Recent Film Restorations

[L.A.]

According to CineSavant Column a better looking print of Incubus (Leslie Stevens, 1966) has been found and is in restoration process.

[Stefan Andersson]

The full program isn't yet available, but MoMA has added their listing for this coming year's To Save and Project program, revealing the two opening/closing night world restoration premiere films are Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Ernst Lubitsch’s The Marriage Circle (1924).

Found this press release with the full program at blu-ray.com (post in the Criterion Collection thread):
https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploa ... hedule.pdf

[DeprongMori]

It looks like some of these restorations being screened go back a ways. For example, the 4K restoration of Canoa: A Shameful Memory on the current program was released on Blu-ray from Criterion back in 2017. Haven’t check the range of dates for the other restorations on the program, many of which have not yet seen physical releases.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

It doesn't seem to go back that far, but the Marriage Circle digital restoration they're billing as a "world premiere" played in January at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

[beamish14]

The full program isn't yet available, but MoMA has added their listing for this coming year's To Save and Project program, revealing the two opening/closing night world restoration premiere films are Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Ernst Lubitsch’s The Marriage Circle (1924).

Found this press release with the full program at blu-ray.com (post in the Criterion Collection thread):
https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploa ... hedule.pdf

Girls Town(1996)? Seriously? There are so many lost indie gems that played at festivals during the 80’s and 90’s, and that one gets restored

[ianthemovie]

Trailer for the new 4K restoration of The Conformist. Looks...questionable...

[hearthesilence]

Ugh. The 2022 look on a 1970 movie.

[Stefan Andersson]

The full program isn't yet available, but MoMA has added their listing for this coming year's To Save and Project program, revealing the two opening/closing night world restoration premiere films are Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary (1927) and Ernst Lubitsch’s The Marriage Circle (1924).

Found this press release with the full program at blu-ray.com (post in the Criterion Collection thread):
https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploa ... hedule.pdf

Girls Town(1996)? Seriously? There are so many lost indie gems that played at festivals during the 80’s and 90’s, and that one gets restored

Full listing with additional restoration info now up on the MoMA site:
https://www.moma.org/calendar/film/5549

[Stefan Andersson]

Film Comment´s best restorations of 2022:
https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/the-be ... s-of-2022/
Includes films by Leisen, Muratova, McBride, Tourneur, Mambéty and others. Also, a 4k scan of the 16mm A/B camera negatives of Vengeance is Mine (Michael Roemer) has been made.

High, Wide and Handsome (Mamoulian), new 4k resto:
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31838

[beamish14]

Film Comment´s best restorations of 2022:
https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/the-be ... s-of-2022/
Includes films by Leisen, Muratova, McBride, Tourneur, Mambéty and others. Also, a 4k scan of the 16mm A/B camera negatives of Vengeance is Mine (Michael Roemer) has been made.

High, Wide and Handsome (Mamoulian), new 4k resto:
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31838

The new 35mm prints of The Conversation and Vengeance is Mine look wonderful. I really hope to see My Girlfriend’s Wedding, as I love Jim McBride’s work

[senseabove]

New restorations of Yvonne Rainer’s films will be premiering in February in NYC

[therewillbeblus]

New restorations of Yvonne Rainer’s films will be premiering in February in NYC

Excellent news! Maybe we’ll finally get some discussion in her barren dedicated thread, and just in time for the 70s decade project too, assuming KL puts this out soon

[Rupert Pupkin]

The 46th HKIFF just announced six restorations

Obviously, we already knew about the Infernal Affairs trilogy and Boat People that were acquired by Janus. Interestingly, Millennium Mambo and Suzhou River are listed alongside them. I wonder if they’re available/have been snapped up by Janus as well?

there is a WEB 1080 "Millenium Mambo" "around" and I'm not sure if it is the French restoration which has a theatrical release with a slightly longer scene (the "snow" scene). I have to check it out.

[Computer Raheem]

The 46th HKIFF just announced six restorations

Obviously, we already knew about the Infernal Affairs trilogy and Boat People that were acquired by Janus. Interestingly, Millennium Mambo and Suzhou River are listed alongside them. I wonder if they’re available/have been snapped up by Janus as well?

there is a WEB 1080 "Millenium Mambo" "around" and I'm not sure if it is the French restoration which has a theatrical release with a slightly longer scene (the "snow" scene). I have to check it out.

From what I can gleam, Metrograph got the rights to Millennium Mambo in the US, so that shuts down any chance of a Blu-ray over here. Fingers crossed for Suzhou River, which is with Strand Releasing and getting a re-release sometime in February [-o<

[Rupert Pupkin]

The 46th HKIFF just announced six restorations

Obviously, we already knew about the Infernal Affairs trilogy and Boat People that were acquired by Janus. Interestingly, Millennium Mambo and Suzhou River are listed alongside them. I wonder if they’re available/have been snapped up by Janus as well?

there is a WEB 1080 "Millenium Mambo" "around" and I'm not sure if it is the French restoration which has a theatrical release with a slightly longer scene (the "snow" scene). I have to check it out.

