14 The Red and the White

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

#1 Post by Matt » Sat Dec 17, 2005 12:17 pm

The Red and the White (Csillagosok, katonak)

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Set in 1919, during the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Miklós Jancsó's The Red and the White is a war film unlike any other. In the brutal Civil War which took place, Hungarian volunteers supported the ‘Red' revolutionaries in a war of attrition against the ‘White' counter-revolutionaries who were seeking to restore the old Czarist order.

Through its stylistic virtuosity, ritualistic power and sheer beauty, Jancsó invites us to study the mechanisms of power almost abstractly and with a cold eroticism that clearly portrays the utter futility of war. Although the film was an Hungarian-Russian co-production, the Russian authorities banned it from being shown anywhere in the Soviet Union.

Miklós Jancsó is arguably the key Hungarian filmmaker of the sound era and The Red and the White will be the first in a series of his films that Second Run DVD will be releasing.

Special Features

• Message of Stones (Kövek üzenete) - Budapest: The first film in Miklós Jancsó's renowned but rarely-seen documentary series Message of Stones.
• New digital transfer with restored image and sound.
• Anamorphic 16:9 enhanced for widescreen televisions.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc.
• Booklet featuring an interview with Miklós Jancsó conducted by writer/critic Andrew James Horton.

kazantzakis
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#2 Post by kazantzakis » Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:20 pm

I am sure your version will be far superior to Kino's but given the extensive filmography of the director, why did you choose to release this one first? And what else will be following?

EDIT: Addressing Second Run of course, not the poster...

solent

#3 Post by solent » Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:28 pm

Does this mean we will see a good version of THE ROUND-UP, a film long promised but not yet delivered by Dreamquest in Canada?

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zedz
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#4 Post by zedz » Sun Dec 18, 2005 6:10 pm

At last! A decent (fingers crossed!) release of prime Jansco. These films are so image-driven that it's almost pointless watching them in sub-standard transfers. More, please (and yes, The Round-Up would be an excellent follow-up.)

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Bikey
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#5 Post by Bikey » Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:15 pm

Kazantzakis,

In answer to your question:

the reasons why we went for 'The Red & The White' as our first Jancso release are two fold: firstly it is because it is one of our favourites of his (is that too flip a word for such a powerful piece of filmmaking? ). Secondly because we felt that although it is a film without traditional characters and narrative, it is probably the 'easiest' way into his work of that period.

Our thinking being that if you came to Jansco without knowing that much about him and his work then you could find some of the others a little too abstract which might lead you to form a negative impression of one of Europe's greatest but terribly neglected directors.

So it's a decision balanced between our love of the film and an attempt to try and generate and sustain an interest in the other Jancso's that we may release. Daft idealism with a slight dash of commercialism I suppose.

Of course I'm sure this doesn't apply to the majority of posters on this forum who are all fully accquainted with Jancso and his dark majesty :D

What other Jancso's are we releasing? That'd be telling.

Any more questions?

Bikie.

kazantzakis
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#6 Post by kazantzakis » Thu Feb 02, 2006 8:24 pm

Thanks Bikey! Makes sense...

That would be telling...cant you tell? I am sure others would like to know this too...

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ltfontaine
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#7 Post by ltfontaine » Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:13 am

Secondly because we felt that although it is a film without traditional characters and narrative, it is probably the 'easiest' way into his work of that period.
I don't know whether it is the "easiest" entry into Jancso's work, but the film's staggering depth and beauty make it an inspired choice for a first release by this director. I hope your proposed Jancso series receives the attention and consumer response that it richly deserves!

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Bikey
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#8 Post by Bikey » Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:58 pm

Kazantzakis - I'm not telling because we enjoy messing with you.
:D

It is also because we don't want to start making promises we can't keep. Until we have the whole release nailed down we would rather not announce anything. We don't want to raise anyone's expectations unnecessarily.

solent

#9 Post by solent » Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:48 pm

I'm glad with the first choice for Jancso but THE ROUND UP is more to my taste. Like SILENCE & CRY it seems more focussed and weighted down in terms of place and this gives it a great pictoral quality. I haven't seen RED & WHITE for over 10 years. I seem to recall a brilliant film with fast cutting and the betrayal and counter betrayal of its various characters leading to an ironic climax [the depicted Reds outnumbered and about to be defeated]. I read somewhere that the Russians were not impressed with it due to its brutal historical honesty rather than the idealistic film they naively expected [didn't they see any of the master's films prior to this commission?]

