Optimum Releasing

peerpee · **Joined:** Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm **Posts:** 1345

Optimum Releasing

Have just been bought by Canal +

ellipsis7 · **Posted:** Sat May 06, 2006 3:54 am

Will this mean eventually all Studio Canal titles will be released thru Optimum in UK/Ireland, rather than licensing to other distribution companies, I wonder?

peerpee · **Joined:** Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm **Posts:** 1345

Yes, that's the whole point.

Studio Canal haven't been licensing anything to UK companies for over a year because they had been working out how they could setup themselves in the UK.

ellipsis7 · **Posted:** Sat May 06, 2006 12:34 pm

So they will be able to use the same transfers and masters as their French issues, just altering menus and packaging and adding Eng subs...

Things like their recent Coffret Renoir could be ported across easily...

[quote]StudioCanal deal will help Optimum become bigger

Geoffrey Macnab in London 05 May 2006 09:00

Further details have emerged of how UK distributor Optimum Releasing is going to expand following its acquisition by French major, StudioCanal.

Optimum's managing director Will Clarke refused to say how much StudioCanal paid for the company he founded in 1999, but rival distributors were speculating that it could have been as much as $31.7m (Euros 25m). Whatever the true figure, it is a huge return on the $22,190 (Â£12,000) that Chairman Paul Higgins invested to get the company off the ground seven years ago.

â€œIt's a decent amount of money for the operation we've built,â€

Matt · **Posted:** Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:18 pm

ellipsis7 wrote:

Note: Optimum said it now plans to release up to 400 DVD titles this year alone.

This will take a small bite out of that number:

DVD Times wrote:

Optimum Home Entertainment have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of The Definitive Ealing Studios Collection for 2nd October 2006 priced at Â£119.99. Made in the 1940s and 1950s, the films in this set feature the best of British actors such as Alec Guinness, Sid James, Dennis Price, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Frankie Howard, James Fox, Michael Redgrave and Joan Greenwood. As well as the much-loved classic comedies, this definitive collection includes less well known Ealing efforts such as spooky thriller Dead of Night and Dickens' classic Nicholas Nickleby. These English classics have hugely influenced filmmaking in the UK and around the world and have become an important part of world celluloid history.

The films included in this 16-disc set are: Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Man in the White Suit, The Magnet, Passport to Pimlico, The Titfield Thunderbolt, Whisky Galore, Champagne Charlie, Dead of Night, The Maggie, Scott of the Antarctic, Nicholas Nickleby, Went the Day Well, Hue and Cry and It Always Rains on a Sunday.

Each title comes to this box set fully restored and will also be available separately on 13th November 2006.

Source: DVD Times

tryavna · **Posted:** Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:36 pm

Thanks for that, Matt. I wonder if the set will include the special edition of Whisky Galore with all the extras? If some of them remain bare-bones, then there's probably no reason to update the fine R1 Anchor Bays, but quite a few have not seen light in R1 (Scott of the Antarctic, It Always Rains on Sunday, etc.).

BTW, Optimum's Classics page has been updated, and they list the Ealing stuff. Apparently, there will be several smaller boxsets in addtion to the big one. Also, they're re-releasing some of the war films that Warner gave rather disappointing R2 releases (Ice Cold in Alex, etc.). Hope these re-releases will be markedly improved.

foggy eyes · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:43 am

Optimum appear to be releasing Night and the City next year. Wasn't this supposed to be released in the UK by BFI? I remember seeing it in one of their catalogues a while ago.

Subbuteo · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:17 am

But thats not the Dassin, its the so-called remake!

Darth Lavender · **Joined:** Sun Aug 13, 2006 2:24 pm **Posts:** 392

I wouldn't be too hopeful here. Universal has been releasing Studio/Canal DVDs for a while in Australia, and most of the time we get no extras and edited films (just bought Cronenberg's "The Brood" yesterday, only to discover after a quick search of the internet that it's the edited version. Needless to say, I'll be taking that back to the store and getting the Region 1)

foggy eyes · **Posted:** Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:30 pm

Subbuteo wrote:

But thats not the Dassin, its the so-called remake!

This is very true. I have no idea why I didn't check the link. #-o

tryavna · **Posted:** Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:17 pm

Recently received and watched Optimum's (re-)release of the classic and influential Ealing crime drama The Blue Lamp, and I must say I was very pleased. Unedited print in near-pristine condition, though no extras for one of the key post-war British films. Looks like it's superior to the earlier R2 release by Warner. This bodes well for the Optimum-StudioCanal partnership, and I'll be picking up some more of the Ealing titles they're releasing individually next week.

Gordon · **Joined:** Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am **Posts:** 1740

I have been meaning to check out The Blue Lamp, since I read the DVD Beaver review. Gordon Dines (The Cruel Sea) was the cinematographer and the art direction was by Jim Morahan (The Ladykillers, The Cruel Sea, The Man in the White Suit, Whisky Galore!, Witchfinder General). According to the IMDb, this was the first (British? what about USA?) film to include the word "bastard", which wouldn't surprise me for 1950.

tryavna · **Posted:** Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:36 pm

Two quick announcements:

1.) I've posted in the Joseph Losey thread that Optimum will be releasing The Go-Between in late January.

2.) For Gordon and anyone else who's interested, BlahDVD seem to be having a special on the individual Ealing titles Optimum released on Monday. Most of the titles are 5.99 (with free shipping).

mario gauci · **Posted:** Sat Nov 18, 2006 7:24 pm

Being the owner of Gaumont's LE DVDs of Louis Feuillade's FANTOMAS (1913-14) and Marcel L'Herbier's EL DORADO (1921), I know that only too well but, in the case of these upcoming Bunuels, since they are originally in Spanish and these are ostensibly French releases, I suppose that at least French subtitles will be included so that "Aucun Sous-Titre" bit must be wrong. I guess this is yet another case when all those French-language lessons in secondary school of 15 years ago come in handy...

