Rupert Pupkin wrote:Btw, the transfer of the StudioCanal release is anamorphic and is the same than their first release of Belle de Jour (they only have changed the menus) in slim digipack case with "Studio" logo on the top.
This was the line I was most interested in:
"Prior to the DVD release the film will open on a brand new print exclusively at the NFT on December 29th. " We'll see.
Two queries by way of a follow-up to David Hare's comment on the Studio Canal release of Le jour se leve. As I understand it, there have been two Studio Canal releases of this. Is it not the case that only the older one, in the Classiques series, has English subtitles? And with regard to Gary's review of the version of the film in the Janus box set, was it not the case that the Janus box set transfer of Pandora's Box (screen caps posted by hammock) was different and much inferior to the ultimate Criterion release? If so, that would offer hope for a Criterion release of Le jour se leve with a decent image as well as English titles. I agree with David that the Janus transfer is unacceptably weak.
On another topic, what prospect is there of a release of Red Desert in R1 or R2? Any hope of Criterion putting out it and La Notte?
Tim wrote:Two queries by way of a follow-up to David Hare's comment on the Studio Canal release of Le jour se leve. As I understand it, there have been two Studio Canal releases of this. Is it not the case that only the older one, in the Classiques series, has English subtitles?
According to Fnac, amazon.fr, and a couple ebay.fr listings, this is correct.
On another topic, what prospect is there of a release of Red Desert in R1 or R2? Any hope of Criterion putting out it and La Notte?
from this useful thread: "LA NOTTE (1961, Antonioni) - mentioned by Kim Hendrickson [Criterion producer] on "The Speakeasy with Dorian" as forthcoming."
As much as I love Dead Man and would love to see Criterion release it (377 spines and no westerns???), the Miramax DVD is still in print so that's probably not happening. Stranger Than Paradise I'd venture to say is a given since the bare-bones MGM disc is OOP. Night on Earth and Permanent Vacation have both never been released on DVD in the U.S. so one or both of those would be in the pipeline if Criterion is in fact doing multiple Jarmuschs in '07. LightBulb needs to divulge more (if he can).
In reply to Steven H, like most readers here I am well aware of the thread that identifies La Notte as a distinct possibility for a Criterion release. What I was curious about was whether that possibility raised the further possibility that Criterion would seek to complete what is sometimes regarded as a tetralogy by releasing Red Desert as well.
Image released the original Red Desert DVD, now OOP, and I wouldn't know of any other DVD company besides Criterion that would release it, (maybe No Shame, though my guess is Criterion would out-bid them).
Narshty wrote:It is a glaring oversight thus far, but don't forget I Shot Jesse James is on the way.
Well, I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that it's "on the way," more like indefinitely postponed, according to Turell. The restoration is completed, but there is no timeline for a release.
Don't read to much into the fact that they say there is no date planned for a release. I have been given that response as close as two months before an official announcment. And considering that transfers have already been made, there shouldn't be much in their way. For example, I couldn't imagine Kit Parker pulling the films for a VCI release, much the way Fox did regarding Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I think there is a definite release on the way, though we may not see it in 2007.
Perhaps they will release them individually. Or, if they have the rights to Fixed Bayonets! (possible from Fox) and they already have The Steel Helmet, they may just release his two war films and the two westerns I Shoot Jesse James/The Baron of Arizona in double features like the planned Monsters and Madmen box before they changed it. Would make good marketing sense I think.
The other night I was watching Black Orpheus on IFC and the intro had the old Criterion logo, but under the "line" it also said "digital" something or other (I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was).
Anyone aware of any particular significance of that? Does it mean the film's been "re-mastered" digitally?
To clarify, this is the exact e-mail as I received it from Turell:
"We do have [the Fuller films] under license from Kit Parker and have done transfers on the films. There's nothing specific in the schedule however. And yes, we'll be re-doing Naked Kiss as well at some point.
DeathDealer wrote:Could you ask them if their going to re-do the Eisentien Box?
I was wondering about that. Many online retailers are listing that set as unavailable, and Amazon is selling it for 39.99. So I finally ordered it, though I'm a little superstitious and figure that now that I have it, it will be next in line for a remastered reissue.
I'd be really surprised and a bit disappointed if a new EISEN.. SOUND YEARS was issued prior to the long awaited SILENT YEARS. Although the dubbing on NYEVSKY was a major embarassmant that I have no doubt they'd like to see trumped.
I know what you mean. That's why I figured I was safe in buying the set. They couldn't rerelease the sound set before the silent set was released, unless of course the silent set is nearing completion (can we ever hope?), and a remastered set of the sound years is released in unison. It would be a nice promotion, but I would never hold my breath.
BTW, has anyone inquired lately about the silent years?
For those of you who live near NYC, the Virgin megastore in Times Square usually has plenty of copies of "The Sound Years" set available, but they only put it out on the shelves around Christmas.
Last year, I thought they must have re-released it or something, given how many copies were sitting on the shelves.
I've only seen Alexander Nevsky, and didn't have any real problem with the sound, but then I was an undergrad used to blasting his brains out with Ozzy Osbourne at the time. It seems that if criterion really wanted to do right by this set, they'd release the films with their original scores and an optional audio track with the score performed under better conditions by a contemporary orchestra, although I shudder to think about what that would do to the cost of the set...
Perhaps Fires on the Plain is being held back in release pending the onslaught of 1950s Ichikawa DVDs coming out in January 07 in Japan? Nobi is included, and it would probably be scarily cheap option to have a nice NTSC version of the film for the ridiculously high priced Japan version to compete with.
Speaking of boxset themes from Eclipse, why not a Jean-Pierre Melville box of Second Breath, Magnet of Doom, Le Doulos, Leon Morin Petre, Two Men in Manhattan. It would be the shit in my opinion.
Melville's so unmined in R1 that they'd probably be better off releasing anything by him on Criterion and throwing in some supplementary materials. The Melville fanatics will surely pay Criterion prices.
