MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist, and Random Speculation

[Lowry_Sam]

My top choices for the "M" clue would be:

1. A new restoration of Metropolis with the new (2015) soundtrack featuring music from Portishead, Massive Attack, Brian Eno, New Order, Faithless & Cinematic Orchestra. I saw it in Copenhagen & must say it blew every other version away. I actually held off picking up the last limited edition in hopes that this version will make it to blu.

2. M - the Joseph Losey remake. Would be nice to see this finally make it to disc.

[Finch]

Enough of Metropolis already. I know I don't have to buy it but seriously...

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I think Hou's The Sandwich Man is also available, but not sure it has been restored yet.

This was restored several years ago by the CMPC and is available as a standalone Japanese Blu or in a Taiwanese boxset with Growing Up and In Our Times.

[domino harvey]

[swo17]

I don't even like the film that much but feel compelled to own it for history reasons. Honestly my favorite thing, inside or out, about MoC's first steelbook release of it was the steelbook itself, so anything that loses that would feel like a downgrade.

[rapta]

Somebody over on Blu-ray.com suggested the "M" clue could be Dreyer's Michael, which could possibly also be the Deutsche Kinemathek master clue...although there's no word on a 4K restoration of that film, and it had already been restored a decade ago by the Danish Film Institute and FWMS!

So let the speculation continue...

My top choices for the "M" clue would be:

1. A new restoration of Metropolis with the new (2015) soundtrack featuring music from Portishead, Massive Attack, Brian Eno, New Order, Faithless & Cinematic Orchestra. I saw it in Copenhagen & must say it blew every other version away. I actually held off picking up the last limited edition in hopes that this version will make it to blu.

2. M - the Joseph Losey remake. Would be nice to see this finally make it to disc.

As much as I love those artists (particularly Eno, New Order and Portishead), I can't see Eureka releasing yet another edition of Metropolis. I already thought last year's steelbook was overkill...until I got a copy for £12.50 on eBay and saw what all the fuss was about.

As for Losey's M, I somehow doubt it would get a 4K restoration - and besides, isn't it with Sony? If it is indeed a Sony title, then they wouldn't sublicense it to a UK label like Eureka (unfortunately).

I don't even like the film that much but feel compelled to own it for history reasons. Honestly my favorite thing, inside or out, about MoC's first steelbook release of it was the steelbook itself, so anything that loses that would feel like a downgrade.

Basically sums up how I feel about it, and probably how I'd feel about The Birth of a Nation had I bought it (although a little more so than Metropolis). I do admire Lang but Metropolis isn't my favourite of his.

[Finch]

Surely the only reason to own/buy a film is because you like it. What's the point of owning a film for its historical place if you aren't likely to watch it more than once? There are several canonical titles that I don't own because I know they don't appeal to me to warrant repeated viewings, and I'd rather use my limited storage space for films I know I'm going to watch them regularly.

Of course, our tastes evolve/change over time and something you may have had no appreciation for previously might rise in your estimation but then again, it might not. Niebelungen apart, I've never much liked Lang's German films, Metropolis especially. I've heard the argument before that people feel compelled to own something because of its historical value but compelled by whom?

I'm not having a go at you, swo and rapta; I'm just curious.

[Drucker]

I have always found the best way to give something a fair shot is owning it. I have CDRS and TCM movies dvred, but I just find myself giving these things a fairer shot when I own them. The worst that happens is I blow 20 bucks supporting a company I love.

As you said, tastes evolve, and I've never regretted buying a piece of music or film, no matter how mich it didn't click at first. But I have regretted not buying something that went OOP or was a rare find. And in this age of limited high profile releases, I find myself buying lots of sets just in case.

So I have lots of reasons to buy various films. I obviously lean towards the stuff I know I'll love, but in the interest of keeping variety and giving new things new chances, I keep more than just the stuff I love around.

[swo17]

Surely the only reason to own/buy a film is because you like it. What's the point of owning a film for its historical place if you aren't likely to watch it more than once? There are several canonical titles that I don't own because I know they don't appeal to me to warrant repeated viewings, and I'd rather use my limited storage space for films I know I'm going to watch them regularly. I've heard the argument before that people feel compelled to own something because of its historical value but compelled by whom?

