‘Symphony for a Massacre’ and ‘1883’ Come Home on Blu-ray and DVD

SYMPHONY FOR A MASSACRE. (DVD Artwork). ©Cohen Film Collection.

Movies

Symphony for a Massacre (Crime, Drama)

“Symphony for a Massacre,” the stylish 1963 heist noir from the master of the French crime film, director Jacques Deray, comes to Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, August 30, from Cohen Film Collection.

Five men tied to businesses with varying degrees of legality pool their money to go in on one huge narcotics deal that can set them up for life — and will test their loyalties. Deray assembled an impressive cast to star in the film, including Charles Vanel (“Wages of Fear”), Michel Auclair (“The Day of the Jackal”), future director José Giovanni (“Two Men to Kill”) who also co-wrote the film, and Jean Rochefort, in a brilliant casting against type from his largely comedic roles up until then.

Restored in 2K from a 4K scan of the surviving 35MM interpositive (the negative is lost), “Symphony for a Massacre” boasts stunning black-and-white photography supported by a lush and memorable score. The film is presented in French with English subtitles and features two bonus features: “The Score of ‘Symphony for a Massacre,’” a 28-minute evaluation of the film by François Guérif, screenwriter and film noir historian, and Jean Rochefort biographer Jean-Philippe Guerand, and the re-release trailer.

TV Shows

1883 (Drama, Western)

Embark on an epic journey west with the Dutton family in Academy Award-nominee Taylor Sheridan’s acclaimed original series “1883,” arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday August 30, from Paramount Home Entertainment. The series is also currently streaming on Paramount+.

The hit prequel to the Emmy-nominated series “Yellowstone,” “1883” follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey through the Great Plains. It is a stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.

The limited series produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios stars Academy Award-nominee Sam Elliott, Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw, Grammy Award winner Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen and James Landry Hébert. It is Paramount+’s most-watched title ever globally and was the biggest new series premiere on cable since 2015 during its sampling event on Paramount Network.

The “1883” three-disc Blu-ray and four-disc DVD sets include all 10 episodes, plus more than two hours of bonus content, including the never-before-seen featurettes “A Land of Peril & Wonder: The Journey of ‘1883’” and “From Cast to Cowboys: Creating the Pioneer Spirit.” The sets also include the additional special features “‘1883:’ The Road West,” “Inside ‘1883’” and “Behind the Story.”