Silent Film on DVD and BD

[markhax]

[quote73="ola t"]I should perhaps add that as far as I can make out no digital cleanup has been applied to any of the films. They're simply good, speed-correct transfers of the Swedish Film Institute's restoration prints.[/quote73]
I would be curious to know how the prints of the three Stiller films compare to the Kino releases of 2006. They were made in cooperation with the Swedish Film Institute, so I assume they are from the same source. It sounds like the Garbo extras on Gösta Berling are the same.

[HerrSchreck]

That's what I was thinking, especially when Ola said that GOSTA was b&w. The clincher was those Garbo commercials, which I first saw in a projection at MoMA of FWMS' JOYLESS STREET restored.

I'd say if these are the same prints for the stillers, then do indeed expect a certain degree of cleanup-- the SFI restored these films rather nicely, as is evidenced by the three Kino's. I was unimpressed only by BERLING which looked like not only an old restoration but an old transfer as well. I'm not the biggest fan of the film anyhow, but ARNE is sublime.

But the thing that nobody else appears to be mentioning-- TWENTY-PLUS MISSING INTERTITLES FROM THE CC HAXAN???? WTF??? I've seen entire silent films that don't have 22 intertitles in sum! That's a [i52]lot [/i52]of missing titles, especially if all the original footage is there in the CC....

Right now I'm trying to get my hands on the two Stiller GRAAL's, and HEDE's SAGA... and think I may have found a source.

[SoyCuba]

[img44]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i138/ ... /Viha2.jpg[/img44] [img44]http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i138/ ... /Viha5.jpg[/img44]

I was delivered Rocky Horror Picture Show instead of the new Swedish silent movie box...

[ola t]

Ouch. My sympathies, SoyCuba.

[quote40="HerrSchreck"]I was unimpressed only by BERLING which looked like not only an old restoration but an old transfer as well.[/quote40]
The transfer in the Swedish set is from a print struck in 2005 so it can't be older than that, but it may well be an older restoration. The booklet doesn't say exactly when it was made, only (by implication) that it's from sometime after 1975. No clues offered as to why it's not tinted.

I want to try to set up an A/B comparison of the two HÄXANs to figure out what those new intertitles are, but my son is so damn cute and cuddly (he's three months old) that I know I'll never find the time. Alas.

[HerrSchreck]

Look very forward to your AB comps whenever you get to them, and many congratulations on the birth of your son Ola! I picture a scene like the picture perfect Dickie Moore in BLONDE VENUS (though he's far older than three months, you make yours sound as cute. Though all babies are cute of course.)

[Michael Kerpan]

Just got the Bach Films DVD of "House on Rue Trubnaya Street" -- doesn't look like a penny was spent on restoration of this -- but the film looks like it should be entertaining (judging by a rather amazing opening -- that looks like -- in part -- a parody of Last Laugh).

[TIVOLI]

To echo and expand upon earlier postings about Ruan Ling-yu, The San Francisco Silent Film Society has issued both The Goddess and The Peach Girl in excellent editions, available through their web site. Amazon lists a DVD of New Female, put out by The Guangzhou Beauty Culture Communication Co. Ltd.!! Has anyone seen this, and can comment on the quality of the print and translation?
Also, if you check on Ebay under Books and type in Ruan, there is currently listed (until December 3rd) a book collection of photographs, and the examples shown give some idea of her incandescent qualities.
Finally, a paean for Stanley Kwan's Center Stage, a cinebiography of the actress that is brilliant, with Maggie Cheung giving what is arguably her greatest performance. Beware of truncated editions; there is a Korean DVD which presents the film in its complete gloriousness.

[Kinsayder]

[quotec3="Michael Kerpan"]Just got the Bach Films DVD of "House on Rue Trubnaya Street" -- doesn't look like a penny was spent on restoration of this -- but the film looks like it should be entertaining (judging by a rather amazing opening -- that looks like -- in part -- a parody of Last Laugh).[/quotec3]
Those rapid vertical tracking shots up the open-sided staircase in the first scene made me think rather of Buster Keaton's [ic3]The Cameraman[/ic3] (which came out the same year). [ic3]Trubnaya[/ic3] is a real knockabout comedy combining Keaton-style slapstick and some frantic, avant-garde camera movements and editing that anticipate another film about a cameraman (Vertov, 1929). (You'll need to turn off the ridiculously inappropriate baroque soundtrack that Bach Films have added.)

There are some other gems to be found in the Bach Soviet silents catalogue. I loved Abram Room's stunning [ic3]Ghost That Never Returns[/ic3] ([ic3]Le Fantôme qui ne revient pas[/ic3]) and their edition of [ic3]Aelita[/ic3] easily surpasses the new Ruscico (comparison).

