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Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 11:57 am
by TonyleStephanois
LIMITED EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

- Brand new 2K restorations of Borowczyk’s films.
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the films and extras.
- Newly translated English subtitles.

THE SHORT FILMS & THEATRE OF MR AND MRS KABAL

The short films:

- The Astronauts (Les Astronautes, 1959)
- The Concert (Le Concert de M. et Mme Kabal, 1962)
- Grandmother's Encyclopaedia (L'Encyclopédie de grand'maman, 1963)
- Renaissance (1963)
- Angels' Games (Les Jeux des anges, 1964)
- Joachim's Dictionary (Le Dictionnaire de Joachim, 1965)
- Rosalie (1966)
- Gavotte (1967)
- Diptych (Diptyque, 1967)
- The Phonograph (Le Phonographe, 1969)
- The Greatest Love of All Time (L'Amour "monstre" de tous les temps, 1978)
- Scherzo Infernal (1984)

plus:

- Introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam.
- Film is not a Sausage: Borowczyk’s Short Films – A new interview programme featuring Borowczyk, producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, assistant André Heinrich and composer Bernard Parmegiani.
- Blow Ups – A new visual essay by Daniel Bird concerning Borowczyk’s works on paper.
- Commercials by Walerian Borowczyk: Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964), Tom Thumb (1966)

GOTO, ISLE OF LOVE

- Introduction by artist and Turner Prize nominee Craigie Horsfield.
- The Concentration Universe: Goto, Isle of Love - A new interview programme featuring actor Jean-Pierre Andréani, co-writer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, cameraman Noël Véry and camera assistant Jean-Pierre Platel.
- The Profligate Door - A new documentary about Borowczyk’s sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet.

BLANCHE

- Introduction by director Leslie Megahey (Schalcken the Painter).
- Ballad of Imprisonment: Blanche - A new interview programme featuring producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, assistant director André Heinrich, camera operator Noël Véry and assistant Patrice Leconte.
- Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk - A newly edited archival interview in which Borowczyk discusses painting, cinema and sex.
- Gun Point - A documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk.

IMMORAL TALES

- Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird.
- Immoral Tales: L'Age d'Or Cut - featuring a fifth episode, The True Story of the Beast of Gévaudan.
- Love Reveals Itself: Immoral Tales - A new interview programme featuring production manager Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and cinematographer Noël Véry.
- Boro Brunch: A reunion meal recorded in February 2014 re-uniting members of Borowczyk's crew, featuring Philippe D’Argila, Florence Dauman, Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, Dominique Ruspoli, Noël Véry and Zoe Zurstrassen.
- A Private Collection (1973 short film).
- A Private Collection: Oberhausen Cut (the more explicit cut that scandalised festival audiences).

THE BEAST

- Introduction by critic Peter Bradshaw.
- The Making of The Beast: Camera operator Noël Véry provides a commentary on footage shot during the making of The Beast.
- Frenzy of Ecstasy – A new visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk’s beast and the sequel that never was, Motherhood.
- Venus on the Half Shell (1975 short film).

CAMERA OBSCURA [LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE]

- A generously illustrated book edited by Daniel Bird and Michael Brooke featuring new essays, landmark articles by Raymond Durgnat, Philip Strick, Patrice Leconte, David Thompson and Chris Newby, Boro's Dictionary, an account of the restoration of Borowczyk films and Anatomy of the Devil, a collection of Borowczyk’s short stories translated from the original French by the filmmaker’s assistant, Michael Levy.

LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:17 pm
by manicsounds
TonyleStephanois wrote:
RossyG wrote:Upgrade their Comedies and Proverbs box set to Blu and they'll get mine, too.
That won't be happening, we were planning to and teased as such not too long ago but we were not happy with the masters. What we have planned for Arrow Academy is however pretty earth shattering, but the project we are working on presently won't be released until next spring, hopefully we'll have your vote that year too ;)

The project we are working on now will hopefully be announced within the coming weeks, we would have announced sooner but some last minute developments have meant that we're getting to do even more than we'd hoped. Blu-ray and DVD world premieres for many films, new full scale restorations from original elements, copious extras, released as a limited edition boxset to begin with and then as individual sets later on. All the work of one genius, misunderstood director, we hope to change opinion of this man's work with our boxset!
Yes! Been longing for Edward D Wood Jr HD releases.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:36 pm
by NABOB OF NOWHERE
If it's the complete Grémillon they get my vote to infinity and beyond.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:19 pm
by reaky
TonyleStephanois wrote:All the work of one genius, misunderstood director, we hope to change opinion of this man's work with our boxset!
Resisting the obvious Michael Bay joke...Which "genius" director with a poor critical reputation, many of whose films have never had even DVD releases, could this refer to?

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:06 pm
by What A Disgrace
Gerd Oswald?