I'm also glad I stayed away from the Kino version and waited for something better [i.e. removable subs]. The Second Run announcement of more Jancso to come also makes me happy. I have visions of THE ROUND UP, MY WAY HOME & THE CONFRONTATION but even one film by this great company is better than nothing.

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What A Disgrace
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#10 Post by What A Disgrace » Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:22 am

Amazon lists this, along with The Cremator, as a March 27 release.

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Bikey
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#11 Post by Bikey » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:33 am

More details for you on The Red & The White:


The Red & The White
(Csillagosok, katonak)
A film by Miklos Jancso
(Hungary/ USSR 1967)
Second Run DVD 014
Release date: March 27th 2006

Set during the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, Miklós Jancsó's The Red and the White is a war film unlike any other. In the brutal Civil War which took place, Hungarian volunteers supported the ‘Red' revolutionaries who were being hunted by the ‘White' government forces ordered to crush them. Through its stylistic virtuosity, ritualistic power and sheer beauty, Jancsó invites us to study the mechanisms of power almost abstractly and with a cold eroticism that clearly portrays the utter futility of war. Although the film was an Hungarian-Russian co-production, the Russian authorities banned it from being shown anywhere in the Soviet Union.

Miklós Jancsó is arguably the key Hungarian filmmaker of the sound era and The Red and the White will be the first of his films that Second Run DVD will be releasing through 2006.


Special Features:


- Message of Stones (Kövek üzenete) - Budapest: The first film in Miklós Jancsó's renowned but rarely-seen documentary series Message of Stones.

- New digital transfer with restored image and sound.

- Anamorphic 16:9 enhanced for widescreen televisions.

- New and improved English subtitle translation.

- Optimal quality dual-layer disc.

- Booklet featuring a new Essay on the film by critic and filmmaker Tony Rayns.

Length / Main Feature: tbc

Length / Special Feature: 54 minutes 

Sound: Original Mono (restored)

Language: Hungarian

Original aspect ratio: 16:9 / 2.35:1

Black & White 

PAL

Subtitles: English On/Off


People Who Know say:

“If you've never encountered Jancsó's work, you shouldn't miss this.â€

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Bikey
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#12 Post by Bikey » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:35 am

I should have added:

Retail price: £12.99

:D

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What A Disgrace
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#13 Post by What A Disgrace » Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:57 pm

Amazon says this is the cover art.

Image

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godardslave
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#14 Post by godardslave » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:37 pm

no picture...? interesting.

well its minimalist, if nothing else.

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Bikey
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#15 Post by Bikey » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:49 pm

We have updated The Red & the White at our website:

http://www.secondrundvd.com/release_trtw.php

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FilmFanSea
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:37 pm
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#16 Post by FilmFanSea » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:53 pm

DVD Beaver Review
The source print's image is quite inferior and those weaknesses have been transferred to the Second Run PAL DVD. Now I have looked high and low and can't seem to find my Region 1 Kino copy of this film (I know I have it as I've seen the film at least 3 times via it!), but if recollection serves me well - it was actually even poorer than this UK DVD. Hopefully we will throw up some comparison captures to verify this soon.

It is very likely that the haziness of much of the DVD image is inherent in the film itself although I have no way to verify that at this point. The transfer itself appears quite solid although I did see a few minor instances of 'combing' which may have resulted from the 'alchemist' system of digital replication. Again - only my best guess. Audio also had some weakness but it did not impinge upon my viewing experience.

Nice bonus with this DVD is Jancsó's first film in his documentary series Message of Stones. This is pretty rare stuff that you are not likely to see anywhere else. A 20-page liner notes booklet is included with photos and an interview with Miklós Jancsó conducted by writer/critic Andrew James Horton.

I applaud Second Run for bringing out this astonishing film in a less-than-stellar appearance that they will no doubt be criticized for. I can't think of many political films in the last century that are at this level and we strongly recommend the film with serious doubts that it will ever look or sound better on the DVD medium.
I'd be interested in reading Bikey's comments about source materials for this DVD.