[Michael Kerpan]

I got 4 Barnet films -- and the Kozintsev-Trauberg Maxim trilogy. The only featured silent was Trubnaya -- but one disc has (as a bonus) a 1914 film adaptation of Tolstoi's "Kreutzer Sonata". This early film was pretty primitive technically (not nearly as sophisticated as the even older "Cameraman's Revenge").

[feckless boy]

[quote7a="HerrSchreck"]Right now I'm trying to get my hands on the two Stiller GRAAL's, and HEDE's SAGA... and think I may have found a source.[/quote7a]
Sounds wonderful, please keep us updated. Thomas Graals bästa film is nothing short of brilliant.

[La Clé du Ciel]

I received the Swedish set last week and was curious to see how they compared with other incarnations. I have to say, I am a little disappointed after the comparisons I have made so far. I don't have any of the Kino releases with me, so can only examine TERJE VIGEN, PHANTOM CARRIAGE, (clips of both films are on CINEMA EUROPE) and HAXAN (CC). I am very ill-versed in such comparison matters, so forgive me if I am less than adequate in my knowledge of dvd transfer technology etc.

New intertitles aside (and again, I don't have the CC with me to compare the number/details), comparing my Swedish HAXAN captures with those on dvdbeaver I find the Swedish transfer surprisingly lacklustre. I know we shouldn't expect Criterion level sharpness etc., but even so I find the R2 oddly different. The red tints are more faded/brown, but the blues are stronger. The R2 is far softer and (although lacking any of the occasional digital nastiness/combing that the second CC capture presents) looks more “grainy”. This graininess (although I think “grain” is the wrong word, given that that term usually applies to the print source itself) is something I have noticed on all the Swedish discs. I found it's more noticeable than my captures suggest when watching the films in motion – as if watching through a thin television broadcast or vhs haze.

Comparing PHANTOM CARRIAGE between CE clips and the R2 release, I am bound to say I find both problematic. The CE images are a little sharper and have a sliver more image at the top of the frame. However, they appear to be contrast boosted (whether or not this is entirely responsible for the superior grading, I would not like to say). The Swedish R2 looks softer, but has a sliver more on the left of frame. The specks of dirt present in both CE and the Swedish release suggest the same print source, so why is the Swedish transfer so different (and, to my eyes, slightly poorer) in sharpness, colour, and grading?

As for TERJE VIGEN, one can see just how much extra image the Swedish release offers and how less grainy it is than the CE clips. The images are sharper, but I might timidly suggest that the R2 images look flatter because of their contrast/grading. (This may just be personal preference, though – please correct me here!)

If anyone has been able to compare the three Kino releases with these discs, this might also help highlight/clear up these issues – especially how sharp/soft the Kino transfers are. (And once again, I should point out my comparative ignorance with dvd transfer terminology/technology, so apologies if I am being inaccurate or confusing.) I am more than willing to be corrected if my eyes, knowledge, and limited technology are producing unhelpful comments on these releases.

Anyway, here are the comparisons…

TERJE VIGEN:

[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_SF_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_CE_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_SF_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_CE_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_SF_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_CE_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_SF_04.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/TV_CE_04.jpg[/img6a]

PHANTOM CARRIAGE:

[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_SF_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_CE_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_SF_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_CE_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_SF_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_CE_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_SF_04.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/PC_CE_04.jpg[/img6a]

HAXAN:

[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_CC_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_SF_01.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_CC_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_SF_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_CC_02.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_SF_03.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_CC_04.jpg[/img6a]
[img6a]http://hometown.aol.com/viale/HAXAN_SF_04.jpg[/img6a]

[HerrSchreck]

UGH!!! Normally pretty forgiving with this kind of stuff, but from the controlling authority/source-master for this material.... pretty bad. That is just vomitous!

[Kinsayder]

HERR ARNES PENGAR

Svensk Filmindustri (top) vs Kino

[img44]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1319/svenskayl3.jpg[/img44]
[img44]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/3862/kinonl4.jpg[/img44]

You can see the Kino is a little cropped, and maybe slightly softer under the heavy tinting - but the problematic "grain" that Clé mentioned is present in abundance on the Svensk disc.

[HerrSchreck]

Important to note that this is of a scene where the actors are literally surrounded by the flames of a burning rectory (which is fully burning on the set!), so the wild tint that appears on the Kino appears noplace else on the disc, where as the svensk appears to be the same auburn-brownish hue as HAXAN.

The Kino contrast is richer & looks much more filmic.

Pretty dissappointed, since this would have been a great clearinghouse for KORKARLEN & TERJE... and a superior transfer and native subs would have closed the deal despite the fact I have the three Kino Stillers.

