Best DVDs of 2008

[MichaelB]

Sight & Sound DVDs of 2008

Not sure where the best place is to post this, but since the vast majority of the nominees are international DVDs, I thought it might as well be here.

Unsurprisingly, Masters of Cinema, the BFI and Second Run loom large, though I flew a lonely flag for Poland's PWA.

[zedz]

I haven't set this up as a 'Forum Awards' affair, more as a discussion thread, but if anybody wants to turn it into that, be my guest. In the past this has been positioned as "non-Criterion", but I haven't stuck with that, since in my world they got shunted aside on their own merits. Criterion-heavy posts could probably be more usefully aligned with the Criterion awards thread yonder.

It seemed useful to restrict comments to a top ten, but I've cheated outrageously and you can too.

Best Label

There was a veritable flood of “best releases of the year” from various quarters in 2008, though seldom from Criterion, which seemed to be thoroughly outmanouevred in terms of “essential arthouse” by BFI, MoC, Second Run and even itself, in Eclipse drag.

Most valuable label for me this year was BFI, which has really pulled itself up by its bootstraps in the past few years from a label with a great catalogue and sometimes indifferent releases of it to a consistent powerhouse. What puts it ahead of the equally reliable MoC this year is its sterling work in curation and restoration. MoC’s output tended to create definitive editions out of pre-existing good materials, such as its addition of subtitles, contextual extras and those fabulous books to the French Pialat and Mizoguchi releases. BFI, however, was bringing a lot of its stuff to DVD for the first time, creating its reference editions from scratch (and I haven’t even caught up with their major scholarly releases of the British documentary movement and GPO films yet). Tellingly, both labels pipped Criterion at the post on two of its benchmark releases of the year (Salo and Vampyr).

Not that Criterion was necessarily slacking. The Varda boxset was an early triumph, possibly their best box set to date, the Mishima releases were superb, and I was pathetically grateful to finally see Death of a Cyclist, The Fire Within, The Furies and The Small Back Room, but more than half of the releases on the main line were films that were already available on DVD, often in fine, if barebones, editions, and occasionally in arguably superior ones. Eclipse’s more modest output was generally a lot more interesting and necessary (specifically Mizoguchi, Ozu and Shepitko) but still tinged with redundancy (Kurosawa and Kaurismaki).

10 Best Releases

Kiju Yoshida Oeuvres complets, Vols 1 & 2 (Carlotta) – A dream release, even if it lacked English subtitles. Beautiful transfers, pithy intros, and some of the most exciting films of the 1960s. Volume 2 is the one packed with masterpieces, but it’s such a luxury to be able to absorb a major filmmaker’s evolution blow by blow that I’m loath to separate them. And then, of course, there’s the indispensible Eros + Massacre, which I don’t include here simply to save space for other gems. In any other year it would probably have been the best thing released. Did anybody really think they'd ever get to see the uncensored cut of that film looking so good?

Hiroshi Shimizu boxsets (Shochiku) – Japanese labels have been releasing superb editions of important films for years, but, hip-hip-hooray, they’ve finally got around to including English subtitles. Sublime films from an unjustly obscure master, in fine transfers (though the source prints are often pretty rough).

Wojciech Wisniewski (PWA) – Possibly a 2007 release (if so, it was in darkest December), but the greatest revelation of the year for me, a completely unknown filmmaker who made films like none I’ve ever seen. Even though their remit is extremely specific, PWA is probably THE most reliable DVD label in the world. I’m blind-buying everything they release, and they give value for money like no other label. Any of their other 2008 releases could have ended up on this list.

Polish Experimental Animation (PWA) – A phenomenal 3-disc collection. The only minor downside was that this set didn’t include the expected squarebound book with detailed notes on every film (but the extensive essay covered an awful lot of ground very efficiently), which is more a comment on how swiftly we’ve been spoiled by the improbable bounty of these releases than any substantial shortcoming. Like several of the PWA releases, the governing definition (of ‘animation’ in this case) is pretty loose, and that’s a very good thing, since it allows most of disc 2 to slip through, including the two extraordinary contributions from Zbigniew Rybczynski. Rybczynski’s work also features on the other animation sets, and he’s about as major a discovery as Wisniewski. Both of his films on this set are masterpieces. New Book is a far more elaborate version of Figgis’ Timecode, with nine continuous ten minute takes (arranged Hollywood Squares fashion) that don’t just narratively interlock, but visually interlock as well (so that, as figures or objects leave the left side of one frame they enter the right side of the adjacent one, even though the physical spaces presented in each frame are not contiguous): an overwhelming technical feat that has to be watched multiple times. Oh, I Can’t Stop! is hilarious – a brilliant coupling of the world’s longest (and accelerating!) tracking shot with the world’s funniest foley track. I get the compulsion to rewatch this film every couple of days.

The Bill Douglas Trilogy (BFI) – At last! The Terence Davies releases are a tad more comprehensive (but then, there’s a living director involved), but this is a world-class release of some great, forgotten films.

