Artificial Eye / Curzon Film World

[Finch]

Kid with a Bike BD review

[hearthesilence]

What cameras/settings did they use for The Kid with a Bike? I think it was shot in HD video, but it looks like they were emulating a 16mm film look. I actually caught this in the theater, and it's interesting how 'soft' the facial details look in medium shot, even in those screen caps. Not out-of-focus, and not too noisy, but definitely not the clean and sharply-defined image I'm used to with some HD productions.

[bigP]

September - December releases [as there are some new additions, this is so far the line up]:
Silent Souls - 3rd September DVD
The Tango Lesson - 10th September DVD / Blu-ray
Corpo Celeste - 10th September DVD
Goodbye, First Love - 10th September DVD / Blu-ray
The Turin Horse - 10th September DVD / Blu-ray
El Bulli - 24th September DVD
Free Men - 24th September DVD / Blu-ray
The Alexander Sokurov Collection [Save and Protect, Second Circle & Elegy of Life] - 24th September DVD
Rien Ne Va Plus - 24th September DVD
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry - 8th October DVD / Blu-ray
Polisse - 8th October DVD
The Hunter - 29th October DVD / Blu-ray
Etre et Avoir - 29th October Blu-ray
The Giants - 5th November DVD
The Castle (Haneke) - 12th November DVD
In Your Hands - 26th November DVD / Blu-ray
The Jia Zhang-ke Collection: The Hometown Trilogy [Xiao Wu, Platform & Unknown Pleasures] - 26th November DVD
Au Hasard Balthazar - 10th December DVD
Mouchette - 10th December DVD
Berbarian Sound Studio - 10th December DVD / Blu-ray
Dardenne Brothers Collection - 10th December DVD

I'm really hoping that the Jia Zhang-ke collection is from a new set of transfers and that we might actually find a watchable version of Platform.

It's also worth noting for those around London that there will be a screening of Berbarian Sound Studio at the Curzon Soho on 28th August, followed by a Q&A with Peter Strickland. Tickets

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I'm really hoping that the Jia Zhang-ke collection is from a new set of transfers and that we might actually find a watchable version of Platform.

Intermedio released a Spanish disc that looks pretty good except for some overzealous DNR. The R2J clearly used a good master, but they windowboxed it to an absurd degree. There are no English subs on either, in case anyone didn't already assume that. Bear in mind that Jia is preparing a Michael Mann-esque "final director's cut," so even if AE does use a new master, I expect a still-better-looking version will be along within a year or two (although it won't be quite the same movie). To be honest, I don't think Xiao Wu and Unknown Pleasures could look that much better.

[bigP]

I'm really hoping that the Jia Zhang-ke collection is from a new set of transfers and that we might actually find a watchable version of Platform.

Intermedio released a Spanish disc that looks pretty good except for some overzealous DNR. The R2J clearly used a good master, but they windowboxed it to an absurd degree. There are no English subs on either, in case anyone didn't already assume that. Bear in mind that Jia is preparing a Michael Mann-esque "final director's cut," so even if AE does use a new master, I expect a still-better-looking version will be along within a year or two (although it won't be quite the same movie).

Is there an article or interview where he talks about this, Fanciful Norwegian? I'd love to hear his thoughts on the existing cut prior to it's re-release.

To be honest, I don't think Xiao Wu and Unknown Pleasures could look that much better.

I totally agree. I thought they both looked pretty good, but I'd be more than willing to buy them again for an improvement on Platform. I still feel like I haven't really watched that film yet as I couldn't sit comfortably with the previous release enough to enjoy it. The same goes for Shinji Aoyama's Eureka, another film I'd love to see them revisit.

[Calvin]

With AE now having the rights to the whole of Bresson's oeuvre (I think?), I thought that they would have released a boxset a la the Tarkovsky Collection. I'm kind of surprised ilthat they've decided to release Au hasard Balthazar as a standalone DVD.

[MichaelB]

With AE now having the rights to the whole of Bresson's oeuvre (I think?)

