Zeitgeist Films

[Buttery Jeb]

As I haven't seen it mentioned yet, here is the Amazon listing for the new DVD edition of Todd Haynes' "Poison":

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 004THJ3BC/

[dadaistnun]

If that list of extras is correct, they've dropped the audio commentary from the previous release. That's a shame as it was very good (not to mention the late James Lyons was one of the participants).

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

According to Zeitgeist here, the old commentary will be retained.

[dadaistnun]

The Amazon listing is updated, too. It's entirely possible I just missed it before, but anyway, great news!

[souvenir]

Police, Adjective seems to be finally getting a DVD release in R1 on August 30, from Zeitgeist via Kimstim (Amazon link)

[Tribe]

Has anyone had a chance to see the new Zeitgeist release of Haynes' Poison? I'd appreciate any comments about the transfer.

[criterionsnob]

Hopefully it's an improvement over the OOP DVD. My copy has shipped, but due to the Canada Post strike, it may be awhile before I actually receive it.

DVD Verdict: "Poison gets a digital makeover for this release as part of a preservation effort by Zeitgeist and the Sundance people. It looks as good as it is going to get since it was shot on the cheap back in the days when independent cinema meant no studio backing whatsoever. The entire project was shot in 16mm and blown up for theatrical showings. Colors are nice and the clarity is just fine given the source material's limitations. There is a consistent wash of grain and some of the black levels are hard to penetrate."

UPDATE: Another review from DVDFile with concerns about some possible reframing of 4:3 content to 16:9.

[criterionsnob]

I finally received my 20th Anniversary Poison DVD today. I can only go from memory when comparing it to the old DVD (since I sold it shortly after this was announced), but from what I remember, the original was one of the worst DVD transfers I'd ever seen - with a lot of blocky encoding problems. The new DVD is a definite improvement, though it understandably retains the low budget, grainy, frequently soft, blown-up 16mm film look that would be inherent in the source.

Many of the interviews in the mockumentary segments are a 4:3 image zoomed and/or stretched to 16:9, which I can't recall from any previous (VHS or DVD) version that I've seen. I'm pretty sure it's a mistake in the transfer, as the same interview subjects are sometimes stretched and sometimes not. The level of zooming and stretching is also not consistent. I hope Zeitgeist will offer a corrected version if this is in fact a mistake like it seems.

The packaging, however, is a lovely matte digipack with a plastic tray for the DVD. Very nicely done.

[Drawingoflamporstick]

Back when Godard's Sauve qui peut (la vie) was re-released I emailed The Film Desk about a poster and they said a blu was forthcoming but not for at least 6 months. I believe that was about a year ago. Zeitgeist releases a lot of The Film Desk stuff though right? I sadly sold my OOP Artificial Eye dvd in anticipation of the blu but have been wanting to watch it lately.

[Sarky]

Bela Tarr's The Man From London (DVD), January 10 2012.

Zeitgeist seems to be a pretty good film company. It could be worse I guess.

[onedimension]

They put out some interesting stuff, but they haven't made the move to blu ray..

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

40% off sale for this week only! My recommendations are Poison, Irma Vep, Regular Lovers, and the Derek Jarman set.

[swo17]

Police, Adjective!

[zedz]

And the forthcoming DVDs of Man from London and Hong's Night and Day (unavailable anywhere else?) are also eligible for the sale.

And it's probably impolite to mention it, but wasn't there something horribly wrong with the transfers on the Jarman set? (Bad PAL to NTSC conversion or something?)

[knives]

The Kawamoto films are also pretty essential.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

And the forthcoming DVDs of Man from London and Hong's Night and Day (unavailable anywhere else?) are also eligible for the sale.

Night and Day has had an R2J for about a year now, with no English subs of course (unless you know where to look, ahem).

And it's probably impolite to mention it, but wasn't there something horribly wrong with the transfers on the Jarman set? (Bad PAL to NTSC conversion or something?)

There was a controversy about this when the set came out, with Zeitgeist themselves claiming that Caravaggio and Wittgenstein weren't converted from PAL -- something that isn't borne out by the running times and the evident combing. Irma Vep is also a PAL to NTSC transfer of what looks to be the same master Second Sight used in the UK (but Zeitgeist has better extras and removable subtitles).

[jbeall]

While it appears that Zeitgeist is no longer selling Varda's The Gleaners and I through their website, amazon has it at 33% off.

[Gregory]

Look like Zeitgeist is indeed selling The Gleaners and I. Anyone interested in Varda or good documentaries should grab this with the 40%-off code. It was shot on video, so this DVD is almost surely the best this film will ever look (though white subtitles would have been a more pleasing choice).

[PillowRock]

I rather liked Travelers and Magicians. However, I must admit that I saw it shortly after returning from a fabulous vacation in Bhutan, so I may have been biased in its favor.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Has anyone seen the Twisted Desires: Three Pink Masterpieces by Tatsumi Kumashiro box set? I'm not familiar with the pink films in general or this director. Is this a good introduction?

[feckless boy]

Has anyone seen the Twisted Desires: Three Pink Masterpieces by Tatsumi Kumashiro box set? I'm not familiar with the pink films in general or this director. Is this a good introduction?

I think it's a fairly good introduction to Kumashiro (he's not among my favorite Pink directors though). These three films are all quite early Roman Porno efforts i.e. not as mean spirited as some of the post 1976 films. If you're new to this genre, I'd recommend reading Jasper Sharp's excellent Behind the Pink Curtain.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

The 40% sale has been extended until December 18th.

[Gregory]

Anyone seen Paul Goodman Changed My Life and have any thoughts on it?

[Ashirg]

There is Institute Benjamenta listing on Amazon with July 24 release date.

[knives]

Doubt the region free BFI could be topped though especially for how cheap it can be gotten for relatively.