Mike Leigh on DVD

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

Mike Leigh on DVD

#1 Post by ltfontaine » Mon Jan 24, 2005 7:37 pm

I've struggled to sort out the best available versions of Leigh's films, which appear to be the R2 editions, some of which, at least, contain director commentaries and anamorphic presentations. But they are offered in a confusing array of single, double and triple disc sets that overlap in various combinations. Some of these are offered on the cheap by an outfit called Cinema Club, and which may or may not provide commentaries and anamorphic presentation (?) Detailed reviews are scarce via the usual sources (Beaver, Basen, etc.), and the descriptions at the amazon UK website are inconclusive. Can anyone vouch for the quality of, and/or features contained on, these R2 releases? The same question applies to the R2 discs of Ken Loach's films, which are offered in similar multiple disc configurations. Can anyone propose a "best way to buy" the Leigh and Loach films on DVD?

(Wasn't sure whether to post my question in this active Leigh thread, or in the International section. Be merciful!)

User avatar
devlinnn
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:23 am
Location: three miles from space

#2 Post by devlinnn » Mon Jan 24, 2005 8:40 pm

The R4, Aust. Universal Topsy-Turvy is excellent - Mike Leigh commentary included, at around US$14rrp.

kazantzakis
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:06 pm
Location: Athens

#3 Post by kazantzakis » Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:10 am

I know Martha moved the thread here because most comments concerned non R1 dvds, but I was wondering if anyone can comment on the quality of all those WaterBearer R1s from Mike Leigh. I know the company has botched releases before...thanks.

Ishmael
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:56 pm

#4 Post by Ishmael » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:09 pm

kazantzakis wrote:I know the company has botched releases before...
... and they've botched them this time, too.

User avatar
Anthony
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:38 pm
Location: Berkeley, CA

#5 Post by Anthony » Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:17 am

kazantzakis wrote:I know Martha moved the thread here because most comments concerned non R1 dvds, but I was wondering if anyone can comment on the quality of all those WaterBearer R1s from Mike Leigh. I know the company has botched releases before...thanks.
I have seen all of them. The picture quality is quite poor, but you get over it about 5 minutes into the films cause they are soooooooo good.

User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

#6 Post by ltfontaine » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:48 am

I was wondering if anyone can comment on the quality of all those WaterBearer R1s from Mike Leigh. I know the company has botched releases before...thanks.
The WaterBearer DVDS of Leigh's films feature sub-par transfers and no commentaries. As I recall, they also lack English subtitles, which would be most useful to some of us hearing-impaired Yanks. If someone could endorse the image quality of the U.K. releases, at least some of which include director commentaries, and confirm the presence of subs, the choice would be a snap.

iangj
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 1:52 pm
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

#7 Post by iangj » Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:08 pm

ltfontaine wrote:The WaterBearer DVDS of Leigh's films feature sub-par transfers and no commentaries.
Of the UK DVDs I've seen, I'd definitely recommend Abigail's Party (Eng subs, some interviews), Secrets and Lies (Eng subs only), and of course All Or Nothing (Eng subs, a commentary). Neither Life Is Sweet nor Career Girls has Eng subs and the transfers are less than top-notch - though still acceptable unless you're really picky.

User avatar
The Fanciful Norwegian
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
Location: Teegeeack

#8 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:04 am

Secrets and Lies is out in the U.S. It's anamorphic with English and Spanish subtitles. No extras (like the UK version) but it only retails for $10. Not sure if the transfer is better or worse than the UK edition, it looks fine to my admittedly untrained eye. Also the cover is far less awful than the UK cover, which is so bad it's going in the "worst dvd covers" thread as soon as I finish this post.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

#9 Post by Michael » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:59 am

I bought Secrets & Lies at Best Buy for 6 bucks! I watched it for the first time last night...the DVD transfer is utterly pristine and breathtaking. Best deal since Paris, Texas.

The film itself: Oh my gahhh! :shock: Great, great, great!

