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Arrow Films

About time they had their own thread. They have a very exciting catalogue which they, sadly, seem determined to mess up.

Upcoming DVDs include 'Mon Oncle d'Amerique' (all ready released adequately by MK2) and 'Padre Padrone' and 'Il Ladro di Bambini' (supposedly non anamorphic - MOC where are you???) All this and no extras in sight!

Don Lope de Aguirre wrote: 'Il Ladro di Bambini' (supposedly non anamorphic - MOC where are you???) All this and no extras in sight!

The Italian disc of "Bambini" is also non-anamorphic, but it has 100 minutes of extras, including interviews and deleted scenes, along with an Amelio commentary (but only the movie has English subs, natch).

The Italian disc of "Bambini" is also non-anamorphic, but it has 100 minutes of extras, including interviews and deleted scenes, along with an Amelio commentary (but only the movie has English subs, natch).

Yes, I saw it when I was last in Milan and didn't buy it because I thought the upcoming R2 was bound to be better

I am desperate to buy Fiorile (which for some reason includes extras...) but the only review I could find was pretty apathetic.

If only MK2 put bloody subs on their Taviani box...

Oh and I've just found a review of Padre Padrone, suffice to say I'm not best pleased...

(To be fair the MK2 DVD is far from perfect but at least they have made an effort...)

I wish MK2 were English sub friendly I would have loved that Taviani box.

As I said somewhere else I didn't hold much hope for Padre Padrone. Another typical Arrow release no doubt (I haven't read the review, need I?)

Thanks for that - I had no idea MK2 had produced some Taviani discs.

And since Italian with French subs holds no linguistic terrors for me, I'm going to order them.

Bizarrely, though, Alapage's prices make it cheaper to buy the three DVDs individually (at €14.99 apiece versus €55 the set). I can't see anything else you get for your extra ten euros aside from presumably a cardboard box - unless it actually contains four discs (i.e. plus MK2's La notte de San Lorenzo) instead of the advertised three - but MK2's site says it doesn't.

Not an especially big issue for me, as I only really want Kaos, but I thought I'd mention it.

Another typical Arrow release no doubt (I haven't read the review, need I?)

It may be worth the while as it's worse than I imagined. If you read French it's worth comparing it to a review of the MK2 DVD.

It's far from perfect but that DVD was produced in 2004. I'd have hoped that three years later Arrow could have matched or improved on that.

Interestingly, there's a review of a Danish DVD from 2007 that seems to suggest (I know not word of the language but can discern the word 'restored' amongst all that) that the pic quality is very good:

Maybe Scharphedin2 can translate for us but either way, no English subs! Shame they didn't port the transfer...

Claude Chabrol Collection Vol. 2 in August.

The selection of films from one of the most prolific directors of French New Wave includes Innocents with Dirty Hands, Who's Got the Black Box? (aka The Road to Corinth), The Flower of Evil, Pleasure Party, The Break Up and Cop au Vin.

Extras include presentations of selected films by Joel Magny and theatrical trailers.

DVD Times review of Mon Oncle d'Amérique.

DVD Times review of Claude Chabrol Collection Vol. 2.

It appears Arrow are releasing much more (17, including their already released discs) Fassbinder, possibly a cheap way to pick up a lot of his films though without knowing what sort of quality it does seem a bit of a risk.

Arrow have just re-released Olmi's The Tree of Wooden Clogs, and I'm wondering whether they have polished up the transfer on the previous UK release (from Nouveaux). Has anyone picked it up, perchance?

Arrow Films are set to release Europa Europa on July 21st in the UK.

The release features a recently recorded audio commentary with director Agnieszka Holland.

The Sorrow and the Pity on 8/24. Can we hope for a transfer superior to that of the Image disc?

Arrow already has a dvd of this out, I wonder if this one's going to be improved

Has anyone seen Arrow's disc of The Naked City yet?

Awesome Welles wrote:Has anyone seen Arrow's disc of The Naked City yet?

Yes, I ordered it by mistake, thinking I'd got a steal on the Criterion. Its bare bones, so no commentary a la Criterion; AQ is pretty damned bad, PQ nothing to write home about.

Ben Cheshire wrote:

Awesome Welles wrote:Has anyone seen Arrow's disc of The Naked City yet?

Yes, I ordered it by mistake, thinking I'd got a steal on the Criterion. Its bare bones, so no commentary a la Criterion; AQ is pretty damned bad, PQ nothing to write home about.

No subtitles either, which adds to the frustration of the terrible audio which Made Mr. Fitzgeralds already thick accent almost indecipherable at times.

Is it possible to have a pair of screenshots from Arrow's Brute Force DVD?

I just watched the The Children of Rome Open City (Figli di Roma Città Aperta) documentary included as an extra on the Arrow release of Roma, Città Aperta and can't help but wonder why Criterion haven't picked this up for their War Trilogy release?

"Day of the Dead" coming to blu-ray from Arrow on march 29th.
review is up at dvdbeaver.com

Could somebody be kind enough to tell me if the discs in the "Neo-Realist Collection" are region-free? Thanks!

I have the three individual De Sicas, and they are Region free. Not sure about the others.

Open City is too.

Thank you!

Is it true that the subtitles for "Umberto D." are pretty hard to read? Does it really affect the viewing pleasure?

I didn't notice anything personally, they seemed fine to me, but it was a year ago

What's up with their new Bicycle Thieves DVD?

Is it the same transfer as the old SD?

Der Spieler wrote:Is it the same transfer as the old SD?

It's the same transfer.