Carl Th. Dreyer Collection

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EddieLarkin · #26 Post by **EddieLarkin** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:54 pm

I suppose I should, thanks for confirming they look good. How are the English subs (assuming there are Danish intertitles?)?

Anyway, I realise now that the four films that the BFI have will be coming from Palladium rather than the DFI, so it doesn't seem so much like a missed opportunity now.

Drucker · #27 Post by **Drucker** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:58 pm

I mean, I could follow the films! I'll re-take a look at the set when I get home tonight, let you know about bitrate, etc.

tenia · #28 Post by **tenia** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:05 pm

TMDaines wrote:Looks like I can pencil in #1 on my Best of 2015 list.

Well, there's also the Rossellini set. $\:D/$

Zot! · #29 Post by **Zot!** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:33 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:I suppose I should, thanks for confirming they look good. How are the English subs (assuming there are Danish intertitles?)?

Anyway, I realise now that the four films that the BFI have will be coming from Palladium rather than the DFI, so it doesn't seem so much like a missed opportunity now.

Keep in mind that the DFI set is 1080i as the films are encoded at unique frame-rates. This is actually good for the films, but makes them less Region 1 friendly dependent on your set-up. I'm pretty sure there are some reviews out there.

EddieLarkin · #30 Post by **EddieLarkin** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:41 pm

Not to worry, my TV is fully compatable with 50hz (I'm in the U.K.).

MaxCastle · #31 Post by **MaxCastle** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 3:06 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:I wonder if one of those eight will be missing, or if the seven quoted is erroneous.

Water from the Land is the one that isn't on any of the existing BFI DVDs, I think, so presumably that's the one most likely to be missing in action.

lefeufollet · #32 Post by **lefeufollet** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:21 pm

Pre-order is up at Amazon. £59.99.

EddieLarkin · #33 Post by **EddieLarkin** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 6:36 pm

It's £39.99 at Base.com, and their listing reveals £59.99 to be the MSRP. Meaning Amazon will definitely have it a lot lower in the near future, probably around £35.

Drucker · #34 Post by **Drucker** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:21 pm

Well I take back a little of my praise for the DFI set. I will say that the blu-ray does NOT appear to be an upscale.

That said, there is a relatively modest bitrate. I don't really know how to gauge it, but according to my Oppo's menu, it seems to hover beween 12-20mbs.

The subtitles also aren't great. I forgot that on all these DVDs, there is Danish-language above the English subtitles. So you have two sets of subtitles on screen. That, and there is awkward phrasing. One of the ones I noticed in Love One Another is "Anger rose inside him."

Anyway, PQ is still pretty good. But I will say the set could probably be bested.

Tommaso · #35 Post by **Tommaso** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 4:35 am

Not to mention that the film known as "Love One Another" is actually called "Die Gezeichneten" and was a German production, so it needs German intertitles, not Danish ones. It was shown with German intertitles - reconstructed from the censorship cards, as the print used was Russian, IIRC - on arte some years ago. So if the BFI or anyone else want to release it, they should go for that version.

TMDaines · #36 Post by **TMDaines** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 6:37 am

Tommaso wrote:Not to mention that the film known as "Love One Another" is actually called "Die Gezeichneten" and was a German production, so it needs German intertitles, not Danish ones. It was shown with German intertitles - reconstructed from the censorship cards, as the print used was Russian, IIRC - on arte some years ago. So if the BFI or anyone else want to release it, they should go for that version.

IIRC, I was trying to hastily create some English subtitles for the German recording, cribbing from the Danish/English intertitles on the Danish Blu-ray, but it was not a quick task as the two prints had a different number of intertitles and differing meanings at times.

Were fansubs ever created for the German-intertitled recording?