Jose Luis Guerin (Versus) – On the strength of an encounter with the wispy, evocative In the City of Sylvia I took the plunge on this set and a couple of other Guerin DVDs. Lovely presentation, reasonably English-friendly apart from the lavish enclosed book and the extras disc (but most of what I was interested on there were Guerin’s own, generally wordless, shorts and fragments). Guerin is a superb, eclectic filmmaker, and if none of these works were quite up to Sylvia’s standard (also available in an impeccable, English-friendly DVD), the set is a great illustration of how much more accessible contemporary international cinema has become in the DVD era. Ten or fifteen years ago, the chances of me seeing anything else by Guerin after that chance encounter were as good as nil. Now, I can soak up practically his entire filmography, plus lots of contextual marginalia, almost immediately. The silent feature Some Photos in the City of Sylvia (and I mean silent, not dialogue-free) could be considered a glorified DVD extra on the wrong DVD, as it’s an outline of / commentary on its parent film composed almost entirely of still photos (sort of In the City of Sylvia (La Jetee demo mix)), but it’s a hell of an extra. By offering a ‘real,’ autobiographical version of the same situation as the feature, it sets up a troubling, teasing relationship between the two films, between fiction and documentary, and between filmmaker and character. Tren de Sombras (Train of Shadows) wraps visually stunning material (shifting-light landscapes and still lives plus artfully distressed ‘found’ home movies from the twenties) around the vestige of a Ruizian puzzle (an amateur filmmaker who disappears during an excursion). Innisfree is the second disc of a Criterion Quiet Man release just waiting to happen (and fuck with the heads of red-blooded John Wayne fans everywhere).

Georges Melies (Flicker Alley) – An exhaustive, exhausting set, and an obvious labour of love. It’s something I have to dip in and out of, but it’s a film library cornerstone. A flabbergasting release. Flicker Alley were the epitome of the small-but-perfectly-formed DVD company this year.

L’Enfance-nue (MoC) – These Pialat releases are going to be some of MoC’s best work, a really major contribution to cinephilia for the English-speaking world. This is here rather than the similarly impeccable Police because it’s one of the greatest debuts of all time, and has, if I’m not mistaken, never before been available on home video with subs.

Barravento (Versatil) – There were three Glauber Rocha discs issued this year, thus completing his Brazilian films in this invaluable series (hopefully we’ll get the exile films and the in-betweeny Cancer in 2009). They’re all excellent, with copious to-the-point extras, everything carrying English subs, and the restorations are astonishing (most strikingly with the sharp, searing Antonio das Mortes recovered from a patchwork quilt of generally awful, washed-out and incomplete prints). Actually, I need to give special acknowledgement to the restoration docs on each of these discs – some of the best I’ve ever seen, extremely thorough and engaging. Barravento gets the particular nod here because the film was such a delightful surprise. Rocha’s first feature, and apparently a reluctantly inherited project, it starts out as picturesque neo-realism but evolves before your eyes into pure Glauber. The extras are exemplary, including over an hour of interviews with academics who illuminate the film from many of its facets (founding text of Cinema Novo, component of the multi-director Bahia trilogy, ethnographic record, political tract and so on).

L’Integrale Jacques Demy (Cine-Tamaris) – Pretty much complete, good transfers (unless I’ve missed some duds in my sampling), good, brisk supporting materials (without English subs, alas) and superb presentation. This set does everything it says on the box. France seems to be the country for authoritative career-spanning retrospective sets, and this is as essential as the Pialat and Yoshida sets that preceded it.


Honourable Mention (Let the Cheating Commence!):

The Lawrence Jordan Album (Facets) – Neither Jordan nor Broughton, the subject of Facets’ previous expansive retrospective, would be my first choice for this kind of treatment, but any attempts to present comprehensive multi-disc collections of the work of experimental filmmakers needs to be applauded and supported. And any Facets release that meets minimum professional standards of DVD production should also be acknowledged.

BFI 75 Mediamail set – I ordered the Amazon and Mediamail sets, despite some overlaps and double-ups, and Mediamail’s British films collection had the most delightful surprises in it, particularly in the compilations (RW Paul, Dickens, the Rail set), but also in some titles I was lukewarm about (Caravaggio’s DoP’s commentary is somewhat sparing, but one of the best technical commentaries I’ve heard). And then there were the great discs I actually wanted, like Powell’s wonderful Edge of the World, a superb presentation of a stunning film. Despite the gripes about losing booklets (most of which, on the basis of other BFI products of similar vintage, seem to me no great loss) and the flimsy packaging, I sort of love it, if only for the refreshing decision to redo the front covers of the slimpacks to remove all text. Those big, bare images look great.

Chikamatsu Monogatari (MoC) – For Woman of the Rumour, which blew me away and changed my life.

Coeur fidele (Gaumont) – All but barebones, unsubbed edition, but what a film! (Actually, this is probably 2007)

Kings of the Road (Axiom) – Finally, great editions of Wenders’ great 70s films (i.e. the ones which Anchor Bay had managed to carefully avoid in their previous sets). There are a couple of young British labels that seem to be doing everything right. Soda Pictures also deserves a mention, and if I’d got around to getting Honour of the Knights it might have made this list.

Satyajit Ray sets (Artificial Eye) – I realise that these transfers are not exactly Criterion quality, but in the time it’s taken Criterion to release approximately – um – no films by the biggest name director to emerge from India, Artificial Eye have released ten, including several essential ones, and when it’s a choice between availability and perfection, availability wins every time for me.

4 X Agnes Varda (Criterion) – An adorable set, one of the most lovingly assembled boxes yet from Criterion (though most of that love seems to have been going on despite their interest rather than because of it, with that Integrale Varda set on the horizon). This is only relegated to an also-ran because it will presumably be rendered largely redundant by the main event from Cine-Tamaris next year.

