Radiance Films is bringing us a Swedish cop thriller, an offbeat French road movie and a Todd Solondz classic this March

Radiance Films is an idiosyncratic and adventurous new Blu-ray label sourcing visionary filmmaking, some of it ultra-rare, sometimes wonderfully-obscure, that otherwise might not see the light of day. As label boss, Francesco Simeoni says, “Radiance will explore lesser trodden paths, areas of cinema that have never been touched before.”

This March, they will be bringing us the criminally neglected Swedish policier The Man on the Roof, the freewheeling French road movie Fill ‘er Up With Super, and Todd Solondz’s wickedly funny Welcome To The Dollhouse. All three Limited Edition titles are restored editions with reversible sleeves and collectable booklets, and will be available from 6th March 2023.

The Man on the Roof (1976)

Police officer Stig Nyman is murdered by an unseen assailant brandishing a bayonet. His colleagues Beck, Rönn and Kollberg pick up the case quickly, keen to solve the crime on one of their own. Investigating Nyman and drawing up a list of potential suspects leads the team to discover he was a lousy cop who abused his power with a history of brutality. As their search draws closer they are caught unaware by a rooftop assassin with a sniper rifle, picking off every cop he can.

The Man on the Roof was adapted from the novel by celebrated writers Sjöwall and Wahlöö, whose Martin Beck character has been realised in multiple films and the recent TV series Beck. Influenced by The French Connection‘s gritty vérité style, celebrated director Bo Widerberg created an incredible spectacle here that would become legendary in Sweden and remains the greatest crime film from the heart of Scandi noir.

Limited Edition Special Features

• High-Definition digital transfer by Svensk Filmindustri
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Introduction by Bo Widerberg (1978, 3 mins)
• Scene-select audio commentary by critic and genre expert Peter Jilmstad on topics covering the film, realism, the cast, Sjöwall and Wahlöö, the crash and more
• With a View to Realism – A documentary by Ronny Svensson and Markus Strömqvist on the making of The Man on the Roof featuring extensive interviews with the cast and crew (2004, 81 mins)
• Bo Widerberg – An intimate portrait of the filmmaker by Karsten Wedel in which Widerberg discusses his films and approach to filmmaking (1977, 51 mins)
• Rapport – Bo Widerberg and Carl Gustaf Lindstedt are interviewed during the shooting of The Man on the Roof for SVT TV (1975, 3 mins)
• Original trailer
• Gallery of promotional materials
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Limited edition 52-page booklet with contributions from Widerberg biographer and critic Mårten Blomkvist, archival writing by Widerberg, Anders Marklund on genre filmmaking in Sweden, Daniel Brodén on the film and society, and an overview of contemporary reviews
• Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Fill ‘er Up With Super (1976)

Klouk (Bernard Crombey) is a car salesman who has to miss a family holiday to deliver a luxury Chevrolet station wagon to his boss’ wealthy client. He decides to take his friend Philippe (Xavier Saint-Macary) along with him for the ride across the length of France from Lille to the Cote d’Azur. On the way they give a lift to hitchhiker Charles (Etienne Chicot) who also brings along his friend Daniel (Patrick Bouchitey).

A buddy road movie that came together from genuine friendship developed throughout the months-long script workshop giving the film a casual and naturalistic quality that pre-dates Richard Linklater’s similar approaches by some decades. A meditation on friendship and masculinity, this was one of the last films Alain Cavalier made before approaching more experimental forms of filmmaking but prefigures his later breaking down of fiction and documentary barriers with the freewheeling approach of Fill ‘er up with Super .

Limited Edition Special Features:

• 2K restoration of the film from the original negative
• Original uncompressed stereo PCM audio
• Friends First and Foremost: An interview with Bernard Crombey – in this video interview the star discusses his work on the film, his collaborators and his career (2019, 28 mins)
• Three interview short films with the cast directed by Cavalier: My Wife Lives in Fear with Etienne Chicot, Bernard Crombey and Patrick Bouchitey (2011, 4 mins), It’s a Full House with Bernard Crombey (2011, 6 mins) and The King of the Bottle with Patrick Bouchitey (2011, 8 mins)
• An appreciation of Fill ‘Er Up with Super by Cahiers du Cinema deputy editor Charlotte Garson (2022)
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Limited Edition booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and author Murielle Joudet, a newly translated contemporary article on the film and an extract of an interview with Cavalier
• Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

Junior high school student Dawn “Wiener-dog” Wiener is perpetually teased by her classmates and tormented by the school bully, Brandon. All she wants is to be popular and that would certainly help her emerging crush on the lead of her brother’s garage band.

Todd Solondz’s (Happiness) celebrated coming-of-age comedy won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and young star Heather Matarazzo was awarded Best Debut Performance at the prestigious Independent Spirit Awards. Perfectly capturing the growing pains of youth and suburbia with startling intensity, Welcome to the Dollhouse was widely praised on release with Janet Maslin of the New York Times describing it as a “mordantly hilarious suburban comedy – excruciatingly funny.”

Limited Edition Special Features:

• High-Definition digital transfer of the film with uncompressed original stereo PCM audio, approved by director Todd Solondz
• Interviews with Solondz and star Heather Matarazzo (2022)
• Todd Solondz’s Suburban Nightmare: A visual essay by critic and author Hannah Strong on the film and its place within Solondz’s work (2022)
• Audio commentary by BJ and Harmony Colangelo of This Ends at Prom podcast (2022)
• Trailer
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Booklet featuring new writing by critics A. S. Hamrah and Molly Lambert, archival writing by Solondz and Julian Murphet and an overview of contemporary reviews
• Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

The Man on the Roof, Fill ‘er Up With Super and Welcome to the Dollhouse are released on Region B Blu-ray on 6th March 2023, and can be preordered here.

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