61 / BD 47 La notte

[rrenault]

So I’m guessing L’Avventura would also likely get a newer master that would premier at Cannes Classics or something before we see a UHD release. The Blu-rays of both L’Avventura and La Notte are already 4K-sourced, technically, but the masters are still rather old, needless to say.

P.S. I’m surprised The Passenger and L’Eclisse don’t have 4K masters at all yet. I’m not sure about Zabriskie Point.

Now that it's brought up I've meant to ask about this for a long time. L'avventura already would have had a Cannes Classics appearance in the canceled 2020 edition with a then-new 4K restoration (advertised as "uncut", whatever that means), which was later shown in French theaters and had a Lobster blu-ray release. I couldn't find much info regarding the restoration and its quality, but I assume it's different from what Criterion used when they prepared their blu-ray back in 2014.

Is it not possible that was simply the European premier of the master Criterion used?

From what I’ve heard, the Lobster Blu-ray was poorly encoded and of no use to folks who already have Criterion’s Blu-Ray.

[Matt]

Are we certain this will use the new restoration? The specs don’t tout it as a new restoration, and the previous restoration was in 4K as well.

[ellipsis7]

Are we certain this will use the new restoration? The specs don’t tout it as a new restoration, and the previous restoration was in 4K as well.

Unfortunately the specs don't make it absolutely clear...

4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation from a 4K digital restoration, presented in a new and exclusive Dolby Vision HDR (HDR 10 compatible) grade

And, on the basis of his Time Out capsule review, a Tony Rayns commentary hardly seems suitable...

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Is it not possible that was simply the European premier of the master Criterion used?

From what I’ve heard, the Lobster Blu-ray was poorly encoded and of no use to folks who already have Criterion’s Blu-Ray.

I don't think it was, unless Hiventy were involved in the 2014 restoration and Criterion completely forgot to credit them. An alternative possibility is that both Hiventy and Criterion worked from the same scan by Ritrovata (who are credited on both restorations) but created their own masters. A couple of posters on the DVDClassik forum spoke highly of the Lobster release, but I've never seen any detailed impressions, much less an A/B comparison with the Criterion.

[Sloper]

And, on the basis of his Time Out capsule review, a Tony Rayns commentary hardly seems suitable...

The last line of Rayns' review ('It's impossible to discern the relevance of this kind of film-making, which is doubtless why nobody (including Antonioni) practises it any more') suggests it may have been written in the 70s or early 80s - it would seem a bit tactless to make a comment like this post-stroke - so maybe Rayns has had a change of heart in the decades since then.

Some of his intros on the late Mizoguchis were a bit depressing, since he kept saying how inferior those films were to the director's earlier work, but he still provided plenty of fascinating insights. Maybe we'll get something like that. I wouldn't mind hearing a hyper-critical commentary on a film I love, as long as it's delivered with some enthusiasm!

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Rayns wrote a similarly hostile capsule review of L'eclisse that Time Out has since replaced with a more favorable take, but you can still find it on Mubi. (The date given is "December 31, 1999," but I suspect that was just a placeholder date from the Time Out site.) Maybe he has done a 180 on these films, or at least on La notte, but then he contributed a video piece to Arrow's Oldboy release despite his contempt for the film and Park in general—I didn't see it, but I got the impression it was more about situating Oldboy in a broader Korean context than an appraisal of the film per se, which is certainly right up his alley. (That said, the reviews on Letterboxd indicate that he didn't keep his opinions to himself either.) In any case an Antonioni audio commentary from Rayns is a lot more unexpected than seeing him pop up in the extras on a film from Korea (or Pasolini).

[Matt]

Are we certain this will use the new restoration? The specs don’t tout it as a new restoration, and the previous restoration was in 4K as well.

I've been assured that the MoC disc will indeed use the 2024 restoration, so pre-order with confidence!

[ellipsis7]

Just arrived & spinning it on the deck... Certainly a lovely thing to behold... Such great texture & detail with superb blacks...

