Mondo Vision

[MichaelB]

What does "4.5 hours of extras" mean? The two commentaries on the Second Sight edition amount to almost that much alone.

[JonathanK]

So glad to finally have found this thread on Mondo Vision, I can't find them on any other social media website! I contacted the company last week and as Mathew2468 pointed out Mondo confirmed the Blu-ray release. They did mention however that issues beyond their control are holding up the manufacturing. Personally I could care less for extras especially when it comes to Possession, the less I know the more I enjoy it. It appears though that Second Sight version includes some exclusives plus what they already released on their DVD version so if your decision is solely based on extras and price it makes total sense to go with their version. Since I own the other 4 Mondo LEs I know it's worth the wait, they did a tremendous job for such a small company. After owning 5 or 6 versions of Possession on DVD I now must have the definite edition on my shelf and the Mondo edition does it for me, the inclusion of their hefty booklet with detailed essays and the soundtrack are true added value for me than couple of interviews that I will only watch once. Pricewise it makes sense that the BD LE will be priced higher than the DVD LE, having worked for a private label in the past I know how expensive it is to do what Mondo is doing for such limited runs, 2000 units is a very small production run when it comes to manufacturing collector editions, that is why companies like Anchorbay used to do LE runs of 50K or even 150K and their editions can't even be compared to Mondo's Special Editions let alone the Limited ones!

Overall I am very grateful for Mondo's effort and I wish they hang in there. If it wasn't for their efforts Zulawski would have never received such praise. They took all the risk by releasing his obscure films first. The fact that we saw a Zulawski retrospective happening in the US and Possession finally getting released in UK is a credit to them.

MichaelB - where did you read that Second Sight edition includes two commentaries? their website only lists one with co-writer FREDERIC TUTEN.

Here is the full response I got from Mondo....I thought it was very nice of them to give me heads up on the Second Sight edition! I had no clue about it before contacting them.

_____________________

Dear Jonathan,

Thank you for your email.

Possession will be released on Blu-ray - everything on our end is finished as far as production and contents, however we have hit an unexpected roadblock on the manufacturing side and we are working around the clock to get things fixed asap. Any date that I give you right now won't be accurate because we are also waiting for the manufacturer to give us a status update.

As a side note please keep in mind that Second Sight in UK is releasing Possession on Bluray which you can own very soon if you need to have the film right away.

Thanks again for your patience.

Mazi

MONDO VISION

_____________________

[Rupert Pupkin]

thanks a lot for this info JonathanK
I think I'd prefer to wait for the Mondo Vision release.
But, just one question : how do you understand their comment about the Second Sight release. Do they imply in their email answer that the transfer of the Second Sight release will be identical to their version (besides the bonus) ?

[JonathanK]

You are welcome :)
I don't see their answer imply anything about the transfers being identical, but who knows! It's my take that because lots of people are contacting Mondo for a specific release date and they don't have one yet they are just pointing customers towards Second Sight, letting them know there are other options available. As far extras we have no idea what Mondo will include but from the look of things it appears that Second Sight have made new content for their BD release.

[MichaelB]

I'm all but certain that both versions came from the same HD restoration - there may be minor tweaks here and there peculiar to each release, but the similarities should be far more pronounced than the differences.

Overall I am very grateful for Mondo's effort and I wish they hang in there. If it wasn't for their efforts Zulawski would have never received such praise. They took all the risk by releasing his obscure films first. The fact that we saw a Zulawski retrospective happening in the US and Possession finally getting released in UK is a credit to them.

Second Sight released Possession on DVD several years ago - I don't think Mondo Vision had anything to do with that release. In fact, Possession was one of the only Żuławski films to get a UK theatrical release, and I think it's the last one to manage it to date - and it's also long been a cult item in Britain thanks to it ending up on the Director of Public Prosecutions' "video nasty" list (arguably the most artistically distinguished film to make that list, and certainly the only major Cannes prizewinner!).

So while Mondo Vision certainly deserve tons of credit for the work they've done with the other Żuławskis, I don't think you can attribute Possession's UK availability and popularity to them - that was already well established.

MichaelB - where did you read that Second Sight edition includes two commentaries? their website only lists one with co-writer FREDERIC TUTEN.

Their Facebook page explicitly confirms two commentaries (on 22 May):

We can confirm that in addition to the extras already posted the release will include the existing Andrzej Zulawski commentary and also a new commentary with co-writer Frederic Tuten.

[JonathanK]

Thanks for confirming the inclusion of the 2nd commentary.

If I recall correctly there was a German label that released possession on DVD in 2009, a full year before Second Sight. And I remember reading an interview somewhere online with Mondo's founder in mid 2010 where he explained the situation with Possession - to paraphrase he basically pointed out that Possession was the sole reason he started Mondo Vision and that Possession was always meant to be released first but he would not do it because of the condition of the available tapes. Instead all the effort was put into convincing the rightsholders to make a new HD master which it did finally happen thanks to Mondo's persistence. Both German and UK DVDs came out during this period and therefore are using the old master tapes which Mondo had access to. Looks like they made a deliberate decision not to use the tapes otherwise they could have done so long before everybody else. I think it would have benefitted them financially but as the article pointed out Mondo's owner hated the notion of double dipping along with the fact that he wanted the image of his favorite film to look perfect, sounded more like a personal matter! I remember printing the entire article, it was a very informative read by the way, I'll post it here if I find it.