The Ballad of Narayama (Animeigo) – A beautiful transfer of a great great film. When this was rumoured to be a Criterion title there was breathless anticipation. When it’s released by somebody else – crickets? Animeigo’s eccentric (but damned conscientious) subtitling practices are a small price to pay to see this film looking so good.

Jerzy Skolimowski (Polish Television) – This is a perfect illustration of my, to some no doubt skewed, priorities. This set features mediocre transfers (not Eclipse mediocre, VHS mediocre), poor subtitles, no extras, and a long series of unskippable, bombastic slugs before you get to the menu on each disc. So what does it have to recommend it? Those amazing films. The creepy, dreamlike Barrier is a particular stunner, and immediately shot into my top 20 for the 1960s. A release for people who love films more than they love DVDs.

Tropical Malady (Second Run) - Because no self-respecting list should be without this essential label, and this is a superb edition of one of the century's greatest films. Wait a minute - was The Round-Up 2008? Too late!

Mea culpas: I’ve been putting off investing in German Filmmuseum titles until the big Kluge box is released. Despite my eager anticipation of BFI’s Land of Promise and GPO sets, I haven’t got around to ordering them after that 75th anniversary blow-out. And conceivably the best mainstream American boxes of the year (Boetticher and Murnau / Borzage) are currently in transit.


Best releases of 2009?

Alexander Kluge Complete Works - Originally scheduled for last year, still due out in November last time I looked at the Filmmuseum site, but it ain't November no more - surely sometime soon!

Agnes Varda Complete Works

Michael B’s next production masterpiece

Treasures of American Film Archives Avant-Garde set

Kiju Yoshida remaining releases from Carlotta (roll on March!)

[Michael Kerpan]

Chikamatsu Monogatari (MoC) – For Woman of the Rumour, which blew me away and changed my life.

I don't recall you discussing either of these films on the MOC thread dedicated to this release. Maybe you could say a bit more (there -- rather than here). ;~}

[tojoed]

I'd just like to put in a word for Second Sight. They brought out the Ophuls films before Criterion, in equally good editions (with the exception of "Madame de"). Not only that, they released "Letter from an Unknown Woman", "Caught" and "The Reckless Moment" for the first time. And "Lola Montes" coming in February 2009.

Also a top notch special edition of "Picnic at Hanging Rock", some Derek Jarman, and odd things like "The Rutles". So, generally, a fine 2008, and a label to keep your eye on.

[Trelkovsky]

Best dvds of 2008 released in Spain, according to Cahiers du cinema España:

1. Cofre José Luis Guerín

2. Cofre Grupo Dziga Vertov

3. Cofre Pedro Costa

4. Arrebato

5. Häxan

6. La regle du jeu

7. Cofre Harold Lloyd

8. Cofre Nobuhiro Suwa

9. Eraserhead

[Tommaso]

Best Label

It's rather difficult for me to decide which was the best label this year, apart from the obvious fact that it wasn't Criterion (despite Mishima and Ophuls). I fully agree with zedz' praise for the BFI, and for the same reasons. But on the other hand, I think I bought only "Red Desert" and "Salo" from them this year and found the release schedule of MoC far more exciting, but that of course just depends on personal taste. So while surely the BFI pulled all the stops on restoration and overall quality all by themselves, I'm really thankful for MoC releasing what they released this year, even if most or all of it came from pre-existing transfers or restos. The highpoints for me were of course "Vampyr" and the Mizoguchis, but I equally loved their "Judex" and "Rocco" discs (with "La Notte" only slightly behind, both film and transfer).

Other labels worth mentioning:
Kino, who seem to have greatly improved on transfer quality over all, even though there's still some occasional blunder like their "Outlaw and his wife" disc and they still replace foreign intertitles on their silents. But they still show more guts than most other labels, if I think of the Paradjanovs, the Sjöströms, the Pabst and Wiene discs, the new Griffith box etc. Honourable mention must also be made to Flicker Alley for bringing us the Gances and really putting great efforts into their sets (though I was angry with them for translating the titles in "La Roue").

However, if it's not my favourite label of 2008, than it's likely to become so in 2009: Edition filmmuseum. These guys increasingly make me speechless for the sheer quality of their releases of important, though nearly forgotten films. Think of "The River", Reinert's "Nerven" (one of the truly major discoveries in the silent field), Machaty's "Ekstase" (finally without chopped heads) and now the new Ruttmann set. And their release schedule for 2009 is even better.

Which brings me to the subject of silent films in general. I think it was a very good year for silents all around, with important films like "Phantom Carriage", "Johan", "The Project of Engineer Pright" , "L'Argent" in addition to those already mentioned (and Murnau-Borzage-Fox of course). Hope this continues and somebody finally has the guts to bring us the missing early Dreyers and Murnaus, some Grune or Pick, more Breistein etc. etc.

Best Discs

Well, all those mentioned above, and surely some other releases like Second Sight's "War Requiem" and the new R4 "Tulse Luper Suitcases" set (which I haven't got yet, but I'm happy that somebody finally managed to get this out). Probably also the French release of Greenaway's "Nightwatching", which is on the way to me and I have my fingers crossed that the subs are removable. Reportedly the transfer is outstanding, and so are the extras.

However, if I had to pick a candidate for best transfer, it would have to be the BFI's "Red Desert". Even though I have it only on SD, this must be one of the very best transfers of a colour film I've ever seen. Clarity and precision of colours are breathtaking. In addition, the audio commentary is outstanding. Almost as good is the BFI's "Salo" release; the film never looked anywhere near as natural as on this one, despite some slight edge enhancement.

