Just in time for MLK day… Mastered in HD from the 35mm preservation negative, the3-hour, landmark, Academy Award nominated film for Best Documentary (1970), King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis, will be released on DVD, on January 15, courtesy of Kino Classics.

Vitals from the press release:

– Constructed from a wealth of archival footage, King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis is a monumental documentary that follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement. Produced for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation by Ely Landau, King is an epic document of the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., from the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott to his assassination in 1968. Rare footage of King's speeches, protests, and arrests are interspersed with scenes of other high-profile supporters and opponents of the cause, punctuated by heartfelt testimonials by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. 

– There is no voice-over narration; instead, the film uses contemporary film/newsreel and video/television footage to brilliantly convey the boiling indignation of an oppressed people and their revolutionary organizing. Juxtaposed over this footage are dramatic readings by actors Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III and Joanne Woodward. These sections were co-directed by Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

– The 3-hour film will come in a 2-disc set in a version newly restored by the Library of Congress, in association with Richard Kaplan, and utilizing film elements provided by the Museum of Modern Art. 

– Cost? $34.95.

– The film premiered as a special "one-time-only event" on March 24, 1970 in over 600 theaters throughout the USA.

– Its release raised over three million dollars for the benefit of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Special Fund.

– A shorter version of the film was subsequently made available to TV stations across the world, but the original, unedited, three-hour version of the film, has rarely been shown in recent years.

– It was admitted to the National Film Registry in 1999.

Again, it'll be released on January 15, with an estimated price of $34.95.