Silent Georgian films on DVD

[jsteffe]

I just came across a listing on Amazon.fr for a DVD Nikolai Shengelaia's 26 COMMISSARS (1933) released by Bach Films:

The same company's DVD of Kozintsev and Trauberg's THE NEW BABYLON looks decent, so I went ahead and ordered it. I'll let you all know how the Shengelaia looks when it arrives.

I saw the film about ten years ago while doing research in Tbilisi, and it has lots of great shots of bubbling oil from what I recall--it's set in Baku during the Civil War.

The only other silent Georgian film I know of on DVD is the dazzling MY GRANDMOTHER (1929) by Kote Mikaberidze, which the Beth Custer Ensemble has released on DVD with their own score.

This DVD looks fine--it's based on a print from the Pacific Film Archive. Annoyingly, it has a voiceover translation of the Russian intertitles instead of subtitles. Despite that, the film is worth seeing.

Anyone know of other silent Georgian films out there?

A little off the subject, International Historic Films has a very good looking English subtitled DVD of the Georgian director Mikheil Chiaureli's notorious Stalinist war epic THE FALL OF BERLIN (1949):

I'm sure you all know about DC 9/11: TIME OF CRISIS, the Showtime TV movie that depicts President Bush's wise and heroic leadership in response to September 11. Timothy Bottoms plays the President himself onscreen, not unlike how the uncanny look-alike Mikheil Gelovani plays Stalin in THE FALL OF BERLIN.

Cheers,
James

[Kirkinson]

I eagerly await your opinions on 26 Commissars. I don't recall ever reading anything about it before. The only film from this Shengelaia I ever come across any information about is Eliso, which seems to be highly respected but to the best of my knowledge does not exist on any home video medium anywhere. I've found evidence that it's been screened in recent years, so there must be a print around somewhere.

I love My Grandmother. That's a sorely overlooked gem. I'd like to see it with the score that was commissioned by Georgian Film (in the 70's, I believe) but I like Beth Custer's effort, and I think the narration works with her take on it, though it would certainly be out of place with any other music. But going in I was already a fan of the narrator Nils Frykdahl from his work with Faun Fables and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, so maybe I knew what to expect. Still, I agree there's no excuse for not having the option of subtitles in place of the narration.

I'm afraid that until your post My Grandmother was the only Georgian silent film I was aware of being available on DVD. It's criminal that no one's gotten around to Salt for Svanetia yet.

[jsteffe]

I just got an email saying that the DVD shipped today, so I should receive it in a week or so. I'll post screen caps.

ELISO is a really beautiful film, much better than 26 COMMISSARS. I saw a print of it in Georgia.

I guess the answer to seeing more silent Georgian films on DVD is to raise the money to produce them! I've been thinking for a while about doing something like this as a non-profit, grant-funded venture. But I have to finish my book first.

I can see you're a Iosseliani fan. Who'd ever have thought that we'd see his early Georgian films on DVD here? Things can happen.

[zedz]

It's criminal that no one's gotten around to Salt for Svanetia yet.

By coincidence I saw this for the first time last night. A dazzling film, and I was amazed to see the visual extravagance Kalatozov exhibited in I Am Cuba (and, to a lesser extent, The Cranes Are Flying) fully developed at such an early stage. I agree this is badly in need of a good DVD release.

[Felix]

I just came across a listing on Amazon.fr for a DVD Nikolai Shengelaia's 26 COMMISSARS (1933) released by Bach Films:

The same company's DVD of Kozintsev and Trauberg's THE NEW BABYLON looks decent,

Pleased to hear that but I am even more interested in the soundtrack, does it use the Shostakovich score?

[Kinsayder]

The same company's DVD of Kozintsev and Trauberg's THE NEW BABYLON looks decent,

Pleased to hear that but I am even more interested in the soundtrack, does it use the Shostakovich score?

No, and there's an explanation of why it doesn't here on the Bach Films website.

Translation of a letter of complaint to Bach Films by Philippe d'Hennezel (representing the Shostakovich Movement):

This film is the result of a direct collaboration between the filmmakers and Dimitri Shostakovich, the Russian composer, who wrote a remarkable score specifically for it. On your DVD, there is only a dreadful piano accompaniment. It is scandalous that you have not respected the spirit of this remarkable work by removing one of the greatest scores in the history of cinema. I am the secretary of the Shostakovich Movement in Lyon, working in relation with the Shostakovich Foundation in Paris, presided over by Irina, the composer's daughter. I don't know if she has seen your edition, which I shall mention to her, but I very much doubt that she will be pleased about it.

Translation of reply by Patrice Verry of Bach Films:

We have been in contact with your association for six months in an attempt to secure the music of Shostakovich. We have spoken to Emmanuel Utwiller, Alain Renaud, and many other competent individuals. We have done our best to find a solution as has M Delmotte (of Arkéion). To our great regret, there has been no opening, and no solution has been proposed that would enable us to use the music of Shostakovich on our DVD of The New Babylon. Please convey that to Irina and perhaps we will eventually find a solution for a reissue of the DVD.

Meanwhile, a limited edition DVD with the Shostakovich score is being promised here, with advance orders being taken at £75 a copy.

[Felix]

Meanwhile, a limited edition DVD with the Shostakovich score is being promised here, with advance orders being taken at £75 a copy.

That's a pity. I am aware of the expensive edition but have been avoiding dipping my toes in the water because of the price. From my last correspondence with them I gather it is available now and not just for pre-orders. The screen cap they sent me looks OK but there was not a a lot to go on.

I doubt the Shostakovich Movement will have any power to help them "secure the music of Shostakovitch". When I knew some of them they were aficionados more than anything else, though doing great things to promote Shostakovich's music.

EDIT
Actually, I may be wrong here if they have anything to do with the UK release as they may have commissioned the score which would mean they may hold the key to the use of that particular recording for the soundtrack. I have the New Babylon Suite on LP but back when I was into serious collecting it was hard to come by, the full score more than hard.

Note to the moderators, we have a discussion on New Babylon here, hijacking another thread, and one on the Pandora's Box thread in CC, I don't suppose you could put them together?