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Whatever you do, don't get rid of the booklets.

peerpee wrote:The pricepoint for the Dual Format editions will remain the same as the current pricepoint for Blu-rays (which is £22.99). We've experimented with £24.99 (SUNRISE, FOR ALL MANKIND, M, etc) and with £19.99 (PROFOUND DESIRES) with previous Blu-rays and have now settled on £22.99, for numerous reasons.

Awesome, hopefully this quells all the bellyaching. Everyone wins, he says knowing people will still bitch just to have something to bitch about

What A Disgrace wrote:Whatever you do, don't get rid of the booklets.

We definitely will not be 'getting rid' of the booklets. In fact, we'll be focussing on them more than ever, trying to fit eye-opening new material inside a strict maximum 44-page booklet (for the Dual Format editions). We know that in order for us to shift units the final product must be lovely to behold and have the kind of physical desirability (package/booklet) and collectibility unavailable by other means (torrenting and copying).

Oh goody. Your booklets are half the reason I keep coming back(otherwise I'd have probably gotten the Crit Make way for tomorrow by now for example). Glad your going the BFI route too. Even though I do have a Sherwood I've been really hesitant about getting Region B discs just in case the player crapps out on me. No worries now.

knives wrote:Oh goody. Your booklets are half the reason I keep coming back(otherwise I'd have probably gotten the Crit Make way for tomorrow by now for example). Glad your going the BFI route too. Even though I do have a Sherwood I've been really hesitant about getting Region B discs just in case the player crapps out on me. No worries now.

In that case, you could buy another one. A region A player is also likely to crap out on you someday.

It's easier(and far cheaper)to buy region A players(for me)than it is to buy Region free.

This is probably a dumb question, but is there any specific reason why blus or dvds must be packaged according to their respective 'standard size' cases? I'm asking because of the apparent 44-page limitation and also because I find the "Metropolis" booklet in the steelbook somewhat difficult to read due to the small typesize (I assume the dvd only edition has a larger size booklet, and thus slightly larger print). In other words: I can't see why blus can't come in larger boxes, or why the dual disc editions shouldn't be packaged in dvd size boxes, if that facilitates reading or makes a thicker booklet possible.

I think the best solution for large booklets, is designing an outer slipcase like BFI does.

Tomasso has a point about the small typesizes: some of the Mizoguchi booklets were a chore to read because of the tiny typesizes used so can I implore Nick and co not to revert to those in order to cram as much stuff as possible into 44 pages? Unless you want to include a magnifying glass in the package

edit: I forgot to mention that I hope the decision to go for 44 pages maximum won't mean that you won't do those wonderful 100+ page booklets as in the Keaton set ever again? I think for a project of that size, you could make an execption and release the dual package in a Keaton/Mabuse style cardboard box.

perkizitore wrote:I think the best solution for large booklets, is designing an outer slipcase like BFI does.

I think too. I found the Metropolis font too small too, but I also had some issues with some DVD booklets too. I know you can't go past a certain limit of pages but want anyway to put the most articles you want, but at some point, it's just printed too small. I don't have any trouble with that, and prefer having more to read, but for some people, I think it is indeed an issue.

knives wrote:It's easier(and far cheaper)to buy region A players(for me)than it is to buy Region free.

Granted, but cheap region-free Blu players are likely to be more common as the years go by.

merch wrote:When did the packaging change?? The MoC site now shows the two new BDs as being dual format releases with packaging like the BFI releases. This is very disappointing. Maybe I'm far too anal, but I don't want DVDs and I want uniformity in the packaging of my MoC collection. I specifically passed on the Metropolis steelbook for both of these reasons. Are these releases in DVD keep cases? They look bigger.

I really liked that MoC had essentially decided to leave DVD behind, but now with all the re-releases and these dual format versions, it seems like they are going backwards.

Seriously, how could anyone who is a fan of the type of cinema that MoC releases NOT be interested in getting into Blu-ray? We're not talking about about casual movie watchers here.

