Kino

[Drucker]

Kino gets into the Kickstarter game. Seeking to raise 35k for a Pioneers of African-American Cinema Box Set.

$100 contribution is the minimum to get the box set.

[matrixschmatrix]

Looks like a really interesting project, and depending on the list, the $500 level- which gets you the set and 25 dvds or blu rays off of an unknown list- could be a pretty awesome deal.

[EddieLarkin]

Can hardly say no.

[TMDaines]

This does look like a very worthy project and one whose end product I'll be very interested in buying. Sadly, though this seems like another Kickstarter where the supporters/funders aren't really rewarded and those who wait will actually get the better deal. There's far worse examples of this but it is still the case here. There's no value in any of the levels until the $500 mark and even then a connoisseur won't likely have 25 Kino titles that they want/need (this is Kino after all and not Criterion). Crowdfunding, when done well, is about getting people to commit their money up front and then rewarding those backers for having doing so. It's surely the funders who should get a great offer and not those who just buy it regularly in the shops. $100 + shipping (+ customs) doesn't seem rewarding. Maybe others feel differently, but, regardless, I do hope that this gets funded. I just can't justify it right now.

[whaleallright]

Well, for all we know the final asking list price may be greater than $100. But even if it's not the best-designed crowdfunding model, it's hard to think of a worthier project. The two scholars they have on board--Jacqueline Stewart and Charles Musser--are among the first people you'd hope would be involved in something like this.

[matrixschmatrix]

Yeah, I'm willing to overpay a bit for the product in cases like this or Portrait of Jason, but I wish there were more neat product packages and fewer your name in lights ones.

[swo17]

How many hours do you guys think I'll need with DJ Spooky before I can DJ like DJ Spooky? I'm trying to decide if I need one or two of the Spin Machine packages.

[matrixschmatrix]

I think that depends on your level of Spookiness going in, to be honest.

[EddieLarkin]

Some interesting information for international backers popped up in the FAQ section:

Will the discs be Region-encoded?

It's too early to say. It is our intention to license the collection to labels in other territories, in which case donors will receive a copy that is encoded to their particular region. If we do not license the films to other distributors, then we will author the discs region-free. One way or the other, we should be able to provide you with discs that are playable in your particular region.

I've asked about this and Kino have indicated they hope to get Eureka or the BFI involved, meaning that U.K. backers would receive a set from them rather than Kino, which would be great as it'd be free of customs charges. Though if it was the case that we'd see a normal retail version from Eureka or the BFI afterwards, I doubt it would be sold for as much as it's costing U.K. backers to support now (£75).

[Valin Kenobi]

The list has been posted. Note that several of the bigger items count as two.

It's definitely a worthy project, although I have to agree with TMDaines that the tiers are pretty high for what you get. Even the 25 for $500 isn't a stellar deal: after subtracting $100 for the set itself, that's $16 per. And people who can drop $500 can afford to have bought most of these already.

I certainly can't justify the $500 or even the $100, but I kicked in $5 to get the month of Fandor. *shrug*

Contributors of $500 and $1,000 are entitled to assemble a bundle of DVDs and Blurays, chosen from a list of 150+ titles in the Kino Lorber library. Below is the list from which you may choose.

-------------------------

All titles are available on Blu-ray and DVD unless otherwise specified.

International donors: Due to contractual agreements licensors, some films may not be available for shipment outside the USA and Canada. After you have provided us with your selections, we will determine whether substitutions need to be made.

Most films are region-encoded to North America (Region 1 / Region A). If you are an overseas donor and cannot play Region 1 / A discs, please indicate this -- so we help tailor your selections to Region-free titles.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1930)

AI WEIWEI: THE FAKE CASE (DVD only)

AIN'T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH

AJAMI

ARMY OF CRIME

AS TEARS GO BY (DVD only)

ASPHALT (1929, DVD only)

THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF

BARON BLOOD

BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN

A BAY OF BLOOD

BIRD OF PARADISE (1932)

BLACK PIRATE (1926)

BLACK SABBATH (Italian version)

BLACK SUNDAY (International version)

BLACK SUNDAY (AIP American release version)

BLIND HUSBANDS / THE GREAT GABBO (DVD only)

BLOOD AND SAND (1922, DVD only)

THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR

BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS

BURKE AND HARE (1972)

BURT'S BUZZ

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI

THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927, DVD only)

CHARLIE CHASE COLLECTION Vol. 1 (DVD only)

CHARLIE CHASE COLLECTION Vol. 2 (DVD only)

CHARLOTTE RAMPLING: THE LOOK

THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (1961)

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH

COLLEGE (1927)

COME AND SEE (DVD only)

COMPUTER CHESS (DVD only)

DAVID HOLZMAN'S DIARY

THE DEMONIACS (1974)

THE DEVIL'S NEEDLE… (1916)

THE DEVIL BAT (1940)

DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (DVD only)

