BD 85 The Hop Pickers

[What A Disgrace]

Ladislav Rychman's 1964 film is being released in November.

[What A Disgrace]

November 25

• The Hop-Pickers (Starci na chmelu, 1964) presented from a new 4K restoration by the Czech National Film Archive.
• Gift of the Earth (Dar země, 1932): A rare archival silent film on the Czech hop-picking industry.
• One Hundred and Ten Years of the Pilsen Brewery (Sto deset let plzeňských piwowarů, 1952): A silent promotional film directed by the great Karel Zeman.
• The Processing of Hops (Posklizňová úprava chmelu, 1964): A contemporary information film directed by Josef Šuran.
• Trailer.
• 5.1 DTS-HD Audio option.
• 24-page booklet featuring an expansive new essay on the film by author Jonathan Owen.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• UK premiere on Blu-ray.
• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C).

[MichaelB]

I namechecked this in my commentary for Black Peter back in 2018, but I never imagined that Second Run would actually pick it up!

Equally significantly, Black Peter was also a notable box-office hit, scoring just under a million admissions – which is no mean feat in a country whose 1964 population was less than fifteen million. To put this in perspective, out of the 35 Czech-language films released domestically in 1964, Black Peter came a very creditable fifth, and the only two films that were substantially ahead of the pack were both made on a much bigger scale: the comedy musical Western pastiche Lemonade Joe with a whopping four and a half million tickets sold, and the musical The Hop Pickers, which was designed to rival its Hollywood counterparts in production values: it was made in colour, widescreen and with four-channel sound. Incidentally, it starred Vladimir Pucholt: 1964 was very much his breakthrough year. And it was also Forman’s, as the double-bill package of Audition and If There Were No Music had opened two months before Black Peter to a very impressive half a million admissions – and all three of Forman’s films combined cost far less than even a typical Czech feature, never mind something like The Hop-Pickers. So Forman was starting to look like a rather canny investment.

[ryannichols7]

that cover is extremely fun. and I love when Second Run go into short film programming mode, something I was just thinking the other day they should do more often. including a Karel Zeman piece is a very clever touch

still wild that Lemonade Joe remains unreleased. that has to change in 2025, right?

[MichaelB]

Deaf Crocodile have their eye on it, but I gather it's not available to them right now.

[TechnicolorAcid]

Deaf Crocodile have their eye on it, but I gather it's not available to them right now.

I can confirm this sadly is the case but there is a Czech Blu-Ray at the moment for anyone interested that comes with English subs.

[MichaelB]

If it's the one I have, it's not very good.

UPDATE: Retracted - see below!

[TechnicolorAcid]

If it's the one I have, it's not very good.

I imagine it’s at least better than the Facets DVD release though. And this for the record is what I’m referring to.

[MichaelB]

Actually, in fairness, I played a bit just now and I think I got it mixed up with something else - it's a perfectly decent presentation, albeit with room for improvement.

[Bikey]

Full details at our website

[Bikey]

"It's all beautifully shot in wide 2.55:1 CinemaScope, which takes full advantage of the format right from the striking opening shot. [...]
[An] excellent restoration, which presents the film in its intended spacious glory with its very stylized (and presumably accurate) colour scheme intact."

Mondo Digital

[Bikey]

"Its rediscovery comes heartily recommended [...]
An absolutely fascinating one-off - at once strange and familiar, ditzy and pointed, effervescent and sad"

Hannah McGill reviews in the current Sight and Sound magazine

[Bikey]

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