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From DVDDrive-In:

No exact street date has been confirmed, but this Summer, Sony will release a box set of Hammer Films’ costume adventures originally released theatrically by Columbia Pictures. The films in the set include Terence Fisher’s STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY, TERROR OF THE TONGS, PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER and DEVIL SHIP PIRATES. All films except for STRANGLERS star Christopher Lee. Extras will include three separate commentaries with legendary Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, as well as some to-be-announced short subjects. More details to follow in the coming months.

a box set of Hammer Films’ costume adventures originally released theatrically by Columbia Pictures.

The fact that Sony are releasing these together in an obvious theme bodes well for similar sets in the future. I'll be interested to see Stranglers, but personally, I'll be most excited when they finally get around to a sci-fi set that includes Losey's These Are the Damned.

Oh, wow, terrific news!

tryavna wrote:I'll be interested to see Stranglers

You and I both. That one has been on my list for over 12 years. Glad to see that Sony have finally seen sense with their Hammer films.

The set is going to be called Icons of Adventure and will street June 10th.

There's a thread on the Mobius Home Video board (I'd provide a link but I can't seem to get a URL for the page) where a poster says that we'll be seeing another collection like this around Halloween, possibly including at least one of the rare Hammers that have popped up on TV lately.

Well, I finally picked up the Icons two-discer and started working my way through it. I guess we all ought to give Sony due credit for getting these films out there (and for possibly releasing more, like These Are the Damned). But boy, oh boy, is this extremely ugly packaging: bad artwork and menu design (with opening trailers you have to skip each time you play either disc), mediocre/tangential extras, etc. The commentary for Stranglers is downright terrible, for example -- with a solo commentary by the screenwriter, who obviously hasn't seen the film since it was originally released and can barely remember writing it!

First up was Stranglers, and I was frankly disappointed. I guess it could never quite live up to its reputation, though some of its violence is still a little unnerving. (Without giving too much away, the hero doesn't really end up "saving the day" at a crucial moment.) But it's basically a police procedural masquerading as a costume-adventure -- and the basic plot revolves around the hero simply trying to convince his superiors that the Thugee cult exists, which means it's fairly talky and doesn't have much action until about 2/3 of the way through. Fisher's direction is efficient but not particularly inspired. I wonder if he thought he was taking a step back by filming in black and white after the color extravaganzas that had come just before...? Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is the fact that nobody is particularly likable. The Thugs are the nominal villains, of course, but the British representatives of the East India Company are portrayed as inefficient, slow-witted, and inclined toward nepotism. Even the hero (Guy Rolfe) comes across as stubborn, antagonistic, and manipulative.

At any rate, I'm glad that another Fisher film is available, but it actually strikes me as one of his weakest efforts from his peak 1957-69 period. Perhaps it's just the kind of subject that demands more "sweep" -- something that Hammer simply couldn't afford.

EDIT: Lest my comments sound like damning with faint praise, I guess I should point out that the transfers of the films themselves look extremely good. As Gary over at Beaver points out, the bit-rate is pretty low (due to cramming a bit too much onto each disc). But the image doesn't seem to suffer much as a result.

Couldn't disagree more about STRANGLERS, which I consider the highlight of the set. Here's my take, from an upcoming DVD review:

THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY (1960) -- Marginal as horror but marvelous as entertainment, The Stranglers of Bombay remains an unsung gem from director Terence Fisher. Perhaps because it’s an historical drama with some grisly elements rather than a full-blooded chiller or maybe because this modest, black-and-white production fell between two higher profile, full-color Fisher masterworks – The Mummy (1959) and Brides of Dracula (1960) – Stranglers has never received its due, and likely never will. Yet there is much here to admire, beginning with a compelling, (loosely) fact-based scenario. In 1820s India, a courageous British officer (Guy Rolfe) battles heroically, despite the indifference of his superiors, to root out the bloodthirsty Thugee cult of stranglers. The director plays up the brutality of the Thugee (in addition to strangulation, the cultists slice out tongues and shove red-hot pokers into victims’ eyes, then disembowel, dismember or burn the bodies) and recasts historical events as a typically Fisherian struggle between Christian good and Satanic evil. David Goodman’s tight, suspense-filled script manages to play up these horrific aspects without seeming crass or exploitative. The cast contributes uniformly convincing performances, with Rolfe and George Pastell, as a high priest of the Cult of Kali, especially compelling. Cinematographer Arthur Grant’s shadow-draped jungle sets and sweltering-looking interiors add badly needed ambiance to this small-budget, studio-bound production, as does composer James Bernard’s evocative score. Although it lacks the scope and the emotional resonance of its director’s best work, Stranglers compares favorably to better loved Fisher films such as The Phantom of the Opera (1962) and The Gorgon (1964).

