman Collection; two (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth) from the Tennessee Williams Collection and Cool Hand Luke (Deluxe Edition), recently released on DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi-Def.
One of Hollywood’s most enduring and beloved superstars, Paul Newman made his debut in The Silver Chalice in 1954, followed by his first hit, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and other numerous successes, including The Hustler, Hud, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Nominated nine times for a Best Actor Oscar®, he finally won in 1987 for his performance in The Color of Money. Most recently, Newman won an Emmy® and Golden Globe® for his role in the 2005 HBO mini-series Empire Falls and voiced the character Doc Hudson in Cars.
He spent the end of his life primarily focused on philanthropic interests with his wife of almost 50 years, actress Joanne Woodward. His charitable giving was legendary, and for that he was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1994. His line of food products, Newman’s Own, whose profits are all donated to charity, have resulted in over $200 million in donations to several causes, the most famous of which is The Hole in the Wall Gang Camps for terminally ill children.
Rachel, Rachel (1968)
Newman made his film directing debut directing Joanne Woodward in this romantic drama based on Margaret Laurence’s novel, A Jest of God. Rachel, Rachel was nominated for four Oscars®, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Ms. Woodward, Supporting Actress for Estelle Parsons, and screenplay (adapted) for Newman’s lifelong friend Stewart Stern. Both Newman and Woodward also won Golden Globe® and New York Film Critics Circle Awards for their work. The film is an emotionally-charged story of a middle-aged spinster school teacher (Woodward) who’s living a lonely existence with her widowed mother when her life is turned upside down by the return of a man she hasn’t seen since childhood.
Special features:
· Exhibitor footage from A Jest of God
· Trailer
The Silver Chalice (1954)
Not only was this Newman’s first film, it also marked the start of his long-term contract with Warner Bros. He plays a 1st century Greek sculptor who is sold into slavery, but escapes harm when his talent is discovered and he is commissioned to create a replica of the chalice Jesus drank from at The Last Supper. Nominated for two Academy Awards,® (Cinematography, Musical Score),The Silver Chalice co-stars Pier Angeli, Virginia Mayo and Jack Palance. Newman was embarrassed by his performance and publicly apologized in an advertisement he placed in the show business journal Variety.
The Helen Morgan Story (1957)
Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) directs this biopic based on the sad life of singer Helen Morgan in the 1920s and ‘30s. The film stars Ann Blyth in the title role, with Newman playing her no-good boyfriend Larry Maddux. The hit tunes of the era are sung off-screen by Gogi Grant.
The Outrage (1964)
Based on Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, this Western is directed by Martin Ritt (Norma Rae) who directed Newman in five other films. Newman stars as Juan Carrasco, a Mexican bandit who allegedly rapes the wife of a man who allows the crime to happen. As the conflicting versions of the events are told, the truth becomes increasingly elusive. A terrific cast of classic actors includes Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom and Edward G. Robinson.
When Time Ran Out (1980)
One of the last of the disaster movies popular in the 1970s, this one is about a volcano erupting on a Pacific island. Newman plays an oilman who leads a small group of people to safety. The all-star cast includes Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Edward Albert, Red Buttons and Veronica Hamel.
Street Date: February 17, 2009
All films presented in Widescreen format
The Silver Chalice (Color)
Run Time: 142 minutes
The Outrage (B&W)
Run Time: 97 minutes
Rachel, Rachel (Color)
Run Time: 102 minutes
The Helen Morgan Story (B&W)
Run Time: 118 minutes
When Time Ran Out (Color)
Run Time: 121 minutes
Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.
Source: Warner Home Video
