Kino

[NilbogSavant]

Wow, this is the biggest surprise Kino has dropped in forever. If anyone wants to whet their appetite before these films get new releases, UK record label Finders Keepers is putting out beautiful re-issues of Rollin soundtracks. So far, only Acanthus' Le Frisson des Vampires has been released, but Fascination is expected soon.

[d-less]

If it comes to pass the Rollin BDs will wonderfully complement the Encore DVDs sitting on my shelf. Hopefully a few of the issues on the Encores will be addressed, i.e., incorrect AOR for "Le Viol du Vampire" and lack of opening credits on "Lips of Blood."

[Murdoch]

Thank the dvd heavens, I was considering dropping a sizable amount on one of the OOP Fascination discs.
OT: I may be alone in this sentiment, but I really loved the US Redemption Rollin covers.

[Gregory]

SInce it seems like there are a number of committed fans of Rollin here, I'll recommend a very good recent article, "Surrealism in the Service of the Fantastic," by Isabelle Marinone, published by the legendary anarchist author and publisher Stuart Christie as a supplement to the journal/ book series Arena, the first issue of which dealt with cinema.
The article also serves as a good introduction to Rollin, for the uninitiated, arguing that there is place for him directly in relation to Buñuel and Franju.

[Jeff]

Boccaccio '70 and Casanova '70 on Blu-ray October 11.

[htshell]

Great news about the Rollin releases!

On a related note, I've enjoyed some of Willy Braque's (actor in a few Rollin films) short films that were posted on Vimeo. Haven't seen any talk of these but they are of exceptional quality, in my opinion.

[Tribe]

Wow, the surprise isn't so much that Kino will be releasing the Jean Rollin films, but that they are actually going to invest in new transfers (in all fairness, not that surprising in light of their more recent work with the various Buster Keaton movies and the like...it's looking like the old Kino history of shoddy releases may be exactly that, history). I'd be grabbing these up if it weren't for the fact I spent the past two years either acquiring the Encore versions or the Redemption versions on the second hand market.

[domino harvey]

Kino Video have revealed that they are preparing Blu-ray releases of Albert Parker's silent Sherlock Holmes (1922) and Buster Keaton's Seven Chances (1925). Additionally, the studio is also bringing Frank Borzage's original Farewell to Arms (1932), winner of two Oscar Awards, and William A. Wellman's Nothing Sacred (1937).

Street date for Sherlock Holmes and Seven Chances is December 13th. Street date for Farewell to Arms and Nothing Sacred is December 27th.

[matrixschmatrix]

What does that leave, after Seven Chances? The Navigator, College, and The Saphead?

[John Edmond]

Just noting that Farewell to Arms and Nothing Sacred are also blu-ray releases.

[knives]

I never thought I'd see the day (Farewell to Arms). So happy on all of that news though.

[John Edmond]

Likewise, who knew we'd have four Borzages on blu-ray by this point?

[matrixschmatrix]

Who knew Kino would be one of the world's MVPs on blu? Honestly, I think after Criterion I have more of their releases than anyone else's.

[Brian C]

Who knew Kino would be one of the world's MVPs on blu? Honestly, I think after Criterion I have more of their releases than anyone else's.

In retrospect, it's not that unlikely, since Blu removes the NTSC/PAL issue. And in a more general sense, they simply don't have to put something out on Blu if the materials don't support it.

Seems like the current conditions of the Blu market are perfect for a company like Kino, because they can call attention to their prestige releases just by putting out a Blu, but don't have to put out an inferior product just to get it out there.

[Finch]

Nothing Sacred on Blu!! For my money, this is more exciting than MoC's 2012 announcements! Not to mention Seven Chances... Kino have been on a roll this year.

[Murdoch]

Nothing Sacred on Blu!! For my money, this is more exciting than MoC's 2012 announcements! Not to mention Seven Chances... Kino have been on a roll this year.

Abso-fucking-lutely, after the godawful PD releases, this is a revelation. Carole Lombard in HD, just heaven. Kino has by far my most anticipated lineup.

[Jeff]

I wonder if this is the previously unavailable Disney/Pacific Title/MOMA restoration of Nothing Sacred.

EDIT: Amazon info says:

This definitive release on Blu-ray was mastered in high definition from an original 35mm nitrate print and is the only version of the original 1932 film authorized for release from the Estate of David O. Selznick.

It doesn't mention any restoration, so hopefully that nitrate print is in better shape than the elements used for previous releases.

[Cash Flagg]

What are the chances that Kino would bless us with a Dementia/Daughter of Horror Blu-ray?

[Jonathan S]

I wonder if this is the previously unavailable Disney/Pacific Title/MOMA restoration of Nothing Sacred.

EDIT: Amazon info says:

This definitive release on Blu-ray was mastered in high definition from an original 35mm nitrate print and is the only version of the original 1932 film authorized for release from the Estate of David O. Selznick.

It doesn't mention any restoration, so hopefully that nitrate print is in better shape than the elements used for previous releases.

