TIME BANDITS and three other HandMade Films announced for Blu-ray release

Chatsworth, Calif. – Once upon a time, in the far-away time of the late 1970s, two legends--one musical, one comic--bumped into each other on the street and in doing so, created history. When Eric Idle of Monty Python's comedy troupe ran into his friend, ex-Beatle George Harrison, and lamented that his film had lost financing, he didn't expect that Harrison would end up being the man to step in and pick up the reins. But that's exactly what happened. As Harrison later remarked to a grateful Idle, "When The Beatles were breaking up, Python kept me sane, really, so I owe you one."

Thus HandMade Films was born. Harrison's business manager, Denis O'Brien, was drafted to oversee the finances of the new cinematic concern; Harrison came up with the "manual" company name and "Python" alum Director Terry Gilliam sketched out the now-ubiquitous logo on a napkin. History was officially underway, a history comprised of an incomparable body of work that would become the artistic backbone of the British film industry in the 1980s.

On August 24, Image Entertainment celebrates HandMade's three-decade heritage with the Blu-ray debut of four HandMade Films classics: "The Long Good Friday," "Time Bandits," "Mona Lisa" and "Withnail and I." These are examples of British drama and humor at their finest: illuminating the human condition with sympathy, intelligence . . . and time travel! Fully remastered, all-new 1080p high-definition transfers have been created for the HD debut of these incomparable titles, and they will be available for an SRP of $17.97 each. In addition, the titles are also available via digital download exclusively on iTunes starting July 20, 2010.

These classics from the HandMade Films library are ground-breaking and heart-breaking, candid and clever. The surprisingly compassionate portraits of the underworld in "The Long Good Friday" and the Oscar-nominated "Mona Lisa," the eccentric fantasy of "Time Bandits," the cynicism and black comedy of "Withnail and I"--each title is a prime example of the how filmgoers trusted the HandMade Films label for unrestrained creativity and brilliant storytelling. Featuring stars such as Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Caine and more, they sparkle with talent and flair. And, newly remastered on Blu-ray, with lossless DTS-HD Master Audio, these classics shine with a clarity never seen before!

"The Long Good Friday" (1980)
Mob boss Harry Shand (Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins, Mona Lisa) runs an underworld empire, but his dreams are much bigger. He and his sophisticated wife (Oscar winner Helen Mirren, "The Queen") aspire to partner with American mobsters to turn the barren docklands of London into a development for the upcoming Olympics. But their perfect plan begins to unravel when a string of deadly bombings leads Shand to the stunning realization that he is being targeted by the IRA. A bloody race ensues as Harry tries to keep hold of his crumbling schemes.

"Time Bandits" (1981)
Young Kevin's daydreams come to life when a band of time-traveling little men crash through his bedroom wardrobe and carry him off on a hilarious crime spree-- weaving through the greatest and strangest moments of history. The pint-sized plunderers filch from Napoleon (Academy Award nominee, Ian Holm, "Chariots of Fire"), Robin Hood (Academy Award nominee, John Cleese, "A Fish Called Wanda") King Agamemnon (Oscar winner Sean Connery, "The Untouchables") and others--leading to a showdown with the forces of Evil and keeping ahead of the wrath of The Supreme Being himself! Special Features: Terry Gilliam interview, all-new video introduction with Terry Gilliam.

"Mona Lisa" (1986)
An ex-convict, thug and a high-class call girl make for an unlikely trio in Academy Award Neil Jordan's ("The Crying Game") tale of frustrated love on the cruel streets of London's underworld. Bob Hoskins stars in his breakout performance, for which he landed an Oscar nomination, as George, a working class hood whose obsession for the exotic and cunning Simone will lead him down a dark and bloody path. The magnificent supporting cast includes Robbie Coltrane (the Harry Potter series), Sammi Davis ("Hope and Glory") and two-time Academy Award-winner Michael Caine.

"Withnail and I" (1987)
Acerbic and irresistibly self-destructive Withnail (Screen Actor's Guild winner, Richard E. Grant, "Gosford Park") and neurotic Marwood (Paul McGann) are down-at-heel actors in 1960's London, living in squalor and drowning their artistic frustrations with booze and drugs. Fleeing the doldrums of the city, the pair finds themselves in the less than idyllic country cottage of Withnail's lascivious uncle Monty. Their boundaries of friendship are tested by hunger, the hostile locals and Monty's amorous advances in Director Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical cult favorite.