Adventure Calls! Karl May At CCC – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: West Germany/Yugoslavia/Italy, 1964 (Old Shatterhand), West Germany/Yugoslavia/Italy, 1968 (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), West Germany/France/Italy/Yugoslavia, 1964 (The Shoot), Spain/West Germany, 1965 (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), West Germany/France/Italy, 1965 (The Treasure of the Aztecs), France/Italy/West Germany/Yugoslavia, 1965 (The Pyramid of the Sun God)
Directors: Hugo Fregonese (Old Shatterhand), Harald Reinl (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), Robert Siodmak (The Shoot, The Treasure of the Aztecs, The Pyramid of the Sun God), Franz Josef Gottlieb (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion)
Cast: Lex Barker, Guy Madison, Pierre Brice, Daliah Lavi, Ralf Wolter (Old Shatterhand), Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, Rik Battaglia, Karin Dor, Ralf Wolter (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter, Rik Battaglia, Marianne Hold, Maria Grazia Francia (The Shoot), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter (Through Wild Kurdistan), Lex Barker, Marie Versini, Ralf Wolter, Sieghardt Rupp (In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), Lex Barker, Gérard Barray, Michèle Girardon, Rik Battaglia, Alessandra Panaro (The Treasure of the Aztecs), Lex Barker, Gérard Barray, Michèle Girardon, Rik Battaglia, Hans Nielsen (The Pyramid of the Sun God)

Release Date: April 27th, 2026 (UK), April 28th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 120 Minutes 41 Seconds (Old Shatterhand), 89 Minutes 26 Seconds (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death), 118 Minutes 26 Seconds (The Shoot), 103 Minutes 3 Seconds (Through Wild Kurdistan), 95 Minutes 32 Seconds (In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), 101 Minutes 1 Second (The Treasure of the Aztecs), 98 Minutes 51 Seconds (The Pyramid of the Sun God)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono German (All Films), LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: A,B
Retail Price: £64.99 (UK), $109.95 (USA)

"The writer Karl May is a household name in his native Germany, where he is associated with thrilling Western tales and sweeping adventure stories. Following earlier attempts to bring his novels to the screen, films adapted from May’s work found their greatest success in the 1960s. Seven of them were produced by Artur Brauner at CCC Film, all starring Lex Barker and directed by veteran filmmakers Robert Siodmak, Hugo Fregonese, Franz Josef Gottlieb, and Harald Reinl.

Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death both feature May’s most beloved characters: the frontiersman Old Shatterhand and the Apache chief Winnetou, who find themselves first caught up in a plot to start a war between Native Americans and white settlers and then a scheme to steal a gold shipment from the US Army. The Shoot, Through Wild Kurdistan and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion all follow adventurer Kara Ben Nemsi as he travels through the Balkans and the Middle East, while The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God chart the exploits of Dr Karl Sternau as he seeks vast riches to fund political action in Mexico." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5 (Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death, The Shoot), 3.5/5 (Through Wild Kurdistan, In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion), 4.25/5 (The Treasure of the Aztecs, The Pyramid of the Sun God)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "The Masters of Cinema Series is honored to present all seven of Artur Brauner’s Karl May adaptations for the first time ever on home video in the UK from brand new 4K restorations by CCC Film."

Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB (Old Shatterhand), 17 GB (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death)

The Shoot and Through Wild Kurdistan come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 22.6 GB (The Shoot), 18.3 GB (Through Wild Kurdistan)

In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.1 GB

Feature: 26 GB

The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 21.5 GB (The Treasure of the Aztecs), 19.7 GB (The Pyramid of the Sun God)

The sources for each film have been cleaned up and they all retain an organic look. The best-looking transfers are The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God, while Through Wild Kurdistan and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion are the weakest. Flesh tones look healthy; colors look correct; image clarity and black levels are strong; and compression is solid.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono German - All Tracks), 3/5 (LPCM Mono English - All Tracks)

All films come with a LPCM mono mix in German with removable English subtitles, while Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death, and The Shoot come with a LPCM mono mix in English and German with removable English subtitles for moments not dubbed in English. That said, there's no contest; the German tracks easily beat their English-language counterparts when it comes to depth. The German tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the disc one include a theatrical trailer for Old Shatterhand (3 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (4 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette on actress Daliah Lavi (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival making-of documentary on Old Shatterhand and Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (17 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Sir Christopher Frayling titled Old Shatterhand and the Works of Karl May (25 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (5 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian David Kalat for Old Shatterhand.

