This special limited edition J-card MediaBook slipcase (designed by Robert Hunt) is limited to 5,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Taking its name from the Lumière Brothers invention of the same name, Cinématographe is a new sub-label from Vinegar Syndrome that seeks to fill gaps in the canon of American cinema. Offering a mix of auteur driven studio films produced during the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and 70s all the way through the indie boom of the 1980s and 90s, Cinématographe will explore the wide breadth of American moviemaking, spanning numerous genres and scales of production. Curated and produced by Vinegar Syndrome's Justin LaLiberty, each limited edition release will be housed in a specially designed, cloth-bound, media book with embossed foil titles and custom molded disc trays accompanied by a slipcase featuring newly commissioned art and an individually numbered J-card.
Bruce Pearson (Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver) and Henry Wiggen (Michael Moriarty, The Last Detail) are friends and teammates, playing on The New York Mammoths as catcher and pitcher, respectively. Henry is pulling double duty as an insurance salesman on the side, selling policies to other baseball players, while engaged in a contract dispute with the baseball team’s ownership. When Bruce is diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, realizing he is terminally ill, Henry wavers from his ongoing negotiations to make sure Bruce can be his catcher for one last season.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Harris, who adapted it into a screenplay for this film, BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY is often cited as one of the great sports films of all time. Featuring a talented ensemble cast, including an Oscar nominated turn from veteran character actor Vincent Gardenia (Moonstruck), and deft direction from stage and screen director John Hancock (Let’s Scare Jessica to Death), Cinématographe is proud to bring this iconic baseball film to UHD and blu-ray, both world debuts, in a new 4K restoration of its original 35mm camera negative, supervised by director John Hancock.
directed by: John D. Hancock
starring: Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty, Vincent Gardenia, Phil Foster, Ann Wedgeworth
1973 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 1.0
Additional info:
Overall rating: 4.6153846 / 5 from 169 reviews.
Bang the Drum Slowly is a highly acclaimed sports film, praised for its understated emotional drama and impressive 4K transfer. Customers appreciate the beautifully designed packaging, informative essays, and stellar audio-visual quality. The film's performances, especially by Robert De Niro, are lauded, and the story is celebrated for its heartwarming portrayal of friendship and mortality.
Review topics: ["quality","looks","feel","picture","packaging","box","sound","presentation","work","movie","film","release","performances","transfer","drama","story","restoration","cast","cinematography","moments","baseball","deniro","title","features","extras","essays","addition","michael","friends","flick"].
"Incredibly solid drama from Mark Harris, and great performances across the board, with De Niro proving his range to folks who hadn’t seen his De Palma pictures. Cinématographe continues to impress with their film choices and healthy amount of special features."
"the movies box was very well done, and the film itself is a lost classic that definitely delivers the goods from beginning to end! The peerless VS restoration process was on full display with stellar sound and picture! Thank you, VS, for continuing to lovingly restore and release so many wonderful films from every conceivable genre! You are keeping physical media alive in this streaming world we now live in! Highly recommended!"
"Honestly amazing that some of these films are seeing beautiful 4k releases thanks to this label!"
"A very unique and heartfelt film that is brought to life with this presentation from Vinegar Syndrome."
"I went into this one blind and was surprised by where the movie went. Definitely worth looking into beforehand, but I'm glad I got this one either way. Cinematographe's releases are always so nice, and this one is no different."
"I love the work Cinematographe is doing with these releases. Not a huge Baseball guy but I’m learning to love baseball movies"
"Not yet watched this movie as I fear I may well tear up and cry too much, what with the subject matter and all, but I will get there eventually. That said the cast looks great, almost as good as the overall package here which is another example of hiogh quality Cinematographe style."
"Bang the Drum Slowly is a gentle, affecting sports drama that uses baseball as the backdrop for a story about friendship, dignity, and the quiet ways people care for one another. Adapted from Mark Harris’s novel and released in 1973, it follows the bond between star pitcher Henry Wiggen and his catcher Bruce Pearson, who is secretly living with a terminal illness. The film’s emotional power comes from how it treats that illness not as a melodramatic twist but as a lens through which the rhythms of a baseball season—and the relationships within a team—take on deeper meaning."
"A great old baseball movie and another great cinematographe edition!"
"great lease."
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