The Comfort of Strangers

[MichaelB]

Dual Format edition confirmed for July 23rd.

The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader

Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett) first fell in love on a romantic holiday in Venice, Italy. Now four years later, they have returned to rekindle their romance and determine where their relationship is headed. What they don't know is why an English-speaking Venetian (Christopher Walken Pulp Fiction) is following them, watching them, and taking pictures. Soon they learn they are involved in a bizarre tale of sex, voyeurism, deception and passion. Oscar® winner Helen Mirren plays Walken's wife in a film that will take you into the dark world of charming yet dangerous strangers.

Written by the great Harold Pinter from a novel by Ian McEwan, the film was directed by Paul Schrader (director of American Gigolo and Blue Collar, and writer of Taxi Driver).

Special features
• Archive interview with Paul Schrader
• Original theatrical trailer
• Other extras TBC
• Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film and on Harold Pinter, full film credits

US | 1990 | colour | 104 minutes | 1 x BD50 / Region B | DVD9 x 1 /Region 2 | Cert 15

[MichaelB]

[swo17]

That's...not a very "12" cover.

[Lost Highway]

That's...not a very "12" cover.

In Europe, it is !

[tenia]

Would even be PG in France.
EDIT : and that's not even a joke. We've had topless Crazy Horse dancer on-screen during the evening news on the first French national channel a few years ago, for instance.

[swo17]

I was thinking it was more of a "15" cover, which in any case is the actual rating for the film.

[M Sanderson]

Very positive announcement of a beautiful and strange, sensual and cerebral film. Any ideas about the transfer?

[hans_lucas]

Very positive announcement of a beautiful and strange, sensual and cerebral film. Any ideas about the transfer?

I share your sentiment - one of my favourite films of the 90s. I have the German Koch Blu-ray, and besides from a massive amount of speckles and debris, the transfer is actually quite beautiful and film-like looking.

[M Sanderson]

Off the shelf but healthy MGM transfer with a good encode, then, by the sounds of it?

[rapta]

I watched this on Netflix UK recently. Can anyone compare that transfer with the Koch Media disc?

[hans_lucas]

Off the shelf but healthy MGM transfer with a good encode, then, by the sounds of it?

That's how I'd put it. It's rough, but anyone who's used to old 35-mm-projections will handle it. Maybe the BFI will use the Koch master, but perform their own clean-up work, who knows...

[Rupert Pupkin]

I really hope a stunning transfer like Criterion Mishima.
Is there some info about the transfer ? when there's only written HD remastering I'm a bit reluctant and afraid to see just a fair HDTV transfer on blu)ray (like for "The Passenger" by Indicator but I couldn't wait for anotehr release)

This is one of my favorite Paul Shrader movie from this era (what I would call the "arty" era). Christopher Walken was amazing (and so was Rupert . This is one of the best movies at Venise (my favorite being Nicolas Roeg "Don't Look Now"; close to "Mort à Venise" - and there's also Dario Argento part from "Stendhal Syndrome")- and I love the artwork A LOT- if only the photography of the movie will get the transfer it deserves.
Unfortunately they screwed up "Cat People" (the French Blu-Ray has slighlty less DNR but it doesn't worth it). I really hope that they will re-release one day "Cat People". Too bad for Nastassia...

They did a great transfer for "Auto-focus" which was one of those great Paul Shrader movie while M.Scorsese was really disappointing (I love how P.Shrader achieved to make a perfect film with his typical sex-obssession themes (with great acting, photography and editing) and how Paul Shrader treat the obsession-compulsive syndrome, the "moral issue" (some great scenes with his wife or the preacher), and the strange duet with Willem Dafoe (amazing) - Maria Bello was hot as ever with this Nelly Olson (little house in the prairie) blonde haircut) - In the meantime, I love all these details about the video and hi-fi era which is the background of the movie (and which was one the background "rise and fall" of PT Anderson "Boogie Nights"). What a great Blu-Ray by Twilight Time. (sorry for the aparté about "Auto-focus")

[M Sanderson]

I also like Schrader a lot, going back to the Mark Cousins hosted Moviedrome.

Yes Mishima (Criterion) and Auto Focus (Twilight Time) are on my radar.

Enjoyed Indicator’s good disc of the great Blue Collar and their great disc or the very good Hardcore.

Hope Comfort of Strangers gets an astounding release but when companies are sketchy on the details of the transfer it usually means off the shelf with hopefully clean up work without digital manipulation and hopefully a strong encode.

Shame about the flawed releases of Cat People, a film I admire for its gloomy and exotic romanticism, it’s splashes of colour, and intoxicating mood.

Struggling to find Adam Resurrected on Blu ray. I know it’s been released but fear it’s OOP.

[antnield]

Specs have appeared on Amazon:

- Audio commentary by director Paul Schrader, newly recorded for this release
- Prospectus for a Course Not Given: The Paul Schrader Film Masterclass (1982, 110 mins, audio only): Paul Schrader provides an illuminating precis of the film he had recently presented in America
- Paul Schrader Guardian Interview (1993, 85 mins, audio only): the director discusses films and filmmaking with critic Derek Malcolm
- Venice in War Time (1918, 1 min), The Glass Makers of Murano, Venice (1928, 4 mins), City Lights (1963, 3 mins): fascinating glimpses of Venice in archive film
- Theatrical trailer
- Fully illustrated booklet with full film credits and new writing by film historian Dr Deborah Allison, Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington, and Little White Lies essayist Paul Fairclough

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader

Natasha Richardson, Rupert Everett, Christopher Walken, Helen Mirren

See a short clip here

Dual Format Edition release on 24 September 2018

With a sharp–edged screenplay by playwright Harold Pinter, adapting Ian McEwan’s haunting novel, and chillingly directed by Paul Schrader (First Reformed), The Comfort of Strangers leads viewers on a shadowy, dreamlike journey towards the darkest realms of human experience. On 24 September the BFI will release it on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, presented in a Dual Format Edition.

