This special limited edition J-card MediaBook slipcase (designed by Vlad Rodriguez) is limited to 6,000 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.
Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider, The French Connection) is a United States government agent newly released from a long stay at an asylum following the murder of his wife during a botched mission in Mexico. Upon returning to government work, Hannan becomes increasingly paranoid, constantly questioning his sanity and who he can trust in the wake of receiving mysterious threats written in Hebrew. Hannan, along with Princeton doctoral student Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin, David and Lisa), must unravel an arcane mystery that follows them from the streets of New York City to the rushing waters of Niagara Falls, before time runs out.
Based on the novel The 13th Man by Murray Teigh and adapted for the screen by David Shaber (The Warriors), LAST EMBRACE is an often overlooked entry in the career of Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs), deftly weaving conventions of classic espionage with elements of the budding erotic thriller genre that would become pervasive in the following decade. Featuring striking cinematography by consistent Demme collaborator Tak Fujimoto (Something Wild, Philadelphia), a rousing score by film noir veteran Miklós Rózsa (Double Indemnity, The Asphalt Jungle) and a supporting cast that includes Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter), John Glover (Melvin and Howard), Charles Napier (Miami Blues) and a brief, but memorable, Joe Spinell (Rocky). Cinématographe is proud to bring LAST EMBRACE to 4K UHD for the first time in the world, in a new restoration from its original camera negative.
directed by: Jonathan Demme starring: Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin, John Glover, Christopher Walken, Charles Napier, Sam Levene, Joe Spinell 1979 / 102 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 1.0
Additional info:
Region Free UHD / Region A Blu-ray
New audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
The Labyrinth of Last Embrace - a new video essay by Samm Deighan
Archival interview with producer Michael Taylor
Theatrical trailer
New written essays by film critic Jim Hemphill, culture critic Jeva Lange, and Cinématographe's Justin LaLiberty
English SDH subtitles
Overall rating: 4.608833 / 5 from 317 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
Last Embrace, a limited edition 4K UHD release from Cinématographe, features an excellent restoration of Jonathan Demme's film, praised for its top-notch picture quality and phenomenal look. The product includes a new audio commentary, video essays, and written essays, all housed in a specially designed media book with custom art and an individually numbered J-card.
"Wonderful film, great transfer and package, love this movie." — Andrew S.
"Cinematographe treats this under-appreciated film with an exquisite restoration and equally exquisite packaging." — Francisco W.
"Great movie, nice packing and transfer" — Robert E.
Reviews
The film is presented with
"The film is presented with great artwork. The 4k upgrade is welcome with older films such as this. I like the art and the beauty of the film. It's an interesting addition to any collection and worth checking out."
— Bradley T. (5/5)
Glad VS is bringing early Demme
"Demme is severely underrated as a filmmaker and especially his early films. Glad to have this excellent release. Great package!"
— Jonathan B. (5/5)
Superman loves hot dogs
"This 1979 thriller is an overlooked entry in Jonathan Demme’s early career. Roy Scheider delivers a strong performance as a paranoid government agent caught up in a mysterious conspiracy. The plot blends classic espionage with Hitchcockian suspense, building to an impressive finale at Niagara Falls."
— Kevin G. (5/5)
Roy Scheider in a white suit
"Roy Scheider had such an amazing filmography in the 70s: French Connection, Jaws, Sorcerer, All That Jazz, Marathon Man. Admittedly, this movie was a blind buy for me, purchased as a fan of Roy and of Jonathan Demme's films of the 80s &90s, and I'm glad to have this in my collection. This is a very Hitchcockian spy thriller/ romance story/ paranoia trip. Packaging is excellent as usual and the book has some great insightful essays to provide context to the production and the films reception in 77."
— Steven A. (4/5)
Embrace this film
"This movie is such a great find to put on 4k and just another great example of vinegar syndromes quest to preserve film"
— Andrew H. (5/5)
Can’t wait to crack into it
"Worth the wait"
— tyler j. (5/5)
Quite unseen espionage thriller
"An interesting Hitchkockian looking thriller with one of my favorite actors Roy scheider. Great picture and sound . Decent extras and a wonderful packaging from cinematographe as usual ! Recommended if you like thrillers from this timeline !"
— Patrick J. (4/5)
great edition
"LAST EMBRACE has never been a favorite Demme for me, but it's too easy to enjoy. This restoration/transfer looks great in 4K, letting Demme's signature oddball camera choices shine in all their paranoid glory. As usual, Cinematographe present a love disc. I really don't care for the cover art, but that has zero effect on my enjoyment."
— Isaac W. (4/5)
Surprise!
"A surprise entry in the Jonathan Demme film catalogue. I had never seen or heard of this film before and I consider myself a pretty big Demme fan. Somehow this escaped my watch, but I am glad Cinematographer has put out such a deluxe edition. The transfer is spectacular and the bonus materials are great, as always. Christopher Walken and Charles Napier? Yes please!"
— Douglas A. (4/5)
Love me some Demme
"This movie absolutely kicks ass and looks unbelievable and is insane aka it should be on like, a thousand “under appreciated movies of the 1970’s” lists. A totally captivating paperback thriller."
— James P. (5/5)
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