Paradjanov on DVD

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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MichaelB
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#1 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:21 am

Sorry about the duplicate thread, but this seemed more appropriate in this forum than the other one.

Anyway, I've been commissioned by Sight & Sound to write a comparative review of Sergo Paradjanov DVDs.

I'm already aware of these releases:

LES CHEVAUX DU FEU (Films sans frontières) - i.e. Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors
SAYAT NOVA (Films sans frontières) - i.e. Colour of Pomegranates
COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (Kino)
LEGEND OF THE SURAM FORTRESS/ASHIK KERIB (Kino)
LEGEND OF THE SURAMI FORTRESS (Ruscico)
ASHIK KERIB (Ruscico)

plus an unsubtitled Japanese release of THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES.

...but are there any more?

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Tommaso
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#2 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:28 am

I think there is also some Asian version of "Surami Fortress", but I fear it's a port of either the Kino or the Ruscico. But I'm not sure about this either.

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MichaelB
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#3 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:32 am

I got somewhat over-optimistic when I went to the Films sans frontières site and saw that they apparently had four Paradjanov titles - but that was before I realised that they're also a theatrical distributor, and that the last two films were only available on 35mm.

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Ashirg
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#4 Post by Ashirg » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:51 am

There's also a Russian DVD of Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors, but there's no subtitles and only Russian voice-over track. And based on its studio's other releases, I don't expect much.

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MichaelB
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#5 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:00 am

Yes, I think unless they're outstandingly good, I won't bother with non-English-subtitled releases, as all four of the major features are available in English-friendly editions, and you have a choice of version with the last three.

But the Japanese release sounds worth investigating if the picture quality really is as good as has been claimed.

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vogler
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#6 Post by vogler » Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:00 am

MichaelB wrote:I got somewhat over-optimistic when I went to the Films sans frontières site and saw that they apparently had four Paradjanov titles - but that was before I realised that they're also a theatrical distributor, and that the last two films were only available on 35mm.
Yes, I made the same mistake and then made a tit of myself by announcing a dvd release of Marcel L'Herbier's L'inhumaine on the silent dvds thread. #-o

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#7 Post by atcolomb » Tue Nov 07, 2006 2:43 pm

Ashirg wrote:There's also a Russian DVD of Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors, but there's no subtitles and only Russian voice-over track. And based on its studio's other releases, I don't expect much.
The movie is on my top 10 films of all time and the only version i have is the Home Vision video tape made awhile ago so if anybody know where i can get this Russian version please let me know. I have written to Criterion and Russico about it being released on dvd but i get no replys at all.

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Ashirg
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#8 Post by Ashirg » Tue Nov 07, 2006 2:55 pm

Don't expect it from Ruscico. They don't have rights to Ukranian Dovzhenko Studios to release it.

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Barmy
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#9 Post by Barmy » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:03 pm

WHY don't they release his pre-Shadows films, most of which are beautifully photographed and quite charming, if a bit "Soviet".

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vogler
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#10 Post by vogler » Tue Nov 07, 2006 4:09 pm

I posted some information about the Japanese dvd of Colour of Pomegranate on the Kino thread but I have decided to post it again here since it is relevant to this thread. In a more general sense it is also about the two known versions of the film and the way in which the Soviet authorities decided to censor it.
This passage is a quote and was not written by me.
It is well known that Paradjanov was creating his art under unfavorable political and social circumstances of the totalitarian communism in Soviet Union. His affiliations with ethnic traditions and the religious motives of his works were sharply at odds with the unitarism and aggressive atheism of the government. This conflict has caused the existence of several distinct variants of the movie.

The version presented in the Kino Video release (which boasts to be the "director's cut", even though it appears to be debatable) is the one that has been screened in Armenia and has not been approved for a country-wide distribution by the authorities. The movie has been re-edited in an attempt to make it more suitable to the Moscow's official tastes (even though I doubt it has been widely shown even after that), and it is this re-edited version that has made it to the Japanese DVD. The better preservation of the print is probably correlated with the degree of governmental approval.

