Blu-ray Release: A Place in the Sun & 1975’s Nashville

Blu-ray Release Date: Available now
Price: Blu-ray (Place) $22.98; Blu-ray (Nashville) $22.98
Studio: Paramount

A pair of goodies just joined the collectible Paramount Presents Blu-ray line of cinema classics: 1951’s A Place in the Sun and 1975’s Nashville.

Director George Stevens’ masterwork A Place in the Sun is here remastered from a 4K film transfer in celebration of its 70th anniversary. It’s also presented on Blu-ray with a brand-new Filmmaker Focus featuring film historian Leonard Maltin talking about George Stevens and the innovative film techniques he used for this unforgettable story of ambition, passion, and betrayal.  The disc also includes previously released bonus content, including commentary by George Stevens, Jr. and Ivan Moffat, retrospective cast and crew interviews, and a segment on George Stevens featuring filmmakers who knew him.

Montgomery Clift stars as George Eastman, a young man determined to win a place in respectable society and the heart of a beautiful socialite (Elizabeth Taylor). Shelley Winters is the factory girl whose dark secret threatens Eastman’s professional and romantic prospects.

Director Robert Altman’s seminal film Nashville remains an essential classic of 70s cinema with its complexly textured portrayal and critique of America’s obsession with celebrity and power.  Newly remastered from a 4K scan of original elements, the film is presented on Blu-ray with a new featurette entitled “24 Tracks: Robert Altman’s Nashville.”  The disc also includes a previously released commentary by Altman.

Fittingly, Nashville is Volume 24 of the Paramount Presents line as the film follows 24 distinct characters with intersecting storylines over five days in the titular city.  The phenomenal ensemble cast includes Ned Beatty, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Geraldine Chaplin, Henry Gibson, Michael Murphy, Lily Tomlin, Shelley Duvall, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, and Barbara Harris.