Olive Films

[captveg]

Jesus, I wonder when the well of shitty pre-Stagecoach John Wayne westerns is going to dry up

The only 30s Wayne film they have rights to that is left is The Oregon Trail (1936), but apparently it's a lost film according to some on the HTF.

[Zot!]

I'm impressed that there is such a market for Duke films on blu...or is it Western genre that holds the cult? Either way, Olive's prodigious output of obscurities is commendable.

[knives]

The Duke is still one of the highest sellers on the market regardless of quality or age.

[Gregory]

Pals of the Saddle and the other 3 Mesquiteers films would make more sense issued with more than one film per disc. These are among Wayne's least-desired films and at 55 minutes each not a good value as individual Blu-rays that waste most of the disc space.

[captveg]

The Unbelievable Truth - Special Features
• TUT & ITS CONSEQUENCES - The Making of “THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH”
• OPERA NO. 1 – Short Film by Hal Hartley with Adrienne Shelly and Parker Posey



21 April titles and counting...

[matrixschmatrix]

Haha, they're really trying to make that Wayne movie look like it fits in with all the westerns

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

More February titles:
Diary of a Chambermaid

Renoir version I presume?

Yes.

Has anyone seen this yet? How's the transfer?

[captveg]

Final April releases:



THE BOOK OF LIFE | THE GIRL FROM MONDAY [DOUBLE FEATURE DVD]
SPECIAL FEATURES:
THE BOOK OF LIFE
• UPON REFLECTION: THE BOOK OF LIFE - The Making of “THE BOOK OF LIFE”
• SISTERS OF MERCY - Short Film by Hal Hartley Starring Parker Posey
• THEATRICAL TRAILER
THE GIRL FROM MONDAY
• THE MAKING OF “THE GIRL FROM MONDAY”
• THEATRICAL TRAILER

----

So, 24 films on 23 releases, and 22 of those films on Blu-ray as well in April alone. Pretty damn impressive.

[captveg]

Also, some info from Mr. Lime regarding other titles (all from the HTF thread):

"I know that TRUCOLOR titles have been very problematic. It was a crappy color process and most of the negatives have faded badly. The Last Command was on their list."

"Fedora is coming out first. Stationmaster's Wife will most likely be late 2013 or 2014."

"Shanks should be out very soon. Probably the Summer."

"If everything goes as planned, SHACK OUT AT 101 should be sometime in the Fall."

"REUBEN, REUBEN should be coming out around the same time as SHANKS. Late Spring or Summer."

"Blowing Wild and File of Thelma Jordon should be very soon - May or June. No updates on The Other Love."

The 4 Bo Widerberg films listed below should be out later in 2013. Most likely in the Fall. The Paramount films are not available to them.

Man on the Roof (1977)
The Adalen Riots (1969)
Elvira Madigan (1967)
Raven’s End (1963)"

"[Sands of Iwo Jima and Operation Petticoat] will be later releases."

"Secret of the Incas was dropped. Poor film elements."

[Cash Flagg]

So, 24 films on 23 releases, and 22 of those films on Blu-ray as well in April alone. Pretty damn impressive.

They're releasing more new Blu-rays in April than Blue Underground have in three years.

[matrixschmatrix]

Is there a thread for discussion of The Quiet Man anywhere? Just watched it for the first time (I know) and I really, really would love to get other people's takes on it, since at first blush it's hard to get past the apparent celebration of violent patriarchy it seems to revolve around, no matter how gorgeous it looks.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Final April releases:

THE BOOK OF LIFE | THE GIRL FROM MONDAY [DOUBLE FEATURE DVD]
SPECIAL FEATURES:
THE BOOK OF LIFE
• UPON REFLECTION: THE BOOK OF LIFE - The Making of “THE BOOK OF LIFE”
• SISTERS OF MERCY - Short Film by Hal Hartley Starring Parker Posey
• THEATRICAL TRAILER
THE GIRL FROM MONDAY
• THE MAKING OF “THE GIRL FROM MONDAY”
• THEATRICAL TRAILER

thanks for the info . I didn't see this Hal Hartley title on blu-ray.com. So, no blu-ray for this Hal Hartley double-feature ? they (Olive) only release so far "The Unbelievable Truth" and "Trust" (which I already bought - really a great blu-ray) ?

[Drucker]

Has anyone seen this yet? How's the transfer?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Kauffman's predictably lukewarm review, so take it with a grain of salt, I'm sure.

[repeat]

The 4 Bo Widerberg films listed below should be out later in 2013

Oh but this is pretty cool - Man on the Roof is a solid Scandinavian policier (although I think I almost prefer its later, even more cynical TV reprise, The Man from Mallorca) - and really anxious to finally get to see the acclaimed Raven's End! I hope Olive manages to include some contextualizing extras for these films, but this is seriously great news even if they're barebones.

Wonder if any of these will be Blu though? If I'm not entirely mistaken, I think a HD master exists for Man on the Roof at least - I seem to remember the recent Swedish DVD being done from one.

