From classic thrillers to family favorites, three films celebrating anniversaries of their release – Blazing Saddles (50th anniversary), North by Northwest (65th anniversary) and The Terminator (40th anniversary), will be released for the first time on 4K Ultra HD and Digital on November 19.
Also celebrating anniversaries are The Wizard of Oz (85th anniversary), which will be available in an 85th Anniversary Theater Edition on November 5 and The Polar Express (20th anniversary), which was released on 4K in 2022.
About the films:
BLAZING SADDLES
Ribald, tasteless and hilarious … this classic spoof of the Western genre by director Mel Brooks pokes fun at everyone and everything. A corrupt governor grants a reprieve to an African American convict if the condemned man agrees to serve as sheriff of a small Western town, believing that new sheriff will only live long enough to serve the needs of the governor and his nefarious railroad-baron backer.
The film is directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay is by Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger and based on characters by Hughes. The film is produced by Michael Hertberg.
Blazing Saddles received 3 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Madeline Kahn); Best Music, Original Song; and Best Film Editing. In 2006, Blazing Saddles was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST
Cary Grant stars as an innocent man mistaken for a spy in one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest thrillers. While leaving New York’s Plaza Hotel, advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Grant) has the misfortune of raising his hand just as the name “George Kaplan” is paged–starting a lethal case of mistaken identity and a nonstop game of cat and mouse as he is pursued across North America by espionage agents trying to kill him–and by police who suspect him of murder.
The film is directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and written by Ernest Lehman. North by Northwest stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Jessie Royce Landis.
North by Northwest was nominated for 3 Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Original Screenplay. In 1995, North by Northwest was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
THE TERMINATOR
Disguised as a human, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Sent to protect Sarah is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), who divulges the coming of Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that will spark a nuclear holocaust. Sarah is targeted because Skynet knows that her unborn son will lead the fight against them. With the virtually unstoppable Terminator in hot pursuit, she and Kyle attempt to escape.
The film is directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. It is produced by Hurd and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton and Paul Winfield.
In 2008, The Terminator was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
THE WIZARD OF OZ – 85th Anniversary Theater Edition
In this classic musical fantasy, Judy Garland stars as Dorothy Gale, a young Kansas farm girl who dreams of a land “somewhere over the rainbow.” Dorothy’s dream comes true when she, her dog, Toto, and her family’s house are transported by a tornado to a bright and magical world unlike anything she has seen before. Unfortunately, she makes a mortal enemy of a wicked witch when the house falls on the hag’s sister. Now, befriended by a scarecrow without a brain, a tin man with no heart and a cowardly lion—and protected by a pair of enchanted ruby slippers—Dorothy sets off along a yellow brick road for the Emerald City to beseech the all-powerful Wizard of Oz for his help to return home.
The 85th Anniversary Theater Edition features commemorative steelbook packaging, a reproduction of the original program, a reproduction of the film’s premiere invitation, reproductions of 8 original lobby cards, reproductions of 2 original poster cards, and a reproduction of the film’s original movie ticket.
The film is directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf. It is based on the 1900 children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. The film was produced by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, and Charley Grapewin.
The Wizard of Oz received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and captured two Oscars® — Best Song (“Over the Rainbow”) and Best Original Score — plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland.
In 1989 The Wizard of Oz was part of the inaugural group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
THE POLAR EXPRESS
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
The film is directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr. It is based on the classic Caldecott award-winning children’s book written by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is produced by Steve Starkey, Zemeckis, Gary Goetzman, and William Teitler, and features the voices of Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen.
The Polar Express was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song.
