CHANTAL AKERMAN’S FROM THE EAST
(Street Date: October 6, 2009 / Pre-Book Date: September 1, 2009)
In FROM THE EAST, noted French filmmaker Chantal Akerman retraces a journey from the end of summer to deepest winter, from East Germany, across Poland and the Baltics, to Moscow. It is a voyage Akerman wanted to make shortly after the collapse of the Soviet bloc “before it was too late,” reconstructing her impressions in the manner of a documentary on the border of fiction. Without dialogue or commentary, FROM THE EAST is a cinematographic elegy. It has been hailed by Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum as “One of Akerman’s best films,” and Stuart Klawans, writing in The Nation, exclaimed “If this isn’t a masterpiece, tear the word from your dictionary.”
FROM THE EAST
A film by Chantal Akerman
Color, 110 mins., 1993
Bonus Features
Booklet with essay by Chantal Akerman
UPC # 8-54565-00110-7
SRP: $29.98
Pre-Book Date: September 1, 2009
Street Date: October 6, 2009
Chantal Akerman on DVD
- Fiery Angel
- Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:59 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Icarus is releasing FROM THE EAST on October 6.
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- Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:33 am
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
From the East should be out now, but apparently something is up with amazon which lists it as discontinued (however Icarus' site and twitter note that the DVD is out). So has anyone picked up the DVD, and post impressions?
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Ditto! Can somebody post when they've actually had one dispatched from Amazon?hangman wrote:From the East should be out now, but apparently something is up with amazon which lists it as discontinued (however Icarus' site and twitter note that the DVD is out). So has anyone picked up the DVD, and post impressions?
- Oedipax
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
- Location: Atlanta
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Still listed as 'discontinued' on Amazon but I notice Buy.com has the title listed, albeit temporarily out of stock. The price is right if they get more at some point, $17.99.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
The new release seems to be available from the Icarus Films site, but I don't know what happens after one submits the order (e.g. they may be taking orders and then sending out a notice that it's been delayed). There's been at least one review of the new disc, so perhaps that's a good sign.Oedipax wrote:Has anyone actually found D'est in stock for order anywhere?backstreetsbackalright wrote:As an aside, D'est has just come out on commercially-available DVD as well, which is quite exciting. I'm optimistic that we'll also see From The Other Side and South some day in the not-too-far-off future.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
I got mine through Amazon.com.Gregory wrote:The new release seems to be available from the Icarus Films site, but I don't know what happens after one submits the order (e.g. they may be taking orders and then sending out a notice that it's been delayed). There's been at least one review of the new disc, so perhaps that's a good sign.Oedipax wrote:Has anyone actually found D'est in stock for order anywhere?backstreetsbackalright wrote:As an aside, D'est has just come out on commercially-available DVD as well, which is quite exciting. I'm optimistic that we'll also see From The Other Side and South some day in the not-too-far-off future.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
That's strange. I've kept an eye on the Amazon listing for it off and on, and it now says it's discontinued by the manufacturer. Of course, Amazon claims that thousands of items have been "discontinued by the manufacturer" when no such thing is true, so I haven't given up on it yet.
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Please divulge how.kekid wrote:I got mine through Amazon.com.
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
This could have been, and probably was, written without a physical copy of the disc at hand - I doubt it means anything, unfortunately. Has anybody tried ordering from Icarus directly yet? Apparently they don't ship outside the US, so I can't have a go myself...Gregory wrote:There's been at least one review of the new disc, so perhaps that's a good sign.
- markhax
- Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:42 pm
- Contact:
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
I ordered a copy from Icarus on October 16, so far no notification of its having been shipped.foggy eyes wrote:This could have been, and probably was, written without a physical copy of the disc at hand - I doubt it means anything, unfortunately. Has anybody tried ordering from Icarus directly yet? Apparently they don't ship outside the US, so I can't have a go myself...Gregory wrote:There's been at least one review of the new disc, so perhaps that's a good sign.
- foggy eyes
- Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: UK
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Ah, good. Fingers crossed!markhax wrote:I ordered a copy from Icarus on October 16, so far no notification of its having been shipped.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Yes, I know that's probably true in this case. Here is another one that's maybe a little more promising, with comments on specific things like the inclusion of a booklet and the lack of any special features. But of course it could have been canceled for some reason anyway, even if review copies already went out. I'm just clinging to whatever straws of hope I can.foggy eyes wrote:This could have been, and probably was, written without a physical copy of the disc at hand - I doubt it means anything, unfortunately.Gregory wrote:There's been at least one review of the new disc, so perhaps that's a good sign.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
No secret to reveal here. I had preordered the item, and they shipped it to me.foggy eyes wrote:Please divulge how.kekid wrote:I got mine through Amazon.com.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
I just gave Icarus a call and the person I spoke with said they are indeed shipping them out via their online store. She couldn't hazard any guess about why it's apparently been pulled from Amazon.com and didn't seem to concerned about it. Anyway, I guess it's well worth putting in an order with Icarus.
- markhax
- Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 5:42 pm
- Contact:
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Got mine from Icarus today! I ordered it last Friday night, so it took less than a week. It comes with a thin booklet with an informative essay by Chantal Akerman on why she made the film.markhax wrote:I ordered a copy from Icarus on October 16, so far no notification of its having been shipped.
- tavernier
- Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:18 pm
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
There were a couple of sellers on Amazon Marketplace who had it, so I took a chance and bought one. (I'm curious about who's sending it--maybe it's Icarus Films!)
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Last fall, when MoMA's annual restoration festival screened a few of her films, it was revealed that before Akerman's death, they were in the process of restoring her body of work. It wasn't clear if this meant every single one of her films, but the implication was that it was a huge endeavor, and I just noticed that in addition to the ones that were shown at MoMA, a number of restorations were screening in L.A. as part of the bicoastal celebration of Akerman's work. (Seems like every repertory house in NYC and L.A. is showing her work.)
Not sure how long that link will last after the month is over, so I'll paste the ones noted in the schedule:
Saute ma Ville, 1968, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 13 min
Hotel Monterey, 1972, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 65 min.
La Chambre 1972, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 11 min.
Je tu il elle, 1974, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 86 min.
News From Home, 1977, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 85 min.
Les Rendez-vous d'Anna (The Meetings of Anna), 1978, 35mm (Restored by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 120 min.
And of course Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles should be added to that list - saw it myself and it looked wonderful.
Not sure how long that link will last after the month is over, so I'll paste the ones noted in the schedule:
Saute ma Ville, 1968, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 13 min
Hotel Monterey, 1972, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 65 min.
La Chambre 1972, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 11 min.
Je tu il elle, 1974, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 86 min.
News From Home, 1977, DCP (Restoration by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 85 min.
Les Rendez-vous d'Anna (The Meetings of Anna), 1978, 35mm (Restored by Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), 120 min.
And of course Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles should be added to that list - saw it myself and it looked wonderful.
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Question about From the East - I'm pretty sure this was only an issue with the screening I saw, but just to be sure, during the final shot of the film, when the camera "tracks" left, passing not only people but a parked car that appears to have a camera mounted on top (a second camera unit for the film?), does the sound continue to come through loud and clear, and does the recording suddenly get muffled (sometime while that music in the background is still playing), as if the windows were suddenly all rolled up?
- senseabove
- Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Has there been any indication that the other Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique restorations are coming out anywhere? If there were a French-language box set I'd be tempted to pick it up to rip and use subs from other sources.
- furbicide
- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:52 am
Re: Chantal Akerman on DVD
Oh man, I'm very much hanging out for these. Any news (even the faintest rumour) would be welcome!