I'm exactly the same. I opted for the Metropolis Blu instead of the dual release for continuity and because (over 200 releases in) I still don't own any with a free coaster. The Metropolis Steelbook was a nice package for sure but it was no different to the dual (or, indeed, triple) releases that the major studios release that a lot of people hate on.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to buy these Antonioni's at some point though. Maybe I'll be won over once I have one of these in my hands and I end up watching the DVD but I have so many unwatched films that if I can't watch a Blu-ray, I'm not exactly short on DVDs to watch.

Pardon me if this has already been asked: has anyone suggested using those double-wide Blu cases that I often find my UK import Blus packaged in? The thought crossed my mind when looking at yet another booklet with tiny, tiny type.

We'll be using the same clear cases that the BFI are using (they're clear BD Amarays). They make 1, 2, and 3 disc variants. These have wider spines than our normal "blue" Blu-ray cases that we've been using (everything apart from UNE FEMME MARIEE). We wouldn't want to go any wider than this. We're limited to 44-pages for the booklets, and we are keeping an eye on the font point size!

The cover art for Der Tiger von Eschnapur/Das indische Grabmal looks great, MOC! The tiger on it is a very arresting image.

I wonder if this one will be reversible, the way the Mabuse cover is?

TM Dains Wrote -

"I opted for the Metropolis Blu instead of the dual release for continuity and because (over 200 releases in) I still don't own any with a free coaster. The Metropolis Steelbook was a nice package for sure but it was no different to the dual (or, indeed, triple) releases that the major studios release that a lot of people hate on."

Are you saying that you got Metropolis in Blu and not in Dual because the Blu case is the regular blu size and dual is regular DVD size?

My version of the dual format Metropolis came in a bluray sized case and in the bluray catalogue number system.

\:D/ \:D/ \:D/

I really couldn't ask for anything more. Imamura double feature on Blu? I love the Criterion set and won't let go of it for it's few but excellent interviews with Imamura, but that won't stop me from getting this too. Endless Desire isn't great Imamura, but it's the first film we he recognizably makes a film in his style. It's getting to the point of "messy films" Imamura was known for with some real dark humor, Imamura women, weak men and beautifully shadowy cinematography by Shinsaku Himeda.

I'm not sure how many here have seen Pigs and Battleships, but it's an absolute hoot and almost borders on lunacy. All the pent up emotion Imamura spills all over every frame before being able to maintain it in right doses for his subsequent films. This also features one of my favorite and most satisfying endings that's typical of Imamura's borderline surrealness.

Again, I can't say how happy I am. I just went through a mini-retrospective of Imamura again for myself after purchasing the two excellent MoC releases of his films. I am glad MoC is licensing from Nikkatsu as they have so much gold that seems to be neglected.

Really feeling your enthusiasm, we're very excited about this too, but STOLEN DESIRE [NUSUMARETA YOKUJO] (1958) is a different film to ENDLESS DESIRE [HATESHINAKI YOKUBO] (1958).

We're releasing PIGS & BATTLESHIPS with STOLEN DESIRE [NUSUMARETA YOKUJO] (1958).

There's more Imamura to come too!

Yee-hah! MoC is officially the Imamura capital of the world! And including Stolen Desire is a very smart way of enticing even those who already have the Criterion box. (Dare we hope that his other early features will sneak out as bonus features on brand spanking BluRays of the other films from that set?)

zedz wrote:Yee-hah! MoC is officially the Imamura capital of the world! And including Stolen Desire is a very smart way of enticing even those who already have the Criterion box. (Dare we hope that his other early features will sneak out as bonus features on brand spanking BluRays of the other films from that set?)

That's literally causing me to bite my tongue over this. Is the movie good enough for a double dip? I might not even care if that one is going to be 1080p too.

Fingers crossed that "more Imamura" means Nippon konchûki (aka The Insect Woman) is to come.

Oops! I read it as Endless Desire. I have a copy of Stolen Desire that's been sitting around for a while that I've been meaning to get to, but it seems worth waiting for the MoC version.

Thank you for saying there's more Imamura on the way. I will buy them all.