Milestone

[Adam]

I find it amusing how Movie Habit's review starts by calling it a documentary, when it isn't (even though it has lots of doc and actuality elements)

[drdoros]

I find it amusing how Movie Habit's review starts by calling it a documentary, when it isn't (even though it has lots of doc and actuality elements)

To be fair, Kent Mackenzie considered it a documentary and the three cinematographers still do. The definition of documentary (starting with Grierson coining the word describing Flaherty's Moana) always included scripted reality and only since the 1980s or so did it move away from that because of academia's need for categories. Of course, even direct cinema and cinema verite are not exactly truth because you choose the subject, choose what to film and choose what to edit in and out. Shirley Clarke with her The Connection makes a lot of fun of the direct cinema movement even as she was a partner in it.

But yes, I wouldn't argue with anybody on what they consider The Exiles, Araya or even Killer of Sheep. The borderline between documentary and fiction are fairly erased in all three films.

Dennis

[Mise En Scene]

I just wanted to mention my appreciation for Milestone Films for making it possible for me to see Killer of Sheep and The Exiles. Kudos for the Director's Deluxe Edition of one of my favorite films of all time - Why has Bodhi-dharma Left For the East?

Are there any plans for Bill Woodberry's Bless Their Little Hearts? I don't know who owns the rights so that might have been a silly question to ask.

[fiddlesticks]

Of course, even direct cinema and cinema verite are not exactly truth because you choose the subject, choose what to film and choose what to edit in and out.

I think I recall reading somewhere that Krzysztof Kieslowski said he switched from "documentary" to "fiction" filmmaking because it was impossible to show the "truth" in a documentary film, that intruding on a "true" scene with a camera inescapably made it "false." He felt that "truth" could only be achieved through acting, IIRC.

[tajmahal]

Kudos for the Director's Deluxe Edition of one of my favorite films of all time - Why has Bodhi-dharma Left For the East?

I second that emotion. I have finally ordered the director's cut, and very much look forward to watching this extraordinary film with the dolby 5.1 soundtrack. Sound is as important as image in this film. Actually, I'm getting all goosebumpy as I recall scenes and images from the film.

The ending of this film is, for me, up there with the bell casting sequence in Andrei Rublev.

We are fortunate to have a decent, if bare-bones edition available on dvd, but oh, how great would it be to have an all-singing, all-dancing blu-ray edition, with input from the director.

[drdoros]

Are there any plans for Bill Woodberry's Bless Their Little Hearts? I don't know who owns the rights so that might have been a silly question to ask.

Thanks all for the kind words -- it's a nice birthday present!

I would LOVE to do Bless their Little Hearts and consider the equal to Killer of Sheep. However, like KOS, there are a huge number of song rights and I just don't know if I ever want to go there again. I'd like to think that I was partly responsible for the new restoration of the film that's being done now.

--Dennis

[drdoros]

Kudos for the Director's Deluxe Edition of one of my favorite films of all time - Why has Bodhi-dharma Left For the East?

... We are fortunate to have a decent, if bare-bones edition available on dvd, but oh, how great would it be to have an all-singing, all-dancing blu-ray edition, with input from the director.

My favorite part of Bodhi-dharma is the shot of the cherry tree in bloom which is one of the most exquisite scenes I know. As for our edition or any future, it is entirely up to Mr. Bae. He is so "precise" that he provided the DLT to us so there could be no changes. We would have loved to do at least a commentary track.

Dennis
Milestone F&V

[Michael Kerpan]

As for our edition or any future, it is entirely up to Mr. Bae. He is so "precise" that he provided the DLT to us so there could be no changes. We would have loved to do at least a commentary track.

Somehow I can imagine that Mr. Bae feels that the film already says/shows absolutely everything he wants said/shown about its subject matter. ;~}

[What A Disgrace]

Is there any chance that you'll be able to release a DVD of Bae's other film? Or is that out of the question?

I know nothing about it, but its association with one of my favorite films of the past 20 years has it way up on my list of things to see.

[drdoros]

Is there any chance that you'll be able to release a DVD of Bae's other film? Or is that out of the question?
I know nothing about it, but its association with one of my favorite films of the past 20 years has it way up on my list of things to see.

It's called The People Dressed in White and while it has some incredible images, it just wasn't something we really understood. Sorry about that.

Dennis

[Cash Flagg]

We're waiting on the Mary Pickford Foundation to deliver our new box set release of SPARROWS (LOC restoration), THE HOODLUM (AMPAS restoration) and POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL. All will have full orchestral scores. We hope to have it out by mid-next year.

Dennis, will other Pickford titles be included in this box set? I've been considering purchasing Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, Daddy Long-Legs, Stella Maris and Tess of the Storm Country, but would gladly hold off if they will be part of a set at some point.

[drdoros]

We're waiting on the Mary Pickford Foundation to deliver our new box set release of SPARROWS (LOC restoration), THE HOODLUM (AMPAS restoration) and POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL. All will have full orchestral scores. We hope to have it out by mid-next year.

