September is packed with male superstars from Arrow Video. First up is Borsalino that stars Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless) and Alain Delon (Le Samouraï). The duo play rival small time hoods who discover that together they can dominate the underworld of 1930’s Marseille. Think of this as a French version of The Godfather except Borsalino came out before The Godfather. The superstar tag team stole the French box office. The next film is another reminder that Sammo Hung was a great actor and director. The Prodigal Son was his third film as a director and is considered one of the best films of the era. A man claiming to be “Kung Fu King” gets exposed, but learns how to be the fighter he hyped himself up as. The movie stars Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-Ying and Sammo. Finally we get the 4K UHD release of Carlito’s Way. Brian DePalma and Al Pacino reunite after making Scarface. This time Pacino is Carlito Brigante. The legendary gangster returns to New York City after years behind bars to discover that the game has changed and he’s a nostalgia act. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video with all the details:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New from Arrow Video US

Borsalino [Limited Edition]

[Blu-ray]

9/5/23

The Prodigal Son [Limited Edition]

[Blu-ray]

9/12/23

Carlito’s Way UHD + Blu-ray [Limited Edition]

[4K UHD]

9/26/23

via MVD Entertainment Group

French screen legends Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon co-star in the French gangster classic Borsalino, being released on Limited Edition Blu-ray on September 5th. Set in 1930s Marseille, the story centers on two petty thieves Roch Siffredi (Delon) and Francois Capella (Belmondo), who are initially rivals for the affections of Lola (Catherine Rouvel), but quickly find that they’re better suited as partners in crime. Siffredi and Capella rise through the ranks of Marseille’s organized crime syndicates to the height of power and infamy… but at what cost? Borsalino set the world on fire with the superstar team of Delon and Belmondo, setting the stage for The Godfather, which would be released two years later. Special features include a new audio commentary by film scholar Josh Nelson; The Music of Borsalino, a new interview with composer and film historian Neil Brand on Claude Bolling’s score; Dressing Down, a new interview with film scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén on Jacques Fonteray’s costume designs for Borsalino; Le Magnifique Belmondo, an archive extra celebrating the unique talent and career of the beloved French actor; a theatrical trailer; an image gallery; and illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Ginette Vincendeau and an archival piece by Elisa Fulco; a reversible sleeve and a double sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella; and six postcard-sized reproduction artcards. Next, on September 12th, martial arts legend Sammo Hung’s third directorial effort, The Prodigal Son, is released on Limited Edition Blu-ray and features 2K restorations from the original elements of both the HK Theatrical Release Presentation and the Home Release Presentation. This action drama tells the story of real-life historical figure Leung Chang (Yuen Biao), who gets a rude awakening when he’s easily beaten in a fight by Leung Yee Tai (Lam Ching-Ying). Quickly realizing that his life in his small town as the self-proclaimed “Kung Fu King” is a fraud, he begs Wing Chun master Wong Wah-Bo (Sammo Hung) to train him to truly become the master he bragged about being. The Prodigal Son is considered to be one of the greatest martial arts films ever made and won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography, along with being nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.The special features include commentary by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng & actor Bobby Samuels; commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema; Wing Chun 101, an interview with Wing Chun sifu Alex Richter; Life Imitating Art, an archival featurette featuring interviews with Wing Chun instructor and producer Guy Lai talking about the art, illustrated via demonstrations by sifu Austin Goh and Jude Poyer; The Heroic Trio, an archival featurette featuring interviews with director Sammo Hung and stars Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan looking back on the making of the film; the original theatrical trailers; a reversible sleeve and double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Kim; and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Peter Glagowski. On September 26th, Brian DePalma’s celebrated Neo-Noir thriller Carlito’s Way is being released as a Limited Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray 2-disc set. Gangster Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) is released early from prison into a New York City he does not know or understand. Disco is King. Cocaine is the new drug of choice. Mobsters are no longer playing by the same rules. All Carlito wants to do is to run his nightclub and save enough money to live happily with Gail (Penelope Ann Miller). Unfortunately, Carlito’s friends, enemies, and lawyer David Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) all have other plans. The second