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It's unfortunate there is this overlap with the existing UK releases but I might cave in nonetheless 'cause god Taipei Story looks beautiful.

Surprised that the original negative to Mysterious Object at Noon is already lost. Also this is the first time I've come across a film restored in 3k. How common are 3k scans?

3k scans of 2k restorations are common enough.

Shouldn't that be the other way around (2k restorations of 3k scans)? Wouldn't make sense to up-res a scan to do restoration work, it would needlessly degrade the media.

I meant to write "3k scans for 2k restorations"; hope that clarifies things.

I might be wrong but IIRC, 3k scans are done on the full aperture material so that the restoration can be done at 2k on the post-masking elements. This way, the full 2k rez is used on the restored sections.

See also 6K scans for 4K restorations - again, this is very common practice.

Since the last time I looked, the following titles seem to have been added to the list:

Memorias del Subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment) [Cuba 1968] d: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
青梅竹馬 (Taipei Story) [Taiwan 1985] d: Edward Yang
Soleil Ô (Oh, Sun!) [Mauritania 1969] d: Med Hondo
Lucia [Cuba 1968] d: Humberto Solás

The first film has already seen a Blu-ray release, the second will tomorrow.

Soleil Ô looks to be the first fruit of the WCP's new African Film Heritage Project

New to the list from the World Film Project:

Dos monjes (Two Monks) [Mexico 1934] d: Juan Bustillo Oro

Revenge is an exceptional film at all levels, one I will definitely be revisiting and one I've been thinking about for weeks. One of the best films in either set, in my opinion, performances, script, structure, cinematography, pace, everything about the film just works together so beautifully and mournfully.

The aesthetic construction of the film object Mysterious Object at Noon is certainly brash, effective, and charming in its own right, but outside of the opening story, I didn't really like the film all that much, and I went back and rewatched extensively to make sure that I hadn't somehow missed something amidst all the disorienting discombobulations. So while appreciate that the film is its own thing, it is not a thing that I particularly appreciated, even as I kind of appreciated the fantasy and game of telephone of the whole unfolding disorder and how narrative scripts continue imposing and reimposing the orders we expect and desire.

Dammit. now I'm starting to like it more.

We will be screening Limite in Los Angeles on Sunday August 13 at Los Angeles Filmforum, http://www.lafilmforum.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have you ever wondered what sort of film Terrence Malick might have made if he operated in the silent era? No? Well, no one has, because its a pointless comparison, but the film he might have made is Limite. The lush, dreamy photography and utterly languorous, wandering style recalled Malick to me, constantly, particularly his most recent films. Largely lacking a plot, the film unfolds with poetic logic to its cinematography and editing style and it is incredibly accomplished in its mastery over how both forms work together. The film is a bit indulgent, like Malick, but it is a pretty staggering achievement and an impressive, must watch film for any serious cineaste, even if you don't love it, I can't imagine anyone denying that the film absolutely belongs in the canon of the era (such as Man with a Movie Camera et al).

Taipei Story is probably my least favorite of the three Yang films I've now seen, but it is still an excellent film. From early on, the lead actress reminds me constantly of Setsuko Hara, and the story and style remind me strongly of Ozu. But unlike many other Ozu styled films, this film seems to actually understand Ozu, rather than compartmentalizing Ozu incorrectly in some sort of slow, static, long take, humorless coffin of seriousness. The film is deeply embedded in the culture of its moment and the lives of the ascendent boomer generation in Taipei, their frustrations with their parents, careers, society and with each other. It's a wonderful film, beautifully told, and a very impressive second film from Yang.

Got to see Taipei Story screened here in Seattle. Of the three Yang films I've scene, this is definitely the one I liked the least - it's the most beautiful boring movie I've ever seen. It has some of the hypnotizing novelistic vibes of Brighter Summer Day, but the granular details aren't quite as intriguing. Still, it looks amazing. The grain rustles like a cashmere sweater, people swim in shadows that refuse to be inky, neon lights spill into the lens like oil. My husband and I were both kind of confused by some of the character relations, so the plot intricacies were sort of hard to follow. I'd like to see this a second time (it's too bad there's no commentary on the disc), now that I understand it, but it's too bad I won't get to see it on such a big screen again.

movielocke wrote:Taipei Story is probably my least favorite of the three Yang films I've now seen, but it is still an excellent film. From early on, the lead actress reminds me constantly of Setsuko Hara, and the story and style remind me strongly of Ozu. But unlike many other Ozu styled films, this film seems to actually understand Ozu, rather than compartmentalizing Ozu incorrectly in some sort of slow, static, long take, humorless coffin of seriousness. The film is deeply embedded in the culture of its moment and the lives of the ascendent boomer generation in Taipei, their frustrations with their parents, careers, society and with each other. It's a wonderful film, beautifully told, and a very impressive second film from Yang.

