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But on the good news side of things, it looks like we'll be getting more info on the upcoming releases (including Marketa Lazarova) soon. Then I can finally order the rest of secondrun's Czech catalogue.

Palms and Partition released on 27th August

Artur Aristakisyan's Palms and Ken McMullen's Partition will be released on 27th August. More details regarding both of these films can be found in their respective sections.

I will be posting more details regarding forthcoming releases shortly.

Second Run has achieved a certain level of recognition in China. The bootleg Dvd of Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day copies the Second Run design format both front and back, in the style of a cover such as The Third Part of Night. It opts for a rust color theme, and nowhere mentions Second Run.
On back it bills the film as "a digital transfer of a decent LaserDisc." Which sums it up, as it's a semi-acceptable version of an otherwise unreleased film.

Just to let you know that Second Run's design and appeal was considered appealing good to rip-off.

I've been waiting a few weeks for some backordered Second Run titles from Sendit (namely, Love, Long Weekend..., Intimate Lighting, The Red and the White, and The Cremator). Is it likely that a new pressing is imminent? Does anyone know how long it usually takes?

Stagger Lee wrote:I've been waiting a few weeks for some backordered Second Run titles from Sendit (namely, Love, Long Weekend..., Intimate Lighting, The Red and the White, and The Cremator). Is it likely that a new pressing is imminent? Does anyone know how long it usually takes?

Stagger Lee - there's no reason for you to have waited for these titles. All our titles are in print and stocks are fully available. If Sendit are suggesting to you that the delay is due to the titles being out-of-stock, then it would seem to us that they are just not ordering enough stock to meet their own customers demands!

In case you weren't aware, you can also order direct from our website for free delivery worldwide.

Really nice for us to see that you have ordered so many of our titles. Thank you.

Stagger Lee the same thing happened to me when SR first started. I saw the list of SR titles soon-to-be released, asked anyone on this forum if they heard of this new company, got no response but stuck with 4 titles as pre-orders due to the price. After the release date I put up with nearly 2 weeks of nothing and then decided to cancel & try Amazon UK who not only had all titles in stock but also shipped them the next day [Sunday] at less cost.

Your post shows that in this respect Sendit haven't changed.

Thanks for the responses. I've taken your advice, Bikey, and ordered direct.

solent wrote:Your post shows that in this respect Sendit haven't changed.

I can totally identify with this - they took months to deliver a particular DVD that seemed to be in stock in plenty of other places, and the only reason I didn't change to another supplier was because it wasn't urgent, and Sendit's price was very comfortably the lowest advertised.

My cynical theory was that they'd mistakenly advertised it at a price lower than they were comfortable with, and were hoping I'd get bored with waiting and cancel the order - but I called their bluff (if bluff it was), and it turned up eventually.

But I haven't used them again.

They've changed their website, which now automatically loads a trailer for Black Sun. Nicely done, and I hope they can put more trailers on the front page.

Also, it looks like you can now order Black Sun and Marketa off the website now.

Second Run is having a December sale. Unfortunately, I have at least one film from each of the combos they're offering, but if you're looking to pick up some titles at a discount, you might want to check it out. It's linked from their main page.

Does Second Run package many of their sets in black keepcases? I just received a copy of David Holzman's Diary in a black case today. There does not appear to be a label on the case itself. I swapped it out with an unused clear case I had laying around just so that title doesn't look like the tooth that got knocked out in my Second Run collection.

I think their earliest releases have black cases. I have nine SR films and only Intimate Lighting is in black; the rest are clear cases.

M wrote:Does Second Run package many of their sets in black keepcases? I just received a copy of David Holzman's Diary in a black case today. There does not appear to be a label on the case itself. I swapped it out with an unused clear case I had laying around just so that title doesn't look like the tooth that got knocked out in my Second Run collection.

Intimate Lighting and David Holzman are the only ones to be released in black cases, to my knowledge. The only SRs I do not own are the two Nighthawks films, Partition, and Knights of the Teutonic Order.

If you haven't checked out Nighthawks II, I would strongly recommend it (I know - I'm slightly biased here). Not only does it present an informed account of late 20th Century life in the UK, I think it is a startlingly original mix of documentary, memoir and cine-essay.

Second Run Tuesdays – Free Film Night 12th February

Our next regular free film night takes place on Tuesday 12th February, at our usual venue: The Fleapit, Columbia Road, London E2.

On that Tuesday we will be screening MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS (Matka Joanna od aniolów) in tribute to its director, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, who passed away in December.

One of the landmarks of Polish cinema, this film is based on the documented story of the ‘possession’ of a group of nuns that led to the burning of a priest at the stake in Loudun, France in 1634.

Screening Details:
Tuesday 12th February – Mother Joan of the Angels (102 minutes)
Free entry (please buy a drink at the bar)
Film starts promptly at 8pm

The Fleapit
49 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
www.thefleapit.com
0207 033 9986

I guess Second Run has been taking a little break, now two and a half months since Marketa Lazarova was released on December 3. The Round Up has been showing up for pre-order with a March 17 date for a little while, but no updates to the SR website for a couple of months.

souvenir wrote:I guess Second Run has been taking a little break, now two and a half months since Marketa Lazarova was released on December 3. The Round Up has been showing up for pre-order with a March 17 date for a little while, but no updates to the SR website for a couple of months.

As far as I'm aware, it's still scheduled for March 17 - and that's probably set in stone, as Jancsó is coming over to the UK then to help promote it.

They released Partition and Black Sun at the end of January too.

M wrote:They released Partition and Black Sun at the end of January too.

Partition came out last summer (albeit initially exclusively available through MovieMail), and Black Sun in early December. The Round-Up will be the first proper 2008 release.

Oh yeah. I purchased Partition when it was released for purchase on DVD at the end of January and, buying Black Sun at the same time, I must have mistakenly assumed they were both released at the same time. That is rather a gap between releases (Marketa Lazarova/Black Sun and The Round-Up), but surely Second Run has been hard at work in the interim.

For some time I have been researching the career of the British director, screenwriter, playwright and actress Jane Arden. It is very hard to track down her films - it has taken literally years - but I think I know where copies of all of them are now (except one). Her work would be ideal material for Second Run, and being the only British woman, that I am aware of, to direct a feature film in the UK in the 1970s it is bizarre that her work and career has suffered from such neglect.
I don't know if the Second Run staff read this forum but I would be VERY interested to talk to someone about how Ms Arden's films could be made available again. Even if Second Run could not pursue this I would be very interested to hear any ideas about how this aim could be realised.
In the last few months a My Space site has been set up to celebrate her work (www.myspace.com/janeardendotcom). At the very least her 'magnum opus' 'The Other Side of the Underneath' (1972) should be readily available.
I would be fascinated to read any replies to this comment.

Sean Kaye-Smith wrote: and being the only British woman, that I am aware of, to direct a feature film in the UK in the 1970s

Does Laura Mulvey not count? She codirected two features in the 70s.

GaryC wrote:Does Laura Mulvey not count? She codirected two features in the 70s.

Laura Mulvey certainly DOES count; thanks for that. Interestingly both Jane Arden and Laura Mulvey seem to have co-directed, in Arden's case with Jack Bond. She only took solo directing credits once, so it might well be that 'The Other Side of the Underneath' (1972) is the only British film from the 1970s solely directed by a woman.

It's also interesting that after only a few hours Jane Arden - and now Laura Mulvey - has been relegated to 'General Second Run Chitchat' rather than continuing to constitute a topic in her own right.

Random thoughts while I procrastinate on the 'net...

Even as diversified as certain boutique labels' catalogs are, they can be relatively myopic with regards to "world" cinema, reducing it to a few standard national canons (i.e. French, German, Japanese...). I'm glad SR is putting out Asian cinema that's not the usual Japanese art-house fare. It's good and important that Criterion is releasing Kurosawa, Ozu, et al.--but it's equally important to see great Thai and Indian cinema, for example, coming from SR. Can you go to some underrepresented African countries next?

Amazon UK is listing Tropical Malady for July 28 and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders for August 25