Because A Kiss Before Dying was amazing.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 7:31 pm
by Lowry_Sam
I'm not sure that I'd shell out for The Complete Works Of Roger Corman, but I would pay a good penny for a restored version of Bucket Of Blood.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:16 pm
by knives
Clearly they're talking the complete works of Coleman Francis.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:59 pm
by RossyG
TonyleStephanois wrote: That won't be happening, we were planning to and teased as such not too long ago but we were not happy with the masters.
That's a shame, but thanks for letting me know.
What we have planned for Arrow Academy is however pretty earth shattering
Ok, I'm now officially agog. :D

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:13 pm
by acf171072
TonyleStephanois wrote:
RossyG wrote:Upgrade their Comedies and Proverbs box set to Blu and they'll get mine, too.
That won't be happening, we were planning to and teased as such not too long ago but we were not happy with the masters. What we have planned for Arrow Academy is however pretty earth shattering, but the project we are working on presently won't be released until next spring, hopefully we'll have your vote that year too ;)

The project we are working on now will hopefully be announced within the coming weeks, we would have announced sooner but some last minute developments have meant that we're getting to do even more than we'd hoped. Blu-ray and DVD world premieres for many films, new full scale restorations from original elements, copious extras, released as a limited edition boxset to begin with and then as individual sets later on. All the work of one genius, misunderstood director, we hope to change opinion of this man's work with our boxset!
Please let it be a full Russ Meyer Blu Ray set. I'd have thought the elements wouldn't be great, but Arrow did a lot of Meyer on DVD before but not all and certainly none have been on Blu anywhere in the world. Plus they have the commentaries recorded by Meyer from the DVDs. And the DVD were fullscreen. He'd certainly fit the "genius, misunderstood" label. [-o< [-o< [-o<

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:52 pm
by knives
Except they don't have the rights anymore.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:00 am
by Lowry_Sam
knives wrote:Except they don't have the rights anymore.
So you know that someone else picked them up? or could they have expired & Arrow ended up getting them back?

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:03 am
by knives
If the later were a possibility I'd imagine Arrow wouldn't have brought up them losing the rights to begin with (I also doubt the two Fox titles would be bundled with the rest).

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:13 am
by R0lf
Arrow already released those two huge Fassbinder DVD sets and he has a heap of titles that have never been released...

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 3:11 am
by Matt
R0lf wrote:Arrow already released those two huge Fassbinder DVD sets and he has a heap of titles that have never been released...
As much as it would be welcome, a box set of "all the work" of Fassbinder would be ridiculously huge and expensive.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 3:21 am
by Feego
Also, I don't think Fassbinder fits the "misunderstood" label. He's pretty well accepted as one of cinema's great directors. This has got to be someone with a considerably smaller output and whose work is either rarely seen or is more divisive in critical circles.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:26 am
by zedz
I actually think there aren't that many likely candidates who would fit the bill for a project of the scale and scope Arrow is hinting at. Don't forget we're talking about a significant number of unreleased films and a box set comprising "individual sets." And the wholesale re-evaluation of an allegedly major director.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:50 am
by knives
Assuming your plural is a typo in reality I assume Elaine May is the most obvious choice given the popular status of Ishtar clashing with her major status.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:54 am
by matrixschmatrix
Holy shit, I would buy the complete works of Elaine May so goddamn quick

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:12 am
by swo17
Why would zedz allow for a typo in the word that he went to the trouble to put in bold?

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:15 am
by knives
I meant that the semantic he was highlighting could have been a typo or meant something else from the Arrow people. Not that he himself was making a typo.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:18 am
by Anthony Thorne
Maybe it's a series of Jess Franco boxes. If it's not, I still hope they do a few Franco titles someday.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:21 am
by swo17
knives wrote:I meant that the semantic he was highlighting could have been a typo or meant something else from the Arrow people. Not that he himself was making a typo.
But the original phrase "released as a limited edition boxset to begin with and then as individual sets later on" wouldn't make sense any other way. The implication is that there will be one giant box at first, comprising some director's entire body of work, with some number of individual sets of a few films each to follow.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:44 am
by knives
Okay, I didn't actually look back to clarify so my bad. Still could be May though as a single set would be easy and assuming each film got two discs of extras the individual thing would make sense (or hell even doing two films per set).

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:48 am
by jsteffe
I know what I'm hoping for: Walerian Borowczyk. He could be called "misunderstood," and there are still some of his films which haven't been released on DVD/Blu-ray yet. Only trouble is, Nouveaux Pictures carries some of his films in the UK so unless the rights shift over it seems unlikely.

Re: Arrow Films

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:58 am
by Lowry_Sam
zedz wrote:I actually think there aren't that many likely candidates who would fit the bill for a project of the scale and scope Arrow is hinting at. Don't forget we're talking about a significant number of unreleased films and a box set comprising "individual sets." And the wholesale re-evaluation of an allegedly major director.
It also sounds to me like someone who has a pretty extensive catalog if there's going to be a larger limited box that will comprise smaller box sets.

In Arrow's usual milieu:

Takashi Miike (a few titles on UK dvd, but only 1 UK blu ray)
Roger Corman (only 1 UK blu ray, which is going to be released by Arrow)
Ken Russell (yes there's that BFI dvd of The Devils, but a UK director deserves a UK box)
Mario Bava (Arrow already has him...)
John Waters (not very likely as there's already 2 uk Blu Rays & doesn't have that an extensive output, but one can dream)
Russell Meyers (Extras in hand, but can/will Arrow get rights back?)
Tinto Brass (box set upgrade? catalog isn't that large though)
Peter Jackson (his cult output is very small, but I'd love to see an Arrow blu ray of Braindead)
Paul Morrissey (not a super large output, but it's right up Arrow's alley & definitely a polarizing figure)
Jess Franco (large output in different genres means multiple box sets, but I don't know that an Arrow treatment will change critics minds)
Kinji Fukasaku (w/ only Battle Royale on blu in UK & very little on dvd, he's a good candidate).

Arrow high brow?

Claude Chabrol (don't really think he rates that poorly among critics)
Eric Rohmer (box upgrade?)
Rainer Fassbinder (box upgrade?)
Werner Herzog (the nature docs are on UK blu, so not likely)
Godard (only 1 MOC blu-ray, other dvd titles are gettin kinda old, but he is one of the "greats" who gets mixed reviews among critics & has a large output).