Studio Canal / Kinowelt / Optimum

[Finch]

there is the remake tie-in to consider.

I think the remake's off the cards. Johnnie To was to direct, no? Either way, keeping my fingers crossed for a decent Blu of Le Cercle Rouge. Delicatessen should also look quite nice (I was very pleased with Liongate's DVD).

[bigP]

there is the remake tie-in to consider.

I think the remake's off the cards. Johnnie To was to direct, no?

It seems it's been shelved once again. This remake has been in and out of various productions for two decades now. Bey Logan stated in his commentary for Hong Kong Legends The Killer (it's been a long time since I heard this and it's quite possible it may have been in the commentary for Once a Thief) that John Woo had been trying to get the remake off the ground back in the late eighties / early nineties. The latest incarnation that existed on IMDB purported to have Johnnie To on directorial duties and Orlando Bloom in talks to star. To's IMDB page still lists his connection to the project, but the page has fallen into IMDB's "In Development" hell.

[zitherstrings]

That artwork is...uh...something special.

[Minkin]

That artwork is...uh...something special.

Haha, get it? Harry Lime?

Ugh, so many floating heads.

[eerik]

Quote from their Facebook page:

The SCC release of THE PIANIST will have a new transfer and will of course have extensive bonus content!

[mfunk9786]

Well LQ, I know we were going to go on vacation in September, but it looks like all my money's going to StudioCanal

[Finch]

They were asked about Mulholland Drive:

Any release within the StudioCanal Collection will have a new transfer, as the maxim is to provide best picture and sound quality. The webpage will be updated in June/July. Until than we wont be able to name/ entitle the exact, final specs.

[Matt]

I wonder if the "new transfer" policy is in response to the reception of Ran and Contempt, or if they already think those discs "provide best picture and sound quality."

[Finch]

Ladykillers also got a mixed response. I'll wait for reviews of the September line-up before I order.

[eerik]

Any word of a UK ( or English text! ) release of 3 Days of the Condor?

Can't find this anywhere outside a few non English EU sites

It was available in Austrailia exclusively through JB Hi-Fi but has been out of stock for quite a long time now.

[perkizitore]

Railway Children blu-ray review

[What A Disgrace]

Pialat's Van Gogh is out of print in the states, and the UK, and I noticed Canal + owns some rights to the film. Any chance that they are the direct reason that the film is out of print, and that Optimum or Studio Canal Collection will release the film again?

[Camera Obscura]

Blu-Ray announced of The Great Silence for 21th October 2010. Language options still uncertain (Kinowelt's earlier dvd-editions didn't have English options).

[perkizitore]

Kind Hearts And Coronets is up for pre-order on Amazon.de
All the September wave titles are listed too, except for Mulholland Drive.

[tojoed]

Optimum are releasing Jack Cardiiff - A Persistence of Vision in July on DVD.

[Sloper]

Just a quick note for anyone who's purchased Optimum's release of The High Command (and apologies if this has been mentioned - I have done a quick search). As noted by an Amazon reviewer, the version released initially was missing about ten minutes of footage, as becomes apparent when you watch Philip Horne's introduction and he shows clips from several scenes that are not present in the feature itself. Among the missing scenes is one which Graham Greene singled out as the best in his review, and it does indeed look rather great. So before watching the whole thing, check the length: if it's only about 73 minutes, you need to get a replacement. It took Optimum a while to get back to me on this, but they have now said that they'll replace the disc if I send them the original.

As for the film, I have to disagree with MichaelB's assessment a few pages back - this is an extremely impressive work, showing all the visual wit and flamboyance that Dickinson went on to perfect in his later films. The supporting cast is pretty weak, and the whodunnit plot is about as intriguing as a bowl of muesli, but the style and technique more than compensate. And Lionel Atwill is good. Oh, and there's some lovely location photography in Africa, which Dickinson insisted on getting despite the enormous expenditure of time and money it required.

The High Command does, however, pale beside Secret People, which I'm pretty sure is a masterpiece: very bleak and very morally ambivalent, so it's no wonder it flopped. It's a must for fans of Audrey Hepburn. I've never really been one myself, but she is superb here, and painfully beautiful.

In the last few months I've managed to watch The Next of Kin and The Arsenal Stadium Mystery as well, and my admiration for Thorold Dickinson just keeps growing. Has anyone seen Hill 24 Doesn't Answer? It seems to be available in a rather expensive edition, so I'm in two minds about getting it...

[MichaelB]

Just a quick note for anyone who's purchased Optimum's release of The High Command (and apologies if this has been mentioned - I have done a quick search). As noted by an Amazon reviewer, the version released initially was missing about ten minutes of footage, as becomes apparent when you watch Philip Horne's introduction and he shows clips from several scenes that are not present in the feature itself. Among the missing scenes is one which Graham Greene singled out as the best in his review, and it does indeed look rather great. So before watching the whole thing, check the length: if it's only about 73 minutes, you need to get a replacement. It took Optimum a while to get back to me on this, but they have now said that they'll replace the disc if I send them the original.

I'm shocked to hear this, because Optimum sent me a checkdisc of the short version, which I flagged up as such - and copied in Philip Horne, who also made enquiries. We were both assured that the final retail version would be fixed, so it's a little worrying that the faulty version managed to find its way into Amazon's stock (at least). They certainly should have been well aware of the issue by the time you contacted them.