[Kauno]

They just released Bo Widerberg set in Sweden. The set includes 7 of his films: Barnvagnen (1963), Kvarteret Korpen (1963), Elvira Madigan (1967), Ådalen 31 (1969), Mannen på taket (1976), Mannen från Mallorca (1984) and Ormens väg på Hälleberget (1986). Swedish subtitles only, but luckily I just about manage them.

[warren oates]

Final April releases:

THE BOOK OF LIFE | THE GIRL FROM MONDAY [DOUBLE FEATURE DVD]
SPECIAL FEATURES:
THE BOOK OF LIFE
• UPON REFLECTION: THE BOOK OF LIFE - The Making of “THE BOOK OF LIFE”
• SISTERS OF MERCY - Short Film by Hal Hartley Starring Parker Posey
• THEATRICAL TRAILER
THE GIRL FROM MONDAY
• THE MAKING OF “THE GIRL FROM MONDAY”
• THEATRICAL TRAILER

thanks for the info . I didn't see this Hal Hartley title on blu-ray.com. So, no blu-ray for this Hal Hartley double-feature ? they (Olive) only release so far "The Unbelievable Truth" and "Trust" (which I already bought - really a great blu-ray) ?

Keep in mind that these two features originated on standard def video (unliike the newer Meanwhile which is HD native). So an upgrade to an HD format like Blu-ray doesn't really make sense. I think for once Olive's decision here is fairly transparent and likely started with Hartley's call from the Possible Films end. I've always considered these features interesting experiments with some good moments, so I'm happy to see them get a release like this that rewards a blind buyer with two full films and a number of bonus features.

Don't forget that Meanwhile and Flirt are coming to Blu-ray too. And with Amateur and Simple Men getting new U.K. Blu-ray releases the U.S. rights may be back with Hartley too. So I wouldn't be surprised to see either one of those popping up sooner rather than later stateside. For now in the U.S. Henry Fool is relegated to Sony DVD-R.

[matrixschmatrix]

Has anyone seen this yet? How's the transfer?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Kauffman's predictably lukewarm review, so take it with a grain of salt, I'm sure.

He sure does spend a lot of time accusing Goddard of being a golddigger in that review

[ellipsis7]

Beaver on Renoir's DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID...

[colinr0380]

The Book of Life was part of a series of films called "2000 Seen By..." commissioned by French television to mark the Millenium (the other most famous entry is probably The Hole by Tsai Ming-Liang), which perhaps helps explains some of the more experimental elements of the project such as the standard definition filming and the 60 minute run time.

They just released Bo Widerberg set in Sweden. The set includes 7 of his films: Barnvagnen (1963), Kvarteret Korpen (1963), Elvira Madigan (1967), Ådalen 31 (1969), Mannen på taket (1976), Mannen från Mallorca (1984) and Ormens väg på Hälleberget (1986). Swedish subtitles only, but luckily I just about manage them.

It is a shame that Olive won't be releasing Barnvagen/The Pram. I have a copy from when the BBC showed that film in the mid-90s and it is a great 'kitchen sink'-style relationship drama that bears comparison with things like A Kind of Loving, A Taste of Honey or Il Posto. I haven't seen any of Widerberg's other films yet, but The Pram is enough to mark him out as a major filmmaker for me. Here's one of its key, albeit unsubbed, scenes.

[RobertB]

Mannen på taket is possibly the best Swedish police film ever. The helicopter crash scene is legendary in Sweden. The producers originally vetoed having a cameraman under the helicopter when it falls down. No insurance would cover the dangerous filming. So Widerberg talked them in to leaving a camera ready, close to the crash site. After he had called “action” he grabbed the camera, went under the helicopter, and filmed it himself.

As long as the subtitles can be removed I will buy the Widerberg films. I was annoyed when SF only did a DVD release of the new restorations last year.

[repeat]

Jesus, that is a priceless anecdote - what a man! I chanced upon Mannen från Mallorca recently and immediately ordered the Swedish 2-disc of Mannen på taket - great films both - very anxious now to see the rest. It really is disappointing that they didn't do Blu-rays of these in Sweden, despite having made new digital restaurations; maybe hopefully Olive would fix that!

Barnvagnen is available separately from Malavida, but it's rather pricey (even on amazon.es), and I don't know if it has removable subs.

[Calvin]

Trust me on this one guys as I can't really say on here why, but if you want Olive to include a T Gallagher visual essay on their upcoming The Sun Shines Bright release, you have to contact them to let them know as it looks like they're changing their mind about using him for one. So please, for the sake of all us Ford fans, send 'em a message thru their website or FB!

Fingers crossed this'll work.

Did this get anywhere? Oddly, The Sun Shines Bright isn't listed on Olive's site yet even though it's supposed to be out in a few weeks.

[Mathew2468]

Beaver on Beyond the Clouds

Burned in english subs.

Edit: Just realised this came out last month. Well...

[andyli]

I didn't know that Antonioni shot this movie with a cellphone until now. Thank you OLIVE!

[knives]

Perhaps it looks better in motion. Plus later Antonioni typically looks weak for lack of a better term.