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davidhare wrote:Where oh where is the Veit Harlan title Anders als du und Ich mentioned ages ago?

According to their website, it will be released on November 24th. It will also be available a little later together with the Oswald "Anders als die anderen".

Any wild speculation/ educated guesses or informed comment as to what the Welles title may be????

Wild Speculation: I wish for a good version of "Chimes at midnight"....

Something in the Munich Film Museum's collection, no doubt. You could try asking them. They've provided very helpful and prompt replies to my queries.

Nothing to do with Welles, but apparently they're planning on releasing *all* of Alexander Kluge's films "during the next year". Between this and the Straubs they're working on this is shaping up to be a very exciting label.

There is a strong need for Kluges work on my side!!! Super underrated - at least international wise… And some more of the Straubs couldn't be bad either…please keep me posted!

fred wrote:Nothing to do with Welles, but apparently they're planning on releasing *all* of Alexander Kluge's films "during the next year". Between this and the Straubs they're working on this is shaping up to be a very exciting label.

That's incredible news! I'm assuming no english subs though...?

Quite the contrary: Edition Filmmuseum have committed to putting English subs at least on all their releases.

Man, I've been wanting to see Yesterday Girl for a very long time. Excellent.

dmkb wrote:Here is an interesting post from one of the people connected with the Blind Husbands restoration - in an earlier post he mentioned that the disc was about ready to go out - but here emphasizes that it also appears as though the print used comes from a much longer version than was previously thought to have existed.

We (that is the Österreichisches Filmmuseum, Austrian Film Museum) are about to　finish production of a DVD release of Erich von Stroheim's BLIND　HUSBANDS, an Austrian theatrical print of which is preserved at my　organization. The copy is a tinted nitrate print with german language intertitles and can be traced back to a local distributor and the year 1921/22. It is longer than both the b&w version in circulation in Europe and the tinted MoMA version preserved through NFPF and released on DVD.

Their Blind Husbands, available now, is a superb edition. I've posted a comparison with the new French mk2 release here. From the copyright notice on the French DVD box, it would appear that mk2 are using the 2003 Kino transfer.

I've posted a comparison with the new French mk2 release here.

Wow, this new edition looks great. Are those caps representative of the quality throughout?

ltfontaine wrote:Wow, this new edition looks great. Are those caps representative of the quality throughout?

There is, as you would expect, a certain amount of print damage which comes and goes, but in terms of sharpness and detail the quality is consistent. One point: the transfer is interlaced, which can produce combing effects during motion on a computer screen (not observable, though, on the projector system I use).

I received today & just watched the Anders als du und ich DVD.

The quality of B&W image and mono sound is very good (minor scratches and white dots on the first roll, pristine later), not Criterion level but very fine. German langage with optional English subs. As a bonus, there is a scene by scene comparison of the differences between the original film Das dritte Geschlecht and the present one: some scenes were cut, others re-dubbed, others deleted (most notably an involontary funny scene with three sex experts lecturing on homosexuality). It makes for a interesting document on German censorship in the 50's. It is a region free DVD.

Now for the film, I don't know about the english-dubbed version David talks about but this, with the original German track, is quite something on its own. The beginning is spicy & audacious for the times in its frankness of the description of the relationship between the two young men, touching hands in the classroom and telling everyone they're not the least interested in girls. As soon as the evil (?) Dr. Boris Winkler is introduced, come the laughs. The film spins towards melodrama of the highest order, complete with campy scenes like the mother looking for the article "homosexual" in the dictionary and lying catatonic on her couch afterwards, the recitation of a home-made poetry about "The Rainbow", the visit to the gay club (the good oncle knows the fine places in town) with the chanteuse in drag, the Greek-wrestling in the antique salon or the Chopin seduction scene (a demonstration that tits - yes, there is some nudity in this film but not where you should expect - can change one's sexual orientation in the blink of an eye). The face of the brave mother with her petite hat in court is something to be seen as well...

In the end, I didn't really get the film's message: the beginning seems pro-gay and the ending anti-gay. What is the turning point, I couldn't figure out (or is it the party at Dr. Boris?). The word "homosexual" is pronounced at least half-a-dozen times, the concept of "normality - abnormality" is discussed in length. The infamous §175 is not mentioned once in the movie.

I don't believe the film in its present shape, as it was released back in the end of the 50's, is as campy as it is in its english-dubbed version but it is great fun nonetheless and quite an interesting document on post-war Germany against Gays and Harlan against All. Kudos to Filmmuseum Edition for releasing such an oddity.

