Éric Rohmer on DVD and BD

[Zot!]

Thx Zot. I just have to take this on trust I guess. It is inexplicable that the Boxset seems to compromise several of these transfers. Indeed I remember decades ago there was a slew of 35mm pristine projection prints of Ma Nuit Chez Maude around the place. This and others just seems bizarre. But...

Anway the price after VAT was a mere shaken 180 Euros.

Body now officially for sale. Parts negotiable.

I look forward to your usual impassioned take on the set David, I hope I didn't steer you wrong. The DVDBeaver reviews highlight its obvious and at times dramatic advantages over previous releases, but some of the exceptions may raise different levels of ire depending on your personal bias and peeves.

[Michael Kerpan]

Need to win a somewhat bigger lottery -- just got a bill for $1200 as my "co-payment" for my 23 hours in the emergency room (overnight "observation) in November. ;~{

[artfilmfan]

$1,200 co-payment! According to zedz's analysis, that's 20% of the cost to subtitle the 40-hr extra materials! Yes, we do need you to win a bigger lottery, Michael. But don't let the pressure (of having to win) get to you.

[perkizitore]

Jeez, these horror stories make me appreciate even more the NHS, which surprisingly is still the only service I receive from this country for free!

[TMDaines]

Yes, we're in an extremely fortunate position over here and long may it continue.

[michaelgsmith]

I've now seen every film in the Potemkine box and have reviewed it on my blog. My review is mostly about Rohmer's artistry in general (although I do provide a letter grade for the A/V quality of every disc in the set): http://whitecitycinema.com/2013/12/23/t ... paint-dry/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[goodguy]

Aside from the digital uberprocessing on some titles like Pauline, the messed up aspect ratios really annoy me. For example, The Aviator's Wife is 1.66:1 instead of 1.33:1, the cropping at the top and bottom being very noticeable. On the other hand, A Tale of Springtime is 1.33:1 instead of 1.66:1. And not open matte, mind you, but cropped left and right - immediately noticeable during the opening credits.

[michaelgsmith]

Many thanks Michael, that's quite a labor (albeit of love.)

Thanks, David.

[PGW]

I'm confused. I just looked at my own screen-caps of "A Tale of Springtime" and the aspect ratio of the U.S. DVD seems to match that of the French DVD in the set (is the blu-ray different?). If anything, the French DVD has a little MORE on the sides than the U.S. disc.

[goodguy]

This is a screenshot from the Blu-ray opening credits of A Tale of Springtime. It's easily recognizable that the text is cut off at the right.
This screenshot from the Blu-ray matches the first screenshot in this DVDBeaver review of the UK and US DVDs. The comparison shows that the Blu is severely cropped left and right - it's basically like a Pan&Scan version of the original 1.66:1 image.

[PGW]

Huh?!

Mine doesn't look like that (the screencap is from the DVD, but I checked and the blu-ray is framed the same).

[PGW]

And here's the same shot from DVDBeaver, from the new DVD.

[Zot!]

I've had an odd experience that might explain this, and perhaps someone with more technical know-how could chime in. When I played one of the 1080i (I think Rayon Vert?) films in this set and let my player convert it to NTSC, it does a very odd cropping similar to what is described above. When I display it in native 1080i on my PAL friendly TV, it displays correctly.

[goodguy]

@PGW: Thanks for double-checking. I don't know what went wrong there. The set belongs to a friend and we skimmed through it at his place (he also did the screencaps later upon my request). He's on New Year's vacation now, but we certainly will look back into it once he returns.

[Black Hat]

I'm so glad to learn a Lycée Jacques Brel exists.

[ambrose1am]

Does anyone know if there's been a digital release of Rohmer's Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle? That underrated late-'80s gem is still unavailable on digital video anywhere as far as I know. It's a shame, too, because "The Blue Hour" and "The Cafe' Waiter" segments are two of Rohmer's best mid- to late-period films.

[zedz]

You're posting in the thread about it.

[Jack Phillips]

Does anyone know if there's been a digital release of Rohmer's Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle? That underrated late-'80s gem is still unavailable on digital video anywhere as far as I know. It's a shame, too, because "The Blue Hour" and "The Cafe' Waiter" segments are two of Rohmer's best mid- to late-period films.

Watched these this morning. They look really good in Blu-ray.

[repeat]

Does anyone know if there's been a digital release of Rohmer's Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle? That underrated late-'80s gem is still unavailable on digital video anywhere as far as I know. It's a shame, too, because "The Blue Hour" and "The Cafe' Waiter" segments are two of Rohmer's best mid- to late-period films.

If you don't want to go for the complete works, it's available separately on a budget priced DVD from Films de ma vie. I had that but sold it still sealed as soon as I heard about the box, so can't vouch for the quality. No subs on that one obviously.

[StevenJ0001]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are all the contents of the big box contained in the four separate boxes?

[Jack Phillips]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are all the contents of the big box contained in the four separate boxes?

I doubt very much whether any of the separate boxes come with tea bags.

[Mathew2468]

Pauline Beaver

Yeah, 1.33:1 and 1080i. Is it possible for a 1080i transfer to not have the PAL speedup?

Wishing I hadn't just bought the AE Tales of the Four Seasons and the Arrow box.

[Zot!]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are all the contents of the big box contained in the four separate boxes?

I doubt very much whether any of the separate boxes come with tea bags.

Well, I think the issue is that there are only 3 seperate boxes, which mean that ALL the films that don't fit into one of the "cycles" are missing.

Pauline Beaver
Yeah, 1.33:1 and 1080i. Is it possible for a 1080i transfer to not have the PAL speedup?

I had previously slagged off Pauline at the Beach, before watching it in full. Now I've sat down with it, and while it still looks slightly cleaned or something at times. I think mostly what I am seeing is slightly dated transfer of an academy 35mm image. Without anamorphic stretching or widescreen cropping, the film is very sharp and detailed without much in the way of grain. My Night with Maud is similarly "sharp". That film also retains a great deal of detail, but similarly looks grainless. I don't know enough about DNR to really judge, but skin detail and other textures remain intact for both films.

It is not the 1080i that has the PAL speed up, it is the 25fps. You can have 1080i films that run at the right speed, like Existenz.

[StevenJ0001]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are all the contents of the big box contained in the four separate boxes?

I doubt very much whether any of the separate boxes come with tea bags.

I guess I can do without the teabags. Just hoping to soften the blow to my credit card by buying the smaller boxes over a period of time.

[StevenJ0001]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but are all the contents of the big box contained in the four separate boxes?

I doubt very much whether any of the separate boxes come with tea bags.

Well, I think the issue is that there are only 3 seperate boxes, which mean that ALL the films that don't fit into one of the "cycles" are missing.

Oh I see--for some reason I thought there was a fourth box. Hmmmm, decisions, decisions... Thanks for the info!