Amongst the special features is a brand new commentary by Paul Schrader, recorded just last month exclusively for the BFI, and cinematographer Dante Spinotti has specially written a piece for the accompanying booklet.

Jaded lovers Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince) attempt to reinvigorate their flagging relationship with a romantic trip to Venice. Soon, though, they find themselves drawn into in a complex web of deceit, passion, perversion and sexual intrigue, subtly spun by mysterious Robert (Christopher Walken), who resides nearby in palatial splendour with his wife Caroline (Helen Mirren).

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Harold Pinter, one of the most important and influential British playwrights of the last century. This release follows BFI Southbank’s two month season – Pinter on Screen: Power, Sex & Politics – which concluded at the end of August.

Special features
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• Audio commentary by director Paul Schrader, newly recorded for this release
• Prospectus for a Course Not Given: The Paul Schrader Film Masterclass (1982, 100 mins, audio only): Paul Schrader provides an illuminating precis of the film course he had recently presented in America
• Paul Schrader Guardian Interview (1993, 85 mins, audio only): the director discusses films and filmmaking with critic Derek Malcolm
• Venice in War Time (1918, 1 min), The Glass Makers of Murano, Venice (1928, 4 mins), City Lights (1964, 3 mins): fascinating glimpses of Venice in archive film
• Theatrical trailer
• Illustrated booklet with full film credits and new writing by cinematographer Dante Spinotti, film historian Dr Deborah Allison, The Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington, and Little White Lies essayist Paul Fairclough

Italy/UK / 1990 / colour / 105 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / aspect ratio 1.85:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320kbps)

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Full specs announced:

The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader


This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Harold Pinter, one of the most important and influential British playwrights of the last century. This release follows BFI Southbank’s two month season – Pinter on Screen: Power, Sex & Politics – which concluded at the end of August.

And thus it is a shame that there are no Pinter specific extras

[MichaelB]

I suspect that's the subject of Michael Billington's piece in the booklet, what with him being Pinter's biographer.

But I know from the experience of co-producing Indicator's The Pumpkin Eater that there's very little useful Pinter material in the archives, given that BBC stuff is usually off limits. Even something tantalisingly labelled Guardian Lecture: Harold Pinter turned out to be exclusively about one obscure film (which was neither The Pumpkin Eater nor The Comfort of Strangers), and disappointingly brief.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I'm really glad to see that Dante Spinotti wrote something for the release! I love his work with Mann and forgot he also worked with Schrader.

[TMDaines]

The extras in this set look a bit more substantial than the Criterion release. I see there wasn't much consensus on which release had the better video upon release, they were just different. Still a fair appraisal? I think I will pick this up.

[Peacock]

The BFI comes from a dated, desaturated and heavily cropped master. The Criterion is the way to go.

[M Sanderson]

seems to be controversy with the Criterion Blu Ray, that the colour scheme isn't accurate and that the disc isn't very well encoded.

[sabbath]

About that "heavily cropped master" Peacock said, a BR.com member had a different opinion.

[MichaelB]

Historically, 1.85:1 is more likely to be correct - and they'd certainly have allowed for the possibility of 1.85:1 projection given that by 1990 that was the standard widescreen ratio in all three countries of origin (the US, the UK and Italy).

And the evidence cited in that post seems pretty clinching. Or rather, part of the Criterion disc has unambiguously been misframed, regardless of how accurate it may or may not be elsewhere.

[beamish14]

seems to be controversy with the Criterion Blu Ray, that the colour scheme isn't accurate and that the disc isn't very well encoded.

The Schrader commentary alone edged out the BFI for me

[Peacock]

The evidence cited in that Blu-ray.com post is that the DoP oversaw and approved the Criterion’s 4K restoration and aspect ratio.

The poster then goes on to argue that two goofs “prove” that the ASC admitted DoP doesn’t know what he’s talking about in comparison to the forum poster. He then mysteriously only goes on to state one of these goofs. That being that you can tell during a nude scene that Everett is wearing underwear in a couple of shots.

I’m sure every member on this forum can cite numerous examples of films which accidentally reveal actors who are supposed to be nude wearing underwear. That’s a flimsy argument I’m afraid.

What is not flimsy is that if you look on DVDBeaver and compare the shots side by side, the BFI crops off the top of heads while the Criterion keeps a traditional amount of headspace.

The worst is the first DVDBeaver shot on the beach cuts off the hair and part of the forehead of our protagonist in the BFI as well as totally omitting the book being touched by his co-star while in the Criterion only part of the hero’s hair is missing while the shot is composed to reveal the book being touched at the bottom.

Michael states that the film was never shown at the aspect ratio the DoP framed or approved and that the DoP framed for both ratios. But his argument is based on assumption rather than evidence. I would say the DoP supervising the restoration and Criterion release as well as the framing comparisons on the review sites are definitive proof that the BFI framing was a compromise not the artistic intention.