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It’s been hard to find Jamaica Inn for a while now. I was kind of slow on getting to that particular upgrade for the Hitchcock collection and by the time I went for it, it seemed to be gone. Hopefully will be repressed at some point, unless another studio got it? (I don’t think it’s Criterion material, and it isn’t part of that huge Kino dump of Hitchcock stuff in August. Hey, while we’re at it, who’s got Secret Agent?)

I think Sabotage, Secret Agent and Young and Innocent have been with Criterion for years now?

I expect they're just not reprinting. It seems to be pretty common with Cohen releases. As domino put it earlier in the thread, they all end up being de facto limited editions. (A caveat: the Keatons may have one of the bigger markets of anything they've put out, so I would assume they'd have a larger print run/more willingness to reprint if they sell out quickly). I expect Cohen will eventually let their rights expire, but who knows how long that will be.

Arrow UK put out Jamaica Inn if you're region free. I think Secret Agent would be with the same rightsholders as Young and Innocent and Sabotage (ITV Global?), so in the US it's probably Criterion's if they want it/can ever get to it. I expect the main issue is a lack of materials/restoration.

Shrew wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:44 pm Arrow UK put out Jamaica Inn if you're region free. I think Secret Agent would be with the same rightsholders as Young and Innocent and Sabotage (ITV Global?), so in the US it's probably Criterion's if they want it/can ever get to it. I expect the main issue is a lack of materials/restoration.

Probably true; I’d forgotten that all of the Gaumont films had the same rightsholder, just because that particular title never shows up in the streaming library like the other two you mentioned. Sorry for the derail!

Anybody else pick up the new Keaton disc? (I missed the MOC collection so didn't have these on blu at all.) The films look great. The extras are all but nonexistent, adding up to barely ten minutes. But having had the old Kino DVD of The General for years, seeing it here was like watching an entirely new movie. I was newly enraptured by two things: first, how lovingly Keaton captures the idea of expertise: his character is very simply good at his job, and the entire film is a celebration of how well he knows his train and the railroad. Secondly, by any possible modernist standard of slickness and aesthetic beauty, it's such a strikingly well-photographed film full of such indelible imagery, and all the audacity and hard work that went into it is right there on the screen. I really do think you get a feeling of awe from this thing that is now impossible

I don't know Steamboat Bill Jr. quite as well, having only seen it once before in a lengthy fit of watching all the major Keaton titles in rapid succession -- which unfortunately made them run together a bit -- but the whole second half is such a thrilling spectacle, even though the narrative doesn't hang together nearly as well as The General. I broadly prefer Keaton's shorts (One Week is one of my favorite things ever put on celluloid, really) but I'm excited for future volumes, particularly whichever one incorporates what I think is his best feature of all, Seven Chances.

(Mods: if this is more appropriate for the general Keaton thread, i apologize...)

dustybooks wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 4:01 am I'm excited for future volumes, particularly whichever one incorporates what I think is his best feature of all, Seven Chances.

I got the disc yesterday as well but haven't had the chance to watch it yet. Your comments make me even more excited to do so. I imagine I'll hang on to all my old Kino discs for the extras and in the case of The General, the alternate sepia-toned presentation.

Nice to hear you speak so fondly of Seven Chances. I also love that film and was a bit surprised when Bogdanovich wrote it off in his The Great Buster documentary as "not very good." It has some problematic racial gags and the premise is absurd but I agree it is one of his most entertaining and well crafted. It was only the second Keaton film I saw (the first was Sherlock Jr) and it (along with Sherlock) has remained one of my favorites and one of the reasons I became such a rabid Keaton fan.

The racial gags (but the female characters aren't technically much better) are extremely dated, indeed, but if you can put this aside, the movie flies by and I also found it to be technically fascinating (I preferred it to Sherlokck Jr). The French BD contains a visual essay about the more technical aspects of the movie, and it made it even more interesting.

