MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist, and Random Speculation

[Tommaso]

I'm guessing that 'Halloween' means Phantom and Vogelod. Ultimately, I'm sure we'll have every available Murnau in a fine MoC edition, however.

Let's hope for this! We also need "Gang in die Nacht", of course, though I have no idea in which shape the materials are. But if 'Halloween' should be a clue for "Phantom", then it's misleading. Despite the title, "Phantom" doesn't belong in the horror genre, although it deals with 'fantasies' in the widest sense of the word.

[AlexHansen]

@_vincentgallo Please keep directing. A 5 year wait is painful... and it's been 6 since the last! We'd put your first 2 out on Blu in the UK

The thought of these packages is getting me so excited.

[evillights]

I know it's a longshot, but c'mon Ted Kotcheff Masterworks boxed set!

This was probably sarcastic (Kotcheff is the director of WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S — which I haven't seen since it first came out), but he made one of the best American films of the last thirty+ years, in 1979 — NORTH DALLAS FORTY. Which is out on DVD and deserves to be seen. It stars Nick Nolte, and kicks off with the veneer of a PORKY'S-esque (American) football farce. From there it goes into a total analysis not just of the professional sports system, but all the Alpha-Male motivations and delusions. It's a VERY intelligent film (and shows total mastery of Scope composition) — something like a cross between Monicelli's last film TEMPORALE ROSY [HURRICANE ROSY] and Sirk's WRITTEN ON THE WIND. I don't know much of what Kotcheff has done since this, but regardless, NORTH DALLAS FORTY stands very high in recent American cinema.

[zedz]

I suppose Wake in Fright needs to be reviewed to see if it enhances Kotcheff's reputation any. ( I remember feeling pretty cool on it at first release, given the outrageous hype surrounding it in Oz back then.)

It's just been revived in a new print, so I'll be able to report back soonish, but I've heard it's stood up quite well. Sounds fascinating on the sociological level at the very least. (This really has turned into a Kotcheff thread, which I'm sure wasn't domino's intention!)

[eerik]

Now you can check who was right about that 1959 debut:

twitsclusive: Georges Franju's debut feature: LA TÊTE CONTRE LES MURS (1959) - MoC Series edition in Sept or Oct (dependent on cover art)...

http://twitter.com/mastersofcinema/statuses/2137495704" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[domino harvey]

I love that more Franju is finally being released. One more card in an already stacked deck for MOC

[TheGodfather]

Excellent! I loved Eyes Without A Face and would love to see more of his work. Bring it on.

[Tommaso]

Great news! I hope MoC treats us with some of Franju's early shorts in the extras.

[Cinetwist]

So do I. Let's just hope that they're a hell of a lot cheaper than Resnais' shorts to licence.

[tojoed]

La Tete contre les Murs?

The voice of experience gets it right.

[Murdoch]

I can't wait for the Epstein releases! After seeing his Fall of the House of Usher I am interested in anything he's done.

Any chance of MoC doing any of Ruiz's work? (Prays for a release of On Top of the Whale)

[eerik]

This might be a stupid question but "Sunrise" Blu-ray release will be spine #1, right? "Mad Detective" is #2 and "Tokyo Sonata" is #3...

[What A Disgrace]

Since #83 to 86 are all currently unknown, I'd speculate that they will be comprised of the Chantal Akerman 70s films which were mentioned.

[Fierias]

Since #83 to 86 are all currently unknown, I'd speculate that they will be comprised of the Chantal Akerman 70s films which were mentioned.

Is this a certainty, about the 70s Akermans coming to the MoC line? I ask because I want to know if I should sell my Cineart set.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

Great news! I hope MoC treats us with some of Franju's early shorts in the extras.

Mightily seconded and I'd like to start lobbying for Hotel des Invalides and Mon Chien at least- which sort of fit the institutional/incarceration theme.

[Awesome Welles]

Great news! I hope MoC treats us with some of Franju's early shorts in the extras.

Mightily seconded and I'd like to start lobbying for Hotel des Invalides and Mon Chien at least- which sort of fit the institutional/incarceration theme.

Absolutely I don't think I'll be picking this up without any shorts since I saw it recently at the BFI Southbank.

[What A Disgrace]

Since #83 to 86 are all currently unknown, I'd speculate that they will be comprised of the Chantal Akerman 70s films which were mentioned.

Is this a certainty, about the 70s Akermans coming to the MoC line? I ask because I want to know if I should sell my Cineart set.

I believe it was announced specifically. From the Awful Teaser post...

A full page ad in the LFF programme promises that:

2009 will be even busier: five more Pialat films; three by Ichikawa; the 1970s output of Chatnal Akerman; the early silent films of Ernst Lubitsch; Pedro Costa's COLOSSAL YOUTH (2006); Kiyoshi Kurosawa's TOKYO SONATA (2008); films by Godard, Resnais and Jia; more Murnau; and many more.

As I speculated ages ago, the Jia has to be The World - but Godard and Resnais?

Nick, can you give any updates on any of those titles?

[Fierias]

whoa, missed that, but what a lineup! (though some of those will obviously have to be pushed into 2010) Thanks for catching me up.

[James]

I don't know if this means anything, but it seems just recently that a whole lot of numbers were added to the catalogue on the website. I don't have any MoC DVDs yet, but I'm hoping to change that fairly soon.

[bearcuborg]

I don't know if this means anything, but it seems just recently that a whole lot of numbers were added to the catalogue on the website. I don't have any MoC DVDs yet, but I'm hoping to change that fairly soon.

My favorite way to list MOC titles is chronologically. I keep hoping they unearth films from around the beginning of the A.D. period... [-o<

[James]

I don't know if this means anything, but it seems just recently that a whole lot of numbers were added to the catalogue on the website. I don't have any MoC DVDs yet, but I'm hoping to change that fairly soon.

My favorite way to list MOC titles is chronologically. I keep hoping they unearth films from around the beginning of the A.D. period... [-o<

I didn't know that you could do that, and it sure is nifty, but when I click one of the blank boxes (which each have question marks in them) under the "00s" it seems to bring me back to the entire catalogue. Is this perhaps suggesting that the remaining titles unannounced are from the 2000s?

[Cinetwist]

Now that I've gone Blu I'm selfishly wondering what percentage of future MoC releases will be on the format.

Nick, can we expect a similar pattern to the current one for the foreseeable future? Any chance that some of the older/auteur stuff might start getting more frequently released in hi-def? Is it your intention to eventually have each of your new releases on the format? I suppose it will have to be done on a case by case basis, due to the quality of the materials.

Here's to hoping that some Epstein makes it to Blu.

[peerpee]

The major problem is in creating 1080p HD masters suitable for release as Blu-ray.

The 1080p format on Blu-ray necessitates 24fps materials.

Some of the films we plan to release on DVD, such as the Epstein you mention, and many of our older silent titles, are 18fps or 20fps, and thus not ideal for the format.

The format that comes along *after* Blu-ray will almost certainly not be restricted to 24fps, and then we'll really start to have fun with all these silent films... but that's a long, long way off.

As you mention, everything's being looked at on a case by case basis. We are looking for our existing Blu-ray editions to really prove themselves against the DVD, and so far it's very encouraging.

Personally, I'd like to be releasing titles on Blu-ray only right now, but it's going to take a year or two before we can do that comfortably, I think.

[Perkins Cobb]

Personally, I'd like to be releasing titles on Blu-ray only right now

You're joking, right?

[peerpee]

Nope.