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Well I have shamefully never seen a Holland film, so that makes it more difficult to buy. I'm still hoping for a cheap release in the Czech Republic with Czech subtitles, even if the company (Levne Knihy) that releases the films usually has bad print quality. But then for 2-3 Euros I can't complain at least I got to see Brzezina that way.

The subtitles for Zanussi's Illumination were very good, I seem to recall. They were from the same distributor that released the Wajda films, and the subtitles were in that quality.

There was another release of a Zanussi film with subtitles, but that's out of print now. I'd love to see it though. I watched Year of the Quiet Sun last week, and while it wasn't as deep as Illumination, it was still a very fine film. I kind of loved it.

Before seeing Holland's Polish films, I had only seen Europa Europa and Secret Garden - both I felt weren't so great.

bergelson wrote:Continuing with Jerzy Kawalerowicz, does anyone know what is the picture quality of Facets releases of: Cellulose, Death of the President (I think this one one is full frame while originally Widescreen), Shadow and Under the Phrygian Star.

Under the Phrygian Star is an abominable transfer.

I wonder if anyone here has heard of the following films. I'm pretty sure they're not currently available (though I'd love to be wrong) and would like to know whether they at least have any kind of reputation or are mentioned in the literature on Polish cinema.
The director of the first one will ring a bell to some here because a couple of his shorts have been included on PWA's animated film anthologies.

Prokurator Ma Głos (a.k.a. Głos Ma Prokurator, a.k.k Prosector's Turn to Speak, a.k.a. The Counsel for the Prosecution has the Floor) Wlodzimierz Haupe, 1965)

Wezwanie (a.k.a. The Call) Wojciech Solarz, 1971

Tańczący jastrząb (a.k.a. The Dancing Hawk) Grzegorz Królikiewicz, 1977

Piętno (a.k.a. A Stamp) Ryszard Czekala, 1984

Word of warning: despite what Merlin's website claims, the TiM DVD of Michal Rosa's Rysy does not have English, or indeed any, subtitles. I'll assume the same is true of the other films in TiM's 'Gwiaszy polskiego kina' series unless otherwise advised.

On the other hand, the Gutek Film release of Jerzy Skolimowski's Four Nights With Anna does have English subtitles, and the transfer looks absolutely fine.

The third set of the 50 Years of Polish Film School edition is available now on empik.

My copy's on its way.

In the meantime, the Polish edition of Skolimowski's Ferdydurke is about as basic as they come, with a transfer that I'm willing to bet was originally created as an analogue master for a 1990s VHS release. But it's ridiculously cheap, so certainly worth a look if you're curious.

The dialogue is English, but that's the original (lead actors are Iain Glen, Crispin Glover and Robert Stephens) so that's fine.

As mentioned in the PWA thread, the recently released set of three films by Tadeusz Konwicki offer English subtitles.

Some captures are posted here.

I've been ordering quite a few Polish DVDs over the past couple of years, and the further off the beaten track I go, the more I have to gamble whether a disc will have English subtitles - because retail sites are hopelessly inconsistent (and often flat-out wrong), and reviews are pretty much nonexistent. So I thought it would be useful to others to compile a handy in-one-place list of my various findings, hence this post.

Virtually everything below is region-free PAL - I'll note exceptions as and when they occur.

Completely English-friendly

0_1_0 (d. Piotr Łazarkiewicz, 2008)
Gutek Film, 2.35:1 anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature, no extras.

Action Animation (Akcja Animacja)
PWA, 4:3 (letterboxed where necessary)
This collection of 33 recent Polish animated shorts not only offers English menus, optional subtitles, biographies and essay but you can even choose English or Polish spine text.

Angelus (d. Lech Majewski, 2000)
SPInka, 1.85:1 non-anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature, no extras.

Anthology of Polish Experimental Animation, Anthology of Polish Animation for Children
These PWA editions are fully bilingual in English and Polish, including menus and booklet. Non-anamorphic transfers, but the bulk of the material is 4:3 OAR, and widescreen films are letterboxed where necessary.

