Arrow Video announces elaborate 4K UHD and Blu-ray box sets of Battle Royale and Donnie Darko
The gorgeous new sets arrive on April 26, 2021.
Arrow Video has announced elaborate 4K UHD and Blu-ray box sets for the cult favourites Battle Royale and Donnie Darko, due on April 26.
The Japanese 2000 cult classic Battle Royale gets a lavish treatment including the theatrical and Kinji Fukasaku’s director’s cut of the original film, along with the theatrical and director’s cut of the sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, a huge array of special features, a CD of the original film soundtrack, a 120-page book, and much more.
Richard Kelly’s 2001 smash debut Donnie Darko comes to 4K UHD with both the theatrical and director’s cuts of the film, all of the special features from the previous Arrow Video Blu-ray release, as well as a 100-page hardcover book featuring new writing on the film.
Check out the specs for both releases below. Pre-orders for both sets are live on the Arrow Video site now. Note that while 4K UHD discs are region-free, the Blu-ray sets will be region-locked, so double-check which region you’re in before you purchase (or better yet, grab yourself a region-free Blu-ray player and get ready to say goodbye to your savings account).
We recently spoke with Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly about the new Arrow release of Southland Tales, his initial difficulties finding a distributor for Donnie Darko, and how Christopher Nolan was instrumental in the film getting seen. Read that review here.
BATTLE ROYALE 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new 4K restoration of the Original Theatrical Version and Special Edition Director’s Cut of Battle Royale from the original camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by Kenta Fukasaku
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both versions of Battle Royale in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the Battle Royale II: Requiem theatrical cut and the Battle Royale II: Revenge extended cut
- Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles
- Original soundtrack CD for Battle Royale [Limited Edition Exclusive]
- Kinji Fukasaku: Man of Rage, an exclusive 120-page monograph on the director by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes [Limited Edition Exclusive]
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new essays by Matt Alt and Anne Billson and archival articles
- Exclusive Battle Royale collectors’ Trump Card set [Limited Edition Exclusive]
- Reversible poster with new artwork [Limited Edition Exclusive]
DISC ONE – BATTLE ROYALE: ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSION (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
- Battle Royale at 20: Back to School, an exclusive new 42-minute documentary about the legacy of Battle Royale
- Bloody Education: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale, a brand new exclusive interview with the film’s producer and screenwriter
- The Making of Battle Royale: The Experience of 42 High School Students, documentary featuring footage from the shooting of the film and cast and crew discussions
- The Slaughter of 42 High School Students, a look behind the scenes of the shoot
- Behind the scenes footage with comments from the cast and crew
- Filming on Set, a look at the shooting of key scenes from the film
- Conducting Battle Royale with the Warsaw National Philharmonic, archive footage of Masamichi Amano conducting the soundtrack rehearsal
DISC TWO – BATTLE ROYALE: SPECIAL EDITION DIRECTOR’S CUT (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
- Shooting the Special Edition, on-location featurette with footage of the cast and crew reuniting for the shoot of the Special Edition
- Royale Rehearsals, featurette on Kinji Fukasaku directing the film’s young cast
- Masamichi Amano Conducts Battle Royale, archive featurette
- Takeshi Kitano Interview, filmed on location with the Japanese star
- The Correct Way to Fight in Battle Royale, instructional video explaining the rules of the game
- The Correct Way to Make ‘Battle Royale’: Birthday Version, a new version of the original instructional video made to celebrate Kinji Fukasaku’s birthday
- Premiere Press Conference, preceding the film’s first public screening
- Tokyo International Film Festival Presentation, with footage from the gala screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival
- Opening Day at the Marunouchi Toei Movie Theatre, archive footage of the Japanese opening
- Special Effects Comparison showing how the film’s violent killings were created
- Original Trailers and TV spots
- Kinji Fukasaku trailer reel, a collection of original trailers for Fukasaku’s classic yakuza films from the 70s
- Image Gallery
DISC THREE – BATTLE ROYALE II: REQUIEM (BLU-RAY)
- Bloody Graduation: Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale II, an exclusive brand new interview with the director and screenwriter of Battle Royale II
- Behind the Scenes of Battle Royale II, on-location featurette during the film’s shoot
- Rehearsals footage of the auditions and pre-production rehearsals
- War and Struggle, featurette of the cast discussing their thoughts on war
- Alternate Piano Scene
- The Recording of the Music Score, archive footage of Masamichi Amano and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
- Opening Gala with The Orchestra, featuring a public introduction by the director and main cast
- Battle Royale II Premiere, a featurette on the film’s first screening at the Marunouchi Toei Movie Theatre
- Trailers and TV spots
- Image gallery
DISC FOUR – BATTLE ROYALE II: REVENGE (BLU-RAY)
- A Tribute to Kinji Fukasaku, featuring scenes of Kinji Fukasaku on the location of Battle Royale II
- Kinji Fukasaku’s 73rd Birthday: A Speech by Kenta Fukasaku, paying public tribute to his father
DISC FIVE – BATTLE ROYALE (SOUNDTRACK CD)
- CD featuring the complete score to Battle Royale by Masamichi Amano and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
DONNIE DARKO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- New 4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- 100-page hardcover book featuring writing by Nathan Rabin, Anton Bitel and Jamie Graham, an in-depth interview with Richard Kelly, an introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal and contemporary coverage, illustrated with original stills and promotional materials
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
- Six double-sided collector’s postcards
- Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Luke Preece
DISC 1 – THE THEATRICAL CUT [4K UHD BLU-RAY]
- Audio commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal
- Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval
- Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of Donnie Darko, a documentary by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures on the making of Donnie Darko, containing interviews with writer-director Richard Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick, cinematographer Steven Poster, editor Sam Bauer, composer Michael Edwards, costume designer April Ferry, production designer Alec Hammond and actor James Duval
- The Goodbye Place, Kelly’s 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and ideas of his feature films
- 20 deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
- Trailer
DISC 2 – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT [4K UHD BLU-RAY]
- Audio commentary by Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith
- The Donnie Darko Production Diary, an archival documentary charting the film’s production, with optional commentary by cinematographer Steven Poster
- Archive interviews with Kelly, actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Noah Wyle and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala, and cinematographer Steven Poster
- Three archive featurettes: They Made Me Do It, They Made Me Do It Too and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary
- Storyboard comparisons
- B-roll footage
- Cunning Visions infomercials
- Music video: Mad World by Gary Jules
- Galleries
- Director’s Cut trailer
- TV spots
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