THUNDERBOLT - LE

(Josef von Sternberg, 1929)
Release date: 24 July 2023
Limited Edition Blu-ray (UK premiere)

George Bancroft (Angels with Dirty Faces) and Fay Wray (King Kong) star in the first sound film from legendary director Josef von Sternberg (Shanghai Express), made just prior to his celebrated series of collaborations with Marlene Dietrich.

Murderer ‘Thunderbolt’ Jim Lang (Bancroft) is arrested and imprisoned with the help of his former moll, Ritzie (Wray). Whilst on death row in Sing Sing, Jim enacts his revenge by framing Ritzie’s lover, Bob (Richard Arlen), for a crime he didn't commit.

With a screenplay from Herman J Mankiewicz (Citizen Kane) and Joseph L Mankiewicz (Suddenly, Last Summer), and adapted from a story by Jules Furthman (Blonde Venus), Thunderbolt is a classic pre-Code crime thriller.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with critic and writer Nick Pinkerton (2021)
• The Guardian Interview with Fay Wray (1990, 90 mins): archival audio recording of the famed actor in conversation at the National Film Theatre, London
• Sound and Vision (2023, 46 mins): extensive discussion of von Sternberg’s classic by writer and film programmer Tony Rayns
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, an account of the film’s production, an extensive overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK

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BBFC cert: PG
REGION B
EAN: 5060697922653