I dunno, at a certain point you just need an excuse to keep buying things...I generally only do this though for directors that I mostly like, all things considered. I love the Mabuse films, Nibelungen, M, etc., and I get some sort of satisfaction out of keeping these among all of Lang's other films that are readily available in fancy editions, which I display together on my shelf in chronological order. It's kind of like I own Fritz Lang, and I keep him here in this spot, next to Murnau.

[TMDaines]

Surely the only reason to own/buy a film is because you like it. What's the point of owning a film for its historical place if you aren't likely to watch it more than once? There are several canonical titles that I don't own because I know they don't appeal to me to warrant repeated viewings, and I'd rather use my limited storage space for films I know I'm going to watch them regularly.

I imagine I won't watch 95% of my discs and downloads more than once, ditto with reading books. Drucker's point is a salient one and so is Swo's.

[tenia]

The worst that happens is I blow 20 bucks supporting a company I love.

As you said, tastes evolve, and I've never regretted buying a piece of music or film, no matter how mich it didn't click at first. But I have regretted not buying something that went OOP or was a rare find.

Same here. Actually, with time going, I have less time to watch movies but more money to buy them, so I'm currently not even watching about half of what I'm buying (if one day I stop buying stuff, I'll have about 3 years of stock at my current watchin pace). So I'm even further away from watching them several times (except a handful of them) !
But I'm buying mostly from independant labels where I'm mostly blind-buying stuff and end up only rarely disappointed. I support these companies and because I hate digital copies / streaming and stuff, I much prefer spending some money but owning a physical copy of it.

The issue is shelf space, though (and that's currently the only reason why I slowed down my blind-buys).

[rapta]

Surely the only reason to own/buy a film is because you like it. What's the point of owning a film for its historical place if you aren't likely to watch it more than once? There are several canonical titles that I don't own because I know they don't appeal to me to warrant repeated viewings, and I'd rather use my limited storage space for films I know I'm going to watch them regularly.

Of course, our tastes evolve/change over time and something you may have had no appreciation for previously might rise in your estimation but then again, it might not. Niebelungen apart, I've never much liked Lang's German films, Metropolis especially. I've heard the argument before that people feel compelled to own something because of its historical value but compelled by whom?

I'm not having a go at you, swo and rapta; I'm just curious.

In the case of Metropolis, it was a rare one because it's such an important film. I bought the first MoC Blu-ray release, and found the film itself to be rather dull, but have now replaced it with the steelbook. I rarely buy stuff for the sake of it unless it's something important that I know I will appreciate later on if not now - the MoC steelbook is indeed the ultimate edition of the film, so there's plenty on there to digest over the years, not least the Moroder-scored version. Also, it has shot up in value, so there's that (I had a spare sealed copy and sold it for about £40 a few months ago).

I don't hate Metropolis, and like it enough to justify owning a copy, whereas I might not feel the same about Griffith's The Birth of a Nation - hence why I've avoided buying it up until now (I may have to just brave it on Netflix to decide, or wait 'til it's on sale again). Or indeed, Griffith's Intolerance, which I can see myself probably only watching once.

There are plenty of titles I could have bought 'for the sake of it', but despite what I've said above I do try to avoid it. There are still several Fellini films I don't own because I'm not sure how I feel about his films, and if I had bought the recent Yoshida and Rivette sets from Arrow I feel it would've just been 'for the sake of it' (particularly in regards to Rivette, after all this buzz about Out 1).

Most of the time, I find blind-buys are well worth it though, and I try to research before buying anything I'm not sure - read about the film, watch clips on YouTube, and reviews of the disc itself. Then if I really don't like it, I will sell it on quite swiftly. That's only happened a handful of times so far, and I've been collecting for a few years...and never with an MoC title (yet)!

[Finch]

Thanks for the responses, folks. I certainly agree with the sentiment of wanting to support a label we value. I agree with tenia though in that my blind buys are significantly less these days.