Anthology of Polish Animation
PWA, bilingual menus and booklets (English-Polish) and optional subtitles in English and French. Transfers are non-anamorphic, but the majority of the material is in 4:3 and widescreen films are letterboxed where necessary.

Capital, or How To Make Money in Poland (Kapitał czyli jak zrobić pieniądze w Polsce..., d. Feliks Falk, 1990)
Best Film Co, 1.78:1 anamorphic (slightly windowboxed), Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks, optional English subtitles on main feature, no extras.

The Conductor (Dyrygent, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1980)
Vision, 4:3 (probable OAR), Polish/English or Polish/Polish voiceover soundtracks, optional English, French, German or Polish subtitles (for translation where necessary, not HOH), no extras.

Four Nights With Anna (Cztery noce z Anną, d. Jerzy Skolimowski, 2008)
Gutek Film, 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, English subtitles on main feature (supervised by the film's co-writer), no extras.

Game Is Over (Koniec gry, d. Feliks Falk, 1991)
Best Film Co, 1.85:1 anamorphic, Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks, optional English subtitles on main feature, no extras.

Goodbye Till Tomorrow (Do widzenia, do jutra, d. Janusz Morgenstern, 1960)
Best Film Co, 1.66:1 letterboxed, optional English, French, German and Polish HOH subtitles, no extras.

How It's Done (Jak to się robi, d. Marcel Łoziński, 2006)
Gutek Film, 16:9 anamorphic transfer (I'm pretty sure this was shot on video), optional English subtitles, no extras.

Kalkwerk (d. Krystian Lupa, 1992)
PWA, 4:3, optional Polish, English, German, Russian or French subtitles, Polish or English menus, accompanying book with Polish and English texts.

On the Banks of the Niemen (Nad Niemnem, d. Zbigniew Kuźmiński, 1987)
TVP, 4:3 (definitely OAR: made for TV), optional English or Polish HOH subtitles, no extras.

Polish School of the Documentary: The Black Series (Czarna seria), Jacek Bławut, Maciej Drygas, Gryczełowska/Halladin/Kamieńska, Marcel Łoziński, Andrzej Munk, Marek Piwowski, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz
All these PWA editions have bilingual menus and booklets (English-Polish) and optional subtitles in English, French, German and Russian. Transfers are non-anamorphic, but the majority of the material is in 4:3 and widescreen films are letterboxed where necessary.

Polish School of the Documentary: Kazimierz Karabasz, Krzysztof Kieślowski
These early PWA editions have bilingual menus and booklets (English-Polish) and optional subtitles in English and French. Transfers are non-anamorphic, but the majority of the material is in 4:3 and widescreen films are letterboxed where necessary.

The Tempest (Burza d. Krzysztof Warlikowski, 2008)
PWA, 16:9 anamorphic, optional Polish, English, German, Russian or French subtitles, Polish or English menus, accompanying book with Polish and English texts. NB: English subtitles are adapted from the original Shakespeare text.

Twists of Fate (Korowód, d. Jerzy Stuhr, 2007)
TiM Film Studio, 2.35:1 anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature, no extras.

English subtitles on main feature

Ashes and Diamonds (Popioł i diament, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1958)
Best Film Co, 1.85:1 anamorphic, optional English, French, German, Russian and Polish subtitles on main feature, no subtitles on (extensive) extras.

The Body (Ciało, d. Tomasz Konecki/Andrzej Saramonowicz, 2003)
SPI International Polska, anamorphic 1.85:1, Dolby and DTS 5.1 sound, optional English subtitles on main feature, basic extras unsubtitled.

Changes (Przemiany, Łukasz Barczyk, 2003)
Vision, Region 2, letterboxed 1.85:1, optional English subtitles on main feature, extras unsubtitled.