collaboration of Pacino and DePalma is a virtuoso crime thriller of the highest order with an all-star cast that includes Penn, Miller, John Leguizamo, Luis Guzmán, Viggo Mortensen, James Rebhorn, and Adrian Pasdar.The packaging comes with a reversible sleeve and double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative; seven double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions; and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and original production notes.The 4K UHD + Blu-ray special features include brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and The Soprano Sessions; brand new audio commentary by Dr. Douglas Keesey, author of Brian De Palma’s Split-Screen: A Life in Film; Carlito and the Judge, a brand new interview with Judge Edwin Torres, author of the novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours (which the screenplay for Carlito’s Way is based); Cutting Carlito’s Way, a brand new interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden; De Palma’s Way, a brand new appreciation by film critic David Edelstein; All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito’s Way, a brand new look at the New York locations of Carlito’s Way and how they look today; De Palma on Carlito’s Way, an archival interview with director Brian De Palma; The Making of Carlito’s Way, an archival documentary on the making of the film, produced for the original DVD release; deleted scenes; an original promotional featurette; a theatrical teaser and trailer; and an image gallery.    Borsalino [Limited Edition] In 1930 Marseilles two small-time crooks join forces when they meet brawling over a woman. Two years before The Godfather and three years before The Sting, there was Borsalino, a wildly entertaining period-set gangster movie that brought together two icons of French cinema, Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless) and Alain Delon (Le Samourai). Marseille, 1930: small-time gangster Roch Siffredi (Delon) is released from prison and finds his former girlfriend Lola (Catherine Rouvel, Picnic on the Grass) has moved on and is now with Francois Capella (Belmondo), another petty crook. Initially at odds, the two men form a partnership that will see them rise through the ranks of organised crime in Marseille. But how far will they go in their pursuit of power and what price will they be forced to pay? Directed by Jacques Deray (La Piscine), written by Jean-Claude Carriere (Belle Du Jour), with a score by French Jazz pianist Claude Bolling, and costumes by Jacques Fonteray (Barbarella), Borsalino is a gallic gangster classic! Media  Watch trailer » Bonus Materials High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Original lossless mono French and English audio options Optional English subtitles New audio commentary by film scholar Josh Nelson The Music of Borsalino, a new interview with composer and film historian Neil Brand on Claude Bolling’s score Dressing Down, a new interview with film scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén on Jacques Fonteray’s costume designs for Borsalino Le Magnifique Belmondo, an archive extra celebrating the unique talent and career of the beloved French actor Theatrical trailer Image gallery Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Ginette Vincendeau and an archival piece by Elisa Fulco Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella Double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella – Six postcard-sized reproduction artcards Six postcard-sized reproduction artcards

The Prodigal Son [Limited Edition]

A kung-fu student (Biao Yuen) asks an expert to teach him after he learns his opponents were paid to lose.

In 1978, actor/director Sammo Hung gave Hong Kong audiences the Wing Chun crash course of Warriors Two, while his next directorial effort, 1979’s Knockabout, gave Yuen Biao the chance to shine as its lead star. But it would be in 1981 that he would combine Biao’s newfound screen presence and the legacy of Warriors Two’s Leung Tsan into what is still considered one of his best directorial efforts: The Prodigal Son. Leung Tsan (Biao) is a wealthy young man living the dream, thinking he’s the “Kung Fu King” of the town of Foshan. However, his dream is about to become a nightmare when he is easily beaten in a fight by the star of a traveling opera troupe, Leung Yee-Tai (Lam Ching-Ying). It is at this low point that the truth is revealed to Tsan – all of his “victories” have been nothing but paid-for set-ups by his family out of a misguided act of protection. With this revelation, Tsan pleads with Yee-Tai to train him in the form of combat that led to his defeat: Wing Chun. Yee-Tai, with the help of fellow Wing Chun master Wong Wah-Bo (Hung), will train Tsan to not only be as skilled as he once thought he was, but even better. Though a mysterious challenger (Frankie Chan) and his ruthless Manchu bodyguards may end the journey before it can even begin… Winning the award for Best Action Choreography at the inaugural Hong Kong Film Awards in 1982, The Prodigal Son is considered by many to be not only one of the best films to showcase the style of Wing Chun, but also one of the best martial arts films of all time, with some of the most tightly choreographed and fast paced fight scenes that remain just as jaw-dropping over four decades later!

