Studio Canal / Kinowelt / Optimum

[tojoed]

Coming on March 3 2009 The Jean-Pierre Melville Collection. The films are Army of Shadows, Le Doulos, Leon Morin Pretre, Le Cercle Rouge, Bob le Flambeur, and Un Flic.

Great stuff.

Not really. These will probably ports of the BFI transfer of Army of Shadows, Le Doulos, Leon Morin Pretre and Le Cercle Rouge but bare bones. Optimum would have considered acquiring the rights to the Ophuls-esque Quand tu liras cette lettre, the jazzy Deux hommes dans Manhattan and the arch buddy road thriller L'Aîné des Ferchaux, created new HD transfer and put together some extras. These three films are screaming for english-friendly releases.

You're a hard man to please, Gordon. I suppose I meant great for me because the only Melville I have on DVD is "Bob". So it will be nice to have a box set.

[Person]

I see what you mean now, tojoed - the boxed set is great value. I'll agree on that. It would be great to see the aforementioned Melville films on DVD in the USA/UK, though. Le Samouraï needs a UK release, too; it's a pity that Optimum didn't acquire the rights to it.

[Cronenfly]

[The] prologue, which is included on the old Milestone disc, was one of my favorite parts of the film, and beautifully set the tone for the entire film. It is hard to conceive of the film without this.

Indeed. I find it astonishing that Optimum bungled this. Sad times, as the disc sounds great, otherwise. I'll rent it.

The prologue is viewable on Youtube here (and here integrated into the film proper), for anyone with the Optimum disc who wants to see it.

[tojoed]

Full details of the Fellini and Melville box sets, courtesy of DVD Times.

[domino harvey]

Well, now that we know they're porting over the BFI extras, I think now we can all agree that the Melville set is a good deal

[Person]

Well, now that we know they're porting over the BFI extras, I think now we can all agree that the Melville set is a good deal

Definitely!

[PillowRock]

Amazon.uk recently came with Alastair Sim - The Comic Icons Collection as a suggestion for me.

The movies in the set are:
The Green Man
Folly To Be Wise
Geordie
Left Right and Centre
Laughter in Paradise

It peaked my curiosity, but I'm not familiar with any of those films. A search here yielded a few comments when the set was announced, but nothing about what it looked like after it was released.

Anybody have any thoughts about whether I should add this to my mental list for my next UK order?

[tojoed]

Amazon.uk recently came with Alastair Sim - The Comic Icons Collection as a suggestion for me.

The movies in the set are:
The Green Man
Folly To Be Wise
Geordie
Left Right and Centre
Laughter in Paradise

It peaked my curiosity, but I'm not familiar with any of those films. A search here yielded a few comments when the set was announced, but nothing about what it looked like after it was released.

Anybody have any thoughts about whether I should add this to my mental list for my next UK order?

"The Green Man", "Folly to be Wise" and "Laughter in Paradise" are vintage Sim, I wouldn't hesitate. The DVD transfers are all pretty good.

[MichaelB]

Pretty much seconded, though it would have been nice for the programme to be entirely vintage Sim. I don't believe, for instance, that the utterly sublime The Happiest Days of Your Life is out on DVD yet in any region. But I'd say his dictation of a hard-boiled American detective thriller in his inimitably patrician tones at the start of Laughter in Paradise is worth the price of the box on its own.

Here's a totally gratuitous link to my Sight & Sound eulogy to Sim (probably the most enjoyable research job I've ever done), and an MP3 of his hellfire'n'brimstone sermon from the undeservedly neglected 1968 BBC version of Cold Comfort Farm.

[tojoed]

Great eulogy, Michael. I can't forget from "The Green Man" -
" A trio with such brio" and
" A little vino after that andantino"

Alastair Sim was one of the greats.

[PillowRock]

Thanks, all.

[tojoed]

I don't believe, for instance, that the utterly sublime The Happiest Days of Your Life is out on DVD yet in any region.

Not too long to wait, Michael. Optimum are releasing this on 4th May 2009. Happy days, indeed.

And in March Marcel Carnés "L'Air de Paris"

[Cash Flagg]

Some of these have already been mentioned, but here's the complete list of March '09 Optimum releases, courtesy of DVD Times:

2nd March 2009

Incendiary - Details here.

The Federico Fellini Collection & The Jean-Pierre Melville Collection - Details here.

