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We can reveal that Eureka will be releasing Josef von Sternberg’s brilliantly realized silent melodrama THE LAST COMMAND on Blu-ray for the first time in the world in a Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition as part of the Masters of Cinema series on 16 May 2016.

Emil Jannings stars in the film which won the first ever Academy Award for best Actor for his role in this stunning early masterpiece from director Josef von Sternberg (The Blue Angel).

An exiled Russian general turned Hollywood extra (Emil Jannings, in an incredibly passionate performance) is chosen by a former adversary (William Powell) to play a role that resembles his former self and gradually loses his grip on reality. Equally a sharp witted satire of the Hollywood machine and a heartbreaking drama about one man’s emotional downfall, Josef von Sternberg’s The Last Command (1928 film)(his second major Hollywood picture) is one of the finest and most significant films of its era.

Featuring exemplary cinematography, beautifully designed sets, and rousing Revolution sequences, The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the worldwide Blu-ray debut of this wonderfully composed masterpiece.

Available to pre-order now http://amzn.to/1OSDy1u" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Great news! Let's hope Underworld and The Docks Of New York are coming soon [-o<

MoC kills it with the Silents, again. \:D/

perkizitore wrote:Great news! Let's hope Underworld and The Docks Of New York are coming soon [-o<

Agreed, but glad this is the first one out, since this is the best film in the box as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, any of the VS silents not in that box would be even better.

Definitely the best film in the set, I saw it years ago in college and might have been the first (or maybe second after Sunrise) silent film I ever saw-- it definitely encouraged me going forward!

They're all great. Docks of New York may actually be my favorite, but I wouldn't put any one over the other as being better - I'm just glad that they all may be finally back in-print in some form (and in an upgrade to boot).

Special Features:

-Original organ score by Gaylord Carter (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
-New video interview with critic Tony Rayns
-Sternberg Till '29, a video essay by scholar Tag Gallagher
-A 32-page booklet featuring an excerpt from von Sternberg's autobiography Fun in a Chinese Laundry, two original reviews from 1928, a 1929 profile of Jannings, and archival images.

Sounds quite good. How does this score compare with the two on the Criterion? Would have been sweet to have all three.

If both releases are from the same restoration, it wouldn't be too difficult to sync all three up at home.

Is there any particular reason that MoC would not continue to release the other two silents from Criterion's box set on blu-ray? Can we safely expect Underworld and Docks of New York to be upcoming?

TMDaines wrote:Sounds quite good. How does this score compare with the two on the Criterion? Would have been sweet to have all three.

If both releases are from the same restoration, it wouldn't be too difficult to sync all three up at home.

The Gaylord Carter organ score was on Paramount's VHS edition which I used to own. I believe it was recorded, like his other scores for Paramount, in the 1980s. I think it depends entirely on how much you like organ scores, and Carter's style in particular. I dislike all organ accompaniments - a purely personal prejudice, primarily against the heavy sound of the instrument itself, but so deep-rooted in me that I'll be sticking with the Criterion DVD set if no alternative is offered on the MoC.

andyli wrote:Is there any particular reason that MoC would not continue to release the other two silents from Criterion's box set on blu-ray? Can we safely expect Underworld and Docks of New York to be upcoming?

I would assume if sales are good enoigh it could be a strong possibility. But that's no guarantee.

I keep hoping a restored The Salvation Hunters (1925) will show up as a supplement on one of these releases.

Has it been restored?

According to a description accompanying an Arte trailer, a restoration of The Salvation Hunters by UCLA and the Austrian Film Museum was premiered last October in Vienna and broadcast by Arte the following month. I haven't seen it myself yet.

Just found it now online. Looks pretty sweet.

Looks fantastic. This has been a great year for Blu-ray so far.