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Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:04 pm**

I'll let the liner notes from the Bernard box speak for itself, and for what I and the few other genuine fans of Bernard have known for years:

It's hard to think of an artist who better exemplifies the ebb and flow of film history better than R. Bernard. Once a director equally admired by critics, fellow artists, audiences, and studio heads, Bernard is now, even among film scholars, and French cinema junkies, nearly forgotten.

His work should have always been considered "standard studio classic" in reportoire, but it absolutely has not. The postwar French public was not even able to properly see LES MIS until beyond the late 70's, when the director, frail and nearly sightless, got his chance to replace all that excised footage before he died (I'd make that my mission too if I made that film and was near the grave).

Standard studio classic means just that-- an unquestioned classic that gets hauled out each year in all markets because of its global fanbase and it's reliability in generating revenue on the circuit. That doesn't mean "made by a studio, prints do get struck, screenings do get held, even if only after a restoration or a new print struck,". (almost every title that's played in arthouse qualifies in that category.

As mentioned, standard studio classics would be, say, the films in the JANUS AT 50 box if on the eclectic route, or AMC/TCM golden oldies from WB/MGM.

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:16 pm**

souvenir wrote:These were the four specifically cited for the Kurosawa set:

Scandal
Idiot
Records of a Living Being
No Regrets for Our Youth

Cited by who? Not that I doubt it, but I find it puzzling. An EARLY KUROSAWA set would seem to make much more sense, and would make a far more coherent viewing experience. What would they even call this set? KUROSAWA GRAB BAG?

Don't get me wrong -- I'd buy it. RECORD OF A LIVING BEING is my most-wanted Kurosawa disc. But both it and NO REGRETS deserve the full Criterion SE treatment (barring issues with source materials). To say nothing of the annoying MoC overlap factor.

Still, I'm willing to bet we see an Eclipse Kurosawa set of some type in 2008, along with a Criterion TIGER'S TAIL and a remastered HIGH AND LOW.

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:57 pm**

ByMarkClark.com wrote:Cited by who?

On the .com board, by the person who seems to have an inside source.

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:14 pm**

ByMarkClark.com wrote:What would they even call this set? KUROSAWA GRAB BAG?

I think it's pretty clear the set will be called KUROSAWA: SWORDS, SUICIDES, CUDDLY WOMEN

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:24 pm**

Eclipse Series 7: U Guys Luv Kurosawa Rite

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 8:33 pm**

These were the four specifically cited for the Kurosawa set:

Scandal
Idiot
Records of a Living Being
No Regrets for Our Youth

Doesn't make sense. I don't even think Criterion has the rights to Idiot . I mean, as pointed out, wouldn't "Early Kurosawa" make sense and release these films out from their catalog:

The Quiet Duel
One Wonderful Sunday
No Regrets for My Youth
Most Beautiful
Scandal

Maybe even Those Who Make Tomorrow

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:28 pm**

before they started to discuss the OJ Simpson case, .com's source was giving some hints about Kurosawa's post-war films...

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:26 am**

I don't think The Quiet Duel is in their catalog.

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:15 am**

The Quiet Duel has already received a R1 release a couple of months ago. Ronin Entertainment, a subdivision of BCI Eclipse (no relation), released it. Above average release, surprisingly.

My ideal Early Kurosawa set would be:

1. Sanshiro Sugata 1 & 2
2. The Most Beautiful
3. One Wonderful Sunday
4. No Regrets For Our Youth

That would include all pre-Mifune Kurosawa films, except for Tiger's Tail, obviously.

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2007 2:21 pm**

barnyard078 wrote:My ideal Early Kurosawa set would be:

1. Sanshiro Sugata 1 & 2
2. The Most Beautiful
3. One Wonderful Sunday
4. No Regrets For Our Youth

I'd really like to see UMA included, if source materials can be found.

NO REGRETS would be the gem of the set if included. But, as I posted before, it deserves the full SE treatment. So does SANSHIRO SUGATA, but presumably it would be "Eclipsed" due to source material limitations. The same fate may befall NO REGRETS.

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2007 9:18 pm**

barnyard078 wrote:The Quiet Duel has already received a R1 release a couple of months ago. Ronin Entertainment, a subdivision of BCI Eclipse (no relation), released it. Above average release, surprisingly.

Ronin is actually a branch of Adness, which merely distributes through BCI. That probably explains why it's a decent release. Adness do good work, though their total number of releases is quite small.

Posted: **Fri Sep 28, 2007 9:47 pm**

BCI Ronin Quiet Duel screen caps

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:50 am**

Anybody know what's happening with E? No new announced titles since mid JULY?

They re-evaluating the biz model or something? Did the series fail to generate the revenue expected?

Hey David, Steven, and Andy-- imagine they closed up shop on Eclipse before releasing the half-ass-announced Gremillion? That would sure pop a lotta dingleberries around here.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:29 pm**

Maybe they put Bernard ahead of Gremillon, thinking they filled their quota for relatively obscure early french films this year (I still can't imagine La petite Lise being included, that one will take an MoC or Kino). Their much debated mission statement with its "once a month" declaration of releases is definitely getting thrown out the window. Even if they do close up shop its been a good year, but yeah, dingleberries popped and torn if its over.

edit: also, schreck, aren't you a fan of Kobayashi's Black River (I think I remember this). I posted some screencaps of the new French DVD of this, it looks gorgeous, and again I call for an "Early Kobayashi" Eclipse set.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:04 pm**

HerrSchreck wrote:They re-evaluating the biz model or something? Did the series fail to generate the revenue expected?

This is precisely what I fear, too. In a way, it would be understandable. Excepting the Bergman and the Ozu sets for sheer size and diversity, each of the Eclipse releases would surely have been bought as full-blown CCs by those (few) who bought them. If something is as 'obscure' as Bernard, you won't be able to generate interest just via the cheapo price, perhaps even on the contrary: imagine the Bernard with audio commentaries, a background docu on French film in the early 30s, interviews, the whole usual stuff: this might titillate those who still hesitate. And practically everything released under the Eclipse moniker would have been a jewel in the CC output this year. "Monsters and Madmen" is probably the only one that would have fitted Eclipse better than the main Collection.

So instead of putting Saura in the Eclipse line, they better really continue with box sets of early films by well-known directors: Kurosawa, Kobayashi, early or late Powell(with or without Pressburger) for instance. I dream of an Eclipse set containing "Honeymoon", "They're a weird mob", "Age of Consent", "Duke Bluebeard's Castle" and "The boy who turned yellow" , and another one containing the missing P&P films.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:01 pm**

HerrSchreck wrote:Anybody know what's happening with E? No new announced titles since mid JULY?

I don't think there's anything to worry about...anyone who expected Criterion to continuously unload 2-6 extra feature films every month with this line was fooling themselves, and the lack of new announcements for November and December doesn't seem unusual... November has a *huge* selection as it is, and December is historically a lesser month for releases. I could be wrong, though...others seem more educated on the matters of business than I am. But the lack of new releases after the Saura box isn't any cause for alarm; its just two months so far.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:22 pm**

I think it would be a little early to presume that Criterion are having difficulty with the Eclipse line. After all the sets haven't been out a year yet, I'm sure they're banking on people purchasing the sets as time goes by rather than going on first week/month sales. I think Criterion's product is surely a slow burner rather than a fast seller, isn't it? We're not talking Pirates of the Caribbean here are we? I only hope that the Eclipse line is something that Criterion will continue with. And hopefully we will see some of the rumoured (Mizoguchi, Naruse, Imamura etc.) and some of the wished (Kobayashi, Gremillon, P&P etc.) soon.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 5:31 pm**

I'd be surprised if the CC was re-evaluating Eclipse. The new imprint has been enthusiastically embraced by fans and critics. I would be shocked to learn the Bergman, Ozu and Fuller sets DIDN'T sell well.

I suspect that they may have simply underestimated the logistical impact of putting out a boxed set every month. Either that, or they ARE reconsidering the financial implications of doing 12 releases per year. Maybe we will actually see more like 6 or 8, so Eclipse doesn't wind up competing with itself.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 7:49 pm**

December is traditionally a light month for everyone. Not too many people are buying anything for themselves in the holiday season, and few put anything on their holiday wishlists that isn't availble by November. The UK division of my old company would skip December releases altogether, and US releases were minimal. Even Criterion is only putting out one new release that month.

I would suspect that there was something in the works for November and they missed their deadline. Then when the time came for December announcements, it made more sense to hold onto whatever was in the works than to dump it in December. Although I'm sure the Eclipse line is a success, I can't imagine it's doing so well that they can afford to take chances on unpopular release dates.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 8:29 pm**

Kim Hendrickson wrote:There won't be another Eclipse release until January 2008. We'll be announcing the content soon.

Posted: **Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:40 pm**

I hope it's the Lubitsch!

Posted: **Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:09 am**

So I wonder what this means as far as the monthly release schedule, prev announced. Maybe dipping their toes in that rougher, far less glossy Kino/Moc/Arte/Milestone zone of films means that something is going to have to give... either the tempo of the release schedule, or the quality of the packaging & meticulous encoding, if they're going to see profit on the line.

Yes, waiting for a subbed version of BLACK RIVER, Steve, definitely!

And to whoever said it, the Gremillion release was already mentioned/confirmed by CC for Eclipse when the line itself was confirmed/announced about a year ago... it's not a "wished" release based only on personal taste and a prayer. It's one of the very few nonreleased Eclipses I can think of as already officially confirmed.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:51 pm**

Postwar Kurosawa announced

I Live in Fear
The Idiot
No Regrets For Our Youth
One Wonderful Sunday
Scandal

A possible triple double dip for Kurosawa fans (me included). I wonder what sort of state the films will be in (Youth and Sunday that is)?. I feel underwhelmed.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 7:06 pm**

Normally would be in the "why dont they release what I want" dept, but I feel free to say owing to the general mood: I'm a bit underwhelmed by the line in general. Hopefully it will pick up, but this huge pause in the line and the generally midline interest of the material (who has been really pulling their hair out screaming for years for the Malle docs, the Saura melodramas, the midline Ozu's-- which I'd probably rank #2 after the Bernard?) has made it a generally tepid intro to the whole idea.. whereas I expected month after month of hardcore bernard-type shit.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:55 pm**

Perhaps Criterion is catering to the completists among us. If you really, really really REALLY want every Ozu, Malle, Bergman, and Kurosawa title, then Eclipse is for you. Personally, I don't even want all of their films that have been put out on the Criterion line--Louis Malle, for example, is not such a great director that I have any desire to own more than a handful of his films. This isn't to knock any of these directors (sorry, Louis!). However, like Schreck (I think), I see the real potential of Eclipse as being the unknown/unreleased masterpieces that Criterion wants to make available in the first place, albeit not restored to CC's high standards and fitted out with beaucoup extras.

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