Based on that evidence I'm with MichaelB when it comes to the master, it's most likely from the same HD restoration.

[MichaelB]

Thanks for confirming the inclusion of the 2nd commentary.

...and just to make it 100% certain, I now have a checkdisc - and both commentaries are definitely on it.

[JonathanK]

...and just to make it 100% certain, I now have a checkdisc - and both commentaries are definitely on it.

Thx! Can you tell us anything regarding picture quality?

[Mathew2468]

Update? David M?

[Zartanbaby]

Glad to hear this gem in being put onto Bluray and not just DVD.

Since I have never bought one of these Mondo Vision titles, where would you get the limited edition ones? From them? From Amazon?

This is one film where I'd shell out the cash for the LE version.

Anyone got any release dates yet??

[Mathew2468]

TOUFAAN on Amazon is their official seller. Their page is down but the dvds are still there so I'm guessing you can still buy.

[EddieLarkin]

TOUFAAN also have their own website, usually with better pricing than their Amazon store and with free shipping:

http://www.toufaan.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Zartanbaby]

Thanks guys, I'll send them an email and try to "get on the list" if there is one! Cannot wait for this. Any other Zulawski films I should check out while I'm waiting?

[Mathew2468]

List? They're on Amazon. Get all of them!

[Mathew2468]

Something's wrong. What kind of manufacturing problem takes 2 months to fix? It's killing me now that the Second Sight is out and I have money. How did they get theirs out so fast? :-k

[Rupert Pupkin]

is a blu-ray of Possession still planned at Mondo Vision ?
no release date so far ?

I have a multi-region player, would prefer the Mondo Vision - but the BR UK is already out and price is not so high. The reviews are excellent (blu-ray.com gives almost a 5/5 for th e picture quality). Do you think that the colors of the Second Sight release are accurate ? (I still have the Anchor Bay DVD somewhere...)

[MichaelB]

No-one can answer this without the Mondo Vision release for comparison.

Personally, I'm delighted with the Second Sight release, but I was sent a review copy so I didn't have to choose.

[JonathanK]

Something's wrong. What kind of manufacturing problem takes 2 months to fix? It's killing me now that the Second Sight is out and I have money. How did they get theirs out so fast? :-k

I hear you man but that is anybody's guess! If it's a simple misprint for example things can be turned around very quick, but let's say if a specific type of paper, ink or velvet in the case of Mondo happens to be on backorder from the manufacturer, then the delay could take months without end unless the entire design is changed to accommodate the available materials. If your concern is only the film I say just buy the Second Sight BD, it seems to be a good release :)

[jindianajonz]

Just an FYI, my Limited Edition copy of La Femme Publique arrived today from Amazon, and I received number 1993/2000. Now I doubt they are giving them away in strict numerical order, but it does seem they've at least reached the bottom of the pile. If you want one, you may want to order soon!

The other three LEs were in the 1100 to 1400 range. And yes, they are packaged just as beautifully as everybody is claiming!

[Iode]

I'm holding out for the Mondo Vision release of Possession because of that beautiful packaging.

[Mathew2468]

I want the book, and there might be more extras...? The soundtrack too but that could easily be gotten elsewhere. Do the UK extras total 4.5 hours?

[JonathanK]

I want the book, and there might be more extras...? The soundtrack too but that could easily be gotten elsewhere. Do the UK extras total 4.5 hours?

I guess every one is different. Like "Iode" pointed out I want the Mondo release so bad because of the overall presentation, it's a once a lifetime event...I am almost certain we will never see a definite edition of this film unless Mondo comes through with their release. I know I will buy both the Special and Limited Editions of Possession in an instant. I already own 8 different versions of Possession on DVD but I always wanted a proper collector's set, I want something more than a regular BD case. As long as the image is perfect which has been the case with Mondo so far I don't care if there is 20mins or 10 hours of extras. A short interview with Zulawski or a commentary is more than welcome. Although Mondo Vision website says 4.5 hours of extras we still don't know what is included and it might as well be subject to change, who knows! UK edition has well over 4.5 hours when you count the 2 commentaries.

[repeat]

The soundtrack too but that could easily be gotten elsewhere

Not for long though, as the CD is going out of print to my knowledge - Finders Keepers still seem to have copies left

[Rupert Pupkin]

I'm holding out for the Mondo Vision release of Possession because of that beautiful packaging.

did they post somewhere (facebook ? or on their website) some photo of the packaging for their upcoming blu-ray release?

perhaps I will go with the Blu-Ray UK of Possession since every web site seems to said that the picture quality is excellent... This will help me to wait for the Mondo Vision release since no release date has been announced so far...

by the way, someone here talked about La Femme Publique... Is a blu-ray version of it already out ???? (I did buy the Mondo Vision limited DVD edition...)

[MichaelB]

I want the book, and there might be more extras...? The soundtrack too but that could easily be gotten elsewhere. Do the UK extras total 4.5 hours?

Six and a half, actually.

• Zulawski commentary: 124 mins
• Frederic Tuten commentary: 124 mins
• The Other Side of the Wall: 50 mins
• Zulawski interview: 36 mins
• Repossessed: 13 mins
• A Divided City: 8 mins
• The Sounds of Possession: 20 mins
• Our Friend in the West: 7 mins
• Basha: 6 mins
• Trailer: 3 mins

TOTAL: 391 mins, or six hours 31 mins.