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 Universal Studios Home Entertainment proudly announces the launch of the Universal Backlot Series of historic cinematic gems on DVD on April 7, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The first entries in the landmark series include The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, six films from the most decadent era in motion picture history that pre-date Hollywood's motion picture rating system, and Cecil B. De Mille's Oscar-nominated historical epic, Cleopatra - 75th Anniversary Edition.
Universal is opening its vaults of rare treasures, overlooked groundbreaking work and films of historical and cultural importance for the Universal Backlot Series. Each motion picture in the series will be digitally remastered from original film elements and presented in its intended aspect ratio to help preserve its place in cinema history. Many of the films will be available on DVD for the very first time and will include a wealth of revealing new bonus features. The films, along with the documentaries, feature commentary, and archival materials that accompany them make the Universal Backlot Series essential additions to every serious cinema collection.
The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, a 3-DVD set, is priced at $49.98 and includes a physical reproduction of the actual "Production Code" document in the DVD set.
THE PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION
For the first time ever on DVD, The Cheat, Merrily We Go to Hell, Hot Saturday, Torch Singer, Murder at the Vanities and Search for Beauty will be available for home viewing in The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, a new 3-disc DVD collection that alsoincludes a fascinating bonus featurette revealing the secrets of Hollywood's racy, risqué early days. Featuring films starring screen legends Cary Grant, Fredric March, Claudette Colbert, Tallulah Bankhead, Randolph Scott, and Sylvia Sidney, The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection captures a unique and little known period in cinema history.
Before the 1934 introduction of the restrictive "Production Code" changed the way movies were made for the next four decades, Hollywood filmmakers operated virtually free from censorship. During the "pre-Code" era that lasted from 1929 to mid-1934, no subject was too scandalous. The public demanded graphic stories designed to titillate and shock, and the studios produced astonishing tales filled with adultery, prostitution, murder, illegal drug use, homosexuality and nudity.
BONUS FEATURES:
SYNOPSES:
The Cheat
Hollywood wild child Tallulah Bankhead stars as a woman willing to do anything to pay off her gambling debts in an opulent and extravagant drama set in the sheltered environs of the uber-rich. Elsa Carlyle (Bankhead) is on the brink of financial ruin until she recklessly accepts help from lecherous scoundrel Hardy Livingstone (Irving Pichel). Livingston's only condition is that she betrays her husband with him. When Elsa attempts to change the terms of their deal, Livingston's shocking revenge could mean the end of Elsa's sheltered world.
Merrily We Go to Hell
Abusive alcoholic Jerry Corbett (Fredric March) marries heiress Joan Prentiss (Sylvia Sidney), who helps him realize his dreams of becoming a playwright. Jerry's flagrant affair with his leading lady (Adrienne Ames) pushes Joan into the arms of a charismatic young actor (Cary Grant), but dueling infidelities drive the couple apart before Joan can tell Jerry she is carrying his child.
Hot Saturday
Scandal erupts after a flirtatious young woman spends a night with a notorious playboy.Ruth Brock (Nancy Carroll) already has a reputation for being "fast" in her small town, but when she stays overnight at the home of wealthy Romer Sheffield (Cary Grant), tongues start wagging overtime. Even her fiancé (Randolph Scott) begins to think something is amiss when Ruth suddenly decides to move up their wedding date and Ruth finds herself caught in a web of malicious gossip that threatens to ruin her life.
Torch Singer
Abandoned by her lover, Sally Trent (Claudette Colbert) struggles unsuccessfully to provide for herself and illegitimate daughter. After she is forced to give up her child for adoption, Sally reinvents herself as Mimi Benton, a successful torch singer with a reputation for hard living. But she is also Aunt Jenny, the hostess of a children's radio program, who tells bedtime stories and sings lullabies. When Mimi realizes that her daughter may be listening to Aunt Jenny, she mounts a campaign to find her using the show.
Murder at the Vanities
While the sexy musical revue "The Vanities" captivates an audience on its opening night, a murder investigation takes place backstage. As the mystery unravels behind the curtain, performers Gertrude Michael, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Sheridan, Lucille Ball and Duke Ellington go on with the show, presenting a wealth of memorable musical numbers including "Cocktails for Two," "Where Do They Come From?" and the film's most notorious number, "Sweet Marijuana."
Search for Beauty
Real life Olympic swimming champion Buster Crabbe stars opposite Ida Lupino in a fastpaced satire of health-food hucksterism and Hollywood hype. Inspired by the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, three con artists trick prize-winning athletes into endorsing a racy magazine-and much worse. The athletes agree to be talent scouts for what they think is a fitness magazine, not realizing that it is being transformed into a far more lurid enterprise.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Street date: April 7, 2009
Selection number: 61106092
Price: SRP $49.98
Running Time: Approx. 7 Hours 53 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33.1
Rating: Not Rated
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
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