May 10, 2008
[SHOCHIKU ONLINE]  Variety Asia is reporting that the famed Shochiku studio (Japan) will debut an online streaming service on May 21: "Users will be able to view one pic for seven days for ¥367 ($3.54) or take out a monthly subscription for $10.14.
Shochiku will launch the service with 100 pics, including classics from auteurs Yasujiro Ozu and Keisuke Kinoshita...
It will add 10-20 titles monthly and will be streaming 200 titles by the end of its first year."
- D.C.
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May 8, 2008
[TECHNOLOGY] Now that Blu-ray has emerged as the industry favored high-definition format, we're waiting for specialty DVD distributors to release more titles representing world cinema. Two of the first are the Criterion Collection (USA)--who announced yesterday thirteen remastered titles (including Gregory Nava's previously unreleased El Norte) for October--and Kino International (USA)--who will release their first Blu-ray title, Wong Kar Wai's Fallen Angels (1995), later this fall.
- D.C.
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May 7, 2008
[CANNES CLASSICS] The Cannes Classics section of the Festival is always an opportunity to celebrate film preservation, and this year it celebrates the world premiere of the new Technicolor restoration of Max Ophuls' Lola Montes (1955). Also of note: an American documentary on cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond; five films from the lost edition of Cannes canceled in 1968; three classics from developing countries (courtesy of the newly formed--and impressively advised-- World Cinema Foundation); and new prints of nine films, including the adaptation of R.K. Narayan's The Guide (1965), Bruce Weber's jazz documentary Let's Get Lost (1989), Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre (1989), and Jean Cocteau's Orphee (1949). Full details here.
- D.C.
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May 6, 2008
[MERIDIAN COLLECTION] Based on a partnership with Studio Canal (France), Lionsgate (USA) has released three excellent box sets devoted to European auteurs Jean Renoir, Luis Bunuel, and Jean-Luc Godard. This week, they announced the beginning of a new line of "acclaimed, groundbreaking and influential films from around the world" entitled the Meridian Collection; the distributor plans to release "two high-end DVDs every three months drawing from its own library, which includes more than 2,000 European films from Studio Canal." Their first couple releases are Jean-Jacques Beineix's cult hit Diva (1981), and François Girard's The Red Violin (1998).
- D.C.
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April 3, 2008
[HEINZ EMIGHOLZ] Fans not only of architecture, but of cinema in general, should check out the Heinz Emigholz "Architecture as Autobiography" DVDs released by Filmgalerie 451 (Germany). Facets Video in the US has ported two titles already ( Goff in the Desert and D'Annunzio's Cave) with more to come in the next few months ( Sullivan's Banks, Maillart's Bridges, Schindler's Houses), and the discs are chock full of references, interviews, maps, and extras that serve as a wonderful introduction to this commanding filmmaker.
- D.C.
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March 31, 2008
[ANIMATION] LUX (UK) is a non-profit arts agency that supports filmmakers and distributes films, videos and DVDs culled from the vast archives of their preceding organizations--the Lux Centre, London Filmmakers Co-op and London Electronic Arts/London Video Access. Their collection contains over 4,000 films and videos by over 1,000 international artists, ranging from the 1920s to the present.
Two standout releases we've had the pleasure of viewing: Paul Bush: Working Directly, which focuses on the filmmaker's hand-scratched films, including his masterpiece, The Albatross (1998), based on Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; and The Films of Stefan and Franciszka Themerson, a well-packaged collection of the Eastern European avant-garde pioneers' three extant films.
- D.C.
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March 12, 2008
[CHRIS MARKER] Curator Bill Horrigan and the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio have maintained a long, supportive relationship with the great Chris Marker. Accordingly, Icarus Films has given the Center an exclusive early window to sell new Marker DVDs: The Last Bolshevik/Happiness (ported over from Arte in France), The Sixth Face of the Pentagon/The Embassy, The Case of the Grinning Cat (with seven bonus shorts), and Remembrance of Things to Come (with Yannick Bellon's Colette). The Center's Chris Stults says these might not be widely released by Icarus (who are planning additional Marker titles) for another six months or so.
- D.C.