Below, I have summarized some of the differences between the two versions. Whereas I believe that a true admirer of Paradjanov's artistic legacy should certainly watch the both existing versions of the movie, the Japanese release is probably better suited for the first viewing since the higher image quality is more likely to help the viewer to immerse him- of herself in the unique visual world of the film. It is nevertheless good to keep in mind some of the important differences between the two versions (I'll refer to them as the Soviet and the Armenian version, for obvious reasons):

1) The Soviet version is about 5 minutes shorter. I haven't noticed any pivotal scenes having been cut out. One section that I dearly miss, however, is the low-key interlude where an old woman holding two roosters relates a story of how she went to a bathhouse in Tiflis with her husband, and what a nice bath they had, and how they wanted to buy some grilled meat afterwards, and then they heard that a troubadour came to town, but when they checked it out, he turned out to be not a troubadour, but a cobbler...

2) The original Armenian intertitles with the poems by Sayat Nova have been replaced by (rather mediocre) Russian translations. Please keep in mind that the final intertitles glorifying the immortality of a poet DO NOT appear in the Armenian version.

3) The voiceover reciting from the Book of Genesis that accompanies the opening thunderstorm scene in the Armenian version has been censored by the Soviet authorities

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Tommaso
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#11 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 18, 2006 9:00 am

I have just received my two new Film sans Frontieres dvds, and put them into the player to get some first impressions. Here they come.

"Shadows of forgotten ancestors": seems to look good, sharpness is okay, perhaps colours might be more vibrant. It seems it's been fully restored image- and soundwise, there was hardly a nick of damage in the few scenes I have just zapped into. The mono sound was fine, too.

"Sayat Nova": same as above, practically no dirt, scratches etc. But: there seems to be a constant fluctuation in the generally vibrant colours throughout the film. I suppose it's due to the source materials (the version I have on tape from TV also has this problem), but I cannot remember anymore how it was on the Kino disc (which had a lot of other problems, and this one is definitely superior). I have no idea whether it's the shortened version or Paradjanov's first cut, but if it helps to find out: this one runs 75 mins. PAL. If it's the shorter version, this one definitely looks not as stellar as the Japanese dvd described by Vogler, but it is acceptable at least.


Both discs are double-layered but much of the space is taken up by numerous trailers for other films in the collection, so I suppose the actual bitrate of the films themselves is not higher than it would be on a single-layer disc. And it shows: the compression sadly IS visible, and I suppose there's some edge enhancement, too. Subtitles thankfully are in white, removable, in English, and never disturbing. Extras are just some text screens in French.

So: as I said above, these are just very first impressions not based on watching the films in their entirety, and if I find something relevant to add, I will report back. It seems that the over-all quality is allright, but not as good as it could be. The quality of the restoration itself would have deserved some more care in the transfer. But it is so good that these films are out in the first place that I do not wish to complain, really, apart from the colour fluctuations in "Sayat Nova", which are probably due to the materials Paradjanov used. But I guess one will quickly forget those quibbles once one is engulfed by the magic of those two films.

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MichaelB
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#12 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 18, 2006 9:11 am

Thanks for that - my copies have apparently been shipped, but haven't yet arrived.

75 mins PAL sounds like the longer cut, which I believe ran 78 minutes theatrically and on NTSC. I still have the Kino disc, so I'll run them side by side when the FsF one arrives.

Incidentally, the Kino disc was very strongly windowboxed - presumably this isn't the case with the new one?

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Tommaso
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#13 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 18, 2006 10:03 am

Don't think so, no. But my TV overscans so much that I normally even do not see the windowboxing on the Criterions.....

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Lino
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#14 Post by Lino » Sat Nov 18, 2006 10:50 am

Have both of you guys been over to DVDBeaver for comparison on those Parajanov titles and others? It migh prove handy to do so.

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#15 Post by atcolomb » Sat Nov 18, 2006 11:25 am

Tommaso wrote:Don't think so, no. But my TV overscans so much that I normally even do not see the windowboxing on the Criterions.....
TOMMASO.....Can you please tell me the website where i can order SHADOWS OF OUR FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS and is the dvd full screen or letterboxed and how many minutes. I hope it will be improvement over my video tape! THANKS!

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#16 Post by atcolomb » Sat Nov 18, 2006 11:45 am

I found it at FILM SANS FRONTIERES under the film title HORSES OF FIRE and is full screen with english subtitles but on the website it says: SALE IN FRANCE ONLY WE DO NOT PROPOSE ANY MORE A SALE DVD ABROAD. I live in the USA so does this mean i can not order this?

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Michael Kerpan
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#17 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sat Nov 18, 2006 11:52 am

You can probably order FsF DVDs from French online retailers like Alapage, FNAC and Amazon.fr.