Dennis, will other Pickford titles be included in this box set? I've been considering purchasing Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, Daddy Long-Legs, Stella Maris and Tess of the Storm Country, but would gladly hold off if they will be part of a set at some point.

Sorry, but those are all distributed by Image Entertainment as part of the Milestone Collection and contractually, it would be difficult for us to bundle them together with our Cinematheque titles. We do offer all the Collection titles on our website for 20% off.

[onedimension]

Dennis,

Any hope for Charles Burnett's 'To Sleep With Anger'?

Not yet, though we helped establish who owns the rights and they did find the original 35mm material for it.

Who DOES own the rights? I remembered this thread after someone posted yesterday about how great that movie is..

Thanks, by the way, for being so e[i?]-accessible & helpful

[drdoros]

I'm sorry, I just don't want to say right now. It took me two years to figure it out, another year to get the producers on my side, and another year to convince the studio that they own it. I'm sure I've stated it elsewhere so you can look on other listservs. But I'd like to think that no other small distributor would raise the $100,000 to restore the film on film and have a cooperative venture where the studio, Charles Burnett, the producers and a non-profit archive would work together on the project. It has much to do with our long-standing participation in AMIA and our volunteer work with the archives.

[MichaelB]

I've just filed a rave review of Word is Out with Sight & Sound - it's very hard to see how this could have been significantly improved upon, from superlative transfer quality down to unusually absorbing extras.

With this film, it's more than usually essential that the various stories are brought up to date given everything that's happened to the gay community in the past three decades (not least the devastating impact AIDS, which was three or four years away at the time the original film was made) - and the DVD does a fine job.

[drdoros]

Thanks, Michael! I should say that Amy and I had almost nothing to do with the release outside of the fact we advised a little on the video master and acquired the rights.

We were extremely lucky that the Mariposa Film Group members are still close friends with each other and the participants and they (particularly Veronica Selver and Janet Cole) decided to produce the bonus features themselves and that Ross Lipman (the archivist and our friend) supervised the transfer. The real fun of the project for us has been working with the filmmakers and many of the participants. It's amazing to deal with people you saw on film thirty years ago and get to promote their stories and ask them some of the questions you wanted to ask.

For those in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Public Library has all the producers' records on the film including all the letters that were sent to the mail box listed at the end of the film. It's an amazing collection. (And for those who'll ask, the Mariposians were anxious to get the film out -- New Yorker Films was supposed release it three years ago and we all know what happened -- so they didn't want me to spend more time producing bonus features and delaying the release.)

Best,
Dennis

[Matt]

Word is Out is now listed as "coming soon" to Netflix Instant, but no movement on actual discs.

[Perkins Cobb]

I noticed that too. Incidentally, most of that discussion took place in the Netflix thread, so for those scratching their heads at Matt's post above: Netflix apparently informed Milestone that they had no interest in carrying The Word Is Out, unless an unspecified number of customers "saved" the film to their DVD queues. This seems to be part of a recent scaling-back of stocking new catalog releases on Netflix's part.

[swo17]

The Amazon listing for South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition makes it look like it's gone OOP (with people selling copies for as much as $200!), but I see it's still available from milestonefilms.com. Anyone know what's going on here?

[domino harvey]

Comes up in-print on Michael's Movie Mayhem. Could just be a restock issue at Amazon and sellers are taking advantage?

[drdoros]

The Amazon listing for South: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition makes it look like it's gone OOP (with people selling copies for as much as $200!), but I see it's still available from milestonefilms.com. Anyone know what's going on here?

There is a big exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC on the Race to the Pole with Shackleton and Scott so I suspect (even though I warned Image) that the bookstore there ordered all the copies left. The same thing happened last week with the screening of LEGONG on TCM. We're working with Image to get everything back in stock.

As for our site, since we're never sure when Image runs out, we keep selling until we do as well.

Dennis

[Kirkinson]

For the record (and I thought I had already seen someone follow up on this) Netflix now says that Word is Out will be available on DVD on the 6th. Nice queuing, everybody!

[What A Disgrace]

Can I consider myself a hero for steadfastly keeping it in my queue, despite purchasing it during the Deep Discount sale?

[drdoros]

Can I consider myself a hero for steadfastly keeping it in my queue, despite purchasing it during the Deep Discount sale?

Yes you can! Sadly, it's not as many as I hoped but Netflix did come through with a good deal for downloading. It does seem like discussions can be started (elsewhere) about the future of DVDs and Blu-Rays. The money (and mass consumer interest -- not particularly members of this forum) seems to be for the ease and price-break for screening over the internet.

[drdoros]

The 2010 Il Cinema Ritrovato dvd awards were announced today. The Exiles was a co-winner for Best Rediscovery. Jonathan Rosenbaum announced them at http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/?p=21684" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;