[GringoTex]

I agree this was Criterion's weakest year, but unless you're not counting Eclipse titles, I still don't see any dvd company that had a better year. They're still the only one to put out more than 20 great films that were previously unavailable in acceptable, English-friendly editions.

My top 10 for the year:

1) Bud Boetticher Box (Sony) - Five gorgeous transfers of the greatest western hitting streak ever.
2) Earrings of Madame de... (Criterion) - Finally a good transfer of this most important of movies with a great package of extras (david hare's choice of this as his most disappointing release is just bizarre)
3) Ernst Lubitsch Musicals (Eclipse) - I'm a bit surprised how little reaction this set has gotten. I think its easily the best and most important Eclipse set to date.
4) Bill Douglas Trilogy (BFI) - This year's great discovery for me.
5) 4 by Varda (Criterion) - Criterion's best box set since Cassavetes
6) L’Enfance-nue (MoC) - Comprehensive package, georgeous transfer
7) Histoire(s) du Cinema (Artificial Eye)
8) Trafic (Criterion) - I think this is as great as Playtime, so the first English-friendly DVD is essential
9) Mizoguchi Films (MoC) - Some of the films themselves were a letdown, but the totality of the achievement was grand.
10) Lancelot du lac (Artificial Eye) - Barebones but the transfer was finally gotten right.
11) Police (MoC) - More Pialat justifies 11 spots in a top 10 list.

[Finch]

1) The Long Day Closes (BFI)
2) High & Low (CC)
3) Chikamatsu Monogatari (MoC)
4) Bonne & Clyde Collector's Edition (Warner)
5) L'Argent (MoC)
6) Zodiac Director's Cut (Paramount)
7) Picnic at Hanging Rock (Second Sight)
8) The Furies (CC)
9) Vampyr (CC/MoC)
10) Psycho Legacy Edition (Universal)

Honourable mentions go to Artificial Eye for their DVD of A Man Escaped, and the Weinsteins for releasing El Cid and The Fall of The Roman Empire in long overdue restorations, considering how shabbily these films have been treated by Universal in Region 2.

Big thanks to MoC for L'Argent (which ties with the Davies for my personal discovery of the year outside Region 1) and the Mizoguchi double-bills =D>

Warner had a dire year but at least they got their reissues right (Bonnie & Clyde, The Outlaw Josey Wales and L.A. Confidential). Second Sight's 08 catalogue was very impressive, bettered only by MoC and the BFI - looking forward to more Ophuels in 2009. Thumbs up too to Paramount who thankfully didn't fill the Zodiac DC supplements with mutual back-slapping filler and instead offered some real insight and plenty of context. I also appreciated Universal's work on the Psycho Legacy disc: the shower scene comparison and storyboards were particularly revealing - who'd have thought that the scene is even more devastating without Herrmann's score?

[Yojimbo]

I was about to post my recommendation for Yoshida in another thread but it seems to be concentrating on Criterion and Eclipse sets, many of whom I've bought, but equally still remain unwatched.

I haven't gotten around to compiling my thoughts and posting my comments on the Yoshida thread, but I can unreservedly claim that not only is it my most exhilarating discovery of the past year, but the second box-set, 'Contre Le Melodrame' may well turn out to be my favourite box-set in my considerable collection, partly in the consistently high quality of the films, but also in the thematic links between all films in the set, and what Yoshida was attempting, successfully, to do.

I also snapped up the long-sought after 'Bill Douglas Trilogy', which I've been longing to see since I saw it on tv in the early 90's
(haven't watched it yet, though)

looking forward to watch the MoC 'Chikamatsu'
(ditto)

Loved MoC 'Judex/Nuits Rouges' (pleasantly surprised by the latter, after a poor start)
which led me to buying Feuillades 'Fantomas', which was pure delight, from start to finish
(and not the slapdash pulp storyline, I had been expecting)

I think for me Carlotta has probably been the label of the year but MoC runs it close
(and BFI )

[domino harvey]

There was only one DVD label this year, and MOC was it

[MichaelB]

Wojciech Wisniewski (PWA) – Possibly a 2007 release (if so, it was in darkest December), but the greatest revelation of the year for me, a completely unknown filmmaker who made films like none I’ve ever seen. Even though their remit is extremely specific, PWA is probably THE most reliable DVD label in the world. I’m blind-buying everything they release, and they give value for money like no other label.

PWA announced this release on 28 December last year, which means it's extraordinarily unlikely that anyone outside the label would have actually watched the disc until 2008. Anyway, I fully concur with your praise for PWA, and I too blind-buy literally everything they release (including their Karel Szymanowski, Kronos Quartet and Stefan & Franciszka Themerson discs) - at the prices they charge, it's hardly a major gamble. In fact, I would very happily pay double their usual prices without turning a hair - after all, that would merely bring them into line with most other labels operating at this level.

Any of their other 2008 releases could have ended up on this list.

...which is exactly what I concluded when I was asked to vote for my DVD of the Year for Sight & Sound! And the decision took me all of two seconds.

Anyway, here's a largely random top ten, in alphabetical order:

Alice in the Cities - the first of Axiom's Wim Wenders discs that I saw, so I'm slightly rating this above the equally impressive Kings of the Road and Wim Wenders Documentaries sets if only because it was that much more of a pleasant surprise. But these discs are absolute models of how to present back catalogue titles, with director-approved transfers and intelligent and worthwhile extras (including informative booklets). On the strength of these releases alone, I now rank Axiom alongside the best of the smaller British labels.

