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I'm also not a stickler for covers, but this is the criterion forum, and Criterion's packaging is part of their appeal. Kino has certainly done some good work at least since the blu-ray era.

That cover looks like something that would be in the bargain bin at a Walmart. Good grief.

Anyone ever seen Shoot the Sun Down (1978)? Nice to see Kino pick up the kind of forgotten, random '70s oddity that used to be a staple of the good old days of Anchor Bay.

Is anyone else having a problem getting THE RUSSIAN ARK BD?

It's listed everywhere but when I order it it gets put on back-order status.

DVDBeaver on Mario Bava's "The Whip And The Body"

Like the recent Fox Catalog titles being released, this one too looks very "blue" compared to the old DVDs.

Not only it looks blue, but it's also pretty dark.

Re Koukol and your problem with obtaining Russian Ark. I received it from Barnes and Noble on the 26th.

manicsounds wrote:DVDBeaver on Mario Bava's "The Whip And The Body"

Like the recent Fox Catalog titles being released, this one too looks very "blue" compared to the old DVDs.

I just cancelled my order.

My EMS DVD looks miles better to me.

isakborg wrote:Re Koukol and your problem with obtaining Russian Ark. I received it from Barnes and Noble on the 26th.

Thanks Isakborg.

I ordered it from B&N too but it's on back-order...I guess you got their only copy

Mondo Digital prefers the Kino Blu-ray of The Whip and the Body:

As you'd probably expect, right off the bat the transfer is yet another variant in the film's odd home video history and looks the closest to date to the Technicolor prints seen in most English-speaking territories. It's appropriately dark and rich with very crisp detail, causing the sparing but dramatic bursts of red and blue lighting to really pop off the screen. The frame grabs here are all from the Blu-ray, and while it really plays more beautifully in motion than a simple image can convey, it might at least give you some idea of what to expect.

He seems to feel that the German DVD looks too bright, although he claims it does match with Italian prints of the film, as opposed to IB Technicolor prints for the international market. He concludes:

Bava hasn't exactly had the smoothest history on Blu-ray to date, but you can easily file this one among the winners and rank it as the most satisfying, impressive presentation of this often mistreated macabre gem to date.

I have the German DVD and have been happy with it, but I have to admit that I am intrigued by the different look on the Kino Blu-ray, and I can see it working in a different way.

I'll wait and see how the Arrow release looks before plunging.

This will piss off some people: The new "Russian Ark" Anniversary edition DVD has more extras than the blu-ray

Unlike the Blu-ray, however, the DVD has a few additional elements as well. There's a good commentary track, an overview of the Museum itself, and additional Q&As.

So I'm wondering if the DVD is just the same as the old Wellspring DVD repackaged.

Some people? How about all of us who bought the thing? Especially those who already had the older Wellspring version and have already discarded the old art and case (when we might have sold it!). For the life of me I don't understand this decision. Kino ought to have gone dual format if they weren't porting every extra. There's perhaps a small stupid argument to be made for/against upressing some of those making-of interviews (if they even needed to), or haggling over bitrates, but none at all for not including an audio commentary they apparently had the rights to all along.

warren oates wrote:Some people? How about all of us who bought the thing? Especially those who already had the older Wellspring version and have already discarded the old art and case (when we might have sold it!). For the life of me I don't understand this decision. Kino ought to have gone dual format if they weren't porting every extra. There's perhaps a small stupid argument to be made for/against upressing some of those making-of interviews (if they even needed to), or haggling over bitrates, but none at all for not including an audio commentary they apparently had the rights to all along.

They included a bonus DVD with The Sacrifice, so yeah, I agree this would have been wise.

domino harvey wrote:Redemption releasing the two Robbe-Grillet titles BFI delayed

It's like we're inching closer and closer to these being out in the open. This seems like pretty good news!

manicsounds wrote:This will piss off some people: The new "Russian Ark" Anniversary edition DVD has more extras than the blu-ray

Unlike the Blu-ray, however, the DVD has a few additional elements as well. There's a good commentary track, an overview of the Museum itself, and additional Q&As.

So I'm wondering if the DVD is just the same as the old Wellspring DVD repackaged.

The extras you're referring to came from another company's DVD--Wellspring. If they're not on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray and DVD, it's because they don't have access and / or rights to those materials, including the commentary, which were produced and, therefore owned, by a different entity.

Would be interesting to see a family tree for Lorber. Would think Wellspring was somewhere in that mix at one point in time. (Fox Lorber, Wellspring, Lorber, Kino Lorber, maybe missed one or two.) But yes could be a rights issue, could be a cost issue, or something else altogether...

fdm wrote:Would be interesting to see a family tree for Lorber.

Well, there's this.

The DVDTalk review had made it sound like new Kino DVD included those extras but not the new Blu-ray. I see the reviewer has deleted the sentence quoted above from the review.

Makes it seem like the reviewer didn't really review the disc at all. It's not a mistake that's easy to make if you're really looking at the actual disc. DVDTalk was never all that great to begin with. But it's fallen off considerably lately. The worst of the worst is Jeff Nelson, who covers new theatrical releases with the mangled prose of an enthusiastic yet held back 4th grader. If only somebody would forbid him from using the passive voice.

Oh there's nothing wrong with passive voice in theory, but for how wrong it can be in practice, just look at Nelson's reviews. His stuff is a text book example of how not to use it.

And the new Russian Ark release was not purchased by me.

Kino announces Blu-ray for A Touch of Sin. Haven't had time to write about this film yet, but others on the board have in their 2013 lists. Believe their praise. This is a fascinating window into contemporary China, a great film in its own right, and a real evolution in Jia Zhang Ke's work as well.