Kino

[Ashirg]

Yes. The cover is very similar to Ruscico and it says Special Two-Disc Set on it.

[HerrSchreck]

God.. I'm watching SIR ARNES TREASURE for the first time in a few months. This film/disc reduces me to a vaguely gelatinous dribbling substance just like the dying brains in the end of FIEND WITHOUT A FACE. Every (lipquiver) single time.

[Scharphedin2]

Just received a holiday greeting from Kino. As a present, they offer the download of a short Christmas film from 1905.

If interested, here is the link:

Kino Holidaygift

[jbeall]

I just got Tarkovsky's Mirror from netflix, and boy was I disappointed!! Not necessarily with the film itself, but there were no extras, and I think only half the dialogue was subtitled.

I don't know Russian (although I know Czech, so I can pick up words here and there), and it's not just my unfamiliarity with Russian--the subtitles are seriously missing tons of dialogue!!

Any other Kino films with this problem? I'd like to know before renting, b/c it definitely affects my experience of the film.

[justeleblanc]

Thanks for the tip on Mirror (I'll remove it from my queue) but I'm sorry to say I don't know which films are worth skipping over. There was a time when Kino was sub-par (along with many other companies) although I think they were one of the first R1 group to start cleaning up their act -- I'm guessing anything released since 2004 is safe, but I'm not sure about prior releases. And I assume their new release of Stalker doesn't have this problem.

[Gregory]

See The Annotated Kino Catalogue thread

[HerrSchreck]

I've acquired two of the Kino Lubitsch silents so far-- first ANNA BOLEYN, then, this past week THE OYSTER PRINCESS (Rosenbaum's placing the disc in his top ten of the year checkerjumped it over SUMURUN which I've been wanting for years). BOLEYN was was restored to begin with, but OYSTER is unbelievable... Beyond the obvious surreal delight of the film (which I'd mentioned elsewhere is so wild it would sit very comfortably alongside any of the titles on either avant garde set by Image or Kino) is the astounding quality of the preservation materials.

WOW! This film is flawlessly represented-- we're either talking crystaline camera neg, or completely unblemished release nitrate with absolutely no deterioration whatsoever. One of the most stunningly preserved silent films (from 1919 no less) that I've ever seen.

[vogler]

but OYSTER is unbelievable... Beyond the obvious surreal delight of the film (which I'd mentioned elsewhere is so wild it would sit very comfortably alongside any of the titles on either avant garde set by Image or Kino)

This sounds amazing and not what I was expecting at all. Could you elaborate on that? Are we talking lots of superimpositions etc.? Also is it (and should it be) tinted? Looks like I must get this soon but there's just so much stuff (to try to find the money) to buy at the moment.

[HerrSchreck]

No, braver than that (and no it's not tinted, though BOLEYN is)-- it's in the incredible exaggeration in laying out of the scenes and the astonishing supersarcasm. The american oyster magnate smokes a cigar the size of a baseball bat resting in a support arcing off of a rod ending in a ring on his finger. He's got a cadre of five negroes arrayed around him at all times wiping his lip combing his hair putting the coffee cup to his mouth and trotting behind him at all times like puppies. His spoiled "princess" daughter throws fits demolishing vases tables sculptures furniture (which she jumps on)... entire rooms!... meanwhile her magnate father yawns, having seen far worse from her, saying "I'm not impressed.."

You just have to see it. There's a scene with a group foxtrot at the "wedding" which will blow your mind. This is unlike any other silent Lubitsch I've seen so far.

[Ashirg]

Kino will be distributing Films by Jove's Animated Soviet Propaganda starting March 20. It's already available for pre-order at Deep Discount DVD.

More info about boxset and preview of the first part of a documentary from DVD at Google Video.

[Scharphedin2]

I just looked at a couple of scenes on the Lubitsch Sumurun disc, and it too is just about flawless in image quality. My experience with silent films is limited, but this is up there with the best that I have seen.

The moments I chanced upon were of a highly rowdy and sensual nature (as to be expected from Lubitsch and from the above description of The Oyster Princess), and the production values are high -- a lot of big outdoor crowd scenes with detailed Arabian sets, costumes, etc.

[htdm]

Kino will be distributing Films by Jove's Animated Soviet Propaganda starting March 20. It's already available for pre-order at Deep Discount DVD.

Great. I might have saved myself $40 by waiting a week before purchasing this.

[Tommaso]

Gee, I have now received my Transit Lubitsch box, and am also blown away by "The Oyster Princess".

You just have to see it. There's a scene with a group foxtrot at the "wedding" which will blow your mind. This is unlike any other silent Lubitsch I've seen so far.

Not just this scene! Most incredible for me was that sequence where Josef is waiting in the parlour while Ossi is preparing herself with a bath. This reminded me of classical ballet actually: Ossi as primaballerina with her train of girls edited in parallel with the guy waiting and actually doing most weird dance-like figures on the geometrical shape on the floor. Totally amazing, unlike anything done at the time. Michael Powell would have been proud of that sequence.

What do you think of "I don't want to be a man"? That one was also fascinating, an early instance of gender play and even hints at homosexuality. Most daring, and you get wonderful glimpses at the Berlin nightlife, as well. Ossi is cute as a button here, too. Fantastic stuff, much better than "Sumurun" and "The Wild Cat" in my view, which I both find over-mannerist in places. Haven't managed to see "Anne Boleyn" yet, though.