Baraka (MPI/Second Sight - as far as I can make out, the Region A and B releases are identical bar the distributor logo) - the current state of the Blu-ray art, this has taken over from Blue Planet and 2001 as my primary high-def demo disc. I'm not entirely convinced of the film's merits (much of it still comes across as a softer-edged remake of Koyaanisqatsi), but there's no doubting its visual impact: the slow track into the Iranian mirror mosque is one of the most (literally) dazzling things I've ever seen.

Don Giovanni - Second Sight has also had an outstanding, significantly game-raising year: even their barebones releases (Burnt By The Sun) were well-presented, and they went to extraordinary efforts with the Max Ophuls titles - it's only a shame that the basic transfers sometimes weren't all that hot. So my winner is this outstanding restoration of Joseph Losey's contentious 1979 opera-film, offering a virtually flawless cinematographer-approved anamorphic picture, and a comprehensive restoration of the soundtrack (again, by the guy who mixed it in the first place) that improves significantly on the 1979 Dolby Stereo original (an accompanying documentary reproduces some blistering memos from Losey about the latter's shortcomings), and throws in a sensational six-track DTS mix for good measure. (The source for both was the original sixteen-track master, the search for which forms a fair chunk of the documentary). It's particularly commendable that they also offer the original Dolby Stereo track, but even purists would have to concede that it's a very poor third (and, unlike the other two, it hasn't been pitch-corrected to compensate for the PAL transfer).

L'Enfance-nue - I've got nothing to add to the other raves here: just getting to see this at all would have been quite sufficient, so MoC's two-disc blow-out was ridiculously generous. I honestly don't think they put a foot wrong with a single facet of this release.

Eureka (Optimum) - virtually barebones but utterly essential (and the transfer itself is fine), this was far better than I recalled from a single mid-1980s viewing, and while the stolid courtroom drama of the final act is still a major letdown, the rest is right up to the level of Roeg's 1970s masterpieces.

Georges Méliès: The First Wizard of Cinema (Flicker Alley) - to be honest, there were several Flicker Alley releases deserving of highlighting. The two Gance releases ranged from mostly (La Roue) to entirely (J'Accuse) fabulous (as well as desperately overdue), Perils of the New Land was a fascinating and intelligently programmed themed selection, and Saved from the Flames was a veritable cornucopia of delights. But the Méliès set stood head and shoulders above this and indeed virtually everything else this year: years in the making (and it showed with a vengeance), it was clearly a total labour of love that for sheer comprehensiveness is rivalled only by the National Film Board of Canada's Norman McLaren set.

Ken Russell at the BBC (BBC America) - I have a slight caveat here, in that I haven't actually seen the DVDs. I have, however, seen all the films, and none of the reviews suggest that the BBC have bodged the transfers (which will certainly be a substantial improvement on the timecoded BFI National Archive VHSes I watched) - and while I'm disappointed that it's not a truly comprehensive survey of Russell's long-form BBC work (their hands were tied over Dance of the Seven Veils, but the omission of his 1964 Béla Bartók portrait is a shame), what you get is more than generous enough - and The Debussy Film and Song of Summer each have a strong claim to rank among Russell's very greatest films. As with the early, "invisible" work of the otherwise totally different Krzysztof Kieślowski, these wildly imaginative and charmingly snook-cocking films prove that Russell would be deservedly regarded as a major director even if he'd never moved into fiction features. I really hope that the BBC does a supplementary box of the 1959-62 Monitor shorts, as there are some delightful pieces there too - quite aside from the fascination of seeing such a distinctive and uncontrollable talent finding his feet. (His 1961 film on Antonio Gaudi, on the Criterion release, isn't especially representative).

The Long Day Closes (BFI) - the BFI had an outstanding year (I think I can be reasonably objective here, since I only directly contributed to the booklets for Land of Promise and Radio On), but I think this just about gets top honours, for its well-nigh perfect, original-neg-sourced transfer (and PCM soundtrack, a welcome practice the BFI seems to be adopting more and more frequently) and some superb extras. Terence Davies is one of the great DVD commentators - in fact, all film students should make a point of listening to his one for Children (on the Terence Davies Trilogy set): a model of constructive self-deprecation.

Polish School of the Documentary: The Black Series (PWA) - I fully agree with Zedz that pretty much any of PWA's 2008 releases would qualify, so I'm picking this one simply because it hasn't been mentioned yet. Actually, there are other reasons: while none of the individual films qualifies as an eye-opening masterpiece of the order of the best films on the earlier Krzysztof Kieślowski, Kazimierz Karabasz, Maciej J. Drygas and Marcel Łoziński discs, this is probably the most intelligently programmed and contextualised PWA disc I've seen to date. It offers not just a thorough survey of the "black series" of unprecedentedly hard-hitting, socially-conscious documentaries that had a disproportionately huge impact on Polish cinema in general, but also a valuable supplementary section including newsreels depicting stages in the 1956 Gomułka thaw, and other documentaries from the late 1950s which either complement or contrast the "black series" titles. To date, it's the only themed collection in PWA's documentary series (all the others are auteur-focused), but I trust it's the first of many.

