Eclipse Discussion and Random Speculation

[Tommaso]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the two AEs on the Eclipse line plus some of the 1940s works.

Considering what they did to Kurosawa fans by duplicating three of the five films, I find that likely, sadly. But in this case it would probably at least be a duplication for the better, imagewise, and as the AE's are dead cheap at the moment, no great loss involved anyway. And whatever the image quality is, I grew pretty fond of "Musashino" and was actually blown away by "Oharu", certainly the best Mizoguchi film I've seen yet. I'd rate it much higher than "Sansho", and probably even higher than "Ugetsu".

[Darbicus]

As long as I have something to replace the beat up copy of Chrysanthemums I have....

[backstreetsbackalright]

As long as I have something to replace the beat up copy of Chrysanthemums I have....

Wow, what kinda fights do you have at your place?

[Michael Kerpan]

As long as I have something to replace the beat up copy of Chrysanthemums I have....

People _claim_ there was a good quality print of this film back in the 1970s. But this print seems to have evaporated. The Japanese DVD (and all new prints) apparently was based on a fairly low-grade source -- and I have not heard anyone attest to running across a good-looking version of this film (in any format whatsoever) during the last decade (or two).

[Darbicus]

At this point pretty much anything will work. About two years ago I by chance happened across this at a garage sale mixed in with a bunch of VHS tapes. The guy didn't know what he had, so I salvaged the whole box of about twenty-thirty tapes for about fifteen bucks total. The copy isn't great, but it was watchable.

I'd give anything for a pristine print, or at least a decent one. The tape didn't survive a crossover to DVD very well for whatever reason.

And since this is the thread for random speculation (forgive my lack of tact, as I am new and generally rather uncouth to begin with), does anyone know anything about an eclipse series for Browning's silent films?

[Danny Burk]

And since this is the thread for random speculation (forgive my lack of tact, as I am new and generally rather uncouth to begin with), does anyone know anything about an eclipse series for Browning's silent films?

There aren't many that could be included, since most were produced by MGM and are presently owned by Warners, who doesn't allow third-party release of their films.

[movielocke]

considering the paramount connection and the recent lubitsch release would a Leo McCarey set be out of the question? A better version of the Awful Truth would be stellar, and it could also include Ruggles of Red Gap and McCarey's masterpiece Make Way for Tomorrow, which is criminally underseen and forgotten. Any other films to round out the set?

I think the ideal Mizoguchi set would be Sisters of Gion, Osaka Elegy and Story of the Last Chrysanthemum.

Is a Pabst set likely? Westfront 1918 and Kameradshaft would be obvious candidates, but what else could be added to such a set?

What sort of set could People on Sunday be worked into? could we see an early German Sound set? including People on Sunday, Westfront and kameradshaft?

And this is totally off the wall, but wouldn't a John Frankenheimer's Television make a great set? The Comedian, Days of Wine and Roses, The Turn of the Screw, A Town turned to Dust, Portrait in Celluloid, Forbidden Area, Farewell to Arms etc. Lots of Playhouse 90 and so forth to choose from. It seems like the sort of release that would be right up Eclipse's alley.

[GringoTex]

considering the paramount connection and the recent lubitsch release would a Leo McCarey set be out of the question? A better version of the Awful Truth would be stellar, and it could also include Ruggles of Red Gap and McCarey's masterpiece Make Way for Tomorrow, which is criminally underseen and forgotten. Any other films to round out the set?

His anti-communist family horror melodrama masterpiece My Son John.

[jaredsap]

considering the paramount connection and the recent lubitsch release would a Leo McCarey set be out of the question? A better version of the Awful Truth would be stellar, and it could also include Ruggles of Red Gap and McCarey's masterpiece Make Way for Tomorrow, which is criminally underseen and forgotten. Any other films to round out the set?

THE AWFUL TRUTH is Columbia. It could not be included.

This was discussed in another thread, but SIX OF A KIND and BELLE OF THE NINETIES could round out an awesome McCarey Eclipse set.

I'm still holding out hope for a standalone Criterion MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW release, though.

[Stefan Andersson]

Hi all, if you want to, please feel free to check out my ideas for two Eclipse Film Noir boxes over at the Criterion and Paramount thread. The boxes would be based on Paramount productions, one box centered around Cornell Woolrich adaptations (STREET OF CHANCE, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES ,FEAR IN THE NIGHT), another one on "Noir stars" (I WALK ALONE, DARK CITY, FILE ON THELMA JORDON).

Maybe I should have posted here instead. Sorry if this counts as a double post.

[Tommaso]

Is a Pabst set likely? Westfront 1918 and Kameradshaft would be obvious candidates, but what else could be added to such a set?

What sort of set could People on Sunday be worked into? could we see an early German Sound set? including People on Sunday, Westfront and kameradshaft?

"People on Sunday" is a silent film first of all, and as far as I can see, CC plan to release it individually.
The two Pabsts should be likely candidates for an Eclipse set, and if you want to stay with his sound films, "The Mistress of Atlantis" would be an obvious choice. Perhaps also his "Paracelsus", made in '43 after his return to Nazi Germany, and much in the 'Germanic' vein, but a pretty good film nevertheless.

[Darbicus]

Any chance of something by Theo Angelopoulos? Edward Yang? Maybe some Max Ophuls?

[Cinephrenic]

Edward Yang? Maybe some Max Ophuls

Ophuls box set coming. Yang is possible given the absence of most of his films on DVD. They are playing in various retrospectives, but the owner of the rights are not known yet.

[denti alligator]

Yang is possible given the absence of most of his films on DVD. They are playing in various retrospectives, but the owner of the rights are not known yet.

Is this so? Where do you have this info from?

[Cinephrenic]

Here is one site.

[jaredsap]

Yang is possible given the absence of most of his films on DVD. They are playing in various retrospectives, but the owner of the rights are not known yet.

Is this so? Where do you have this info from?

I saw A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (dir. cut) in LA last fall. The battered print was personally supplied by Yang's family, which suggests they might own the US rights to that title.

[denti alligator]

I had a dream that Criterion's June slate included a 7-DVD Eclipse box of Gremillon films, although neither Maldone nor Geule D'amour were among the seven.

[Derek Estes]

I had a dream that I had sex with a group of French actors in the Eclipse Offices, although Alain Delon and Jean Gabin were absent. A video of the meeting was later released online with little fan fare.

[Cronenfly]

Yang is possible given the absence of most of his films on DVD. They are playing in various retrospectives, but the owner of the rights are not known yet.

Is this so? Where do you have this info from?

I saw A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (dir. cut) in LA last fall. The battered print was personally supplied by Yang's family, which suggests they might own the US rights to that title.

I've seen a few (Taipei Story/Desires, The Terrorizer, and A Confucian Confusion, with A Brighter Summer Day and Mahjong still to come, missing only That Day, On the Beach) at the Cinematheque Ontario retrospective; none of the titles indicated who owns/distributes them, and imdb is little help. Yang's wife is personally thanked in the program notes for helping to get the retro together, so I think that her participation will be instrumental in getting his work to DVD.

All the films need new subtitles (the prints I've seen have dual Taiwanese/English subtitles with a plethora of spelling/grammar mistakes) and a fair amount of restoration. None of the titles that I've seen so far are so bad that they're unreleasable, but I'm nonetheless worried that the state of the films might scare Criterion off- although this is a perfect situation for them to prove their Eclipse mission statement true and actually release some films on that line that aren't in entirely pristine condition (save for A Brighter Summer Day, which would surely get a release on the main line, probably with Desires as a supplement).

Time will tell, I guess; getting retrospectives together is one thing, DVD releases another entirely (I remember reading somewhere, I believe in an interview with Criterion's Curtis Tsui, that A Brighter Summer Day in particular has some serious music rights issues). I certainly hope that Criterion will/has already picked up the ball, but I'll believe it when I see it. Yi Yi was an easy acquisition for them (c/o Wellspring), so I wouldn't necessarily take that as an indication that they'd undertake the sizeable task of getting the rest of Yang's work out, and there's nothing on the prints I've seen to indicate any work done on them/any involvement by Criterion whatsoever.

[Cinephrenic]

I think the next Eclipse set will be Tati with Trafic, Parade and Jour de fete.

[What A Disgrace]

I think the next Eclipse set will be Tati with Trafic, Parade and Jour de fete.

I hope that Jour de Fete includes as many versions of the film as possible.

[atcolomb]

I hope to see Traffic since the only version i have is a VHS copy from Home Vision which is ok and there is a German region 2 version out there too. I am suprised that Criterion has not release it yet since it has the Janus logo before the film starts.

[Jeff]

I think the next Eclipse set will be Tati with Trafic, Parade and Jour de fete.

I'd say that's as good of guess as any. We already know that Trafic is on tap for either June or July. I would imagine that Criterion has just about blown their wad of Tati supplements. An Eclipse set like you describe makes a lot of sense.

[justeleblanc]

I think the next Eclipse set will be Tati with Trafic, Parade and Jour de fete.

I'd say that's as good of guess as any. We already know that Trafic is on tap for either June or July. I would imagine that Criterion has just about blown their wad of Tati supplements. An Eclipse set like you describe makes a lot of sense.

I may be wrong, but I would assume they would release Trafic along with the other three Hulot films in one big Hulot box, as opposed to putting the final chapter in a box with a bunch of unrelated films.

[Jeff]

I may be wrong, but I would assume they would release Trafic along with the other three Hulot films in one big Hulot box, as opposed to putting the final chapter in a box with a bunch of unrelated films.

I thought I remembered Becker scuttling the idea of a Hulot box a while back.