DVDBeaver on Naked Kiss

Didn't know an opinion could be wrong.

Well it's had some pretty stiff competition over the last six days.

Looks good, whites are a bit hot and burn out in some of the caps, more so than the previous Criterion, but you take what you get...

Yep.

You didn't know an opinion could be wrong?

Wrong to that degree, no.

I see a lot of new information on the sides of the bd frames absent from all previous editions.

It's not blown out, the grain's still visible on all the white areas. It looks great and the film's supposed to have harsh contrasts, as opposed the the terrible grey haze of the old DVD. Man did I loathe that haze.

I've seen some of Fuller's later works but not these two and can't wait. Should have my copy of Naked Kiss Monday or Tuesday but Shock Corridor and Army of Shadows arrived today.

Beaver on Shock Corridor

Anyone noticed what looks like an authoring error in the new Naked Kiss BD? In chapter 9 at 28:41 there's a sudden zoom on the three actors in the scene, then 10 seconds later there's a rapid zoom back to the proper framing. Looks too weird to be intentional. Add it to the list of Criterion goofs?

Nope, it's intentional. It happens in the original DVD as well and I believe was mentioned in the notes on that edition (or I read it somewhere else.)

From Michael Dare's liner notes: "Fuller also manages to disobey several laws of civilized film-making, including jump cuts (editing from one shot to another take of the same shot)...."

Is that what you're referring to, Chris?

Yes, thank you. I was going to double check the liner but, you know, the disc was upstairs, and that would involve walking up the steps and all...

I love these re-releases. I know the artwork has alienated many, but it takes what were previously horrid-looking out of date releases and spins gold from, well, we all know the story. The picture quality, though there is some flicker, is a million times better than ever before, and the bonus features are sparse but valuable. I wish there were some commentary tracks to dig into (particularly on Shock Corridor), but if you're a fan of the films, you would be crazy to pass on these.

What exactly does that mean?

Yet another straightforward, on-topic question ignored on this forum -- completely unsurprising.

Well, absent other reports of technical flaws with these releases, I certainly don't think there's any cause to worry.

What I meant is that with some close lines of men's suits, etc, I see a bit of flickering on the screen. Or whatever that's called. Sorry that I missed your question until now.

No problem--sorry for finally airing a general frustration here (straw, camel, etc.).
I've noticed the same flickering with finely detailed patterns such as fabric, but of course I've found that it's much less severe with 1080p than upscaled DVDs. In any case, I thought a lot of this was specific to the display one is using. My current setup is a lower-end 1080p LCD projector, which as far as I know are generally still often unable to reproduce intricate line patterns without that type of interference.

That's a moiré, and it's pretty much unavoidable on video with fine line/check patterns such as those used in men's suiting.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie?

I know people were down on the cover art for the reissues (so was I), but what does everyone think of the artwork in the booklet? I picked up the Shock Corridor DVD and rather liked Clowes' designs. The sketch of Trent the Klansman wearing his hood served as a great image when cracking open the package for the first time.

I just watched the Naked Kiss for the first time, and I'm kind of surprised there's not more discussion about the actual film- it's delightfully punchy and strange, even by Fuller standards.

Is it generally classed as a noir? It seems late in the cycle, and there are a lot of elements that don't fit- it's in the suburbs, it's far more outright than it is suggestive in its examination of human vice, and to me the overall feeling of the film wasn't quite noirish, but it certainly had a lot of the key features- Griff borders on being a Mike Hammer figure, and it's a movie that's incredibly pessimistic about people and about institutions, and the world Kelly is trying to escape is noir to its bones. In a sense, it could be read about a world trying to move past that of noir and into something more solid- and for once, the lead isn't borne back relentlessly into the past. She may have to move on, but she managed to make a real change in how she lived and how the world perceived her.