DOGTOOTH

DRAWING FLIES

DREW: THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER (DVD only)

EDISON: THE INVENTION OF THE MOVIES (DVD only, counts as three choices)

EL BULLI (DVD only)

ELLES (2001)

ELMER GANTRY

EXORCISM / DEMONIAC

FANTOMAS (1913-14, DVD only)

A FAREWELL TO ARMS (1932)

FAUST (1926, DVD only)

FEAR AND DESIRE

FELA KUTI: MUSIC IS THE WEAPON (DVD only)

FEMALE VAMPIRE / EROTIKILL

5 BROKEN CAMERAS (DVD only)

FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON

THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW

FOOLISH WIVES

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

GANJA AND HESS

THE GAUCHO (1927)

GAUMONT TREASURES Vol. 1 (3-disc set, DVD only, counts as two choices)

GAUMONT TREASURES Vol. 2 (3-disc set, DVD only, counts as two choices)

GIRL ON A MOTORCYCLE GO WEST (1925)

GOGOL BORDELLO NON-STOP (DVD only)

THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1924, DVD only)

THE HAROLD LLOYD COLLECTION Vol. 1 (DVD only)

THE HAROLD LLOYD COLLECTION Vol. 2 (DVD only)

HARRY LANGDON: THE FORGOTTEN CLOWN (DVD only)

THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1921, DVD only)

HEADSHOT

HELL'S HIGHWAY (2003, 2-disc set, DVD only)

HELL'S HOUSE (1932)

HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE / HER SISTER FROM PARIS (DVD only)

THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 2 (1985)

HIMALAYA

THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)

HOME (2009)

HOUSE BY THE RIVER (DVD only)

IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (DVD only)

INTOLERANCE (1916, DVD only)

THE IRON ROSE

KIKI / WITHIN THE LAW (DVD only)

KIMJONGILIA (DVD only)

KING: A FILMED RECORD… (DVD only)

LA REVUE DES REVUES (DVD only)

LADY CHATTERLEY (2006, DVD only)

THE LAST LAUGH (1924, DVD only)

THE LAST OF ENGLAND

LES VAMPIRES (1915-16, DVD only, counts as 2 choices)

LISA AND THE DEVIL / HOUSE OF EXORCISM

THE LITTLE DEATH (2011, DVD only))

LITTLE FUGITIVE

LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1936)

THE LONG GOODBYE

LOST IN THE STARS (1974, DVD only)

MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (DVD only)

MARTY

METROPOLIS (Complete Metropolis)

METROPOLIS (Giorgio Moroder version)

THE MILL AND THE CROSS

MORE THAN HONEY

THE NAVIGATOR

NOSFERATU (1922)

NOSTALGHIA

NOTHING SACRED (1937)

OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES

OF HUMAN BONDAGE (1934)

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932, DVD only)

OLD JOY (DVD only)

ON THE BEACH

OUR HOSPITALITY

PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

THE PENALTY (1920)

PETER PAN (1924, DVD only)

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES POETRY (2010)

PRINCESS TAM TAM (DVD only)

PSYCHOPATHIA SEXUALIS (2006, DVD only)

QUEEN KELLY (DVD only)

REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE

RHINOCEROS (DVD only)

RUSSIAN ARK

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING

THE SACRIFICE

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS

THE SAPHEAD

SCARLET STREET (1945)

SCUM (1979)

SEBASTIANE

SECRETS OF A SOUL (DVD only)

SEVEN CHANCES

SHERLOCK JR. / THREE AGES

THE SEX THIEF

SHERLOCK HOLMES (1922)

THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES SPIES (1928, DVD only)

STAN LAUREL COLLECTION (2-disc set, DVD only)

A STAR IS BORN (1937)

STEAMBOAT BILL JR.

STRIKE (1925)

THE TEMPEST (1928, DVD only)

THE TEMPEST (1979)

THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947)

A THOUSAND CUTS

THREE SISTERS (1970, DVD only)

A THROW OF DICE (1929, DVD only)

A TOUCH OF SIN (2013)

TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES

UNCLE TOM'S CABIN (1927, DVD only)

WARNING SHADOWS (DVD only)

WAY DOWN EAST (1920)

THE WELL-DIGGER'S DAUGHTER

WHITE ZOMBIE (1932)

WINNEBAGO MAN (DVD only)

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION

WOMAN IN THE MOON (DVD only)

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

ZETA ONE

ZOMBIE LAKE

ZOU ZOU (DVD only)

If there is a particular Kino Lorber title you are interested in, but it is not on the list, please inquire and we will make every reasonable effort to include it in your gift basket.

List is subject to change without notice.

[R0lf]

Cool.

[dadaistnun]

Goal reached, with a month to spare.

[Gregory]

You can continue to contribute to the campaign, if you'd like; especially if you haven't already. I'm sure the organizers wouldn't reject your money!

They might have mentioned that the higher above the funding goal the campaign goes, the more films will be included in the set. I hope the four discs will be filled to near-capacity. I expect Kino Lorber will announce some stretch goals soon.

[rockysds]

Stretch goal announced:

Due to the overwhelming response to its current Kickstarter campaign, Kino Lorber has decided to expand its landmark Blu-ray/DVD collection Pioneers of African-American Cinema. Originally announced as a four-disc set, comprised of eight feature films (plus shorts, fragments, and new interviews), Pioneers will be expanded to five discs and will include twelve features, and even more bonus content.

To support the additional cost of archival access, mastering, and scoring, Kino Lorber has announced a "stretch goal" for its Kickstarter campaign, and will now aim to reach $60,000 before the campaign ends on March 21. That's less than three weeks from now -- so we need your help with contributions and spreading the word!
New Films Announced!

Among the films selected by series curators Charles Musser and Jacqueline Stewart are:

FEATURE FILMS

The Blood of Jesus (1941) Spencer Williams's directorial debut -- a surreal religious parable, selected to the National Film Registry in 1991. The film was restored by the Tyler, Texas Black Film Collection of Southern Methodist University, with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
Dirty Gertie from Harlem, U.S.A. (1946), Spencer Williams's musical adaptation of W.S. Maugham's "Miss Sadie Thompson." The film was preserved by Southern Methodist University from materials conserved by the George Eastman House, with funding from the Women’s Film Preservation Fund (New York Women in Film and Television).
The Girl from Chicago (1932) Oscar Micheaux's crime/romance/musical, in which a Mississippi woman becomes involved with an undercover agent and moves with him to Harlem (Library of Congress)

SHORT FILMS / FRAGMENTS

Regeneration (1923) The single surviving reel of Richard Norman's heavily-censored South Seas drama. Preserved by the Library of Congress.
Birthright (1939) Only three reels exist of one of Oscar Micheaux's last films (a remake of his own 1924 silent film). Preserved by the Library of Congress.

(Announced titles are pending restoration and subject to change.)

[jwd5275]

Also added to the stretch goal:

FEATURE FILMS

The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920) Perhaps the boldest film of the early African-American cinema was this film by Oscar Micheaux, that dared to confront the Ku Klux Klan. Previously unavailable on DVD, this edition will be mastered in HD from a 35mm film element preserved by the Museum of Modern Art and the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique. It features a musical score by legendary jazz drummer Max Roach, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies.

SHORT FILMS / FRAGMENTS

By Right of Birth (1921) This fragment is the only film that survives from the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, one of the first and foremost producers of African-American films, co-founded by Hollywood actor Noble Johnson.

[Ashirg]

Redemption is releasing Jean Rollin's The Escapees on blu on May 26.

[dwk]

from HTF:

Coming in August from Kino Lorber Studio Classics - First time on Blu-ray and DVD - Sergio Sollima's Face to Face (1967) - Starring Gian Maria Volonte, Tomas Milian, William Berger and Jolanda Modio - Screenplay by Sergio Donati and Sergio Sollima - Music by Ennio Morricone - Directed by Sergio Sollima.

Will include: HD version of the 93 minute English language version & SD (16x9) version of the 112 minute Italian language version.

This KLSC release is part of a separate deal and was not acquired from MGM.

[Cinephrenic]

Nice to see more spaghetti westerns on blu. Who owns the rights to this?

[Finch]

First time on Blu-ray and DVD - Sergio Sollima's Face to Face

Nice! Waiting for reviews first though before I part with the Eureka DVD.

[rapta]

First time on Blu-ray and DVD - Sergio Sollima's Face to Face

Nice! Waiting for reviews first though before I part with the Eureka DVD.

I wonder if they'll upgrade it to their Eureka Classics range one day? They certainly might consider it if Arrow's upcoming Day Of Anger is successful. It certainly looks that way!

That said, Eureka once released Corbucci's The Great Silence on DVD. If I had to choose one of them to restore and put out on blu-ray, it'd probably be that one.

[rockysds]

2 days left of the Kickstarter and there's still a bit of way to go in reaching the stretch goal. If you're interested in the set and haven't "pre-ordered" it yet, please consider doing so. It's only gonna become a better deal the more who do so.

[rockysds]

Moana with Sound on blu-ray in June.

[Zorn]

That's great news. I'm friends with Bruce Posner (the person behind the restoration) and I got a chance to see a screening of it last year. It is remarkable with what they did considering how poor some of the material they had to work with. It looks and sounds wonderful. This is well worth checking out.

[Ashirg]

Li'l Quinquin on DVD and blu on June 2
The Sadistic Baron Von Klaus on DVD and blu on June 9
Hard to Be a God on DVD and blu on June 30

[captveg]

The Front Page (1931) BD and DVD in August. 35mm Library of Congress source. Should be a great improvement over the several PD DVDs throughout the years.