Godard on DVD and Blu-ray

[Scott Nye]

Robert Sweeney did LA CHINOISE and LE GAI SAVOIR, which are A-OK as far as I'm concerned.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Kino Lorber recently added Hélas pour moi and Prénom Carmen to Kanopy, so someone with a participating library account can check them out now (and perhaps give us a heads-up on aspect ratios and general quality).

[Kirkinson]

Just checked them out and skipped around a bit. Both are in Academy and image quality looks generally good. I don't think I'm getting full HD resolution (Kanopy doesn't give you an obvious way to tell) but if I am it's still compressed so much as to not really give you a sense of what the BDs will look like. Carmen especially has a very healthy amount of grain that's wreaking havoc on the compression algorithms. Color looks consistent with what I remember of the Lionsgate DVDs and the print of Helas I saw ten or so years ago (I don't think I've seen Carmen projected). Helas has some edge enhancement visible in the intertitles, but again since I'm not sure I'm actually seeing a 1080p transfer I wouldn't get worried about it yet.

EDITED TO ADD: Both have mono soundtracks as far as I can tell. Studio Canal's own page for Prénom Carmen suggests that's correct, FWIW. They don't specify a sound mix for Hélas pour moi.

[therewillbeblus]

This Adrian Martin commentary is actually different than the excellent one that appeared on Madman's edition FYI

Can anyone speak to the strength of the Martin commentary on Kino’s Le Gai Savoir release? How does it compare to the Madman?

[Ovader]

Can anyone speak to the strength of the Martin commentary on Kino’s Le Gai Savoir release? How does it compare to the Madman?

I don't have the KINO edition but here is what the man himself told me in 2017 when I asked about the two commentaries. No details of the content but only his enthusiasm for the new version.

I was gratified to have a second opportunity to talk about this fascinating film. There has been more material to draw upon since I did my first version in Australia some 8 or more years ago. Also, I use a more precise technique these days: in the past (for the Madman DVDs) I was often doing a well-prepared, 90 minute single-take in a studio; today, I break my commentary up into blocks, record them at my computer, and then the master-montage hands of Cristina Álvarez López get to work on the audio, fitting it exactly to the image, sometimes moving (and removing) things around. I think the result is far superior.

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks!

[domino harvey]

I’m very nervous that KL will fuck up the aspect ratios, which are unambiguously Academy. The LionsGate DVDs respected this, hopefully these do too

DVDBeaver’s reviews of Detective and Prenom Carmen confirm they’re in Academy— and they look incredible

[Michael Kerpan]

The Lionsgate DVDs were exceptionally good (IMHO). I wonder if one can tell any difference between those and the new BDs on a 50 in screen at a normal viewing distance.

[Glowingwabbit]

The Lionsgate DVDs were exceptionally good (IMHO). I wonder if one can tell any difference between those and the new BDs on a 50 in screen at a normal viewing distance.

The Lionsgate DVDs were in mono, whereas the Kino's have corrected this issue (Detective was Godard's first film in stereo I believe). So there is that if it matters to you.

[domino harvey]

I got my copy in of Helas pour moi and it’s also Academy, just to close the book on worrying about these KL releases. That dastardly MGM DVD of King Lear has left me a lifetime legacy of worrying about this kind of thing

[Glowingwabbit]

I got my copy in of Helas pour moi and it’s also Academy, just to close the book on worrying about these KL releases. That dastardly MGM DVD of King Lear has left me a lifetime legacy of worrying about this kind of thing

Wasnt it speculated that Criterion had plans for King Lear? Or am I thinking of something else.

[Ovader]

Wasnt it speculated that Criterion had plans for King Lear? Or am I thinking of something else.

There is a Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard) thread in the Criterion Rumors and News section about that possibility.

[therewillbeblus]

Is there any decent copy of JLG/JLG - autoportrait de décembre out there on disc? In filling in my few gaps in Godard’s filmography, I came across this and it’s become a new favorite, joining Notre Musique as the best of his late period for me.

[domino harvey]

There's a Japanese release, but I believe with no English subs

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Can't speak to the quality, but there was also a French DVD from Gaumont and an Italian disc from Ripley's. Intermedio in Spain released a four-disc boxset called "Cofre Jean-Luc Godard: Ensayos" that included it alongside seven other films and a book. All of these are OOP and go for hefty prices on the secondary market; the third-party seller on Fnac asking 30 euro for a new copy is the best deal I can find. That might still be cheaper than importing the Japanese Blu-ray, which from all indications is an upscale and a poor one at that. No English subs on any of these.

Edit: Another in-print option appears to be this German boxset that also includes Band of Outsiders, The Married Woman, Weekend, Hail Mary, and Two in the Wave. Again, no English subs.

[therewillbeblus]

Rats, I only speak English. Thanks anyways! Hopefully Arrow or somebody will rescue the early-mid 90s gems

[accatone]

https://www.amazon.de/Die-Außenseiterba ... 361&sr=8-1

Also on this disc, incl. as a Bonus. No engl. subs though, but better price point.

[feckless boy]

Is there any decent copy of JLG/JLG - autoportrait de décembre out there on disc? In filling in my few gaps in Godard’s filmography, I came across this and it’s become a new favorite, joining Notre Musique as the best of his late period for me.

It was part of the Gaumont 10 DVD "Fiction" box-set with English and French subtitles. At times individual discs from that box-set can be found, usually through third-party sellers. This listing looks like the right one (cover and bonus short films are correct, but forgets to mention Lettre à Freddy Buache and Meetin' WA. There never was an HD-DVD of this title).
And yes you're right it is one of Godard's better mid/late period efforts, I voted for it when we did the Renoir/Godard lists.

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks, this looks great!

[barbarella satyricon]

...

[Pavel]

I don't remember The Image Book well (I despised it), but I'm pretty sure it was intentional.

[hearthesilence]

Does anyone know of any confirmed issues with the English subtitles on Kino Lorber’s The Image Book blu ray? From the disc that I had, it seemed like about 40-50% of the subs were missing, like every other line in some sequences, but entirely absent in others. My French isn’t good at all, but even from the opening, with Godard’s voice-over narration, it was apparent that about every other line of translation was being dropped.

On the other hand, there were some sequences that looked to be subtitled in full, and others that had no subs at all. I thought at first that some of the clips in other languages (i.e. not French) were intentionally left unsubbed, but that didn’t seem consistent across scenes either. I messaged Kino Lorber through their customer service form, but didn’t hear back, and just got a refund on the disc before the return window on the purchase (from another online vendor) had closed. Not sure if I just got a bad disc, but am certain that there were major problems with the subs and that it definitely wasn’t some intentional Navajo thing.

This is actually not an error - check out the film's own thread, you'll find a discussion about this as it was screened this way during its theatrical release. An excerpt:

hearthesilence, may I ask you if the sporadic/arbitrary subtitling bothered/baffled you? (I have not had an opportunity to see this yet.)

No but I know some French and was able to fill in some gaps. The subtitling really is sparse but it’s possible they tell enough. Honestly it felt like film literacy was far more important - it helps to know the films he’s referencing ahead of time.

[barbarella satyricon]

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[barbarella satyricon]

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[EddieLarkin]

I happened to watch For Ever Mozart last night and even there a number of French lines and passages went unsubtitled, and James Quandt even calls attention to this fact in the commentary, so presumably Godard has been doing this for a long time now.

On the subject of The Image Book, Mubi quietly snuck it out on UK BD last month, but annoyingly I can't find a single review or even basic specs for it. Does anyone know of any reason the Kino would be preferable over it? I was just about to buy the latter but being in the UK the Mubi disc is a bit cheaper.