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Poncho Punch wrote:

Matt wrote:I'm almost positive that no one cares but me, but Sandrew Metronome Sweden will be releasing Lukas Moodysson's newest film (original title Ett hål i mitt hjärta) on March 16, 2005. While the film is in Swedish, the disc will likely have English subs (as well as Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian subs). Labial reconstruction surgery footage, here I come!

Have you seen it yet, matt? It's really something else. My first Moodysson, so I don't know how it compares to his other films (or whether I will ever have the desire to watch them), but it was a very unique filmgoing experience for me.

Are there no supplements, or has only the release date been announced so far?

Labial reconstruction surgery footage, here I come!

Lilja 4-Ever was my top movie last year,

ben d banana wrote: together remains my favorite, a truly spot-on coming of age (be that teen, 20's or 30's) movie, which steps it up a bit from show me love

Grimfarrow wrote:Shock for shock's sake doesn't make an interesting film, unfortunately.

Grimfarrow wrote:Out of his 4 films, this is by far the worst (not including that tedious short he did, Bara prata lite).

The Invunche wrote:That's an old joke. I heard it the first time in connection with Branagh's Henry V and I wouldn't be surprised if it was older.

Metrodome have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of A Hole In My Heart for 16th May 2005 priced at £19.99. Reflecting on society's obsession with celebrity and the popularity of reality TV culture, Lukas Moodysson's film courageously and uncompromisingly explores the moral boundaries of what is and is not acceptable and how far people are willing to go in the quest to find some meaning in their lives.

Features include:

* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround
* English subtitles
* "A Hole In My Second Heart" – making of featurette
* Lukas Moodysson Masterclass
* Director's Statement
* Trailer

SHOW ME LOVE
Lukas Moodysson's first short short film 'Talk'
Trailer

TOGETHER
Trailer
Filmography
Text interview

LILYA 4-EVER
Guardian Interview with Lukas Moodysson
Lukas Moodysson trailer reel
UNICEF film 'More Precious Than Gold'
Amnesty International appeal promotional video

A HOLE IN MY HEART
Making of
Lukas Moodysson Masterclass
Trailer

We recently received a communication from Metrodome regarding their forthcoming release of the 4 Films by Lukas Moodysson boxed set. It appears that some fans of Show Me Love are less than enthusiastic about the film's proposed 4:3 transfer. Here is Metrodome's official line on the subject:


We have received quite a few missives from disgruntled DVD buyers about the May release of Lukas Moodysson's 4 Disc Box Set and would like to address the concerns and displeasure from the most honest viewpoint, free from conjecture and "back seat" DVD production that unfortunately fans the flames of discontent rather unfairly.

While the sentiments of those who have emailed us are understandable, it is an all too familiar chorus from consumers who, quite frankly, are not at all familiar with the processes of independent distribution - an arena which is sadly not as blessed with the unlimited ancillary funds of a major studio. I fully expect this reply may "not be good enough" for many who wrote in and while I apologise and echo their disappointment as a consumer that the "definitive" release of "Show Me Love" is not on the horizon, I also am all too aware of the logistical reasons that are not always obvious to the average consumers, reasons that impact greatly on these niche releases.

Quite simply, Memfis do not have a widescreen video master available. The digi beta was originally created for the VHS release by Momentum in 2001. Unfortunately, due to "Show Me Love"'s status as a smaller arthouse release, it was not cost effective to pay a substantial amount upfront to convert this in a 16x9 transfer and lose picture information which would have done a disservice to the film, or - always the most desirable - create a band new widescreen transfer via telecine from the original negative.

We understand that completists are expecting the best possible releases of their desired product, but the reality is, that the business side of the equation takes precedent. It is a business after all. We were aware that many fans would not take kindly to this but we wanted the box set to come out in conjunction with the release of 'A Hole In My Heart' and we simply couldn't wait for the possibility that this may happen at some point, someday, hopefully sooner rather than later. As an independent distributor we can only work with what we've been supplied. This may be undertaken in the future by Memfis themselves, but we wanted to make a true retrospective of Moodysson's work available that included his newest and his first pictures together for the first time.

We are often at the behest of the original production company or sales agent with regards to these kinds of releases, in this case, Memfis Films in Sweden who have generously supplied and sub-licensed us with a film to create a definitive retrospective of an important European talent, which is in a 4:3 Letterboxed transfer identical in ratio to the video release of 2001. It is not panned and scanned. In addition, as opposed to the current Region 1 edition, we have not used burnt in subtitles and have them as player generated. Memfis and Lukas Moodysson themselves are quite happy that we will have the best possible version of the film, from the materials supplied to us, available for the UK market.

For a UK market that is substantially smaller than the market for, say, Criterion or other major independents, the cost effectiveness must unfortunately be taken into account lest we lose money on "wish list" releases and risk not being able to release anything at all in the future. With the continued support and understanding of the DVD community, we will be able to prove that the vibrant sales of such perceived niche product are worth the initial investments by the companies involved.

it was not cost effective to pay a substantial amount upfront to convert this in a 16x9 transfer and lose picture information which would have done a disservice to the film

peerpee wrote:or are they releasing a 4:3 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer?

it was not cost effective to pay a substantial amount upfront to convert this in a 16x9 transfer and lose picture information which would have done a disservice to the film

peerpee wrote:But the line you quote is confused (in my mind) with this line:

it was not cost effective to pay a substantial amount upfront to convert this in a 16x9 transfer and lose picture information which would have done a disservice to the film

Not sure what they mean here. Apparently the OAR is 1.85:1 (Super 16 blowup to 35mm). Are they referring here to somehow making an anamorphic disc from the 4:3 Letterbox master they have? Not sure...