The Round-Up (Second Run) - the picture could have been better (their earlier My Way Home spoiled us), but I accept that they had to make do with what they were given, and the film itself is so astonishing that any minor quibbles pale into insignificance. It's that rare thing - a long-acknowledged masterpiece of world cinema that not only matched but exceeded my expectations after I finally got to see it after literally decades, and the Jancsó interview on the disc is a mischievous delight.

[foggy eyes]

Been meaning to do this for a while. In some sort of order:

1. Les Vampires (AE) - Sits alongside (and quite possibly towers above) the other durational masterpieces I saw for the first time this year: La Région centrale and Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.

2. Honour of the Knights (Soda Pictures)

3. Mizoguchi's Fallen Women (Eclipse)

4/5. L'Enfance-nue / Police (MoC) - Amazing all round, although Dan Sallitt's essay on Police was particularly brilliant.

6. The Bill Douglas Trilogy (BFI) - Impartiality notwithstanding, I don't think this long-overdue set could have been any better.

7. José Luis Guerín (Versus) - Innisfree is a great documentary, and, as zedz suggests, makes for a very rewarding double bill with The Quiet Man. Tren de sombras is very beautiful, and, although it's probably heresy to admit, I think I might actually prefer Unas fotos en la ciudad de Sylvia to its motion picture equivalent.

8. Koridorius (Moskwood Media)

9. Langsamer Sommer & Schwitzkasten [also Ich schaff's einfach nimmer; films by John Cook] (Edition Filmmuseum) - 3 wonderful, personal, understated films that I might never have (a) paid heed to, or (b) seen if not for this DVD.

10. The Round-Up (Second Run) - I haven't watched my DVD copy, but I'm sure it's fine. Many thanks to Mehelli & the team for going the extra mile (or dozen) and flying Jancsó to the UK for March's 35mm screening. I don't think any other label (excluding Edition Filmmusuem, perhaps) have displayed such a valuable commitment to film as film. Can't wait to see what 2009 has in store.

The Land of Promise (BFI) & Lawrence Jordan (Facets) sets would probably have made this list if I wasn't still working my way through them. There are also many discs that I haven't bought yet, so that fact probably explains any glaring absences. A list of honourable mentions could go on forever, so I'll refrain.

Most anticipated releases of 2009 (off the top of my head): Pedro Costa, Jeff Keen, Muriel (MoC), Treasures Avant-Garde, Comrades (BFI).

[HerrSchreck]

There was only one DVD label this year, and MOC was it

Shouldn't it be split with Carlotta?

[Yojimbo]

There was only one DVD label this year, and MOC was it

Shouldn't it be split with Carlotta?

Seconded!

[Yojimbo]

Without question my label of the year is Carlotta:

Sirk, Lang, Mizoguchi, Siodmak....... it' s far and away taken the title from Criterion for this year.

As well as Carlotta I think honorable mentions to MoC, BlaqOut (small label but very fine catalogue), Flicker Alley. And I would have liked to honor Madman/UMbrella in Oz for the catalogue (and porting of so much Carlotta stuff) but their premium price points are very discouraging to their captive Oz clientele - I think it's a bit rich when I can land an MoC title of boxset for around half the cost of a Madman fullprice title like There's Always Tomorrow.


Baci tous!

As I take it you can understand the French subs. on the Carlotta Mizoguchis, david, have you checked out their Yoshida box-sets?
Highly recommended.
Also, while they weren't released last year, they also released marvellous Sam Fuller and Monte Hellman sets, in addition to a fine Antonioni.
Wild Side are another good French label: a quick glance at their Shaw Brothers box-set, released at the tail-end of 2007, and their marvellous 2006 Tomu Uchida set which I purchased in 2008 confirms this.

[Yojimbo]

Yes, thanks Yoshi I have their Yoshidas. And I also relented and bought the Wildside two disc Macbeth (Welles) while there last year. I've never bothered to replace any of the French MIzo discs (I must own around twenty) as the subs are quite easy to read. (My comrehension of spoken and written French is far better than my speech which is basically appalling. But one gets by.)

If you, like me, often prefer supposedly "minor" Welles to "major" Welles Macbeth is worth exploring. You need some language skills for the detailed text on the variations between the two versions. I'm one of those people who gets a little tired of the Welles Industry mythologizing about all that conspiratorial commerce defeating Welles genius shit - the nice thing about Macbeth was he had to make it on peanuts with next to zero resources in 23 days. So he did. And he finished the fucking thing. THe prerecorded sountrack to performance playback was an inspired idea which everyone seemed to manage well, and it dovetailed into the tight shoot perfectly. I also think it's a much better picture than say Othello, which others seem to regard so highly. And the four or five minute fragment from the 36 Voodoo Macbeth in Harlem is worthy of a place in the Camp Hall of Fame. I was expecting Maria Montez to pop out from behind a coconut palm. It really is too much.

Among some Wildisde only releases is Lang's Secret Beyond the Door which comes in a near pristine print, fully doing justice to the gorgeous Cortez photog. The fixed subs are - as you know - rippable with a computer.

Yep, I bought that Welles, too.- and that Lang, although I've never actually tried to do any of that fixed sub ripping
And I've already watched the longer version: although I was a bit put out by the fact that so much of that 'extra time' is blank screen.

