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knives wrote:Has there been any talk on the quality on their Susana?

Yes, in this very thread. Not at all bad - obviously, it's a Mexican Buñuel, with all that that implies in terms of source materials, but going from framegrab comparisons (links also in this thread), it's way ahead of the Facets.

Same goes for El Bruto.

Well I'm relived than. I'm slowly finding Mexican Bunuel as my favorite part of his career and it is unfortunate the state of his films from the time.

Any word on the quality and/or aspect ratio of Minnie & Moskowitz?

souvenir wrote:Any word on the quality and/or aspect ratio of Minnie & Moskowitz?

Yes, it's absolutely fine. Aspect ratio is 1.85:1 anamorphic, the source print is in near-pristine condition, and it's pretty safe to say that any rough edges are down to Cassavetes himself. In fact, this is one of the better transfers I've seen of his work.

MichaelB,

Thanks for the information on Mr. Bongo's release of "Story of a Love Affair".

The Digital Fix on The Grim Reaper.

The Digital Fix on Mamma Roma.

Scorsese's My Voyage to Italy due September 26th.

antnield wrote:Scorsese's My Voyage to Italy due September 26th.

That's a surprise - and very good news indeed: I've wanted to see this for ages, and nearly bought the French DVD, but wasn't sure about the language issue.

MichaelB wrote:

antnield wrote:Scorsese's My Voyage to Italy due September 26th.

That's a surprise - and very good news indeed: I've wanted to see this for ages, and nearly bought the French DVD, but wasn't sure about the language issue.

I taped (yes, taped) it on an TV broadcast and never got round to watching it. For similar reasons I caught up with Scorsese's Dylan documentary No Direction Home when BBC Four repeated it recently.

It's a fantastic documentary (I've got the old Region 1 Miramax two DVD set - I guess Mr Bongo are squeezing the four hour programme onto one disc?) but be warned that it is far more spoilerific than even Personal Journey Through American Movies was. I've had to keep jumping over the Senso sequence (and Umberto D, and I Vitelloni!) for years until getting the Criterion disc just in time, but still found myself dangerously watching a little bit more of the segment on each viewing of this set!

(GaryC: While I suppose that I understand it due to the programme featuring lengthy clips from subtitled films, which supposedly limits the audience, and whilst I'd seen it already on DVD by that time, I still find it unforgivably bizarre that BBC2 a few years ago seemed to just throw both parts away with little fanfare by screening them at around 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning)

...which is why I missed it. But I can probably handle the spoilers - my knowledge of mid-20th-century Italian cinema is pretty solid.

colinr0380 wrote:(I still find it unforgivably bizarre that BBC2 a few years ago seemed to just throw both parts away with little fanfare by screening them at around 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning)

Although, in fairness, it had already screened on BBC4 by that point in a friendlier 9pm slot over two consecutive Sundays.

Which itself was a few years before digital switchover brought Freeview (and BBC4) to many areas and households without Sky boxes.

EDIT: I have often been curious about why the Italian film feels focused on fewer films in more depth than the Journey Through American Movies one did - was it something as simple as focusing on films that an audience would be more familiar with set against those from a different country that might require more of an introduction? Or was the balance dependent more on the effect particular films had on Scorsese, since both documentaries are more about personal reminiscences than academic discussions. Or (as I would like to hope) is it a contrast between finding those powerful moments within more conventionally studio-system produced films (the US films) set against films that were pushing against the entire form and content of cinema (the Italian films) and which therefore need to be considered in much larger chunks to properly assess?

Any word on how Arsenal compares to the R1 Image disc? Worth doubledipping?

I don't know if I'd go as far as say it's worth double dipping, but it's good.

Is the Lola disc any good?

Seems like Mr. Bongo have got their hands on Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight:

Picturehouse Cinemas wrote:Playing in a strand themed around one of Shakespeare's most brilliant creations, the lecherous Sir John Falstaff, Orson Welles’ little-seen masterpiece will screen in a newly restored version before its DVD release later in the year.
A rare treat for cinephiles and Shakespeare fans alike.

The Independent wrote:When a major Welles' retrospective was held at the Locarno Festival in 2005, the organisers had to secure permission from Saltzman's widow Adriana for a one-off screening of a very ropey print. Now, it appears that the 1965 film has finally been liberated. David Buttle of British distributor Mr Bongo, working with Dolores Piedra (the Spanish producer's daughter), is the person behind the British screenings of the restored version.

"I've been in touch with her (Dolores) since 2006," he explained. "It has taken her that long to sort out the legal aspect of it."

Two Shakespearean adaptations by Grigori Kozintsev scheduled for 17th October: King Lear & Hamlet. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing Lear adapted to film, so looking forward to this very much.

Kozintsev's Lear is one of the best. As indeed is his Hamlet.

Plus for fans of Tarkovksy's Solaris, Lear features Yuri Yarvet (as Lear) and Donatis Banionis!

jsteffe wrote:

ptmd wrote:Memories of Underdevelopment is definitely a New Yorker title.

In the meantime, ICAIC has released a very nice DVD of MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT, with English subtitles, NTSC region-free.

OLD, Very Old post, but can anyone tell me where to find this ICAIC dvd if it is indeed region free with English subs? And since the Bongo release has came and went, which transfer is the better of the 2? Thanks.

MichaelB wrote:Kozintsev's Lear is one of the best. As indeed is his Hamlet.

Agreed -- plus, these two films feature two of the greatest scores ever -- by Kozintsev's life-long friend and colleague Dmitri Shostakovich. Kozintsev reports (in one of his books) that he actually did some major re-editings of at least once scene in Lear to make his visuals match Shostakovich's music better.

Shostakovich had retired from film scoring for some time, but was persuaded to return to the medium by his old friend Kozintsev - their creative partnership went back to the 1920s, when both were starting out.

And I absolutely agree with you - the films are unimaginable without his contribution.

If only Shostakovich had been available to do the score for Kozintsev's Don Quixote (not sure whether he was ill then -- or just tied up with too many other projects). I still like the film, but am sure I would like it even better with music by Shostakovich. ;~}

(Kozintsev is on my "honorary" top 5 directors list -- partly due to his collaboration with Shostakovich).