The Cruise (Rejs, d. Marek Piwowski, 1970)
Best Film Co's remastered release offers a letterboxed 1.66:1 picture, optional English and Polish subtitles on the feature, but not the extras and the booklet is in Polish only.

The Debt (Dług, d. Krzysztof Krauze, 1999)
ITI Home Video, letterboxed 1.85:1, optional English subtitles on main feature, basic extras unsubtitled.

Demons of War (Demony wojny według Goi, d. Władysław Pasikowski, 1998)
Vision, Region 2, 1.66:1 anamorphic, optional English or German subtitles on main feature but not extensive extras.

Edi (d. Piotr Trzaskalski, 2002)
SPI, 1.85:1 anamorphic (heavily windowboxed for some reason), Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS ES soundtracks, optional English subtitles on main feature, no subtitles on (extensive) extras.

Everything For Sale (Wszystko na sprzedaż, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1968)
Vision, 16:9 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

The French Trick (Francuski numer, d. Robert Wichrowski, 2006)
ITI Film Studio, anamorphic 2.35:1, optional English, French or German subtitles on main feature, extras unsubtitled.

Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (Ga, Ga - Chwała bohaterom, d. Piotr Szulkin, 1986)
SPInka, anamorphic 16:9, optional English subtitles on main feature, extras unsubtitled.

Hi, Tereska (Cześć, Tereska, d. Robert Gliński, 2002)
Telewizja Polska/Propaganda, anamorphic 1.78:1, trilingual menus/subtitles (Polish, English, German), but director/cast commentary is Polish only.

Hope (Nadzieja, d. Stanisław Mucha, 2007)
TiM Film Studio, 1.85:1 anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature but not extras.

I Am (Jestem, d. Dorota Kędzierzawska, 2006)
Kino Świat, Region 2, anamorphic 1.85:1, optional English subtitles on main feature, unsubtitled extras (trailers and promos).

Jasminum (d. Jan Jakub Kolski, 200
Best Film Co, anamorphic 2.35:1, Dolby 5.1 and DTS, optional English subtitles on main feature, unsubtitled extras.

Kanal (Kanał, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1957)
Best Film Co, 4:3 (OAR), optional English, French, German, Russian and Polish subtitles on main feature, no subtitles on (extensive) extras.

Katyn (Andrzej Wajda, 2007)
TiM Film Studio offers three editions, single and double-disc DVD and Blu-ray. I don't know about the double-disc DVD, but the single-disc editions offer a 16:9 transfer (from a 2.35:1 theatrical original, though I actually prefer the 16:9 framing, which may well have been what the cinematographer primarily intended), English subtitles on the main feature, unsubtitled extras.

King Ubu (Ubu król, d. Piotr Szulkin, 2003)
SPInka, anamorphic 16:9, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, optional English subtitles on main feature, extras unsubtitled.

Land of Promise (Ziemie obiecana, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1975)
Vision, 16:9 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras. (NB: Running time 2:18:22, making it the shorter "director's cut" revision)

Landscape After Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1968)
Vision, 16:9 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease/Supplement (Życie jako śmiertelna choroba przenoszona drogą płciową/Suplement, d. Krzysztof Zanussi, 2000/2004)
Propaganda double-disc package, each film on separate discs, but presentation identical: letterboxed 1.85:1 transfers, with optional subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and two Polish options (HOH and translation of non-Polish dialogue). Extras - including commentaries - are Polish-only.

Lotna (d. Andrzej Wajda, 1959)
Best Film Co, heavily windowboxed 4:3 (OAR), optional English, French, Russian and Polish subtitles on main feature, optional German dubbing, no subtitles on (extensive) extras.

Lucky Shot (Fuks, d. Maciej Dutkiewicz, 1999)
Vision, Region 2, anamorphic 16:9, optional English and German subtitles on main feature, unsubtitled extras.

