BFI's Century of Cinema

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#1 Post by htdm » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:15 pm

Absolut medien together with ARTE have just released the BFI's excellent Century of Cinema series in Germany (R0/PAL) in a 7-disc set. All of the films are presented in their original languages with an optional German soundtrack or German subtitles (only). Individual titles are also sold separately and listed on Amazon.de.

Here's what's in it:

Disc 1: USA
A Personal Journey Through the Movies with Martin Scorsese

Disc 2: Asia
China, Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema Stanley Kwan
Japan, 100 Years of Japanese Cinema Oshima Nagisa
S. Korea, Korean Cinema on the Road Jang Sun-Woo

Disc 3: Western Europe
UK, Typically British Stephen Frears
Ireland, Irish Cinema: Ourselves Alone? Donald Tylor Black
France, 2 x 50 Years of French Cinema Anne-Marie Miéville & Jean-Luc Godard

Disc 4: Middle and Eastern Europe
Germany, Night of the Filmmakers Edgar Reitz
Poland, 100 Years of Polish Cinema Pawel Lozinski

Disc 5: Russia, India, Latin America
Russia, The Russian Idea Sergej Selyanov
India, and the show must go on Mrinal Sen
Latin America, Cinema of Tears Nelson Pereira dos Santos

Disc 6: Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand
Scandinavia, I am Curious, Film Stig Björkman
Australia, 40,000 Years of Dreaming George Miller
New Zealand, Cinema of Unease Sam Neill

Disc 7: Italy
My Voyage to Italy Martin Scorsese
Last edited by htdm on Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
godardslave
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Confusing and open ended = high art.

#2 Post by godardslave » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:26 pm

All of the films are presented in their original language
is english the original language for all of them?

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#3 Post by htdm » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:32 pm

No, each director was commissioned by the BFI to make a film about their own national cinema in that language. (I edited my original post to make that a bit clearer)

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

#4 Post by Arn777 » Wed Dec 21, 2005 6:48 pm

Excellent news. But does 'Originalfassungen mit deutscher Voice over und deutschen Untertiteln' really means original language with optional German dub and subtitle, and not German voice-over the original language? Arte 's release of Scorcese's programs had a very annoying French voice litterally over Scorcese's comment (and not an optional dub). I'd like to be sure it is not the same for these dvds.

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#5 Post by htdm » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:33 pm

That's a good question and Arte's website wasn't much clearer. It only says:
Erstmals wird diese filmische Weltreise in einer vollständigen Edition vorgelegt, auf 7 DVDs, durchweg deutsch untertitelt oder deutsch eingesprochen.
Which I took to mean ...with German subtitles throughout or [in] spoken German. No word on whether or not the German audio is forced. The website does state that each DVD will have "Overvoice (Regisseursstimme) & Untertitel (Filmausschnitte)" which I'm assuming means a director's commentary and subtitles.

User avatar
denti alligator
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"

#6 Post by denti alligator » Wed Dec 21, 2005 11:50 pm

dmkb wrote:That's a good question and Arte's website wasn't much clearer. It only says:
Erstmals wird diese filmische Weltreise in einer vollständigen Edition vorgelegt, auf 7 DVDs, durchweg deutsch untertitelt oder deutsch eingesprochen.
Which I took to mean ...with German subtitles throughout or [in] spoken German. No word on whether or not the German audio is forced. The website does state that each DVD will have "Overvoice (Regisseursstimme) & Untertitel (Filmausschnitte)" which I'm assuming means a director's commentary and subtitles.
That "oder" makes it pretty clear that the dubbing will be optional.

User avatar
NABOB OF NOWHERE
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
Location: Brandywine River

#7 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:01 am

I would err on the side of caution here, since it could equally mean that during 'talking head interviews' a voiceover could be employed whilst over film clips it would revert to subtitles. It is not a particularly Germanic habit (unlike a lot of Eastern Europe) to use "Overvoice" but nevertheless it looks like the proof will be in the pudding. (Festive reference intentional.)

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

#8 Post by Arn777 » Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:02 am

I have asked a German colleague and she thinks that it may mean either German voice over (a la very annoying French Arte Scorcese) or German subtitles. I'll get the Godard one hoping it is voice-over free.

User avatar
ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
Location: Dublin

#9 Post by ellipsis7 » Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:18 am

MY VOYAGE TO ITALY, while segueing with the series, is a later piece, and not part of the original BFI Century of Cinema project...

It is however a companion piece to A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH MARTIN SCORSESE THROUGH AMERICAN MOVIES (which is part of the 'Century' project), and a projected similar project by MS on British Cinema...

