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I use regular red/blue/green a/v hookup and both PAL/NTSC work fine for me, it has a setting to detect the format automatically.

Actually, I believe the model Domino references is currently the DVP3140/37. Regardless, this player can easily be made code-free.

miless wrote:

domino harvey wrote:you don't have $40 for the Phillips all-region player from Target but you have the $50 or more the Facets is going to run you once it comes out?

which Phillips model DVD player is this?
but to correctly display PAL I need an HDMI cable, right?

You do not need HDMI to get PAL. Even old RCA video plugs will transmit PAL, though I would hope you at least have S-video or better.

Does anyone know anything about the Cinemateca sub-label of Facets? They are releasing three Bunuel films later this fall and I'm hoping they do decent jobs.

They are available to pre-order:

El Bruto
Susana
Woman Without Love

The only other Cinemateca titles I'm familiar with are the ones that make up Fernando de Fuentes' so-called Revolution Trilogy. The most famous entry in that trilogy, Vámonos con Pancho Villa!, was reviewed by Savant, and his description of the A/V quality of that picture seems to jive with my memories of the entire set. The condition of the print they used was terrible, though as Savant says it may be "the only game in town." Presumably, the three Bunuel films will be in much better condition, since they're at least 15 years younger. But I guess we'll have to see. The Bunuel titles that Alter released on DVD in Mexico aren't anything to write home about, though they're more than adequate.

So the short answer is that, since this is Facets we're talking about, there's cause to be concerned. But considering the state of most films from Mexico's Golden Age, I think we're going to have to keep our expectations relatively low regardless of who releases them.

tryavna wrote:So the short answer is that, since this is Facets we're talking about, there's cause to be concerned. But considering the state of most films from Mexico's Golden Age, I think we're going to have to keep our expectations relatively low regardless of who releases them.

Not me, man. I'm buying the Mexican's Bunuel from this label in Spain.

Gigi M. wrote:

tryavna wrote:So the short answer is that, since this is Facets we're talking about, there's cause to be concerned. But considering the state of most films from Mexico's Golden Age, I think we're going to have to keep our expectations relatively low regardless of who releases them.

Not me, men. I'm buying the Mexican's Bunuel from this label in Spain.

When you get a hold of it (or them), would you mind posting screencaps? I noticed that the front cover bears the Televisa logo, which suggests that they'll be using the same print that Alter did.

The other titles in this "Coleccion Luis Bunuel" seem to be the same ones that Alter released, too.

There's been talk from Koch Lorber that they've struck a good print of Olvidados but it's in legal hell. I'm going to hold out on that one until I know for sure.

tryavna wrote:When you get a hold of it (or them), would you mind posting screencaps? I noticed that the front cover bears the Televisa logo, which suggests that they'll be using the same print that Alter did.

The other titles in this "Coleccion Luis Bunuel" seem to be the same ones that Alter released, too.

For sure, but I can assure you that this label is pretty good. Their other Bunuel's titles will be:

- La Ilusión Viaja en Tranvía
- Subida al cielo
- El Gran Calavera
- El Río y la Muerte

Gigi M. wrote:Their other Bunuel titles's will be:

- La Ilusión Viaja en Tranvía
- Subida al cielo
- El Gran Calavera
- El Río y la Muerte

All of which were released in Mexico by Alter.

I'm not disagreeing with you that the label isn't good. I'm just suggesting that, like everyone else, they have to rely on existing prints (and whatever condition those prints may be in). Deep down, I'm getting the impression that they may end up being an NTSC->PAL port, like the UK label Yume did to one or two of the same titles.

But I'd love to be proven wrong.

Facets has announced Syberberg's "Our Hitler" for release this year. Any views on the film and other options on DVD for English-speaking viewers?

kekid wrote:Facets has announced Syberberg's "Our Hitler" for release this year. Any views on the film and other options on DVD for English-speaking viewers?

You can download the whole thing from Syberberg's own website, but I haven't tried it myself.

Okay, so I'm going to wait to see how the quality on Sátántangó will be, but I've decided to pick up the AE Werckmeister Harmonies/Damnation release and was wondering where the best place to order DVD's would be? I'd prefer to pay with $US...

It's an excellent movie. It's a German great with ambition to meet anything by Herzog or Fassbinder. I'll even wager on it over Visconti! What I want to know is whether Syderberg's website will be a better bet than Facets.

miless wrote:Okay, so I'm going to wait to see how the quality on Sátántangó will be, but I've decided to pick up the AE Werckmeister Harmonies/Damnation release and was wondering where the best place to order DVD's would be? I'd prefer to pay with $US...

Well, I'd say Uk sites like Benson's World, BlahDVD are always a few dollars cheaper, but if you really want to pay with the $US, Xploited Cinema is your best bet (and you'll probably get the best service and quickest delivery from them).

