Mondo Vision

[Perkins Cobb]

Every time I click on this thread I flash back to some scene in ER where the machines are going SCREEEEEEEEE and Anthony Edwards calls time of death. Does anybody really think Mondo Vision is coming back from the dead at this point?

[JimmyTango]

They could, if they wanted to. All it requires is a kickstarter campaign. Since Mondo Vision is a smaller company that only wanted to put out Zulawski's films to ensure that they were made available to a wider audience, I think that a campaign would really benefit their cause.

[Thornycroft]

They could, if they wanted to. All it requires is a kickstarter campaign. Since Mondo Vision is a smaller company that only wanted to put out Zulawski's films to ensure that they were made available to a wider audience, I think that a campaign would really benefit their cause.

I imagine that certainly looks like a much more viable idea to most distributors in the wake of Arrow's successful effort with their Borowczyk restoration. Though any MV kickstarter would likely be the opposite situation, in that Arrow needed resto money but had already covered the costs of producing the release itself, whereas Mondo have already shelled out for their transfer but have presumably run into trouble with the licensing and manufacturing costs.

Given the amount of money and effort that Mondo have apparently invested in getting the transfer up to snuff it would be a real shame if they never got to give it the release they wanted. I also worry about the rest of Zulawski's filmography; are there any other companies that would invest in creating worthy releases of Diabel or Na srebrnym globie, particularly if it were necessary to pay for the creation of HD masters?

[Mathew2468]

I can confirm that the final BD replication master is leaving here for manufacturing in the next few weeks.

[criterion10]

I was planning on waiting for the Mondo Vision release, but at this point, I think I'm just going to import the Second Sight one. I need to see this goddamn film already; it sounds excellent.

[Mathew2468]

I did. I'll buy the MV when it comes but I'll be more excited about the fact that they're still moving and that the others are coming.

[JimmyTango]

According to Mondo Vision, May is the current release date.

[David M.]

Mondo Vision sent me some photos of packaging samples and told me I could share.

Please note that I don't have any release date information either. I don't know. I'm glad to hear May is on the cards according to the above!

These are of the limited edition box. My understanding is that the blank area above the POSSESSION title on the front of the second picture is going to have an image of the medusa added somehow.







This one is the "standard" edition:

[Mathew2468]

Looks like it has less extras than the second sight.

[EddieLarkin]

Yes, it's too bad it won't have everything, but I feel okay swapping a second commentary and some short featurettes for the soundtrack CD and an 84(!) page booklet. It also appears to have an interview that does not appear on the Second Sight disc (though I can't make out who it's with).

[Mathew2468]

Pretty sure that's a 24 page book, though the limited ones are always bigger.

[EddieLarkin]

Yes I was referring to the LE booklet, which is stated as 84 pages on the certificate.

[JimmyTango]

Are both the limited & standard editions Blu-ray only or dual format?

[fdm]

Both seem to depict blu-ray only.

[What A Disgrace]

I'll probably just get the Second Sight one. A pity.

[JonathanK]

Mondo Vision sent me some photos of packaging samples and told me I could share.

Please note that I don't have any release date information either. I don't know. I'm glad to hear May is on the cards according to the above!

These are of the limited edition box. My understanding is that the blank area above the POSSESSION title on the front of the second picture is going to have an image of the medusa added somehow.







This one is the "standard" edition:

Thank you David Mackenzie Glad to see Mondo Vision has managed to pull through and resume production. These press proof artworks really got me excited!! Considering the lavish velvet treatment they gave L'amour braque and Chamanka I can't wait to finally own Possession in all its glory. And wow 84 page booklet, soundtrack and a beautiful Blue velvet packaging to boot, can't get better than this, sign me up now! It's truly a dream come true

[JimmyTango]

Is it possible that the TV short films "Pavoncello" & "The Story of Triumphant Love" will be included as extras in the follow up release of ''On The Silver Globe'' ?

[Iode]

Mondo Vision have finally updated their website with info about the Limited and Special Editions of POSSESSION.

