Walerian Borowczyk on DVD

[jsteffe]

I've just updated my Borowczyk DVD survey here - any additions/corrections gratefully received.

Thanks, MichaelB. What a terrific resource! May I ask who's the best online vendor to order the Anthology of Polish Animation for shipping to the U.S.? I need to get copies for myself AND for my library!

[videozor]

According to the Cult Epics web-site Borowczyk's shorts (maybe animated) are coming

[MichaelB]

Thanks, MichaelB. What a terrific resource! May I ask who's the best online vendor to order the Anthology of Polish Animation for shipping to the U.S.? I need to get copies for myself AND for my library!

I use Merlin.pl for Polish stuff - they haven't let me down yet, and if you scroll down to the bottom right of the page they tell you how to order in English.

According to the Cult Epics web-site Borowczyk's shorts (maybe animated) are coming

They've been promising them for years (certainly since February 2006, when I researched Sight & Sound's Borowczyk obituary), so I'm not holding my breath!

[jsteffe]

Thanks, MichaelB. What a terrific resource! May I ask who's the best online vendor to order the Anthology of Polish Animation for shipping to the U.S.? I need to get copies for myself AND for my library!

I use Merlin.pl for Polish stuff - they haven't let me down yet, and if you scroll down to the bottom right of the page they tell you how to order in English.

According to the Cult Epics web-site Borowczyk's shorts (maybe animated) are coming

They've been promising them for years (certainly since February 2006, when I researched Sight & Sound's Borowczyk obituary), so I'm not holding my breath!

Thanks, I'll try Merlin.pl

The point of the Polish anthology is not just that they've got Borowczyk--Polish animation in general is absolutely worth exploring.

[MichaelB]

The point of the Polish anthology is not just that they've got Borowczyk--Polish animation in general is absolutely worth exploring.

Completely agree - it's a really fabulous set. And the price is so low you'll probably think you've miscalculated the exchange rate at first.

The even better news is that this is apparently the first in a whole series of Polish animation anthologies...

[jsteffe]

The point of the Polish anthology is not just that they've got Borowczyk--Polish animation in general is absolutely worth exploring.

Completely agree - it's a really fabulous set. And the price is so low you'll probably think you've miscalculated the exchange rate at first.

The even better news is that this is apparently the first in a whole series of Polish animation anthologies...

Thanks, MichaelB! I ordered the anthology today and threw in those anthologies of Polish documentaries. I have a good Polish dictionary and understand a tiny bit of Polish, so the Merlin.pl website was easy to negotiate. It helps that it's well-designed! (A good sign.)

[Lino]

Apparently, Boro's Behind Convent Walls, supposedly being released by Cult Epics sometime in the future (at least, according to their website) is no longer in the plans... nor is his collection of 7 animated works... However, Severin Films will release Ars Amandi in 2009, which is not bad. At all. Shame about the Cult Epics situation.

[Wayward]

Does anyone know why there is a problem with the Cult Epics Release? They were supposed to be working on the 7 animated shorts but I wonder if Borowczyk's death has complicated rights issues. I was really looking forward to seeing decent transfers of these.

Any news on the Severin Ars Amandi? It's not my favorite Borowczyk, but again would love to see a good transfer as the only one to date I have seen is the old Redemption video which was awful : some very odd things going on in the telecine. I wonder if the Severin version will have the inserts added by the producers against Borowczyk's wishes. It's easy to see which bits these are. The Redemption was a lousy dubbed version.

I see Noveaux has re-released Goto. Anyone seen this new version? Have they got round to putting in the color shots completely missing from their first attempt. Apparently it has an extra by Daniel Bird interviewing some of the team involved on the film, although I am sometimes irked by Birds preference for the shorts over the features. I think you should appreciate a directors films as a whole.

[zedz]

Does anyone know why there is a problem with the Cult Epics Release? They were supposed to be working on the 7 animated shorts but I wonder if Borowczyk's death has complicated rights issues. I was really looking forward to seeing decent transfers of these.

That release has been 'coming soon' for a long, long time. I understand that the rights situation with the Borowczyk shorts is very messy, but I don't know if that's directly related to his death or not.

[lazier than a toad]

Can anyone tell me what other film features the Handel organ music in Goto. It sounds very familiar and had some images accompanying it my mind but I can't place it or them. Thanks in advance.

[eltopo]

Comparison "The Story of Sin" (1975)

DVD Poland (Propaganda Film) 4:3


DVD England (Nouveaux Pictures) 1,85:1 anamorph

[MichaelB]

My copy of the German limited-edition Blu-ray of Immoral Tales has just arrived.

It's a three-disc dual-format set, consisting of a Blu-ray and two DVDs. The first two discs appear to contain exactly the same content (aside from the 1080p/PAL quality distinction), namely:

- the main feature, in either dubbed German or the original French with optional French subtitles;
- audio commentary by Daniel Bird and David Flint, in English with optional German subtitles;
- all audio/subtitle options are switchable on the fly via the remote, so if your French is good enough you're not forced to take a German option;
- the shorter cut of Une collection particulière (Borowczyk, 1973), in the original French with optional German subtitles;
- audio commentary on Une collection particulière by Daniel Bird, in English with optional German subtitles;
- interview with producer Dominique Duvergé (11:38), in French with optional German subtitles;
- interview with cinematographer Noël Véry (24:00), ditto;
- French trailer, ditto;
- US trailer, in English with optional German subtitles;
- German trailers for Marquis, Who Can Kill a Child?, La Bête, De bruit et de fureur, The Life and Death of a Porno Gang;

Everything is in PAL on the DVD, while the Blu-ray presents the main feature in 1080p and the extras in PAL. On the basis of a very quick spin, the 1080p transfer seems to be pretty good. Some might be disappointed that the image isn't as pin-sharp as you'd expect from a 35mm source, but the soft, grainy look is very characteristic of Borowczyk's 1970s colour films, and varies from story to story (I remember 'Thérèse philosophe' being noticeably grainier, a look that's preserved here). I'm not entirely convinced that there hasn't been some electronic fiddling with the image - at times it's hard to tell if I'm looking at authentic film grain or digital noise - but it's certainly the best presentation I've seen of the film to date (with the caveat that I've only seen it on the big screen in 16mm).

