The Dancing Hawk: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Poland, 1977
Director: Grzegorz Królikiewicz
Writer: Grzegorz Królikiewicz
Cast: Franciszek Trzeciak, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Beata Tumkiewicz, Czeslaw Przybyla, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Józef Fryzlewicz, Irena Orska, Stanislaw Jaskiewicz, Jerzy Zelnik

Release Date: March 23rd, 2026 (UK), March 24th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK), $39.95 (USA)

"A peasant’s son rises through the ranks of post-war Polish society like none of his ancestors ever could. Moving to the city, he becomes part of a new socialist order. But in leaving his rural roots behind, does he also abandon his soul?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The Dancing Hawk underwent digitization and digital restoration at the National Film Archive - Audiovisual Institute (FINA). The process included 4K film scanning, conforming digital image and sound restoration, color grading, and mastering. The work was carried out by FINA’s digitization and restoration team under the artistic supervision of Zbigniew Wichłacz and with substantive consultation by Zbigniew Rybczyński. Sound restoration was completed by the Moovi studio. The film was delivered to Radiance Films as a digital master and is presented in its original aspect ratio."

The Dancing Hawk comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.5 GB

Feature: 27 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Polish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with film critic Carmen Gray (16 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), two short films directed by cinematographer Zbigniew Rybczyński: Soup (8 minutes 38 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with text in Polish and removable English subtitles) and Oh! I Can’t Stop! (10 minutes 10 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono with text in Polish and removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings and a 24-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Dancing Hawk: Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s Plebeian and Multidimensional Citizen Kane written by Piotr Kletowski, and information about the transfer.

Soup: “A colorful experimental portrait of the maddening rituals and hypnotic routines of married life." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Oh! I Can’t Stop!: “This surreal and comedic short film is shot from the point of view of an unseen monster/camera who runs through everything and everyone at increased speeds." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Summary:

A poor country boy loses sight of who he was as he climbs the social ladder and is put in charge of a factory.

The Dancing Hawk, like Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s other films, revolves around a marginalized protagonist. Although many of his contemporaries were making adventurous cinema that thinks outside of the box, Grzegorz Królikiewicz’s films never fall into conventional cinema, making his films difficult to digest. His filmmaking style features unconventional framing with odd angles, and his use of sound can be quite jarring.

Although The Dancing Hawk was adapted from Julian Kawalec's novel of the same name, it is also a film that was influenced by Citizen Kane, a film the director greatly admired. A clear nod to Citizen Kane is the use of newsreel footage featuring its protagonist. The narrative follows the life of Michal Toporny, starting at his birth and culminating in his return to his birthplace. By the time he faces his moment of truth, Michal has undergone significant transformation, severing his ties to his humble origins.

Franciszek Trzeciak is cast in the role of Michal Toporny; he’s a frequent collaborator of Grzegorz Królikiewicz, having portrayed the protagonist in Through and Through. His performance bears most of the weight, with the rest of the cast merely being background characters that further Michal Toporny’s story. That said, the performances might put off anyone expecting anything that resembles conventional acting.

Visuals play a significant role in The Dancing Hawk, a film that often goes for long stretches without any spoken dialogue. Throughout, there are many striking moments visually, notably when it comes to violence and carnage. Rather than depicting the events directly, the film relies heavily on sound to convey the impact, only revealing the aftermath of these moments. Ultimately, The Dancing Hawk is a cautionary film about the pursuit of success and the negatives associated with it.

The Dancing Hawk gets an excellent release from Radiance Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two short films, and a pair of insightful extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Swordsman Trilogy: Hong Kong Cinema Classics – Shout! Factory (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1990 (Swordsman), Hong Kong, 1992 (Swordsman II), Hong Kong, 1993 (Swordsman III: The East Is Red)
Directors: King Hu (Swordsman), Ching Siu-tung (Swordsman, Swordsman II, Swordsman III: The East Is Red), Tsui Hark (Swordsman), Raymond Lee (Swordsman, Swordsman III: The East Is Red)
Cast: Samuel Hui, Cecilia Yip, Jacky Cheung, Sharla Cheung, Fennie Yuen, Lau Siu-ming (Swordsman), Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan, Michelle Reis, Waise Lee, Fennie Yuen (Swordsman II), Brigitte Lin, Joey Wong, Yu Rongguang, Wang Ching-ying, Eddy Ko, Lau Shun, Kingdom Yuen, Lam Ching-ying, Lee Ka-ding (Swordsman III: The East Is Red)

Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 117 Minutes 46 Seconds (Swordsman), 108 Minutes 48 Seconds (Swordsman II), 97 Minute 26 Seconds (Swordsman III: The East Is Red)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (Swordsman), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (All Films), DTS-HD Mono English (Swordsman, Swordsman II)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (Swordsman, Swordsman II)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $64.99

