‘Directed By John Farrow’ Five Film Blu-ray Box Set Available Now
The legacy of Australian director John Farrow has pretty much been relegated to the dustbin of film history. Once deemed the “meanest man in Hollywood” (for his strict on-set control and demands and his sexual proclivities — he wooed every actress and starlet that entered his sphere, from wife Maureen O’Sullivan through Ava Gardner to Loretta Young and Lana Turner), he directed (and wrote) some 50 films and directed some of Hollywood’s greatest thespians — John Wayne, Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum, Ray Milland, Jane Russell, John Carradine, Lucille Ball, Victor McLaglen, Alan Ladd, William Bendix, Brian Donvlevy, Barry Fitzgerald, Barbara Stanwyck, Anne Baxter, Sterling Hayden, Donna Reed, Edward G Robinson, Betty Hutton, Victor Mature, Vincent Price, William Holden — and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Some of his war, action and film noir outings are the best in the business: Five Came Back, Two Years Before the Mast, Calcutta, The Big Clock, he Night Has a Thousand Eyes, Alias Nick Beal, Where Danger Lives, His Kind of Woman. Still, he has been largely ignored — or only remembered as Mia Farrow’s father.
Until 2023, when biographer Marilyn Ann Moss published The Farrows of Hollywood: Their Dark Side of Paradise, the first intimate look at the cracked fairytale life of one of Hollywood’s first families, the Farrows; and John Farrow: Hollywood’s Man In The Shadows, a feature-length documentary from a pair of Australian filmmakers that has still yet to see wide distribution.
Now Australian Imprint Films, a fairly new premium Blu-ray label, has released Directed By… John Farrow (1942 – 1953), five epic films from the director — which is now available via all the regular Blu-ray distributors, including Amazon.
Read on:
Directed By… John Farrow (1942 – 1953)
Five epic films from Academy Award winning Australian-born writer/director John Farrow
Strap in for five epic films from Academy Award-winning Australian-born writer and director John Farrow.
- Commandos Strike At Dawn (1942) – worldwide first on Blu-ray
- The Hitler Gang (1944) – worldwide first on Blu-ray
- Night Has A Thousand Eyes (1948)
- Submarine Command (1951) – worldwide first on Blu-ray
- Botany Bay (1953) – worldwide first on Blu-ray
6-Disc Limited Edition Hardbox packed with new and archival special features including audio commentaries and interviews, plus a bonus disc featuring the 2021 documentary John Farrow: Hollywood’s Man In The Shadows.
1500 copies only.
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Commandos Strike At Dawn (1942) – Imprint Collection #301
Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
A sweeping Academy Award nominated score from world-renowned composer Louis Gruenberg makes essential viewing of this classic wartime drama, starring Paul Muni (Scarface), Anna Lee (The Sound Of Music), and the ‘First Lady Of American Cinema’, Lillian Gish.
Erik Toresen is a simple Norwegian fisherman who finds his quiet coastal village shattered by the Nazi invasion. Though untrained in the ways of war, when an elder member of the community is maimed and tortured, Toresen mobilises the villagers and trains them to fight.
“Must-see because of its impending – and frequently realized – sense of excitement.” – Variety
Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
- Optional English Subtitles
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The Hitler Gang (1944) – Imprint Collection #302
Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
This groundbreaking historical drama follows the rise of Adolf Hitler, in a stunningly accurate portrayal of the ruthless dictator from a small radical political adventurer to the dictator of Germany.
Named Life Magazine’s ‘Movie Of The Week’ in May 1944, John Farrow and team worked tirelessly to ensure complete authenticity in every uniform, medal, and piece of weaponry, with research costs alone reaching $40,000 in 1943.
This daring film is ripe for rediscovery, celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
Special Features & Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Daniel Kremer and Allan Arkush (2024)
- NEW Master Of Invention – Video Essay by filmmaker and critic David Cairns (2024)
- The Rise of a Dictator – Teaching Custodians educational film (1944)
- Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Original Aspect Ratio TBC
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
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Night Has A Thousand Eyes (1948) – Imprint Collection #303
From the screenwriter behind The War of the Worlds (1953) comes this chilling horror starring Edward G. Robinson (I Am The Law, Double Indemnity).
A fake psychic is subjected to random but genuine visions of the future, which soon take on a macabre twist when he realises he is powerless to alter anyone’s destiny.
Based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich, who also penned Rear Window.
Special Features & Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- NEW Audio Commentary with critic Imogen Sara Smith
- NEW The Author’s Prerogative: Biographer Marilyn Ann Moss on John Farrow’s Films (and the Life That Made Them) (2024)
- Screen Directors Playhouse: Night Has A Thousand Eyes – radio version (1949)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
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Submarine Command (1951) – Imprint Collection #304
Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
Acclaimed Academy Award-winning actor William Holden brings to life this tragic story set during the devastating Korean War.
A submarine commander is haunted by personal guilt linked to his wartime actions, which caused the death of his captain and a crewman. He’s called back to duty to helm the same submarine when the Korean War flares up.
Special Features & Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Lee Pfeiffer, Tony Latino and Paul Scrabo (2024)
- NEW A Weapon Called Style – author Jeremy Arnold on John Farrow’s War Years and Combat Films (2024)
- Lux Radio Theatre: Submarine Command with William Holden – radio version (1952)
- Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
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Botany Bay (1953) – Imprint Collection #305
Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
Hollywood legend Alan Ladd stars as a convict on the First Fleet to Botany Bay in a thrilling adventure on the high seas.
In 1787 a boat-load of prisoners are shipped to Botany Bay, and amongst them is a wrongly imprisoned medical student who finds himself victimised by the ship’s captain.
Also starring Academy Award-nominated actor James Mason, and Patricia Medina.
Special Features & Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Daniel Kremer and David Del Valle (2024)
- NEW His Kind of Director: Joe Dante on the Artistry of John Farrow (2024)
- Audio LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Original Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
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Bonus Disc: John Farrow: Hollywood’s Man In The Shadows (2021) – Feature-Length Documentary
Worldwide first on Blu-ray!
John Farrow: Hollywood’s Man in the Shadows is the first documentary made about one of Hollywood’s most prolific yet forgotten filmmakers. Part mystery, biography and film noir, discover the stranger-than-fiction life of this Australian-born Oscar-winner.
Special Features & Technical Specs:
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
- NEW Interview with filmmakers Frans Vandenburg & Claude Gonzalez
- Botany Bay & Plunder of the Sun Sequence
- The Big Clock with filmmaker Joe Dante
- Original Crowdfunding Investment Teaser
- Official Trailer
- Audio LCPM 2.0
- Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1