Second Run General Chitchat

[ryannichols7]

I find ordering from Arrow's store (since they distribute SR) isn't too bad either, the shipping charge is more nominal.

eating my own words here, ordering a big batch of backlog in the current Arrow sale and getting hit with a 25 GBP shipping charge, totally brutal!!

but anyhow, if anyone is interested, plenty of Blurays are 10 GBP and DVDs are 6 - certainly worth checking out

[What A Disgrace]

Four-and-a-half of Second Run's releases this year have been upgrades (the half being Desire + All My Good Countrymen). I certainly appreciate these films getting HD releases, especially such wonderful films as Dragon's Return and All My Good Countrymen, but I'm eagerly awaiting The Fifth Seal, the Paulo Rocha doouble feature, and other surprises, and hoping that at least one of those two named items manifest before the year is up.

[ianthemovie]

I noticed that the DVDs of Three Wishes for Cinderella, Morgiana, and Tropical Malady are sold out on the Second Run website. What are the odds that this means that Blu-ray upgrades to these are coming? (In poking around the website I see that the DVD versions of other recently upgraded titles like All My Good Countrymen and Love are similarly listed as "sold out.") Is it normal for titles to go in and out of stock on Second Run unrelated to their upgrade status?

[ryannichols7]

Four-and-a-half of Second Run's releases this year have been upgrades (the half being Desire + All My Good Countrymen). I certainly appreciate these films getting HD releases, especially such wonderful films as Dragon's Return and All My Good Countrymen, but I'm eagerly awaiting The Fifth Seal, the Paulo Rocha doouble feature, and other surprises, and hoping that at least one of those two named items manifest before the year is up.

it's a tough balance for them I think, as there's just countless new 4K restorations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary for them to work with, so I'm sure the desire to get their older DVD titles upgraded is big. I will note that every Second Run upgrade has also featured an upgrade in the supplements department - they've added at least one thing every single time, if not expanded on the existing features on the disc. so I value it, as it does make the upgrades feel like all new releases. but I'm with you, I enjoy the feeling of getting to 'discover' The Devil's Trap or Coach to Vienna, as much as I also love getting to see The Party and the Guests and All My Good Countrymen in HD.

I'm also torn because I'd love to see Second Run do the Tsai Ming-Liang films that got lacklustre BDs here in the states (Rebels of the Neon God and Vive L'amour) right, but I also want them to get to other new releases. it's all around a win-win situation, but the one-title-per-month thing really does make you wait and anticipate, doesn't it?

I wonder what their gameplan is for Jancso. the Kino set is obviously incredible but I find it hard to believe Second Run wouldn't want flagship titles like The Roundup or The Red and the White out on their own BDs. plus the Kino set isn't region free, so UK/EU watchers would probably pick up Jancso in some decent numbers..

I noticed that the DVDs of Three Wishes for Cinderella, Morgiana, and Tropical Malady are sold out on the Second Run website. What are the odds that this means that Blu-ray upgrades to these are coming? (In poking around the website I see that the DVD versions of other recently upgraded titles like All My Good Countrymen and Love are similarly listed as "sold out.") Is it normal for titles to go in and out of stock on Second Run unrelated to their upgrade status?

it is worth nothing that All My Good Countrymen was definitely sold out before the upgrade was announced. I believe once they upgrade a DVD, if the DVD wasn't already "sold out" they don't do another pressing. I would assume Cinderella and Morgiana are good candidates, but I will say Tropical Malady and Blissfully Yours probably aren't in the next few months. i believe it was confirmed elsewhere both were still in the process of being restored, and I figure they'll play some festivals before they see a disc release. I'm sure Second Run is keen to get them out whenever they are - these are other titles where its very likely they'll get a lot of US importers due to the kinda..disorganized nature of Apichatpong's films over here, much like Tsai.

I don't know if anyone has shared the list of restored films from Czech Republic or Hungary yet, where you can exhaustively view all the movies they've restored. the catch is just knowing the native titles, but the directors should be an easy enough match. this label could easily coast off these two countries alone, but they luckily choose to branch beyond too!

[tenia]

The issue also is that there is quite some fluctuations in those restoration works. For instance, I saw Makk's Love this week end, and the picture has clearly gone through the visible use of digital filtering, leaving the texture smeary to the point some characters' small moves look like it's a digital slow-down.

[ryannichols7]

The issue also is that there is quite some fluctuations in those restoration works. For instance, I saw Makk's Love this week end, and the picture has clearly gone through the visible use of digital filtering, leaving the texture smeary to the point some characters' small moves look like it's a digital slow-down.

haven't gotten to watch that disc yet. is it a matter of less...knowledge behind restoration with some of those? I did think the Jancso restorations looked really stunning, ditto Adoption. shame to know that about Love, but it's the only way we're going to get the film really..

[tenia]

It's a gorgeous restoration at first glance, so YMMV depending on your tolerance to this, but at first, I thought it was the encoding extremely struggling to properly render the filmic texture, and only later I realised it was more than likely baked in the source and the encode struggling was a secondary effect of having to handle grain that kind of moves but not really.

