Radiance Films General Discussion & Wishlist

[Peacock]

I asked about him as well back in December and the answer at that point was "I would like to see Nostos again and explore his worth further. Right now I am focused on other Italians though!"

Thanks for replying Calvin, good to know that Fran is aware and it’s not a complete impossibility!

I and I agree with Michael that it would be nice to see at least Man of Marble and Man of Iron together, again I’m surprised they haven’t come out in the UK on Blu yet, maybe they are more expensive to licence than some of the other Polish titles SecondRun etc have put out.

[MichaelB]

It's not that surprising when you consider that Polish films were pretty much unavailable from 2015-22 on account of decidedly unrealistic revenue expectations. And only Second Run and Radiance are handling them in any kind of quantity in the UK - but because they have other interests, their output is very low single figures per year.

In fact, let's tot up the exact figures, as I'm interested myself:

2022
Second Run: A Generation, Kanal, Ashes and Diamonds

2023
BFI: Identification Marks None, Hands Up!, EO
Eureka: The Third Part of the Night, The Devil, On the Silver Globe
Second Run: Walkover, Barrier, Interrogation
Radiance: War of the Worlds: Next Century, O-Bi, O-Ba The End of Civilisation, Ga-Ga Glory to the Heroes

2024
Second Run: Pharaoh

2025
Second Run: Golem
Radiance: Essential Polish Animation, Through and Through

2026
Second Run: Knights of the Teutonic Order
Radiance: The Dancing Hawk, The Hourglass Sanatorium

So there's a sudden flood after Polish back-catalogue titles suddenly became licensable again, but since then we're talking a mere trickle. Although at least the 2026 total won't be three (although it could conceivably be only four...).

[Calvin]

Second Run's Man of Marble is from the same HD master as the Polish Blu-Ray but I believe it predates when they first started releasing BD discs. I don't think there's been a newer restoration but I could see them upgrading it if they got their hands on Man of Iron as well

[rapta]

So there's a sudden flood after Polish back-catalogue titles suddenly became licensable again, but since then we're talking a mere trickle. Although at least the 2026 total won't be three (although it could conceivably be only four...).

I'm assuming the fourth will be Has' The Saragossa Manuscript, most likely in 4K like The Hourglass Sanatorium. I imagine both the upcoming Borowczyk and Żuławski titles will be from both directors' French output (unless they have plans for Szamanka).

Second Run have at least four more Polish titles planned (The Last Stage, Night Train, Mother Joan of the Angels, Passenger) but no way of telling whether they'll be released this year, next year or the year after as they tend to tease stuff years in advance.

[MichaelB]

Or decades in the case of the Skolimowskis! I think they were teasing Barrier way back in 2009, and it finally came out in 2023. Although a big chunk of that involved waiting for it to be properly restored; had they gone ahead in 2009, it would have looked as bad as the very worst of the early Second Run DVDs.

Anyway, I'm personally aware of (and am involved with) one unannounced Polish project that's very likely to be released this year, but I haven't been tipped off even casually about anything else.

[rapta]

Somehow only just clocked that Wenders' The End of Violence was restored in 4K by MK2, and Carlotta released it on Blu-ray last October. Could this be the upcoming 'WW' clue, I wonder? Feel like it could be right up Radiance's alley, and it was curiously missing from the Curzon box set.

[andyli]

Teasing American, Polish, Japanese, Italian and Iranian cinema. Curious about the last one as the choice of flag seems to imply it's pre-1979.

[Calvin]

Teasing American, Polish, Japanese, Italian and Iranian cinema. Curious about the last one as the choice of flag seems to imply it's pre-1979.

They put the post-1979 flag on the Discord, so I think it is just whatever the platform defaults to. X changed their Iranian flag to be the historic Lion and Sun flag given recent events.

[andyli]

Ah, then I'm guessing Bashu, which has a recent restoration.

[A Tempted Christ]

For the sake of more Iranian directors getting the spotlight, I hope it's something else. Maybe Mehrjui's The Cow or Shahid Saless' Far From Home? Anything by Taghvai, Golestan, Naderi or Makhmalbaf would also be a welcome surprise.

[Calvin]

There was a big selection of restored pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema shown at MoMA a few years ago and I think most of them are still unaccounted for. I wonder if it might be something by Ebrahim Golestan as they could have picked up See You Friday, Robinson from Ecran Noir at the same time as Godard's Scenarios

[Finch]

Please let the US film be The Funeral.

[kekid]

It is astonishing that while so many Bunuels have been released, neither Radiance nor Criterion have released Nazarin or Los Olvidados, two of his very greatest films. Nazarin is available in a very good edition as an import without English subtitles. I hope someone from Radiance is reading this thread and picks up both these.

[Calvin]

It is astonishing that while so many Bunuels have been released, neither Radiance nor Criterion have released Nazarin or Los Olvidados, two of his very greatest films. Nazarin is available in a very good edition as an import without English subtitles. I hope someone from Radiance is reading this thread and picks up both these.

Los Olvidados was restored by the World Cinema Project, so Criterion will be the distribution partner

[Peacock]

Uneducated guesses -

USA: The World’s Greatest Sinner
Italy: Sandra
Poland: Szamanka (or maybe Fort 13 or Killing Auntie?)
Japan: Nanami Inferno of First Love
Iran: The Cow

[rapta]

Please let the US film be The Funeral.

Good chance it could be the Ferrara film they've been teasing, really hope it is! Don't think it'd be Dangerous Game as it seems Park Circus only have US rights available, but you never know. They could do New Rose Hotel too I suppose, but as with Dangerous Game they might avoid both of these as VS released them recently already.

My own guess is still The End of Violence based on the 'WW' clue, combined with the fact it has had a 4K restoration available through MK2 (who also have Bashu the Little Stranger and which is showing at BFI Southbank next month). Could easily be the Ferrara title though, or another 4K upgrade from an older title (most likely Miami Blues).

Assuming the Italian title is Mauro Bolognini's Corruption (based on last month's newsletter clue, plus vague confirmation by someone on BR.com), and the Polish title is almost certainly The Saragossa Manuscript (in 4K no less). I suggested the Japanese title may be the individual Miike release, which I suggested could be Ichi the Killer as it had a 4K restoration (Carlotta released it last year, as they also did with The End of Violence coincidentally).