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March 10, 2008
[NEW CROWNED HOPE] As an addendum to our last news item, Malba has also released Paz Encina's Paraguayan Hammock on DVD with English subtitles ( thanks, reader Matt Losada), one of our favorite films in the New Crowned Hope series, one of the most exciting projects in world cinema of the past few years. Five other titles in the series have also seen recent DVD releases, Tsai Ming-liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (R1, R2), Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Syndromes and a Century (R1), Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's Daratt (R2), Garin Nugroho's Opera Jawa (R2), and Bahman Ghobadi's Half Moon (R1).
- D.C.
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March 4, 2008
[MARTIN REJTMAN, LISANDRO ALONSO] The Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires, or Malba, has released two important DVD collections in the past couple years: the (momentarily) complete works of celebrated auteurs Martin Rejtman ( Rapado, Silvia Prieto, and The Magic Gloves) and Lisandro Alonso ( La Libertad, Los Muertos, and Fantasma, which is an homage to Tsai Ming-liang's Goodbye, Dragon Inn). Both feature bountiful extras, English subtitles, and notes by, respectively, David Oubina and Quintin. ( Thanks to Robert Koehler for the info.)
- D.C.
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February 19, 2008
[MIKLÓS JANCSÓ] On the occasion of its long-awaited March release of The Round-Up (1965) on DVD, the exemplary Second Run (UK) will be hosting an exciting event: Hungarian master Miklós Jancsó (age 86) will be discussing his work at a series of screenings. This is a must-see event for UK cinephiles, and a rare opportunity to engage this formally innovative, politically and poetically adventurous filmmaker. - D.C.
- Friday 14th March, 6:30 p.m.
The Round-Up, plus Q&A with Miklós Jancsó, hosted by Tony Rayns; Curzon Mayfair, London.
- Saturday 15th March, 2:00 p.m.
My Way Home (1964), Curzon Soho, London.
- Saturday 15th March, 6:00 p.m.
Miklós Jancsó: An Illustrated Talk by John Cunningham, Curzon Soho, London.
- Sunday 16th March, 12:00 p.m.
The Red and the White (1967), Curzon Soho, London.
- Sunday 16th March, 2:00 p.m.
The Lord's Lantern in Budapest (1999), plus discussion with Miklós Jancsó, Curzon Soho, London.
There are also two screening events outside London:
- Monday 17th March, time tbc (evening)
The Round-Up plus Q&A with Miklós Jancsó; Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge.
- Wednesday 19th March, time tbc (evening)
The Round-Up plus Q&A with Miklós Jancsó, hosted by Mark Cousins; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
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February 13, 2008
[KON ICHIKAWA] Just when we enjoyed a respite from obits, one of the towering Japanese masters of postwar humanism, Kon Ichikawa, has passed away at 92. News from Variety Asia, plus our plug for the indispensable volume dedicated to the filmmaker, the Cinematheque Ontario's monograph edited by James Quandt.
- D.C.
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February 6, 2008
[ANIMATION] The estimable Animation World Magazine web store is exclusively selling a 54-film box set of award-winning short animation entitled The Animation Show of Shows (R0, NTSC). It's a mixed, but largely excellent collection featuring standout works by animation masters from the National Film Board, as well as figures such as Piotr Dumala, Koji Yamamura, George Schwizgebel, and Michael Dudok de Wit (whose work was highlighted by MoC's Robert-Bresson.com).
- D.C.
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November 30, 2007
[KENJI MIZOGUCHI] MovieMail has listed its UK DVDs of the Year, and we're pleased to highlight its inclusion of Sansho Dayu on the new MoC Mizoguchi double-feature release.
- D.C.
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November 27, 2007
[RIDLEY SCOTT, JOHN FORD] In the Los Angeles Times, Dennis Lim writes about recent, extras-laden DVD releases, highlighting Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Ford at Fox. Most interestingly, he quotes Fox's classics director: "If the Ford set does well, it could inspire the studio to dig deeper into the vaults, Ashton said, citing such master filmmakers as Frank Borzage, F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, all of whom had fruitful stints at Fox." Here's hoping.
