Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol. 4

[Jeff]

If its Eclipse, and not Blu-ray, it'll be a little disappointing. But I'm excited at the thought of seeing all three of these films in the first place.

With the amount of time and money spent restoring Lonesome over the past few years, I can't imagine it not being released on Blu-ray.

[captveg]

I would think the runtimes of the films *might* be short enough that all three could fit on a single Blu-ray disc just fine.

Lonesome and The Last Performance are ~70 minutes each. I can't find a runtime listing for Broadway on imdb.com or Wikipedia.org, but I imagine it's about the same. Both The Last Performance and Broadway have both silent and sound versions, but the sound version of Broadway is partially lost according to wikipedia, though the color sequence at the end survives.

So, it really depends on if alternate versions are provided. If it's just one of each, than that's a mere 210 mins, which is no issue for a single Blu-ray disc. If they have both silent & sound for the latter two films, than we're probably seeing two discs.

[zedz]

A lot of great films there, but unfortunately all already available. The release I'd really love to see is an Eclipse of TV Films like Bremen Freedom.

The most important limitations are likely to be available materials for HD, since the existing transfers go back about ten years now, and viable extras.

Bremen Freedom was shot on video, so HD-suitable elements are something of a non-issue there (although it was transferred to film for theatrical screenings). Fassbinder's other video productions were The Coffee Shop, Nora Helmer, and Like a Bird on a Wire.

Just noticed your post and figured I needed to clarify that when I was talking about HD materials, I was referring to the Janus-associated titles that were signalled as being available (and had all already been released long ago - thus the issue that existing transfers may well not be up to HD snuff), not to the potential constituents of my fantasy box set (which, being on Eclipse, wouldn't be HD in any case.)

[zedz]

Because Lonesome is a new restoration and has already been 'announced' as a title in its own right, I can't really see Lonesome being relegated to Eclipse. There are a number of possibilities for any other Fejos films Criterion has access to. There could be a full-fledged, main-line Fejos box set (though that would be incredibly bold of them - exponentially more so than the Sternberg was). More likely, the other features could be included as extras on a lavish BluRay edition of Lonesome or issued as a supporting - and probably not simultaneous - Eclipse release. I suppose there's also the Only Son / There Was a Father twofer option, though they've never really followed up on that experiment.

[Gregor Samsa]

Another mention of Quadrophenia from a Who Facebook group (for the recently ended longliverock.org)

Long Live Rock I happen to know they are indeed working on a Criterion Quad. I was contacted by the producer about this!
20 April at 01:15 · Like · 1

https://www.facebook.com/longliverockorg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fdm]

Because Lonesome is a new restoration and has already been 'announced' as a title in its own right, I can't really see Lonesome being relegated to Eclipse. There are a number of possibilities for any other Fejos films Criterion has access to. There could be a full-fledged, main-line Fejos box set (though that would be incredibly bold of them - exponentially more so than the Sternberg was). More likely, the other features could be included as extras on a lavish BluRay edition of Lonesome or issued as a supporting - and probably not simultaneous - Eclipse release. I suppose there's also the Only Son / There Was a Father twofer option, though they've never really followed up on that experiment.

There's also the Crumb blu-ray/dvd releases alongside the Louie Bluie dvd only release variation. (Not likely, but...)

[zedz]

Another mention of Quadrophenia from a Who Facebook group (for the recently ended longliverock.org)

Long Live Rock I happen to know they are indeed working on a Criterion Quad. I was contacted by the producer about this!
20 April at 01:15 · Like · 1

https://www.facebook.com/longliverockorg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those who care, Townshend's been working on a new surround mix for the film, apparently.

[Matt]

It looks like Image is handling [Rushmore]. Not too surprising since Disney has been licencing a lot of their Touchstone titles to other distributors like Millcreek.

Recall that Darius Khondji recently visited the Criterion closet, and there was some speculation about what transfer he might be supervising. I now wonder if it might be Evita. It's clearly a personal favorite of either Becker or Turrell since they released it on laserdisc. That possibility doesn't do much for me, but I'd certainly welcome it as a harbinger of a Disney decision to license more Hollywood and Touchstone properties directly to Criterion.

Evita-haters can rest easy.

[ellipsis7]

I'm hoping we'll see the ROSSELLINI/BERGMAN TRILOGY before the year is out...

