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Nick is a sinister character for doing something as evil as this to such nice folks....

"Wrigley, you bad bad man you..."

Tommaso wrote:But you're sure aware that the Kino Paradjanovs are all available on their own?

I did not know that! Thanks for the tip - but I was thinking that if an MoC did show up - it would be a renter before purchase.

It seems like the two releases of directors already in the MoC seres would almost have to be from among these:
Antonioni
Visconti
Melville
Lang
De Sica
Renoir

S. Ray might be possible, although Abhijan sold so poorly I'm not sure we should expect MoC to put more of his films on the market, especially with the box coming from AE.
Ford is another possibility, but I got the impression that Prisoner of Shark Island was kind of a one-off.
It looks like Murnau is out, unless they have plans for Grand Duke's Finances (which I don't think anyone here has even speculated about).

I think Nick already stated that the problem with Russian releases is that they are now available exclusively from Ruscico and it would take Criterion's name to get a release that doesn't use Ruscico's master. That is why they could not relrease a few Russian titles a couple of years ago. And Shadows is now available from Ruscico, so it would be hard to get a separate release. Although, MOC can try to deal with Ukraine and Dovzhenko Studio to bypass Russian bureaucracy.

I'm not sure how tough that situation is with Paradjanov. After all, FsF released their two discs using their own prints and masters, proven by slight sound problems occasionally with "Pomegranates" and a completely different menu design with other ( that is: no) extras on "Shadows".

Gregory wrote:It seems like the two releases of directors already in the MoC seres would almost have to be from among these:
Antonioni
Visconti
Melville
Lang
De Sica
Renoir

S. Ray might be possible, although Abhijan sold so poorly I'm not sure we should expect MoC to put more of his films on the market, especially with the box coming from AE.
Ford is another possibility, but I got the impression that Prisoner of Shark Island was kind of a one-off.
It looks like Murnau is out, unless they have plans for Grand Duke's Finances (which I don't think anyone here has even speculated about).

If its a Visconti, my vote goes to Sandra of a Thousand Delights. Most of the other films seem to be released by someone else (granted, Rocco was previously available as well), or were made outside of the timeline Nick has given us (which omits most of the first half of the century). Sandra is the only film unreleased in the UK that fits into the dates given to us.

If its a de Sica...Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (63), Marriage Italian Style (64), and Brief Vacation (73) all seem likely. Unfortunately, Two Women does not fit into the timeline! My vote would go to Brief Vacation.

I don't think there are any Fords that MoC can get, and barring a new "M", Lang seems out of the running too. Antonioni doesn't seem a possibility, either, unless his film on China is in the works. Its 1972!

With Ray...we have a ton of possibilities, and if MoC is up to the stage where they can tease us with letters and numbers, then surely they already own the films, and not Artificial Eye. The Zoo is 67, The Golden Fortress is 74, The Middleman is 76. Distant Thunder is 73, Jo The Elephant God is 78, and the not-too-popular Ganashatru is 89.

The possibilities for Melville are fairly...big. Magnet of Doom and Second Breath are possibilities, but...I'm not sure who owns Le Samourai in the UK, and it does fit into the timeline.

The 2007 resto of Losey´s EVA, some nine minutes longer than the Kino on Video resto, would look great in the MoC line!
It showed at the London Film Festival in 2007 but nobody discusses it. The Royal Belgian Cinematheque handled it and told me the restored scenes were in different places in the film, so should contribute to the overall understanding of the film.

Le Samourai sounds like a good bet, as it's a glaring missing title in the UK.

I think La Vie de Jesus is a safe bet too.

I hope Le Samourai is in someone else's hands. I'd really love to see a Melville, just not this one. Plus I am pretty sure the two returning directors are Visconti and Renoir.

I really don't think we'll see the return of Ray - Nick said what trouble it was to acquire the film - Eureka having to put a lot of money up front plus it didn't sell well.

I hadn't considered the return of Lang and M, though what with Eureka's 'A Fritz Lang Boxset' still selling I wouldn't be surprised if an M reissue would be delayed until 2009, plus I imagine that it would be released with Mabuse.

ptmd wrote:The 1931 title might be Manoel de Oliveira's first film "Douro, Faina Fluvial." It's a short but it could easily be included with one of his later masterpieces, perhaps Doomed Love (from 1978). After all, 2008 is his 100th birthday and it's an ideal time to bring him into the MoC collection.

Wow, I do so hope you're right.

HerrSchreck wrote:Nick is a sinister character for doing something as evil as this to such nice folks....

"Wrigley, you bad bad man you..."

Indeed!
And Schreck, I'm surprised you're currently able to type, despite Nick waving in front of you the possibility of Gremillon.