Man of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1981)
Vision, 1.66:1 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

Man of Marble (Człowiek z marmuru, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1977)
Vision, 4:3 (probable OAR), optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

The Master (Mistrz, d. Piotr Trzaskalski, 2005)
TiM Film Studio, 2.35:1 anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature but not extras.

Nightmares (Zmory, d. Wojciech Markowski, 1978)
Propaganda's 'digitally restored' version has a clean 4:3 picture (probable OAR), optional English and German subtitles on main feature, extensive but unsubtitled extras. Note a cheaper edition on the same label, almost certainly unsubtitled.

The Noose (Pętla, d. Wojciech Jerzy Has, 1958)
Telewizja Polska, 4:3 (OAR), optional English and French subtitles on main feature, no subtitles on extras (a shame, as it includes two early Has shorts).

O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilisation (O-Bi, O-Ba. Koniec cywilizacji, d. Piotr Szulkin, 1985)
SPInka, anamorphic 16:9, optional English subtitles on main feature, extras unsubtitled.

Off Season (Po sezonie, d. Janusz Majewski, 2006)
Kino Świat, 1.78:1 anamorphic, optional English subtitles on main feature, but not extras - though the latter seem to consist exclusively of trailers for other films. Note that this is Region 2, even though I couldn't find any warning on the box.

The Offsiders (Boisko bedzomnych, d. Kasia Adamik, 2008)
Gutek Film, 16:9 anamorphic transfer, Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks, English subtitles on main feature but not on basic extras. NB: Box says region 2, but disc is region-free.

Palimpsest (d. Konrad Niewolski)
SPI, anamorphic 1.85:1, Polish Dolby 5.1/2.0/DTS soundtracks, bilingual English/Polish menus, optional English subtitles on main feature, but not on trailer. NB: Box says region 2, but disc is region-free.

Pan Tadeusz (d. Andrzej Wajda, 1999)
Vision, 2.35:1 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

Persona Non Grata (d. Krzysztof Zanussi, 2005)
I've had my fingers burned with this one - the edition I initially ordered from Poland had no subtitles, but the one I ordered from MovieMail in the UK turned out to be on the same Polish label (Vision), despite being much more linguistically versatile. Anyway, the better Vision edition is Region 2, has a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, optional subtitles in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Polish (HOH), but on the feature only, not the extensive extras.

Polish Debuts 2006 (Polskie debuity 2006, shorts collection)
Kino Świat, 4:3 (letterboxed where necessary), optional English subtitles on the films, but biographical info in Polish only.

Polish Debuts 2007 (Polskie debuity 2007, shorts collection)
Kino Świat, 4:3 (letterboxed where necessary), optional English subtitles on the films, but biographical info in Polish only.

Poste Restante (Marcel Łoziński, 2008)
Biblioteka Gazety Wyborczej's DVD is beautifully produced (the disc tray is incorporated into the rear cover of the hardback booklet), but the text is in Polish only. While the DVD offers English menus and subtitles, the picture is letterboxed 1.85:1 and the subtitles aren't 16:9-friendly.

Preserve (Rezerwat, d. Łukasz Palkowski, 2007)
TiM Film Studio, 1.78:1 anamorphic, Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks, optional English or German subtitles on main feature, but not extensive extras.

Sex Mission (Seksmisja, d. Juliusz Machulski, 1984)
Best Film Co's reissue (avoid the older, cheaper release) offers a 4:3 picture (probably OAR), optional English or Polish subtitles on the feature, but none on the extras.

Shivers (Dreszcze, d. Wojciech Markowski, 1981)
Propaganda's 'digitally restored' version has a clean 4:3 picture (probable OAR), optional English and German subtitles on main feature, extensive but unsubtitled extras. Note a cheaper edition on the same label, almost certainly unsubtitled.

The State Witness (Świadek koronny, d. Jarosław Sypniewski/Jacek Filipiak, 2007)
ITI Home Video, 1.85:1 non-anamorphic, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, optional English subtitles on main feature, but not extensive extras.