I feel like restorations in Eastern Europe still is a learning in progress which explains the variability : some are gorgeous (All My Good Countrymen, the Bela Tarr movies, etc), others like Larks on a String feel oh so slightly digitally tinkering with, and then you have things like Knife in the Water.

[ianthemovie]

Tenia-- what are you referring to in relation to Knife in the Water? I own the Screenbound Blu-ray but I'll admit that I still haven't taken it out of the shrinkwrap.

[tenia]

The most recent 4k restoration is a DNR nightmare. I don't know what was used for the UK BD (it's likely to be it, looking at when it was released) but it was the source for its disc in the Polish Masterpieces boxset (which contains other problematic restorations) and it's what we got in France in 2021.

[What A Disgrace]

With the announcement of the Wajda trilogy and El Mar La Mar a likely lock for December or January, it looks like Second Run's 2022 slate is complete. We're still missing out on the Paulo Rocha double feature, and The Fifth Seal, announced earlier, what other recent-ish titles have been announced or teased but yet to come to light?

[ryannichols7]

the further Kazuo Hara films, specificially Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 were confirmed as forthcoming. not sure what the status is there on restorations and such

[What A Disgrace]

I would be okay if Second Run decided to go mad with boxed sets. The Hara films are a candidate, maybe even likelihood, The Fifth Seal would be an ideal inclusion in a second Hungarian Masterworks set, and the Rocha films could even be just part of a Cinema Novo set.

[ryannichols7]

ditto the František Vláčil and Miklós Jancsó titles that are awaiting upgrades! I'll take them all however they decide to release them

[Bikey]

Last chance to grab a Second Run bargain in the Arrow Shocktober Sale - ends tonight!
Seleted Second Run Blu-rays at £10, DVDs at £6

[ianthemovie]

Second Run has been tweeting about an upcoming Christmas screening of a restored version of Three Wishes for Cinderella, to which they appear to have the release rights in the UK. Hopefully that means an upgrade will follow!

[What A Disgrace]

Their old DVD was based on a 4K restoration. I was of the opinion that it should have been a Blu-ray in the first place, hopefully this will soon be the case, and more films of its kind will follow.

[ryannichols7]

All My Good Countrymen was similarly a 4K restoration put to DVD but wasn't a BD but later got upgraded. definitely hoping to see this title upgraded too. three consecutive new releases (War Trilogy/El Mar La Mar/The Cassandra Cat) means we're probably due up for an upgrade with the next announcement, and that one wouldn't surprise me

upgrades are very hard to predict due to the plethora of new 4K restorations from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and apparently now Poland available that can fill their release schedule...but rest assured I'm happy with basically any of them. The Sun in a Net and Szindbad would be pretty wonderful choices, if they were inclined!

EDIT: wow up thread we already kinda had this conversation but in regards to the DVDs being sold out. I'd say that's a strong indicator that upgrades are forthcoming. I'm sure Second Run would prioritize the Apichatpong titles once those restorations are done (and supposedly they will be soon)

[Bikey]

Big savings on selected Second Run Blu-ray's and DVDs at the ARROW EASTER CARNAGE SALE - NOW ON!!

[Bikey]

Price-matching the Arrow Carnage Sale - lots of SR Blu-ray titles down to £9.99 at Amazon UK, and at HMV UK

[rapta]

Price-matching the Arrow Carnage Sale - lots of SR Blu-ray titles down to £9.99 at Amazon UK, and at HMV UK

Is it price-matching? I noticed Beauty and the Beast isn't on offer at HMV, which is fine as I got it in the Arrow offer (ditto The Devil's Trap, though that is also in the HMV offer).

Either way, this time I got titles that weren't in the Arrow offer - namely Dragon's Return, Love, Desire/All My Good Countrymen, and The Party and the Guests. A few of those have already dispatched!

[hmcnaught]

That's me got all the Second Run Blu-ray titles now bar El Mar La Mar, The Cassandra Cat and Laurin

[Langland]

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I used to have a vhs of a Russian film of King Lear which I bought in the bookshop of the RSC in Stratford. It looked pretty interesting, the only thing was there used to be a loud noise on the soundtrack every time there was a scene change, rendering it virtually unwatchable. It was in black and white. Lear was riding around in a wooden cart which I liked a lot. Does anybody know what this film is/was and if in SR style there has ever been a dvd or even BD version?

[MV88]

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I used to have a vhs of a Russian film of King Lear which I bought in the bookshop of the RSC in Stratford. It looked pretty interesting, the only thing was there used to be a loud noise on the soundtrack every time there was a scene change, rendering it virtually unwatchable. It was in black and white. Lear was riding around in a wooden cart which I liked a lot. Does anybody know what this film is/was and if in SR style there has ever been a dvd or even BD version?

I think you’re probably referring the 1970 Grigoriy Kozintsev version, which to my knowledge has never received a BD release but has been uploaded in HD by the Shakespeare Network if you want to see if this is indeed the film you’re looking for:

https://shakespearenetwork.net/media-r ... stored-4k

[Langland]

Indeed yes. Gramercy.

[swo17]

Mr. Bongo put it out on DVD