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Has anyone seen Cult Films’s release of Battle of Algiers? I have the 2012 Argent/Cinema Classics release, but the yellow subtitles really bother me. Plus, it’s meant to be a new 4K restoration.

Review and screencaps here:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Batt ... 85/#Review

Thanks for that. Am I alone in being willing to accept inferior image quality if I can have white subs?

Cult films is releasing Michelangelo Antonioni's Story of a Love affair
on April 20.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Story-of ... ay/265802/

Has that been restored recently?

Apparently so... From the specs...

CultFilm presents the WORLD FIRST BLURAY from a 2K restored source supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno

Sounds good - Enzo Serafin was the actual DOP for this & two other early Antonioni features, also for Rossellini's Viaggio in Italia, but he passed away in 1995...

UPDATE: Have looked further into this. The restoration actually dates from 2004 - the first Italian film to be digitally restored...

Con il restauro di 'Cronaca di un amore' di Michelangelo Antonioni si inaugura in Italia l'era del restauro digitale. E questo grazie all'Associazione Philip Morris Progetto Cinema che ha completato, in collaborazione con Cinecittà Studios, quello che può essere considerato il primo restauro nella storia cinematografica italiana realizzato appunto interamente in digitale.
Giuseppe Rotunno, che ha seguito la direzione del restauro ha dichiarato che soltanto grazie a questa nuova tecnologia è stato possibile recuperare e riportare all'antico splendore questo film opera prima di Antonioni realizzato nel 1950 e interpretata da Lucia Bosè e Massimo Girotti.

Essentially this seems to be the same package (feature & extras) as that which was released as a double DVD set in Italy & by NoShame in the USA in 2005... I'm just watching the 8 minute featurette with Rotunno on the restoration - significant efforts & resources were put into this pioneering piece of cinematic conservation by Cinecittà, mixing traditional & digital techniques. The original negative wasn't available, having been lost in a fire some years ago. But there did exist an interpositive or 'lavender print' & they worked from this. Obviously the end result of the restoration was a 2K source, which now is eventually reaching Blu Ray...

This now rescheduled for July 27th...

If I'm understanding you correctly, this doesn't augur well for this release. I have the NoShame disc and it may be that this was the best that could be done with the material, but, although I recall the visuals as being acceptable, the sound was a nightmare, with background noise being incredibly intrusive. Still, I can't imagine this being released again, in blu-ray no less, without that problem having been addressed. One can only hope -

The same restoration also appeared on Carlotta DVD in France & Alan Young Video/Surf Video/Associazione Philip Morris Progetto Cinema/Cinecittà Studios DVD in Italy (the latter in an identical 2-disc set to the NoShame) and, yes, the restored sound is not great, but still serviceable... I've just compared the PAL Italian disc with the NTSC US NoShame disc and suspect the problem was worsened by standards conversion, as the Italian version, while far from perfect, is perceptibly clearer...

At least it hopefully won't be the 1080i disappointment of Cult Films recent I VITELLONI & GIULIETTA DEGLI SPIRITI Blu Rays...

STORY OF A LOVE AFFAIR/CRONACA DI UN AMORE Blu Ray is actually not bad at all & a distinct improvement on the DVDs although obviously not without some of the imperfections inherent in the source material... It's great to see the film in High Def at last...

There you go... No sooner than this 2004 restoration reaches Blu Ray at long last, a brand new restoration of CRONACA DI UN AMORE by Cinema Ritrovato/Cineteca di Bologna is announced for Venezia Classici/Venice Classics @ Venice Film Festival 2020... All very puzzling!...

CRONACA DI UN AMORE
di Michelangelo ANTONIONI (Italia, 1950, B/N)
restauro: Cineteca di Bologna

And it's in 4K...

Per concessione di Surf Film di Bologna. Restaurato in 4K nel 2020 da Cineteca di Bologna in collaborazione con Surf Film presso il laboratorio L’Immagine Ritrovata, con il sostegno di MiBACT

Whoops! Looks like another own goal by Cult Films...

ellipsis7 wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2020 11:34 am This now rescheduled for July 27th...

Beaver.

I've seen some other caps on top of these, and this clearly is sourced from an old master, meaning this release will be obsolete as soon as the 4K resto gets a BD release somewhere.

That new Cineteca di Bologna L'Immagine Ritrovata 4K restoration of CRONACA DI UN AMORE just out on BluRay in Italy from CG Entertainment/Surf Film...

tenia wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2020 8:54 am I've seen some other caps on top of these, and this clearly is sourced from an old master, meaning this release will be obsolete as soon as the 4K resto gets a BD release somewhere.

Obsolescence is here, the new 4K resto is a significant improvement in terms of sound and vision, as evidenced on the new BluRay, which I'm watching now... In fact it is positively visceral!... The film appears in a whole new light...

Does anyone know if the AV issues for I Vitteloni and Juliet of the Spirits were fixed for the newer Fellini: Four Films box set? If they're using newer masters, it looks like it would be quite a cost effective way to get the four films (the set's currently going for £20 in hmv/fopp).

Identification of a Woman is being released September 12. Not exactly my favorite Antonioni, but
it does state that this is from a more recent 2K restoration, so I'd assume it's different from Criterion's
which was a high-definition remaster.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31138

Likely the same remaster Gaumont used for their blu-ray.

I'm rather fond of this film so I'm glad it's been released with some decent extras at last.
I wonder what colour it will be though. The difference between the Mr Bongo and Criterion releases is staggering.

It's a shame there is no footage of the making of the film but otherwise the extras on Identification of a Woman are pretty good, especially the fascinating half-hour interview with Enrica Antonioni which reveals a lot about Michelangelo’s work and the autobiographical nature of this film. Judging by this and other interviews such as this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXCAKv0 ... WL&index=3
I reckon she could write a marvellous book about her time with the maestro.
The “Video Diary” is an intimate view of Antonioni’s life post-stroke. It seems he did a lot of abstract painting, with the help of assistants.

Robin Davies wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:18 pm I reckon she could write a marvellous book about her time with the maestro.

Her husband is "The Maestro"? Seriously? Who uses that word without sniggering?

Maybe a biopic is in order, perhaps Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mark Metcalf can fit it into their schedule.

Quote Perf Unquote wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:15 pm

Robin Davies wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:18 pm I reckon she could write a marvellous book about her time with the maestro.

Her husband is "The Maestro"? Seriously? Who uses that word without sniggering?

I don't think she used the term, but I did because I seem to remember that great Italian directors were often referred to in that way. It's interesting that the assistants who help Antonioni's painting in the video diary all call him "maestro".

IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN Cult Films BR just arrived... It's fair to say the rendering of the 2K restoration looks not bad at all... A decent set of extras too...

Robin Davies wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 12:01 pm

Quote Perf Unquote wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:15 pm

Robin Davies wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 12:18 pm I reckon she could write a marvellous book about her time with the maestro.

Her husband is "The Maestro"? Seriously? Who uses that word without sniggering?

I don't think she used the term, but I did because I seem to remember that great Italian directors were often referred to in that way. It's interesting that the assistants who help Antonioni's painting in the video diary all call him "maestro".

Any artist in any medium who allows themselves to be referred to as "Maestro" is a pompous buffoon. And I say that as someone who thinks Antonioni is one of the 5-10 greatest directors who ever lived.

Do enough people even use the word to necessitate gatekeeping and/or having an opinion on this