[T!me]

The restoration’s beautiful and I’m really glad I bought the film on 4k. I really hope that some label has more Antonioni UHDs in the pipeline (especially Zabriskie Point would be nice).

That being said, I found the Tony Rayns Commentary rather uninspired and all over the place? I neither got the feeling that he particularly likes the film nor did I learn much from him talking about it. There were odd pauses on several occasions where he just stopped talking as if he forgot what point he wanted to make.

I must admit, I’m not that familiar with audio commentaries as I seldom watch a movie more than once so maybe I am just not accustomed to a standard I don’t know and I just got lucky with the few commentaries I have watched/ listened to so far.

[MichaelB]

Tony Rayns' commentaries are usually pretty non-stop, so I suspect you're probably right. In fact, in one memorable case he overshot by five minutes, necessitating a surreptitious bit of disc authoring whereby if you played the film with the commentary you got five minutes of black screen at the end.

[Lowry_Sam]

I really hope that some label has more Antonioni UHDs in the pipeline (especially Zabriskie Point would be nice).

I would venture a guess that Antonioni would be towards the top of the list of directors that Criterion might release a comprehensive UHD box (which is why I am holding off): Not too big of a catalog, consistently high quality, already have several titles licensed, high name recognition/award winner/sizable fanbase.

[MichaelB]

...but fiddly rights. The films up to and including Red Desert might be feasible, but then we're in the realm of Warner Bros (Blow-Up, Zabriskie Point) and Sony (The Passenger).

[hearthesilence]

I thought The Passenger was owned by Nicholson? (Or did he actually sell the rights to Sony when they approached him with the offer to restore and re-release it?)

[Lowry_Sam]

...but fiddly rights. The films up to and including Red Desert might be feasible, but then we're in the realm of Warner Bros (Blow-Up, Zabriskie Point) and Sony (The Passenger).

But Criterion has a relationship with both Warner & Sony, so not out of the realm of possibility & Criterion's Blow-Up is still in print.

[MichaelB]

I thought The Passenger was owned by Nicholson? (Or did he actually sell the rights to Sony when they approached him with the offer to restore and re-release it?)

Had he not intervened, it would also have ended up with Warner Bros (as it was an MGM production originally), but when Nicholson bought the entire film lock, stock and barrel in the 1980s (he had more money than he knew what to do with and fancied owning one of his films outright), he assigned Sony as the worldwide distributor. Which is how Indicator was able to get hold of it.

[rrenault]

I remember, perhaps wrongly, hearing Blow-Up has some finicky rights issue that makes a UHD upgrade in the near future somewhat improbable. I'm not sure about the details though.

I don't think L'Eclisse and The Passenger have 4K masters at all yet, so getting his films piecemeal on UHD seems more likely than a comprehensive boxset, at least for the time being.

Also, did L'Avventura receive two different 4K restorations, one in the US and one in Europe, or was the restoration that was part of Cannes Classics 2020 simply the Criterion restoration making its European debut?

[ellipsis7]

Janus, and hence Criterion, have had the US rights to L'AVVENTURA since the very beginning with its' NYC Premiere on Tuesday, April 4th, 1961 @ The Beekman Theatre...

The 2013 re-release was described by Janus as so... This would most likely have been used for the 2014 Criterion Blu Ray release, described then as a "New 4K digital restoration"... It would seem there is nothing preventing Criterion now putting out a 4K UHD release...

NEW, RESTORED 35MM PRINTS!
A girl mysteriously disappears on a yachting trip. While her lover and her best friend search for her across Italy, they begin an affair. Antonioni's penetrating study of the idle upper class offers stinging observations on spiritual isolation and the many meanings of love. Initially greeted with jeers and confusion upon its debut at Cannes, L'avventura was then awarded a Special Jury Prize for "the beauty of its images, and for seeking to create a new film language." Fifty years on, it has long since established itself as a landmark in modern cinema and one of the most influential films ever made. Janus Films is proud to present new 35mm prints of this masterpiece, struck from a restoration negative provided courtesy of Cinématographique Lyre, Mediaset, Compass Film, and Cineteca Nazionale – Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

The inclusion in the 2020 Cannes Classics was to mark the 60th anniversary of its' initial screening at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival... Production is credited to the same Cinématographique Lyre which fits with the original Producers who were Cino del Duca (Rome), Société Cinématographique Lyre (Paris), after the first Producers Imera Film went bust... L'AVVENTURA also featured in the 2009 Cannes Classics when an image of Monica Vitti was used in the Festival poster...