Symmetry (Symetria, d. Konrad Niewolski, 2003)
SPI International Polska, letterboxed 1.85:1 picture, Dolby and DTS 5.1 sound, optional English subtitles on main feature but not extras.

Teddy Bear (Mís, d. Stanisław Bareja, 1981)
Best Film Co's new edition offers a slightly windowboxed 4:3 picture (presumably OAR), optional English and Polish subtitles on main feature, but none on the extras, and the booklet is in Polish only.

33 Scenes From Life (33 sceny z życia, d. Małgorzata Szumowska, 2008)
Kino Świat, 16:9 anamorphic transfer, English subtitles on main feature but not on basic extras. NB: Box says Region 2 but disc is region-free.

Tricks (Sztuczki, d. Andrzej Jakimowski, 2007)
Kino Świat's Region 2 edition has a clean anamorphic transfer (1.78:1), optional English subtitles, extensive but unsubtitled extras.

War of the Worlds: Next Century (Wojna światów - następne stulecie, d. Piotr Szulkin, 1981)
SPInka, anamorphic 16:9, optional English subtitles on main feature, but not on extras.

The Wedding (Wesele, d. d. Andrzej Wajda, 1973)
Best Film Co, 1.85:1 letterboxed, optional English, French, German, Russian and Polish subtitles on main feature, no subtitles on (extensive) extras.

The Wedding (Wesele, d. Wojciech Smarzowski, 2004)
SPI International Polska, 1.85:1 letterboxed, Dolby 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, optional English subtitles, basic extras unsubtitled.

The Welts (Pręgi, d. Magdalena Piekorz, 2004)
Vision, 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, Dolby 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, English subtitles on main feature but not on extras.

Yesterday (d. Radosław Piwowarski, 1984)
Monolith Video, Region 2, 4:3 (probable OAR), optional English subtitles on feature, extras include trailers for mostly English-language films (with optional Polish subtitles) and a split-screen before/after restoration demo. No subtitles on the latter, but none are really needed.

The Young Ladies of Wilko (Panny z Wilka, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1979)
Vision, 16:9 anamorphic, optional English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian subtitles on main feature only, not (extensive) extras.

Box Sets

50 Years of the Polish Film School - Best Film Co.
Volumes 1, 2 and 3 have bilingual Polish-English booklets (one per feature, i.e. five per box!), optional English, French, German and Russian subtitles on the features, but (minimal) on-disc extras are Polish only. Probably safe to assume vol 4 will be similar.

Agnieszka Holland
Contains Screen Tests (1977), Provincial Actors (1978), Fever (1980), A Woman Alone (1981).
Telewizja Kinopolska, 4:3 (probable OAR), optional English subtitles on all four features (yellow on Fever, to conceal burned-in Polish subtitles over Russian dialogue), no extras, booklet in Polish only.

Jerzy Skolimowski
Contains Identification Marks None (1964), Walkover (1965), Barrier (1966), Hands Up! (1967/81)
Telewizja Kinopolska, various aspect ratios (all DVDs are non-anamorphic), optional English subtitles on all four features, no extras, booklet in Polish only. Note that Hands Up! is the 1981 revision.

Krzysztof Zanussi (Telewizja Kinopolska box)
Inventory (Bilans Kwartalny, 1974) - 1.85:1 non-anamorphic
Spiral (Spirala, 1978) - 1.85:1 non-anamorphic
The Year of the Quiet Sun (Rok spokojnego słonca, 1984) - 1.78:1 anamorphic
Anxiety (Niepokoj, d. Krzysztof Tchórzewski, 2004) - 4:3 non-anamorphic
All films have optional English subtitles, but 42-page book is in Polish only (a shame, as it looks pretty good).

Krzysztof Zanussi (Vision box)
The Structure of Crystals (Struktura kryształu, 1969) - 1.78:1 anamorphic, English/Spanish/French/German subtitles on main feature, minimal extras in Polish only
Illumination (Iluminacja, 1972) - 1.78:1 anamorphic, Polish/English/Spanish/French/German subtitles, supporting documentary A Trace (Słąd, 1996) has optional English/Polish subtitles, other extras in Polish only.
Camouflage (Barwy ochronne, 1976) - 1.78:1 anamorphic, English/Spanish/French/German subtitles on main feature, no extras
The Silent Touch (Dotknięcie ręki, 1993) - 1.78:1 anamorphic, English dialogue, burned-in Polish subtitles (on original film print), optional Polish voiceover, no extras.
Persona Non Grata (2005)- see individual release above; this appears to be identical.

NB: Unlike the foldout Digipak of the Telewizja Kinopolska box, Vision's discs are presented in separate Amaray cases with their own barcodes, suggesting that they're available separately - artwork aside, the disc of Persona Non Grata appears to be the same as the better standalone version. Aside from the wraparound box, there are no printed supplements.

Television Series

Londoners (Londyńczycy, d. Maciej Migas/Greg Zgliński, 2008)
Telewizja Polska, 16:9 anamorphic, Dolby 5.1, Polish and English dialogue with compulsory Polish subtitles on the latter, plus optional English or Polish HOH subtitles. Audio description is in Polish and unsubtitled (which would be a bit pointless under the circumstances...). A printed four-page insert in Polish only.

More than Life at Stake (Stawka więkzsa niż życie, 1968)
4:3, black and white, optional English subtitles, no extras. Almost entirely English-friendly aside from the Polish-only packaging and menus.

No English subtitles
(despite one or more sources claiming otherwise...)

Persona Non Grata (d. Krzystof Zanussi, 2005) - Vision.
See above: one of the Vision releases is English-friendly, the other definitely isn't! The same is probably true of other releases such as The Cruise, Nightmares, Sex Mission, Shivers and Teddy Bear all of which have cheaper alternative editions on the same label.

Rysa (d. Michał Rosa, 2008)
TiM Film Studio's edition has no subtitles whatsoever - I'm assuming the same is true of all TiM's Gwiazdy polskiego kina series unless otherwise advised. (UPDATE: Hope/Nadzieja in the same series has English subtitles, so this may not be a hard and fast rule).

Śmierć rotmistrza Pileckiego (d. Ryszard Bugajski, 2006)
Gallingly, though TVP's edition promises English subtitles on both the packaging and the printed insert, I couldn't find them for love nor money - and believe me, I've scoured the disc using every piece of DVD software I have!

Please let me know of any other examples - though I'd prefer recommendations to be based on actual first-hand examination of the discs themselves, not on advertising or even packaging. The last example above shows why I'm reluctant to accept that on face value!

A phenomenally useful post. I only have one small extra sliver of information.

MichaelB wrote:50 Years of the Polish Film School - Best Film Co.
Volume 2 has bilingual Polish-English booklets, but (minimal) on-disc extras are Polish only. Probably safe to assume vols 1, 3 and 4 are similar.

Definitely the case for Vol 1.

Fast and great work, Michael!

The Konwicki set mentioned above has no extras aside from the short film, and a Polish-only booklet.

I am sure you have all of these already, but another release that I own and that I just checked:

Landscape After Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie, d. Andrzej Wajda, 1970)
The disc was released by Vision Film Distribution, and while the main feature has English as well as Spanish, French, German, Italian and Russian subtitles, the various interviews and text screens that are included as supplements have no subs at all.

Also, Wajda's Lotna and Man of Iron, of course. Unless you add them yourself, I can add specs later.

Yes, I have all those three - I'm about halfway through my Polish-label DVD collection, and hopefully will update in the next 48 hours or so.

MichaelB wrote:Persona Non Grata (d. Krzysztof Zanussi, 2005)
I've had my fingers burned with this one - the edition I initially ordered from Poland had no subtitles, but the one I ordered from MovieMail in the UK turned out to be on the same Polish label (Vision), despite being much more linguistically versatile. Anyway, the better Vision edition is Region 2, has a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, optional subtitles in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Polish (HOH), but on the feature only, not the extensive extras.

I got burned on this too -- is the English-friendly version still available, or is it a crap shoot, depending on whom you buy from? (I thought I was getting the better version, but that's not what I got.)

Fiery Angel wrote:

MichaelB wrote:Persona Non Grata (d. Krzysztof Zanussi, 2005)
I've had my fingers burned with this one - the edition I initially ordered from Poland had no subtitles, but the one I ordered from MovieMail in the UK turned out to be on the same Polish label (Vision), despite being much more linguistically versatile. Anyway, the better Vision edition is Region 2, has a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, optional subtitles in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Polish (HOH), but on the feature only, not the extensive extras.

I got burned on this too -- is the English-friendly version still available, or is it a crap shoot, depending on whom you buy from? (I thought I was getting the better version, but that's not what I got.)

Well, I imagine you'd be safe with MovieMail, if they're still distributing it - they're a UK company, so they should be reasonably conscientious in making sure their DVDs are English-friendly.

I've only dipped into each disc thus far, but it looks as though the transfers on volume 3 of Best Film Co's 50 Years of the Polish Film School are a very significant advance on volume 2.

I'm sure I'll find more nits to pick when I examine them in more detail (at least one print looks a little contrasty), but all five discs seem pretty solid; certainly way above average compared with rather too many transfers of Polish films of this late 50s/early 60s vintage.

And the production values of the set as a whole are just as impressive, especially the bilingual booklets for each individual film.

Regarding the films in the first Polish Film School box set, does anyone know if the single-disc edition of The Last Day of Summer (Ostatni dzień lata, d. Tadeusz Konwicki, 1958) has English subtitles?

MichaelB has confirmed that the other film in that box, See You Tomorrow (Do widzenia, do jutra, d. Janusz Morgenstern, 1960), is English-equipped, but I can't find any reliable info on the Konwicki.

Perkins Cobb wrote:Regarding the films in the first Polish Film School box set, does anyone know if the single-disc edition of The Last Day of Summer (Ostatni dzień lata, d. Tadeusz Konwicki, 1958) has English subtitles?

MichaelB has confirmed that the other film in that box, See You Tomorrow (Do widzenia, do jutra, d. Janusz Morgenstern, 1960), is English-equipped, but I can't find any reliable info on the Konwicki.

Definitely not, I'm afraid - a Polish friend gave me a copy. As far as I'm aware, the only way of getting it with subtitles is to buy the Polish Film School box - which is annoying, as I have the other four films already!

Thanks, MichaelB. Yeah, it's irritating to have to buy the whole set for (in my case) only "two" new films. But at the moment it comes out to only about $34 (compared to $61-64 at the time of your first post on the Film School sets!) so I may bite the bullet.

On 29.04.2009 Telewizja Kino Polska published in Poland 3DVD box from the series "Masterpieces of Polish Cinema" with three films by Zulawski: "The Third Part of the Night", "The Devil" and "The Silver Globe". As a bonus is also the documentary "Zulawski par Zulawski" included.

eltopo wrote:On 29.04.2009 Telewizja Kino Polska published in Poland 3DVD box from the series "Masterpieces of Polish cinema" with three films by Zulawski: "The Third Part of the Night", "The Devil" and "The Silver Globe". As a bonus is also the documentary "Zulawski par Zulawski" included.

el topo, when I saw that you posted a comment on this page, I sensed it had something to do with Zulawski.

This is marvelous news. I was waiting for a PAL release for both The Devil and The Silver Globe.

The thing I'm wary about is that it's released by Telewizja Kino Polska. Their previous releases of the Holland and Skolimowski sets included the worst professional subtitles I've ever seen on a DVD. I wonder if they used the subtitles that were available on previous releases? There are perfect subtitles online, and like, for example, the Second Run release. Surely they'll use Second Run's subtitles for Third Part, no? Same transfer too?

[-o< Here's hoping. I was waiting for this set. I was not, however, waiting for it to come from TKP.
I watched the interview Zulawski on Zulawski last week, and it's brilliant as well. This set is a dream come true - though it's most probably gonna miss the Audio Commentary, which is disappointing.

dmk_world wrote:The thing I'm wary about is that it's released by Telewizja Kino Polska. Their previous releases of the Holland and Skolimowski sets included the worst professional subtitles I've ever seen on a DVD.

Just to put this in perspective, they're mediocre rather than terrible - hardened veterans of assorted notorious South-East Asian releases will wonder what on earth the fuss is about.

By way of comparison, I think the worst subtitles I've ever seen were on Amalgama's original Russian release of Alexei Balabanov's Brother - I've just looked up my old DVD Times review for samples:

That said, it would be churlish of me to pretend that they don't offer a fairly considerable extra layer of entertainment, whether it's a chat-up attempt ("Girl, how do you do?"), a cross-cultural debate ("Your american music is shet") or an example of what to say when vicious mafiosi jump you as you enter your flat ("Guys, I, probably, came in wrong place, probably, I have to go higher."), or indeed what to shout if threatened with potential gang rape ("Scums!") - and they don't seriously affect comprehension, the odd head-scratcher notwithstanding.

I just watched Sztuczki (Andrzej Jakimowski, 2007) and parts of Dzien swira (Marek Koterski, 2002) and I heartily recommend both. The subtitles were excellent (a few mistakes are to be found though) and the films, especially the former one, are funny, charming and intelligent.

dmk_world wrote:

eltopo wrote:On 29.04.2009 Telewizja Kino Polska published in Poland 3DVD box from the series "Masterpieces of Polish cinema" with three films by Zulawski: "The Third Part of the Night", "The Devil" and "The Silver Globe". As a bonus is also the documentary "Zulawski par Zulawski" included.

The thing I'm wary about is that it's released by Telewizja Kino Polska. Their previous releases of the Holland and Skolimowski sets included the worst professional subtitles I've ever seen on a DVD. I wonder if they used the subtitles that were available on previous releases? There are perfect subtitles online, and like, for example, the Second Run release. Surely they'll use Second Run's subtitles for Third Part, no? Same transfer too?.

Looking forward to getting this set too. But, just to clarify, THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT which is in this set does not contain or use Second Run's transfer or subtitles.

Has anyone purchased that recent release of Zulawski films? How's the situation with the transfer and subtitles?

Also, on June 10 and 17 there seems to be some new releases of some older Zanussi pictures. Merlin has them up, but there's no details if English subtitles are included.

Życie rodzinne (Family Life)

Cwał (At Full Gallop)

Struktura kryształu (Structure of Crystal)

Box Set of Persona Non Grata, Barwy ochronne, Dotknięcie ręki, Iluminacja, and Struktura Kryształu.

Barwy Ochronne was released a few years ago subtitled, but this release has become out of print and impossible to find. Illuminacja and Persona Non Grata have been easy to find.

I'm especially interested in the release of Family Life. I saw Structure of Crystal with Google-translated subtitles, and would love to own a copy with clearer subtitles, since the film was really good. And I absolutely love Illumination, but I already own it.

dmk_world wrote:Has anyone purchased that recent release of Zulawski films? How's the situation with the transfer and subtitles?

The 3 films have English subs (not sure about the bonus docu - didn't check it out yet). There are English menus as well. However, the PQ is nothing to write home about - the lack of anamorphic enhancement being "compensated" by an abundance of dirt, scratches & white speckles, and the audio has its share of hiss & crackle too. I should have a review of Diabel ready tonight, so you'll be able to see the PQ for yourself...

Cheers!
Peto