Kira Muratova

[Yakushima]

Screencaps for :
Brèves rencontres
Les longs adieux
Parmi les pierres grises
Changement de destinée
Le syndrome asthénique

I kept them named after their timecodes, so anyone wanting to compare to existing discs will have an easier time finding the corresponding frames.

Tenia, thank you so much for posting the screencaps, this is hugely appreciated!
I totally see now what you meant and agree with you that this is a very disappointing image quality, particularly for The Asthenic Syndrome. The images from Change of Faith show more natural colors compared to the old Russian DVD, which heavily leaned red/pink, but otherwise, they look quite atrocious.
Despite my compulsion to support any releases of Kira Muratova films, I will sit this one out in the hope of getting restored versions via Criterion in the future.
Thank you again for your effort!

[tenia]

Something additionnal that's not really visible in those caps.
The Long Farewell clearly isn't from a new 4K 35mm OCN restoration, and judging from Chris' caps, it's clearly a different source than what Criterion used. But it's OK overall, just a lesser thicker presentation.
The other 3 however all share HEAVY flickering and wobbling. The flickering can't be picked up with mere caps, but it's very heavy (especially as this is something I'm particularly sensitive to). It's clear no stabilisation has been attempted.
Also, while Among the Grey Stones has a slightly better presentation than Change of Destiny and Asthenic Syndrome, it has a very digital texture overall. It's a weird effect, bordering at times to VHS tracking, and that you can kinda get from the 7th and 8th capture, but otherwise also is more tangible in-motion.
I asked Potemkine if they can provide me with more background about these 4 presentations, and if I don't get a response for whatever reason, I'll see them next week at Lyon, so they won't be able to escape from me as easily !

[MichaelB]

Yes, since I already have two of them in excellent StudioCanal editions, there's no reason for me to buy this.

So it looks as though Potemkine's loss will be Curzon's gain, as that unexpected Jean Vigo set looks very tempting indeed.

[Yakushima]

Something additionnal that's not really visible in those caps.
The Long Farewell clearly isn't from a new 4K 35mm OCN restoration, and judging from Chris' caps, it's clearly a different source than what Criterion used. But it's OK overall, just a lesser thicker presentation.
The other 3 however all share HEAVY flickering and wobbling. The flickering can't be picked up with mere caps, but it's very heavy (especially as this is something I'm particularly sensitive to). It's clear no stabilisation has been attempted.
Also, while Among the Grey Stones has a slightly better presentation than Change of Destiny and Asthenic Syndrome, it has a very digital texture overall. It's a weird effect, bordering at times to VHS tracking, and that you can kinda get from the 7th and 8th capture, but otherwise also is more tangible in-motion.
I asked Potemkine if they can provide me with more background about these 4 presentations, and if I don't get a response for whatever reason, I'll see them next week at Lyon, so they won't be able to escape from me as easily !

Tenia, thank you for the additional details! I am so surprised that Potemkine opted for such shoddy editions of these classic films, doing a great disservice to Kira Muratova's legacy and undermining its own reputation. I'd be very curious to hear what they have to say for themselves, if you get a chance to chat with them in Lyon. Please give them an earful on behalf of all the disappointed forum members

[Yakushima]

Yes, since I already have two of them in excellent StudioCanal editions, there's no reason for me to buy this.

So it looks as though Potemkine's loss will be Curzon's gain, as that unexpected Jean Vigo set looks very tempting indeed.

Same here, and I agree that Jean Vigo set looks mighty tempting...

[Yakushima]

Screencaps for :
Brèves rencontres
Les longs adieux
Parmi les pierres grises
Changement de destinée
Le syndrome asthénique

I kept them named after their timecodes, so anyone wanting to compare to existing discs will have an easier time finding the corresponding frames.

Tenia, thank you so much for posting the screencaps, this is hugely appreciated!
I totally see now what you meant and agree with you that this is a very disappointing image quality, particularly for The Asthenic Syndrome. The images from Change of Faith show more natural colors compared to the old Russian DVD, which heavily leaned red/pink, but otherwise, they look quite atrocious.
Despite my compulsion to support any releases of Kira Muratova films, I will sit this one out in the hope of getting restored versions via Criterion in the future.
Thank you again for your effort!

Five Muratova films - Among Grey Stones, Change of Fate, The Asthenic Syndrome, Three Stories and The Tuner - arrived on the back channels in WEB-DL 1080p, all with the Criterion logos and all looking excellent, which deepens the mystery of the Potemkine choice of inferior masters for their set, and brings hope that at least these five titles will join The Criterion Collection sooner rather than later.

[Yakushima]

Found a decent-looking version of Muratova's sublime Passions (Увлеченья, 1994) on YouTube. Not sure if this is an upscale, but the film looks better here than on the ancient Ruscico DVD.

[Yakushima]

Two rare Muratova films Letter To America (1999) and Second Class Citizens (2001) are now available in HD on the Dovzhenko Center website. Both look excellent. Letter To America is described as a 35 mm positive scan done by the Dovzhenko Center Film Laboratory.

[Yakushima]

2025 was a breakthrough year for the transition of Kira Muratova's films to HD.
By my latest count, the following titles are now available in good to excellent HD transfers, either on Blu-ray or on various streaming platforms:

Our Honest Bread (1964) (dovzhenkocentre.org)
Brief Encounters (1967) (Blu-ray release 2024: Studio Canal (UK) / Criterion (US))
Long Goodbyes (1971) (Blu-ray release 2024: Studio Canal (UK) / Criterion (US))
Among Grey Stones (1983) (Criterion channel)
Change Of Fortune (aka Destiny) (1987) (Criterion channel)
The Asthenic Syndrome (1989) (Criterion channel)
Three Stories (1997) (Criterion channel)
Letter To America (1999) (dovzhenkocentre.org)
Second Class Citizens (2001) (dovzhenkocentre.org)
The Tuner (2004) (Criterion channel)
Eternal Homecoming (2012) (Back channels)

The following have only the SD (DVD) releases:

Getting To Know The Whole Wide World (1978)
Passions (1994)
Chekhov's Motives (Chekhovian Motives) (2002)
Certification (Spravka) (2005)
Two in One (2007) - excellent DCP was shown at the 2025 retrospective.
Melody For A Street Organ (2009) - excellent DCP was shown at the 2025 retrospective.

Dummy (Kukla) (2009) - available on YouTube

In need of rescue:

The Sentimental Policeman (1992) - a beaten-up copy with burned-in subtitles was shown at the 2025 retrospective.