'Forthcoming' Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.2

[Cinephrenic]

It's highly likely someone else (even Criterion) is releasing this because Universal already put out all their classic horror on DVD. They probably got The Uninvited too, also missing.

[jaredsap]

Criterion has Island of Lost Souls, IMO.

This would be fantastic news. So from Universal it seems like Criterion has, at the very least, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, SHANGHAI EXPRESS and BLUE COLLAR (though I know they're still being cagey about the Schrader) in the pipeline. What a list! In one of his interviews, Whit Stillman said the LAST DAYS OF DISCO deal was complicated by "a lot" of other (presumably Universal) titles. I wonder what else Criterion might have grabbed. My dream choices: REMEMBER THE NIGHT (which had a pre-order-sans-release-date listing up on Amazon for awhile, then was mysteriously yanked), the OOP ULZANA'S RAID, THE BEGUILED (also OOP), Lubitsch's ANGEL and Borzage's DESIRE.

[zedz]

That's wonderful news! Both are great films. Now the million dollar question--will they title it Quince Tree Sun or Dream of Light? What do you think, zedz?

You know what I think, but I don't care if they call it Fluffy Puppies Go Vegas if it means more people see this film. The Spanish edition is stuffed to the gunwales with excellent extras, with which Erice was closely involved, so I hope they port all of them over.

I don't know what additional material might be available for El Sur, but there is a handful of shorts that could be mopped up on a second disc.

[Arthur Bannister]

...I wonder what else Criterion might have grabbed. My dream choices: REMEMBER THE NIGHT (which had a pre-order-sans-release-date listing up on Amazon for awhile, then was mysteriously yanked), the OOP ULZANA'S RAID, THE BEGUILED (also OOP), Lubitsch's ANGEL and Borzage's DESIRE.

I'm hoping for Ministry of Fear and Five Graves to Cairo.

[swo17]

That's wonderful news! Both are great films. Now the million dollar question--will they title it Quince Tree Sun or Dream of Light? What do you think, zedz?

You know what I think, but I don't care if they call it Fluffy Puppies Go Vegas if it means more people see this film. The Spanish edition is stuffed to the gunwales with excellent extras, with which Erice was closely involved, so I hope they port all of them over.

I don't know what additional material might be available for El Sur, but there is a handful of shorts that could be mopped up on a second disc.

Well it doesn't even matter anymore, ever since LQ marched down to the Criterion offices and told them that if they even thought about releasing any more Erice she would go on a cat killing spree.

[LQ]

Now, now. Let's leave the cats out of this. Strictly puppies.

[Finch]

With ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, SHANGHAI EXPRESS AND MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW almost certainly in the pipeline, I will most definitely declare it CC's best year ever if ULZANA'S REID (the UK disc is unfortunately cut due to the BBFC's strict stance on animal cruelty), REMEMBER THE NIGHT and THE UNINVITED are also released - with swo's permission or not.

And I can't see them saying no to DESIRE - the opportunity for Borzage in the collection surely must be too tempting! I'd also put in a word for HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT, assuming it's a Universal title.

[Minkin]

Is it possible that Criterion would be interested in doing a new restoration on Lang's Spiders ever. Also who owns the rights to the Coffin Joe movies?

I would imagine that Kino would, unfortunately, pick up Spiders- since they seem to have picked up just about all of the Lang filmography. Maybe MoC will release it at some point soon. http://www.imdb.com/company/co0069975/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On Coffin Joe-AVGN monster madness notify you of this series as well? Anyway: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0099625/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Fantoma released that trilogy on DVD.

[HerrSchreck]

Is it possible that Criterion would be interested in doing a new restoration on Lang's Spiders ever. Also who owns the rights to the Coffin Joe movies?

I would imagine that Kino would, unfortunately, pick up Spiders- since they seem to have picked up just about all of the Lang filmography. Maybe MoC will release it at some point soon. http://www.imdb.com/company/co0069975/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
.

I'm not so sure about that. The existing print is from the Blackhawk Film Lib/D. Shepard. He distrib'd the VHS for Die SPinnen thru Kino, but the DVD was thru IMage Ent. So if something new was done with it (from what I understand, one print survives) for a new disc, Shepard has been working with Flicker Alley lately-- so it'd probably pop from Shepard-Massino, not Kino. Shepard doesn't really deal w Kino much anymore.