By the way: you don't miss much not having the audio commentary. Pretty slowgoing and basically only pointing out things one can see for oneself. But they mention more Lubitsch films, especially "Mme Dubarry" and "Die Puppe", which sound most interesting. Let's hope Transit or anyone else does a second box set soon!

[peerpee]

It's looking like DIE PUPPE will be added to the forthcoming MoC LUBITSCH box. Fingers crossed.

[HerrSchreck]

A good idea would be to make an exception to the boxset rule and sell that title available seperately if the box duplicates the Kino & Transit Classics box, since so many fans will have already bought one of these. I'd kill for DIE PUPPE from MoC but couldn't justify double dipping on the others as the releases for BOLEYN, OYSTER PRINCESS, SUMURUN (and I'm sure the WILDCAT too, though I haven't grabbed yet) are already sublimely presented.

Also Tom-- I started but didn't get around to finishing "... be a MAN" yet. If I recall I received a call about ten minutes in, and split. Since then I grabbed the YOJIMBO/SANJ box, SAVAGE INNOC, HUMANITY & PAPER BALLOONS and a few others and haven't gotten back around to it.

But I knew you'd share my awe-- would this title not fit right in with the surreal comedy of some of the titles in the Kino & Image/Anthology AVANT GARDE boxes?

[GringoTex]

I'd kill for DIE PUPPE from MoC but couldn't justify double dipping on the others as the releases for BOLEYN, OYSTER PRINCESS, SUMURUN (and I'm sure the WILDCAT too, though I haven't grabbed yet) are already sublimely presented.

No, Kino took a sublime restoration and did their standard non-progressive, artefacted, ghosted, 4% speed-up, extra-less $29.95 botch job.

I'll gladly double dip for the MoC.

[Tommaso]

Much in agreement with Schreck here. Much as I want to see "die Puppe", I would definitely not double-dip considering how good that Transit edition is. Unless you throw in "Dubarry" as well, perhaps...

Also Tom-- I started but didn't get around to finishing ". be a MAN" yet. If I recall I received a call about ten minutes in, and split.

Bad luck. But the film is only 45 min and you could easily watch it as an 'extra' after one of these other films. It's very, very funny!

But I knew you'd share my awe-- would this title not fit right in with the surreal comedy of some of the titles in the Kino & Image/Anthology AVANT GARDE boxes?

Interesting thought. Probably not the whole of "Princess", as it's still relying on linear storytelling very much, but it's curious how that film so seamlessly interweaves 'conventional' narrative with utterly freaked-out moments, indicating perhaps that that split between 'high art' and 'mass entertainment' hadn't occured yet. The same point could be made for "The Wild Cat", too, which is even more experimental set- and especially framing-wise. "The wild cat" could be seen as an intentional parody of the German mountain films, but that would be wrong, as Fanck had only started his career at that time.

In any case, much as I like Lubitsch in general, I can't help liking these early films more than his later sound films. These are funny, too (excepting "Heaven can wait" perhaps) but they lack that experimental impetus these early works have... Ah..the glory of the silent era again....

[htdm]

Fingers crossed and definitely waiting for the MoC box!

[skuhn8]

Glad I held off on the Kino discs. As far as double dipping, if you are motivated Kino discs sell quite easily secondhand on amazon.

[HerrSchreck]

Not on their site, but mentioned on http://www.silentera.com:

Kino International has announced a two-disc DVD set, Baseball Films of the Silent Era (1899-1926), which will include Babe Ruth in Headin' Home (1920), Charles Ray in The Busher (1919), and the Photofilm early sound film of the De Wolf Hopper recitation of Casey at the Bat (1922). The set will be available 3 April 2007.

COMMISSAR as well as QUIET FLOWS THE DON have been put up on their site along with the Soviet Animated Propoganda series.

[Scharphedin2]

Reel Baseball is now up on Kino's site inluding list of the films featured on the set.

I am curious about all these Ruscico releases that are finding their way out on several labels in the States and Europe (especially Kino and Artificial Eye). It may be a stupid question, but I presume these are all straight ports of the Russian releases, so, all other things even, is there any reason why one would not go for the original Ruscico discs?

[MichaelB]

I presume these are all straight ports of the Russian releases, so, all other things even, is there any reason why one would not go for the original Ruscico discs?

Well, the Nouveaux discs of Ballad of a Soldier and The Cranes Are Flying are worse than the Ruscico discs - because while they've used the same transfers, they've made some unwelcome changes, such as forced English subtitles if you select spoken Russian. (In fact, all the language options are scaled down from "loads" to "Russian and English")

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

How's Thérèse Raquin? I see that Carne directed it, but it's not a movie I've watched.

[HerrSchreck]

Everything I've heard points to a drab film. But one mans poison is another man's... "not poison?"

[ByMarkClark.com]

THERESE RAQUIN is the weakest Carne film I've seen, but is certainly not without interest. It's nowhere near as bad as critics like Truffaut made it out to be. The story itself is engrossing, and the tone is in line with earlier masterworks like PORT OF SHADOWS and LE JOUR SE LEVE, but without the visual elegance of those movies. Simone Signoret is quite good, as usual, but has no chemistry with male lead Raf Vallone, who comes off as a big lump. His flat-affect performance is a serious liability. However, the supporting characters are very well drawn and performed.

If you approach THERESE RAQUIN looking for a Carne masterpiece, you'll be disappointed. But if you approach the film looking for a pulpy-fun noir thriller, THERESE RAQUIN should satisfy.