From what I can gleam, Metrograph got the rights to Millennium Mambo in the US, so that shuts down any chance of a Blu-ray over here. Fingers crossed for Suzhou River, which is with Strand Releasing and getting a re-release sometime in February [-o<

why ? - I thought that it was a good news. Indeed it starts with the "Metograph" logo and there is no info about the restoration. Why would this web release compromise the release on blu-ray or UHD of a Criterion "Millennium Mambo".
So far, in France, there is a theatrical release based on the restoration, but no sign of blu-ray so far.

regarding the 4K restoration of "Suzhou River"; will it be significant better to the previous blu-ray release ? Was Criterion supposed to release it like Millennium Mambo ?

[tenia]

Millenium Mambo is planned for a UHD/BD release in France from Spectrum. It's currently planned for March 2023. Spectrum has announced this quite some time ago now.

[Calvin]

Metrograph having the rights doesn't rule out a home video release - they partnered with Kino for a release of Mambety's Hyenas - but I think that most of their distributed titles have yet to receive a disc release. Denis' L'intrus comes to mind.

[rde]

Trailer for the new 4K restoration of The Conformist. Looks...questionable...

Pretty sure I saw a print of The Conformist years back. It's unrecognizable in this transfer. Extremely sad. This is an example of why I don't love the 4k wave. Many theaters are going to shelve their prints for good in exchange for digital, and then when a new restoration fails...

But happy news: I saw the new restorations of the Antoine Doinel series in theaters (well, 4/5; I missed The 400 Blows), and they are beautiful. They completely changed my feelings about the middle of Truffaut's career. Will buy them 100% if Criterion re-issues the set.

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie restoration also looks good, even if that movie is masterfully underwhelming, its conceit is not clever, and the whole thing's worse than pointless. That movie produces zero hard laughs, and about three chuckles. One of those 'satires' where the people being satirized don't exist and critics count nods as laughs.

[Rupert Pupkin]

I have checked the opening of "Millennium Mambo" WEB 1080 : Metrograph logo, then Orange studios; no info about the (4K) restoration. Generally they put an insert at the beginning of the movie with some info about the restoration.

[yoloswegmaster]

I found this from the Metrograph stream:

[Rupert Pupkin]

Millenium Mambo is planned for a UHD/BD release in France from Spectrum. It's currently planned for March 2023. Spectrum has announced this quite some time ago now.

I have visited their web site with the HD trailer and even a DCP of the trailer.
This is a good thing if they release an UHD+Blu-Ray combo in France. So far there is no pre-order appearing at amazon.fr or fnac.fr or did I miss the pre-order link ?

[Rupert Pupkin]

I found this from the Metrograph stream:

So this is the French restoration. The snow scene is slightly longer than the DVD TF1/Ocean which I have.
Was it shot in 35mm ? I don't see a lot of film-grain in the WEB 1080 or the DCP video trailer (available on the Spectrum French web site). There is even some "poterisation" on the DCP video trailer (during the blue-light club scene excerpts) which can be downloaded on the French web site presenting the restoration.
The mood and photography reminds me (kind of) Lance Acord's work for Lost In Translation (the karaoke scene).
I know we can not "judge" the quality of a restoration with a WEB 1080; even a big video file; but I'm kind of surprised by the DCP video file of the trailer.
There is a lot of dark/blue scenes, the most famous being Shu Qui with a white bra lighting in blue almost blue phosporecent . But even the snow scene in day light have some very slight grain and not some impressive HD details.
It's difficult to know whereas this was a deliberate choice by the director of photography (I think it was his choice); but the "poterisation" is not okay.

[Michael Kerpan]

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie restoration also looks good, even if that movie is masterfully underwhelming, its conceit is not clever, and the whole thing's worse than pointless. That movie produces zero hard laughs, and about three chuckles. One of those 'satires' where the people being satirized don't exist and critics count nods as laughs.

Guess I'm a philistine then -- as this is not just one of my favorite Bunuel films but also one of my favorites ones by anyone from any place and time.

[rde]

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie restoration also looks good, even if that movie is masterfully underwhelming, its conceit is not clever, and the whole thing's worse than pointless. That movie produces zero hard laughs, and about three chuckles. One of those 'satires' where the people being satirized don't exist and critics count nods as laughs.

Guess I'm a philistine then -- as this is not just one of my favorite Bunuel films but also one of my favorites ones by anyone from any place and time.

No slight meant to you, man! And be glad, because if you like the film, the new transfer looks very good.

But I would really stand by the idea that the movie's not funny. The priest-turned-gardener handles his role well. The couple's romp in the bushes is slightly funny, just because of the wife's mannerisms. And the army showing up at dinner is, yeah, inspired — though the stories the messenger tells... bleck. There's the problem for me: it's very easy for a surrealist to lose his bearings (what if I put this dream in another dream? what if I include this image? what's stopping me?). Surrealists suffer more readily than other artists from a lack of that most necessary thing in art, constraint.

[Michael Kerpan]

Maybe "constraints" are not what surrealism is about....