[gubbelsj]

the OOP ULZANA'S RAID

I'll second Mr. Finch - this would be an absolutely wonderful release. Fantastic and unjustly overlooked film, and it would be nice to get some more Burt Lancaster in the collection. Has anybody communicated with CC on the matter, or heard that is is even possible? Or is this just wishful thinking?

[souvenir]

Remember the Night might very likely be heading for the TCM Vault thing like those Lost and Found RKO titles last year. It's advertised as such in the newest issue of Now Playing (the channel's monthly programming guide/magazine) but nothing has been listed at the TCM and Movies Unlimited site yet.

[jaredsap]

I'd also put in a word for HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT, assuming it's a Universal title.

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT was controlled by WB, but is now handled by the Caidin Trust. Ian and Jeff have all but confirmed it will be a Criterion release.

Has anybody communicated with CC on the matter, or heard that is is even possible? Or is this just wishful thinking?

I've suggested ULZANA'S to them, but have never received any indication it's been licensed.

[Der Spieler]

I'm hoping for Ministry of Fear.

Really? This is pretty minor Lang, I doubt Criterion would care to release it.

[Wittsdream]

That's wonderful news! Both are great films. Now the million dollar question--will they title it Quince Tree Sun or Dream of Light? What do you think, zedz?

You know what I think, but I don't care if they call it Fluffy Puppies Go Vegas if it means more people see this film. The Spanish edition is stuffed to the gunwales with excellent extras, with which Erice was closely involved, so I hope they port all of them over.

I don't know what additional material might be available for El Sur, but there is a handful of shorts that could be mopped up on a second disc.

Considering the film was unfinished, it would be the ideal choice to have a shooting script included, production photos or any stock footage of Erice working on the film. If not, there's always the Kiarostami-Erice correspondence letters from a few years ago that would make for an outstanding extra.

[ellipsis7]

That's wonderful news! Both are great films. Now the million dollar question--will they title it Quince Tree Sun or Dream of Light? What do you think, zedz?

You know what I think, but I don't care if they call it Fluffy Puppies Go Vegas if it means more people see this film. The Spanish edition is stuffed to the gunwales with excellent extras, with which Erice was closely involved, so I hope they port all of them over.

I don't know what additional material might be available for El Sur, but there is a handful of shorts that could be mopped up on a second disc.

Considering the film was unfinished, it would be the ideal choice to have a shooting script included, production photos or any stock footage of Erice working on the film. If not, there's always the Kiarostami-Erice correspondence letters from a few years ago that would make for an outstanding extra.

Certainly that would be a good idea - in the book 'Erice-Kiarostami Correspondences' (the English language Spanish edition published in 2006), for EL SUR there are pre-production casting polaroids, stills of the filming, lobby cards and intriguingly 10 colour and B&W location stills take by Erice in Carmona (Seville) for the posited, yet unmade, second part of EL SUR which would have been filmed there...

This edition contains frame sequences of the first 4 of the Kiarostami-Erice letters, by September 2007 in the French Pompidou Centre edition of 'Erice-Kiarostami Correspondances' there are now 10 letters reproduced in a similar fashion...

[Tommaso]

That's wonderful news! Both are great films. Now the million dollar question--will they title it Quince Tree Sun or Dream of Light? What do you think, zedz?

You know what I think, but I don't care if they call it Fluffy Puppies Go Vegas if it means more people see this film. The Spanish edition is stuffed to the gunwales with excellent extras, with which Erice was closely involved, so I hope they port all of them over.

They should simply title it "El sol del membrillo" Seriously, this is the best news I heard from CC for quite a while; and while these again are more contemporary films, they surely fulfill everything we talked about here re: the mission statement. The Spanish edition is indeed marvellous in terms of extras and wouldn't be in need of replacement if the transfer itself wasn't so poor. Oh dear, how I love to finally see this film without the constant artefacting and video source anomalities.

As to Lang's "The Spiders": IIRC there already IS a new resto made by the Czechs, so someone should simply licence it; no need for CC to do a new one, but I seriously doubt that they'd go for such a relatively low profile early Lang when they let things like "Potemkin" or "Nosferatu" go to Kino.

