61 Red Psalm
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Just to clarify: it's a review of the film, not the disc (which I haven't yet seen).
UPDATE: I have now seen the disc, and framegrabs have been posted here - chosen deliberately to match the DVD Beaver grabs of the Clavis disc. The Second Run version opens with the same logos as their Szindbád disc, confirming that this is the 2011 Hungarian National Film Archive restoration. The subtitles are white, and far better written - the Clavis subtitles (or at least the English ones) were sometimes baffling, and were even cut off at the sides on occasion (I have no idea why: I've never seen that happen before or since).
I have to confess to being sceptical about the 1.85:1 aspect ratio when I heard about it, as it always looked fine to me in 1.37:1 (as featured both on the Clavis disc and the 16mm projected screening that I saw about 25 years ago) - although I obviously bowed down to Jancsó and János Kende's authority. But now that I've actually seen it in motion, I can appreciate the difference. Hopefully these comparative grabs make it clear which is the correct ratio - and of course the Second Run disc's anamorphic enhancement helps too, as there's a fair bit more visible detail.
Incidentally, the Second Run disc includes the same episode of Message of Stones as the one on the Clavis - Hegyalja.
UPDATE: I have now seen the disc, and framegrabs have been posted here - chosen deliberately to match the DVD Beaver grabs of the Clavis disc. The Second Run version opens with the same logos as their Szindbád disc, confirming that this is the 2011 Hungarian National Film Archive restoration. The subtitles are white, and far better written - the Clavis subtitles (or at least the English ones) were sometimes baffling, and were even cut off at the sides on occasion (I have no idea why: I've never seen that happen before or since).
I have to confess to being sceptical about the 1.85:1 aspect ratio when I heard about it, as it always looked fine to me in 1.37:1 (as featured both on the Clavis disc and the 16mm projected screening that I saw about 25 years ago) - although I obviously bowed down to Jancsó and János Kende's authority. But now that I've actually seen it in motion, I can appreciate the difference. Hopefully these comparative grabs make it clear which is the correct ratio - and of course the Second Run disc's anamorphic enhancement helps too, as there's a fair bit more visible detail.
Incidentally, the Second Run disc includes the same episode of Message of Stones as the one on the Clavis - Hegyalja.
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
That does look substantially better in terms of colour and contrast, and the framing is much more dynamic, at least in those two shots (and that horse one is sort of a dead giveaway open matte shot, isn't it?)
I have to admit that I was disappointed with the film when I first saw it on the Clavis disc (after about twenty years of high anticipation), as I was expecting a visual tour-de-force that didn't quite arrive. The tighter framing seems like it should be a huge improvement and sharpen up the whole viewing experience.
I have to admit that I was disappointed with the film when I first saw it on the Clavis disc (after about twenty years of high anticipation), as I was expecting a visual tour-de-force that didn't quite arrive. The tighter framing seems like it should be a huge improvement and sharpen up the whole viewing experience.
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
The release date has been delayed again. It's now due on the 24th October.
- Bikey
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Full details of the release are now up and live on our website
- jbeall
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:22 am
- Location: Atlanta-ish
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Maybe a little redundant, given MichaelB's framegrabs, but here's the Beaver comparison of the Clavis and the SR discs.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
I received my copy today, and at a meagre price of £7.49, Second Run certainly provide value for money. Is this a pre-release price or RRP?
- perkizitore
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
- Location: OOP is the only answer
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
RRP is £12.99, online retailers always discount items heavily.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
RRP is almost always £12.99 (I think the exception is the double-disc Fighters/Real Money), but in practice you should never have to pay more than £10, and can usually get away with less.
Second Run's prices have always been keenly competitive because this is a label that relies on people's willingness to blind-buy.
Second Run's prices have always been keenly competitive because this is a label that relies on people's willingness to blind-buy.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
It's selling for £15 in my local HMV branch. Are they entitled to overcharge on the RRP?MichaelB wrote:RRP is almost always £12.99 (I think the exception is the double-disc Fighters/Real Money), but in practice you should never have to pay more than £10, and can usually get away with less.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
They can charge whatever they like. The first 'R' in 'RRP' means "recommended", after all.j99 wrote:It's selling for £15 in my local HMV branch. Are they entitled to overcharge on the RRP?MichaelB wrote:RRP is almost always £12.99 (I think the exception is the double-disc Fighters/Real Money), but in practice you should never have to pay more than £10, and can usually get away with less.
- John Edmond
- Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:35 pm
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Question: was psalm meant to also invoke palm? Or is that just a fortuitous accident of translation?
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
You'll have to ask whoever came up with the English title, whoever he/she was.John Edmond wrote:Question: was psalm meant to also invoke palm? Or is that just a fortuitous accident of translation?
It's worth mentioning, though, that Red Psalm isn't a translation: the Hungarian Még kér a nép means "And the people still ask" - so it may well have been directly inspired by one of the film's most famous images.
Jancsó's titles often underwent sometimes radical alteration - Szegénylegények means "The hopeless ones" (and is indeed known as Les sans-espoir in France), but we know it as The Round-Up. Csillagosok, katonák translates as "Starry soldiers" or "Stars on their caps", not The Red and the White, and Google Translate informs me that Fényes szelek means "Bright winds", not The Confrontation.
- John Edmond
- Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:35 pm
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Yes, it's worth noting, and I should have. It was when I was reading Hame's essay that I realised its English name had nothing to do with Még kér a nép. Re-naming would have been a better term than translation. Still, Red Psalm is ridiculously apt.
- John Edmond
- Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:35 pm
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Ah that makes more sense, to a degree all of Jancsó's titles became more abstract when renamed for their English release.
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
I actually prefer the English titles to the Hungarian originals. Was this done with Jancso's blessing or didn't he mind? Must check the direct translation for Igy jottem(My Way Home).MichaelB wrote:Jancsó's titles often underwent sometimes radical alteration - Szegénylegények means "The hopeless ones" (and is indeed known as Les sans-espoir in France), but we know it as The Round-Up. Csillagosok, katonák translates as "Starry soldiers" or "Stars on their caps", not The Red and the White, and Google Translate informs me that Fényes szelek means "Bright winds", not The Confrontation.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Google Translate offers several alternatives for each word, but I think My Way Home probably is pretty close.j99 wrote:Must check the direct translation for Igy jottem(My Way Home).
- skuhn8
- Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
- Location: Chico, CA
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Igy usually works out to 'so' or 'such'. 'Home' isn't actually specified in the title, but can be implied by context. Literal would be something like 'So I came' or 'Thus I came'--would definitely say 'My Way Home' is pretty darn close without sounding goofy.
Please note: gy is a single letter, pronounced sort of like 'dj' together...not like Iggy Pop.
Please note: gy is a single letter, pronounced sort of like 'dj' together...not like Iggy Pop.
- Bikey
- Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Gordon Thomas on Red Psalm at Bright Light Film Journal
- antnield
- Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
- Location: Cheltenham, England
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Thanks for the explanation. I got "Thus I came" from Google Translate, which baffled me a bit until you clarified it.skuhn8 wrote:Igy usually works out to 'so' or 'such'. 'Home' isn't actually specified in the title, but can be implied by context. Literal would be something like 'So I came' or 'Thus I came'--would definitely say 'My Way Home' is pretty darn close without sounding goofy.
Please note: gy is a single letter, pronounced sort of like 'dj' together...not like Iggy Pop.
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: 61 Red Psalm (Még kér a nép)
Out of curiosity how many of these Message of Stone films are there?