Peter O’Toole (The Ruling Class) gives one of his most spirited and memorably performances in Murphy’s War, a blood-and-thunder adventure film directed with grit by Peter Yates (The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Deep).

O’Toole is the titular Irish merchant seaman, whose ship is attacked by a German U-boat on the Orinoco river in Venezuela during the dying days of World War II. The sole survivor, Murphy is picked up by a French oil engineer (Philippe Noiret, Cinema Paradiso) and taken to a native village hospital where he is treated by the pacifist Quaker Dr Hayden (Siân Phillips, Becket, Dune). During his convalescence, Murphy plots his one man war on the enemy U-boat that callously slaughtered his shipmates…

Filmed on location in infamously uncompromising conditions, Murphy’s War combines impressively staged action with harsh realism and good humour. Presented on Blu-ray for the first time, and accompanied by a wealth of new and archival extras, along with a booklet containing new writing on the film.

Product Features

• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Michael Deeley in Conversation (2008): archival audio interview with the Murphy’s War producer, recorded onstage at BFI Southbank
• Interview with editor and assistant director John Glen (2022)
• Interview with focus puller Robin Vidgeon (2022)
• Video appreciation by academic and film historian Sheldon Hall (2022)
• Behind the Camera: Douglas Slocombe (1999): archival documentary on the great cinematographer, featuring interviews with Richard Attenborough, Alan Parker and Ken Russell 
• Super 8 version: original cut-down home-cinema presentation
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Julian Wheeler, an archival interview with Peter O’Toole, a look at the production of the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• World premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies 

All extras subject to change