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tenia wrote:I don't have the Oberwald DVD myself but have understood it does not have a good PQ at all, which is the reason why I never bought it. Not sure about the AR, though.

Thanks a lot.

Out 1 looks exciting and is an obvious double-dip for me (I bought the German release not too long ago).

And I'm sure they will fix the strange framing issue in the first episode for this release.

French Carlotta is notoriously parsimonious with English subs, so don't count on it. Better keep your fingers crossed for Carlotta US.

zedz wrote:French Carlotta is notoriously parsimonious with English subs, so don't count on it. Better keep your fingers crossed for Carlotta US.

The announcement indicates both territories getting a Release.

Zot! wrote:

zedz wrote:French Carlotta is notoriously parsimonious with English subs, so don't count on it. Better keep your fingers crossed for Carlotta US.

The announcement indicates both territories getting a Release.

At this late stage of the release's chequered history, I remain firmly in the 'crossed fingers' camp.

martin wrote:

tenia wrote:I don't have the Oberwald DVD myself but have understood it does not have a good PQ at all, which is the reason why I never bought it. Not sure about the AR, though.

For info about the Oberwald DVD, go here:
http://www.dvdclassik.com/forum/viewtop ... start=2355" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Scroll down for start of discussion in French. Most of the relevant info is on the following page of the thread.

The main problems with the DVD seems to be
- weaknesses inherent in the materials (shot on video)
- inaccurate colours
- reframing / misframing

The film was restored in 2012.

The image on the US VHS is said to be more accurate.

Print sources:
- Cahiers du cinema, October 2013, p. 60 ("La ruine d´Oberwald")
http://www.cahiersducinema.com/Octobre-2013-no693.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Cahiers du cinema, April 2014 (Carlotta and RAI answers questions about the DVD)
http://www.cahiersducinema.com/Avril-2014-no699.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope this helps.

Extract in what seems to be a 1.85 ratio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWv-oH8fpu0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Compare extract here at approx. 1 hour 44 minutes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V7Njbg6hbk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is the whole film (w/ Greek subtitles) in a ratio that looks like 1.66 or 1.33 (assuming it was originally shot/intended for TV). Don´t know how to account for the difference in framing.

I have the Oberwald/Carlotta DVD & am pretty dissappointed too, I also have the old US VHS & have seen a Czech DVD of OBERWALD also, but, strange to relate, a matted widescreen version on DVD-R which I picked up on Ebay is IMHO probably the best; while still suffering from the basic drawbacks of analogue SD video shot with tube cameras, with ghosting & relatively primitive picture manipulation (by today's standards) it however comes over as a rare, remarkable & emotionally resonant piece of work (& worth comparing with Cocteau's original L'AIGLE A DEUX TETES [1948] & the historical fact on which the play is based)...

Stefan Andersson wrote: ...Extract in what seems to be a 1.85 ratio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWv-oH8fpu0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Compare extract here at approx. 1 hour 44 minutes in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V7Njbg6hbk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is the whole film (w/ Greek subtitles) in a ratio that looks like 1.66 or 1.33 (assuming it was originally shot/intended for TV). Don´t know how to account for the difference in framing. Is the excerpt in open matte?

There doesn't appear to be much, if any, information lost on the top and bottom of the frame for the 1.85:1 ratio excerpt whereas the 1.33:1 image is heavily cropped on the sides. This is the opposite of what one would expect for a film intended strictly for television. Despite being shot on video, I suspect the shots were composed for widescreen theatrical screenings and matted to the 1.85:1 ratio (as seen in the excerpt). That master was then cropped again (on the sides) for television showings (as seen in the version with Greek subtitles).

Thanks again re Oberwald, Stefan Andersson, ellipsis7 and Roger Ryan. Much appreciated! It's the only Antonioni film (documetaries included) of the ones that has been officially released I don't own. I'll wait with my purchase although the chances of some definitive release coming up the next couple of years are slim.

Carlotta will release on the 5th of July Mr Arkadin on BD. No info as to which cut(s) it will contain except it will contain the 98min Confidential Report restored 3-4 years ago.

A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn will have BD releases in 2016.

tenia wrote: A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn will have BD releases in 2016.

US releases as well?

A Touch of Zen as an actual quality release will be much appreciated.