Yes, the "melodic vs. concrete = normal vs. degenerate" theme brings back the nazi semantics into the picture and never more so than in the laughable outdoors seduction scene, where the cuts between the two styles of music are amateurishly edited. But those semantics don't work very well and are confusing because the first time we hear the concrete music is when we first meet the two boys who are both depicted as educated and harmless good kids. I guess all the changes, edits and cuts that were made in the original film after it was first viewed by the censors damaged profoundly the logics and lisibility of the subject. And then, the antique dealer introduces the boys to concrete music but he lives in a house filled with the most academic art one can imagine. All this doesn't make sense but it adds to the fun of the film.

Dr. Boris is a great character indeed, predatory and manipulative behind his caring facade. In the end, I understand he flies to Rome - Hello, Mrs Stone? - in the US print. In the German print, another ending is awaiting him, added after the main filming was completed. I think I like the Mother more than Dr. Boris though, because God does she try hard to understand her beloved son, reading books about his disease and taking sides with him against the scorning Father... but nevertheless she ends up masterminding his sex-reeducation with the blonde au-pair, is brought to trial and sentenced to six months in jail (oh, her face when the sentence is read!). Here, the script predates the very best of John Waters'.

Forthcoming releases: The Unknown Orson Welles (1965-1985) and Ludwig der Zweite (Wilhelm Dieterle, 1930) among many others.

And Borzage's The River!

Ornette wrote:Forthcoming releases: The Unknown Orson Welles (1965-1985) and Ludwig der Zweite (Wilhelm Dieterle, 1930) among many others.

The list of upcoming releases and releases in preparation is fantastic. But do they have any kind of release schedule? I think I have been looking at this list of upcoming releases before, maybe as much as a year ago...

Ornette wrote:Forthcoming releases: The Unknown Orson Welles (1965-1985) and Ludwig der Zweite (Wilhelm Dieterle, 1930) among many others.

what is this Orson Welles release? is it fragments of unfinished films?

Yip, and TWO Ruttmanns: "Berlin" and "Melodie der Welt"! "Berlin" has recently been shown in one of those regional German TV programmes (one that I cannot get where I live) with the original Meisel score, so I suppose this will be the basis for the dvd, too. And that means we can finally see it without that laughable electronic score which is on the divisared dvd.
And they also release Svend Gade's 1921 "Hamlet", starring Asta Nielsen!

Great,great, great, I only hope they will come soon, and that they don't spend half of the year releasing those Kluge films first (nothing against Kluge, but I have my preferences....)

Japanese director Suzuki Shigeyoshi's silent film Das Mädchen Sumiko (aka Nani ga kanojo o so saseta ka or What Made Her Do It?) (1929) is fantastic news! This is one of the only existing examples of a "tendency film" and was censored and suppressed almost immediately after completion by the Japanese police. It was considered lost for years until being "discovered" in a private collection in Japan about 10 years or so ago. I know several professors who managed to get personal copies of it on tape but it's fantastic that this will be more widely available.

I am way more enthusiastic about the Kluges! By the way, i can warmly recommend his literary releases - this man is a tremendous author!

Some of the Kluge DVDs are already out. Has anyone gotten their hands on these?

I've ordered a couple, waiting for them to show up in the mail. Excited!

Their prices aren't bad, actually. To ship to the US seems to be a flat rate of $13.88, no matter how many DVDs you order. Taxes are removed so that you pay a few Euros less for each title. I'll probably order the three Kluges now available and Blind Husbands.

I am not sure if this is accurate. On the shipping page, they seem to suggest that the shipping cost to US is EUR 16.10 only for packages up to 1kg (approximately 2 pounds). That makes 4 to 5 DVDs, I assume -- not unlimited, but not bad either! The list of titles is very exciting; I agree.

zone_resident wrote:I am not sure if this is accurate. On the shipping page, they seem to suggest that the shipping cost to US is EUR 16.10 only for packages up to 1kg (approximately 2 pounds).

That makes 4 to 5 DVDs, I assume -- not unlimited, but not bad either!

I've added up to five, some double-disc sets, and shipping remains at 13.88 (which is 16.10 minus VAT). A sixth disc might tip over to the next shipping rate tier. Either way, a great deal. I can't believe all these Kluge films will be available by the summer! Forget Second Run, this label, next to MoC and Criterion, is producing the most exciting stuff!