Ernst Lubitsch

[Kinsayder]

The German set has audio commentaries on "Anna Boleyn" and "Die Austernprinzessin" (in Deutsch, natürlich).

DVD Talk reviews the Kinos here, here, here and here.

Hmm, "...problems associated with PAL to NTSC conversion..."

[lubitsch]

So does the set have English intertitles or not?

No. Neither the films nor the 86 min docu has English subtitles.
Pick up UNTER DEN BRÃœCKEN instead .

[HerrSchreck]

The German set has audio commentaries on "Anna Boleyn" and "Die Austernprinzessin" (in Deutsch, natürlich).

DVD Talk reviews the Kinos here, here, here and here.

Hmm, "...problems associated with PAL to NTSC conversion..."

Hopefully the hmmm is you deciding whether cash or credit card (assuming you don't speak German and truly want these titles). I have BOLEYN and, assuming this is par for the course on the rest of the set, DVD TALK is nitpicking (they hafta say something). It's there if you search hard for it-- You wont see the extra frame unless you freeze frame every 4th frame. The image is as gorgeous as SIR ARNE or EROTIKON. SPIES & METROPOLIS (and the sound here & there on NIBEL) are the two where the image was most definitely a compromised.

[J Wilson]

I've looked at both the Kino SUMURUN and OYSTER PRINCESS/I DON'T WANT TO BE A MAN and they both look fine; like Herr Schreck says, unless you're pausing and looking for evidence of PAL conversion, these are quite pleasing to the eye. The contrast on I DON'T WANT... looks a bit high, but that isn't something Kino could have fixed, I would think.

[tryavna]

I asked Transit about subtitles on the Lubitsch films, and got this reply:

The Lubitsch Box released in German does not have English subtitles. But the box will be released in the US (Kino International) very soon and in UK (Eureka Video) next year with English subtitles.

Best regards,

Mark Grünthal

He also said:

We are planning to release a new restoration of Nosferatu next year. The other titles are still not decided.

Thanks very much for this post, and welcome! The Nosferatu news is outstanding, of course.

I wonder if the Eureka (MoC?) release of the Lubitsch stuff will include the documentary with subtitles. If so, I may continue holding off on the Kino releases until then. I wouldn't mind supporting Kino this time, but I'm really curious about that docu.

[Lino]

That Eureka Video news might even refer to MoC.

[denti alligator]

That Eureka Video news might even refer to MoC.

Well, fuck, my Transit box just shipped from amazon.de.
If it's an MoC release with nice booklet and all I'm gonna be pissed...

[htdm]

the box will be released...in UK (Eureka Video) next year with English subtitles.

I will definitely be waiting for this.

[HerrSchreck]

I've only coughed up for Boleyn so far, so I might wait too... if an MoC, and only if.

Annoying nasal whine:
"Yo NICCCKKKK!"

Whatsa score, commandatore?

[Ashirg]

Just wanted to point out a couple of Lubitsch films surfaced on DVD in Spain. Transfers are probably not the best quality and not the best of his films, but they are not available anywhere else at this time -

Bluebeard´s Eighth Wife
That Lady in Ermine

[htdm]

That Lady in Ermine is available in Germany according to Lubitsch's first post of this thread.

[rollotomassi]

Lubitsch's early talkie masterpiece One Hour With Youfinally on DVD in France, with removable French subs and a gorgeous print.

Also available is Broken Lullaby, but the print isn't as sharp and the subs aren't removable...

[fred]

One Hour With You, while indeed a masterpiece, wasn't directed by Lubitsch, but by George Cukor. More on this here.

[justeleblanc]

I'm almost positive this will be a Criterion release, so it's worth holding out for it.

[justeleblanc]

How so? This and the other early 30s Lubitsches are Universal and would surely end up as Lionsgate if anything. Although they certainly would make a nice five movie Eclipse package.

David, in last month's newsletter Criterion announced THE LOVE PARADE, and previous sources had indicated that Criterion is also interested in releasing a Lubitsch musicals box of LOVE PARADE, LIEUTENANT, and ONE HOUR WITH YOU.

What say you about Lionsgate releasing these? Now I'm curious.