In the meantime, Dvdrama in France has an early review of the Blade Runner set with a bounty of menu and frame stills.
- D.C.
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November 8, 2007
[KALATOZOV / BURNETT] Two remarkable DVD box sets from Milestone have landed on our newsdesk. The unforgettable I Am Cuba (1964), directed by Russian filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov whose The Cranes are Flying (1957) had won the Palme d'Or at Cannes only a few years earlier, and the way-ahead-of-its-time Killer of Sheep (1977), directed by Charles Burnett, often recognized as the first African-American Independent Film director. I Am Cuba, a propaganda experiment gone horribly awry (the film turned into a lavish work of art, and was thus summarily disowned by both Soviet and Cuban regimes) comes in a 3-disc deluxe (cigar) box and sports the best image quality we have seen to date in a DVD release of this title, eminently showing off the dazzling cinematography of D.P. Sergei Urusevsky. See image comparison recently posted on DVDBeaver. Street date for this title is November 20, 2007 — additional information is found on the Milestone site. Killer of Sheep is slated for a November 13 release. We know for a fact that many of our readers caught the recent theatrical run and found themselves deeply affected by the film. The official website is found here, and DVD details are found on Milestone's site. Our own Doug Cummings recently referred to the Burnett commentary track in his blog. Kudos to our friends at Milestone for providing us with such meticulously restored, and beautifully presented, versions of two of our favorite films of all time.
- T.T.
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August 20, 2007
[JORIS IVENS] Better late than never: we've just discovered this informative article (avaliable as a PDF file) from December 2006 detailing the work being done on the upcoming DVD boxset produced by the European Foundation Joris Ivens. "In July 2006 work began on digital restoration of the films. Around 600 prints of IvensÂ’ films have been studied for this extensive project in order to gain an understanding of the versions still in existence today. In some cases there are 40 to 50 prints and multiple versions of a single title. . . . What is the purpose of making this DVD collection and what problems have arisen in the process?"
- D.C.
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August 3, 2007
[FREDERICK WISEMAN] Highly anticipated for years, it looks like Zipporah Films will finally be releasing home video versions of the documentaries of Frederick Wiseman on DVD this fall. Currently, Ballet, Basic Training, Central Park, and Model are available on DVD for educational purchases. Zipporah is collecting e-mail addresses for future announcements.
- D.C.
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For older MoC news please visit our archive.
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January, 2008
4 x Varda
(Cleo from 5 to 7, Le Bonheur, Vagabond and La Pointe Courte) Criterion R1 USA
Daratt (Dry Season)
(Mahamet-Saleh Haroun, 2006) Soda R2 UK
Frau im Mond (aka Woman in the Moon)
(Lang, 1929) MoC R2 UK
Der letzte Mann (aka The Last Laugh)
(Murnau, 1924) MoC R2 UK
Love On the Ground
(Rivette, 1984) Vital R2 UK
Lubitsch in Berlin (5 x DVD box set)
(1919-'21) Kino R1 USA
Los Muertos
(Lisandro Alonso) Facets R1 USA
Opera Jawa
(Garin Nugroho, 2006) Yume R2 UK
Saved from the Flames (3 x DVD box set)
(Various; 54 films) Flicker Alley R1 USA
Syndromes and a Century
(Weerasethakul, 2006) Strand Releasing R1 USA
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February, 2008
Chikamatsu Monogatari (aka Crucified Lovers) / Uwasa no Onna (aka The Woman of Rumour)