I actually prefer the 'Othello', although that might be in part due to it featuring The Gate Theatre's very own 'Hilton and Michael' double-act: MacLiammoir's a wonderful Iago: his voice is always a joy to listen to.
But there's much brilliance in Macbeth, and although the sets look seriously cheap and dodgy, it only serves to let Welles marvellous visual imagination work overtime.

btw, speaking of 'Macbeth', do you reckon his violent 'table-clearing' scene might be a reprise, of sorts, of the incident which led to him and Houseman splitting up?

[Scharphedin2]

And on the coldest October night in Paris for decades getting drunk and smoking fucking cigarettes (for first and only time in 18 months) with Beloved Nephew and Monsieur Scharphedin while several attractive women drifted in and out of our group, seemingly interestd in the two men, both of the hetero persuasion, to whom the guys seemed to be blithely unregarding of. Thanks for the smokes Scharphe, but I must never again!!

This little get-together in Paris has almost taken on a life on its own here in the forum, and it was certainly also one of the personal highlights of my "film life" this year. I mean, picture getting to the cognacs after dinner, and David leaning into the table, and beginning a vivid account of the tonalities, timbre, and warmth of the technicolors in DeMille's Samson and Delilah, not leaving out any details of the fact that the object of much of this almost psychedelic glory was none other than Hedy Lamarr. A slight correction must be added to David's statement... we were not blithely unregarding of the fair ladies who stumbled into our good company, it was only that they had regard for none other than you, dear David... even if of the non-hetero persuassion, you sure have a pull on the ladies

With respect to the DVD releases of the year, the trip to Paris afforded the opportunity to purchase the wonderful Gaumont Early Cinema Set described by David above, and it is certainly at the very top of this year's releases; a set lovingly put together in a beautiful little archive box with an excellent book, and the films themselves looking splendid. While looking for this set, I managed to pick up the Sacha Guitry Box that was released in France early in 2008, and it is an equally lavish set of 8 films with English subtitles, and presented with the kind of elegance that the films themselves almost demand. I also picked up an absolutely gorgeous release of Henri Fescourt's silent epic Monte-Christo, and an English subtitled release of Raymond Bernard's Maya from an excellent label called Les Documents Cinematographiques, which has a fairly stable practice of adding English subtitles, and many interesting releases including Malraux's Espoir, which I also picked up, and several volumes of Jean Painlevé's films, which I left for later, as I already own the beautiful BFI release of his films. Finally, the French bare-bones release of the fabled Leo McCarey picture Make Way For Tomorrow deserves mention, when talking about DVD events of the year.

I presently have the Shimizu boxes en route from Japan; most of last year's MoC releases (which I simply lost track of and decided to round up now); other UK releases The Hourglass Sanitorium, Identification of a Woman, Valerie, The Round-Up; A Man Escaped and Godard's Histoire... from the UK; and several Edition Filmmuseum releases from Germany. All releases, which I cannot comment upon but expect would fall into the "DVD of the year" contest for various reasons.

In R1, the Murnau/Borzage set towers above anything else that was released, as far as I am concerned. And, also, it seemed a slower year for most of the major labels, although the Boetticher set was a great event, and there were of course many small pleasures throughout the year -- the new Fox Noir titles, the Warner Brother's western set, The Gregory Peck collection, the second Berkely volume, The Tyrone Power 10 film box, The fourth Warner Gangster collection, Universal's release of several Mitchell Leisen/Billy Wilder films, and the sumptuous edition of How the West Was Won.

If the big labels slowed down a bit, the smaller/independent labels more than made up for it. Probably Flicker Alley would be number one with their beautiful Méliès collection, and the great Gance releases. Kino was as always amazing with so many exciting titles coming out that I lose track, but certainly the Sjöström films, the silent women directors series, new slapstick releases, the second (and very nice) D.W. Griffith set, and certainly the lovely Morris Engel collection (surely I forget several very noteworthy releases here). Looser Than Loose's Buster Keaton Educational Set was not released this year, I think, but I just got it, and it is very nice for being sourced from 16mm prints, and it is of course significant for plugging another hole in Keaton's canon. Vintage Filmbuff released a very níce collection of 6 films starring Anna May Wong. VCI came out with several nice releases as usual: the umteenth volume of Forgotten Noir, British B-films, a not great looking (but nonetheless) DVD of Jacques Tourneur's Stranger on Horseback, and several Dick Tracy releases, which I would perhaps not mention, except that the RKO feature collection looked to have very nice image quality (four films for less than $20). Genius Entertainment's Little Rascals is wonderful; and, Koch's release of Visconti's Ludwig was really welcome (third time lucky for me after the German and UK releases of this film -- Koch's edition looks great!) Finally, and definitely one of the (re-)releases of the year, was Milestone's DVDr release of the series of Silent Russian films that came out on VHS in the early nineties. This is such a treasure, and the quality was better than I had expected, and who cares much, when it is a matter of being able to see another half a dozen of Evgenii Bauer's films.

