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Brought to my attention via dvdbeaver.com, and further verified by a listing on amazon, Facets will provide Bela Tarr with his R1 debut on June 28 with three of the director's lesser-known films:

Family Nest

The Outsider

The Prefab People

Being that it's Facets, and due to the fact that I'm well-aware of their sketchy track record, I can't say I'm thrilled by this announcement, but happy nonetheless to at least see that Tarr is getting his due here in North America. As for the films themselves, I can't say I've seen any of them; can anyone else comment?

Jonathan Rosenbaum really liked Prefab People. His essay on it cna be found in at least two of his books. I saw Tarr's following film, Oszi Almanach, and wasn't overly impressed with it. Other than that I've only seen Satantango and Werckmeister Harmonies.

The earlier films (up to and including Almanac of the Fall) are more social realist. I think Cassavetes is the usual name to drop here.

leo goldsmith wrote:The earlier films (up to and including Almanac of the Fall) are more social realist. I think Cassavetes is the usual name to drop here.

These first three films really have nothing in common with the films since Damnation, thematically or - more importantly - stylistically. Decidedly "social realist"; think of a mixture of Cassavetes and Ken Loach (Prefabricated People more towards the former, Family Nest towards the latter).

Almanac of Fall is another case again, a real break away from this social realist mode, very formalist in its visual concepts (colour, camera angles and movement etc); while still not as interesting, definitely looking forward to the later work in the a way that the first three films definitely do not.

I'd rate these first three films, in descending order of interest/success: first, Prefabricated People; then, Family Nest; finally, The Outsider.

I'm definitely interested in seeing at least one of these, but admittedly I'd be more excited to see R1 DVDs of the more recent stuff. But the more recent stuff is probably better suited to a more lavish presentation. Though there's no basis for this speculation, its worth considering that another studio may already be eying Satantango etc. Contrary to others have said, I'm a pretty big fan of Facets. They try really hard! I mean, c'mon, the first three US Bela Tarr releases! That's laudible. Dare I say applaudible! =D>

cinephrenic wrote:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 0008F5VZQ/

This is like the fourth thread that month to shake this stick. That DVD is a straight-up bootleg, as discussed here:

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... php?t=1157

Amazon's page has a review posted:

A mess

Collector's edition, yeah right. First there are no extras whatsoever, and second, this dvd is terrible, awful, criminally bad. Looks like a very bad digital rip of a very bad VHS tape or something. Couldn't watch it for a second, let alone seven hours!!! It completely destroys Tarrs magnificent film. One avoidable dvd.

I'll give this 'un a miss

Just got advance copies of the 3 Tarr discs from Facets....the prints are deplorable, the subs burnt in, no extras to speak of. Typical Facets, unfortunately.

tavernier wrote:Just got advance copies of the 3 Tarr discs from Facets....the prints are deplorable, the subs burnt in, no extras to speak of. Typical Facets, unfortunately.

Thanks for the warning.

Their Dekalog set also had burnt-in subs and so-so picture quality (though as the films were made for TV I didn't really mind much...). Better than nothing at all, I guess, though the Polish set looks far superior - a little on the expensive side, though, with no English subs on the (seemingly extensive) extras...

Oh, and the DVD booklet has numerous typos, etc.

Sigh. Oh well, it's better than nothing (I guess).

It's being released on DVD in February by Facets. Even their press release screws up: it's spelled both "Werkmeister" and "Werckmeister."

Still only £7.97 before VAT is removed on Amazon UK for all multi-region player owners.

ben d banana wrote:Still only £7.97 before VAT is removed on Amazon UK for all multi-region player owners.

I ordered it from amazon and got the following email, about 1/2 weeks after ordering it

"We are sorry to report that the following items have been delayed.

Bela Tarr (Director), et al "Werckmeister Harmonies / Damnation
[2003]"

Our current estimate is that it will take an additional 1-2 weeks to
obtain these items for you."

Big deal says the person who first informed this forum of the Apu Trilogy bargain on October 11th, which led to it being all over DVDTalk and who knows where else, and just finally received his shipping confirmation a couple days ago.

ben d banana wrote:Big deal says the person who first informed this forum of the Apu Trilogy bargain on October 11th, which led to it being all over DVDTalk and who knows where else, and just finally received his shipping confirmation a couple days ago.

my apologies banana, I'm glad the Apu Trilogy has been confirmed for you.

Has it been confirmed yet that Facets will be behind all the hinted at R1 Bela Tarr releases? Because, if so, I've found a savior in Artificial Eye...

Facets' WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES is a disaster: non-anamorphic, burnt-in subs, obviously a lazy PAL transfer (the running time is the same as on the Artificial Eye disc).
No extras, of course....what'd ya expect from Facets?

tavernier wrote:Facets' WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES is a disaster: non-anamorphic, burnt-in subs, obviously a lazy PAL transfer (the running time is the same as on the Artificial Eye disc).
No extras, of course....what'd ya expect from Facets?

I never thought I'd say this, but thank heavens for AE!

Excerpt from Ed Gonzalez' entertaining pan of Facets' Werckmeister Harmonies release:

Facets Video has allowed their staff of pigeons to crap on Bela Tarr's film monument. Still, Region 1 audiences will have to make do until a Criterion-like dove comes to their rescue.

If this isn't an argument for a multi-region player, there will never be one.

The review is very entertaining, indeed.

IMAGE/SOUND
The disc's image suggests the print was beaten to a pulp by the film's angry mob. Detail is practically nonexistent and the pixel-ridden blacks almost make it impossible to make out anything that transpires on screen—Lars Rudolph's fleeing near the end of the film is especially embarrassing. Save for the dubbed dialogue, audio is hollow-sounding, as if it had been recorded inside a tin can.

hehe.

godardslave wrote:

IMAGE/SOUND
The disc's image suggests the print was beaten to a pulp by the film's angry mob. Detail is practically nonexistent and the pixel-ridden blacks almost make it impossible to make out anything that transpires on screen—Lars Rudolph's fleeing near the end of the film is especially embarrassing. Save for the dubbed dialogue, audio is hollow-sounding, as if it had been recorded inside a tin can.

hehe.

But what does he think of the disc?

Beware, everyone: Bela Tarr's Damnation is coming out in April from........Facets.