[TMDaines]

How does 5 1/4 (or 5 1/5) films come to be a trilogy?

[ellipsis7]

TMD, I am taking my cue from Criterion's currently featured 'Spotlight' on Roberto Rossellini on their website...

After making films under Mussolini’s fascist regime early in his career, Rossellini broke out with Rome Open City, a shattering and vivid chronicle of the Nazi occupation of Italy’s capital, followed by Paisan and Germany Year Zero, which round out his “war trilogy.” Rossellini’s adulterous affair with Ingrid Bergman led to the biggest controversy of his career (they were both condemned by the United States Senate) but also to another trilogy—Stromboli, Europa ’51, and Voyage to Italy, all starring Bergman and all about spiritual crises; they were dismissed at the time of their release but are widely praised now.

Their words not mine, Criterion is apparently grouping these 3 Rossellini/Bergman films together as 'another trilogy' after the 'war trilogy'.... Possibly the others (Fear & Joan) could be added as extras...

[TMDaines]

If they say so. Needless to say it's a bit of a hamfisted trilogy considering the other two films share similar themes to their definition and were released the same year as Viaggio. They're still going to have a lot of work to do to sift through all the different cuts of Europa '51 in particular.

[Tribe]

It's not the first time I've seen the Rossellini/Bergman movies referred to as a trilogy...whether there's some binding theme that makes them so is another matter. But I don't think it's just Criterion's say so.

[Giulio]

no not only. In Italy critics and film historians used to call 'em 'trilogia della solitudine' (trilogy of loneliness/solitude), I really hope criterion will let 'em out together with the nagisa oshima youth trilogy, I'm crawling for them to be released...

[TMDaines]

Yeh, I'm aware of that. I was just pointing out that the above text's definition is a little hamfisted when there are two other films, in the same year as Viaggio in fact, "starring Bergman" and also arguably "about spiritual crises".

[Peacock]

no not only. In Italy critics and film historians used to call 'em 'trilogia della solitudine' (trilogy of loneliness/solitude), I really hope criterion will let 'em out together with the nagisa oshima youth trilogy, I'm crawling for them to be released...

Ironically, the 'Youth Trilogy' consists of four films.

[Giulio]

no not only. In Italy critics and film historians used to call 'em 'trilogia della solitudine' (trilogy of loneliness/solitude), I really hope criterion will let 'em out together with the nagisa oshima youth trilogy, I'm crawling for them to be released...

Ironically, the 'Youth Trilogy' consists of four films.

alright then but even these three could make me an happy man

ironically carlotta released them but interlaced, waiting for criterion blu to come

[zedz]

I think all this is just the general 'trilogy-happy' bent of art-film marketing, where films that were never conceived as a unit get bunged into marketable clusters and inconvenient fourth films in a run get habitually sidelined.

Rossellini's Joan of Arc clearly and effortlessly stands apart from the other Ingrid films (it's an oratorio), but you have to indulge in some pretty serious hair-splitting to make a case for excluding Fear, which is cut from exactly the same cloth as the three previous films.

As for Oshima, there's a good production argument for linking that first batch of studio films, but in stylistic and thematic terms there's a huge gulf separating Night and Fog in Japan from the preceding genre experiments. Never mind! We need a third film to make up the magic trilogy! (What? There's a third feature already available that better fits the bill? Sssh! Don't tell anybody!)

[Giulio]

quite agree but night and fog is not considered part of the 'trilogy'

[duck duck]

Am I the only one still waiting for the second set of History films?

[J M Powell]

No, you're not. Are we going to have to wait until our souls are reincarnated into the next 1,000-year cycle to see Socrates?

[knives]

You can technically see Socrates on Hulu. I think the hold up is Age of the Apostles.

[captveg]

OK, time to guess the August announcements:

Grey Gardens / Beales of Grey Gardens (Blu upgrade)
La promisse (DVD + Blu)
Rosetta (DVD + Blu)
Umberto D (Blu upgrade)
Wild Strawberries (Blu upgrade)
Y tu mamá también (DVD + Blu)

[Jeff]

Wenders x 4
Dardenne x 2
The Game
Grey Gardens Blu
Umberto D. Blu

Expecting a bigger-than-normal month because I think the Wenders got bumped at the last minute last month.

[colinr0380]

Quadrophenia maybe?