Bauer leads me to the final chapter of "film experiences of the year" (if not DVD releases as such). Through the internet I found Bauer's Deti veka from what I expect must have been a Russian broadcast, or a VHS or DVD release. In any event, the quality was very good, and the film is exceptional. And frankly, no amount of DVDs (and I purchase a lot) have been able to measure up to the treasures that I have found, traded, and, in some cases, purchased through the internet in the past year. Every week has more or less been an epiphany of finding films that are not (and may never have been) commercially available, and which I would have purchased in a second, if they were released. People make these things available from TV broadcasts, old VHS tapes, and in some cases even privately owned prints. An (extremely) short list would include tons of classic Hollywood, dozens of Vidor, Wellman, Dmytryk, Dassin, Borzage, Sirk, Ford (for starters); Grillet's Trans-Europ-Express; several of Resnais' short films, as well as Je t'aime, je t'aime and Providence; Prager's Wege zu Kraft und Schönheit; Visconti's Sandra; Zeman, Has and Trnka films with English subtitles; huge amounts of silent cinema (albeit, often in poor presentations): Jessner's Hintertreppe, several of Lubitsch's pre-Hollywood films, Franz Osten's Prem Sanyas, stacks of films on DVDr with Gish, Clara Bow, and Garbo, which I am still trying to sort through, George Stevens' Something to Live For, The Only Game In Town, Vigil In the Night, and the list goes on and on.

Every year seems to be a better year, when it comes to being able to see all those films that I never dared to dream of actually seeing...

[bearcuborg]

TOP TEN DVDS 2008
1. Films of Abel Gance - J'accuse, La Roue and, Georges Melies: First Wizard of Cinema (1896-1913) - Flicker Alley
The quality of production values (packed with extras, film restoration wise, lovingly designed) and importance on film history makes this the DVD company of the year. Both Gance films are remarkably fresh visually. La Roue in particular is at the apex of silent cinema. The Melies set is exhaustive in scope.
2. Films of Chris Marker, Fredrick Wiseman - Icarus Films & Zipporah Films
Two of the greatest living filmmakers get much needed recognition. Unfortunately the Wiseman films are overpriced and bare bones, but to have them at all is good enough. The Marker films (in particular The Last Bolshevik/Happiness) are much more packed with extras.
3. Nathalie Granger - Blaq Out
Marguerite Duras's subtle, mysterious work is the precursor to Chantel Akerman's Jeanie Dielman. It's a stunning work and packed with wonderful extras.
4. Quiet City/Dance Party USA - Benton Films
Benton films has quickly made a name for itself. Obviously modeling themselves after Criterion and Masters of Cinema with their extras and spine numbers. Their focus is on contemporary films and these two are from the young master Aaron Katz. Visually poetic and very much in the vein of "mumblecore."
5. Murnau, Borzage, and Fox - 20th Century Fox
Nearly the equal of last years Ford at Fox set, this box set is lavishly designed.
6. Lawrence Jordan - Facets
I wasn't all that familiar with the surreal animation collage artist Lawrence Jordan, but this set made for a fine introduction. At his best he recalls the work of Joseph Cornell.
7. Griffith Masterworks 2 - Kino
Continuing a great year for silent cinema on DVD. Kino includes early works of Griffith on his way up, and those near the end of his career. The highlight for me is Kevin Brownlow's documentary.
8. Valerie and her Week of Wonders - Second Run
Unknown to me before Second Run made it available, this company continues to highlight the best of world cinema. This Czech film directed by Jaromi Jires is a visual stunner.
9. Jose Luis Guerin - Versus
Purchased soon after seeing Guerin's In the City of Sylvia, this set from Spain is English friendly and clearly the work of a master. Pricey, but worthwhile.
10. Make Way for Tomorrow - BAC Video
Leo McCarey's masterpiece is in pretty lousy shape, and without a English friendly extra but again it's one of those great movies that make it wonderful to have it at all.

[martin]

Nathalie Granger was on my 2007 list and should be considered a 2007-release, I think.

My top ten DVDs from 2008 (only cosidering releases I own). Listed in random order:

1. 4 by Agnés Varda (Criterion Collection, R1)
2. Intégrale Jacques Demy (Arte, R2)
3. 4 Films de Jean-Claude Brisseau (Blaq Out, R2)
Blaq Out have produced some amazing releases in the past few years (Marguerite Duras, Raoul Ruiz, Luc Moullet). The Brisseau Collection is probably not as important but I enjoyed the films.
4. André Téchiné 4-film Collector's Edition (Lionsgate, R1)
Mainly because of Wild Reeds - finally available in a beautiful English-friendly edition.
5. Touch of Evil - 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal, R1)
Maybe not as overwhelming as I had hoped (and no Academy ratio!) but still...
6. L'enfance-nue (MOC, R2)
7. Vampyr (MOC, R2)
8. En kärlekshistoria (Studio 24, R2)
Aka A Swedish Love Story, Roy Andersson, 1969. Remastered, DTS, English subs. Technically a reissue though (originally released 2003). A good movie and a nice release.
9. Picnic at Hanging Rock (Second Sight, R2)
10. Le fond de l'air est rouge (Arte, R2)
Aka Grin Without a Cat, Chris Marker. Note: no English subs on main title!

[Scharphedin2]

Im glad you mentioned the McCarey - it's just such a sublime and incredibly daring film and a lot of people got real joy out of this release. Did you also get a BAC McCarey Ruggles of Red Gap? Bad, weak analogue print but still...

There was also a BAC (another label shaping up into dynamite) Lubitsch Bluebeard's Eighth Wife which is near pristine - some tramline scratches which always tell me anyway it came from a real film element. The first hour is exceptionally sharp but the censorship kills the last 30 minutes, as it did Cukor's Zaza, also for Paramount the same year.

David, there was actually a small Leo McCarey boxset released by Bac, which included both Make Way For Tomorrow and Ruggles of Red Gap, as well as Belle of the Nineties and Six of a Kind. Slimcases and reasonably low price point (I want to say €40, but I could remember wrong).