[Der Spieler]

Really?

Sez who?

Have you even seen the movie? I'm a huge Lang fan and I'm always willing to overlook his flaws, but Ministry of Fear is kind of sub-par. It could've been better if the studio hacks hadn't put their dirty hands all over it, but as it stands right now, it's clearly not what I would call an important Lang film.

This is just my humble opinion.

Der Müde Tod or Das wandernde Bild would have a more deserved place in the Criterion agenda. And a more logical one. Even though I think MoC would most likely be the ones releasing them.

[ianungstad]

For what it's worth I sent Kino an email yesterday and they just replied saying Kino does not have home video rights to Island of Lost Souls.

[AfterTheRain]

For what it's worth I sent Kino an email yesterday and they just replied saying Kino does not have home video rights to Island of Lost Souls.

Could this actually mean that CC has the rights to release Island of Lost Souls in the near future? [-o<

[HerrSchreck]

As to Lang's "The Spiders": IIRC there already IS a new resto made by the Czechs, so someone should simply licence it; no need for CC to do a new one, but I seriously doubt that they'd go for such a relatively low profile early Lang when they let things like "Potemkin" or "Nosferatu" go to Kino.

Not surprising, since Shepard always said that his print was from the sole surviving print (many think that it's 16mm owing to the grotty nature of the print, but it is a 35) from Czechoslovakia. No doubt they struck a print for him from their archives way back in the day when he was probably the only guy seemingly commercially interested in the film. There's very little, I'm afraid, that can be done with the film to take it out of its present address in Yuckville. Of course some wetgating, MTI'ing, careful use of boosting here and there to reduce flickering, etc, will help. But it will never look as good as say The Wandering Image, or even Four Around A WOman. Let alone something like Dr Mabuse der Spieler. If Tokyo Story is stranded in its present ho hum state due to irreversable deterioration, then Die spinnen is even more so.

[Tommaso]

I fear you're very much right there, though I sometimes think that IF enough money and time is available, wonders can be worked with modern technology. The before/after comparison on the Anchor Bay Jodorowsky "Holy Mountain" made me absolutely speechless. But then, "The Spiders" only has a relatively high profile because it was directed by Lang (though I have absolutely nothing against it and find it good entertainment), and I also have my doubts that the Czech did invest all financial resources that would be needed to save it from its present state. You'd really have to clean up every single frame by hand, as the debris seems to be the greatest problem. Anyway, I'm sure something can be done (and probably has been done already) to lift it above the state of the Shepard disc. And of course, I would much rather have a disc of "Das wandernde Bild", "Vier um die Frau" and the very charming "Harakiri" first. But this CC thread is almost certainly the wrong place to ask for it.

[solaris72]

Really? This is pretty minor Lang, I doubt Criterion would care to release it.

Really?

Sez who?

Graham Greene and Fritz Lang, for two.

Fritz Lang, yes, whom I admire enormously, but he came up to me once in a bar in Los Angeles and apologized for what he had done with The Ministry of Fear. He said that he had signed the contract having read the book and then been presented with a ready-made script, which cut out the whole central part of the book, where most of the point of the book lies. He had refused to do it, but they pointed out that he had signed the contract and he couldn't get out of it. I think there is only one scene in the whole film which recalls a bit of the great director, Fritz Lang.

from "The Graham Greene Film Reader"

(I've never seen it, so I'm in no position to judge)

[domino harvey]

If anything's minor Lang, it's the aforementioned Die Spinnen

[knives]

If anything's minor Lang, it's the aforementioned Die Spinnen

You have to admit it's a hell of fun though. Also culturally if not quality it has a lot of importance.

[ianungstad]

So Criterion does have Island of Lost Souls but there's some potentially bad news as well:

From Facebook:

Didn't someone already ask about this? It's a super challenging title from a mastering perspective, so don't hold your breath, but don't give up hope either

If a good transfer is a lost cause, hopefully at the very least they issue it as an essential art house release. Does anyone know if quality elements even exist anymore? It's a pretty big title...I wonder how long it's been in limbo or if they just acquired it recently. So many questions....