332 Viridiana

Message

pauling · #76 Post by **pauling** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:38 pm

There it is:

Silvia Pinal to Appear on Upcoming Viridiana Release

We are pleased to announce that we have secured a video interview with Silvia Pinal, the luminous star of Luis BuÃ±uel's Viridiana, for inclusion on our upcoming release of the film. This eleventh-hour addition will require us to postpone the street date, but given Pinal's contributions to this and other of Bunuel's Mexican/Spanish films, we feel it's well worth the wait. Look for Viridiana in May of 2006!

unclehulot · #77 Post by **unclehulot** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 1:03 pm

Gordon McMurphy wrote:Oh, no, the dreaded "1.78:1" ratio for a vintage film on DVD. Especially a Spanish film from 1961. I am actually surprised that Viridiana was not composed in 1.37. IMDb states that it is 1.37:1. 1.78 may be the template ratio on the website, though, just like "non-anamorphic" and may change.

I've said it before (and I guess I'll say it again), IMDB is an authoritative source for NOTHING! User-submitted data? No thanks! I'm sure the recent Wikipidea flap has reminded us of the perils of that route.

I distinctly remember the chagrin of the staff at Newark, Delaware's long-defunct State Theater, when they received a 16mm cropped 1:37 print, rather than the 35mm they were expecting, which was certainly at least 1:66, according to those who had the 35mm in their hands previously.

I don't have the TCM b'cast handy right now, but wasn't it around that ratio? If somebody could check that would answer the question of what the Criterion is likely to be. Of course, that's not to say that 1:78 wouldn't be incorrect either.....

tryavna · #78 Post by **tryavna** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:17 pm

unclehulot wrote:I've said it before (and I guess I'll say it again), IMDB is an authoritative source for NOTHING! User-submitted data? No thanks! I'm sure the recent Wikipidea flap has reminded us of the perils of that route.

Interestingly, I just read an article about Wikipedia. A group of scientists compared the Wiki's articles on science to those contained in Britannica and found that both contain about the same number of critical and superficial errors. Of course, that's only the scientific content, but a number of studies have confirmed that open intellectual forum can be a fairly reliable means of obtaining correct information -- if that information is properly reviewed. (The key difference between Wikipedia and IMDb seems to be that IMDb doesn't really review the info that gets posted in any consistent way.)

Cinesimilitude · #79 Post by **Cinesimilitude** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:14 am

I hope they are adding more than just an interview. I can deal with the delay for different cover art, but if its just the interview, that seems a bit much.

pzman84 · #80 Post by **pzman84** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:13 pm

I am wondering something: the Criterion release says it has a 1.78:1 aspect ratio but IMDB says it is standard academy frame. While IMDB is notorious for being wrong, I am wondering does anyone know the real aspect ratio?

daniel p · #81 Post by **daniel p** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:31 pm

We have just been informed by the studio that the release date for 'Viridiana (Criterion)' has been changed to 5-23-2006.

Got this from dvdempire today.
Wonder what's going on with this release...

Narshty · #82 Post by **Narshty** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 7:41 pm

Have a look back over this thread for clues.

daniel p · #83 Post by **daniel p** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:59 pm

Narshty wrote:Have a look back over this thread for clues.

Thanks for the advice

I meant, apart from what was already mentioned.

Gordon · #84 Post by **Gordon** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:07 pm

About the Transfer
Viridiana is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. On standard 4:3 televisions, the image will appear letterboxed. On standard and widescreen televisions, black bars may also be visible on the left and right to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a C-Reality Datacine from the 35mm duplicate negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 was encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack print, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.

Hurray!

yukiyuki · #85 Post by **yukiyuki** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:58 am

who love the new cover?

jorencain · #86 Post by **jorencain** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:34 am

yukiyuki wrote:who love the new cover?

Should we tell him?

OK....here are 10 pages of who does and does not like the cover.

Jem · #87 Post by **Jem** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 1:27 pm

Yukiyuki if you couldn't be bothered reading the ten pages (and who could blame you) it goes a little something like this...
"I hate it, I like it, I hate it, I like it, I hate it, I like it, I hate it, I like it, I hate it, I like it, I really hate it, I like it, etc."

stroszeck · #88 Post by **stroszeck** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 2:07 am

Is there any indication that some of bunuel's other notable works will be upcoming or projected for this year? TRISTANA, EXTERMINATING ANGEL, EL, LOS OLVIDADOS, MILKY WAY, SUSANA are still all unavailable on DVD. I would hate to think that a non-CC company would release these.

justeleblanc · #89 Post by **justeleblanc** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:48 am

stroszeck wrote:Is there any indication that some of bunuel's other notable works will be upcoming or projected for this year? TRISTANA, EXTERMINATING ANGEL, EL, LOS OLVIDADOS, MILKY WAY, SUSANA are still all unavailable on DVD. I would hate to think that a non-CC company would release these.

