‘Chinatown’ & ‘The Deer Hunter’ coming to Blu-ray

A pair of 70s film classics have been green-lighted for Blu-ray treatment, and you won’t have long to wait. First on the calendar is Universal’s The Deer Hunter, starring Robert De Niro, John Savage, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken. The film is slated for a March 6 release with a very reasonable $19.98 suggested list price. Director Michael Cimino’s disturbing drama centered around Vietnam veterans won 1978 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken), and Best Director. This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and extra features including commentary with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and film journalist Bob Fisher, deleted and extended scenes, and a 100 Years of Universal: Academy Award Winners featurette. Making its high def debut on April 3 will be Roman Polanski’s 1974 crime drama Chinatown. Paramount hasn’t mentioned specific specs yet, but we do know the disc will retail for $26.98.  Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston, Chinatown was nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Picture.