Claire Denis on DVD

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#1 Post by Michael » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:36 am

I watched Friday Night last night and the film's so amazing that I want to include it in my DVD library. Cinema was made for films like this.

The Wellspring DVD doesn't seem to be really good unless I'm mistaken. I plan to spin the DVD on a different player later to double check but the film was filmed mainly at night and anytime we see anything in dense black, there are horizontal lines "combing" in the black. Friday Night is thoroughly pulsated with enthereal shots/compositions but the surface is grainy which is probably what Denis wants - to give the film a dreamy quality.

The Wellspring's video quality is very hard to judge and Friday Night is nowhere to be found on dvdbeaver so I would appreciate any information or help you could supply. Thanks.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#2 Post by franco » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:44 am

Michael, you can also check out DVD Times, or try DVDBasen.

Have you listened to Claire's commentary yet? Noel on DVDTimes writes positive things about the track.

I am renting the disk today.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#3 Post by Michael » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:47 am

san.solieil, thanks for the links. Please do come back with your thoughts after watching Friday Night.

Who is that guy in your avatar?

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#4 Post by franco » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:57 am

That's Jae-hyeon Jo gazing at a pretty college girl sitting on a bench in Bad Guy. Sometimes I get the illusion that I resemble him in looks. I recommend the movie (although with trepidation), if you have not seen it and don't mind Kim Ki-Duk.

I just changed my profile name into something more specific so that I sound like a person, not a concept.

I shall let you know about my thoughts after I watch Vendredi Soir. By the way, is it just me or the New Yorker Beau Travail has lots of ghosting (or combing?) during medium to close motion scenes??

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#5 Post by Michael » Thu Sep 15, 2005 1:59 pm

You can spell out Friday Night 's entire plot in one sentence but Denis turns that humble plot into something so magical and profound.. and the film is unquesttionably as great as the best of cinema. Films like this are rare and must be treasured. For those of you who dismissed Denis based on the awful Trouble Every Day, you will be most certainly shocked (like I was) by the greatness of Friday Night. Pay close attention to the woman's expression on her face as the film concludes. In Friday Night, everything feels so perfect. It's been on my mind all night all day.

I still need to finish watching Beau Travail.. I fell asleep halfway through.

Now about Agnes Godard. I still couldn't get over how beautiful her work is. Inspiring, elegant and pure.

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#6 Post by zedz » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:55 am

I've got the UK (Tartan) Friday Night but haven't watched it yet. I'll let you know about quality when I have.

I agree that it's a great film, but it's only about my fifth or sixth favourite film by Denis. Godard's work is so superb, and so subtle and textured, that these films really need to be seen on a big screen, but any DVD release is better than nothing (and I say this as the owner of a horribly shoddy Korean boot of Nenette et Boni).

I'm sure you'll appreciate Beau Travail on a second try, and just wait till you see L'Intrus: Godard is in rare form there. Despite the magnificence and epic sweep of those films, I think Nenette et Boni is still my favourite Denis, and it's probably the closest in tone to Friday Night, and its use of music is, if anything, even more sublime than Beau Travail. When will somebody issue a decent DVD of this film!?

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#7 Post by franco » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:47 am

The DVD of L'Intrus is coming to UK from Tartan on December 5th. No word on extras yet...

I am counting the days before I see it at the festival.

User avatar
backstreetsbackalright
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 6:49 pm
Location: 313

#8 Post by backstreetsbackalright » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:48 am

zedz wrote:I think Nenette et Boni is still my favourite Denis, and it's probably the closest in tone to Friday Night, and its use of music is, if anything, even more sublime than Beau Travail. When will somebody issue a decent DVD of this film!?
Say word! That's high up on wishlist!

yukiyuki
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:06 am
Location: Jakarta
Contact:

#9 Post by yukiyuki » Tue Sep 20, 2005 7:49 am

how about I Can't Sleep?anyone seen this flick?

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#10 Post by franco » Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:01 pm

yukiyuki wrote:how about I Can't Sleep?anyone seen this flick?
Have you read davidhare's post?

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#11 Post by zedz » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:48 pm

Getting back to the original post, I've now looked at the UK Tartan disc of Vendredi Soir and it seems decent. The image is crisp enough, at least on my screen, though it does seem to have an slight overall green tinge, which may actually be true to the film, if my foggy memory serves. The black levels are not entirely consistent throughout as well: generally good, but when Jean is speeding in reverse down the suddenly empty streets, for example, the blacks are speckly and greenish. Again, this may be true to Godard's moody, impressionistic photography.

What I love about this film, and what is beautifully preserved on the small screen, is its dreamlike mood and slippery sense of reality. At just about any point along the way, we could be leaving Laure's reality and entering her fantasy. When I attended a screening of the film presented by Denis, she seemed to downplay this possibility, however (and then she went and made L'Intrus). What she emphasised was her absolute fidelity to the source novel, right down to its most fleeting idiosyncracies (such as the smiling pizza).

As for J'ai pas sommeil, what a film indeed. I've heard the US disc is not great, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out. Any comments on that edition?