And they posted this note which I thought I should post here:

A PERSONAL NOTE:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who supported MONDO VISION in the past few years. Without your support this release would have never been possible. Every dollar earned from our previous releases was put back into licensing, production and manufacturing of POSSESSION. In many ways this is a very personal release. The first time I saw POSSESSION, it had a profound effect on me. As a film buff and a collector, I knew then that I had to re-present and re-market this film in a completely different manner. The film that I experienced was far different from the descriptions that I read about the film. I never saw it as a horror film nor an attempt to make a cheap monster flick. In fact I couldn't even explain what I just saw; I just knew that I LOVED it. It was so different than anything else that I had ever seen. What fascinated me was the level of intensity and the ability of one director to push his actors to the height of madness. Zulawski's direction although it upsets and angers many was a revelation to me; it renewed my faith in cinema and the power of this medium to go deep into human psyche. Even though POSSESSION has been released more than any other Zulawski title out there, I feel that our version (particularly the Limited Edition) is the one and only release you will ever need to own. We had the opportunity to release the film as early as 2010 on a sub-par DVD using outdated materials, but a personal decision was made to push back the release until a new HD master was available. It took us 3 years to convince the rightsholders but persistence finally paid off. However, the problems did not stop there. We then encountered an unfortunate situation with our production which delayed the release for another 2 years. All this time we fought the urge not to give in to pressure. We decided to delay the release as long as it required until our vision was realized. Here we are 5 years after our first DVD release and that dream is about to come true. We even joke and laugh about this as being the longest Blu-ray production in history. So there you have it, this release has been more than 5 years in the making but I feel and I hope that you will enjoy the finished product just like the rest of us. Here I would like to thank two people in particular who played big part in making this and previous MONDO VISION projects happen. First, David Mackenzie. I met David online when he was 19 years old. Right then I knew he had the talent and understanding to author and encode outstanding Discs. He clearly achieved that purpose on previous MONDO VISION titles and POSSESSION is no different. David is now authoring numerous Discs for various reputable companies and his success is truly deserved. Next person I would like to thank is Tim Gengler, the person responsible for the visual side of things. Tim has put up with 5 years of my pickiness about every single detail of the design and packaging and I can't be happier with the results. POSSESSION was one of our most challenging projects due to the packaging design and it took us months and several hundred revisions to finally get it right. So Tim and David thank you for being part of this. Lastly, I understand that not everyone is interested in owning an expensive version of the Film which is why we always offer our standard release priced according to the market for these type of niche films. To serious Zulawski fans and those of you who contacted us asking for the Limited Edition, I can say that everything within our means was done to make this release happen. This is by far our most expensive production; the main intention was not to cut corners or go cheap. The Limited Edition of POSSESSION was meant to be on par if not better (we think it is) than what you get from big Hollywood studios with one important exception, the number of copies. When big studios make limited editions, their production run is in hundreds of thousands (and usually not even numbered), their intention is to lower the price point and sell as many copies as possible which is why many Limited Editions don't keep their value in the long-run. And let's not forget the number of times the same studios release and re-release their titles. Our goal was to get it right the first time and move on to the next project. So when it comes to a film like POSSESSION it makes absolutely no sense to do a high production run. Although we improved every aspect of the packaging and opted for Blu-ray instead of DVD, a final decision was made to keep the production at 2000 units while keeping our price point fair and justified for what is being offered. We have an exclusive deal with our good friends at TOUFAAN. They will distribute POSSSESSION independently and will start taking pre-orders on their website few weeks prior to the release date. Please keep in mind that like us the guys at TOUFFAN are doing this not just to make money but in order to do something worthwhile on the side. So please be patient and give them a chance to handle the distribution part. With your support we hope to release the remaining Zulawski catalogue.

Thank you!

[EddieLarkin]

Heartbreaking that they're not coming away with a profit after the first 4 releases. Hopefully Possession will change that, and result in further Zulawski titles. I'll be pre-ordering as soon as it's up on Toufaan.

[Mathew2468]

I suspect this is why they don't have all the extras that the Second Sight had:

Rather than stress discs with hours of irrelevant, made-to-order “added value” content, we believe that our customers are able to discern true value. As a result, we prefer to offer our customers the best quality packaging, a selection of engaging extra features, and the highest possible quality video transfer and encode, produced only by carefully selected and skilled authoring houses. We feel that any additional content provided should add to, rather than detract from the experience.

Though I liked the Korzynski interview.

[domino harvey]

God, that's really prissy, isn't it? "Our extras are the only ones that matter" followed by a finger snap and turning away

[Mathew2468]

Also makes me wonder about the 22 minute interview with a translator.

[Thornycroft]

I can certainly understand them wanting to make the pitch that the extra features of the cheaper Second Sight don't necessarily make it the more desirable release, but the way they say it really doesn't come off well.

Besides, if they wanted to make the case for their edition as definitive they shouldn't have dropped the US theatrical cut as an extra. Hopefully they'll make it available online as they've hinted at, but its inclusion really would have sealed the deal.

[EddieLarkin]

That text is from the About Us section that I assume has been there for years. There's nothing to suggest that it relates to the absence of the features exclusive to the Second Sight disc.

[MichaelB]

I strongly doubt that that's a specific attack on the Daniel Bird-produced extras on the Second Sight release, whose extras are anything but "irrelevant" - on the contrary, they're a model of how to do it properly.