O well.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

[quote4d="HerrSchreck"]Pretty dissappointed, since this would have been a great clearinghouse for KORKARLEN & TERJE... and a superior transfer and native subs would have closed the deal despite the fact I have the three Kino Stillers.[/quote4d]
Anyone able to comment on /compare the Terje Vigen with different soundtrack from the norwegian Ibsen box set ??

[Knappen]

I don't have the dvd at hand right now, but it SHOULD look something like this:

[imgbe]http://www.nfi.no/presse/ibsen/vigen1917_S.jpg[/imgbe]

On second thought, this is probably more of a promotional still... Sjöström in HD!

[Knappen]

Found it!

The print is announced as a restauration by the Swedish Film Institute...

[img5c]http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5821/terjevdv7.jpg[/img5c]
[img5c]http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/450/terjev2jt4.jpg[/img5c]

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Thanks for that Knappen. How's the Bjornstad score?? Could this be a factor to swing it for those of us with the Kinos. Anything to commend the rest of the Ibsen box and whether it's anglophone friendly??

[hamsterburger]

The films included in the Norwegian Ibsen film-box are: Terje Vigen (Victor Sjöström, 1917), Vildanden (Tancred Ibsen, 1963), Fru Inger til Østeraad (Sverre Udnas, 1975) and Erling Borgens documentary Udødelige Ibsen (1999).

The packaging is 4 thinpack DVDs within a cardboard case. All films are OAR and anamorphic when appropriate.

There is also a booklet. All films, extras have optional English subtitles. The printed material is dual language English/Norwegian. All in all a really good DVD release. I would recommend getting it here.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Thanks again.

It could be the way to go without duplicating the Kinos .

I'm up for a bit of (Ibsen) experimentation, as indeed perhaps you are too Hamsterburger. 'Hamsterburgering'? Is that some bizarre Scandinavian sexual deviancy , melding and merging the practices of Pet Shopping and Snacking I wonder???

Aah, those long winter nights...what mysteries there unfold??

[Knappen]

Hei Hamsterburger.

Nabob: I have only good things to say about the score by Ketil Bjørnstad. It comes in 2.0 stereo as well as 5.1 surround.
Try also to get his wonderful cd The Shadow with music set to poems by John Donne (Kirkelig Kulturverksted 1990).

One could only wish that the NFI would be as ambitious (a question of money, sans doute) as their danish colleagues and release more norwegian silents like Bergenstoget plyndret inatt/The train to Bergen robbed last night.
That certainly sounds like a mystery movie to watch during the winter nights. Look to the Dreyer thread for more information about the NFI.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Thanks for the Ketil nod. I've got some of his stuff on the ecm label and also on the (sadly defunct) November label. Partial as I am to John Donne the price tag of $125.00 at Amazon is a bit daunting. Anywhere up in Tundraland still stock it dya reckon??

Also thanks for the head up on the Paris line up for the cinema of the twenties stuff with Epstein and co. That could be well a contender for a sprint up on the TGV.

[Knappen]

It should be available directly from the record company.

165 NKR = 14.61£/$30.05/20.37€.

Feel free to pm me if you don't have any luck.

[hamsterburger]

Yes hamsters are not only marvellous companions, but are bite-size and make nice snacks when camping.

I have indeed dabbled in Ibsen, what with 2006 being “The Ibsen Year” in Norway there have been ample opportunities to acquaint one self with his work. The Cinemateque I work with screened a fairly exhaustive series of Ibsen-films. Some of which are quite good. (The article is in Norwegian but for those who don't speak the lingo it does list many Ibsen-related filmtitles by directors ranging from to Douglas Sirk and Fassbinder to Satyajit Ray)

I agree that our friends at NFI are not always the best at getting things out there but they have several goodies on their track record. Most recently the 2-disc release of Brudeferden I Hardanger (1926), despite the amusing error with the projection speed. And the fantastic release of newly discovered Kampf um Norwegen. Feldzug (1940). Certainly one of the most important films produced on Norwegian soil ever.

Lets not forget the ongoing Norske klassikere-series, which is a collaboration between NFI, Film & Kino and Norsk filmstudio making films like Ni liv and Fjols til fjels available on DVD in English-friendly editions.

But of cource, I wish there was more. I'm yearning for Walther Fyrsts Troll-Elgen (1927) one of my favourite Norwegian silents. But also Fante Anne (1920), Pan (1922) and Laila (1929)

Oh, and i'd like to correct my self. dvdstrax don't seem to ship abroad anymore. Try www.discshop.no instead.

Hamsterburger

[Knappen]

Hamsterburger,

I am trying to remember the name of another norwegian silent that's called "Madame kommmer på besøk" or something like that. Can you help?

Edit: found it!