For the month of June, Arrow Video upgrades two films to 4K UHD that wants you to see deeper into them. Mute Witness is about what can go wrong when you work at a movie studio in Moscow. A mute special effects wizard gets stuck inside the studio late at night. While looking for an exit, she finds another production filming on their sets. She witnesses something she shouldn’t have seen and has to spend the night looking to survive. The horror thriller has built up a following since it was released back in 1995. Mute Witness marked the final movie appearance (non-CGI) of Sir Alec Guinness (Star Wars). American Gigolo has writer-director Paul Schader establish the ’80s style at the start of the decade. Richard Gere plays a male prostitute wanting to upgrade his life. He finds himself in deep trouble when he reluctantly accepts a kinky proposition from a marries couple. Gere is at his prime as scoots around Southern California in his Mercedes while Blondie’s “Call Me” blasts from the stereo. The film has a sophisticated look that needs to be experienced in 4K UHD. Both American Gigolo and Mute Witness are being released in separate 4K UHD and Blu-ray packages. Here’s the press release from Arrow Video:
New from Arrow Video US
Mute Witness [Limited Edition]
6/11/24
American Gigolo [Limited Edition]
6/18/24
via MVD Entertainment Group
| Arrow’s June Slate Sets the Stage for a Sizzling Summer with Sir Alec Guinness’ Final Thriller & Richard Gere’s 80’s Sexy, Star-Making Role Mute Witness and American Gigolo Newly Restored on 4K UHD! |
| On June 11th, director Anthony Waller’s cult horror classic Mute Witness arrives in both 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition sets featuring a 4K restoration approved by Waller himself (An American Werewolf in Paris). The plot revolves around a mute make-up artist named Billy Hughes, who is in Russia working on a low-budget slasher film. Working late one night in the studio, Billy wanders onto an adult film set and witnesses a murder. She goes on the run but quickly realizes that there is nowhere to turn as friends and family cannot protect her against the Russian mob, corrupt police officers, and the KGB. Waller’s audacious thriller is a stylish ode to the work of Hitchcock featuring Sir Alec Guinness (Star Wars) in his final role. The 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions feature two audio commentaries, two visual essays, archival interviews, original scouting footage, original footage with Alec Guinness, trailers, and an image gallery. View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O70KkzyBXKs On June 18th, Paul Schrader’s stylish neo-noir crime drama American Gigolo makes its debut on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in Limited Edition sets featuring a brand new 4K remaster from the original negative. Julian (a mesmerizing Richard Gere, in his breakthrough performance), a high-priced male escort, has the perfect car, the perfect wardrobe, the perfect house, and the perfect life. He desires the same lifestyle that his elite clients enjoy, but that desire turns to jealousy and one of his clients ends up dead. The drama builds as Julian realizes he’s being framed for the murder and races to prove his innocence. American Gigolo was shot by John Bailey (In the Line of Fire, The Big Chill), and features music by Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Score, Giorgio Moroder, who co-wrote “Call Me,” the film’s signature theme song by Blondie. The costuming by Giorgio Armani defined the era of disco and 80s extravagance and is widely credited for establishing the designer’s brand in North America. Featuring performances by Lauren Hutton, Bill Duke, and Héctor Elizondo.The 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions feature an audio commentary, seven brand new interviews with cast and crew, original trailer, and more. View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN7sz-T_tUY&t=2s |
A mute American filmmaker working in Moscow witnesses a brutal murder and becomes the target of killers who want to silence her forever.
![Mute Witness [Limited Edition]](https://mvd.cloud/images/AV581.jpg)
SHE WON’T BE SILENCED.
Director Anthony Waller (The Piper, An American Werewolf in Paris) combines cat-and-mouse suspense with classic intrigue in Mute Witness, an updated take on the Hitchcockian thriller in which the only witness to a brutal crime can neither speak nor cry out in terror.
Billy Hughes (Marina Zudina) is a mute special effects artist working on a low budget American slasher movie being shot in Russia. Accidentally locked in the studio late one night, she stumbles upon two men shooting what appears to be a snuff film. Having borne witness to their victim’s final moments, Billy desperately flees – but this is only the start of a protracted night of terror, drawing her and her friends into a tangled web of intrigue, involving the KGB, the Moscow police… and a mysterious crime kingpin known as “The Reaper.”
Filmed on location in Moscow and co-starring Fay Ripley (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) and Evan Richards (Society), Mute Witness is an unpredictable, nerve-shreddingly tense viewing experience. Now fully restored in 4K and presented alongside a host of new and recently unearthed bonus materials, there has never been a better opportunity to discover – or rediscover – this gem of 90s thriller cinema.
Media
Watch trailer »
Bonus Materials
4K restoration approved by director Anthony Waller
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in HDR10
Restored original lossless stereo soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary by writer/director Anthony Waller
Brand new audio commentary with production designer Matthias Kammermeier and composer Wilbert Hirsch, moderated by critic Lee Gambin
The Silent Death, brand new visual essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, examining Mute Witness and its relationship with snuff films
The Wizard Behind the Curtain, brand new visual essay by author and critic Chris Alexander, exploring the phenomenon of the film-within-a-film
Original “Snuff Movie” presentation, produced to generate interest from investors and distributors, featuring interviews with Anthony Waller and members of the creative team
Original location scouting footage
Original footage with Alec Guinness, filmed a decade prior to the rest of Mute Witness
Teaser trailer
Trailer
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michelle Kisner
American Gigolo [Limited Edition]
The 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written & directed by Paul Schrader starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton makes its 4K Debut!
![American Gigolo [Limited Edition]](https://mvd.cloud/images/AV584.jpg)
Paul Schrader, hot off writing the scripts for Martin Scorsese’s immortal classics Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, stepped into the director’s chair for the third time with 1980’s American Gigolo, a gripping tale of intrigue and deception set against the backdrop of sultry late-70s Los Angeles and starring Richard Gere in a breakthrough performance.
In a world of wealth and desire, high-end male escort Julian Kay (Gere) offers his love and attention to women in need. But when a client, the wife of a sadistic finance magnate, is found dead, all eyes turn to Julian as the prime suspect. Realizing he’s being framed, Julian races to prove his innocence, determined to unravel the mystery behind the setup. As he digs deeper into the case, he embarks on a journey that forces him to confront his own identity.
American Gigolo is a feast for the senses thanks to cinematography by John Bailey and costume design by Giorgio Armani, not to mention a soundtrack courtesy of “Father of Disco” Giorgio Moroder including the Grammy-nominated anthem “Call Me” by Blondie. Co-starring Lauren Hutton, Héctor Elizondo and Bill Duke, American Gigolo is presented here in a brand new 4K remaster and packed with bonus features.
Media
Bonus Materials
- Brand new 4K remaster from the original negative by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original mono, stereo and 5.1 audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary with film critic Adrian Martin
- Brand new interview with writer/director Paul Schrader
- Six Ways to Sunday, a brand new interview with actor Héctor Elizondo on detecting his character
- The Business of PLEASURE, a brand new interview with actor Bill Duke on Leon’s profession
- Montages and Monologues, a brand new interview with editor Richard Halsey on putting American Gigolo together
- The Non-Conformist, a brand new interview with camera operator King Baggot on American Gigolo
- Man Machine, a brand new interview with music supervisor & KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox on the music of Giorgio Moroder
- American Icon, a brand new interview with Professor Jennifer Clark on American Gigolo and the fashion landscape of the 80s
- Original trailer
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket
- Six postcard-sized reproduction artcards
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Neil Sinyard, an archival article by Bill Nichols, and original pressbook materials