I just finished up the set last night, and for me, the real highlight was The Devil-Ship Pirates, which is essentially a 16th-century take on the same premise that's in both Went the Day Well? and The Eagle Has Landed: a lone Spanish ship takes over an isolated British village by making them believe the Armada beat the British. The only other Hammer film by Don Sharp that I had seen before was Rasputin, which despite a fantastic performance by Christopher Lee just cannot overcome a ridiculous script. But The Devil-Ship Pirates has boosted my opinion of Sharp significantly.

By way of responding to Mark's comments, Devil-Ship accomplishes what Stranglers doesn't for me. It's fast-paced, has a strong central performance from Lee, and doesn't feel like it gets bogged down in talk or repetition of action (like Rolfe's two separate visits to the Thugee temple). I don't think that Sharp's handling of action is as convincing as Fisher's when Fisher was at his best, but I still stand by my previous evaluation of Stranglers: it's simply not Fisher at his best. It's one of those movies where it's inaccessibility over the years has made people suppose it's a better movie than it is.

By the way, as a whole, my feelings about the two-disc set haven't changed much. Again, I'm glad that Sony has finally demonstrated some sort of interest in its Hammer holdings, but they obviously didn't know what they were trying to do with this release. Apart from the commentaries and trailers, none of the special features have anything to do with Hammer or these particular films. And the commentaries are most definitely a mixed-bag. Goodman's for Stranglers is absolutely terrible. The others were moderated by Marcus Hearn and so are a bit tighter and packed with more info. But they often descend into rambling technical minutiae from the former production assistant and assistant editor of the various films.

So well worth the price for Hammer fans, but let's hope Sony is a bit more on the ball with subsequent sets.

tryavna wrote:Again, I'm glad that Sony has finally demonstrated some sort of interest in its Hammer holdings, but they obviously didn't know what they were trying to do with this release. Apart from the commentaries and trailers, none of the special features have anything to do with Hammer or these particular films. And the commentaries are most definitely a mixed-bag. Goodman's for Stranglers is absolutely terrible. The others were moderated by Marcus Hearn and so are a bit tighter and packed with more info. But they often descend into rambling technical minutiae from the former production assistant and assistant editor of the various films.

So well worth the price for Hammer fans, but let's hope Sony is a bit more on the ball with subsequent sets.

Well, you won't find the commentaries on Sony's upcoming Hammer horror set (THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB/THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL/THE GORGON/SCREAM OF FEAR) disappointing--because there won't be any. On another forum, Sony's Michael Schlesinger said that Sony Marketing felt there were enough Hammer horror commentaries out there, so the Hammer horror set will have trailers and no other extras.

Jameson281 wrote:Well, you won't find the commentaries on Sony's upcoming Hammer horror set (THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB/THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL/THE GORGON/SCREAM OF FEAR) disappointing--because there won't be any. On another forum, Sony's Michael Schlesinger said that Sony Marketing felt there were enough Hammer horror commentaries out there, so the Hammer horror set will have trailers and no other extras.

Ah, I hadn't heard about that upcoming set, but it's certainly welcome news. Gorgon and Scream of Fear are among Hammer's very best films, so it will be likely to receive more attention.

In a way, it's a shame that Sony decided against commentaries altogether, because frankly there just aren't that many really good commentaries for any of Hammers movies. In my opinion, the best have always been the ones Val Guest recorded for Anchor Bay. Guest seemed to have an intuitive understanding of what made for a good commentary. But on the other hand, at least there will be less dross on this second set.

tryavna wrote:In my opinion, the best have always been the ones Val Guest recorded for Anchor Bay. Guest seemed to have an intuitive understanding of what made for a good commentary.

Good call! He and Nigel Kneale together (right there, that's a coup) are great on the Abominable Snowman disc. Old Avengers scribe Brian Clemens, with Martine Beswicke and Roy Ward Baker, do a fine job on the Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde track as well I recall.

It's one of those movies where it's inaccessibility over the years has made people suppose it's a better movie than it is.

Not in my case. This film has long been a favorite of mine. I discovered it through a friend who has a 16 mm print of it, and then acquired VHS and DVD-R boots of it. The new DVD is the way to see it, however.

Actually, I really enjoy all the films in the ICONS OF ADVENTURE set (TONGS, less so). It's a better foursome than the more anticipated Hammer Horror set Sony is planning for the fall. Except for SCREAM OF FEAR, there aren't any real top-tier entries in that set (imho).