I can think of several that they don't have - they're unlikely to get Studio Canal's Diary of a Country Priest, for instance, and I believe the BFI still has Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne. And aren't Une Femme Douce and Four Nights of a Dreamer in limbo?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Is there an article or interview where he talks about this, Fanciful Norwegian? I'd love to hear his thoughts on the existing cut prior to it's re-release.

The recut was mentioned in Cinema Scope's recent "50 Directors Under 50" issue. I can't turn up anything else about it, but Jia has spoken more than once about the decisions that went into the original release cut -- which was itself shortened by 40 minutes from the Venice premiere version (193 minutes), which was in turn reduced from a 210-minute first cut. According to Jia, the festival cut was done under deadline pressure and he wasn't really happy with it; his main strategy with the release cut was to remove what he considered unnecessary connective tissue. So where the longer cut(s) would show a couple breaking up and going their separate ways, the release version would just show the girl leaving and skip the actual breakup. However, this writer (who refers to the short version as a "distributor's cut," though I have never seen Jia suggest anyone but himself was responsible) says the short version also removes some non-plot-related material, like additional performances and a non-diegetic coda. My guess is that some of this will be restored to the new version.

[Calvin]

With AE now having the rights to the whole of Bresson's oeuvre (I think?)

I can think of several that they don't have - they're unlikely to get Studio Canal's Diary of a Country Priest, for instance, and I believe the BFI still has Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne. And aren't Une Femme Douce and Four Nights of a Dreamer in limbo?

I asked MoC on twitter a few months ago about Bresson and they said "there's a push, by his widow, to get all Bresson under one roof in the UK. So all eyes on Artificial Eye."

[MichaelB]

But how much say (and sway) does his widow have over, say, Diary of a Country Priest?

[zedz]

But how much say (and sway) does his widow have over, say, Diary of a Country Priest?

If whoever holds the rights is as terrified of Mylene as everybody else seems to be, probably quite a bit!

[alfons416]

The Alexander Sokurov Collection [Save and Protect, Second Choice & Elegy of Life] - 24th September DVD

What movie is Second Choice? never heard of it. (they're not meaning Second Circle?)

[bigP]

The Alexander Sokurov Collection [Save and Protect, Second Choice & Elegy of Life] - 24th September DVD

What movie is Second Choice? never heard of it. (they're not meaning Second Circle?)

Struggling to work that one out myself. I've updated the Sokurov page in the Filmmakers section of the forum with added information of the Cinema Guild upcoming releases and for Save and Protect from this set, but haven't worked out which film they're talking about with Second Choice (and I wanted to check that Elegy of Life is this before I add that update too). I did think Second Circle was highly likely but thought I'd wait until there is clarification first.

[solaris72]

Here it's listed as Second Circle.

EDIT: I didn't notice it does indeed appear as "Second Choice" on the above link, though the text (which was posted some time ago when this was initially announced) lists the film as Second Circle.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

It's possibly why the release has been put back a month to re-do the covers?

[McCrutchy]

Great to see The Castle is getting an individual release. I didn't want to shell out for the re-released AE DVD box set when his catalogue is already starting to make the jump to Blu-ray in France. I hope it will have the extras mentioned in the review of the box set screener disc at [url-http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/i ... aneke.html]The Digital Fix[/url]...

[zedz]

Here it's listed as Second Circle.

EDIT: I didn't notice it does indeed appear as "Second Choice" on the above link, though the text (which was posted some time ago when this was initially announced) lists the film as Second Circle.

Maybe Second Choice is the previously unsuspected B-Roll version of Second Circle.

Anyway, sounds like the Cinema Guild release is the one to go for, since Second Circle is already available on an English-subbed disc, and I think Elegy of Life is too, but I lose track of all those Elegies..

[Gregory]

Great to see The Castle is getting an individual release. I didn't want to shell out for the re-released AE DVD box set when his catalogue is already starting to make the jump to Blu-ray in France. I hope it will have the extras mentioned in the review of the box set screener disc at The Digital Fix...

It would be good to have another DVD with 24 Realities per Second on it, if that's going to be included. If not, I don't see how this AE disc will be any improvement whatsoever over the Kino release of The Castle, and either way it's a little frustrating to see DVD-only releases when, like you say, some of Haneke's other '90s films are already becoming available on blu in France.

