Artificial Eye / Curzon: Andrei Tarkovsky Collection

[tenia]

those Bresson films

Actually, it's still "this Bresson film" as of today.

[rapta]

Yeah, somehow Mouchette managed to get released but we're still waiting for Au Hasard Balthazar.

I really, really hope any delay to these Tarkovsky titles is short-lived. I was waiting for a box set to be announced.

A SIX MONTH delay now? Absurd, especially if the rest of the titles follow suit. What on earth could possibly delay a title six months, after a previous delay of two years? In Rublev's case, I can only hope it means the inclusion of the Scorsese cut... but not likely.

Is it possible that Criterion intends to release some of the Tarkovsky's in UK, thus creating a rights debate? They already have Ivan, and they almost certainly intend to release Rublev at some point, hence the delay of those two. Extending the release date by 6 months gives AE enough time to sort out the rights one way or other. Only a conjecture; I have no evidence to suggest this.

I dunno...it definitely looks like AE renewed the rights to these. Not only had they already made a soft announcement last year (that they were restoring and releasing all of Tarkovsky's features) but BBFC submissions indicate they have already been renewed before Criterion stepped in. And anyway, presumably they'd only have trouble with Ivan's Childhood, and maybe Solaris if Criterion/Sony were quick to buy up the rights before AE had a chance to.

It would be a damn shame if AE didn't get to release all of them as planned because Criterion priced them out. That's the kind of thing these UK labels were worried about (e.g. Kevin's comments).

I doubt AE have lost the rights. Why would they bother announcing them. Or going to the trouble of producing artwork, website listings etc

AE could do with pulling their head out of their arse though.
And engage in some communication.

This. I really do wish labels like BFI and AE would be a bit more vocal with collectors. I have eventually got responses from the former (and now have a specific contact I can ask), but the latter seem to just leave releases with question marks hanging over them...

[criterionsnob]

Andrei Rublev blu-ray pushed to December 26, according to Amazon.co.uk

[solaris72]

Just got an email from Amazon.co.uk indicating that The Mirror has been pushed back, with an estimated delivery between August 9 and 13.

[FrauBlucher]

Would anyone be surprised if all the Tarkovskys got pushed back at this point.

[Dr Amicus]

Would anyone be surprised if all the Tarkovskys got pushed back at this point.

I'd be more surprised if they weren't!

[MichaelB]

Since I'm only paying £8.99 apiece, I can wait. It's not as though I haven't got plenty of other things to watch in the meantime.

[DeprongMori]

Since Artificial Eye's new Solaris release is slated for the end of this month, I'm surprised I've seen nothing yet on what if any supplemental features are planned for it. No success in finding any info so far. I've got it on pre-order and, as I have the Criterion Blu already, if there are no supplements announced I'm likely to cancel. Has anyone heard anything?

Very psyched for Stalker though.

[RossyG]

I'm expecting all the AE Tarkovsky releases to be barebones unless proven otherwise.

[manicsounds]

And for those curious to find out more about our upcoming DVD and Blu-ray releases (as well as the much-anticipated Andrei Tarkovsky box set), we will be revealing details soon!

I know the reissued DVDs dropped the previous extras, and it would be a shame if they didn't port the existing extras. The Tarkovsky Companion DVD set, the 2-disc Nostalgia for example.

[solaris72]

Solaris pushed to August (estimated arrival date of 8/22-8/26).

[FrauBlucher]

I expect the June titles to get pushed as well.

[solaris72]

There's a website up for the theatrical tour. In the background there's a looping montage of Tarkovsky footage. One of the shots looks like behind the scenes footage from Stalker. Maybe there will be a decent set of bonus features...

[Trees]

I wish a similar retrospective was taking place in the USA. I would love so much to see these films on the big screen.

[kekid]

Do we believe someone will issue a Blu-ray set of complete Tarkovsky (at least his seven major films) in region A, similar to AE in region B? I get the impression that this is not likely to happen because, unlike region B, no single company holds rights to all his films. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

[Drucker]

You are correct it won't happen.

[FrauBlucher]

Bluray.com has detailed Ivan's Childhood. Release is currently scheduled for June 27.

Special Features:
Selected scene commentary with Film Psychoanalyst Mary Wild
Interview with actor Evgeniy Zharikov
Interview with Director of Photograohy Vadim Usov
Interview with Composer Vyaaheslav Ovchinnikov
36-page illustrated booklet
Exclusive slipcase

Nice Supps.

[What A Disgrace]

I was going to upgrade to the Criterion Blu, but now I won't. I hope the boxed set retains the booklets.

[feihong]

Bluray.com has detailed Ivan's Childhood. Release is currently scheduled for June 27.

Special Features:
Selected scene commentary with Film Psychoanalyst Mary Wild

What's a film psychoanalyst? Are they only licensed to practice on movies?

[domino harvey]

It only sounds funny because of the way Artificial Eye worded it, and I suspect you were just going for the joke, but Psychoanalytical Film Criticism is one of the four or five most prominent academic approaches to film studies

[FrauBlucher]

....And those Film Psychoanalysts must have a field day with Tarkovsky.

[MichaelB]

One of the best panel discussions I've ever participated in was organised by the Institute of Psychoanalysis around Jan Švankmajer's Little Otík. The panel consisted of me and two professional psychoanalysts, the audience was heavily slanted in that direction, and hardly any had seen a Švankmajer film before (I asked for a show of hands at the start).

As you can probably imagine if you've seen it, it went down an absolute storm.

[feihong]

It only sounds funny because of the way Artificial Eye worded it, and I suspect you were just going for the joke, but Psychoanalytical Film Criticism is one of the four or five most prominent academic approaches to film studies

I've just never seen it worded that way, calling someone a "Film Psychoanalyst." It may be an accurate description of what Wild does, and there's certainly a lot of characterization and imagery and directorial intent to psychoanalyze in Ivan's Childhood, but the idea of someone psychoanalyzing unliving objects like movies will never be unfunny to me. There needs to be a better term for this––even "Psychoanalytic Film Critic" sounds better to me, or "Psychoanalyst and Film Critic."

[domino harvey]

I've never heard it phrased how Artificial Eye worded it and I agree that it does sound weird like that, even if actual psychoanalytical film criticism isn't unusual in the least. So the good news is no one (or at least no one I've ever heard of) is calling themselves that!

[colinr0380]

There does sound like there should be the basis of a comedy sketch here, in which the Psychoanalytic Film Critic sits down on the panel and instead of skilfully dissecting the layers of imagery with tact and sensitivity just reacts with shock and horror at the film, throwing out variations of "Dude, this filmmaker is one sick puppy! Obviously the use of the colour blue here means they are harbouring some deeply repressed anxieties! I mean I thought some of my patients were screwy, but sheeesh!"

And then it turns out they are on a panel discussing something utterly innocuous like The Full Monty or something like that.

(I should say that I'm entirely in support of the "Psycho Analytic Film Critic", in which a film critic has built an entire career around analysing the Hitchcock film)