The Cassandra Crossing - Shout! Factory

[James Luckard]

Akajima just posted this great news:

Shout! Factory will be releasing ITV's catalog.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=224719

http://www.screendaily.com/news/shou...e?referrer=RSS

This is one of my favorite 70s disaster films. It has gorgeous photography, an amazing Jerry Goldsmith score, a fun and witty script by 70's blockbuster writer Tom Mankiewicz and a colorful international pot luck mix of actors.

The widescreen DVD is 4:3 letterboxed and years OOP. Excited to see this on BD.

[steev210]

Sweet! I can't wait to get this on blu. A good solid 70's disaster movie. Very underrated.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by steev210

Sweet! I can't wait to get this on blu. A good solid 70's disaster movie. Very underrated.

I have a friend who's into 70s Italian horror films and has shown me a couple, with their bold colors, gorgeous photography and startling violence and gore. This film is very similar.

The Cassandra Crossing seems to take the basic outlines of a 70s disaster film, but avoids the soap opera-y tone most Hollywood disaster films chose, instead going for a gritty, dark, visually creative style that feels much more European, like those horror films.

And how can anyone not love a film with Sophia Loren at her best:


And

[Show spoiler]Martin Sheen as the aging Ava Gardner's boytoy, lol:

And

[Show spoiler]O.J. Simpson as an Interpol agent undercover as a priest:

[Member-222782]

I guess it's time to sell my Artisan DVD to Amazon for Trade-In value. They were offering up to $27 for it - far more than it's worth (and more than I could get for it if I peddled it myself).

[klauswhereareyou]

With this and Capricorn One, maybe Shout is planning on releasing an OJ legacy collection.

[Mr.Dig]

Picking up this one together with Saturn 3! Disaster flicks are always welcome in my blu-ray collection!

[Hawkguy]

I'm excited for this--it's my favorite disaster film as well.

[warrian]

This is great news. Cassandra Crossing is a lot of fun and stylishly shot.

Now, did I miss announcements about Capricorn One and Saturn 3 or are you guys just teasing...

[Akijama]

The Cassandra Crossing/ The Domino Principle Double Feature BD is due January 7.

http://www.dvdempire.com/1673265/cas...o-blu-ray.html

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Akijama

The Cassandra Crossing/ The Domino Principle Double Feature BD is due January 7.

http://www.dvdempire.com/1673265/cas...o-blu-ray.html

Thanks for the info! I updated the thread title. Can't wait for this one, hope it's a good transfer.

[Paul.R.S]

Amazon has artwork (same as previously posted DVD Empire) up now also. Is the reference to DVD-Video ("Blu-ray + DVD-Video") an error? It's a two-movie, two-disc set (and both discs are depicted with artwork so they're not flippers).

[bushell44]

Will this be region locked?

[Vixen of the Night]

I haven't seen the film in years(maybe since the 90's?), but I recall really liking it back then. I saw it at least three times, twice on T.V., once on VHS. And I think the VHS I rented used a heavily censored network T.V. version since their were very jarring edits in it for all the violent scenes, that were not present on a cable airing I saw.

I have never heard of the second film included on the set(The Domino Principle), but the cast looks cool, and I'm willing to give it a fair chance.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Vixen of the Night

I think the VHS I rented used a heavily censored network T.V. version since their were very jarring edits in it for all the violent scenes, that were not present on a cable airing I saw.

The VHS release I saw the film on for the first time was the same censored version. I saw it a couple of times in that form, which made it truly shocking when I got the DVD and saw the original R-rated theatrical version, especially the

[Show spoiler]gore during the final train wreck sequence, which was entirely edited out of the VHS release. There were literally no people seen being killed on the VHS and no dead bodies in the aftermath, which couldn't be more different form the theatrical cut, which is extremely grisly.

The ending is so shocking for having the threatened disaster, which has been looming over the whole film, actually happen and kill almost everyone on the train.

[donidarko]

Anyone doing a custom cover of this with Cassandra Crossing being the main feature and Domino principle listed as an extra? I would do one but lack the original artwork. The shout cover is not very thrilling.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by donidarko

Anyone doing a custom cover of this with Cassandra Crossing being the main feature and Domino principle listed as an extra? I would do one but lack the original artwork. The shout cover is not very thrilling.

I found two links to the original poster in decently high resolution:

http://cf2.imgobject.com/t/p/origina...PFEAVSWODx.jpg
http://www.c1n3.org/c/cosmatos01gp/I...ng%29%2001.jpg

If you do up a custom cover, let me know, the Shout one is really ugly.

[donidarko]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

I found two links to the original poster in decently high resolution:

http://cf2.imgobject.com/t/p/origina...PFEAVSWODx.jpg
http://www.c1n3.org/c/cosmatos01gp/I...ng%29%2001.jpg

If you do up a custom cover, let me know, the Shout one is really ugly.

Cool. Nice Art. I will get to work on a custom cover.

thanks

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by donidarko

Cool. Nice Art. I will get to work on a custom cover.

thanks

Looking forward to it!

This site has 15 stills in decent resolution that you may want to use:

http://www.cinema.de/bilder/cassandr...g,1305457.html

And here are a couple more good ones:

[Show spoiler]

[Vixen of the Night]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

The VHS release I saw the film on for the first time was the same censored version. I saw it a couple of times in that form, which made it truly shocking when I got the DVD and saw the original R-rated theatrical version, especially the

[Show spoiler]gore during the final train wreck sequence, which was entirely edited out of the VHS release. There were literally no people seen being killed on the VHS and no dead bodies in the aftermath, which couldn't be more different form the theatrical cut, which is extremely grisly.

The ending is so shocking for having the threatened disaster, which has been looming over the whole film, actually happen and kill almost everyone on the train.

That's good to know I was not mistaken and the VHS I saw really was a censored(most likely network T.V. print given how strict the network censors were then). Even the opening scene with how the guy gets infected with the virus or whatever was drastically cut that you couldn't even tell how he got infected in the first place. When I saw the uncut theatrical version finally, that scene while violent wasn't too graphic from what I recall.

But you're right how that cut version omitted all the violence and impact of violence including the aftermath. I remember plenty of jarring jump cuts anytime someone was being shot and so forth.

I can't wait to see this film again since it's been nearly 20 years since I last saw it! And yes, the ending even when I first saw it on network TV really was disturbing to myself.

[KyotoKid]

I picked up a copy a bit early and will be checking it out tomorrow with my projector so any critical comments on the image will be in light of it being viewed at 100". I'm hoping it looks good but have no references to how it looked theatrically so it will be subjective. I have noticed a fair amount of negative criticism leveled at the Domino Principle so hopefully it is passable entertainment.