Kino Lorber Studio Classics

[Drucker]

Did anyone get around to watching the Pitfall blu yet? If so, are you satisfied with the presentation? I haven't purchased yet, but will at some point.

Yes, loved it. Very high contrast, but filmic, like their version of The Stranger (which I'll add closely resembled a print I saw last year).

[domino harvey]

The quasi-SCTV film poking fun at the 80s horror anthology resurgence, Really Weird Tales, is coming to Blu-Ray. What a world we live in!

EDIT: Nevermind, it's DVD only. But it IS under the new "Kino Lorber Television" imprint

[Ashirg]

Must be poor film elements to do a blu-ray release...

[Ashirg]

2 films announced making DVD (and blu-ray) debuts - Something for Everyone (1970) and Argentinian Man Facing Southeast (Hombre mirando al sudeste) (1986).

[_shadow_]

I certainly never expected a BD release of "Something for Everyone". It hasn't seen the light of day since the Key Video VHS release.

[britcom68]

When Angela was in the Criterion closet with John Waters recently I had hoped that meant this film would see the light of day again so I dusted off the VHS copy and re-watched "Something For Everyone" in anticipation. My god. I have no idea what I loved this film so much as a kid, watching it now years later I honestly think this is one film that could be greatly improved if it was even just a touch more camp.

Even though I enjoy the "Ein Kind Hearts und Coronets"-style plot and the casualness of Michael York's bed-jumping, especially considering when the film was made, the film's humor was so underplayed at times I had to concentrate to avoid feeling that it was repetitive.

This is one film I have wondered if it was an influence on Wes Anderson, although I have never read or heard that anywhere I would be interested if anyone has.

[Lowry_Sam]

2 films announced making DVD (and blu-ray) debuts - Something for Everyone (1970) and Argentinian Man Facing Southeast (Hombre mirando al sudeste) (1986).

I am ecstatic that Man Facing Southeast is finally getting a release on disc, I kept requesting it from Criterion, but I guess Kino is better than nothing.

[zedz]

Did anyone get around to watching the Pitfall blu yet? If so, are you satisfied with the presentation? I haven't purchased yet, but will at some point.

The presentation is fine, if not particularly gorgeous, and it's a fascinating film, with notably more mature adult relationships than most other Hollywood films, and specifically noirs, of the period.

[FrauBlucher]

Zedz, I did get a chance to see this. Agree, a decent presentation but has much potential if a CC or MoC got their hands on it. Burr is an all-time great antagonist. And Powell once again delivers as the focal point. Lizabeth Scott gives probably her best performance. Definitely a Noir that breaks a pattern, but in a wonderful way. Glad to have it on Bluray. Oh, and the commentary is excellent.

[Drucker]

Here are the DVD Beaver reviews for Spione and Frau Im Mond.

Like with Diary Of a Lost Girl, the image seems squeezed with an aspect ratio of 1.28. Gary says he thinks this is more correct, and Bret Wood posted this on Facebook apparently:

NOTE: Bret Wood (producer, Kino Lorber) has commented in our Facebook group: "After hearing some of the discussion about the tighter aspect ratio, we went back and compared the Bluray image with the 1920x1080 ProRes file that was provided to us by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. We confirmed that the aspect ratio of the discs is exactly the same as that of the original master, so the change of aspect ratio was not caused in the Blu-ray authoring process. And, to perform further due diligence, we sought a frame that would have the best representation of a perfect circle. We found the attached image, and I superimposed a perfect circle upon it, and it matches almost exactly (definitely doesn't have the horizontal compression people are worried about). We expect to have an official statement from Anke Wilkening (who supervised the restoration) later this week -- but since we're in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, things are moving a little slower than usual. "

Seems pretty absurd to me overall and clearly the MoC's look better.

[tenia]

Honestly, at this level, the AR aspect of this doesn't bother me so much. I don't know the restoration AR (Bret Wood's FB post seems to suggest 1.28 but the comparison he posted is 1.45) but we're talking about a difference between 1.28 and 1.33, meaning something absolutely negligible, and I doubt that anybody could be witnessing that without hindsight bias of the already existing 1.33 MoC releases.

What I'd be more bothered with are the chroma effects.

