322 The Complete Mr. Arkadin

[leo goldsmith]

to please the most demanding DVD collector...

I think Ishmael's point is that he is not (for shame!) the most demanding DVD collector. Like some of us, he probably has better things to spend his money on (like dinner). For him, as for many others, Arkadin will make a very enjoyable rental.

[Ishmael]

Thank you, Leo. That's exactly what I meant, but you said it much better!

[What A Disgrace]

With the site's return...the specs for the release have been altered slightly, with the addition of what seems to be a very thick booklet, apart from the source novel.

SPECIAL EDITION THREE-DISC SET FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfers of three versions of the film: the Corinth Verion, Confidential Report, and a new comprehensive version
- Audio commentary by Orson Welles scholars Jonathan Rosenbaum and James Naremore
- An interview with Welles biographer Simon Callow, featuring his audio interview with star Robert Arden
- Three half-hour episodes of the radio program The Lives of Harry Lime, upon which the film is based, and an interview with producer Harry Alan Towers
- On the Comprehensive Version, a new documentary featuring interviews with film historian Stefan Drössler and Claude Bertemes, and Welles confidant Peter Bogdanovich
- Outtakes, rushes, and alternate scenes from the film
- Extensive stills gallery
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: Mr. Arkadin, the novel, with a new preface by Robert Polito, and a booklet featuring J. Hoberman; Rosenbaum, film historian François Thomas, and Drössler on the three versions; and a time line of Arkadin-related events

[domino harvey]

shit, now that's a package

[porquenegar]

Goddamn, that looks great. Can't wait to get it!

[domino harvey]

it's only $30.99 preorder at DigitalEyes too

[thewind]

It's not the source novel, its a novelization.

[FilmFanSea]

It's rare for Robert Harris to comment on Criterion releases in his occasional "A few words about..." posts at HTF, but he is quite complimentary about Mr. Arkadin:

Packaged along with a paperbound copy of the novel, Criterion's new DVD release of Mr. Welles' Mr. Arkadin shows precisely how far, in an industry gone mad with continuous triple and quadruple dips into known territory, one can take a project in the name of quality, art and love of the cinema.

Offered as "The Complete Mr. Arkadin," this new DVD is much more than that.

As a project that was never officially completed by Mr. Welles, various versions have been available for decades, ranging from quite good to rather emasculated.

Offering three interestingly different versions of the film on three separate discs, we can now follow the editorial changes, and finally view for the first time, a new version which seems to be the closest to what might have been an "official" version had there been one.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Mr. Arkadin / Confidential Agent turf, this is a package containing many delights, put together with consummate care.

Mr. Arkadin is Criterion at its highest level.

Very Highly Recommended.

RAH

[denti alligator]

Will probably be windowboxed, or?

[Lino]

Tim Lucas on Arkadin and the upcoming Criterion DVD:

http://videowatchdog.blogspot.com/2006/ ... rship.html

[Narshty]

One for the geeks.

I must say, that's an unpleasantly smug and self-possessed blog by Lucas, above. He might well have a point, but, Christ, a bit of modesty goes a long way.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

One for the geeks.

I must say, that's an unpleasantly smug and self-possessed blog by Lucas, above. He might well have a point, but, Christ, a bit of modesty goes a long way.

Yeah, he's since posted a response to the backlash he received from said blog. It did reek a tad of sour grapes to me... the original blog posting, that is.

[tryavna]

One for the geeks.

I must say, that's an unpleasantly smug and self-possessed blog by Lucas, above. He might well have a point, but, Christ, a bit of modesty goes a long way.

Yeah, he's since posted a response to the backlash he received from said blog. It did reek a tad of sour grapes to me... the original blog posting, that is.

Actually, the more recent posting sounds even worse.... Here it is, for quick reference. Perhaps I don't read his blog often enough to judge, but he really comes across badly in these two entries.

[thethirdman]

Does anyone know which message board Lucas was referring to?

