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One of the Most Spectacular Motion Pictures Ever Made and a Collection of Six Rarely Seen Shockers From Hollywood's Decadent Early Days Kick Off the New Universal Backlot Series

Posted on: Friday, 13 February 2009, 05:00 CST

CLEOPATRA - 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION AND THE PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION

THE CHEAT

MERRILY WE GO TO HELL

HOT SATURDAY

TORCH SINGER

MURDER AT THE VANITIES

SEARCH FOR BEAUTY

Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Randolph Scott, Sylvia Sidney and Kitty Carlisle Star in Some of the Most Daring Films in History

Available on DVD on April 7, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Studios Home Entertainment proudly announces the launch of the Universal Backlot Series of historic cinematic gems on DVD on April 7, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The first entries in the landmark series include The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, six films from most decadent era in motion picture history that pre-date Hollywood's motion picture rating system, and Cecil B. DeMille's Oscar(R)-nominated historical epic, Cleopatra - 75th Anniversary Edition.

Universal is opening its vaults of rare treasures, overlooked groundbreaking work and films of historical and cultural importance for the Universal Backlot Series. Each motion picture in the series will be digitally remastered from original film elements and presented in its intended aspect ratio to help preserve its place in cinema history. Many of the films will be available on DVD for the very first time and will include a wealth of revealing new bonus features. The films, along with the documentaries, feature commentary, and archival materials that accompany them make the Universal Backlot Series essential additions to every serious cinema collection.

The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, a 3-DVD set, is priced at $49.98 and includes a physical reproduction of the actual "Production Code" document in the DVD set. Cleopatra - 75th Anniversary Edition retails for $29.98 and includes 3 collectible lobby cards. Preorder close for both is 2/17/2009.

THE PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION

For the first time ever on DVD, The Cheat, Merrily We Go to Hell, Hot Saturday, Torch Singer, Murder at the Vanities and Search for Beauty will be available for home viewing in The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, a new 3-disc DVD collection that also includes a fascinating bonus featurette revealing the secrets of Hollywood's racy, risque early days. Featuring films starring screen legends Cary Grant, Fredric March, Claudette Colbert, Tallulah Bankhead, Randolph Scott, and Sylvia Sidney, The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection captures a unique and little known period in cinema history.

Before the 1934 introduction of the restrictive "Production Code" changed the way movies were made for the next four decades, Hollywood filmmakers operated virtually free from censorship. During the "pre-Code" era that lasted from 1929 to mid-1934, no subject was too scandalous. The public demanded graphic stories designed to titillate and shock, and the studios produced astonishing tales filled with adultery, prostitution, murder, illegal drug use, homosexuality and nudity.

BONUS FEATURES:

• FORBIDDEN FILM: THE PRODUCTION CODE ERA: A featurette on the "Pre-Code Hollywood" era in which filmmakers had no rules.

SYNOPSES:

The Cheat

Hollywood wild child Tallulah Bankhead stars as a woman willing to do anything to pay off her gambling debts in an opulent and extravagant drama set in the sheltered environs of the uber-rich. Elsa Carlyle (Bankhead) is on the brink of financial ruin until she recklessly accepts help from lecherous scoundrel Hardy Livingstone (Irving Pichel). Livingston's only condition is that she betrays her husband with him. When Elsa attempts to change the terms of their deal, Livingston's shocking revenge could mean the end of Elsa's sheltered world.

Merrily We Go to Hell

Abusive alcoholic Jerry Corbett (Fredric March) marries heiress Joan Prentiss (Sylvia Sidney), who helps him realize his dreams of becoming a playwright. Jerry's flagrant affair with his leading lady (Adrienne Ames) pushes Joan into the arms of a charismatic young actor (Cary Grant), but dueling infidelities drive the couple apart before Joan can tell Jerry she is carrying his child.

Hot Saturday

Scandal erupts after a flirtatious young woman spends a night with a notorious playboy. Ruth Brock (Nancy Carroll) already has a reputation for being "fast" in her small town, but when she stays overnight at the home of wealthy Romer Sheffield (Cary Grant), tongues start wagging overtime. Even her fiance (Randolph Scott) begins to think something is amiss when Ruth suddenly decides to move up their wedding date and Ruth finds herself caught in a web of malicious gossip that threatens to ruin her life.