As Nothing Sacred is a 1937 film, that specific Amazon info must refer to Kino's simultaneous release of A Farewell to Arms, where the same details are given - though it's rather worrying they also give the running time of the Borzage as 80 minutes, the length of the censored reissue. That butchered edition is still shown on UK TV and it rips out the heart (about 9 minutes) out of the film, which can of course be found complete (in reasonable quality) on some PD issues. I can't imagine though that Kino would bother to release a cut version of the Borzage, so probably just a mistake.

[YnEoS]

[DISC 1 - Blu-ray]: Nearly 100 years after its initial release, THE BIRTH OF A NATION remains one of the most controversial films ever made and a landmark achievement in film history that continues to fascinate and enrage audiences. It is the epic story of two families, one northern and one southern, during and after the Civil War. D. W. Griffith's masterful direction combines brilliant battle scenes and tender romance with a vicious portrayal of African-Americans. It was the greatest feature-length blockbuster yet to be produced in the United States and the first to be shown in the White House. After seeing it, President Woodrow Wilson remarked it was ''like writing history with lightning!'' However flawed, the film made history. In cities and states across the country, it energized the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which tried to have the film banned and censored. The film also inspired African Americans to move into filmmaking as a way to offer alternative images and stories. This is a newly mastered (in 2011) version of the film in 1080p High Definitionfrom archival 35mm elements. It includes new music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (2011), in 2.0 Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 PLUS, spoken introductions by D.W. Griffith and Walter Huston (including the newly rediscovered intermission sequence). FIRST TIME EVER ON BLU-RAY!

[DISC 2 - SD DVD]: Is a DVD copy of Kino's ''Griffith Masterworks'' edition of the film restored by David Shepard of Film Preservation Associates in 1993. It contains an orchestral score adapted in 1993 from the original score by Joseph Carl Breil in 2.0 Stereo and ''The Making of The Birth of a Nation'' (24 min.) Produced by David Shepard and compiled and written by Russell Merritt.

[DISC 3 - SD DVD]: SPECIAL FEATURES (also on DVD ported over from Kino's ''Griffith Masterworks'' edition) that includes a filmed prologue to The Birth of a Nation (1930. 6 mins. Featuring D. W. Griffith and Walter Huston), Civil War Shorts directed by D. W. Griffith: In the Border States (1910. 16 mins.) The House with the Closed Shutters (1910. 17 mins.) The Fugitive (1910. 17 mins.) His Trust (1910. 14 mins. -- courtesy David Shepard. Music by Robert Israel, performed by the Biograph Quartet) His Trust Fulfilled (1910. 11 mins.) Swords and Hearts (1911. 16 mins.) The Battle (1911. 17 mins.), New York vs. The Birth of a Nation -- an archive of information documenting the battles over the film's 1922 re-release, including protests by the NAACP, transcripts of meetings, legal documents, newspaper articles, and a montage of scenes ordered cut by the New York Censor Board. Excerpts from a The Birth of a Nation souvenir book (1915) and several original programs.

So according to it's listing on Amazon, the new Kino Blu release of Birth of a Nation, will be dual format, with the 2 DVDs being exact copies of the current Kino DVD release. I'm not up to date on if any major restorations have been done on the film since the one used by Kino on DVD, but it will be interesting to see how big an improvement the Blu-Ray release is over the DVD.

Being a DVD customer myself, who's interested in Blu but doesn't have a TV good enough to see a big difference, I really appreciate the Dual Format releases put out by BFI and MoC. Can't say I'm terribly keen on the idea of Kino just packaging the same old DVD release with their brand new Blu-Ray though, unless the quality of the restoration hasn't changed much since then.

Another curiosity is that it seems Way Down East, is going to be just a regular Blu only release. I wonder if this is another weird experiment by Kino, like their Battleship Potemkin release with both Russian and English intertitles, or if it will be a new trend. I like the change to Dual Format releases, but I sure wish they'd remaster new DVDs as well as they've been doing with the Keatons.

[perkizitore]

If it was Dual Format most of the extras would be both on the blu-ray AND the DVD, this release is just sloppy...

[knives]

How do you know if it's sloppy if it hasn't even been released yet?

[perkizitore]

It is sloppy in terms of presentation, i didn't comment on the PQ.

[knives]

That's what I'm referring to also unless you are referring only to this press release. The extras on the old DVD were already very packed and if none of them can presently be brought to Blu I understand duplicating them onto DVD. I see nothing sloppy in that and won't make that judgment until people start reviewing.

[Jonathan S]

Another curiosity is that it seems Way Down East, is going to be just a regular Blu only release. I wonder if this is another weird experiment by Kino, like their Battleship Potemkin release with both Russian and English intertitles, or if it will be a new trend. I like the change to Dual Format releases, but I sure wish they'd remaster new DVDs as well as they've been doing with the Keatons.

My assumption is that Way Down East is Blu-ray only because otherwise it will be the same transfer as Kino's DVD which was issued only in 2008 (and a big improvement on the previous Image edition which used an earlier restoration), where as their current Birth of a Nation, apart from extras, uses the same 1993 David Shepard version as seen on earlier Image and (pre-MoC) Eureka DVDs, and laserdisc. I too am curious about whether Kino has a new (or newer) restoration, or if it's basically the same one with a new score.