[Sloper]

I did have it on pre-order, if that makes any difference. But Optimum's High Command is now only available second-hand on Amazon UK, while a version released on May 17th (studio listed as 'Elevation Sales', which it seems is a company Optimum acquired a few years ago) is on sale as normal, but with no cover art showing. Which would lead me to think that this problem has only been corrected in the last couple of weeks. It's all very strange. I sent Optimum two emails, and it took them several weeks to reply - and even when they did, I had to email again to confirm that I could get the new version without paying for it - so I get the feeling they have hotter things on their plate at the moment.

Bitching aside, kudos to them for releasing these films, and getting Philip Horne to do such informative introductions.

[GaryC]

I've just received a checkdisc of Optimum's release of Sammy Going South (out on 28 June) and it looks like they've produced some decent extras for it - two interviews, one with James Mangold (28 mins), who was a pupil of Alexander Mackendrick's, and a 13-minute one with Fergus McLelland, who played the title role.

The transfer is 2.35:1 anamorphic and looks up to scratch. Mono sound, as you'd expect. Region 2 PAL.

[Jeff]

The next two Lionsgate (R1) Studio Canal Blu-rays have been announced:

From the StudioCanal Collection, Lionsgate proudly presents two award-winning films on Blu-ray Disc: the Academy Award®-winning classic The Third Man (Best Cinematography - Black-and-White, Robert Krasker, 1950) from Oscar® winning director Carol Reed (Best Director, Oliver!,1968), and the critically acclaimed film Delicatessen, which stars Cesár Award winning actors Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Dominique Pinon and Karin Viard, alongside fellow nominees Marie-Laure Dougnac and Ticky Holgado. These two films will join Contempt, Ran, and The Ladykillers as part of the StudioCanal Collection, a new line of deluxe Blu-rays with superior picture and sound quality and extensive special features.


The Third Man Synopsis

Recognized as a cinematic masterpiece and praised for its eloquent fusion of bold elements and outstanding cast, The Third Man stars Academy Award® winner Orson Welles (Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Citizen Kane, 1941); Academy Award® nominee Trevor Howard (Best Actor in a Leading Role, Sons and Lovers, 1960); and critically acclaimed actor Joseph Cotten (Shadow of a Doubt). Reed's film was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival, was included in AFI's Top 100 Movies List and was named the Top British Film of the 20th Century by the British Film Institute. The Blu-ray Disc is adorned with special features including a new audio commentary with assistant director Guy Hamilton, actor Simon Callow and crew member Angela Allen; a new The Third Maninteractive Vienna Tour; and a 20-page collectible booklet written by film historian Charles Drazin. The Disc also features "The Third Man on the Radio," audio interviews with Joseph Cotton and Graham Greene, an alternative opening with voiceover from Joseph Cotton, an interview and zither performance from Cornelia Mayer, plus a stills gallery and original trailers. The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080P High Definition Full Screen format with 2.0 Monaural DTS-HD Master Audio.


Delicatessen Synopsis

From the creators of Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) and The City of Lost Children (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro) comes the black comedy Delicatessen. Upon its debut in 1991, the film became an instant cult classic and received overwhelming critical acclaim for establishing Jeunet and Caro's signature style. Variety proclaimed it "beautifully textured, cleverly scripted and eerily shot ... a zany little film," and it was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Film not in the English language along with an amazing 10 Cesar Awards, winning for Best Editing, Best First Work, Best Production Design and Best Writing. New bonus features include a new retrospective documentary with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a making-of featurette and a 20-page collectible booklet written by Empire contributing editor Kim Newman. The Disc also features an audio commentary with the director and The Archives of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The Blu-ray Disc is presented in 1080P High Definition Widescreen Format with 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio.

Pricing: Blu-ray Disc $39.99

[agnamaracs]

So basically the current US slate is exactly like the previous one: roughly 1/4 of the European releases, and the priority is ex-Criterion titles. Humph.

Might have to get Delicatessen, though. And I'd love to know what's on the Graduate disc.

[tojoed]

And I'd love to know what's on the Graduate disc.

This is what's on the Studio Canal France Blu-Ray:
Extras:
Documentary: " 25th Anniversary "( 1992-1922 ')
"A film in its time "( 14 ' )
" Meeting with author Charles Webb ( 19 ' )
I expect the Lionsgate/Optimum etc will be the same. (Those anniversary dates look a bit wrong, to say the least).

Also The Wicker Man-Blu-Ray is coming from Optimum in October.

[whaleallright]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this somewhere, but I purchased the R2 BREATHLESS Blu-Ray (before I knew that Criterion would be releasing their own)--and the subtitles are not so great. First of all, they're poorly timed--several lines worth of dialogue will pop up as subtitles at once, well before the words are uttered. So it's hard to engage with the film. Also, the translations are often unidiomatic and they don't capture the vulgarity of the original. Even for those in R2-land, I'd recommend waiting for the Criterion--presuming they will be using the same subtitles, translated by Lenny Borger I believe, as on the DVD.

[RossyG]

...and the subtitles are not so great. First of all, they're poorly timed--several lines worth of dialogue will pop up as subtitles at once, well before the words are uttered. So it's hard to engage with the film.

Oh, bloody heck! I was looking forward to getting that. And I'm not multi-region, so Criterion aren't an option either.