Carlotta Films (France) has announced that it will release on Blu-Ray two classic westerns directed by Delmer Daves on June 24th.

3:10 to Yuma (1957)

Special Features:

• 4K Scan/2K Restoration from Sony Pictures
  Interview with Michael Daves (son of director Delmer Daves): Part I
  Interview with cinematographer Phedon Papamichael ( James Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma)
  Original Trailer

Cowboy (1958)

Special Features:

• NEW 4K Restoration from Sony Pictures
  Interview with Michael Daves (son of director Delmer Daves): Part II
  Cinematographer Richard H. Kline (The Boston Strangler) on director of photography Charles Lawton Jr.
  Interview with Jan-Christopher Horak, Director of UCLA Film & Television Archive
  Original Trailer

Carlotta have confirmed to me on Twitter that their fortchoming blu-ray of Mr. Arkadin will only feature the Confidential Report version.

tenia wrote:Carlotta will release on the 5th of July Mr Arkadin on BD. No info as to which cut(s) it will contain except it will contain the 98min Confidential Report restored 3-4 years ago.

French label Carlotta Films has officially announced and detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Orson Welles' Mr. Arkadin a.k.a. Confidential Report (1955). The release will be available for purchase on July 8.



Special Features:

• Orson Welles and The Arkadin File - video interview with film historian and author Jean-Pierre Berthomé (Orson Welles at Work). (47 min).
  Men of Mystery: Simon Callow on Confidential Report - Orson Welles biographer Simon Callow talks to Robert Arden, Michael Redgrave and producer Louis Dolivet. (25 min).
  Rushes - archival footage from the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg in which Orson Welles is seen performing and directing several scenes from the film. (18 min).

Also on July 8, Carlotta Films will release on two-disc DVD set Around the World With Orson Welles.



DISC ONE:

• "Pays Basque I (The Basque Countries)", first broadcast October 7, 1955. (25 min)
  "Pays Basque II (La Pelote basque)", first broadcast October 21, 1955. (25 min)
  "Revisiting Vienna" (also known as "The Third Man Returns to Vienna"), first broadcast November 4, 1955. (26 min)
  "St.-Germain-des-Prés", first broadcast November 18, 1955 .(26 min)
  "Chelsea Pensioners", first broadcast December 2, 1955. (27 min)
  "Madrid Bullfight", first broadcast December 16, 1955. (26 min)
  Bonus Feature: Introduction by film historian Christophe Cognet

DISC TWO:

• L'affaire Dominici par Orson Welles (2000) - documentary film produced by Christophe Cognet
  Introduction by Christophe Cognet

Cowboy review at Bluray.com.

Looks beautiful, but is the film better than Jubal? (I hope!)

Cowboy is an exceedingly minor work regardless of how inexplicably lavishly the French are treating it now!

I watched it 2 days ago and it's actually quite entertaining.
I dont remember Jubal being deeper or better, but it's obviously less thilling than 3.10 which was tremendous.

I found Jubal nice looking, but boring and unbelievable. I'm all for cowboy eye-candy...but I already have Jubal if this film is dull, as well.

Drucker wrote:I found Jubal nice looking, but boring and unbelievable.

Cowboy is not unbelievable, and whether or not you'd find it boring is according to taste. It purports to be a true account of a cowhand's experiences.

A Touch of Zen (King Hu, 1971) 4K restoration trailer (presented on YouTube in glorious 480p!)

Light years better than the DVD I watched via Netflix 5-6 years ago.

Amazing. And about time! I saw this at the L.A. Film Festival about 16 years ago, and at the time they said the film desperately needed restoration. It looked pretty good then, with the exception of the night scenes, which had been so degraded they were just a black screen and a bunch of fight sound effects. Years ago Optimum did a fairly poor disc of TOZ where they boosted the contrast ridiculously, and the night scenes were finally visible, but the result was kind of grotesque. They didn't seem to balance the contrast for the daylight scenes, either, so those ended up wildly blown out.

Basically everything in that clip looked way better balanced. Interestingly, though, I didn't see any of the night scenes in the trailer. Makes me a little nervous. Still, the belated interest in King Hu coming out of Europe is such a welcome development! Can't wait to see these restorations in the near future!

Dragon Inn (King Hu, 1967) 4K restoration trailer