Shout! Factory Unveils 20th Anniversary Edition of The Shadow
The Shadow, the template for most of comic books’ mystery men, captured America’s imagination in radio and pulp magazines for decades. His paperback revival in the 1960s and 1970s (the latter with spectacular covers from Steranko) led to his brilliant portrayal by Denny O’Neil and Michael William Kaluta in the short-lived DC Comics adaptation. Currently, he’s cutting down the weed of crime for Dynamite Entertainment but this overlooked gem of a film is worth a look. Here are the official details:
Who knows what evil lurks in the shadow of men? The Shadow knows! Adapted from the long-running classic radio program and Walter B. Gibson’s popular pulp fiction, legendary crime-fighting superhero The Shadow comes to life in the 1994 film adaptation THE SHADOW, starring Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) from visionary filmmaker Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil: Extinction, Highlander). Brimming with non-stop action and suspense, this wildly entertaining cinematic adventure also stars John Lone (The Last Emperor), Penelope Ann Miller (Carlito’s Way), Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond), Ian McKellen (X-Men), Jonathan Winters (The Smurfs) and Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). On February 25, 2014, Shout! Factory will release THE SHADOW: COLLECTOR’S EDITION Blu-ray™, featuring new high definition transfer of this cult classic and all-new interviews with filmmaker Russell Mulcahy, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller and more. A must-have for movie collectors and pop culture enthusiasts to complete their entertainment library, this definitive collector’s edition Blu-ray release of THE SHADOW is priced to own at $29.93 SRP.
Alec Baldwin stars with Penelope Ann Miller as the legendary crime-fighting superhero in “The wittiest action-adventure since Indiana Jones!” (NBC News). Donning his sweeping black cape and disguise, The Shadow takes on his most dangerous nemesis yet: the last descendant of the great Genghis Khan whose weapon of choice is an atomic bomb. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, they square off for a spectacular battle in a dazzling mixture of mind-blowing special effects, humor and a dose of the macabre that will hold you spellbound!
UNIVERSAL PICTURES presents A BREGMAN/BAER Production. A Film by RUSSELL MULCAHY
ALEC BALDWIN, JOHN LONE, PENELOPE ANN MILLER “THE SHADOW”
PETER BOYLE, IAN McKELLEN, JONATHAN WINTERS and TIM CURRY
Music by JERRY GOLDSMITH, Music Supervisor JELLYBEAN BENITEZ, Co-Executive Producer STAN WESTON,
Costume Designer BOB RINGWOOD, Edited by PETER HONESS, Production Designer JOSEPH NEMEC, III.
Director of Photography STEPHEN H. BURUM A.S.C., Executive Producers LOUIS A. STROLLER, ROLF DEYHLE,
Written by DAVID KOEPP, Produced by MARTIN BREGMAN, WILLI BÄR, MICHAEL S. BREGMAN
Directed by RUSSELL MULCAHY, A UNIVERSAL RELEASE
Special Features:
- New interviews with Director Russell Mulcahy, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, Production Designer Joseph Nemec, III., Director Of Photography Stephen H. Burum and Writer David Koepp
- Theatrical Trailer
- 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1)/DTS Master Audio 5.1/1994/Color/108 minutes/Subtitles: English
Overall the film was great.
That damned pneumatic tube still gripes me twenty years later.
Like The Phantom, this is a far better film than people realize. Its biggest mistake were the witty quips they gave to Baldwin, very out of character with Mr. Cranston. Not sure why Jonathan Winters chose to be in it, but he did a fine job in a straight role. One of Tim Curry’s early scenery chewers as well. Peter Boyle NAILS Scrhevvie.
And a Jim Steinman song over the end credits is always a plus. “Original Sin ” was recycled from the album by Jim’s studio girl band, Pandora’s Box. Also features the original (and superior) version of “It’s All Coming Back to me Now”