United Red Army (Koji Wakamatsu, 2007)

[ingram]

Does anyone know if the Japanese DVD of Wakamatsu's United Red Army will will include English subs or if there is a plan for a region 1 DVD?

It actually did screen in Vancouver in September but I was away.

I have been trying to decipher Amazon Japan but am not so good at it. So if anyone can tell me what the deal is with the book I am also curious.

It appears that a few soundtracks from his old movies have been getting released (or possibly re-released) on solid Japan. I loved those soundtracks Especially "Ecstasy of Angels"

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Does anyone know if the Japanese DVD of Wakamatsu's United Red Army will will include English subs or if there is a plan for a region 1 DVD?

I see nothing on Amazon JP about subtitles, but they're not very good about providing that info anyway. Other e-tailers have a section for subtitles (字幕) but leave it blank, which could mean "none" or could mean they don't have the specs yet. I haven't heard anything about an R1 release (AFAIK it never got a distributor).

(I notice that Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War is getting released on the same day -- fortunately there's already a mostly-complete English translation out there.)

[Anhedionisiac]

Does anyone know if the Japanese DVD of Wakamatsu's United Red Army will will include English subs or if there is a plan for a region 1 DVD?

I don't think it's a breach of contract to disclose that this is the one wet dream of mine that we couldn't manage to schedule into the upcoming Mexico City International Film Festival.

It smarts. Definitely ordering it.

[putney]

Does anyone know if the Japanese DVD of Wakamatsu's United Red Army will will include English subs or if there is a plan for a region 1 DVD?

The dvd will almost certainly not have subtitles on it, i'm sad to say. from what I understand, not much, if anything in extras either. the idea has been to keep the selling cost low, as dvd are as most of you know ridiculously expensive in japan. i will look into and make sure.

the book is half history of the red army, half diary of the filmaking, with interviews, etc. it is genuinely worth it for the pictures alone, it's a pretty cheap book.

when ultravybe put out the 3 cds, there was also a promo cd that had tracks from various other films from that time at wakamatsu pro, i'm not sure if there is a plan to put that out officially, but i have a feeling they will be. there's a special set of all three cds with a kinda hip wakamatsu button and t-shirt...

Edit: ok... so, the japanese dvd will not have subtitles, sorry. there are plans for a subtitled dvd to be released somewhere next year, but it is still in the works...

sorry to provide disappointing news...

it seems the 4th cd i mentioned was a sales promo for Disk Union shop here, but the label is releasing a whole other slew of Wakamatsu pro related cds early next year, so that stuff may well be contained on them.

[ingram]

ok... so, the japanese dvd will not have subtitles, sorry. there are plans for a subtitled dvd to be released somewhere next year, but it is still in the works...

Ah, well I'm glad its in the works, anyway! Thanks!!

[feckless boy]

(I notice that Red Army/PFLP: Declaration of World War is getting released on the same day -- fortunately there's already a mostly-complete English translation out there.)

Caps posted in the proper thread. It's single-layered and interlaced, but I don't think we can expect a "remastered" edition anytime soon.

[lord patchogue]

It seems this is bound to get another release by Blaq out in November. I am also glad to see two other Wakamatsu box sets are work in progress as well. Judging from their earlier releases, these sets will most likely be English friendly.

[Wu.Qinghua]

these sets will most likely be English friendly.

Ah, what a letdown. Blaq Out are releasing about 15 of Koji Wakamatsu's films, including "United Red Army" and "Secrets Behind the Wall" which I have seen (and loved) at the Berlin Film Festival some years ago, but: The boxed sets, the first of which is already out, have French subtitles only. So "United Red Army" will most likely miss English subs, too.

As I have already complained about Criterion not having announced a Wakamatsu Eclipse set and as I haven't heard of anyone planning to release something like that, let's flood that bloody facebook page with "Wakamatsu, Wakamatsu" rants. Anyone?

Btw, you find the list of films Blaq Out is releasing, here.

I have just seen that in October 2009, that is this month, some of Wakamatsu's movies are shown for the first time in the US in some kind of a retrospective called "Pink Cinema Revolution. The Radical Films of Koji Wakamatsu" in San Francisco. Have a look here.

Whoa, maybe someone in the US will release some of those movies in the nearer future, too?

[khan0890]

Has anyone checked out the Region 2 French-subtitled DVD of U.R.A.?

[tenia]

Has anyone checked out the Region 2 French-subtitled DVD of U.R.A.?

It's said to be quite good, both technically and editorially.

[khan0890]

awesome. thanks tenia. i missed a 35mm screening of it here in town last summer and i see that the French distributor hasn't updated the website in a few months so i have no idea whether it's heading back this way in film form.

[tenia]

I don't think it will be screened again in France, because we don't have a strong re release policy here.
Anyway, you can find the Blaq Out DVD on FNAC.com or Amazon.fr, but there are only French subs on the movie and on the extras (probably none on the French speaking extras, sorry for the inprecision, I don't own the DVD - yet )

[Wu.Qinghua]

Oh no ... I have found a short post on "Wildgrounds" whose author is claiming, that the French company Blaq Out produced some kind of anti-piracy warning and added it to all their Wakamatsu DVDs, in which Koji Wakamatsu is threatening all the people who copy his french DVD releases illegally with a beating by himself or some of his friends.

