Zeitgeist Films

Message

The Fanciful Norwegian · Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:40 pm

Tribe wrote:And there is a note on the second disc of Phantom Museums that Zeitgeist will be releasing Peter Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract and A Zed and Two Noughts later in 2007.

They're giving them theatrical re-releases, too.

Oedipax · #27 Post by **Oedipax** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:56 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:
Tribe wrote:Zeitgeist will be releasing Peter Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract and A Zed and Two Noughts later in 2007.
They're giving them theatrical re-releases, too.

Very good news, although I'm guessing the DVD's will mostly replicate the BFI releases. I'm a lot more excited about potentially catching them on the big screen! One can dream of them doing the Tulse Luper trilogy later on.

Tommaso · #28 Post by **Tommaso** » Tue May 01, 2007 9:55 am

These bfi discs of "Draughtsman" and "ZOO", and "Early Films 1+2" seem to be licensed all over the world now. There are versions of them in Germany, Italy, France and god knows where. I hope this interest will incite the bfi to do some more Greenaway.

Oedipax wrote:[ One can dream of them doing the Tulse Luper trilogy later on.

And don't forget "Prospero" and "Macon"! This year would be a good chance with his new film, "Nightwatching", being released (in May, if I remember correctly) to raise his public profile a little. Theatrical re-releases with subsequent dvd editions seem a very good idea.

tavernier · #29 Post by **tavernier** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:32 pm

Here's a Zeitgeist rep on the Greenaway discs:

The exact details for our upcoming Greenaway releases are pretty slim at this point. We know we're doing them at the end of the year, but beyond that have not yet begun with the DVDs so we don't know what materials will be available for the films (hopefully a lot though). You can definitely expect them to look far superior than previous releases.

Tommaso · #30 Post by **Tommaso** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:57 pm

Sounds promising, but I guess with 'far superior than previous releases', they have the existing US versions in mind (which are indeed sub-standard), as I can't imagine how they would be able to improve on the bfi discs, both of which look excellent.

tavernier · #31 Post by **tavernier** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:59 pm

Agreed.

Tribe · #32 Post by **Tribe** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:02 pm

Well, since it looks like BFI is the source, has BFI released any other Greenaways aside from Zoo, The Falls, and The Draughtsman's Contract?

Tribe

tavernier · #33 Post by **tavernier** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:02 pm

Tommaso · #34 Post by **Tommaso** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:22 pm

There's a 2-disc-set of Greenaway's TV documentary series "Four American Composers" in Germany (from absolutmedien.de) , the back cover of which has the bfi logo. I assume that this will come from the bfi itself rather sooner than later.

tavernier · #35 Post by **tavernier** » Wed May 02, 2007 12:33 am

More from the Zeitgeist rep on Greenaway:

For awhile Zeitgeist was interested in picking up all film/DVD rights for Tulse Luper. Unfortunately, the producers and sales agents' demands were too high for us (and probably every other North American distributor) and thus look what happened.

It is unfortunate what greed can do to great art.

I imagine that Baby of Macon suffered from a similar situation.

Tribe · #36 Post by **Tribe** » Wed May 02, 2007 12:57 am

You know, it's sort of amazing that they'd be playing hard to get...surely they're aware the audience for Greenaway's work is fairly limited. Hell, his appeal is limited even on this Forum. Too bad...I'd love to have good DVD transfers of The Cook, the Thief, Drowning by Numbers, Macon, Prospero's Books.

Tribe

Oedipax · #37 Post by **Oedipax** » Wed May 02, 2007 2:19 am

Very strange - you would think they'd be willing to work with Zeitgeist since they seem to be making a concerted effort to raise Greenaway's profile here in the States again.

It's not much use to anyone, but I guess it's worth mentioning, that all three Tulse Luper films are on DVD now... in Russia... with only a Russian-language dub. #-o

MichaelB · #38 Post by **MichaelB** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:25 am

tavernier wrote:No.

Actually, yes - the BFI has released a fair amount of the earlier work as well, including A Walk Through H, Vertical Features Remake, Dear Phone et al. Shorts rather than features, admittedly, but this isn't an especially significant distinction where Greenaway is concerned.

tavernier · #39 Post by **tavernier** » Wed May 02, 2007 11:58 am

MichaelB wrote:
tavernier wrote:No.
Actually, yes - the BFI has released a fair amount of the earlier work as well, including A Walk Through H, Vertical Features Remake, Dear Phone et al. Shorts rather than features, admittedly, but this isn't an especially significant distinction where Greenaway is concerned.

I meant features--I assumed he knew that BFI (and Zeitgeist) has released some of the shorts.

criterionsnob · #40 Post by **criterionsnob** » Thu May 17, 2007 4:25 pm

I just received a response from Zeitgeist producer Shannon Attaway about A Zed & Two Noughts and Institute Benjamenta. I've very excited that the brilliant Phillip Hoffman documentary "O Zoo! The Making of a Fiction Film" will be included.

"We definitely have O Zoo for the remastered Z+OO DVD, along with Greenaway commentary, Greenaway video intro and other goodies tbd. (You probably know we are also doing a remastered Draughtsman's Contract DVD also).