Swordsman​: "A kung fu manual known as the sacred scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.​" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Swordsman II:​ "Ling Wu Chung (Jet Li) decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying, has been abducted.​" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Swordsman III: The East is Red​: "A royal official accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs to see the site of the defeat of the evil Invincible Asia, who attained supernatural abilities by following the sacred scroll and castrating himself. As Invincible Asia seeks to destroy all they deem "imposters," the Portuguese sailors, a mysterious Japanese warlord, and others search for them in turn." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Swordsman - 4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Swordsman - Blu-ray), 4/5 (Swordsman II, Swordsman III: The East Is Red)

Here’s the information provided about Swordsman​'s transfer, "4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative."

Swordsman​ comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 78.1 GB

Feature: 77.8 GB

This is a solid restoration; flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Swordsman comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 32.3 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

​Here’s the information provided about Swordsman II and Swordsman III: The East is Red transfers, "1080p high definition widescreen (1.85:1)."

Swordsman II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 32.2 GB

Feature: 29.9 GB

Swordsman III: The East is Red comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

Although the sources look better than these two films' previous home media releases, there is still room for improvement. That said, flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

Swordsman and Swordsman II come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono Cantonese and a DTS-HD mono English. Subtitle options include non-removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track, non-removable English SDH for the English language track, and non-removable English subtitles for Cantonese text displayed during the English language track. Swordsman III: The East Is Red comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles. All of the tracks are in excellent shape; dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and action sequences sound appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras on Swordsman’s blu-ray include a theatrical trailer (5 minutes 22 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with author Grady Hendrix titled Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Wuxia (18 minutes 1 second, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with general manager/executive producer Terence Chang titled Hark's Dynasty: The Early Years of Film Workshop (11 minutes 1 second, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), a career retrospective with editor David Wu titled David Wu: Proud Wanderer (14 minutes 52 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Fennie Yuen titled Cult of Personality (6 minutes 49 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), and an interview with co-director Raymond Lee titled A Time of Legends (10 minutes 36 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles).

Extras for Swordsman II include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 52 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with actress Fennie Yuen titled Phoenix Rising (6 minutes 39 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles).

Extras for Swordsman III: The East Is Red include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 46 seconds, DTS-HD mono Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles) and an interview with Raymond Lee titled A Return to Wuxia (11 minutes 13 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

There are two constants throughout the Swordsman trilogy: director Ching Siu-tung (Duel to the Death) and producer Tsui Hark (Peking Opera Blues). Besides Ching Siu-tung, there were three other filmmakers who are credited as directors: King Hu (Come Drink with Me) and Tsui Hark contributed to Swordsman, while Raymond Lee (Dragon Inn) contributed to Swordsman and Swordsman III: The East Is Red. Although Ching Siu-tung and producer Tsui Hark are the only two who worked on all three films, it is the latter whose creative imprint can be felt throughout.

Swordsman: A kung fu manual known as the Sacred Scroll is stolen from the emperor's library and an army detachment is sent to recover it. Besides the emperor's men, there are others who seek to obtain the manual, which accidentally ends up in the hands of Ling-wu Chung, a gifted young martial artist.

Swordsman II: Ling-wu Chung is drawn back into the fold when a princess is abducted after withdrawing from the martial world. 

Swordsman III: The East Is Red: A martial artist who's obtained supernatural powers comes out of hiding to eliminate all of those who have been impersonating them, as these impersonators threaten the balance of power in the martial world and endanger innocent lives.

Swordsman is an adaptation of Jin Yong's novel The Smiling Proud Wanderer, while its predecessors are loose adaptations of said novel, which mostly use characters from it. Swordsman and the two films that followed it are credited with reviving the wuxia film, a genre that is Hong Kong’s most resilient. King Hu, the original director of Swordsman, is a key figure in the evolution of the wuxia film, making his hiring an obvious choice. That said, it is unfortunate that he left the film midway, since the end result lacks his spirit.

Although there is a linear thread that connects each film to the next, besides directors, there were many cast changes throughout the series. The first two films were centered on Ling-wu Chung and have a stronger connection to Jin Yong's novel, while Dongfang Bubai, aka Invincible Dawn, the protagonist of Swordsman III: The East Is Red, is a minor character in the novel. That said, Invincible Dawn is an interesting character who castrates himself, a prerequisite for studying the Sunflower manual. Where the source novel clearly portrays Dongfang Bubai as a man, in Swordsman II they evolve from a man into a woman through their studying of the Sunflower manual.