I'm assuming that you get the above in the ordinary edition (released separately on Blu-ray and DVD), but it was the limited edition's third disc that convinced me to stump up the extra cash, as it contains:

- A reconstruction of the 116-minute five-part cut of Immoral Tales, containing the story that was later expanded to make La Bête;
- The option to play the above with Une collection particulière as a prologue (as Borowczyk originally intended);
- Same language options as above (i.e. German or French with optional German subtitles for the feature, French with optional German subtitles for the prologue)
- The "Oberhausen cut" of Une collection particulière (13:58), which differs from the final version in a number of ways. There's no spoken narration (and hence no subtitles), the photographs are much more overtly pornographic (in the shorter cut, cunningly-positioned fingers and thumbs are used to censor details, suggesting that Borowczyk planned alternative edits at the time of shooting), and there's the notorious sequence featuring genuine bestiality - although an introductory card explains that to comply with German law, part of the image in this sequence had to be pixilated. Image quality is a fair bit poorer, but given the rarity of this cut that's understandable.

There's also a well-produced 24-page booklet mainly showcasing an essay by Daniel Bird (albeit exclusively in a German translation), and a few colour stills. The box and disc artwork are both excellent (it comes in a well-produced slipcase), and the horribly obtrusive '18' comes off with the shrinkwrapping.

In a nutshell, most of the package isn't English-friendly, but I knew that prior to ordering. Apparently the producers wanted to add English subtitles, but were contractually prevented, presumably by the main rightsholder Argos Films. On the other hand, it's not exactly a dialogue-heavy film (the first story is the talkiest by some distance), it's pretty easy to follow even if you only have basic French or German, and the commentaries are in English - and I've no idea what the chances are of them resurfacing on a British or US edition.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Michael, Can I just check with you? I have just ordered the set as per your link but have noticed that there is also a cheaper dedicated Blu Ray Special edition. Do you know if the Blu doesn't have the extras on the DVD?

[MichaelB]

I obviously can't check this first-hand, but I'm guessing that the Blu-ray and DVD editions consist of the first and second discs respectively of the three-disc package - which would make perfect sense.

Certainly, either of those discs would work just fine as a standalone package - and it's the three-disc edition that looks like an afterthought, since loads of 576p PAL content is redundantly duplicated across the Blu-ray and DVD!

The stuff that's definitely exclusive to the limited edition is the longer five-part cut of the film and the more explicit cut of Une collection particulière, but it's probably safe to assume that the other extras are featured on the cheaper editions.

[fatboyslim142]

I've just updated my Borowczyk DVD survey here - any additions/corrections gratefully received.

Michaelhere's an update for you to add

Behind Convent Walls

R0 Cult Epics (French with subtitles, English Dubbed, Italian) release to Behind convent wall list. It's also available in The Nunsploitation Convent Collection with School of the Holy beast.

[Ragnarok]

Hello, everyone. First time poster here. I just picked up a copy of the 3-disc Cult Epics "The Beast" on eBay. Rented the movie from Netflix, got quite a kick out of it (it's supposed to be so controversial but I have a hard time believing it was intended as anything other than a farce, it's so over the top there's just no way it's not supposed to be funny), and wanted to add it to my collection. I came across a seller claiming the first hundred copies of the numbered edition were autographed, and they were selling them new and sealed. It arrived today, wasn't sealed, and had some shelf wear on the edges. This in itself doesn't bother me, as the discs are all in mint condition. However, considering the "autograph" is just a letter W followed by some squiggles written in blue ink pen, I wonder if I didn't get taken. I paid less for it than higher numbered editions were going for, so I don't feel swindled, but I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out whether it's authentic, or someone just wrote on my liner notes to move their stock faster. Google searching for images of Borowczyk's signature led me to this discussion.

[MichaelB]

Does anyone know why there is a problem with the Cult Epics Release? They were supposed to be working on the 7 animated shorts but I wonder if Borowczyk's death has complicated rights issues. I was really looking forward to seeing decent transfers of these.

Good things come to those who wait.

(And while the final line-up of titles hasn't been confirmed yet, we're talking a lot more than just seven shorts...)

[Zobalob]

Does anyone know why there is a problem with the Cult Epics Release? They were supposed to be working on the 7 animated shorts but I wonder if Borowczyk's death has complicated rights issues. I was really looking forward to seeing decent transfers of these.

Good things come to those who wait.

(And while the final line-up of titles hasn't been confirmed yet, we're talking a lot more than just seven shorts...)

"Good things come to those who wait"...indeed. After all these years (and your persistence) it must be gratifying to finally have this project so close to completion. Well done.

[MichaelB]

Daniel Bird deserves not just the lion's but the entire zoo's share of credit on the persistence front.

I'm very much the junior partner in this project - my main attraction to Arrow being that I live in the UK and have more hands-on experience of assembling logistically complex multi-disc projects like this. But the individual bits are almost exclusively Daniel's work.