Slovak Cinema DVD/Blu-ray

[petoluk]

Also The Shop on Main Street is wonderful news.

It's out on region-free BD already, courtesy of Second Run. Is this a new restoration?

Yep, new 4K resto.

[feihong]

So as the member on the board, perhaps, most anxiously awaiting the Elo Havetta blu ray set, I'm guessing this set has yet to be released? I don't see it listed on Klapka yet.

[MichaelB]

“Anxiously”? Why? Slovak Blu-releases are almost always superb.

[domino harvey]

They’re obv using it synonymously with eagerly...

[feihong]

I just didn't know how to politely *bump* the topic, especially for our previous guest, klapka.sk, who had the lowdown on when the Havetta set is coming out.

[L.A.]

According to Google the Slovak Film Institute is closed for the time being. Please be patient. I am sure the Havetta will arrive at some point.

[Klapka.sk]

I just didn't know how to politely *bump* the topic, especially for our previous guest, klapka.sk, who had the lowdown on when the Havetta set is coming out.

Hi, yes Blu ray Elo Havetta collection we should have had it on sale, but there were some technical problems with release, which we could not predict :/
The same problems with release Blu ray The Shop on Main Street. So, I hope, both, it will be coming soon.
I'd rather not guess, when...

[MichaelB]

Well, you've got more than one guaranteed sale whenever they come out!

[L.A.]

Looking forward to both. I’ll wait as long as it takes. Thanks for the update, Števo.

[feihong]

Absolutely. Thank you so much for your update! So enthusiastically looking forward to ultimately seeing the discs.

[L.A.]

Besides the upcoming Elo Havetta Collection including three short films, it will also include a medium-length documentary about the director called Celebration of a Lonely Palm (2005) by Marko Škop and Juraj Johanides.

The extras for The Shop on Main Street:

- short films They are Personally Responsible for Crimes Against Humanity! (1946) and They Are Personally Responsible for Betraying the National Uprising! (1946) both directed by Jan Kadár and
- newly commissioned interviews with Stanislava Přádná (film historian), Egon Gál (philosopher), Elmar Kloss (son of Elmar Klos) and Václav Macek (film historian)

[MichaelB]

Well, that's sold both of them!

(Although I suspect I'd have bought both regardless - I blind-buy pretty much everything from the Slovak Film Institute, as their technical and presentational standards are exceptionally high given that they presumably don't operate on a particularly huge budget.)

[L.A.]

Elo Havetta Collection and The Shop on Main Street Blu-rays now listed.

[Calvin]

Is there anywhere else to order them? An 18 euro postage charge seems a little high, even as a Brexit punishment.

[MichaelB]

Why "a Brexit punishment"? Everyone outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia gets charged the same.

Anyway, I solved it in my usual way, which is to order half a dozen items - that way it's reduced to €3 per item, which is much more reasonable. (I can confirm that the €18 charge appears to be a blanket flat fee.)

[MichaelB]

Shipped first thing this morning. I'll report back when it arrives.

[Klapka.sk]

Shipped first thing this morning. I'll report back when it arrives.

Hi Michael, I'm sending it today, so the next few days :)

števo from klapka

[MichaelB]

I'm very happy to confirm that the €18 pays for tracked delivery, although all I can glean right now is that my package has left Slovakia after being posted in Bratislava. But that's what I'd expect at this stage, so all's well.

[Calvin]

Anyway, I solved it in my usual way, which is to order half a dozen items - that way it's reduced to €3 per item, which is much more reasonable. (I can confirm that the €18 charge appears to be a blanket flat fee.)

You make a good point; I do tend to order in the same way, so this might be the final push I need to order both Slovak Film box sets as I suppose 18EUR is not unreasonable as a flat fee. I think I paid similar for tracked courier delivery from dvdmax.pl on my last order.

[mhofmann]

Thanks to this thread I have also ordered a whole bunch of films from Klapka.sk. Bit of an adventure going through the ordering process with the help of Google Translate, but I assume very worth it!

[MichaelB]

I’ve seen most of the Slovak Film Institute Blu-rays to date (my current order mops up the lot), and technical and presentational standards are admirably consistent - and by that I mean consistently high.

Every release I’ve seen is also fully bilingual in Slovak and English, including the booklets - the latter aspect being particularly valuable as the information in them is by no means easy to come across elsewhere.

[L.A.]

A restoration of Night Riders (Martin Hollý, 1981) will world premiere at the Lumière Festival in Lyon this month. Blu-ray possibly in 2021.

[swo17]

I recently bought several films put out by SME as part of the Slovenian Films of the 60s or 70s series (stuff like Organ, 322, Song of the Grey Pigeon, etc.). They come in slim cases which makes me think they were originally part of a set. Is that so, and can it still be had? Sorry, there's some very old discussion about this in this thread, but most of the links are dead by now.

[domino harvey]

I bought a lot of the 60s titles direct when they first came out and they were in slimcases with booklets and advertising materials (catalogs, flyers, etc) present in each one, so I don’t think they were ever released in a box

[swo17]

OK, that sounds the same as what I got now, thanks!