Zot! · #37 Post by **Zot!** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:56 pm

Yes, the intertitles are modern and cheap, but you get two fairly obscure Dreyer films, English friendly, fairly respectable HD image (with fps being respected), and with a nice little booklet, also English. If you want to be fussy, Glomdal doesn't have the original Norwegian intertitles either, so you may never sleep again.

feckless boy · #38 Post by **feckless boy** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 4:17 am

swo17 wrote:
Amazon product description wrote:Carl Theodor Dreyer Collection (Limited Edition Blu-ray box set)

Carl Theodor Dreyer is one of world cinema's most celebrated and enduringly praised filmmakers. His visually arresting, pared-down style has been a major influence on such contemporary directors as Carlos Reygadas and Lars von Trier. This strictly limited edition Blu-ray box set collects a number of his most revered, award-winning films, some of his lesser-known works, and an extensive selection of extra features.

Alongside award-winning classics Day of Wrath (1943), Ordet (1955) and Gertrud (1964), the silent Master of the House (1925) is presented here for the first time in both its Danish and English inter-titles versions. In addition, seven of Dreyer's short films made between 1942 and 1955 are presented in full High Definition for the first time.

Special features include Torben Skjødt Jensen's fascinating 1995 documentary My Métier and extensive archival and outtake interview footage with those who knew and worked with the legendary director.

Special features:

• High Definition presentations
• Alternative English and Danish inter-title versions of Master of the House
• Seven short films by Dreyer (1943-1955)
• My Métier (Torben Skjødt Jensen, 1995, 90 mins, Standard Definition)
• My Métier interview outtakes (Standard Definition)
• Archival footage and interviews (Standard Definition)

I hope that Casper Tybjerg’s commentary for Day of Wrath will be ported from the previous SD-release. Any reason why it wouldn't?

peerpee · #39 Post by **peerpee** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:00 am

Updated specs taken from Amazon:

Master of the House (1925) | Good Mothers (1942) | Day of Wrath (1943) | The Fight Against Cancer (1947) | The Village Church (1947) | They Caught the Ferry (1948) | Thorsvaldsen (1949) | Storstrom Bridge (1950) | A Castle Within a Castle (1955) | Ordet (1955) | Gertrud (1964)

Special features:
Newly remastered High Definition presentations
Alternative English and Danish inter-title versions of Master of the House
Alternative English version of Day of Wrath
Day of Wrath audio commentary with Casper Tybjerg
The Cross (Tag Gallagher, 2009, 20 mins, Standard Definition): video essay on Day of Wrath by film critic Tag Gallagher
Carl Th. Dreyer und Gertrud (Christine Habich, Reinhard Wulf, 1994, 29 mins, Standard Definition): documentary on the making of Gertrud
Ordet Og Lyset (Helga Theilgaard, 2001, 33 mins, Standard Definition): documentary about cinematographer Henning Bendtsen and the making of Ordet
Master of the House Restoration Demonstration (2010, 4 mins): split screen comparison
Carl Th. Dreyer interviewed by Julian Jebb (1965, 8 mins): long-unseen English language interview with Dreyer
My Métier (Torben Skjødt Jensen, 1995, 90 mins, Standard Definition): far-reaching documentary reflecting on the great director
My Métier interview outtakes (1995, 76 mins, Standard Definition) : 8 in-depth interviews with Dreyer collaborators
Jørgen Roos archive (1949-65, 7 mins, Standard Definition): a selection of Dreyer related archival material
DR Danish television archive (1965-68, 15 mins, Standard Definition): rare Dreyer footage and interviews with Henning Bendtsen, Brigitte Federspiel and Preben Lerdorff Rye
An Introduction to the Films of Carl Th. Dreyer by Henning Camre (UK, 2003, 11 mins, audio only): the director of the Danish Film Institute discusses Dreyer
An Interview with Ove Brusendorff of the Danish Film Museum (UK, 8 mins, audio only): archival recording in which the manager of the Danish Film Museum appraises Dreyer
Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Philip Kemp, Ilona Halberstadt, Philip Horne, Tom Milne and Nick Wrigley
Denmark | 1925 - 1964 | black & white | Danish with optional English subtitles | 433 minutes (+ extras) | 3 x BD50 | 1 x DVD9 | 1080p | 24fps | Original aspect ratio 133:1 | PCM stereo audio (48k/24-bit) | Cert 12 | Region B Blu-ray & Region 2 DVD

EddieLarkin · #40 Post by **EddieLarkin** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 9:04 am

Very good of them to throw in an extra DVD for all of the SD supplements.

jsteffe · #41 Post by **jsteffe** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:51 pm

This is shaping up to be one of the top releases of 2015!