Gran Casino - £17.99 – This film by Luis Buñuel makes its UK DVD debut. Presented in 1.33:1 with Spanish DD2.0 Mono audio and English subtitles, the only extra is an introduction to Buñuel (Mexican period) by Luc Lagier (4mins).

My Dinner with Andre - £12.99 – Louis Malle’s film about a two friends who, reunited after many years, decide to share their lives over dinner. Presented in 1.33:1 with English DD2.0 Mono audio, the only extra is the original trailer.

16th March 2009

After - £17.99 RRP – Grief-stricken over the death of their young son, Nate (Daniel Caltagirone) jets off with his wife Adrian (Flora Montgomery) and her brother Jay (Nicholas Aaron) to Moscow where they immerse themselves in urban exploration – the investigation of areas not designed for public use. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen with English DD2.0 and DD5.1 Surround audio. The only extra is the original trailer.

The Antichrist - £15.99 – Carla Gravina, Mel Ferrer and Alida Valli star in this 1974 horror from Italian director Alberto De Martino that boasts a score by Ennio Morricone. A barebones release, the film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with English DD2.0 Mono audio.

Lady in White (Director’s Cut) - The director’s cut version of this thriller written and directed by Frank LaLoggia comes to DVD with 5.1 sound, audio commentary, director’s introduction to the film, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes (both with director’s intro) and the original trailer.

Thérèse Raquin and L’Air de Paris - £17.99 each – Directed by Marcel Carné, both titles are fully remastered and making their UK DVD debuts. The only extras are the original trailers, and both titles are presented in 1.33:1 with French DD2.0 Mono audio and English subtitles.

The Oblong Box - £15.99 – Based on a gothic horror tale from Edgar Allen Poe, this film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies and Uta Levka, comes to barebones DVD presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with English DD2.0 Mono audio.

Smother - £15.99 - Diane Keaton, Dax Shepherd and Liv Tyler star in this comedy which is given a barebones release. The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with English DD2.0 Stereo and DD5.1 Surround audio.

Woman Times Seven - £17.99 – Shirley MacLaine stars in seven satirical vignettes telling seven different stories about seven different women. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, the film is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen with English DD2.0 Mono audio. The only extra is the original trailer.

Yangtse Incident - £15.99 – Michael Anderson directs this retelling of the true story of HMS Amethyst, a British frigate ‘captured’ by communist forces during the Chinese revolution. A barebones release, the film is presented in 1.33:1 With English DD2.0 Mono audio.

30th March 2009

Not Quite Hollywood - £17.99 – This detailed examination and celebration of Australian genre cinema of the 70s and 80s comes to DVD with the following features:

* 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
* English DD5.1 Surround
* Commentary with writer/director Mark Hartley and Oxploitation auteurs
* Ozploitation panel at MIFF
* Quentin Tarantino speaks with Brian Trenchard-Smith
* UK Exclusive Interview with Mark Hartley
* Theatrical trailer
* Original ozploitation trailers

Rivals - £19.99 – Written and directed by Jacques Maillot, Rivals is the story of two rival brothers, one a pimp and the other a cop, and how the former manages to be the family favourite. The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with French DD5.1 Surround audio and English subtitles. The only extra is the original trailer.

[John Hodson]

From the Cultmovies forum, Optimum in May and June:

May 4, 2009

Dunkirk (Leslie Norman, 1958)
Geordie (Frank Launder, 1955)
Happiest Days of Your Life, The (Frank Launder, 1950)
He Ran All the Way (John Berry, 1951)
Last Grenade, The (Gordon Flemyng, 1970)
Odette (Herbert Wilcox, 1950)
Young Savages, The (John Frankenheimer, 1961)

May 11, 2009

Backlash (Bill Bennett, 1987)
Bullet for a Badman (R. G. Springsteen, 1964)

May 25, 2009

Ordeal By Innocence (Desmond Davis, 1984)
Rider On the Rain (Rene Clement, 1970)

June 15 2009

Bob Hope Collection (Various)
- Collection of six films starring the legendary Bob Hope. Includes: CAUGHT IN THE DRAFT, LOUISIANA PURCHASE, STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM, THE GHOST BREAKERS, WHERE THERE'S LIFE and SORROWFUL JONES.