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Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#17 Post by Gordon » Sun Mar 26, 2006 3:10 pm

Looks a bit soft, but with digital clean-up in some of those captures. Not as bad as the Mother Joan of the Angels disc, where quality film elements could not be obtained and an analogue tape had to be used. Still, it looks good overall - judging solely by the captures - and it will be great to see this masterpiece again. Thanks again Second Sight.

peerpee
not perpee
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#18 Post by peerpee » Sun Mar 26, 2006 3:45 pm

Gordon McMurphy wrote: Thanks again Second Sight.
:oops:

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Bikey
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#19 Post by Bikey » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:07 pm

I'd be interested in reading Bikey's comments about source materials for this DVD.[/quote]

Film Fan Sea,

Apologies for the tardiness of the reply. I've not been around for a few days.

I don't know whether our source material was the same master that Kino used for their release. Though I am loath to make any comparisons with anyone else's release the master that we received did appear to be in a better state than any other release of the film I have seen. We worked closely with our production facility to do the best restoration job that our budget would allow. We would love to be able to spend months restoring every film we release to pristine quality but that just doesn't make economic sense for us. We are a tiny concern working in a niche market operating on limited means who are always having to weigh up how much we can spend on a project compared to the quality of the source while factoring in what we think it will sell with how badly we want to release the film (you should see the graphs in my office....).

The last thing we want to do is to release something that doesn't come up to a certain standard and leaves you guys feeling that we are just 'bunging things out'. For a label such as us that is trying to develop a long term business that kind of attitude would be disastrous. That's not what we are about and I hope that our affection for the films we release comes over in everything we are trying to do.

Mother Joan of the Angels was a prime example. We had to make a choice between doing the restoration we could afford and releasing a version that, in the light of the state of the source, was far from perfect but is, at the moment, the only decent version available out there. Or we could have decided not to bother at all as we couldn't deliver a pristine version (it's unlikely that anyone will given the state of the source). We chose the former as we think that it is a wonderful film that we adore and one that should be available for people to see.

(I saw Mother Joan again at our screening last week and I never fail to find something new in it ever time I watch it. This time it was just how sexually charged the flagellation is. Crikey.)

If we do release films that we feel are compromised in any way we will always note it on the sleeve so that the consumer can decide for themselves whether to spend their money with us. Personally I really don't believe that we needed to do this with The Red & the White. The image may be a little soft in places but I think it looks pretty good for a 40 year old film.

I hope this is a satisfactory response. Let me know your thoughts.

Bikey.

Oh and if anyone does have any friends or family members who are sitting on a large nest egg that they would like to donate to a fledgling DVD label's restoration fund then please put them in touch with me. :-)

solent

#20 Post by solent » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:57 pm

Bikey, rest assured there are many out there who prefer a lesser quality print-to-DVD transfer than nothing at all. [I don't count Facets' releases as acceptable though]. I may be weird but in a way I like the (occasionally) 'dirty' look of MOTHER JOAN. It's like watching old silents or looking at photos by Julia Margartet Cameron. Its the art within that matters. A pristine print is not everything despite its desirability. of all the 60s releases I have from SR none has disappointed me.

rs98762001
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:04 pm

#21 Post by rs98762001 » Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:34 pm

Solent, I could not agree more with you. My RED AND THE WHITE arrived today and, while the picture is occasionally a touch soft, overall the quality is more than acceptable. Not even worthy of mention in the same sentence as Facets.

And I love the cover. Just when I thought the SR design scheme was getting predictable, this one is a smart, subtly different choice.

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FilmFanSea
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#22 Post by FilmFanSea » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:37 am

A very complimentary review has been posted by Gary Couzens at DVD Times.

This DVD is certainly on my "to buy" list, along with the upcoming Blissfully Yours.

brunosh
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Location: London

#23 Post by brunosh » Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:07 am

Yes, a thousand times, to a steady stream of perhaps-less-than-pristine-but-above-the-bar-of-acceptability-and-better-than-elsewhere, especially at the price. Thanks, Second Run.

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What A Disgrace
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#24 Post by What A Disgrace » Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:20 am

Mine is finally shipping tomorrow or Monday (along with The Cremator). I'm very anxious to see this film.

I'm a little surprised nobody has commented on the Message of Stones piece. What should I expect from this particular film? How is the quality of its presentation on the disc? Will Second Run be releasing more/all six (I believe) of these as supplements in future Jancso releases?

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godardslave
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#25 Post by godardslave » Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:35 pm

solent wrote:Bikey, rest assured there are many out there who prefer a lesser quality print-to-DVD transfer than nothing at all.
I agree. Bikey your doing a great job, and your philosophy makes perfect sense both in artistic terms, and in financial terms (as you explained).

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