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MichaelB
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#18 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:23 pm

It hasn't arrived yet, but Alapage seemed happy to sell it to me.

I suspect FsF have to put this disclaimer on their own site, as they're contractually obliged to restrict distribution to France only (and presumably they want to be seen to be playing by the rules in case the original rightsholder is minded to check) - but as a French retailer won't be privy to those negotiations, they can presumably do what they like.

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Tommaso
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#19 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:00 pm

MichaelB wrote:I suspect FsF have to put this disclaimer on their own site, as they're contractually obliged to restrict distribution to France only (and presumably they want to be seen to be playing by the rules in case the original rightsholder is minded to check) - but as a French retailer won't be privy to those negotiations, they can presumably do what they like.
Exactly, it's the same as ordering a Criterion or Kino disc from amazon.com when you live in Europe. As long as you pay with your credit card, it's just like you're in a shop in Paris and buying them there. Inside the European Union there wouldn't be any restrictions on selling them abroad anyway. So I guess they just put that disclaimer on the site for saving them some trouble with currency exchanges etc. Why would they put English subs on them, anyway? And make the discs regionfree?

As far as I can see, only alapage and fnac carries them, but amazon.fr is not as complete as their equivalents in the US or the UK anyway. "Horses of fire" (which is probably the original title translated correctly) is 92 min, "Sayat Nova" 75 min. The full screen seems to be the OAR. Hope I find the time this evening to watch at least one of them...

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Tommaso
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#20 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:07 pm

Lino wrote:Have both of you guys been over to DVDBeaver for comparison on those Parajanov titles and others? It migh prove handy to do so.
Did the Beaver ever review "Pomegranates"? I never found anything there, just a comparison of Kino's "Ashik Kerib" with the Ruscico edit. And it's obvious which one won :-)

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MichaelB
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#21 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:12 pm

Tommaso wrote:"Horses of fire" (which is probably the original title translated correctly)
Actually, I've just checked with an online Ukrainian-English dictionary, and can confirm that Tini zabutykh predkiv does indeed translate as Shadows of our Forgotten Ancestors. That said, I do prefer the French version...
The full screen seems to be the OAR.
Both films are 100% definitely 4:3 - when it came to 35mm films, the USSR basically only used Academy and Scope in this period.
Did the Beaver ever review "Pomegranates"? I never found anything there, just a comparison of Kino's "Ashik Kerib" with the Ruscico edit. And it's obvious which one won :-)
Indeed - you'd have to be blind, deaf and mad to reach any other conclusion. The Ruscico is a lovely disc (I have the PAL copy, so in theory mine should be better than the version the Beaver reviewed), and it's such a shame that their Legend of the Surami Fortress has the compulsory voice-over, as that would very comfortably beat the Kino as well on every other point.

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Tommaso
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#22 Post by Tommaso » Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:24 pm

Unfortunately I have the NTSC version of Ruscico's "Ashik", but even that looks quite convincing. By the way, do you know of any online retailer who has the PAL Ruscicos? The only retailer for them I know is russiandvd.com, and they are in the US and only have the NTSC versions.

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#23 Post by Lino » Sat Nov 18, 2006 2:00 pm

Found a review for the Kino version of Color of Pomegranates here:
Image Transfer Review: I'm not sure of the technical details of the format in which Color of Pomegranates was shot, but it is slightly thinner than the average 1:33:1 film. About an inch or so of "black bar" can be seen on the left and right side of the screen. For film of this age and, from what I understand, kept under such poor conditions, it's in pretty good condition. Most importantly, the color is very much intact with very little fading. However, the film is damaged and cannot really be compared to the average DVD. A lot of work had to be done just to get Pomegranates to look this good, and so the amounts of damage still present on the source print are forgivable. Amazingly, the transfer itself is pristine. At no time do any digital flaws appear as a result of the film's natural problems. Not even the dirtiest or most visually complex scenes exhibit any kind of shimmer or artifacting. The film looks simply as pure as possible, and as beautiful as possible. It should be noted that the subtitles are hard intertitles; burned into the film itself. To be honest, they're a little big and take up too much of the frame, but they're also sparsely used, so it's not that big a deal.