June 22 2009

Bulldog Drummond At Bay (Norman Lee, 1937)
Electra Glide in Blue (James William Guercio, 1973)
Hill In Korea, A (Julian Amyes, 1956)
Keep Your Seats, Please (Montague Banks, 1936)
Lost Continent (Michael Carreras, 1968)
Nine Men (Harry Watt, 1943)
Painted Boats (Charles Crichton, 1945)
Return of Bulldog Drummond (Walter Summers, 1934)
Zoltan... Hound of Dracula (Albert Band, 1977)

Dunkirk will feature a gorgeous new 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer.

[Person]

From the Cultmovies forum, Optimum in May and June:

Rider On the Rain (Rene Clement, 1970)

Hopefully in 2.35:1 anamorphic this time.

[John Hodson]

Several etailers are showing that June Backlash release as the '56 John Sturges western. Hopefully that's correct.

[GaryC]

Several etailers are showing that June Backlash release as the '56 John Sturges western. Hopefully that's correct.

I did wonder why Optimum were suddenly releasing an 80s Australian film. (It's not an Ozploitation movie really, so that isn't the reason.)

[Cash Flagg]

From DVD Outsider:

Adapted for the screen by Terence Rattigan (The Prince and The Showgirl, The Sound Barrier) from his own play, The Winslow Boy is the story of a father’s fight to clear his son’s name. Cedric Hardwicke (The Ten Commandments, The Ghoul) gives a towering performance as Arthur Winslow, whose young son Ronnie, a cadet at the Royal Naval College, is accused of theft. Convinced of Ronnie’s innocence, Arthur and his daughter Catherine (Margaret Leighton) investigate. The family employ the country’s top barrister, Sir Robert Morton (played by the great Robert Donat of The 39 Steps and Goodbye Mr. Chips fame), and so begins their struggle against institutional opposition and the might of the British Establishment itself. Earning a BAFTA Nomination, at the heart of this moving drama is the refusal to back down in the face of injustice, despite the great sacrifices that entails.

This is the original 1948 film version of Rattigan's celebrated play, directed by Anthony Asquith (Fanny by Gaslight, The Importance of Being Earnest, Carrington V.C.), which is getting its UK DVD premiere. The play was subsequently remade in 1958 and 1990 for television, and for the cinema in 1999 by David Mamet.

The Winslow Boy will be released on UK DVD by Optimum Home Entertainment on 6th April 2009 at the RRP of £15.99. No extra features have been listed.

[MichaelB]

Just seen My Dinner With Andre, and am happy to confirm that it's vastly superior to the Fox Lorber version, which Gary Tooze called "the worst commercial transfer ever put to digital."

I'm assuming the 4:3 aspect ratio and copious picture grain reflects the 16mm original (there's plenty of headroom, so I imagine it was cropped to 1.66:1/1.85:1 in cinemas), but there are no other transfer issues worth noting. Crucially, the sound is very clear indeed.

The only extra is a trailer.

[Cronenfly]

From DVD Times, to be released June 22:

Hardware (Special Edition) - Makings its UK DVD and Blu-ray premiere, Richard Stanley’s cult classic debuts as a Special Edition though features are currently TBC.

And specs courtesy of DVD Active:

Uncut Version
Brand new Director & Producer’s Commentary
Voices of the Moon Documentary
Original Market Promo for Hardware
Booklet Featuring Shok! (Comic Strip Source Material)
Notes by Kim Newman
Original Storyboard Artwork
More TBC

Not a big fan of Dust Devil, but I'm still really happy this is finally coming out (and on Blu too, no less).

[Awesome Welles]

Does anyone know if Optimum's Diary of a Country Priest is going OOP? Seems to be available from very few etailers at the moment.

[ellipsis7]

It's a Studio Canal title, so there shouldn't be a problem...

[MichaelB]

Worth snapping up if it's going cheap - I'm pretty certain it's the same source master as the Criterion DVD, and the only significant thing you sacrifice is a rather weak Peter Cowie commentary.

[barrym71]

Not sure if this is the absolute best place to post this, but Optimum Releasing (in the UK) has a huge number of catalog titles, many of which will be of interest to forum members (Contempt, Elephant, Belle de Jour, Honeymoon in Vegas). This is one of the more exciting list of catalog titles I've seen in a while. My biggest complaint about blu-ray has been the paltry selection of catalog titles. I'd love to hear anyone's take on the quality of Optimum blu-rays.