I think Tristana, Exterminating, Milky Way and Simon are all Janus, however Criterion seems to only want to release about one Bunuel a year, if that. The last Bunuel they released was last May's Phantom, and then before that it was Obscure which was in 2002.

tryavna · #90 Post by **tryavna** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:25 am

Koch Lorber has been trying to get a release of Los Olvidados together for a year or so. Apparently, they've encountered some rights disputes, but they say that they remain committed to releasing it in the future.

loplop · #91 Post by **loplop** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:08 pm

stroszeck wrote:Is there any indication that some of bunuel's other notable works will be upcoming or projected for this year? TRISTANA, EXTERMINATING ANGEL, EL, LOS OLVIDADOS, MILKY WAY, SUSANA are still all unavailable on DVD. I would hate to think that a non-CC company would release these.

TRISTANA was released in the UK by the bfi last year and is certainly still available (not viewed a copy myself yet though), but perhaps you mean in the States ?

As for EXTERMINATING ANGEL, EL, and LOS OLVIDADOS, how i'd love to see those on DVD....true masterpieces all.

Cinephrenic · #92 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:17 pm

Obvious Criterion Bunuels:

The Exterminating Angel (Janus)
Tristana (Janus)
The Milky Way (Rialto)
Simon of the Desert (Janus)

more Mexican era?

GringoTex · #93 Post by **GringoTex** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:45 pm

loplop wrote:TRISTANA was released in the UK by the bfi last year and is certainly still available (not viewed a copy myself yet though)

Not a good transfer.

Michael Kerpan · #94 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:04 pm

Langlois68 wrote:
loplop wrote:TRISTANA was released in the UK by the bfi last year and is certainly still available (not viewed a copy myself yet though)
Not a good transfer.

Agree completely. Even worse than Miramax's "Belle du Jour"

stroszeck · #95 Post by **stroszeck** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:42 pm

The Miramax Belle Du Jour -- AN ABOMINATION!

Michael Kerpan · #96 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 8:43 am

stroszeck wrote:The Miramax Belle Du Jour -- AN ABOMINATION!

Yep -- and that's why it was such a shock that the BFI Tristana was even worse.

;~{

#97 Post by **kinjitsu** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 3:54 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:Yep -- and that's why it was such a shock that the BFI Tristana was even worse.

And the reason I steered clear of that disc.

From the DVD Talk review:

The static menus and scratchy credits don't inspire the greatest of faiths, but Tristana is thereafter granted with a reasonable presentation. Transferred non-anamorphically at a ratio of 1.66:1, the film is blighted by intermittent damage but largely impresses with its mostly crisp imagery and rich colours. The reel changes also prove cumbersome, but this is never less than watchable, even if hardly remarkable.

Michael Kerpan · #98 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:23 pm

> rich colours.

Not in my book. the colors looked pretty pallid. Maybe that's the way the film was supposed to look -- but I doubt it.

In any event, I think Bunuel's b&w films are generally much more visually gorgeous that his color ones (he's rather like Naruse in this respect). ;~}

People seem to rag on "Chambermaid" -- but I find its b&w cinematography so visually satisfying that it makes up for any minor narrative deficits.

backstreetsbackalright · #99 Post by **backstreetsbackalright** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:02 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:People seem to rag on "Chambermaid" -- but I find its b&w cinematography so visually satisfying that it makes up for any minor narrative deficits.

Agreed! And actually the narrative suits me just fine.

Floyd · #100 Post by **Floyd** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:50 pm

I think Diary of a Chambermaid is tremendous! I have the framed poster that is similar to the Criterion cover hanging on my wall. There is just something so offputting and unfamiliarly bizarre throughout Chambermaid that I just find very alluring. Bunuel is obviously good at this but I think Chambermaid is Bunuel at his best controlling the sensuality and the just purely off kilter story. Sorry that was off topic I suppose. I am also looking highly forward to Viridiana. It has been on TCM a few times and I caught it every time.