DVD release in 2007
I talked with Warner during their latest online chat and asked about The Hill. They said they'd completed a new 16x9 transfer of the film and it'll be out on DVD next year.
You're welcome!
Thats fantastic news - thanks for the information. Hope they can remaster the sound so its intelligible which was one of the main reasons it was not successful in the US. Do you know if it will be a Region 1 or 2 release - or both?
shareBloody marvelous news! No matter what region it is I am ready to order now.
As for the sound....Lumet did purposely make the sound very harsh on this production, and chose to use no music score, which added to that harshness. And no amount of audio restoration or tweeking is going to soften all those cockney British/northern England accents.
I guess American audiences can now understand why we colonials find a thick Texan drawl difficult to understand.
When I first saw this film in 1969, the theater manager gave a brief speech before the movie started. (It was a small theater and he usually did an intro like this.) He warned us that the dialogue would be difficult to understand at first but urged the audience to stick with it and assured us that we would get used to the accents.
He was right.
I saw "The Hill" at least twice at that theater (the original Harvard Exit in Seattle) and after that first time I've never had any difficulty understanding the dialogue (of course, I've nearly got it memorized by now). I've seen "The Hill" on late night TV, on TNT, and on laserdisc, and am eagerly looking forward to a DVD release.
Like the Harvard Exit's old manager, I encourage everyone to stick with this movie for the first 20 minutes. It gets more intelligible (and more compelling) as it goes.
At least the DVD will probably have subtitles. Although my hearing is fine, I often use this feature for English language films with accents/brogues that are unfamiliar to me.
Without wishing to cause offense but even people from southern England can sometimes find it difficult to understand Northern regional accents(Vice versa i`m sure).Great news about the dvd-8 months & counting!
shareMore great news! This probably tops my list of the most under-estimated films of all time. Sean Connery's greatest performance by far. Sidney Lumet's greatest masterpiece. Only 'Dog Day Afternoon' comes close. Shows the racism and homophobia that is endemic within the British army. Great performances from the entire cast and superb b&w photography. Can't wait for DVD.
shareI've been waiting for this dvd for years, The Hill & The Offence are Connery's & Lumets best works.
shareBrilliant film, an unsung classic. And hey - that's why God invented subtitles.
shareExcellent news! I hope they put it out on region 2!
Every third man! (shivers)
I can shortly retire my very decrepid video of it from 5 years back!
I just started watching the movie on Comcast's On Demand free movie menu. I immediately went online to see if I could order it (I'm only 30 minutes in and I already know it's going to be a great movie). When I couldn't find it on Amazon, I came here to see if there was any release information. Can't waith till it is released next year.
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I think so too, a particular favourite of mine is 'The Damage One Man Reaps'
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