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#10 Post by htdm » Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:38 am

From the Arte site quoted above:
Bernardo Bertolucci was so involved in the production of his film Stealing Beauty that he could not finish the Italian part. That is what brought Martin Scorsese back, who discovered the Mediterranean cinema as a child in new York's Little Italy.

User avatar
ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
Location: Dublin

#11 Post by ellipsis7 » Thu Dec 22, 2005 11:47 am

Yes, I heard Scorsese talk about it when he came to Dublin in 1999 or so when he was trying to get together the budget... I think Giorgio Armani chipped in a really significant chunk to get it made - it's a good piece (both original and personal), on an excellent R1 2 disc release from Miramax... Like I say he now wants to make something similar on British cinema, his admiration of Powell Pressburger and many others... Should be worth waiting for!

User avatar
shirobamba
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Germany

#12 Post by shirobamba » Wed Dec 28, 2005 7:14 am

denti alligator wrote:
dmkb wrote:That's a good question and Arte's website wasn't much clearer. It only says:
Erstmals wird diese filmische Weltreise in einer vollständigen Edition vorgelegt, auf 7 DVDs, durchweg deutsch untertitelt oder deutsch eingesprochen.
Which I took to mean ...with German subtitles throughout or [in] spoken German. No word on whether or not the German audio is forced. The website does state that each DVD will have "Overvoice (Regisseursstimme) & Untertitel (Filmausschnitte)" which I'm assuming means a director's commentary and subtitles.
That "oder" makes it pretty clear that the dubbing will be optional.
Just received the series, and it's German subs and/or German dub. Both are NON-REMOVABLE!
The p/q is the same as the VHSs. The dvd transfer uses an analog source.
All in all not much improvement, a very disappointing set.

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#13 Post by htdm » Wed Dec 28, 2005 2:58 pm

Thanks very much for the update, Shirobamba and what horrible news this is. I was so looking forward to the set. You say that both the German overdub and the German subs are forced -- What on earth were they thinking?

User avatar
shirobamba
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 1:23 pm
Location: Germany

#14 Post by shirobamba » Wed Dec 28, 2005 6:18 pm

dmkb wrote:What on earth were they thinking?


I think, it's a license issue. I speculate, that a UK version with Engl. subs is coming from BFI.

User avatar
godardslave
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Confusing and open ended = high art.

#15 Post by godardslave » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:01 pm

shirobamba wrote:
dmkb wrote:What on earth were they thinking?


I think, it's a license issue. I speculate, that a UK version with Engl. subs is coming from BFI.
highly unlikely, but we can hope. :)

User avatar
godardslave
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:44 pm
Location: Confusing and open ended = high art.

#16 Post by godardslave » Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:15 pm

I emailed BFI and got this sad response: :(
will the BFI be producing their own region 2 (u.k) dvd set of this
series?

There are no current plans for this, though I will let the editorial team know of your interest.

Best wishes

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

#17 Post by htdm » Sat Jan 07, 2006 8:43 pm

Even though I half expected this, it's still a disappointment. I guess the only other distributor who would possibly even consider a title like this would be Artificial Eye.

User avatar
Lemmy Caution
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:26 am
Location: East of Shanghai

Re: BFI's Century of Cinema

#18 Post by Lemmy Caution » Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:27 pm

I just watched Oshima Nagisa's 100 Years of Japanese Cinema in this series. I moved my comments to the Oshima thread which i didn't find at first

User avatar
The Fanciful Norwegian
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
Location: Teegeeack

Re: BFI's Century of Cinema

#19 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:49 am

This is hardly the ideal way to watch this series (or anything, really), but the whole shebang -- bar the African installment by Jean-Pierre Bekolo, which was apparently dropped from the official lineup -- is out on VCD in Hong Kong, split across three volumes:

Asia (Japan / South Korea / India / China/HK/Taiwan)

Europe (UK / France / Germany / Ireland / Russia / Poland / Scandinavia)

America/Oceania (U.S. / Latin America / Australia / New Zealand)

YesAsia stocks the Asian volume but not the others. Despite what YesAsia and HMV say, the non-English entries have dual Chinese/English subs, not just Chinese. Too bad it's VCD #-o

User avatar
htdm
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am

Re: BFI's Century of Cinema

#20 Post by htdm » Sat Jul 18, 2009 2:54 pm

Thanks for that, FN. This is about the only way to see the series now.

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

Re: BFI's Century of Cinema

#21 Post by MichaelB » Tue Dec 22, 2009 10:15 am

Just thought I'd revive this thread to flag up news that the upcoming NInA (formerly PWA) set of documentaries by Pawel Łoziński will include his contribution to this series, celebrating 100 years of Polish cinema.

More details in the relevant thread.

Post Reply