criterionforum.org

Tribe wrote:Any chance they may have acquired the rights to the Republic library for a relatively short period of time? Is there a standard in the industry?

Three years is typical, but I could see these being for longer since they licensed the entire Republic library.

Blu-ray.com review for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). A great indicator of things to come!

eerik wrote: Looks like we can expect at least 20 more titles in Q4

Hope one slot is for the Fassbinder this year.

McCrutchy wrote:I wonder what Olive will do with Sono's Love Exposure, since Third Window is putting out a loaded two-disc BD set in the UK in August.

If history is any indication than the Third Window is likely the place to go to if you can.

While I'm incredibly thrilled Macbeth will be on blu-ray, I can't help but be a little disappointed that only one of its cuts will be on there. I realize I'm being picky, but like so many of Welles' movies I feel like there's no definitive version of it and both cuts are interesting in their own rights.

knives wrote:

McCrutchy wrote:I wonder what Olive will do with Sono's Love Exposure, since Third Window is putting out a loaded two-disc BD set in the UK in August.

If history is any indication than the Third Window is likely the place to go to if you can.

And unlike Olive, Third Window would appear to have a good working relationship with Sion Sono, Himizu being their third film of his they'll have released.
I also seem to remember reading that they've co-produced his latest film too.

DVD only 9/18 releases:

The Devil, Probably (1977)
Police (1985)

That sucks. Better than nothing on the Bresson though.

Surely better than nothing for those lacking a region-free player, but I'll be sticking with the AE DVD that has removable white subs.

Why are removable subs important?

So that people who can understand French can turn them off, but yellow subs that happen to be nonremovable is probably the biggest issue I'll have with this DVD. I assume Olive is still continuing with that practice.

That's probably the first disappointing Olive announcement. I can understand Police, as that's due a restoration next year, but surely the materials for The Devil, Probably are good enough? That being said, it's probably a sales-based decision, though I didn't expect Olive to be making one with their recent record!

Why doesn't everybody on this board who wants to see the Bresson in Blu and the encoding of removable subtitles for all future foreign releases write to Olive directly? It can't hurt. I've done it. Who knows? If you don't change things now you might be one of those proverbial 51 people necessary to reach a tipping point in the future. Be sure to tell them you love their company and buy plenty of their discs but would be even more inclined to buy in the future if they'd treat the Bresson film with the respect it deserves and author foreign language fare with a feature that nearly every cinephile cares about -- even the ones who don't necessarily speak the language the film is in.

I've facebooked and twittered, I might as well send them an e-mail as well.

Wow.

Gregory wrote:... yellow subs that happen to be nonremovable is probably the biggest issue I'll have with the Devil, Probably DVD.

I stand corrected!
I disagreed when someone here recently said "some of the worst cover art in the industry" about Olive, but then here's this.

I'd fail the "Bresson Cover or Threadless Shirt?" quiz

I guess it's wrong that I actually like them.

I like the Pialat cover.

Ick. The Bresson cover made me throw up in my throat a little. Like the hideous collage of someone who's never seen the film but took whatever magazines where sitting around and the first image of the protagonist they could find from Google. Considering how excellent the film is and how many strong images exist within the film and the number of striking and inventive graphics it's had for posters before internationally makes it all that much worse. So no Blu-ray, no removable subtitles and the ugliest Olive cover of the year to boot?

warren oates wrote:Why doesn't everybody on this board who wants to see the Bresson in Blu and the encoding of removable subtitles for all future foreign releases write to Olive directly? It can't hurt. I've done it. Who knows? If you don't change things now you might be one of those proverbial 51 people necessary to reach a tipping point in the future. Be sure to tell them you love their company and buy plenty of their discs but would be even more inclined to buy in the future if they'd treat the Bresson film with the respect it deserves and author foreign language fare with a feature that nearly every cinephile cares about -- even the ones who don't necessarily speak the language the film is in.

I've sent them three e-mails in the past along this route about the subtitles but I never got anything back. I thought it might have actually worked when Novecento was released with optional subtitles but, alas, that was only because it also had multiple language tracks. If it isn't immeadiately apparent to a company why optional subtitles are preferred, are they likely to take much notice anyway? If everyone there is monolingual and has never imported anything in their lives then they're probably completely ignornant of why it is desired. I've never understood the few companies who always make their subtitles fixed (Olive, Second Sight - is there anyone else?). The benefit is kind of in the concept of something being "optional". Why would you want to make them anything other than optional and on by default? The stupid thing is that it isn't even a difficult change to make. It's more than likely literally just a check box that needs remained unchecked.

For what it's worth, watch the disks on your PC and it shouldn't be a problem anyway as there's software that removes DVD restrictions. Thus fixed subtitles become optional. There's nothing you can do about burnt-in ones of course.

Burnt in subtitles usually mean two things: a)that is a contractual obligation or b)the company is REALLY cheap

I saw a good-looking 35mm print of the Bresson with Olive logos at the front earlier this year. I guess they're unable or unwilling to create a digital master themselves, and are relying on whatever is supplied to them. Based on previous experience, they don't respond to Facebook, Twitter, or email. I've heard they don't answer the phone either.

perkizitore wrote:Burnt in subtitles usually mean two things: a)that is a contractual obligation or b)the company is REALLY cheap

Judging by the fact that Olive eschew SDH on English language films, I'd vote for cheap.

Ah! I like the Devil cover. The upside down bus... not so much. But I like how it's messy with Charles blasted to pieces. I can dig it.

Jeff wrote:I saw a good-looking 35mm print of the Bresson with Olive logos at the front earlier this year. I guess they're unable or unwilling to create a digital master themselves, and are relying on whatever is supplied to them. Based on previous experience, they don't respond to Facebook, Twitter, or email. I've heard they don't answer the phone either.

This doesn't make sense to me as the film is distributed theatrically on 35mm by The Film Desk.