And just realized you wrote me about Phantom Museums, and I didn't respond (sorry!). We are probably doing a remastered Benjmenta next year...

Thanks again!
Shannon"

skuhn8 · #41 Post by **skuhn8** » Thu May 17, 2007 5:02 pm

We definitely have O Zoo for the remastered Z+OO DVD, along with Greenaway commentary, Greenaway video intro and other goodies tbd. (You probably know we are also doing a remastered Draughtsman's Contract DVD also).

And just realized you wrote me about Phantom Museums, and I didn't respond (sorry!). We are probably doing a remastered Benjmenta next year.

Huh, sound like direct ports of the BFI's? Well, they're certainly good editions. Even the hidden features are excellent. Too bad Zed is such a lame film. With BFI already having covered this territory I wish there'd be similar attention given to Baby of Macon and Prospero's Books (yeah, there's a Dutch edition for some ridiculous price).

Tribe · #42 Post by **Tribe** » Thu May 17, 2007 10:44 pm

skuhn8 wrote:Huh, sound like direct ports of the BFI's? Well, they're certainly good editions. Even the hidden features are excellent. Too bad Zed is such a lame film. With BFI already having covered this territory I wish there'd be similar attention given to Baby of Macon and Prospero's Books (yeah, there's a Dutch edition for some ridiculous price).

Hidden features? Please elaborate....

Zed isn't a bad film...but I do agree that Baby of Macon and Prospero's Books warrant lavish, special editions. It's astounding to me that these haven't been picked up by someone. But perhaps, as someone noted above, the rights holders are asking for way too much.

Tribe

skuhn8 · #43 Post by **skuhn8** » Fri May 18, 2007 9:32 am

Tribe wrote:Hidden features? Please elaborate....

Zed isn't a bad film...but I do agree that Baby of Macon and Prospero's Books warrant lavish, special editions. It's astounding to me that these haven't been picked up by someone. But perhaps, as someone noted above, the rights holders are asking for way too much.

The results of what you see in progress through out Zed are hidden as five(?) special features: time lapsed video footage of an apple, a couple fish, a swan, a zebra and prawn getting the ol' bloat and devour

milk114 · #44 Post by **milk114** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 4:13 pm

THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT and A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS OPEN AT NEW YORK'S IFC CENTER ON JULY 6

Zeitgeist is proud to be re-releasing these two classic early films by Peter Greenaway. Greenaway became a director of international renown in 1982 with THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT, a witty, stylized, erotic country-house murder mystery full of extravagant costumes, twisted plotting and elegantly barbed dialogue. His much-lauded 1985 follow-up A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS, involving a car accident, a swan, and siamese twins at the Rotterdam Zoo, is equally stylized and a treat for eye, ear and mind.

Both films will be released on DVD in December, but see them now on the big screen while you can.

For some reason I've been waiting to get into Greenaway until either of these films or Cook, Thief... came out on DVD in R1. I know what i'm buying myself for christmas.

Oedipax · #45 Post by **Oedipax** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:37 pm

Cook, Thief is out in R1 as are Draughtsman and Z.O.O. - or at least, they were for a long time, maybe they're OOP now? I wonder what kind of price I could fetch on eBay... I upgraded to the bfi discs when they were released. Nice to hear that Zeitgeist will port the Greenaway commentaries, they are great.

And I really hope the Greenaway films play in Atlanta! I've only ever seen them on DVD and I'm sure the theatrical experience would be amazing.

patrick · #46 Post by **patrick** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:33 pm

All 3 of those Greenaway films are OOP in R1 and fetch high sums, someone stole my store's copy of Z.O.O. and I'm still really pissed about it.

tavernier · #47 Post by **tavernier** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:38 pm

But only The Cook looks decent of those 3.

hangthadj · #48 Post by **hangthadj** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 6:49 pm

Slightly off topic, but it is a Zeitgeist film.

Does anyone have a clue where I could get the film poster for Regular Lovers?

Jean-Luc Garbo · #49 Post by **Jean-Luc Garbo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 5:05 pm

Is there a possibility that Zeitgeist will put Irma Vep on DVD again? I know that the initital R1 DVD was Zeitgeist/Fox Lorber.

toiletduck! · #50 Post by **toiletduck!** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:11 pm

THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT and A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS OPEN AT NEW YORK'S IFC CENTER ON JULY 6

Zeitgeist is proud to be re-releasing these two classic early films by Peter Greenaway. Greenaway became a director of international renown in 1982 with THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT, a witty, stylized, erotic country-house murder mystery full of extravagant costumes, twisted plotting and elegantly barbed dialogue. His much-lauded 1985 follow-up A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS, involving a car accident, a swan, and siamese twins at the Rotterdam Zoo, is equally stylized and a treat for eye, ear and mind.

They're coming to Facets in Chicago for what looks like one showing apiece on the weekend of October 6-7, happily coinciding with the first weekend of the Chicago Film Festival. Apparently we've got some sadistic programmers here.

-Toilet Dcuk

Internal Resources

External Sites

Specialty Labels

Site Menu

Zeitgeist Films