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for The Shoot (2 minutes 55 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Through Wild Kurdistan (3 minutes 44 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), archival news footage on The Shoot (51 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival making-of documentary titled Making Karl May's Oriental Cycle (21 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival restoration featurette for The Shoot and Through Wild Kurdistan (21 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Shoot (3 minutes 22 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for Through Wild Kurdistan (3 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc three include a theatrical trailer for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (4 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival restoration featurette for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (3 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with producer Alice Brauner, managing director of CCC Film and daughter of CCC founder Artur Brauner titled Karl May at CCC (15 minutes 29 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on the late career of Robert Siodmak titled Prodigal Son (26 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (3 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc four include a theatrical trailer for The Treasure of the Aztecs (4 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for The Pyramid of the Sun God (4 minutes 5 seconds, LPCM mono German with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Bernhard Schmid, co-editor and contributor to Karl May Verlag (6 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM stereo German with non-removable English subtitles),an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Treasure of the Aztecs (4 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Sir Christopher Frayling for The Pyramid of the Sun God (3 minutes 13 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with David Kalat for The Treasure of the Aztecs.

Other extras include a 60-page book with cast & crew credits for each film, an essay titled The Making of a German Myth: Karl May from Imposter to National Treasure written by Holger Haase, an essay titled A Frontiersman: Karl May and Popular German Cinema written by Tim Bergfelder, an essay titled Old Shatterhand: Reclaiming and Rehabilitating the German Superman Archetype written by Lee Broughton, an essay titled More German Than the Germans: Lex Barker in Germany written by Boris Brosowski, and information about the transfers titled Notes on Viewing. Note: The hard case and book are limited to 2000 copies.

Summary:

All films that are part of this collection were adapted or inspired by German author Karl May’s writings. Karl May wrote adventure stories that he primarily sets in the American Old West, the Orient, and the Middle East. The other key component when discussing the films in this collection is producer Artur Brauner, whose other notable films are a series of Dr. Mabuse films, a series of Krimi films, and a handful of Jess Franco films, notably Vampyros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy.

Old Shatterhand: A Davy Crockett-like adventurer named Old Shatterhand and an Apache Indian named Winnetou try to stop a group of renegade soldiers who are trying to derail a peace treaty between the American government and Indians.

Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death: When an army gold shipment is stolen and the Indians are blamed, Old Shatterhand and Winnetou try to bring the culprits to justice.

Although the Italians are most known for making Euro-Westerns, Germany was another country that made a few notable films. Old Shatterhand has a stronger connection to the Italian westerns because its score was composed by Riz Ortolani, whose notable western scores include Requiescant, Day of Anger, and The Unholy Four. That said, this is where any connection to the Italian spaghetti western ends.

The Shoot: A bandit known as The Shoot terrorizes the Albanian countryside.

Through Wild Kurdistan: When the son of a sheikh is kidnapped by the Turkish military, his father enlists the help of an adventurer named Kara Ben Nemsi.

In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion: An old foe, though dead, comes back to exact his revenge against Kara Ben Nemsi.

The Shoot, Through Wild Kurdistan, and In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion shift the action from the American Old West to the Middle East. Although there is a change of scenery, these films have many traits that are associated with the Western film genre. An episodic narrative connects these three films, picking up where the last left off. Besides the protagonist, Kara Ben Nemsi, there is an array of other characters who play a significant role in these films.

The Treasure of the Aztecs: A German adventurer named Dr. Karl Sternau, wanting to help Mexican revolutionary forces, looks for Aztec treasure to fund their fight against their French occupiers.

The Pyramid of the Sun God: Old enemies and new foes try to get in Dr. Karl Sternau’s way of obtaining Aztec treasure.

Both films are set in Mexico during a revolution and like the Old Shatterhand films that were set in the American Old West, they have a Euro-Western feel. The Treasure of the Aztecs and The Pyramid of the Sun God were directed by Robert Siodmak, who also directed The Shoot. He’s a filmmaker most known for his contributions to film noir. The narrative for The Pyramid of the Sun God picks up right where The Treasure of the Aztecs left off.

When it comes to the cast and performances, the main link throughout is Lex Baxter (La Dolce Vita) in the role of each film's protagonist. While he more than fulfills the role of the hero, each protagonist is essentially the same, albeit in a different part of the world. The rest of the cast features several who appear throughout these seven films in various roles. Another performance of note is Ralf Wolter (One, Two, Three), who portrays the protagonist's sidekick in these films. His characters are the main source for comic relief.

