Twenty years ago, David Carradine shot his baby down, kicking off a roaring rampage of revenge for Uma Thurman’s The Bride. Now, to mark the occasion, Lionsgate has announced they will give Kill Bill the 4K treatment. And baby, we ain’t kidding.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in part, “This afternoon, I am pleased to announce that Lionsgate has partnered with master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino for distribution rights to three of his most iconic films: Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 and Jackie Brown…In addition to the movies we just picked up, we look forward to collaborating with the Tarantino team on a celebration of Kill Bill‘s 20th anniversary later this year with a new and remastered 4K edition.”
Most will notice that the wording for the Kill Bill 4K announcement specifically notes Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. This would mean that, despite all of the hooplah Lionsgate is trying to make, they won’t be releasing The Whole Bloody Affair. While The Whole Bloody Affair can be found through region-free versions (and its bootleg counterparts) and the occasional screening*, a proper region 1 release has yet to make it to shelves. This seems like a major missed opportunity from Lionsgate to do all they can to make it happen. (*On a personal note, I was able to attend Exhumed Films’ showing of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair back in 2013, with the group screening Quentin Tarantino’s personal print that he took to the Cannes Film Festival, complete with French subtitles.)
As mentioned, in addition to Kill Bill, Tarantino’s Jackie Brown will also be in the mix as part of the acquisition. While its 1997 release won’t allow any special anniversary release (the 25th anniversary would have been last year), a 4K restoration will certainly be welcomed by his die-hard fans.
The news of the Kill Bill 4K remasters only rubs it in that Tarantino’s final film won’t be the elusive Kill Bill Vol. 3 (despite pleas from the likes of Vivica A. Fox), as he is instead focusing on The Movie Critic.
Would you pick up The Whole Bloody Affair if it ever made its way to a region 1 release? Are you looking forward to Lionsgate’s 4K release of both volumes of Kill Bill? Let us know!
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