Olive Films to Release Abel Gance’s J’accuse (1938) on DVD and Blu-Ray for the First Time Ever
Chicago, IL – Olive Films, a boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, and classic films to DVD and Blu-ray, has announced that November 15th will be the Blu-ray debuts of seven films. Included among these is the DVD and Blu-ray debut of the Abel Gance-directed masterpiece J’accuse (1938).
“As with all of Abel Gance's work, the 1938 J’accuse remains a crucial piece of film history,” said Alex Kopecky of Olive Films. “We are honored to bring it to fans on home video for the first time.”
Perhaps best known for his silent works, Abel Gance is remembered as one of the major figures of early cinema. The self-educated Gance rose up through the blossoming French film industry to become a key influence on composition, montage, and the widescreen process of Polyvision. Haunted by the suffering he witnessed during World War I, he created the silent J’accuse (1919) to serve as the ultimate indictment of war.
As Gance generally embraced the introduction of sound, it should be no surprise that he eventually remade J’accuse, possibly his most personal film, in 1938 utilizing the new technology. Like his original film, the 1938 J’accuse notably makes haunting use of actual World War I footage. Unlike the earlier version, however, it takes place almost entirely after the 1918 armistice. If his original film is a lament of World War I, his remake is a plea for peace from an artist terrified by the looming threat of World War II. For the film’s final act, Gance, always a technological innovator, used special effects that were ahead of their time to create a climax that walks the line between surrealism and horror.
Although Abel Gance’s J’accuse (1938) was an important influence on anti-war films as well as special effects in general, it was previously only released on VHS. Olive Films will debut the film on DVD and Blu-ray on November 15th.
Other Olive Films November Titles
Blu-ray debut of Coffee and Cigarettes (2003); directed by Jim Jarmusch; starring Bill Murray, Roberto Benigni, Cate Blanchett, Alfred Molina, Steve Coogan, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Joie Lee, Steve Buscemi, Steven Wright, Isaach De Bankole, Jack White, Meg White, Taylor Mead, GZA, and RZA.
Blu-ray debut of Pimpernel Smith (1941); directed by Leslie Howard; starring Leslie Howard, Francis L. Sullivan, Mary Morris, Allan Jeayes, Peter Gawthorne, and Arthur Hambling.
Blu-ray debut of One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942); directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger; starring Godfrey Tearle, Eric Portman, Hugh Williams, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden, Emrys Jones, Googie Withers, and Pamela Brown.
Blu-ray debut of Houdini (1953); directed by George Marshall; starring Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Torin Thatcher, Sig Ruman, and Angela Clarke.
Blu-ray debut of Carrington (1995); directed by Christopher Hampton; starring Emma Thompson, Jonathan Pryce, Steven Waddington, Samuel West, Rufus Sewell, and Penelope Wilton.
Blu-ray debut of Lulu Belle (1948); directed by Leslie Fenton; starring Dorothy Lamour, George Montgomery, Albert Dekker, Otto Kruger, Glenda Farrell, and Greg McClure.
About Olive Films
Olive Films is a Chicago-based boutique theatrical and home entertainment distribution label dedicated to bringing independent, foreign, documentary, and classic films to life. Its catalog boasts over 500 titles ranging from Hollywood classics to contemporary titles. More information about Olive Films may be found at olivefilms.com.
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