($38.95, around $40 when you drag in shipping)

(Around $34.25 US if my calculation is right, $32.25 if there still not charging shipping)

Cold Bishop wrote:($38.95, around $40 when you drag in shipping)

(Around $34.25 US if my calculation is right, $32.25 if there still not charging shipping)

thanks, I just ordered Werckmeister Harmonies/Damnation and the SFI version of The Sacrifice (my favorite film).
I cannot wait

For those in the Chicago area:

[quote]BELA TARR, MASTER OF CINEMA, AT FACETS SYMPOSIUM SEPTEMBER 16

[Chicago, August 28, 2007] Bela Tarr, one of the world's legendary filmmakers, widely recognized as a visionary of film form and language, will participate in a symposium on his work with three leading film critics and historians at the Facets Cinematheque, 1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago on Sunday, September 17, 2007 at 3 p.m. The event will be preceded by a screening of Tarr's film Werckmeister Harmonies at 12 noon.

Three of the sharpest minds about the cinema will meet Bela Tarr a memorable encounter: David Bordwell, is a prominent film theorist, historian, and author of many books, including Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema, The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer, and the recent The Way Hollywood Tells It. He is the Jacques Ledoux Professor of Film Studies, Emeritus in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Scott Foundas is the film editor of the L.A. Weekly, frequent contributor to Variety and a member of the selection committee of the New York Film Festival. Jonathan Rosenbaum is the film critic for Chicago Reader and writer for numerous film magazines, whose books include Essential Cinema, Placing Movies, Movies as Politics and Discovering Orson Welles. Moderated by Suzi Doll, Ph.D., the symposium will cover the central themes and concerns of Bela Tarr's unique body of work, from his Family Nest, his epic Satantango, and most recent film, The Man from London.

Bela Tarr, who has been the subject of numerous retrospectives and the recipient of major awards including being named “European Director of the Year,â€

justeleblanc wrote:Does anyone know anything about the Cinemateca sub-label of Facets? They are releasing three Bunuel films later this fall and I'm hoping they do decent jobs.

Una Mujer Sin Amor is nothing to write home about, though it has its moments. El Bruto and Susana are personal faves, and are both absolutely engaging -- real smuggler pictures, as Bunuel injects his trademark surrealist touches into what are essentially "bread-and-butter" Mexican melodramas, and fascinating in the context of this era of Mexican cinema. Susana is really the Bunuel picture I can watch again and again and never get tired of (I have) -- the equivalent of fideo con pollo. I wonder if Facets will box these like they did the Revolution collection of de Fuentes. Gimme.

I thought "Susana" was interesting -- but loved "Bruto". Haven't ever heard too much good about the third of these.

When I first saw Susana in '88 at NYU I fell in love with it...still one of my fave Bunuels. I'll be surprised if the Facets DVD improves on the VHS copy I still have.

Can anyone comment on Facet's boxed set of James Broughton's films?

It sounds like something right up my pretentious (not the films or Broughton...just me), yet adventurous alley...but I don't want to buy it if its, well, typical Facets.

What A Disgrace wrote:Can anyone comment on Facet's boxed set of James Broughton's films?

I only watched a couple of the films, but the transfers seemed fine.

justeleblanc wrote:Does anyone know anything about the Cinemateca sub-label of Facets? They are releasing three Bunuel films later this fall and I'm hoping they do decent jobs.

They are available to pre-order:

El Bruto
Susana
Woman Without Love

OK, so Woman Without Love was released on Tuesday. Did anyone pick it up yet? I can't find any reviews for it yet. At $16 (at DVD Planet), I'd probably be willing to give it a blind-buy, but it's still just expensive enough to really piss me off if it's another Facets abomination. (The lone Amazon review is wholly unhelpful.)

It's coming from Netflix, I'll be happy to report back/make screencaps when it arrives if Beaver or another poster doesn't beat me

Well, I guess I can answer my own question about A Woman Without Love, since I got it today. (At $11, I just couldn't resist.) Although I haven't actually watched the movie yet, I've scanned through the disc. And unfortunately, the news isn't good, though it's not quite the abomination that we all know Facets is capable of.

The print they used seems OK, but it's definitely interlaced. The image isn't as sharp as one feels it should be, but it's serviceable if you're watching it on a tube tv. The subs are white and removable; however, they are extremely small, which may be a problem for some viewers (including myself, when I finally sit down to watch it all the way through).

The soundtrack is the big problem. It's very weak, and you really have to crank up the volume -- which sets you up for a rude awakening once you return to the (much louder) main menu. Worst of all, however, I noticed a couple of instances of a weird digital bleep on the soundtrack when the picture shudders during the opening scene. I'm not sure what the cause is or if it's just a weird one-time thing. It reminded me of the sound video- and audiotapes make when they're getting eaten as they're being played on a VCR or tape recorder.

There are absolutely no extras, not even one of those little booklets Facets sometimes include in their releases. Perhaps most bizarre is the fact that Facets list two different running times on the back cover -- both of which are incorrect. The film runs 85 minutes, which matches IMDb and most other sources, but Facets lists both "76 minutes" and "91 minutes" within about half an inch of each other on the back cover. Way to go, Facets quality control!!!

So if it weren't for the annoyingly small subtitles and weak volume, this would be a reasonable purchase at $15 or less for the Bunuel completist. Leave it to Facets to make even that faint recommendation a reluctant one from me. Let's hope that El Bruto and Susanna at least have larger subs and stronger soundtracks.