Torch Singer

Abandoned by her lover, Sally Trent (Claudette Colbert) struggles unsuccessfully to provide for herself and illegitimate daughter. After she is forced to give up her child for adoption, Sally reinvents herself as Mimi Benton, a successful torch singer with a reputation for hard living. But she is also Aunt Jenny, the hostess of a children's radio program, who tells bedtime stories and sings lullabies. When Mimi realizes that her daughter may be listening to Aunt Jenny, she mounts a campaign to find her using the show.

Murder at the Vanities

While the sexy musical revue "The Vanities" captivates an audience on its opening night, a murder investigation takes place backstage. As the mystery unravels behind the curtain, performers Gertrude Michael, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Sheridan, Lucille Ball and Duke Ellington go on with the show, presenting a wealth of memorable musical numbers including "Cocktails for Two," "Where Do They Come From?" and the film's most notorious number, "Sweet Marijuana."

Search for Beauty

Real life Olympic swimming champion Buster Crabbe stars opposite Ida Lupino in a fast-paced satire of health-food hucksterism and Hollywood hype. Inspired by the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, three con artists trick prize-winning athletes into endorsing a racy magazine--and much worse. The athletes agree to be talent scouts for what they think is a fitness magazine, not realizing that it is being transformed into a far more lurid enterprise.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Street date: April 7, 2009

Selection number: 61106092

Price: SRP $49.98

Running Time: Approx. 7 Hours 53 Minutes

Layers: Dual Layer

Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33.1

Rating: Not Rated

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

CLEOPATRA - 75TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Nominated for five Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Cleopatra is classic DeMillean spectacle. Claudette Colbert stars as the cunning Queen of the Nile, with Warren William as Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcoxon as Marc Antony. Featuring a digitally remastered picture and all-new bonus features, Cleopatra - 75th Anniversary Edition is a stunning tribute to one of the most breathtaking motion pictures ever made.

BONUS FEATURES:

• CLAUDETTE COLBERT: QUEEN OF THE SILVER SCREEN: An insightful bio of one of the most popular movie stars of the 1930s and 1940s!
• CECIL B. DEMILLE: HOLLYWOOD'S EPIC DIRECTOR: A documentary on one of the greatest showmen in Hollywood history.
• FORBIDDEN FILM: THE PRODUCTION CODE ERA: A featurette on the "Pre-Code Hollywood" era in which filmmakers had no rules.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY: With filmmaker F.X. Feeney.
• THEATRICAL TRAILER: The original promotional trailer for the theatrical release.

SYNOPSIS

History tells of the ruthless and ambitious Queen of the Nile. Exquisitely beautiful, she uses seduction as her weapon, luring Roman leader Julius Caesar (Warren William) into leaving his wife for her. But Cleopatra's grandiose plans for their future are thwarted when Caesar is brutally murdered. Her grief is short-lived, however, as she turns her attention to Caesar's successor, Marc Antony (Henry Wilcoxon). As a result, Antony's rule is soon fraught with betrayal and anguish, leading to a startling conclusion the Daily Express hailed as, "A great cinematic achievement, a spectacle of breathtaking brilliance."

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

Street date: April 7, 2009

Selection number: 61106005

Price: SRP $29.98

Running Time: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

Layers: Dual Layer

Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33.1

Rating: Not Rated

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitle

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

CAST AND FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon

Director: Cecil B. DeMille

Writing Credits: Bartlett Cormack, Waldemar Young, Vincent Lawrence

For artwork, please log on to our website at www.ushepublicity.com

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Contacts: Universal Studios Home Entertainment Lea Porteneuve Vice President, Publicity & Communications 818 777-1391 Lea.Porteneuve@nbcuni.com Cathy Scott Publicist on Behalf of Universal Studios Home Entertainment (818) 777-0546 Cathy.Scott@nbcuni.com

SOURCE Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Source: PR Newswire

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