Calvin · #42 Post by **Calvin** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:16 pm

That's a fantastic set of extras. Between this and the War Trilogy, the BFI have a great run going. I wonder what's preventing a release of Water from the Land? It's probably safe to assume that the BFI aren't just leaving off one short for the sake of it.

peerpee · #43 Post by **peerpee** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:46 pm

Calvin wrote:I wonder what's preventing a release of Water from the Land? It's probably safe to assume that the BFI aren't just leaving off one short for the sake of it.

I think there's a pretty good chance of some loose ends being tied up in the future if this limited edition set "does the business", so I'm hoping this one sells out quickly. I haven't seen mention anywhere yet of exactly how limited it is, but I'm guessing 2,000–3,000? Then, maybe standalones will follow? (As per Arrow's Borowczyk set.)

neilist · #44 Post by **neilist** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:37 pm

peerpee wrote:Then, maybe standalones will follow? (As per Arrow's Borowczyk set.)

Possibly, though the recent BFI limited Herzog and Robbe-Grillet blu-ray boxsets have only been followed up with DVD standalones (aside from the also limited Herzog steelbooks) so I'd recommend anyone wanting the films on blu-ray get an order in for the boxset...

rapta · #45 Post by **rapta** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:00 am

neilist wrote:
peerpee wrote:Then, maybe standalones will follow? (As per Arrow's Borowczyk set.)
Possibly, though the recent BFI limited Herzog and Robbe-Grillet blu-ray boxsets have only been followed up with DVD standalones (aside from the also limited Herzog steelbooks) so I'd recommend anyone wanting the films on blu-ray get an order in for the boxset...

I'm wondering how 'limited' these really are, and also how quickly they'll actually sell. The Herzog set seems to still be widely available, and has fallen in price since I originally bought it...same goes for the Kurosawa set.

The reason I'm wondering is because I have the Dreyer, Rossellini and Chaplin sets pre-ordered but probably won't be able to afford all 3 and would be annoyed if they fell to a much cheaper price in a couple of months - for exampl, the Kurosawa set I paid £30 for around New Year, and has since been available for around £20...and the Herzog set has fallen to at least £35 since release and is still widely available.

EddieLarkin · #46 Post by **EddieLarkin** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:32 am

But neither of those sets were limited editions. I'm not even sure the Alain Robbe-Grillet set was. Perhaps the sales of last year's sets led the BFI to run smaller pressings this year...

rapta · #47 Post by **rapta** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:01 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:But neither of those sets were limited editions. I'm not even sure the Alain Robbe-Grillet set was. Perhaps the sales of last year's sets led the BFI to run smaller pressings this year...

That's true...I think I just assumed they were, especially the Robbe-Grillet one - but if that's the case I am surprised that the Chaplin set would be limited, and to a lesser extent the Dreyer and Rossellini sets (who will arguably be as popular as Herzog). I can understand the Bill Morrison set being more strictly limited though.

MichaelB · #48 Post by **MichaelB** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:08 pm

You're inevitably going to see more and more limited editions, for the simple reason that too many people wait too long to pick them up as cheaply as possible, at a time when Blu-rays are seriously underpriced relative to their production cost even at RRP.

Which of course is a perfectly rational thing to do as a consumer, but it clobbers the label financially at a time when the physical-media market is inexorably shrinking. And it's particularly tough on labels that pride themselves on adding value, like the BFI, Eureka and Arrow, as their production budgets will be that much higher.

