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The French publisher Rene Chateau now has a website where you can browse their catalogue and buy their DVDs.

As you might expect from RC, the ordering process is a bit idiosyncratic: you fill up your shopping basket, then print out an order form which you have to send by post with a cheque.

A tall, thin man on a bicycle will then deliver your letter personally to Monsieur Chateau, who at that moment will be sipping a glass of fine Bordeaux in a local café. He will open your letter, shrug his shoulders, mutter something about "Zeez crazy Americans", then saunter out into the village square for a game of boules.

New DVD titles announced by RC.

Due Sept 7th 2006:
Un grand amour de Beethoven (Abel Gance)
Un drôle de dimanche (Yves Allégret)
Scaramouche (Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi)
Rencontre à Paris (Georges Lampin)
Minuit quai de Bercy (Christian Stengel)
Les impures (Pierre Chevalier)
Les aventures sexuelles de Néron et Popée (Bruno Mattei)
Le fils du capitaine Blood (Tulio Demicheli)
Le feu aux poudres (Henri Decoin)
L'étrange Madame X (Jean Gremillon)
Il est minuit, Dr Schweitzer (André Haguet)
Derrière la façade (Yves Mirande)
Compte à rebours (Roger Pigaut)

Due Oct 12th 2006:
Gueule d'amour (Jean Gremillon)
Vous n'avez rien à déclarer? (Léo Joannon)
Rue de l'estrapade (Jean Becker)
Pigalle (André Berthomieu)
Maxime (Henri Verneuil)
Les bijoutiers du clair de lune (Roger Vadim)

Based on previous experience, English subtitles are very unlikely on any of these.

I had a feeling this one was lurking in the René Chateau archives...



L'aîné des Ferchaux (Melville, 1963) aka Magnet of Doom.

Scheduled for April 5th 2007.

Well-spotted, brother! There's no Amazon.fr listing yet, though. There was a German DVD released late last year, but I don't believe it had english subs. Have recent Rene Chateau releases had english subs? Thanks for pointing out this release, Kinsayder!

The German release was non-anamorphic, cropped, had German subs only, and also German text imposed on some frames (newspaper cuttings, etc). I posted a few screen shots here.

I think there's a better chance of the René Chateau being anamorphic. English subs are unlikely, and there may be imposed French ones (part of the film is set in the US with English dialogue). It's not peak Melville, but it's a good film with strong performances from Vanel and Belmondo; let's hope for an English-friendly release before long.

This is another interesting title.