Release date is November 24, according to MovieMail and Amazon. Specs courtesy of the former. Let's all go out for frosty chocolate milkshakes; this is spectacular.

* A pristine transfer from a fine grain print struck from the original negative, featuring the director's cut fought for by L'Herbier over many years, the film speed as projected in the late 1920s, and the entirety of each frame fully displayed
* New and improved English subtitles
* Newly improvised musical accompaniment by French composer and pianist Jean-François Zygel, who also provides a video introduction to the film and a documentary about accompanying silent cinema
* About L'Argent [Autour de L'Argent](1928) - Jean Dréville's 40 minute "making of" documentary
* Archival footage of star Brigitte Helm (fresh from Fritz Lang's Metropolis) arriving in Paris for the shooting of L'Herbier's film
* Archival screen-tests of the L'Argent actors
* Marcel L'Herbier: Poet of the Silent Art (2007) - a 54 minute documentary profiling the director
* A demonstration of L'Herbier's innovative sound techniques, which used 78rpm records during key scenes of L'Argent
* A lavish 80-page perfect-bound booklet with archival publicity stills, a long essay by noted professor of French film Richard Abel, newly translated interviews with L'Herbier, and newly translated extracts from the director's biography.

Assuming that this is indeed their last release for 2008: what a finish to an already superb year for MoC

Could someone tell me if the intertitles will be bilangual, English only or French with English subs? Still hesitating between MoC and Carlotta...

I'm not in the position to say something definitive, of course, but MoC ALWAYS used the original language titles for their silents, and it would come as a shock if they didn't do so here. So most likely: French with optional English subs. But if you can read French well, there shouldn't be a large difference between the Carlotta and the MoC anyway. Apart from the booklet, of course, and the MoC will probably be cheaper, too.

Still on track. Looking ace too.

We're using the exact same transfer as the Carlotta release, but adding optional English subtitles on everything. The booklet is 80-pages and perfectly bound.

Sounds like another in a long line of must-haves, Nick. Thanks! Any chance of seeing "Eldorado" on MoC? I have the French release, but would love an English friendly disc.

El Dorado would be nice, but L'inhumaine would be a godsend. Not available anywhere on DVD! But surely peerpee knows this.

Add my voice for L'Inhumaine.
I transferred this from the Japanese laserdisc and would love to see a new transfer.

Yes, L´INHUMAINE would be wonderful to see in the MoC line. A new French resto has apparently been finished. FEU MATHIAS PASCAL is another L´Herbier I´d like to see MoC release.

One more vote for L´INHUMAINE and/or FEU MATHIAS PASCAL. Both essential films.

Count me in for "L'Inhumaine", too. Amazing futuristic experimental pulp.

I on the other hand would rather see a good release of Feu Mathieu.

That said, there has been another silent L'Herbier release in France that you might want to look at rather than do random speculation on these two. It includes Prométhée... banquier, Phantasmes and a more conventional main feature (I have forgotten the name).

Do you have a link for that French L'Herbier release you mention? I can't find anything on amazon.fr and alapage.

Ditto that. L'Inhumaine for me is France's contribution to the idea of Stylistic Overenthusiasm... something Germany got out of it's system in the early 20's with excercises in expressionism like Genuine (which I actually kind of like), von Morgen bis Mitternacht, hell even Torgus to a certain extent. Films that seem to be made for the excited filmmaker's memory of having created them more than that of the experience of the viewing public. There seem to be historical pivotpoints as styles radically evolved and presented certain possibilities to tuned-in filmmakers, where the thrill of being part of a movement seems to have confused directors for a moment or two... into thinking that filmmaking is about the process, about the excitement of feeling a part of something new and daring... looking at the wondrously inventive sets, the unusual nature of the atmosphere and newness of the aesthetics involved, and saying "How wonderful is this thing that I'm involved in here, how new and interesting and truly satisfying to my nature is this thing I'm now a part of, I will look back at this when I'm old and say-- my life was wonderful!"