(Mizoguchi, 1954) MoC R2 UK
Era Notte A Roma
(Rossellini, 1960) Optimum R2 UK
The Films of Sergei Paradjanov
(Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, The Color of Pomegranates, The Legend of Suram Fortress, Ashik Kerib, 1964-'88) Kino R1 USA
Khadak (The Colour of Water)
(Brosens, 2006) Koch Lorber R1 USA
I Don't Want to Sleep Alone
(Tsai, 2006) Axiom R2 UK
I Want to Go Home
(Resnais, 1989) Kino R1 USA
Jean-Luc Godard Boxset
(Passion, First Name: Carmen, Detective, Helas Pour Moi, 1982-'93) Lionsgate R1 USA
Life is a Bed of Roses
(Resnais, 1983) Kino R1 USA
Love Unto Death
(Resnais, 1984) Kino R1 USA
Lubitsch Musicals
(1929-1932) Eclipse R1 USA
Melo
(Resnais, 1986) Kino R1 USA
Naked Youth
(Oshima, 1960) Yume R2 UK
The Phantom Carriage
(Sjostrom, 2006) Vital R2 UK
Pierrot le fou
(Godard, 1965) Criterion R1 USA
Rocco and His Brothers
(Visconti, 1960) MoC R2 UK
The Round Up
(Jancso, 2006) Second Run R2 UK
Strange Cargo (Part of The Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2)
(Borzage, 1940) Warner R1 USA
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March, 2008
Bamako
(Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006) New Yorker R1 USA
The Delirious Fictions of William Klein
(Who Are You, Poly Magoo?; Mr. Freedom; Muhammad Ali, The Greatest; The Model Couple, 1966-'77) Eclipse R1 USA
Honour of the Knights
(Serra, 2007) Soda R2 UK
The Last Supper
(Tomas Gutierrez Alea, 1976) New Yorker R1 USA
Silent Light
(Reygadas, 2007) Tartan R2 UK
The Son's Burial
(Oshima, 1960) Yume R2 UK
Les Vampires
(Feuillade, 1915) Artificial Eye R2 UK
El Violin
(Francesco Vargas, 2005) Soda R2 UK
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April, 2008
The Devil, Probably
(Bresson, 1977) Artificial Eye R2 UK
Don't Touch the Axe
(Rivette, 2007) Artificial Eye R2 UK
Fireworks Wednesday
(Asghar Farhadi, 2006) Facets R1 USA
Lancelot du Lac
(Bresson, 1974) Artificial Eye R2 UK
La Notte
(Antonioni, 1961) MoC R2 UK
A Man Escaped
(Bresson, 1956) Artificial Eye R2 UK
Paddle to the Sea
(Bill Mason, 1966) Criterion R1 USA
The Rat-Trap
(Adoor Gopalakrishnan, 1981) Second Run R2 UK
The Red Balloon
(Albert Lamorisse, 1956) Criterion R1 USA
Schindler's Houses
(Emigholz, 2007) Facets R1 USA
Silent Ozu
(Tokyo Chorus; I Was Born, But...; Passing Fancy1931-'33) Eclipse R1 USA
Ugetsu Monogatari / Oyu-Sama
(Mizoguchi, 1953, '51) MoC R2 UK
White Mane
(Albert Lamorisse, 1953) Criterion R1 USA
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May, 2008
Akasen Chitai (aka Street of Shame) / Yokihi (aka The Empress Yang Kwei Fei)
(Mizoguchi, 1955, '56) MoC R2 UK
La Chinoise
(Godard, 1967) Koch Lorber R1 USA
Gai Savoir
(Godard, 1969) Koch Lorber R1 USA
Horse Thief
(Zhuangzhuang Tian, 1986) Xi'an Film Studio R1 USA
I'm Not There
(Haynes, 2007) Weinstein R1 USA
The Films of Morris Engel
(Little Fugitive, Lovers and Lollipops, Weddings and Babies) Kino R1 USA
Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days
(Mungiu, 2007) Artificial Eye R2 UK
The Lawrence Jordan Album (4 x disc set)
(1964-'96) Facets R1 USA
Malliart's Bridges
(Emigholz, 2001) Facets R1 USA
Man of the West
(Mann, 1958) United Artists R1 USA
Satyajit Ray Collection Vol. 1
(Mahanagaar, Charulata, Nayak) Artificial Eye R2 UK
Thief of Baghdad
(Various, 1940) Criterion R1 USA
El Violin
(Vargas, 2006) Film Movement R1 USA
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June, 2008
The Ballad of Narayama
(Imamura, 1983) Animeigo R1 USA
The Satyajit Ray Collection Vol. 2
(Kapurush, Mahapurush, Joi Baba Felunath) Artificial Eye R2 UK
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For older DVD releases please visit our archive.
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