New Release: Excalibur and The Mission Blu-ray

Excalibur movie scene

Excalibur

Warner Home Video brought two 1980s classic films to Blu-ray, both starring Liam Neeson (The A-Team): 1986 historical drama The Mission on Dec. 7, 2010, and 1981 sword fantasy Excalibur on March 8, 2011.

The Mission Blu-ray was available earlier at Amazon through an exclusive agreement.

Also starring Robert De Niro (Once Upon a Time in America), Jeremy Irons (Eragon) and Aidan Quinn (Flipped), The Mission tells the story of a group of 18th century Spanish Jesuits who try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe who are in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal. Directed by Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields), the movie won an Oscar for best cinematography and was nominated for six others, including best director and best picture. The screenplay by Robert Bolt (Doctor Zhivago) and Ennio Morricone’s (The Untouchables) score also won Golden Globe awards.

The Mission Blu-ray boxPriced at $24.98, the Blu-ray includes these special features:

  • commentary by Joffe
  • and the BBC Omnibus documentary People On a Mission, chronicling the movie’s South American location shoot and the lives of the Waunana Indians who portrayed the film’s Guanari tribespeople.

Directed by John Boorman, the helmer behind Deliverance, Excalibur tells the story of legendary King Arthur and is based on a book by Thomas Malory. The film’s cast is made up of a who’s who of actors from the U.K., including Neeson, Helen Mirren (Red, The Last Station), Patrick Stewart (X-Men), Gabriel Byrne (TV’s In Treatment) and Ciaran Hinds (Road to Perdition).

The Excalibur Blu-ray, priced at $19.98, was not the movie’s high-definition debut, as Warner released the film on HD DVD before that format lost out to Blu-ray in the high-def war.

 

Buy or Rent Excalibur
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Blu-ray | Instant Video
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Buy or Rent The Mission
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Blu-ray | Instant Video
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About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.