Of course there's nothing wrong with living the process, but L'Inhumaine feels to me, no matter how many times I rewatch, completely uninteresting despite it's visual treats. I see a director gone mad with embellishment, in horridly pretentious French stereotype: "Vwe must poot more here!" splatting a paintbrush against a set flat, running to the lead actress & tweaking her dress "Zhe must loook like eh cat, vicious, more rouge! Diagonal! More diagonal!" running up & down ladders, running paint rollers up & down and everywhere all over everybody. He seems to be attempting to merge a narrative strangeness that blends with the visual aesthetics of the outer edges of Impressionism, but fails solidly. Whereas someone like Epstein in La Glace a trois or Usher succeeds completely. As does L'Herbier himself in so many of his other works. Including the masterpiece L'Argent. And I just can't buy that gruesome lead actress... horrid.

Not to mention L'Inhumaine features the worst use of miniatures in the galaxy-- the tiny rolling toy cars that are flumped in to roll up and bump against the cardboard house makes the tiny smoke-shrouded house in Usher, or Murnau's miniatures in Vogelod or Tartuf look like paragons of total authenticity!
I don't think it's out. It's floating around in back channels, oftentimes paired w LInhumaine (mine is).

Sorry for giving sparse information - I'm sitting at the Bibliothèque Nationale Française which are not very surfer friendly.

I was thinking of Le Diable au coeur (1928).

Kinsayder posted on this in the Silent film section.

Folks, we now have realtime footage of Herr Knappen in that actual French library, leaping and flying all over the place apparently excited about the fact that he found a rare book about Duvivier.

Incidentally, when I met him earlier this year, he'd constantly be breaking into that Crazy Dance. It got a bit nutty when we were on crowded NYC subway trains. We must understand however that he is an extreme scholar and the pressure of his PHD is having an effect.

(No that's not really him. And he's a manly guy.)

Thanks Knappen, I had totally forgotten about that book+dvd release. Noted down now for purchase next time I'll order from France.

And I agree with everything Schreck says about "L'Inhumaine", but it's perhaps precisely its over-the-top style and its derivative character together with the imperfections that I like about this film. It looks like L'Herbier had thrown in anything from Kuleshev to German Expressionism via Art deco and gave it a big spin with the cinematic spoon (and indeed forgot to get a good leading actress). The result feels like a comic strip at moments, or like a SciFi-B-Movie from the 50s. But I like it as much as these, and if you approach "L'Inhumaine" in the spirit of just watching a sparkling but somewhat trashy/pulpy film, it can be hugely entertaining. It's just not 'high art', and I'm not sure whether L'Herbier intended it to be (if so, he failed of course). No comparison to "L'Argent", but somehow I can't help loving it.

The reason why you're not finding the French release is that it is listed as, like you say, a book.

There are plenty of new French releases to pick up this autumn. T'is a pity Kinsayder left the forum as there seems to be nobody to fill his shoes when it comes to signal all of these.

Indeed - and why? Was it because of differences in regards of the "quality" of forum topics? I think there was some discussion in the Infighting and Navel Gazing thread ... really bad as far as this was a member who always brought fresh news and to my knowledge had no interest to just piss around for his very own (online) amusement. (sorry for being off topic!)

Mike left too? That's a total blow to the gut of this forum.

Dammit.

Well, look what I bought for 5€ on boulevard Saint Michel yesterday

Will there be an online trailer anytime soon?

It's done and finished, all on track, and I posted an update at the site yesterday:
http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/

Salivating on my haberdashery. I'll be watching this one wearing a bib.

Right on, Nick-- you caught Becker sleeping & have pulled 2008 right out from under CC.

Got my copy today from Amazon and it's yet another winner from MoC: terrific, riveting film with a wonderful cast and dazzling cinematography that puts many contemporary films to shame. The 165 minutes flew by. The booklet is to MoC's usual high standards, particularly enjoyed the L'Herbier interview and the review excerpts from 1929. Packaging is first rate and the cover couldn't be more fitting (it captures the essence of the film better than the still shot of the French DVD's artwork). Not seen the supplements on the second disc yet but this is no doubt one of 2008's finest releases.