The Blockhouse Blu-Ray

Based on a gripping true story that became a novel by Jean-Paul Clébert in 1955, The Blockhouse begins explosively with an Allied air raid on a Nazi prison camp. Six refugees take shelter in an underground blockhouse, which is soon destroyed by heavy shelling. Trapped underground, with an almost endless supply of food, wine, and light, the men must endure their captivity with no prospect of escape or rescue.

With a fantastic ensemble cast that includes Peter Sellers (Hoffman), Charles Aznavour (Shoot the Pianist), Peter Vaughan (Symptoms), Jeremy Kemp (The Strange Affair), Per Oscarsson (A Dandy in Aspic), and Leon Lissek (Marat/Sade). The Blockhouse was filmed in the Channel Islands in a damp and dark underground bunker, giving the film a stifling sense of claustrophobia.

 

INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES

 

 

Restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Powerhouse Films.

Two presentations: the theatrical version (92 minutes) and the director's cut (92 minutes) with revised and expanded opening and closing captions.

 

 

Original mono audio.

 

 

Shots in the Dark (2022, 6 minutes): co-star Leon Lissek recalls the highs and lows of filming on the Canals.

 

 

Out of the Darkness (2022, 13 minutes): Fred Rees and Gilda Rees, director Clive Rees' son and widow, recall the film's turbulent production history.

 

 

Underground Filmmaking (2022, 19 minutes): Producer Kent Walwin on the many challenges of making a low-budget war film.

 

 

Down to Earth (2022, 12 minutes): Production manager Matthew Raymond recalls how he acquired a Spitfire for the opening scene.

When Lights Go Low (2022, 10 minutes): electrician Peter Bloor on the dangers of filming deep underground

 

 

The Channel Islands 1940–1945 (1945, 17 minutes): short film produced by the Crown Film Unit in which the inhabitants of the Channel Islands recreate events from the German occupation during World War II

 

 

Image gallery: marketing and advertising material

 

 

New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing