18 Passenger

[razumovsky]

The English National Opera is staging a version of The Passenger later this year: http://www.eno.org/see-whats-on/product ... temid=1657" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. The opera, by Mieczysław Weinberg, apparently dates from 1968. I don't know anything about the opera, or its relation to Munk's film, but the production seems to have been well-received when presented at Bregenz last year (http://opera-cake.blogspot.com/2010/08/ ... r-you.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Lots of cheap tickets still available, so it must be worth a punt.

[admira]

There is also czech DVD version in its original aspect ratio, that was in czech movie distribution for 35 years.

LINK

Screen Shots

[admira]

shouldn't forget japanese release:

LINK

[Peacock]

Well, it depends on what sort of physical condition the print is in too. Presumably any English-subbed prints of Passenger will be of the same vintage as that print of The Round-Up that was screened at Second Run's Jancso event - which really wasn't bad for its age, but in no way was it suitable for a DVD transfer.

Apologies, just noticed this; I didn't make myself clear; I meant: Why doesn't Second Run or another company use the 2:35:1 master with FRENCH burnt in subtitles. Then simply offer a removable english subtitle track with a black box underneath (like in some older subtitled releases), placed over the french subs. This way you are getting much more of the original image - sure you are losing a bit thanks to the black box - but I'd say that's better that losing the Scope frame. And of course... as the english subtitles and box would be removable, if you want to rewatch without the box, then you just turn them off (making the French subs visible)

[GaryC]

Admittedly it's VHS, and it has burned-in English subtitles, but I wonder what Hen's Teeth (see my post above) mastered their edition from?

[MichaelB]

More to the point, I wonder what was screened at last week's complete Andrzej Munk retrospective in Wrocław?

There have been a great many Polish films remastered of late, including Munk's Eroica (unrecognisable from the old Polart/Best Film Co DVDs, and I hope Second Run manages to get their hands on this new version, as I know they're still keen to release it), but Passenger hasn't appeared on any lists that I've seen. It's out on DVD in Poland, but the rock-bottom price suggests that it's no great shakes - in fact, it's probably the same master as the Second Run, but without subtitles.

[domino harvey]

The irony here is that with Passenger, though I like many people have seen the ful Dyaliscope stills in various film books, I often feel that they should have shot it in something like 1.66 anyway, as the idea of an ultra widescreen holocaust film just didn't feel right - much of the atmosphere in such a film must be claustrophobic, and surely a tighter ratio would have helped.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I originally watched an early pressing of Second Run's Passenger in sublime ignorance of the fact that 1.66:1 wasn't the original aspect ratio (I've just checked, and the word 'Dyaliscope' is noticeably absent from the onscreen credits)...

...and it looked fine. Seriously.

And even looking at it again on fast-forward now that I know it's been cropped from Scope, it still looks perfectly watchable. There are a few scenes (for instance the circle of people surrounding the humiliated camp inmates), where there are clear signs of cropping, but it doesn't strike me that you need to see the entire circle on screen for the scene to have its intended effect. As you rightly say, it's a claustrophobic film, and the cropping intensifies rather than diminishes this.

I just caught up with this film and was shocked to come in here afterwards and discover it was originally in 'Scope. So, I agree with this ancient post! But given how much I enjoyed small moments like the protagonist having a happy little moment in the foreground while an anonymous prisoner is whipped and falls into a puddle in the background, perhaps more of these peeks at "reality" in the midst of sunnier excuses are present in a full ratio version?

I thought this film was terrific, and one of the best I've ever seen on the subject of how Nazis saw themselves. This is such a well-worn road that the film is all the more commendable for finding a fresh and disturbing frequency to tune into-- the protagonist's twisted internal monologues and justifications for her actions towards the prisoner she "favors" are supremely self-serving and revealing, even when she's offering a sunny version to her husband. The film offers a pretty clear answer to the question of those who served but claimed to be, I suppose, one rung below the Good Germans. I think the film is even more effective in the La jette-esque bookending we get due to Munk's death, as it allows the movie's focus on the past events more clarity and emphasis. Indeed, you really don't need almost any of the frame story here, other than enough to set up the final encounter. I hope this gets a full restoration and English-friendly release someday, it's a concise and troubling movie worthy of a larger audience.

[charal]

I wonder what happened to the outtake footage of the cruise passengers (the source for the stills in the released version). I understand Munk was going to re-shoot these scenes. One assumes, in deference to his wishes after his death, that these scenes were held back so as to respect the integrity of his original artistic choices. With the passage of time would it still be ‘dishonourable’ to crib together a more ‘complete’ version of the film. This would balance out the past and present theme (which is what the filmmaker intended anyway). Of course this is only possible if the deleted footage still exists.