[FrauBlucher]

For me, I've been less inclined to buy things for the sake of buying like I did in my younger days. As I approach my mid 50s my criteria has changed for buying home media. CDs I rarely buy anymore (I did buy Bowie's last), except for a major reissue job, and even this is not often. Books are also limited in my purchase column at this point, especially because reading books through the modern technology is easier. As for films, I only buy blu Rays, a few eclipse sets are the exception. And my formula is easy. If it's something that will make a round two of viewing and is not easily accessible, then I will be more than happy to make the purchase.

In the past I have made purchases based on historical importance. Some have been disappointing and others were a good get. Haven't done this in a long time, but When A Brighter Summer Day comes out I will most likely buy it. Never seen it. It's a holy grail of modernish art house. It's the kind of cinema I enjoy these days, plus I liked Yi Yi, so I will feel compelled to take that plunge.

And to tie this in with MoC, I very like Metropolis. I bought the latest edition (steel book) even though I had the previous version. Having the ultimate version of a historically significant film and one that I like is a huge bonus.

[Werdegast]

As to "Grieshuus": yes, the director (Arthur von Gerlach) may not be terribly well known, but still this is a major UFA production. And the TV broadcast of the new resto looks fabulous.

But I guess MoC will at least put out the new resto of Lang's "Der müde Tod/Destiny" which FWMS are currently producing.

It is now available as DVD from FWMS. Unfortunately I can´t find any information about English subtitles.

http://murnau-stiftung.de/movie/1033

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B011QJW ... sumfilm-21

[Melan]

It is now available as DVD from FWMS. Unfortunately I can´t find any information about English subtitles.

I own the FWMS release, and there are no English subtitles. Not that the movie is particularly hard to understand without the intertitles - it is a very straightforward story.

[Werdegast]

It is now available as DVD from FWMS. Unfortunately I can´t find any information about English subtitles.

I own the FWMS release, and there are no English subtitles. Not that the movie is particularly hard to understand without the intertitles - it is a very straightforward story.

Thanks for the info Melan. I guess I have to get the FWMS release as I don't think MoC put out this film.

[Drucker]

Coming up, our BIGGEST EVER announcement as we reveal TWELVE new titles! All will be revealed here TOMORROW (30 March)...

[What A Disgrace]

I'm really frightened.

[omgkitty]

You would think this means there's a box set coming?

[TMDaines]

Vertov extras could account for several of these. Any boxsets that have been rumoured?

[Drucker]

Vertov extras could account for several of these. Any boxsets that have been rumoured?

I wonder if we get some Robert Flaherty box? Mona was recently restored and Kino is releasing it in the US.

There could also be a Lang coming. Destiny was restored, Hangmen is still only out thru Cohen, and Kino released Spiders a few years ago but on SD.

Wouldn't be surprising to see a BD of the 4k restoration of Johnny Guitar.

It also occurred to me the other day that Fedora never got a UK release, did it? Since Carlotta and Olive did it, seems like something MOC could be putting out.

[domino harvey]

"Titles" implies to me individual releases, not movies/shorts in a box

[TMDaines]

We'll see. I'll be pleasantly surprised if we hear of 12 spines or even 12 features!

[Finch]

Maybe Targets as one of their remaining Paramount titles? It'd complement the other Bodganovich in the series nicely and it'd attract the interest of genre fans for Boris Karloff alone. Personally, I'm also hoping for a Blu-Ray of Queen of Earth and more Von Sternberg silents, and one or two Japanese titles (Death by Hanging might be a possibility though it wouldn't be on my own wishlist). Perhaps a Hou Hsiao Hsien set comprising A Brighter Summer Day, Dust in the Wind, and A Time To Live and A Time To Die? More French titles would be welcome, too. I can't remember who owns Elevator to the Scaffold in the UK (Optimum had it on DVD and are now owned by Studio Canal but do they still have the rights?) but if the rights are available, porting the recent French BD would be a good choice.

For the Eureka Classics line-up, I'm hoping for a Lone Wolf BD boxset beating Criterion to the punch.