If you're interested in these, get them ASAP. Cohen has a way of letting things vanish. Their glorious release of Walsh/Fairbanks's THIEF OF BAGDAD just evaporated. Never rely on them keeping stuff in print.

Roscoe wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 12:57 pm If you're interested in these, get them ASAP. Cohen has a way of letting things vanish. Their glorious release of Walsh/Fairbanks's THIEF OF BAGDAD just evaporated. Never rely on them keeping stuff in print.

Thanks for the tip - loved their TOB release, so I'm hopping on this!!

I'm one of those "anti-Amazonians" (HQ2 will wreak havoc on my beloved home town - so I don't even have an account) so that's not an option. Barnes & Nobles lists it as not available, but Best Buy has a great deal on both Vol 1 and Vol 2 (no clue what's actually *on* Vol 2 - but you can pre-order). I actually had a $30 coupon laying around at BB - so Vol 1 is free and Vol 2 is $16. Woo and a hoo.

If this page is any indication, Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator are next.

I would be happy with that double feature - "The Navigator" was the first Keaton I ever saw on a big screen. Virginia Film Society - at the VMA in Richmond - circa 1973.

agnamaracs wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 1:56 pm If this page is any indication, Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator are next.

Indeed they are, as Amazon has them listed for a 7/9/19 release

That's a great poster, hope they use it for their cover

Les Parents terribles Blu-ray is already OOP it seems as are many other of their releases. So I assume that their policy is something like they press VERY few copies. :-k

Worth noting that many non-OOP Cohen titles are half off at BN.com right now, if you want to stock up for the coming Cohen Blu-ray famine

Does anyone happen to know what the situation is on the Douglas Sirk double feature? I'm aware that it seems to have gone OOP, but I was wondering if anyone knew who the rights would revert back to, and if there's any chance of a release in the future by another label, or if I should grab one of the cheap copies of the Cohen release while they're still reasonably priced. (Also, if anyone has any opinions on the audio commentaries on the release, that'd be appreciated!)

La Belle Noiseuse blu is on Amazon for for $21.27. I thought it had already gone OOP but I guess not.

HinkyDinkyTruesmith wrote: Thu Jul 04, 2019 9:37 pm Does anyone happen to know what the situation is on the Douglas Sirk double feature? I'm aware that it seems to have gone OOP, but I was wondering if anyone knew who the rights would revert back to, and if there's any chance of a release in the future by another label, or if I should grab one of the cheap copies of the Cohen release while they're still reasonably priced. (Also, if anyone has any opinions on the audio commentaries on the release, that'd be appreciated!)

I don't think it's OOP, or at least it wasn't a few days ago when it was in stock on Amazon and BN for $34.99. I got my copy from BN just yesterday, in fact. There's no evidence titles that go OOP on disc from Cohen leave their collection. They prob make more money from licensing for their Cohen channel and indiv dls on Amazon anyways

Someone better tell that to the guy selling a copy on Amazon for $106!

I think either Cohen found some extra stock of some titles, or they're starting to slowly reprint their OOP discs. RIP to that guy missing his chance to gouge the second-hand market though

If you happen to get around to them soon, I'd appreciate if you let me know what you think of the transfers/commentaries. The reviews I've seen have been mixed, but they've also been rather short and undetailed, so it's hard to know what to think.

I'm definitely on both a noir kick AND a George Sanders kick lately, so I likely will get to them soon!

I’ll ask about one more title; how about Otar Ioseliani’s film Favorites of the Moon, is this worth the hassle?

HinkyDinkyTruesmith wrote:If you happen to get around to them soon, I'd appreciate if you let me know what you think of the transfers/commentaries. The reviews I've seen have been mixed, but they've also been rather short and undetailed, so it's hard to know what to think.

It's been too long for me to remember in much detail, but I remember enjoying the commentary on Scandal quite a bit and it making me more appreciative of a movie I found only moderately interesting at first glance. Haven't gotten around to the commentary on Lured, yet. So, still short and undetailed, but another positive vote.