How could he take part in such an enterprise? You find the short film here and here. Isn't that embarrassing?

tenia, do you know whether this is a forced warning, which you have to see everytime you put one of those discs into your player?

[zedz]

Oh no ... I have found a short post on "Wildgrounds" whose author is claiming, that the French company Blaq Out produced some kind of anti-piracy warning and added it to all their Wakamatsu DVDs, in which Koji Wakamatsu is threatening all the people who copy his french DVD releases illegally with a beating by himself or some of his friends.

How could he take part in such an enterprise? You find the short film here and here. Isn't that embarrassing?

Are you kidding? That's just about the most brilliant thing I've seen so far this year!

So are you in favour of stealing Wakamatsu's intellectual property?

Actually, I'm thinking about which directors I want to see do the same. Number one: Werner Herzog ("it might not be a significant bullet, but watch out")

[Wu.Qinghua]

Are you kidding? That's just about the most brilliant thing I've seen so far this year!
So are you in favour of stealing Wakamatsu's intellectual property?

Oops ... You consider this to be "brilliant"?

Well, I guess I don't have to be in favour of stealing Wakamatsu's intellectual property to dislike this kind of clip! I remember Wakamatsu introducing "URA" at the Berlin Film Festival some years ago and asking whether some former members of the now disbanded Red Army Faction were present and would like to join him after the screening for some beer and talk. And I consider this clip and its message as well as imagery to be inconsistent with his movies and public performances like the one I have just mentioned. And I really wonder whether this is one of those forced warnings which I outermostly despise ...

[zedz]

Are you kidding? That's just about the most brilliant thing I've seen so far this year!
So are you in favour of stealing Wakamatsu's intellectual property?

Oops ... You consider this to be "brilliant"?

Absolutely. I've sat through so many ridiculous, humourless "Video piracy funds terrorism" slugs that seeing the filmmaker himself threaten to come around and break your fingers is a relief. You also have to assume that Wakamatsu endorses the message, and why wouldn't he? And why shouldn't we respect his opinion about the copyright in his work?

And I consider this clip and its message as well as imagery to be inconsistent with his movies and public performances like the one I have just mentioned.

Well I guess Wakamatsu has just cleared up that particular misconception of yours!

[Wu.Qinghua]

Is it my misconception? Well, I don't think so, but okay ... I guess we won't reach a consensus on Wakamatsu's clip here. But that's pretty okay, isn't it?

Btw, that's what one of 'Wildgrounds' users posted: "There’s a little smile at the end. A Wakamatsu smile. I guess it’s just a funny way to make it less dramatic than the usual “beware, each time you download, god kills one artist“."

[amil]

Talking about Koji Wakamatsu, an english-subbed DVD box set is coming out in France next month, with Season of Terror, Running In Love Dying In Madness, Sex Jack, Ecstasy of the Angels.

Don't know why the french distributor didn't add english subs for the first Wakamatsu releases (United Red Army for example). That's weird.

[tenia]

Don't know why the french distributor didn't add english subs for the first Wakamatsu releases (United Red Army for example). That's weird.

It's the same for a lot of editors : probably some rights issues...

[Yojimbo]

Talking about Koji Wakamatsu, an english-subbed DVD box set is coming out in France next month, with Season of Terror, Running In Love Dying In Madness, Sex Jack, Ecstasy of the Angels.

Don't know why the french distributor didn't add english subs for the first Wakamatsu releases (United Red Army for example). That's weird.

Thats great news, although I didn't experience too much difficulty translating the first set's French subs: and hopefully its not too late for me to get a decent pre-order box-set

[Peacock]

Blaq-Out just said on Facebook that because they are totally sold out of Volume 1 of their Wakamatsu Boxsets they are adding english subtitles and repressing the disks.

Great news considering Vol 1 contains his most acclaimed work (Go Go Second Time Virgin, Violated Angels...)

So now, for the record, all 3 sets will have english subs for the films.


(Couldn't find a better place to post this)

[Yojimbo]

Blaq-Out just said on Facebook that because they are totally sold out of Volume 1 of their Wakamatsu Boxsets they are adding english subtitles and repressing the disks.

Great news considering Vol 1 contains his most acclaimed work (Go Go Second Time Virgin, Violated Angels...)

So now, for the record, all 3 sets will have english subs for the films.


(Couldn't find a better place to post this)

Great news
I had held off on subsequent sets, just on the off-chance

[Wu.Qinghua]

Good news indeed. But it would be good to see the forced trailer being dropped from the discs. I'm fed up with it wasting my time.

@Yojimbo: There are English subs on Vol. 2-3 already.

[Adam X]

Does anyone know if Blaq Out ended up repressing the first box set with English sub's. It seems they've released the discs separately, yet it appears, going by their website, that they've still only got French subtitles.