Sorcerer (1977)

[Akijama]

Sorcerer Blu-ray




IMDB - 7.7 ( 6,228 votes )

Rotten Tomatoes - 80% ( 30 reviews counted )

Roy Scheider lends his intense talent taut action-adventure from director William Friedkin. Set on the edge of a South American jungle, a desperate four-man team, led by Scheider, must transport a volatile cargo of nitroglycerine over 200 miles of treacherous terrain in order to stop a potentially disastrous oil fire.

Enter into this potentially explosive mix of split-second strategy and jolting suspense set against an outstanding score by Tangerine Dream.

[Show spoiler]Update (9/13/13)



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Update (8/9/13):

Friedkin via Twitter:

SORCERER digital print and sound is complete. First screening: Aug.29, Venice Film Festival.. Then theatrical, blu-ray in the Spring.

https://twitter.com/WilliamFriedkin/...15121067814912

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http://www.thedigitalbits.com/column...ts/032013_1130

And finally a bit of good news: Our own Tim Salmons has learned via Don May, Jr. that director William Friedkin is currently working on a Blu-ray transfer Sorcerer from the original negative! How cool is that? We’ll post more as it comes in.

TheWrap exclusive.

William Friedkin's "Sorcerer" -- a film that fell victim to shifting tastes when it opened more than three decades ago -- will be remastered and released in theaters and for the first time on Blu-ray, the director told TheWrap.

The director told TheWrap that a "major studio" has gotten involved in creating a new recolored, digital print and that he hopes it will be ready in time for the Venice Film Festival this August. He said he will have a formal announcement within roughly a week and that the re-release will include all media

"We’re working off the original negative, which is in pretty good shape, but without changing the original concept we have to bring it back in terms of color saturation, sharpness and all the stuff," he said.

It hasn't been released on DVD since the late 1990s, and Friedkin said the rights have been tangled up for roughly 30 years between Paramount and Universal, which co-distributed the picture. He sued the two studios in 2012 to try to clarify who owned the picture.

Friedkin said he dropped the suit, but that the discovery process was essential to discovering who controlled the rights.

"It's been in a legal whirlpool for 30 or 35 years," Friedkin said "And a lot of people have come and gone from the studios during that time, so it just takes awhile to unravel everything, but we're very close to announcing a premiere date.

Full interview here

[Brett C]

That is very cool news!

[bboisvert]

(Insert random "Friedkin is working on the transfer? I'll wait for reviews" comment here.)

[The Great Owl]

Great news. I've been a fan of The Wages of Fear for a long time, but have never seen Sorcerer.

[Scottie]

[retablo]

I think Friedkin learned his lesson with the botch job he did on French Connection, the backlash, and the subsequent "fix" to make things right again. I trust any other transfer he supervises will be as it should be.

[NoirFan]

Hasn't he been 'working on' Sorcerer for a while now though?

[retablo]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Hasn't he been 'working on' Sorcerer for a while now though?

No, it was tied up in court for years. They recently sorted out all the rights so it's finally good to go.

[tonylopez]

Excellent news. Please don't tweak up this transfer Friedkin. Great score also. Can't wait to hear Friedkin's descriptive commentary on this one.

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Hasn't he been 'working on' Sorcerer for a while now though?

Yes, old news been following Friedkin on Twitter, he has been battling to get it released and recently stated the film print was in great condition etc.

My question is why would Don May Jr know this? or did he just mention it because he has been following the news on twitter?

Also there is a Wish List thread for the film that this news has been posted to over the past months. No date. I wish we weren't jumping the gun everytime we heard news on a title that has NO release date.

[dsman71]

I didnt get into Sorcerer but the Wages of Fear really rocks...I have that one..

[Undeadcow]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

...why would Don May Jr know this? or did he just mention it because he has been following the news on twitter?

I was wondering this also; would Synapse Films be releasing Sorcerer or is he just sharing public information?

[Monroville]

Originally Posted by dsman71

I didnt get into Sorcerer but the Wages of Fear really rocks...I have that one..

That's funny, because I feel just the opposite. While WAGES is definitely a good movie, I can't buy the ending (where the player(s) involved are bound and determined to have a 70's ending). Even so, if Synapse IS putting this out, that is a definite + in my book.

[jah13]

Originally Posted by Undeadcow

I was wondering this also; would Synapse Films be releasing Sorcerer or is he just sharing public information?

It's not Synapse. I've been told by a close source, who was told directly by Friedkin, exactly which entity has taken over SORCERER. It should be a pleasant surprise to most when it's publicly announced.

[Number 6]

Great news! Will compliment my Criterion copy of "The Wages of Fear".

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by jah13

It's not Synapse. I've been told by a close source, who was told directly by Friedkin, exactly which entity has taken over SORCERER. It should be a pleasant surprise to most when it's publicly announced.

Most would have wished for a Criterion release and that was decided not happening, so if it isn't Universal who I believe released the film theatrically - Possibly Shout Factory would make sense. Trying to think of other indie labels.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by retablo

I think Friedkin learned his lesson with the botch job he did on French Connection, the backlash, and the subsequent "fix" to make things right again. I trust any other transfer he supervises will be as it should be.

Having worked with Friedkin on a previous release of another title I can safely say that he never learns his lessons and still changes his mind every 15 minutes, so it's anybody's guess how this will turn out by the time it hits the shelves. Especially since when a special edition DVD was mooted years ago, it was his constantly changing his mind that caused it to be cancelled because no-one knew what he wanted to do from one minute to the next but he still expected everyone to anticipate whatever he wanted at that particular moment without being told.

[jah13]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Most would have wished for a Criterion release and that was decided not happening, so if it isn't Universal who I believe released the film theatrically - Possibly Shout Factory would make sense. Trying to think of other indie labels.

I'm referring to studio, not video label. Paramount and Uni co-financed and co-distributed the film originally.

[Belloche]

Sorcerer has been my most wanted Blu-ray for quite a while now. I love the movie, but I could never bring myself to lay down money for that lousy DVD. Any sort of concrete confirmation would make my year for catalogue releases.

[Drewza89]

One of my all-time favorite films. So underrated.

Anyways, wasn't Friedkin suing Universal and/or Paramount over the rights to the film recently? Did it get resolved? Who will distribute the Blu-ray? I'd love to see Shout Factory pick it up.