Media

 Watch trailer »

Bonus Materials

• 2K restorations from the original elements by Fortune Star of both the original HK “Theatrical Release Presentation” and the “Home Release Presentation”
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless Cantonese, Mandarin, and English mono options
• Optional English subtitles
• Commentary by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng & actor Bobby Samuels
• Commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema
• Wing Chun 101, an interview with Wing Chun sifu Alex Richter
• Life Imitating Art, archival featurette featuring interviews with Wing Chun instructor and producer Guy Lai talking about the art, illustrated via demonstrations by Sifu Austin Goh and Jude Poyer
• The Heroic Trio, archival featurette featuring interviews with director Sammo Hung and stars Yuen Biao and Frankie Chan looking back on the making of the film
• Original theatrical trailers
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Kim
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Joe Kim
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Peter Glagowski

Carlito’s Way UHD + Blu-ray [Limited Edition]

Ex-convict Carlito Brigante tries to go straight, but his drug-addicted lawyer and a young criminal make it difficult for him to get out of the life.

Academy Award winner Al Pacino reunites with his Scarface director Brian De Palma for this tough-minded thriller about a gangster looking for salvation down the mean streets of 1970s New York City. Gangster Carlito Brigante (Pacino) gets released early from prison thanks to the work of his lawyer, Kleinfeld (Sean Penn, Milk). Vowing to go straight, Carlito nonetheless finds dangers waiting for him in the outside world. As Carlito works toward redemption, Kleinfeld sinks into cocaine-fueled corruption. When Kleinfeld crosses the mob, Carlito gets caught in the crossfire and has to face a hard choice: remain loyal to the friend who freed him or protect a new life with the woman he loves (Penelope Ann Miller, The Relic). With enemies closing in from all sides, Carlito must find his way before it’s too late. Also starring John Leguizamo (Land of the Dead), Luis Guzmán (Magnolia), and Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings), Carlito’s Way has come to be regarded as among De Palma’s most accomplished films. A hard-hitting gangster noir laced with romance and melancholy, powerful performances and nail-biting suspense.

Media

 Watch trailer »

Bonus Materials

• 4K DUAL FORMAT LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Obviously Creative
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly-commissioned artwork by Tom Ralston and Obviously Creative
• Seven double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and original production notes
• DISC ONE: FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
• 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) presentation in High Dynamic Range
• Original stereo, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-X audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and The Soprano Sessions
• Brand new audio commentary by Dr. Douglas Keesey, author of Brian De Palma’s Split-Screen: A Life in Film
• DISC TWO: FEATURE AND EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary by Matt Zoller Seitz
• Brand new audio commentary by Dr Douglas Keesey
• Carlito and the Judge, a brand new interview with Judge Edwin Torres, author of the novels Carlito’s Way and After Hours on which the screenplay for Carlito’s Way is based
• Cutting Carlito’s Way, a brand new interview with editors Bill Pankow and Kristina Boden
• De Palma’s Way, a brand new appreciation by film critic David Edelstein
• All the Stitches in the World: The Locations of Carlito’s Way, a brand new look at the New York locations of Carlito’s Way and how they look today
• De Palma on Carlito’s Way, an archival interview with director Brian De Palma
• The Making of Carlito’s Way, an archival documentary on the making of the film, produced for the original DVD release
• Deleted Scenes
• Original promotional featurette
• Theatrical teaser and trailer
• Image gallery