Provincetown Int'l Film Fest: 'Blood Simple' - New 4K Restoration of The Coen Brothers' Debut Knockout Plays 6/18

On behalf of Janus Films, you're invited to a screening of the new 4K restoration of Blood Simple, the debut feature by celebrated filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen. The newly restored film will play at the Provincetown Film Festival on July 18th.

A theatrical run of the stylish thriller will open at Film Forum in New York on July 1st, and in Los Angeles on July 29th at the Landmark Nuart Theatre, with rollout to follow in select cities.

This razor-sharp modern film noir, the first film by Joel and Ethan Coen, introduced the brothers' inimitable black humor and eccentric sense of character, a sensibility that has helped shape the course of contemporary American cinema. Deep in the heart of Texas, a sleazy bar owner suspects his wife of having an affair and hires a private detective to confirm his suspicions - only to have the crosshairs turned back on himself.

Playfully shot by Barry Sonnenfeld and featuring a haunting score by Carter Burwell and a cunning performance by Frances McDormand, "Blood Simple" was a career-launching film for this ensemble and the first articulation of the precision of style that has defined the Coens' work ever since.

This restoration was undertaken by the Criterion Collection from the 35 mm original camera negative, which was scanned in 16-bit 4K resolution. Color correction and restoration were supervised and approved by filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, as well as director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld, at Deluxe Media in Burbank, CA. The new 5.1 audio mix was supervised by sound editor Skip Lievsay.