Image Transfer Grade: B-

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MichaelB
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#24 Post by MichaelB » Sat Nov 18, 2006 2:35 pm

A few years ago, I drafted but never finished a piece on the Kino Colour of Pomegranates for DVD Times - and on digging it out it looks as though I finished the technical assessment, which reads:

[quote]For many years, The Colour of Pomegranates was only available in a print sourced from a faded 16mm pirate copy that had been smuggled out of the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s – and even that turned out to be a bastardized version re-edited by the director Sergei Yutkevich that Paradjanov had effectively disowned (though this wasn't known at the time). This 78-minute version (the 88-minute running time claimed by the box is a typo) seems to be rather closer to his original intentions, though whether it's a true ‘director's cut' is a moot point: given this film's history, we may never be sure.

I mention this because although Kino's DVD is very far from ideal, it's currently the only version we have – sadly, neither of Paradjanov's 1960s masterpieces are included on Ruscico's slate (for my money, the single biggest omission in their catalogue), so unless someone like Criterion takes on a full-scale restoration, this will have to do: better a flawed version than nothing at all, and this is certainly better than anything most people would realistically have had a chance to see before Paradjanov's untimely death.

But flawed Kino's DVD most certainly is: the 1993 copyright date suggests that it was probably sourced from the same NTSC master tape that Kino used for its original VHS release, with all that that implies. True, it's certainly better than VHS in terms of definition, but it falls distinctly short of what a fully remastered DVD is capable of resolving. The decision to slightly windowbox the 4:3 image, while artistically justifiable (you can be reasonably certain you're seeing every square millimeter of Paradjanov's original compositions) means that the overall resolution is reduced still further.

The source print is in reasonable physical condition – in fact, given this film's history I'd have expected more damage than is in fact the case: there are some spots and scratches and occasional signs of more severe scarring, but nothing seriously distracting. A much bigger problem is that the colours have noticeably faded and – a perennial problem with Soviet colour processing – they're very prone to shifting, often within the same frame. Given the evidence of his other films and indeed the title of this one, I think there's very little question that the film is supposed to be far more vibrantly-coloured than this, but I suspect a full-scale (i.e. expensive) restoration from the best possible source materials is the only practical solution.

The sound is fairly poor – I didn't have my old taped-off-Channel Four copy to hand, but I distinctly recall the ‘I am fire' sequence coming across with significantly more resonance than it does here, which suggests that there are superior mastering materials available somewhere. On the other hand, it's hard to tell if some of the other problems (pronounced sound dropouts, a persistent fluttering in the background of many of the music tracks) are Kino's fault or down to creative decisions by Paradjanov himself.

The good news is that the film has English subtitles. The bad news is that they're both hideous and permanent – low-resolution, too-large electronic yellow monstrosities that clash horribly with Paradjanov's timeless imagery. They're also poorly written and proof-read (“peot-troubadoursâ€

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Tommaso
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#25 Post by Tommaso » Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:53 am

Okay, I watched "Sayat Nova" yesterday and comparing it with Vogler's account of the differences to the Japanese DVD I can confirm that the FsF is indeed the longer cut, which as Michael points out, is still not exactly Paradjanov's original, but is probably closer to it. The scene about the bathhouse in Tiflis is in as well as the voice-over about Genesis. All titles are in original Armenian. Although the colour shifting, as I said, is on this FsF release, too, I also want to point out that the few minor points I made initially about the transfer quality completely disappeared from my attention as again I was entranced by Paradjanov's images. The colours are very vivid, but thankfully not overdone. Everything looks very natural to me (as far as one can use that word for this film), and apart from very few sequences it's very sharp and detailed, with good contrast, almost no grain, and the sound is perfectly clear. And most importantly, practically no dirt or scratches remain after that restoration. The compression artefacts and the edge enhancement are there, but they are not as distracting as I originally believed they would. I have no way to check, but I would say that this transfer is progressive, as I couldn't detect any of the typical interlacing artefacts that plague other dvds.

So, in any case, a MASSIVE improvement over the Kino disc, and honestly I have never seen the film look so good. Not perfect, not exactly Criterion or MoC quality, but definitely a fine job. The text screens on the dvd are quite informative if you can read French: a little background about Sayat Nova, the man (rather helpful in finding one's way through that complex non-narrative of Paradjanov's film), and two short articles from French film critics that were rather insightful, too, although I would have loved to have them printed rather than having to read them on-screen. But, nevertheless: Thumbs up for FsF for finally giving us this masterpiece in a good edition!

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