It seems to me very consciously an exercise in how to apply 'the lessons of Ozu' to a very different world, and Yang kind of internalised those lessons and that approach into his style going forward. I don't think he ever revisited this film's use of pillow shots, though. But for all it adopts aspects of Ozu's film grammar, it definitely doesn't come off as a pastiche. Ozu would give us a street of illuminated bar signs, but Yang gives us huge pop art neon abstracts, or darkened housefronts animated by the light of passing cars, much more ostentatiously stylized shots than Ozu would use, even though they share a similar function.

It seemed really weird to me that, in the interview on MoC's Daughter of the Nile, that Hou insisted that he'd never heard of Ozu until he travelled to Paris after the 1985 Nantes festival, when he'd already starred in this Ozu-inspired film. I find it hard to believe that Yang was keeping the Ozu influence that much of a secret (if so, he kind of blows it with the English title)!

New to the World Cinema Project:

Waqai Sanawat Al-Djamr {or Waqāʾiʿu sinīna l-jamri} وقائع سنين الجمر(Chronicle of the Years of Fire) [Algeria 1975] d: Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina (محمد الأخضر حمينة)
Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco [Brazil 1980] d: Héctor Babenco
Prisioneros de la tierra [Argentina 1939] d: Mario Soffici

All three have been restored by Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata and premiered at Il Cinema Ritrovato in June.

https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... -al-djamr/
https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... ais-fraco/
https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... la-tierra/

Forgot this one, which was presented as part of the Cannes Classics series on May 9, 2018:

Enamorada [Mexico 1946] d: Emilio Fernández

https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/fest ... namorada-1

Restoration notes for all WCP films:
http://www.film-foundation.org/world-cinema

Two more restorations from the African Film Heritage Project are now listed in the WCP pages:

La femme au couteau [Côte d'Ivoire 1969] d: Timité Bassori
Muna Moto [Cameroon 1975] d: Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa

Both screened at FESPACO 2019 which ended March 2.

http://www.film-foundation.org/fespaco-2019

Finally got to Taipei Story which is a beautiful look at not knowing. This is a far more interesting film than The Terrorizers, though it's still too self consciously arty in a way I feel he better integrated later on. It's also such a claustrophobic film with the close-ups having this Sam Fuller intensity about them.

I've just recently seen most of Antonioni's films, so I can finally see why Yang's early work is considered Antonioni-esque. But to me this film tackles the same issues as the Italian only Yang's characters are actual human beings with feeling, emotions and needs. There are simple scenes here that take your breath away; the first family dinner involving a certain cutlery, the street scene with Hou and the old man etc.
Also it was fun seeing Hou in front of the camera, even though Chin is by far the the best here.

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Well, as I voted for this film I ought to at least say something about my experience in watching it. The opening sequence revealed to me everything the film would likely provide: a highly visceral folk tale lacking nuance. The degree to which it would lack charm or sophistication as well as nuance surprised me, however. The character portrayals, the threadbare revenge story and the narrative techniques are at the level of early sound films; however, the photography is uncannily revealing and often startling. For me it absolutely saved the picture from flat-out caricature. There are sequences that feature visual framing remeniscent of Kurosawa and, especially, Kineto Shindo, though Shindo's Onibaba, a very close visual collary, was released in '64 as well. The characters are so relentingly selfish or innocent or dumb that it left cinematographer, Ali Ugur, free to play with juxtaposition, extreme angles and off-kilter timing with edits. Sometimes it felt like early Eisenstein, sometimes like cut-and-paste Welles. And if the main antagonist was not so thoroughly creepy it might have been fun. But I'm not sure if the giggle which came at his interminably overdue comeuppance was worth the trip. (Incidentally, it's streaming on the CChannel and there's a fine copy with English subs on YT.)

Brilliant!