MichaelB · **Posted:** Sun Nov 19, 2006 3:58 am

Since that link doesn't give an audio language and format, I'm guessing the entry hasn't been completed yet.

Because if it genuinely had no subtitles whatsoever, this means that the set must be in dubbed French - and I can't see that being too popular with what I presume is Gaumont's target market!

Caligula · **Posted:** Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:30 am

Can anyone comment on the quality of the recently released War Collection sets (3 x 3 films, or 1 x 12 films)?

tryavna · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:58 pm

I've been putting off these sets because I didn't want too much overlap with some of my R1 titles. However, I've just noticed that Optimum will be releasing most of the individual titles from these sets separately in late January. Here, for example, is the entry for the excellent Ice Cold in Alex. (Unfortunately, however, they don't seem to have any plans for releasing the films available only trhough the 12-disc set: The Way Ahead, etc.) So looks like it won't be until early February that I get around to checking these discs out.

If they're anything like the Ealing titles I've gotten so far though, they should be fine.

david hare · **Joined:** Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:01 pm **Posts:** 5576

Quote:

Being the owner of Gaumont's LE DVDs of Louis Feuillade's FANTOMAS (1913-14) and Marcel L'Herbier's EL DORADO (1921), I know that only too well but, in the case of these upcoming Bunuels, since they are originally in Spanish and these are ostensibly French releases, I suppose that at least French subtitles will be included so that "Aucun Sous-Titre" bit must be wrong. I guess this is yet another case when all those French-language lessons in secondary school of 15 years ago come in handy...

You're certainly right about the Spanish Language titles - I'll buy them with French subs. But the French language pictures - la Mort en ce Jardin and la Fievre Monte a el Pao - will almost certainly not carry French subs. Just like the excellent Rene Chateau release of Cela s'Appelle l'Aurore - in fact all Rene Chateau's French language titles never carry French subs, although a couple, like en Cas de Malheur do have English subs!

Those wacky French folks!

brunosh · **Posted:** Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:33 am

mario gauci wrote:

I'd like to ask about DEATH IN THE GARDEN (1956), however: since this one isn't in the Box Set, has this been cancelled or was it never officially announced anywhere? For the record, I still haven't gotten hold of the two latest Bunuel DVDs from Yume because of their hefty price tag. Does anybody know if the Yume catalogue gets discounted during one of those ongoing "World Cinema" offers from Play.com, Bensonsworld, HMV, etc.

Mario - Apologies for starting a hare on Death in the Garden - DVD Reviewer's news item included it in the boxset contents, wrongly it seems. As a London resident, I console myself with the news that it can be seen at the NFT Bunuel season in January 2007.

Other Yume Pictures' DVDs (Blind Beast, After Midnight) are reduced in current bargain sales at Play and Amazon UK, so presumably the Bunuels will be at some point.

P&p aside, the Bunuel box pre-order is even cheaper at Benson, HMV and Amazon UK than at Play.

SncDthMnky · **Posted:** Fri Dec 01, 2006 4:04 am

Optimum is releasing Besson's new flick Angel-A in january, anyone here seen it? I'm solely interested because of Rie Rasmussen at this point, just wondering if anyone can say it's worth the plunge.

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/angel-a2.html

Gordon · **Joined:** Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am **Posts:** 1740

Upcoming Optimum releases:

John Schlesinger's, Darling (hopefully with an anamorphic transfer this time)

The L-Shaped Room (hopefully with an anamorphic transfer this time)

Night Of The Eagle (aka. Burn, Witch... Burn!) (previously available as part of an expensive boxed set)

The Go-Between

John Sayles Collection: Lianna; Return of the Secaucus Seven; Brother from Another Planet (hopefully with the R1 commentaries)

skuhn8 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:33 pm

just a heads up: optimum titles are drastically reduced at sendit.com. Now's your chance to pick up some Godard...and of course if you don't have it yet, Whiskey Galore.

Also concerning Godard (albeit not Optimum), they have the AEye Weekend for under 7 pounds (finally ordered it).

Gordon · **Joined:** Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am **Posts:** 1740

Thanks, skuhn! By the way, folks, here's the direct link

porcupine2 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:14 am **Posts:** 44

Optimum's new double disc of Ran (with a new transfer) was hardly anticipated or, one would have thought, much needed, but DVD Beaver compares it and says "It also differs from Criterion Region 1 transfer, as Criterion has a richer, darker image, yet is more compressed than Optimum, as when you zoom in, Criterion reveals more visible compression artifacts than Optimum. To be honest, I do not recall the deep colors of Criterion from my theatrical experience many years ago. To me, there always have been a pale element to the colors, thus I am inclined to favor the Optimum."

Any thoughts on this pale element?

Added: DVD Times goes further in its comparison and comes out in favour of the Optimum

porcupine2 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:14 am **Posts:** 44

Amazon.co.uk list an Optimum Godard boxset for March 5th 2007, containing:

ALPHAVILLE, PIERROT LE FOU, UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME, LE PETIT SOLDAT, A BOUT DE SOUFFLE, LA CHINOISE and MADE IN THE USA.

Six of these were available on two 3-disc 'Godard' sets, Warner with Canal logo at front of the films, gone out of print fast, and A bout de souffle was already an optimum. I presume this will just bump them all together at a bargain price, but who knows, will be interesting to see the Optimum website when the details are loaded.

Optimum Releasing

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