322 The Complete Mr. Arkadin
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J Wilson
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:26 pm
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Last I heard, the disc was scheduled to have three versions of the film: the "Corinth" version, the Confidential Report cut Criterion has issued before on LD, and the new Munich version. In addition to the commentary track, I want to say the episode of the Harry Lime radio show ("Man of Mystery") featuring Welles' initial conception of Arkadin will be included as well. What would be nice to see would be material from an Italian show done about the film, which featured various outtakes from Arkadin, including footage of Welles directing Paola Mori during one of her scenes.
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leo goldsmith
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 5:13 pm
- Location: Kings County
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GringoTex
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:57 am
From Jonathan Rosenbaum:
It will be a three-disc set including the Corinth version of the film
(with a commentary by James Naremore and myself), CONFIDENTIAL REPORT, and a new edit by Stefan Droessler (of the Munich Film Archives) that will draw material from a variety of sources. Each version will have separate liner notes--by me, Francois Thomas, and Stefan, respectively--and I believe the set will also include some radio shows and a reprint of the novel (although there's new and more conclusive
evidence, that will be cited, that Welles didn't write the latter).
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DrewReiber
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:27 am
This is without a doubt everything I hoped for and more. When my friends and I debated about the contents of the release, some found it hard to believe Criterion would go so far as 3 discs/versions of the film. I really felt like we had to have all 3 cuts to make this truly definitive, so I was hoping they would hold the set back in order to compliment Drossler's time table. They really went the mile on this one.
The inclusion of the radio show and commentary were pretty much given, but the addition of the book is a delightful surprise. Even though it was mostly a cross-promotional item, it helps to complete the total experience for following the film during the 50's. This movie is one of my favorite Welles and the set definitely follows F for Fake as one of the best editions ever produced for his work. I can't wait to see what they do for The Immortal Story.
Warner (Magnificent Ambersons, Journey Into Fear, etc.) and the other labels really have their work cut out for them to reach the standards achieved here for their own Welles-related DVD packages. This also is quickly becoming one of my favorite years for restorations, as the Drossler cut will be preceeded by the new Pat Garret & Billy the Kid and hopefully followed by Richard Donner's cut of Superman II (both Warner).
The inclusion of the radio show and commentary were pretty much given, but the addition of the book is a delightful surprise. Even though it was mostly a cross-promotional item, it helps to complete the total experience for following the film during the 50's. This movie is one of my favorite Welles and the set definitely follows F for Fake as one of the best editions ever produced for his work. I can't wait to see what they do for The Immortal Story.
Warner (Magnificent Ambersons, Journey Into Fear, etc.) and the other labels really have their work cut out for them to reach the standards achieved here for their own Welles-related DVD packages. This also is quickly becoming one of my favorite years for restorations, as the Drossler cut will be preceeded by the new Pat Garret & Billy the Kid and hopefully followed by Richard Donner's cut of Superman II (both Warner).
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Cinesimilitude
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 4:43 am
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bjeggert82
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 1:36 am
- Location: www.deepfocusreview.com
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Jeff
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:49 am
- Location: Denver, CO
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Narshty
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:27 pm
- Location: London, UK
http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=322
[quote]Orson Welles's Mr. Arkadin (a.k.a. Confidential Report) is one of cinema's great mysteries. How did a globetrotting narrative of espionage, amnesia, and backstabbing come to be itself marked by these qualities? In the film, small-time American smuggler Guy van Stratten is hired by elusive billionaire Gregory Arkadin to investigate the tycoon's past. What follows is a dizzying descent into the Cold War landscape of a Europe trying to erase its history. In making the film, Welles was ultimately banned from the editing room by producer (and undercover Soviet agent) Louis Dolivet. As a result, many versions exist, none of them definitive. The Criterion Collection is proud to collect the many faces of Mr. Arkadin into one box for the first time—from the story's beginnings in radio to the novel published under Welles's name to an all-new “comprehensive versionâ€
[quote]Orson Welles's Mr. Arkadin (a.k.a. Confidential Report) is one of cinema's great mysteries. How did a globetrotting narrative of espionage, amnesia, and backstabbing come to be itself marked by these qualities? In the film, small-time American smuggler Guy van Stratten is hired by elusive billionaire Gregory Arkadin to investigate the tycoon's past. What follows is a dizzying descent into the Cold War landscape of a Europe trying to erase its history. In making the film, Welles was ultimately banned from the editing room by producer (and undercover Soviet agent) Louis Dolivet. As a result, many versions exist, none of them definitive. The Criterion Collection is proud to collect the many faces of Mr. Arkadin into one box for the first time—from the story's beginnings in radio to the novel published under Welles's name to an all-new “comprehensive versionâ€
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oldsheperd
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 9:18 pm
- Location: Rio Rancho/Albuquerque
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denti alligator
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 1:36 am
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
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THX1378
- Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:35 am
- Location: Fresno, CA
Wow, Criterion seems to be trying to even top the F for Fake disc and thats pretty tuff to do. Their still listing the set @ $49.99 and there still no word about the book being in with the set, which by now I thought would be up. BTW which book or bio is the best to read about Welles and his life/work. I have on order from Amazon the book Orson Welles: A Critical View that has a foreword by Truffaut and a profile by Cocteau.