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#12 Post by zedz » Wed Sep 21, 2005 7:02 am

flixyflox wrote: I tried tracking down some French discs of Denis' films while in Paris in June but didn't have any luck off the shelves. I am really not sure how well she is served by DVDs in her home country but would certianly like to upgrade editions of anything, even without subs.
Snap! I was amazed how poorly served she was on French DVD (and I don't think it was solely the fault of fnucking FNAC). Even Vendredi Soir seemed to be AWOL. I had little luck with Assayas as well.

Thanks for the tips re. different editions. I doubt I'll be able to resist the temptation of J'ai pas sommeil much longer, so here's hoping somebody rushes out a superior transfer.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#13 Post by Michael » Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:53 am

Does anyone know if L' Intrus is coming out on DVD anytime soon?

User avatar
Arn777
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:10 am
Location: London

#14 Post by Arn777 » Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:12 am

It will probably come out in France first, before the end of the year. From Arte, which means probably no english subtitles but some interesting supplements. I saw it when it was broadcasted on the Arte TV channel in France back in May, and it's my favourite film of the year so far and can't wait to get into it again.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#15 Post by Michael » Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:09 pm

Just finished watching Beau Travail. My god.. what can I say? The best film ever made! No but seriously, it's really that great. I want to say so much about my experience with Beau Travail but the words fail to come out. The most beautifully shot ballet with breathtaking rhythmic patterns - men in the desert, local women weaving, disco...

And what an ending!

A question: I'm trying to understand Galoup's jealousy toward Sentain..why does he feel and think so negative about Sentain? I certainly need time to digest and also revisit the film.

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#16 Post by zedz » Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:14 pm

And what a great soundtrack. Who would have thought that Benjamin Britten, Neil Young and North African pop could all have been so right for the same film?

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#17 Post by Michael » Tue Sep 27, 2005 5:36 pm

Jonathan Rosenbaum's take on Claire Denis and Beau Travail.

Been digesting Beau Travail for a few hours. Is it wrong to read Galoup as a man who's violently afraid of his repressed sexual feelings for Sentain?

User avatar
Andre Jurieu
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:38 pm
Location: Back in Milan (Ind.)

#18 Post by Andre Jurieu » Tue Sep 27, 2005 10:08 pm

Michael wrote:Been digesting Beau Travail for a few hours. Is it wrong to read Galoup as a man who's violently afraid of his repressed sexual feelings for Sentain?
Considering the entire thing is influenced by Billy Budd, I'd say no it isn't wrong. It's fairly clear.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#19 Post by franco » Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:01 pm

Franco wrote:The DVD of L'Intrus is coming to UK from Tartan on December 5th. No word on extras yet...
Now there is a word on extras: an interview.

Michael, I think, with uncertainty, that you will love L'Intrus. My reaction to the whole experience when the film ended was similar to that I had for Mirror (namely utterly confused and spellbound), although Claire Denis' universe is completely in a class of its own.

Acquarello, I am posting a link to your article because it quickly facilitated my infatuation with the film.

More old news: Robert Davis's brilliant interview with Claire Denis and commentary.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#20 Post by Michael » Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:43 pm

Franco, thanks. Can't wait for the UK DVD coming out in early December. It's absolutely certain that I will love it. Your mention of Mirror makes me even more excited about seeing it. By the way, I just ordered the DVD of Bad Guy. I will let you know what I think of it.

User avatar
Arn777
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:10 am
Location: London

#21 Post by Arn777 » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:07 pm

Cahiers du Cinema is releasing 'Nenete & Boni' and 'S'en fout la mort' in November. No words on subs yet

User avatar
backstreetsbackalright
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 6:49 pm
Location: 313

#22 Post by backstreetsbackalright » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:40 pm

Arn777 wrote:Cahiers du Cinema is releasing 'Nenete & Boni' and 'S'en fout la mort' in November. No words on subs yet

Terrific! Keep us posted on the English subs question.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#23 Post by Michael » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:32 pm

My god, Franco. Bad Guy is soooo good. What a strange, perverted love story. I was surprised by how much it moved me. Wonder if that makes me a pervert. :lol: I was stunned by the acting and also the director's gorgeous use of compositions. The brutality was hard to take in some scenes. Thinking about starting a thread devoted to Bad Guy since it seems like not many people have heard of this truly awesome film. And I'm also curious about how women generally respond to Bad Guy.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#24 Post by franco » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:39 pm

Michael, I am soooo delighted that you like Bad Guy and to realize that one does not have to bear any grudge for women to like the movie. It certainly deserves its own thread, although I was reluctant to initialize one because I had too little to say and too much personal context.

On the other hand, I finished watching Friday Night and was not in the least degree disappointed. There is not much I can add to what has already been said about the film. I just wish there were someone who would watch it together with me.

If the cover really looks like this, then I'll just wait for the Benson's World sale next summer.

From Sendit.com

Image

The DTS track will be lovely.

As for S'en fout la mort and Nénette et Boni , there is still no word on the subtitles yet.

User avatar
Miguel
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:15 pm

#25 Post by Miguel » Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:17 am

Does anyone know if the Tartan UK Trouble Every Day comes with the Denis/Godard commentary from the French dvd?

Post Reply