[Lowry_Sam]

Scratches are noticeable on the Kino (Spione) & it doesn't seem like it's just due to the Kino being brighter (the scratch across the thumb in the shot where he's holding Sonja's calling card).

[HerrSchreck]

Here are the DVD Beaver reviews for Spione and Frau Im Mond.

Like with Diary Of a Lost Girl, the image seems squeezed with an aspect ratio of 1.28. Gary says he thinks this is more correct, and Bret Wood posted this on Facebook apparently:

NOTE: Bret Wood (producer, Kino Lorber) has commented in our Facebook group: "After hearing some of the discussion about the tighter aspect ratio, we went back and compared the Bluray image with the 1920x1080 ProRes file that was provided to us by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. We confirmed that the aspect ratio of the discs is exactly the same as that of the original master, so the change of aspect ratio was not caused in the Blu-ray authoring process. And, to perform further due diligence, we sought a frame that would have the best representation of a perfect circle. We found the attached image, and I superimposed a perfect circle upon it, and it matches almost exactly (definitely doesn't have the horizontal compression people are worried about). We expect to have an official statement from Anke Wilkening (who supervised the restoration) later this week -- but since we're in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, things are moving a little slower than usual. "

Seems pretty absurd to me overall and clearly the MoC's look better.

A tempest in a teapot.. and I see nothing "absurd" about responding to squawking.

[Der Spieler]

I don't know whether the new WOMAN IN THE MOON Kino disc is vertically stretched or not. But judging by the Beaver caps, the MoC DVD and Kino BR look about the same, whereas the MoC BR features "fatter" faces.

I doubt I would have noticed anything either way if I hadn't directly compared the images though. It's nowhere near as obvious as with the DIARY OF A LOST GIRL Blu-rays.

[pet42]

Fritz Lang's 'Destiny' heads to US

[justeleblanc]

It seems plausible that 1.28:1 is more accurate than 1.33:1. If the source of the restoration were a re-release print where the original camera negative (1.33:1) were placed next to a narrow optical track, then a slightly more square image is to be expected. I'm not sure when the standard track width was adopted in Germany (if this is even a German print -- or set of prints -- used for the restoration) but I imagine there was enough variation among the competing sound-on-film systems that a 1.28:1 print image was possible.

[Der Spieler]

In the end I trust MoC a lot more than Kino and it's sad that these classics are getting semi-botched Region A releases.

[HerrSchreck]

I'm not so sure. Kino actually exhibits these films theatrically and have access to the reels--Koerber can be found going to and fro to Kino from Germany--so they actually have something concrete to compare them to after the authoring process. Both look fine to me, but I think the claim that Region A has a "botched" release is a wacky announcement based on nothing tangible.

Now--on to the fabulous news (I can't get worked up for seeing these Langs for the umpteenth time in any definition) about DER MUDE TOD/DESTINY!!!

This is awesome news, and so far overdue it's not even funny. It's perhaps Langs most unjustly overlooked silent masterpiece, and this is specifically and only because of the poor state of its release on home video and in the cinema. Hopefully this will now be rectified here in the US. Of course David Shepard did the best he could (speaking of prints impinged on one side by an optical soundtrack, this film was made a virtual square by the reshaping) with his Image release back during the Cretaceous era... but it's time for a proper release.

And I'm sure it's coming.

[domino harvey]

Eddie Muller will be providing a commentary for the 99 River Street Blu Ray

[feihong]

Yeah! Good stuff!

[captveg]

Kino just announced The Ox-Bow Incident, so it looks like they've started working with Fox for some of their titles now.

[domino harvey]

Whoa, that's huge and extremely promising news if so!

[FrauBlucher]

Mr. Lime...

A Brand New 4K Restoration From the Dupe Negative!

This is very exciting. A title I've been clamoring for for a long time. Also, It wouldn't surprise me if MoC was also going to release this.

[domino harvey]

Kino's deal with MGM has meant little for classic releases, since they sold so many of those older titles to Warner Brothers years ago, but Fox still has all of their library. Just imagine Kino's willingness to put anything out on Blu-Ray... Tashlin, the wealth of musicals, the rest of the non-upgraded Noir line, all of those movies abandoned to MOD... This is monumental

[captveg]

MisterLime on blu-ray.com: "Yes, we have a deal with Fox. Not allowed to say how many titles."