Boxcar Bertha

Details

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This special limited edition J-card MediaBook slipcase (designed by Tony Stella) 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. (Note: this Limited Edition includes a 60 page booklet)

Note: this release is available to be purchased on its own, or bundled with the hardcover book Martin Scorsese: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work by Ian Nathan (book details can be seen below). This Limited Edition Slipcase + Hardcover Book bundle is limited to 73 units.

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.

“Boxcar” Bertha Thompson (Barbara Hershey, The Last Temptation of Christ), a transient young woman living in the American south in the 1930s, rides the rails bouncing from job to job and town to town, often leaving dishonest men in her wake. She eventually comes across “Big” Bill Shelly (David Carradine, Death Race 2000), a hard working laborer turned union organizer. They quickly develop a romantic relationship and, along with two friends—Rake Brown (Barry Primus, New York, New York) and Von Morton (Bernie Casey, Hit Man)—begin an old fashioned crime spree, robbing banks and trains, and becoming fast enemies of both the railway company and local law enforcement.

The sophomore narrative feature for Martin Scorsese, who also co-edited the film, Boxcar Bertha bears not only many of the hallmarks of his filmography to come but those of producers Roger and Julie Corman as well. Adapted from the book Sister of the Road: The Autobiography of Boxcar Bertha, Scorsese’s film combines elements of true crime grit with the style, and excesses, expected in drive-in exploitation pictures of the 1970s. Long overlooked in the filmography of one of American, and world, cinema’s greatest filmmakers, Cinématographe is proud to bring Martin Scorsese’s Boxcar Bertha to 4K UHD for the first time in the world, from a new restoration supervised by Scorsese himself.

directed by: Martin Scorsese
starring: Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Barry Primus, Bernie Casey, John Carradine, Victor Argo
1972 / 88 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 1.0

Additional info:

• 2-Disc Set: 4K Ultra HD + Region A Blu-ray
• New audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin
• A New Talent - a new video interview with Ian Christie, editor of Scorsese on Scorsese
• Any Way You Can - a new video interview with actor Barry Primus
• What Price a Crucifix Tree: Female Protagonists and the Suffering Servants of Scorsese - a new video essay by film historian Daniel Kremer
• Trailers from Hell - Julie Corman and Chris Wilkinson on Boxcar Bertha
• Turner Classic Movies introduction to the film by Ben Mankiewicz, featuring interview footage with producer Roger Corman
• Gallery of rarely seen storyboards for the film, drawn by Martin Scorsese
• Booklet with a new interview with Martin Scorsese as well as essays by film critics Robert Daniels, Bilge Ebiri, Beatrice Loayza and Glenn Kenny, author of Made Men: the Story of Goodfellas
• English SDH subtitles

Martin Scorsese: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work - Hardcover Book

By Ian Nathan

Discover the genius of Martin Scorsese – one of cinema’s greatest storytellers.

For over 50 years, Martin Scorsese has been one of cinema’s most celebrated directors. From a Catholic kid in Manhattan to a legendary filmmaker, he’s shaped Hollywood with masterpieces such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and The Irishman.

But what makes a Scorsese film unique? His stories explore power, morality, and human nature, blending raw emotion with intellectual depth. Whether reinventing noir, musicals or crime dramas, his work captures the pulse of America and the Italian—American experience.

This book dives into all 26 of his films, breaking down his signature themes, iconic collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and his place in film history. A true movie fanatic and preservationist, Scorsese continues to push boundaries – proving that cinema isn’t just entertainment, it’s an art form.

176 pages
10" x 8.75"