109 / BD 3 The Shop on the High Street

[charal]

Mentioned in the new catalogue

[What A Disgrace]

On DVD and Blu-ray on July 25, according to Amazon.

[jbeall]

D'oh! I'm trying to avoid double-dipping, but this is one where I'll gladly upgrade to blu.

[charal]

Does this upcoming release mean we will see a Hungarian Classics bluray box set with ADOPTION, SILENCE AND CRY, etc? Just kidding, wishful thinking only. What a shame the 3 Polish sets missed out on being blu.

[Ribs]

Now available to order from the Arrow store. BD version link.

[MichaelB]

The Slovak Spectator commemorates the film's 50th anniversary.

[FrauBlucher]

Here is the cover art....

[FrauBlucher]

Got an update from Amazon. The release date has been pushed back two weeks to August 8th.

[FrauBlucher]

Pushed to August 15th.

[Bikey]

We can reveal that our SHOP ON THE HIGH STREET release will feature a new, expansive appreciation/visual essay on the film by the brilliant Michael Brooke. A taster of that here.

[MichaelB]

I'd probably better mention that there's a fair bit more about Zdeněk Liška's score in the full 40-minute piece (as a rabid Liška fan who first discovered his music some 33 years ago, I was hardly going to pass up that opportunity!), but the later clips start encroaching on serious spoiler territory, so I cut it short in that promotional clip.

[FrauBlucher]

Are there final specs listed for this?

[MichaelB]

• Presented from a new 2K restoration by the Czech National Archive.
• New filmed appreciation by writer, editor and film historian Michael Brooke.
• Booklet featuring a new essay by author and film programmer Peter Hames.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.

My contribution is 40 minutes, Peter Hames's is nearly 5,300 words - and I was given a sneak preview prior to filming my piece, so was able to minimise information overlap.

It's impossible to avoid completely, of course, what with us both tackling the same subject, but I did make a point of emphasising details that Peter either didn't bring up at all or merely mentioned in passing, which is why I say comparatively little about the two directors (whose entire careers Peter explores in exhaustive detail) and much more about the actors and composer. And of course I had a fairly massive advantage when it comes to discussing the music in depth!

[FrauBlucher]

Thanks Michael. Can't wait to dig in.

[Bikey]

Our webpages with full specs for this title are now up and live

[MichaelB]

An impressively speedy review given that copies have only just been sent out, courtesy of The Arts Desk.

[Bikey]

"Peerless Slovak Holocaust drama... achieves that rarest thing, the convincing introduction of elements of comedy into a context where it might seem impossible, heightening rather than diminishing the overall emotional effect... This Second Run release presents a new 2K restoration, giving new crispness to the images, and is accompanied by an exemplary 40-minute filmed appreciation by film historian Michael Brooke that is brisk and enthusiastic"

The first review is in - The Arts Desk on Kadár and Klos' THE SHOP ON THE HIGH STREET

[Bikey]

"One of the very greatest achievements of that great golden age, a subtle but utterly devastating film about moral frailty and the most awful fact of the Twentieth century... It is a masterpiece and one presented here quite beautifully: an essential release."

James Oliver at MovieMail reviews THE SHOP ON THE HIGH STREET

[nitin]

I ordered this today, cannot wait to get it. Are there any screenshots anywhere yet?

[Bikey]

Graham Williamson reviews at The Geek Show

[tenia]

I ordered this today, cannot wait to get it. Are there any screenshots anywhere yet?

Here are some taken myself :

[FrauBlucher]

Thanks Tenia, looks lovely (bluray I assume). I've been waiting to see some screenshots. The reviews have been about the film, which we already know is great, and not about the technical aspect. Needless to say, can't wait for my copy to arrive this week.

[tenia]

Yes, it's taken from the Blu Ray. There seems to be quite some damages left (specks, dirt, a few scratches) and it seems quite bright, but otherwise, it seems quite nice indeed.

[nitin]

Thanks tenia, that's looks to be a substantial upgrade over the Criterion dvd.

[MichaelB]

Beaver.