[Tom Peeping]

I just finished watching the french-R2 One Hour with You DVD: it is of very good quality. It is a Bac Video / Paramount release (film is Paramount) with a Universal logo before the movie.

Great b&w (though a few times during the film, the image gets a little out of focus for a couple of seconds and then goes back to normal). Some grain in some scenes too. Great sound with removable french subs.
One of the best editions I've seen of a movie from the early 30's.

Now, for the movie itself (I had never seen it before), I found it fast moving, witty and amusing but it is too much "théâtre de boulevard" for my own taste . Jaw-dropping sexual innuendos are all over the place & especially in the first 30 minutes. In the same league, from the same year and with both the same stars, I much prefer Mamoulian's Love Me Tonight, which is pure heaven.

Anyway, the french-R2 One Hour with You is a safe buy if you like the movie and can't wait for an eventual Crit/Eclipse or boxset edition.

[rollotomassi]

Yes, Tom is right, it is a lovely print. Universal have the rights to Paramount stuff, but sometimes the items come out under alternate labels overseas.

As for who directed it, I believe I read elsewhere Cukor started directing it, then Lubitsch fired him off set and did most of it himself. Cukor didn't like the finished result.

I would love to believe that it would come on Criterion one day - even more so The Smiling Lieutenant, along with Monte Carlo and The Love Parade, but the laserdisc boxset had Trouble in Paradise in it, which is already out, so I'm not sure if it will be Criterion. Remember Kino released Love me Tonight.

Here's some caps of One Hour With You.

Angel (Lubitsch) R2 Spain

This Lubitsch classic has been released in Spain with removable Spanish subtitles.

Here's the caps...

[justeleblanc]

I think I'll just wait for the Criterion/Eclipse box, which will be containing all four of Lubitsch's Paramount musicals:

THE LOVE PARADE
MONTE CARLO
ONE HOUR WITH YOU
SMILING LIEUTENANT

Have I not posted the confirmation of these titles yet? If not, here they are again.

[Michael Kerpan]

Now -- if only someone would adopt "So This Is Paris" -- which I like even more than "Smiling Lieutenant" (my favorite of the musicals).

[Tim]

This Lubitsch classic has been released in Spain with removable Spanish subtitles.

I received this yesterday and have watched about half of it. It looks very good, perhaps a little high on the contrast compared to what I recall as the luminous greys of the print I saw at the NFT a year or two ago.

The initial copyright warnings require you to choose Spanish or Portuguese, but once those are over you are offered subtitles (in Spanish, Portuguese or English) or no subtitles.

One warning. I ordered from DVDGO without knowing any Spanish. The DVD cost 10 euros and the shipping 13 euros. It arrived by courier the next day. I suspect that with some knowledge of Spanish I might have managed to choose a cheaper shipping method.

[Michael Kerpan]

One warning. I ordered from DVDGO without knowing any Spanish. The DVD cost 10 euros and the shipping 13 euros. It arrived by courier the next day. I suspect that with some knowledge of Spanish I might have managed to choose a cheaper shipping method.

I have _yet_ to find any cheaper options from any Spanish online sellers Sadly, French ones are trending the same way. (Ditto for Amazon Japan).

[rohmerin]

Broken Lullaby has been just released by Universal in Spain.

[Finch]

Browsed play.com and came across this.

Lubitsch's "Angel" to be released in R2 (UK)

Scheduled to come out 13th of October. Universal's track record in Region 2 isn't the best so I wouldn't expect more than an adequate transfer at best.

[Finch]

David, point taken about Angel having been part of the Dietrich set. Glad to hear that it looks good and I should have clarified my statement about their R2 track record: I was referring to their UK releases of older films that I wasn't always impressed by. Double Indemnity was serviceable until the R1 SE came along and I was disappointed that Universal didn't bother (as yet) to release it here (even if it didn't affect me personally as I have a multiregion player but they seem to be taking an awful long time to release special editions of classic titles over here or they don't at all unless it's Hitchcock: Vertigo is reiussed this autumn as a 50th anniversary edition which I assume will be the UK equivalent to the upcoming R1 Legacy Edition).

[justeleblanc]

Actually, I read that Universal's top priority was the Lubitsch and the Sturges films. So we are most likely going to see new DVDs of them within the next few years.