Perhaps a shorts collection:

Le Roulement a billes (1924)
Photogenie mecanique, La (1924)
Les Parfums (1924)
La Fabrication du Fil (1924)
La Fabrication du ciment artificial (1924)
L'Etirage des ampoules Electriques (1924)
Du fil e l'aiguille (1924)
La Biere (1924)

or

Daïnah la métisse (1931)
Le Petit Babouin (1932)

Well, if nothing else this little escapade had proved that there's a shitload of stuff still out there for mining. Enough to keep Nick and Co going for some time to come. Me?.. I want just about everything that's been mentioned as a possibility so far. While we're at it why don't we name this forum MOC and give Criterion the spanish archer?

Only kidding..well just a wee bit.

Wasn't Toni also a titled mentioned by peerpee as one of the worst-selling in the collection? I certainly wouldn't expect another Renoir any more than I'd expect another Ray film

By the same token I believe Kwaidan was one of the best sellers yet we won't be seeing The Human Condition trilogy, The Black River or Harakiri for that matter.

One more thought.. if A is indeed for Bille August and Best Intentions as Whatadis suggested from his sick bed then let it please be the 5 hour version.
Both Criterion and Artificial Eye seem to have passed on it - as might be attested to by utter silence from both parties after numerous e-mails over the years . I would offer up a right testicle on a silver platter if MoC come up trumps on this one. (A smaller but no less vital organ would also accompany the issue of Yol).

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:One more thought.. if A is indeed for Bille August and Best Intentions as Whatadis suggested from his sick bed then let it please be the 5 hour version.
Both Criterion and Artificial Eye seem to have passed on it - as might be attested to by utter silence from both parties after numerous e-mails over the years . I would offer up a right testicle on a silver platter if MoC come up trumps on this one. (A smaller but no less vital organ would also accompany the issue of Yol).

Aren't both of those Palme D'or winners? It's surprising how few winners have a dvd release.

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:. While we're at it why don't we name this forum MOC and give Criterion the spanish archer?

Only kidding..well just a wee bit.

Well, I have to say that I do tend to sympathize with this suggestion, considering CC's current releases... just a wee bit, at least. But perhaps we better wait until Nick reveals WHAT we eventually get.

What A Disgrace wrote:With Ray...we have a ton of possibilities, and if MoC is up to the stage where they can tease us with letters and numbers, then surely they already own the films, and not Artificial Eye.

I didn't mean that MoC couldn't release any S. Ray because AE control the rights, I was just thinking they might be concerned about a semi-flooded market for releases from a director whose films (outside the Apu Trilogy, at least) apparently don't sell well -- but I'd love to be wrong. I guess Visconti, Melville and/or Renoir are the best guesses. Toni may not have done all that well, but I don't think Renoir in general is "boutique label poison."

I'm amazed about the sheer amount of it. It doesn't seem possible that MoC could reach a pre-Eclipse Criterion level of quantity with a drastically smaller staff. I guess there must have been a backlog of work building up over a long period, and it's fortunate that they have the capital to get it all out there.

Le Samourai doesn't fit the timeline. It's a 1967-film. I don't think it will be Renoir, the most well known unreleased film that fits the timeline will be La Chienne or La Nuit de Carrefour and I doubt those would sell better than Toni.

I think Visconti (Sandra, Ludwig), Melville (Magnet of Doom) or De Sica (Yesterday, Marriage, possibly a twinpack?) are the best bets for the returning directors. Or maybe Die Driegrosschenoper by Pabst.

Also: What about a Ming Liang Tsai box of his first four features? Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Vive L'amour (1994), The River (1997) and The Hole (1998). Seems to fit perfectly.

And what about some Resnais? Muriel (1963) doesn't seem unlikely to me. The A and 1976 could well be Akerman, but maybe also Altman ( A Wedding).

I would love to see Barren Lives by Nelson Pereira dos Santos on DVD. Or Black God White Devil by Glauber Rocha. Limite would be great too.

Apu wrote:What about a Ming Liang Tsai box of his first four features? Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Vive L'amour (1994), The River (1997) and The Hole (1998). Seems to fit perfectly.

I wondered about this too - Axiom didn't announce that they acquired the rights (like they did with Wenders) after releasing The Wayward Cloud and Sleep Alone, and if Johnnie To is in there's a good chance.

maybe also Altman ( A Wedding)

Already out from Second Sight in the UK with a perfectly acceptable transfer.

davidhare wrote:I'll put money on Renoir 1932 with Nuit du Carrefour.

Also betting on Vaghe Stelle dell'Orsa for 1965.

Which leaves me scratching my head for a 1931 trifecta: the only possible Gremillon given the year is Dainah la Metisse, which I would kill for but doubt - no restoration available and it's a fragmentary movie anyway requiring substantial supporting features. So 1931 is wide open.

1931 - Duvivier's Les Cinq Gentlemen Maudits?

Threepenny Opera already has a great release from Bfi. I don't see why they'd release that.

about Threepenny Opera and A Wedding.

I won't bother with guessing the titles. I'll just say this: I really hope Glauber Rocha finds a home with MoC.

Les Cinq Gentlemen maudits was announced along with David Golder but nobody seems to have heard anything since. Maybe MoC snatched it from the french company?