User avatar
ltfontaine
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 3:34 pm

#10 Post by ltfontaine » Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:58 am

I bought Secrets & Lies at Best Buy for 6 bucks! I watched it for the first time last night...the DVD transfer is utterly pristine and breathtaking
Good call, Michael. After your recommendation, I picked up this newly released DVD and watched it again the other night. The print and transfer are flawless, as you say. Since the R2 edition offers nothing more than the US edition, the quality and price make this an excellent value for R1 viewers.

User avatar
Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

#11 Post by Gregory » Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:55 pm

Does anyone have any idea when we can hope to see High Hopes in any region?

User avatar
What A Disgrace
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:34 pm
Contact:

Mike Leigh Collection - 4/7/08

#12 Post by What A Disgrace » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:21 pm

Mike Leigh Collection - 4/7/08

Spirit Entertainment, who released the two Ken Loach collections last year, is releasing a Mike Leigh boxed set, containing his nine theatrical features, and the televised feature Meantime. Specs from Amazon as follows:

Fans will be thrilled that Leigh’s award-winning classic Naked makes its first UK DVD appearance, as does his 1971 feature Bleak Moments. Also included is the recently unavailable Career Girls. The box set includes a 56-page companion booklet with a complete filmography, stills and quotes, plus a bonus DVD. This comprises specially commissioned footage of Mike Leigh in conversation with twelve of his actors, the 2002 broadcast South Bank Show on Leigh, and his controversial 1991 London Film Festival trailer.

Films included are: Vera Drake (2004) • Special Features: Cast & Crew documentary, trailer. All or Nothing (2002) • Special Features: Commentary by Mike Leigh, Interviews and Trailer. Topsy-Turvy (1999) • Special Features: Commentary by Mike Leigh, Trailer. Career Girls (1997) • Special Features: Trailer. Secrets & Lies (1996) • Special Features: Interview with Mike Leigh, short film - A Sense of History, Trailer. Naked (1993) • Special Features: Commentary by Mike Leigh, David Thewlis and Katrin Cartlidge. Trailer Life Is Sweet (1990) • Special Features: Short The Short & Curlies, Trailer. High Hopes (1988) • Special Features: Interview with Mike Leigh and On Set Footage, Production Notes and Biographies. Meantime (1984) • Special Features: Interviews with Mike Leigh, Tim Roth and Marion Bailey. Bleak Moments (1971) • Special Features: None

Synopsis
This box set celebrates the groundbreaking career of acclaimed British director Mike Leigh. Includes VERA DRAKE, ALL OR NOTHING, TOPSY-TURVY, CAREER GIRLS, SECRETS AND LIES, NAKED, LIFE IS SWEET, HIGH HOPES, MEANTIME and BLEAK MOMENTS.

User avatar
tryavna
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2005 4:38 pm
Location: North Carolina

#13 Post by tryavna » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:02 pm

Just a side-note to Disgrace's post above: I have the two Ken Loach boxsets from Spirit, and if anyone doesn't know, they are largely repackagings of pre-existing DVD releases. So I suspect that Spirit will be doing much the same with the Leigh Collection.

User avatar
Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Bleak viewing experience

#14 Post by Gregory » Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:28 pm

I have a question for someone who's seen Bleak Moments. I just watched a library copy that was badly scratched up. Incidentally, people who contribute to this phenomenon make me think of "I've Got a Little List" from The Mikado, which could easily be updated at a thousand times its original length to cover the past century.
But back to my question. It froze up repeatedly toward the end. I had to skip past about a minute of the film right near the end, between the van taking Norman away after he moves out and the superstitious co-worker sobbing in Sylvia's living room, saying "I don't think we should talk about it." What happened?

User avatar
MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
Contact:

#15 Post by MichaelB » Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:44 pm

Does this Screenonline synopsis help?

charal
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 6:36 pm
Location: ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA

#16 Post by charal » Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:33 pm

Leigh's commentary on the Soda release is well worth a listen.

If anyone is bothered by the dark bands that occur throughout the film on the R2 DVD (more noticable in dark scenes) then let me assure you that the alternate print used by Water Bearer has the same 'problem.' My conclusion is that it is not a transfer fault. The Soda image is far superior in terms of clarity and colour.

My only gripe is with the price. No discount on this Soda disc at all.

