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Very exciting news!

Second Run were kind enough to ask if I wanted to revise my booklet essay (originally published in 2007). I was happy with the analysis of the film itself, but I was very grateful for the opportunity to cover Jan Němec's career in its entirety, since back then I unavoidably had to stop nearly a decade before he did.

I hope this is only the beginning of Second Run including Jiri Trnka films as supplements. Song of the Prairie would be a great supplement to Lemonade Joe! Or so I assume, on behalf of the latter film.

Pre-order now up at Amazon UK (at the wrong price currently), at Arrow and at our webstore

Nice cover art!

Details of this release now up at our website

An excellent new review and analysis by Mark Cunliffe at The Geek Show

"The Party and the Guests is a great film to embrace. Second Run have treated us to another masterpiece of the Czech New Wave in 1080p... A very unique, Buñuel-ian, film that we strongly recommend. Second Run's Blu-ray from the 2021 restoration is a huge update in a/v and has valuable extras including two commentaries and more. Absolutely recommended!"

Beaver review

"Hovering the middle ground between Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel and Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salò, this is an often wry and twisted film [...]
Sourced from an immaculate new 4K restoration... It looks and sounds superb"
Mondo Digital

"Technically and artistically, THE PARTY AND THE GUESTS is a meticulously designed and constructed work... it's easy to see why this extraordinary and richly layered work is regularly cited as one of the finest films of the Czech New Wave. [...] This Second Run Blu-ray represents a terrific release of a remarkable film and comes unreservedly recommended."

Cine Outsider

Bikey wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 2:29 pm #8 in Beavers' 'Best Blu-rays of 2022' poll

Could've gone higher still. For my ballot I "limited" myself to nominating Dragon's Return and Devil's Trap. I am behind on things, with Larks on a String, All My Good Countrymen, Desire, Love, Coach to Vienna (even Luminous Procuress) was there ever a general consensus on the top release (or did you have a personal favorite)? Add in the war trilogy - an easy pick for the box set list - Second Run's 2022 BD slate was its best ever. The only label I blind buy with confidence. Congrats!

ikms wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2023 4:58 am

Bikey wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 2:29 pm #8 in Beavers' 'Best Blu-rays of 2022' poll

Could've gone higher still. For my ballot I "limited" myself to nominating Dragon's Return and Devil's Trap. I am behind on things, with Larks on a String, All My Good Countrymen, Desire, Love, Coach to Vienna (even Luminous Procuress) was there ever a general consensus on the top release (or did you have a personal favorite)? Add in the war trilogy - an easy pick for the box set list - Second Run's 2022 BD slate was its best ever. The only label I blind buy with confidence. Congrats!

Thanks so much, ikms, for your shout for those great films...

My only issue with Second Run's 2022 slate is that I'd already seen over half of the films before (sometimes, through Second Run's own DVD releases). That's more of a 'me' problem, however, and not a very big one. Getting Party and the Guests, Larks on a String, Dragon's Return, and All My Good Countrymen on Blu-ray is truly worth celebrating, and the former and the latter both came with films I hadn't seen before so I can't even hold them accountable as mere 'upgrades'. The Wajda trilogy (a set I haven't watched yet) is also greatly making up for Criterion's mistake in only releasing Ashes, not only by upgrading the entire trilogy but with, in all likelihood, superior extras than what Criterion has and would have provided.