There is a 2023 4K restoration of IL GRIDO to which Janus/Criterion hold the US rights making a 4K UHD release a distinct possibility... The Janus trailer...

Restaurato da The Film Foundation e Cineteca di Bologna presso il laboratorio L’Immagine Ritrovata, in collaborazione con Compass Film e con il sostegno di Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation

Also extant is a 2017 4K restoration of DESERTO ROSSO, which featured in Venezia Classici that year...

Restauro realizzato in 4K a partire dai negativi scena e colonna messi a disposizione da RTI-Mediaset. La correzione del colore è stata supervisionata presso il laboratorio Fotocinema dal direttore della fotografia Luciano Tovoli al fine di restituire al film il cromatismo ed il tono fotografico voluti all'epoca da Michelangelo Antonioni e Carlo di Palma. L'acquisizione ed il restauro del suono sono stati realizzati presso il laboratorio del Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale sotto la supervisione di Federico Savina.

[rrenault]

Janus, and hence Criterion, have had the US rights to L'AVVENTURA since the very beginning with its' NYC Premiere on Tuesday, April 4th, 1961 @ The Beekman Theatre...

The 2013 re-release was described by Janus as so... This would most likely have been used for the 2014 Criterion Blu Ray release, described then as a "New 4K digital restoration"... It would seem there is nothing preventing Criterion now putting out a 4K UHD release...

NEW, RESTORED 35MM PRINTS!
A girl mysteriously disappears on a yachting trip. While her lover and her best friend search for her across Italy, they begin an affair. Antonioni's penetrating study of the idle upper class offers stinging observations on spiritual isolation and the many meanings of love. Initially greeted with jeers and confusion upon its debut at Cannes, L'avventura was then awarded a Special Jury Prize for "the beauty of its images, and for seeking to create a new film language." Fifty years on, it has long since established itself as a landmark in modern cinema and one of the most influential films ever made. Janus Films is proud to present new 35mm prints of this masterpiece, struck from a restoration negative provided courtesy of Cinématographique Lyre, Mediaset, Compass Film, and Cineteca Nazionale – Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

The inclusion in the 2020 Cannes Classics was to mark the 60th anniversary of its' initial screening at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival... Production is credited to the same Cinématographique Lyre which fits with the original Producers who were Cino del Duca (Rome), Société Cinématographique Lyre (Paris), after the first Producers Imera Film went bust... L'AVVENTURA also featured in the 2009 Cannes Classics when an image of Monica Vitti was used in the Festival poster...



There is a 2023 4K restoration of IL GRIDO to which Janus/Criterion hold the US rights making a 4K UHD release a distinct possibility... The Janus trailer...

Restaurato da The Film Foundation e Cineteca di Bologna presso il laboratorio L’Immagine Ritrovata, in collaborazione con Compass Film e con il sostegno di Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation

Also extant is a 2017 4K restoration of DESERTO ROSSO, which featured in Venezia Classici that year...

Restauro realizzato in 4K a partire dai negativi scena e colonna messi a disposizione da RTI-Mediaset. La correzione del colore è stata supervisionata presso il laboratorio Fotocinema dal direttore della fotografia Luciano Tovoli al fine di restituire al film il cromatismo ed il tono fotografico voluti all'epoca da Michelangelo Antonioni e Carlo di Palma. L'acquisizione ed il restauro del suono sono stati realizzati presso il laboratorio del Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale sotto la supervisione di Federico Savina.

I think it was just unclear to me if the restoration of L'Avventura that was part of Cannes Classics 2020 was the same one Criterion used for their blu-ray or a second 4K restoration.

[FrauBlucher]

DVDBeaver This looks stunning