If Arrow had put out, say, Hellgate as a normal Blu-ray release, I doubt very much they'd have sold a thousand copies even by now, let alone by a year ago. But by making it a numbered limited edition they sold out in a couple of months - and although this prevented them from being able to press more copies, that didn't matter: they'd crunched the numbers and had comfortably broken even by the time they closed the books on the project.

naersjoen · #49 Post by **naersjoen** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 3:15 pm

MichaelB wrote:You're inevitably going to see more and more limited editions, for the simple reason that too many people wait too long to pick them up as cheaply as possible, at a time when Blu-rays are seriously underpriced relative to their production cost even at RRP.

(This topic may warrant its own thread.) I have no knowledge of the financial inner workings of the BFI or any other label – why is it that the prices of some labels come down after a certain amount of time? Is it the label's decision?
Consider me one of the people who wait 'too long'. Or instead buy a Criterion release of the same film, if available, for the simple reason that their resale values are much higher (certainly in the minority here).

MichaelB · #50 Post by **MichaelB** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 1:36 pm

Full specs announced:

The Carl Theodor Dreyer Collection
4-disc Blu-ray box set

Carl Theodor Dreyer is one of world cinema's most enduringly praised filmmakers. His visually arresting, intensely austere style has been a major influence on Lars von Trier and Carlos Reygadas, amongst others. Released by the BFI on 20 April 2015, this strictly limited edition Blu-ray box set presents a number of his most revered films alongside some of his lesser-known fiction and documentary shorts, as well as an extensive selection of extra features.

The eleven films included in this set are:

• Master of the House (1925)
• Good Mothers (1942)
• Day of Wrath (1943)
• The Fight Against Cancer (1947)
• The Village Church (1947)
• They Caught the Ferry (1948)
• Thorsvaldsen (1949)
• Storstrøm Bridge (1950)
• A Castle Within a Castle (1955)
• Ordet (1955)
• Gertrud (1964)

Special features
• Newly remastered High Definition presentations of all Dreyer films;
• Alternative English and Danish intertitled versions of Master of the House;
• Master of the House Restoration Demonstration (2010, 4 mins): split-screen comparison;
• Alternative presentation of Day of Wrath with English opening and closing sequences;
• Day of Wrath audio commentary with Dreyer expert Casper Tybjerg;
• The Cross (Tag Gallagher, 2009, 20 mins): video essay on Day of Wrath;
• Ordet Og Lyset (Helga Theilgaard, 2001, 35 mins): interview with cinematographer Henning Bendtsen;
• Carl Th. Dreyer und Gertrud (Christiane Habich, Reinhard Wulf, 1994, 29 mins): documentary featurette;
• Carl Th. Dreyer Interviewed by Julian Jebb (1965, 8 mins): rare BBC archive film of Dreyer;
• Carl Th. Dreyer – My Métier (Torben Skjødt Jensen, 1995, 93 mins): acclaimed feature-length documentary;
• My Métier interview outtakes (1995, 80 mins): in-depth interviews with Dreyer collaborators;
• Jørgen Roos archive (1949-65, 8 mins): a selection of Dreyer-related archival film material;
• DR Danish television archive (1965-68, 13 mins): rare Dreyer footage and interviews with collaborators;
• An Introduction to the Films of Carl Th. Dreyer by Henning Camre (2003, 10 mins, audio only);
• An Interview with Ove Brusendorff of the Danish Film Museum (date unknown, 16 mins, audio only);
• Booklet essays by Casper Tybjerg, Philip Kemp, Ilona Halberstadt, Philip Horne, Tom Milne and Nick Wrigley.

Product details
RRP: £59.99 / cat. no. BFIB1208 / Cert 12

Denmark / 1925 – 1964 / Black and white / Danish with optional English subtitles / 638 mins / 3 x BD50 / 24fps / 1080p / 1 x PAL DVD9 / Original aspect ratios 1.33:1 + 1.66:1 / PCM mono audio (48k/24-bit)

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