Sirk In Germany 1934-1935 Limited Edition Blu-Ray

Director Douglas Sirk is an undisputed master of melodrama and is best known for the lavish, sweeping romances he made during the last decade of his career, including Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, and Imitation of Life. But when Sirk—born Hans Detlef Sierck—arrived in Hollywood, he had already made several films in his native Germany. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present this collection of Sirk's earliest films, all of which laid the foundation for his later work: April, April! The Girl from Moorhof (Das Mädchen vom Moorhof) and Pillars of Society (Stützen der Gesellschaft).

In Sirk's directorial debut, the comedy April, April!, businessman and shameless social climber Julius Lampe (Erhard Siedel) is subjected to a cruel April Fool's joke when he is led to believe that a noble prince (Albrecht Schoenhals) is personally going to inspect his pasta factory. In Sirk's first melodrama, The Girl from Marsh Croft, farmer Karsten Dittmar (Kurt Fischer-Fehling) falls in love with the unassuming young maid Helga Christmann (Hansi Knoteck) – much to the chagrin of his fiancée Gertrud Gerharts (Ellen Frank). Finally, in Pillars of Society, the wealthy Norwegian shipbuilder Consul Karsten Bernick (Heinrich George) must confront a lifetime of corruption and deceit when farmer Johann Tonnessen (Albrecht Schoenhals) returns to Norway after twenty years of absence and discovers that Bernick has tarnished his good name.

Together with Sirk's short films Two Greyhounds (Zwei Windhunde), Three Times Before (3 x Ehe)and The Imaginary Invalid (Der eingebildete Kranke), these three feature films—all released in 1935—showcase the burgeoning talents of a filmmaker who would become one of the most important figures in Hollywood film history. Sirk's early works are presented here on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from brand new restorations by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation.

LIMITED EDITION TWO-DISC BLU-RAY Bonus material:

Limited edition of 2000 copies | Limited edition O-Card slipcase with new artwork by Scott Saslow | HD presentations from new restorations by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation | Optional English subtitles on all features and short films | Two Greyhounds ( ZweiWindhunde)- 1934 short film by Douglas Sirk | Three Times Before (3 x Ehe) [silent version] - 1934 short film by Douglas Sirk | Alternative "sound" presentation of Three Times Before (produced at the same time as the "silent version," unfortunately, the original sound reel no longer exists - this version is presented with subtitles) | The Imaginary Invalid (Der eingebildete Kranke) - short film from 1935 by Douglas Sirk | New audio commentary on all three bonus features by Sirk expert David Melville Wingrove | Magnificent Obsessions - new interview with film historian Sheldon Hall about Sirk's career from Germany to Hollywood | PLUS: Limited edition collector's booklet with a new extended essay on Sirk's early work by German film expert Tim Bergfelder