User avatar
GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

#17 Post by GaryC » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:59 am

ltfontaine wrote:
I was wondering if anyone can comment on the quality of all those WaterBearer R1s from Mike Leigh. I know the company has botched releases before...thanks.
The WaterBearer DVDS of Leigh's films feature sub-par transfers and no commentaries.
Leaving aside Abigail's Party and Bleak Moments, seven of them are films made for the BBC on 16mm (4:3) which aren't otherwise available. Hard Labour had a repeat showing on BBC4 earlier this year (as part of a tribute to Liz Smith), but outside archives they're hard to see. The only one of those that has been released on DVD in the UK is Nuts in May. I think that's now been deleted.

Given their origins, I doubt they'll ever look particularly great. Point taken about the subtitles - I suspect the strong London accents in most of Leigh's work (Northern Irish accents in Four Days in July) might be hard on non-British ears.

I'm torn between buying these discs or waiting until 2Entertain do the right thing and put them on DVD - preferably with some input from Leigh (interview or commentary), and the shorts The Permissive Society and the five Five Minute films included as extras. The 1982 Arena profile of Leigh would be a good inclusion as well. The thirty-minute Knock for Knock was sadly junked by the BBC, but a PDF of the screenplay would be nice. As the films aren't especially long, you should be able to get all of that on a four- or five-disc set. I can dream, can't I?

User avatar
Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

#18 Post by Gregory » Sun Sep 14, 2008 8:40 am

MichaelB wrote:Does this Screenonline synopsis help?
Yes, that at least tells me what she was crying about. Thanks you.

User avatar
GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

Re:

#19 Post by GaryC » Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:29 pm

GaryC wrote:I'm torn between buying these discs or waiting until 2Entertain do the right thing and put them on DVD - preferably with some input from Leigh (interview or commentary), and the shorts The Permissive Society and the five Five Minute films included as extras. The 1982 Arena profile of Leigh would be a good inclusion as well. The thirty-minute Knock for Knock was sadly junked by the BBC, but a PDF of the screenplay would be nice. As the films aren't especially long, you should be able to get all of that on a four- or five-disc set. I can dream, can't I?
Something like this might indeed be happening. The BBFC have just passed Four Days in July, Hard Labour, Nuts in May (with commentary) and Grown Ups (with commentary), for DVD release by 2Entertain. No release date that I can find as yet.

User avatar
colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#20 Post by colinr0380 » Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:13 pm

Hard Labour also received a surprise screening on BBC4 earlier this year as part of a night of programmes dedicated to Liz Smith, so I was hoping that this would be a harbringer of a DVD release!

User avatar
GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#21 Post by GaryC » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:29 am

The remaining three feature-length BBC films (Home Sweet Home; The Kiss of Death; Who's Who) have now all been passed by the BBFC, along with some extras (interviews, one with Will Self and Leigh, and commentaries). I've not seen any announcement from 2Entertain, so I don't know whether these will be all separate discs or/and a box set.

User avatar
MaxCastle
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:37 pm
Location: Manchester, UK

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#22 Post by MaxCastle » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:15 pm

The remaining three feature-length BBC films (Home Sweet Home; The Kiss of Death; Who's Who) have now all been passed by the BBFC, along with some extras (interviews, one with Will Self and Leigh, and commentaries). I've not seen any announcement from 2Entertain, so I don't know whether these will be all separate discs or/and a box set.
Box set, it seems, and a very nice-looking one at that.

User avatar
sidehacker
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:49 am
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
Contact:

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#23 Post by sidehacker » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:22 pm

Even if these are re-packages of previous releases, it'll still be nice for folks like myself who don't any of Leigh films and are getting pretty irritated by Water Bearer Film's "treatment." I'll definitely be getting this.

User avatar
GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#24 Post by GaryC » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:13 am

The only films/plays in the set that have been released on DVD before in the UK are Abigail's Party (which I own) and Nuts in May. I don't own the latter, which has been long since deleted. The others haven't even had a VHS release over here.

User avatar
Cronenfly
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:04 pm

Re: Mike Leigh on DVD

#25 Post by Cronenfly » Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:32 pm

High Hopes comes to R1 DVD courtesy of BFS(?) on June 23.

Post Reply