Despite there being four directors who worked on these seven films, they have a uniform style that’s not distinct to any one director. That said, it's clear the main creative force behind these seven films is Artur Brauner. From a production standpoint, all of these films do a remarkable job maximizing their resources. Another strength of these films is the visuals, which do an excellent job showcasing the beautiful vistas featured.

All of the narrative does a superb job drawing you in and holding your attention as they build to their finales. While these films are dialogue heavy, they do not have a good amount of action in them. Through Wild Kurdistan is the film with the most amount of action, and all films save their biggest action set piece for their finale. Ultimately, all of these films are well-crafted and highly entertaining. Recommended for fans of Euro-Western and adventure films.

Adventure Calls! Karl May At CCC is an excellent release from Eureka Video; each film comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

VD – Cult Epics (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Netherlands, 1972
Director: Wim Verstappen
Writers: Wim Verstappen, Charles Gormley, Jan Verstappen
Cast: Kees Brusse, Andrea Domburg, Guus Oster, Ank van der Moer, Rudolf Lucieer, Sonja Barend, Hugo Metsers, Maartje Bijl, Marja Kok, Helmert Woudenberg, Kitty Courbois, Piet Römer, Allard van der Scheer

Release Date: May 26th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 106 Minutes 31 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Dutch, DTS-HD Mono Dutch
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"Cornelis van Doorn is the boss of the family business VD, a factory for meat and birth contraceptives, as well as the godfather of his family. When the old gentleman gets burned out, a new generation is willing to take over the torch on the basis of the proven VD code, but not without conflict." – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New restored 2K transfer."

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

Disc Size: 39.1 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB

The source is in excellent shape; it is free of any debris, flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Dutch, DTS-HD Mono Dutch)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Dutch and a DTS-HD mono mix in Dutch. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, the score and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a photo gallery (15 images—posters/stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Dutch with removable English subtitles), a short film titled Festival of Love directed by Wim Verstappen (34 minutes 49 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Dutch with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Peter Verstraten, reversible cover art with original Dutch poster art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Other extras include a collection of Scorpio Films trailers: Dakota, Wan Pipel, Frank & Eva, My Nights with Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra, Obsessions, Blue Movie, and Pastorale 1943.

Summary:

VD was directed by Wim Verstappen, who’s most known for his collaborations with Pim de la Parra, with whom he founded Scorpio Films. Notable films that he directed include Blue Movie, Dakota, and Pastorale 1943.

VD is a melodrama about an affluent patriarch named Cornelis van Doorn who owns a meatpacking company that also manufacturers contraceptives. It's immediately clear that Cornelis is a man with no moral center; he openly displays it in his unethical business and private lives. In the case of the latter, his behavior has greatly influenced his family, who also lack any morals.

When we first meet Cornelis, he’s a man in crisis, as he learns that his company is about to collapse due to a lack of sales of meat. Instead of giving up, he instructs the board members of his company to shift focus from meat products to the other product they manufacture, contraceptives, their only source of revenue. From there, they come up with a new product that they call Stop B, a paste that women rub on their genitals to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

Cornelis’ determination to save his company is not just to retain the affluent life; he’s become accomplished too. He has plans to leave VD to one of his heirs, and when it comes to choosing the one, this is where things get complicated. He’s a philanderer who's fathered many children that he’s had yet to acknowledge, and any of them could stake a claim to his fortune. He has no boundaries when it comes to intimacy, even with family members, like his adopted daughter, who he’s having an affair with.

The narrative is so complex that it can be overwhelming to keep track of all its elements. The opening setup does a superb job establishing all the players and there are a few well-placed surprises along the way that ensure no one can guess where things will end. Another strength of the narrative is how well it builds momentum.

Outside of the slaughterhouse moments, VD is not really a visually striking film; instead, it is a film that lets its characters take center stage. When it comes to the performances, the cast are excellent in their roles, especially Kees Brusse’s portrayal of Cornelis van Doorn. He delivers a pitch-perfect performance of a self-absorbed narcissist who acts more like a teenager than an adult. Another performance of note is Andrea Domburg’s portrayal of Anneke, Cornelis’ wife. Ultimately, VD is a riveting film about a dysfunctional family that effectively blends melodrama and subversive humor.

VD gets a solid release from Cult Epics that comes with a strong audio/video presentation, a short film, and an informative audio commentary. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer