Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1976 Post by hearthesilence » Sun Jan 17, 2016 7:12 pm

Picked up Blu-Rays for Chabrol's The Ceremony and Bresson's Mouchette - pretty cheap discs, they were hard to turn down. Criterion has had HD versions of both up on their Hulu channel for quite some time, but they have yet to issue either on BD (and haven't issued The Ceremony in any physical format), but these are definitely solid alternatives - possibly the same HD transfers given to Criterion as I doubt they were derived from 4k transfers, but again solid, never a moment where I was taken out of the film by disappointing PQ.

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1977 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sun Jan 31, 2016 5:09 pm

With Rivette's passing, does anyone know of any plans to reissue the La belle noiseuse set?

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1978 Post by RossyG » Fri Apr 08, 2016 1:35 am

Unfortunately the DVD of the first two Dardennes features has been delayed several months too. It's now got a December 31st date, which sounds more like a holding pattern than a realistic release date.

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dda1996a
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:14 am

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1979 Post by dda1996a » Tue Apr 19, 2016 1:48 pm

I have been considering buying the Theo Angelopolous collection and perhaps even some Bela Tarr from AE, can anyone speak about their quality? And if anyone knows if there might be an HD upgrade coming soon. And does anyone know what is going on the Ivan's Childhood? Saw it got pushed back to next month

charal
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1980 Post by charal » Tue Apr 19, 2016 5:04 pm

The Angelopoulos is of acceptable quality. I only have volumes 1 & 2 and have found most of the transfers to be clean and clear. The main exception being DAYS OF 36 which suffers from the occasional wobble, reel marking and fading. No major restoration appears to have been done to these transfers but some minor work appears to have been done to some (e.g. RECONSTRUCTION & TRAVELLING PLAYERS).

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1981 Post by colinr0380 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 7:56 pm

Also bear in mind as pointed out in the Angelopoulos on DVD thread that a number of the films appear to have edits within scenes, or brief trims to beginning and ends of shots, though it seems unlikely that they will be revisited any time soon.

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dda1996a
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1982 Post by dda1996a » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:47 am

Considering I have never watched one of his films does it really matter? I mean I always love watching the full cut when I can, but considering the situation does it make any real difference? And what about the PQ of the Tarrs and the Nuri Bilge Ceylan dvd releases? Sadly I doubt they will ever get a HD transfer

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MichaelB
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1983 Post by MichaelB » Wed Apr 20, 2016 10:06 am

charal wrote:The Angelopoulos is of acceptable quality. I only have volumes 1 & 2 and have found most of the transfers to be clean and clear. The main exception being DAYS OF 36 which suffers from the occasional wobble, reel marking and fading.
I'm also not convinced that Days of 36 is in the right aspect ratio - there's lots of headroom, and at one point a painfully obtrusive microphone.

Still, it clearly hasn't been cropped, so better that way round than the alternative.

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kidc85
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:15 pm

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1984 Post by kidc85 » Wed Apr 20, 2016 1:26 pm

With Angelopoulos didn't it turn out that AE's THE HUNTERS was probably a legit alternate cut akin to the situation with Malick's NEW WORLD? I wouldn't let it - or the other more minor issues - put you off getting the most comprehensive collection of his films that ever will be.

I have some of their Tarr releases, all fine. Would love for WERCKMEISTER (as well as Angel's LANDSCAPE IN MIST) to make it to blu-ray one day though.

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dda1996a
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:14 am

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1985 Post by dda1996a » Wed Apr 20, 2016 2:37 pm

Well seeing as there is no upcoming HD release I might get this... Eventually (too many LE boxset out right now). Having never watched a Tarr or Angelopolous where should I start? I love me some Tarkovsky would I be fine with exploring them?

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miless
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:45 pm

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1986 Post by miless » Wed Apr 20, 2016 2:46 pm

For Tarr, Werckmeister Harmonies is definitely the best starting point. Damnation could be a good start, too, but you will probably want to work your way up to Satantago (a masterpiece). I actually like The Man From London, but I think I needed to see it after all of the other films to really appreciate it (and to relish entering Tarr's world once again). Turin Horse is a good ending point (probably the most difficult of his films, but certainly worth it).

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TMDaines
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1987 Post by TMDaines » Wed Apr 20, 2016 6:45 pm

More difficult than Sátántangó? That was a slog I have no desire to ever try and sit through again.

If I didn't like that, what Tarr should I try second?

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miless
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:45 pm

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1988 Post by miless » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:05 pm

Werckmeister Harmonies is definitely his most accessible. Beautiful cinematography, haunting score, a more deliberate pacing than Satantango. Turin Horse is difficult because of its extreme repetition. All of his films certainly work best on the big screen.

WmS
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1989 Post by WmS » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:35 pm

I screened Werckmeister for a class of high school students some years ago, and they had an awestruck, in my mind appropriate reaction. It has a motive force and a clear throughline which some of his other works lack (especially Turin Horse, with its repetitions). Werckmeister also offers some of his most visually spectacular shots, with its marching crowds, its Steadicam through the plaza, its refusal to show us the Prince. The class I was teaching had some building and some lovely students, but I also had no qualms about showing it because I knew its was so strong and clear. I would not, for instance, have shown Damnation.

I would never call Satantango a slog, though, so take that into consideration.

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kidc85
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:15 pm

Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1990 Post by kidc85 » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:44 pm

Did people know that AE released ALMANAC OF THE FALL (under the title AUTUMN ALMANAC) in March? Completely passed me by. How depressing that in 2016 AE are releasing major films by major directors in DVD only editions.

JabbaTheSlut
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1991 Post by JabbaTheSlut » Sun Aug 07, 2016 2:25 pm

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in a blu-ray bundle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artificial-Eye ... ROKL5A1OLE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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RossyG
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1992 Post by RossyG » Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:04 am

The Class would also be a UK BD debut.

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dda1996a
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1993 Post by dda1996a » Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:09 am

It appears almost every package has at least one lesser film (maybe except the british) but it's extremely overpriced especially if there are no extras

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rapta
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1994 Post by rapta » Mon Aug 08, 2016 8:43 am

I hope they decide to release 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days separately (and The Class too). Then again, they didn't for A Swedish Love Story, so you're forced to buy the whole Andersson set just to get that one (with the other two other than A Pigeon being dodgy upscaled transfers apparently).

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Big Ben
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1995 Post by Big Ben » Sat Aug 20, 2016 8:56 pm

MichaelB said that the rights to Kieslowski's "Short Films" were owned by Artifical Eye in the UK (Which is why Arrow is only releasing the Televison version of Dekalog). If a new box set is coming I would imagine they'll be included.

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MichaelB
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1996 Post by MichaelB » Sun Aug 21, 2016 9:35 am

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Kieślowski box - AE has the rights, HD restorations are available off the shelf, and their refusal to sublicense the Short Films About Killing and Love to Arrow suggests that they plan to do them themselves.

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rapta
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1997 Post by rapta » Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:09 pm

That's exactly what I was thinking, but what would the other two be? I notice on the Zavvi listing the box set is just titled "Classics" for now, so it could be anything.

One of the remaining discs could just be The Double Life of Veronique, or if they can fit both Killing and Love on the same disc it could be the Three Colours Trilogy (but that would admittedly be a bit silly since many of us would already own all three of those). They have released some other Kieslowski titles before though: The Scar, Camera Buff, No End, and Blind Chance...

I guess they could get the same transfer of Blind Chance that Criterion released, but that still leaves one or two mystery discs. If they're going to put other directors in there, there's obviously plenty I'd love to see upgraded eventually (e.g. Bresson, Kiarostami, Jia, Ray, Haneke, Wong, Sembene, Mizoguchi, Klimov, Rohmer, Tarr, Makhmalbaf, Kaurismäki, Denis, Kalatozov etc). Obviously it will depend on whether there are decent materials available to license as well as whether they still have the rights...

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rockysds
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1998 Post by rockysds » Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:36 am

The fourth AE40 box contains a pretty useless bundling of titles: The 400 Blows, Three Colours: Blue, Mouchette and Babette's Feast.

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rapta
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#1999 Post by rapta » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:20 pm

rockysds wrote:The fourth AE40 box contains a pretty useless bundling of titles: The 400 Blows, Three Colours: Blue, Mouchette and Babette's Feast.
Yeah, I saw that. Ah well, another AE release to ignore I guess.

I do hope they release 4 Months, 3 Week and 2 Days separately though...

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rapta
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Re: Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

#2000 Post by rapta » Thu Nov 17, 2016 8:13 am

New titles for Q1 2017 are Francofonia (Sokurov), The Unknown Girl (Dardenne) and Endless Poetry (Jodorowsky).

Yeah noticed the Tarkovsky titles are that price at the moment...might pick up Solaris and Ivan's Childhood at the very least. Anomalisa is the same price but since that's 1xBD I reckon it'll drop even further in the coming months.

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