[McCrutchy]

While I obviously agree, the Kino is a PAL-->NTSC conversion, and it may just be cheaper to import the native PAL UK DVD regardless of extras.

[feckless boy]

September - December releases [as there are some new additions, this is so far the line up]:
The Turin Horse - 3rd September DVD

The release date has been pushed to September 10.

[bigP]

Is there an article or interview where he talks about this, Fanciful Norwegian? I'd love to hear his thoughts on the existing cut prior to it's re-release.

The recut was mentioned in Cinema Scope's recent "50 Directors Under 50" issue. I can't turn up anything else about it, but Jia has spoken more than once about the decisions that went into the original release cut -- which was itself shortened by 40 minutes from the Venice premiere version (193 minutes), which was in turn reduced from a 210-minute first cut. According to Jia, the festival cut was done under deadline pressure and he wasn't really happy with it; his main strategy with the release cut was to remove what he considered unnecessary connective tissue. So where the longer cut(s) would show a couple breaking up and going their separate ways, the release version would just show the girl leaving and skip the actual breakup. However, this writer (who refers to the short version as a "distributor's cut," though I have never seen Jia suggest anyone but himself was responsible) says the short version also removes some non-plot-related material, like additional performances and a non-diegetic coda. My guess is that some of this will be restored to the new version.

Thanks for this info. I found this interview with Jia on the Senses of Cinema website where he is asked briefly about the two cuts [though doesn't go into much detail]:

Stephen Teo: There are two versions of the film, a longer uncut version running over three hours, and a shorter version that runs two-and-a-half hours. Which version are you more satisfied with?
Jia: I am more satisfied with the shorter version because the longer version was something that we did in a hurry. I feel sorry for my investors because I had to prolong the schedule as I was waiting for the right season. And I was revising the screenplay non-stop. They asked me to hurry up the production in order to make the Venice Film Festival, and I did so. The shorter version is a distributor’s cut. But I myself wanted to cut it down to two-and-a-half hours, the better for it to be shown in theatres.

It's interesting to see that he values the shorter cut of the film (though still describing it as the distributor's cut), and I wonder if this keeping to the runtime will be something he tries to work around in his 'director's cut'? A Touch of Evil type MOC package would undoubtedly be of great value in housing all of the (potential) cuts for this film, though I can't picture AE getting into this.

[bigP]

September - December releases [as there are some new additions, this is so far the line up]:
The Turin Horse - 3rd September DVD

The release date has been pushed to September 10.

Thanks for the update, I've amended the list.

[rattlebag]

There is currently a great AE sale on in Fopp. Loads of films for a fiver and boxsets for £15. Satantango is a bargain at £12.

[broadwayrock]

Fopp's ebay store has some good deals too.

[zedz]

I found this interview with Jia on the Senses of Cinema website where he is asked briefly about the two cuts [though doesn't go into much detail]:

Stephen Teo: There are two versions of the film, a longer uncut version running over three hours, and a shorter version that runs two-and-a-half hours. Which version are you more satisfied with?
Jia: I am more satisfied with the shorter version because the longer version was something that we did in a hurry. I feel sorry for my investors because I had to prolong the schedule as I was waiting for the right season. And I was revising the screenplay non-stop. They asked me to hurry up the production in order to make the Venice Film Festival, and I did so. The shorter version is a distributor’s cut. But I myself wanted to cut it down to two-and-a-half hours, the better for it to be shown in theatres.

It's interesting to see that he values the shorter cut of the film (though still describing it as the distributor's cut), and I wonder if this keeping to the runtime will be something he tries to work around in his 'director's cut'? A Touch of Evil type MOC package would undoubtedly be of great value in housing all of the (potential) cuts for this film, though I can't picture AE getting into this.

Thanks for this information. If the options are: 1) a rushed cut the director wasn't happy with; 2) a distributor's cut that the director preferred to his own one; and 3) an actual director's cut; then this sounds more like a situation where 'director's cut + deleted / alternate scenes' would be the most sensible option. It's not a situation like Mr Arkadin or Touch of Evil where there's no definitive version and the relationships between the different cuts are murky or contentious.