Throughout the trilogy, each film was able to draw significant names of Hong Kong cinema, like Jacky Cheung (Bullet in the Head), Sharla Cheung (God of Gamblers), Jet Li (Tai Chi Master), Brigitte Lin (The Bride with White Hair), Rosamund Kwan (Once Upon a Time in China), Michelle Reis (Fallen Angels), Joey Wong (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose), Yu Rongguang (Iron Monkey) and Lam Ching-ying (Mr. Vampire). All around, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Brigitte Lin’s portrayal of the androgynous Invincible Dawn.

While each film has a strong story that quickly draws you in and holds your attention, the main draw of these three films is their exemplary swordplay and impressive stunt work. There are an abundance of elaborate action set pieces, and each film saves its best for its finales. While Swordsman takes on a serious tone, its two predecessors are very effective when it comes to throwing humor into the mix. There are no issues with pacing or building momentum as each film perfectly balances exposition and action set pieces.

Out of these three films, Swordsman II is the most recognizable because it stars Jet Li, while Swordsman is often regarded as the strongest narrative of the three, which is not surprising since it is the film that remains closest to the source novel. Some may say Swordsman III: The East Red is the odd film among the three; in my opinion, it is the most entertaining of the trio. That said, when considered as a whole, each film offers something uniquely distinct.

The Swordsman Trilogy gets a solid release from Shout Factory that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

                                           
                                                          Blu-ray Screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Priest – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1978
Director: Eloy de la Iglesia
Writer: Enrique Barreiro
Cast: Simón Andreu, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, José Franco, Ramón Repáraz, Ramón Pons, Queta Claver, África Pratt, Esperanza Roy

Release Date: February 3rd, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 100 Minutes 6 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $219.95 (Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain)

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “HD master provided by Grupa W. Associates.”

The Priest comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 20.5 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds and the score are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with actor Emilio Gutiérrez Caba titled The Socialist Priest (14 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Martín Garrido Ramis titled A Provocative Filmmaker (8 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and a short film directed by Alejo Loren titled El otro Luis (21 minutes 24 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles).

El otro Luis: A young straight man hides his secret life of having sex with men for money from his family.

Alejo Loren was a friend and collaborator of Eloy de la Iglesia, who would use cues from the score of El otro Luis for his film Confessions of a Congressman. Thematically, El otro Luis has themes that Eloy de la Iglesia's Quinqui films would explore.

The Priest is currently only available as part of a collection of films titled Exorcismo: Defying A Dictator & Raising Hell In Post-Franco Spain. That release comes with 17 additional films, a documentary about Spanish cinema titled Exorcismo: The Transgressive Legacy of Clasificada "S," and a 168-page book.

Summary:

Eloy de la Iglesia directed The Priest. He's known for The Glass Ceiling, The Cannibal Man, No One Heard the Scream, Murder in a Blue World, The Creature, and El pico.

A priest overwhelmed by his sexual desires goes to his fellow priests for help. When they are unable to offer him solutions, he takes drastic measures to curb his libido.

Eloy de la Iglesia was a filmmaker who always pushed boundaries, even when faced with strict censorship laws. After the passing of Francisco Franco, censorship of cinema would cease to exist and for the decade that followed, cinema in Spanish would have an anything-goes approach to it. While other filmmakers might exploit the premise of a film like The Priest, Eloy de la Iglesia offers a nuanced exploration of a man torn between his commitment to God and his sexual desires.

The narrative excels at developing the protagonist's character. It is propelled by two main factors: his struggle to resolve his inner conflicts and the absence of empathy from those around him. The narrative effectively builds momentum by introducing a series of temptations for the protagonist, which build to a point that pushes him over the edge. That said, when the moment of truth finally arrives, the protagonist has finally become comfortable with who he is and moved on from temptation.

While there is no doubt that Eloy de la Iglesia was an extraordinary filmmaker known for his exploration of the human condition, it is important to acknowledge the contributions of his collaborators. Simón Andreu (The Blood Spattered Bride) is cast in the role of Padre Miguel, a priest unable to control his sexual desires. Over the course of his career, he would work with Eloy de la Iglesia six times. While he delivers a remarkable performance that stands out from the rest of the cast, Esperanza Roy (Battered Flesh) delivers another performance of note in the role of a housewife who becomes emotionally attached to Padre Miguel.

Although Eloy de la Iglesia lets the performance take center stage, there is an ample number of visually arresting moments. The visuals are rich with symbolism, featuring striking moments such as a flashback that reveals why Padre Miguel chose the priesthood, scenes depicting his sexual fantasies, and instances where he self-mutilates to suppress his desires. Another area where The Priest excels is its score, which is mostly made up of classical music. Ultimately, The Priest is an extraordinary exploration of the conflict that arises from earthly desires and spirituality.

Severin Films gives The Priest an exceptional release that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer