criterionforum.org

As expected, Gaumont has delayed Histoire(s) du Cinema to December 7th (I expect further delays for Gaumont to maintain its reputation).

Is there any word -- or speculation even -- whether or not Gaumont will include Moments Choisis d'une Histoire(s) du Cinema, or maybe an interview or some such juicy extra? Perhaps Artificial Eye might do so?

So what are the odds that Criterion get their hands on this?
Should I hold out or go for this set now?

I bought the Passion/Nouvelle Vague dvds from Cahiers du Cinema last week. Good news, both films have English subtitles. Nouvelle Vague has a 1.66 anamorphic transfer (Passion is 1.33).

Where did you find these? (Passion/Nouvelle Vague)

I found them on the CdC site (just go to www.cahiersducinema.com and click DVD up top, then "2 films de..."). But how do you go about ordering them? All I found is a PDF that looks like something you'd mail in.

Edit: Nevermind, Amazon.fr has 'em. Except they're out of the Passion/Nouvelle Vague set right now.

Is there a reference anywhere that has the English-sub status of the rest of the Cahiers discs? Some good stuff in there.

Yes the ones with 'sous-titres: anglais' have subs. The Beauvois, Desplechin, Lanzmann, the first Garrel (Naissance de l'amour/Sauvage Innocence) have subtitles.

Arn777 wrote:I bought the Passion/Nouvelle Vague dvds from Cahiers du Cinema last week. Good news, both films have English subtitles. Nouvelle Vague has a 1.66 anamorphic transfer (Passion is 1.33).

Great news! Does anybody know what about this release link ? Engl. sub's as well?

Regards,

Dennis

I think I read somewhere that one of the films has subs, one does not. If I remember correctly Helas Pour Moi was the one lacking (helas pour nous).

Keaton wrote:

Arn777 wrote:I bought the Passion/Nouvelle Vague dvds from Cahiers du Cinema last week. Good news, both films have English subtitles. Nouvelle Vague has a 1.66 anamorphic transfer (Passion is 1.33).

Great news! Does anybody know what about this release link ? Engl. sub's as well?

Regards,

Dennis

According to Cahiers' own site, no English subs on CARMEN/HELAS..... #-o

tavernier wrote:According to Cahiers' own site, no English subs on CARMEN/HELAS..... #-o

I have the dvd and I can confirm this.

Arn777 wrote:I bought the Passion/Nouvelle Vague dvds from Cahiers du Cinema last week. Good news, both films have English subtitles. Nouvelle Vague has a 1.66 anamorphic transfer (Passion is 1.33).

The Cahiers site lists subtitles for Passion, but not for Nouvelle Vague. So Nouvelle Vague does have them?

Yes Nouvelle Vague also have englsih subs.

I love Gaumont, not! Amazon shows Histoire(s) pushed back to January 15th, and I can't find it listed at fnac.com anymore.

For those in the Boston area, the Harvard Film Archives is screening Moments Choisis Des Histoire(s) Du Cinema in February.

Screening on February 20 (Monday) 7pm

Moments Choisis Des Histoire(s) Du Cinema
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
France, 2004, b/w and color, 84 min.
French with English subtitles

This reedited version of Godard's five-hour epic film essay, Histoire(s) Du Cinema condenses the work into eight puzzling yet fascinating chapters. A stunning collage of music, poetry, and, of course, film, Moments Choisis demonstrates that Godard's critical faculty is on par with his creative ability. The film was featured in the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, which described the work as "a ruminative and exhilarating elegy to cinema and the twentieth century." A series of observations on Godard's "children of Marx and Coca-Cola" and their relationships, Masculine-Feminine is set in Paris and stars Jean-Pierre Leaud as a young journalist interviewing and romancing a beautiful singer (Chantal Goya). Godard enlivens the classic "battle of the sexes" plotline with inventive doses of parody, satire, politics, anarchy, and comedy while at the same time raising serious questions about why men and women act the way that they do.

I saw it in Paris last year and bizarely the print wasn't too good. It is indeed condensed and re-edited, but have a different tone to it than the full Histoire(s). I was quite surprised to see that a large chunk was in fact new and did not appear in the original.

For anyone who has access to Italian TV and is fed up waiting for the Gaumont DVD release, RAITRE are showing the first 4 episodes of Histoire(s) on Sunday night (18th December, 1.25am), with the second 4 to follow on the night of the 25th.

I was quite surprised to see that a large chunk was in fact new and did not appear in the original.

I'm curious: which chunk was new? I haven't seen the full Histoire(s), but have seen Moment Choisis at Cinematheque Ontario (and seem to remember thinking that the print looked a little old too, btw) and was led to believe that everything in Moments Choisis was extracted from the 5-hour version. All the more reason that any company that releases the original Histoire(s) really should also include Moments Choisis.

The nice thing about Gaumont delaying this release is that Amazon.fr is crediting me 5 euros, since it won't get here before Christmas. Pretty sweet. At least I think that's what the email said, my French is fairly abysmal.

jorencain wrote:The nice thing about Gaumont delaying this release is that Amazon.fr is crediting me 5 euros, since it won't get here before Christmas. Pretty sweet. At least I think that's what the email said, my French is fairly abysmal.

I just got an email from amazon.fr canceling my order for this, even though it's still listed as being released on Jan. 15. Apparently, amazon.fr doesn't believe Gaumont is going to release this any time soon.

Not that this is definitive, but Histoire(s) du Cinema doesn't even appear to be listed as an upcoming DVD title on Gaumont's website.

Thanks for nothing, Gaumont.

Could be pushed back to a unknown date, much like the Bresson box that was announced last year and disappeared from their release schedule, ... unless Gaumont's legal department got heavily involved.

Since they already issued this as a vhs box set (which I sold on the strength of this release!!!) could it be a legal matter or rather a production hiccough???

I think more a production hiccup, it seems Gaumont puts stuff on schedule before realising that it needs much more work that they thought it would. I'd rather they spend time on producing something great with lots of features than rush something so important out. On the other hand the dvd market is much bigger than the VHS market and right owners seem to get greedier.