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dx23 wrote:Who holds the rights for Los Olvidados?

Probably Koch Lorber, since they were behind the theatrical reissue a couple of years back.

Koch Lorber is hoping to release this film, but it's being held up in court to see who actually owns it.

I do. Anyone interested, I can sell you a copy from the original master. =P~

Gran Casino features commentary by Phillip Kemp, The Young One has commentary by Peter Evans and Isabel Santaolalla. No word on other special features.

Back cover is now available to see at DVD Empire. It would appear that the two commentaries are the only extras.

I've been on a Bunuel kick lately and am definitely looking forward to seeing Gran Casino, despite its lackluster reputation. I've never seen it.

It's a shame that Lionsgate couldn't wrangle at least one more of Bunuel's unavailable Mexican films, like the now-OOP El Bruto or the unsubbed El Rio y la muerte. Still, the commentary for The Young One is most welcome. It was rather short-changed in the extras department in Optimum's R2 boxset.

Is "Belle de jour" still the only single disc release from Optimum's set (that is, "The Young One" isn't separately available from Optimum)?

patrick wrote:The Young One has commentary by Peter Evans and Isabel Santaolalla.

Oh, dear. I've just realized that this is the same Peter Evans who provided the really dire commentary on Optimum's Belle De Jour disc. He's a good scholar, but a terrible commentator. I literally fell asleep trying to listen to that one. Let's hope that the presence of another commentator will make things a little more interesting.

I haven't had a chance to watch either film yet, but I received both from Netflix last night. The disc labels were swapped. The Gran Casino disc is actually The Young One and vice versa. Is this just a one time slip up or has anyone else noticed it?

gustaveii wrote:I haven't had a chance to watch either film yet, but I received both from Netflix last night. The disc labels were swapped. The Gran Casino disc is actually The Young One and vice versa. Is this just a one time slip up or has anyone else noticed it?

Were these the grey netflix rental covers, or are they the actual lionsgate discs?

gustaveii wrote:I haven't had a chance to watch either film yet, but I received both from Netflix last night. The disc labels were swapped. The Gran Casino disc is actually The Young One and vice versa. Is this just a one time slip up or has anyone else noticed it?

I've heard of others with the same problem. Lionsgate goofed on this.

Michael Kerpan wrote:

gustaveii wrote:I received both from Netflix last night. The disc labels were swapped.

I've heard of others with the same problem. Lionsgate goofed on this.

Yes, my disc labels are swapped as well.

As are mine, so I think we can call it a 100% error.

DVD Beaver weighs in

Shouldn't The Young One be academy ratio?

tryavna wrote:

patrick wrote:The Young One has commentary by Peter Evans and Isabel Santaolalla.

Oh, dear. I've just realized that this is the same Peter Evans who provided the really dire commentary on Optimum's Belle De Jour disc. He's a good scholar, but a terrible commentator.

To be fair, he was somewhat startled to find out that Optimum were so stingy with studio time that he had to record the entire thing in one take.

I've only personally sat in on one commentary recording (on last year's Quay Brothers disc), but the ratio of studio time to final recording was something like 4:1, which seems a lot more reasonable when dealing with nervous first-timers.

Isabel is his long-term partner, incidentally - and is a distinguished Buñuel scholar in her own right (and a native Spaniard, which I suspect helps).

(DISCLAIMER: Peter and I are related - he's my aunt's ex-husband - so don't believe a word I say)

MichaelB wrote:To be fair, he was somewhat startled to find out that Optimum were so stingy with studio time that he had to record the entire thing in one take.

That explains why there'd be a lot of repetition and/or long pauses, and I suppose that, if it were his first time providing a commentary, he might not have known what to expect. Still, my overriding impression was that he just wasn't prepared, and the fact that he was simply narrating what was going on on-screen bears that out. (Friedkin's commentary on The Leopard Man is the same.) Of course, what surprises me is that he must have taught Belle de Jour many times, so why didn't some of his lecture material come back to him?

But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to the commentary for The Young One. Heck, since most of Bunuel's films run about 90 minutes, it's not that big of a time investment anyway.

davidhare wrote:

Shouldn't The Young One be academy ratio?

You're right - the Spanish DVD is in Academy. Although Figueroa might have shot it with high head room for some sort of masking - probably 1.66. Is the French Studio Canal disc also masked?

FWIW, the UK Optimum disc claims to be masked to 1.77. I didn't give AR much thought when I watched it, so I apparently didn't think the masking was problematic at the time.

Some comparison shots I posted on the Optimum Luis Buñuel Collection thread.

OPTIMUM DVD


AVI RIP OF SPANISH DVD



OPTIMUM DVD


AVI RIP OF SPANISH DVD

DVD Beaver

You're right. Mah bad.

Via_Chicago wrote:DVD Beaver

You might want to check up a few posts.

As expected, the switched disc art has caused problems for Netflix - so, if you want "La Joven", then rent "Gran Casino", and vice-versa.

Dave Kehr in The NY Times:

[quote]Film historians tend to treat the Mexican period of the great Luis Buñuel as a kind of involuntary exile, during which Buñuel, Spanish-born and with impeccable European avant-garde connections (“Un Chien Andalou,â€

and sloppily produced (Disc 1 is labeled Disc 2, and vice versa)

Perhaps Lionsgate meant this as a Surrealist homage to Bunuel, and we're all just missing the in-joke....

I agree...I'm sure Bunuel would have loved it.

I feel sorry for Fernando Ray, he keeps wanting to have sex with The Young One but the DVD keeps turning back into Gran Casino. He told me this story. I'm a midget.