[Narshty]

Yup - the Wellesnet forum (here's the offending thread and the follow-up).

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Actually, the more recent posting sounds even worse.... Here it is, for quick reference. Perhaps I don't read his blog often enough to judge, but he really comes across badly in these two entries.

I read his blog on a regular basis and generally it is a good read, in particular his recent entry on Sterling Hayden and a while back he did a nice one on The Double Life of Veronique.

[Titus]

Beaver review. It is indeed windowboxed, as we feared, but looks to be otherwise fantastic, as we expected.

[Narshty]

Windowboxed yet again... Morons.

Do they not realise this is a practice every bit as foolish and backward-looking as their early non-anamorphic transfer policy?

[GringoTex]

I've never seen any of the versions and so have always avoided reading too much about it. So which version should I watch first for that good fuck-me-like-a-virgin experience?

[zedz]

Have not seen the reconstruction version myself, but why not start with the second Mr Arkadin disc, presumably the most compromised version, then go to the Corinth which was , correct me if I'm wrong, the European Confidential Report version, then the reconstruction.

I'm inclined to agree. It's sort of perverse to go from (notionally) worst to best, but it's often much harder to stomach the other way around. And you may never get around to the most compromised version if you run out of steam (I've never felt masochistic enough to view the dubbed and truncated Leopard, for example, and one King of Kings was enough!). Order of release / reception will also give you a better sense of the film's critical history.

I'm not sure how many commentaries are involved, but another option is to take in the 'best' version first off and view the others as background with the commentaries on. The 'happy' version of Brazil is painful to watch in its own right, but absolutely compelling with the commentary noting all of the minute modifications (a beautiful demonstration of just how much the meaning of a film can be altered by an accumulation of small edits).

[blindside8zao]

I've never seen any Welles but part of Chimes at Midnight and Citizen Kane. Would this or F for Fake be a good place to recommense my viewings? It sounds like an exciting set but I'm wondering if I should see other stuff with less problems as this seemed to have.

[daniel p]

I've never seen any Welles but part of Chimes at Midnight and Citizen Kane. Would this or F for Fake be a good place to recommense my viewings? It sounds like an exciting set but I'm wondering if I should see other stuff with less problems as this seemed to have.

I say watch all the Welles you can... and this appears to be one of the most comprehensive DVD releases ever, if not the most.

[Antoine Doinel]

I've never seen any Welles but part of Chimes at Midnight and Citizen Kane. Would this or F for Fake be a good place to recommense my viewings? It sounds like an exciting set but I'm wondering if I should see other stuff with less problems as this seemed to have.

I would recommend starting with either Citizen Kane or Touch Of Evil. They're probably the most accessible and complete (though TOE ruffles Wellesian feathers in discussing what the real director's cut actually is). From there I'd go to the The Trial and The Stranger.

[Andre Jurieu]

I've never seen any Welles ... I'm wondering if I should see other stuff with less problems as this seemed to have.

I would recommend starting with either Citizen Kane or Touch Of Evil. They're probably the most accessible and complete (though TOE ruffles Wellesian feathers in discussing what the real director's cut actually is). From there I'd go to the The Trial and The Stranger.

I would actually recommend watching The Magnificent Ambersons and Lady from Shanghai before moving on to The Stranger (I don't particularly care for this one) and The Trial. Just remember that almost everything Welles created was compromised in some fashion (which was partly his own fault - focus, Orson, focus). If you want to get to Arkadin quicker, I would just watch Ambersons and Touch of Evil after Kane.

[Antoine Doinel]

Can't believe I overlooked Lady From Shanghai, but yes, definitely watch it before viewing the Stranger. The thing with the Magnificent Ambersons is that it's only interesting insofar as what isn't there. The cut that remains is good but watching it, the "what-could-have-been" of the never to be seen again cut sticks in your ribs like yesterday's brunch. Unlike the rest of Welles canon, this one suffered the most tragically from the cuts. Great sequences lost amid a tepid melodrama that was obviously much more fleshed out in the original version.