New Australian DVD and BD Releases

Discuss internationally-released DVDs, Blu-rays, and UHDs and related topics
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solent

#801 Post by solent »

I saw the Godard Universal titles at JB yesterday. On the back of the covers it states various subs in addition to English. Previous posts claim the subs are forced so am I misreading something on these covers or are the discs preveiwed the only 'forced' ones?

After PIERROT & MADE IN USA are released next month R4 is missing out on only CARABINIERS, A MARRIED WOMAN & WEEKEND from Godard's first period. (I would have expected CARABINIERS to be in the Universal series.)

p.s. Somehow LITTLE SOLDIER & CRAZY PETE don't sound right. I prefer the French titles.

I picked up SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL for $9. I don't like this film very much but the addition of the 43 min doco on Godard in the UK swayed me (as well as the footage of the mighty Stones obviously). I noticed that this DVD was sourced from the BFI.
Last edited by solent on Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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domino harvey
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#802 Post by domino harvey »

I have the UK Symp DVD, the cover on it is reversible so you can display it as Godard's One + One. Neat!
solent

#803 Post by solent »

The Federal member for Makin Trish Draper [unfortunately my MP] left some rubbish in my letterbox. It was her farewell speech to Parliament. This transcript contains such absurd statements as "John Howard is Australia's best prime minister ever" and "Howard was our greatest treasurer," etc... She also states that one of her greatest achievements was to ban [or is that re-ban?] SALO [she failed to do this with LOLITA] and to work on the current DVD film classification codes. I for one am more than happy to see this retarded wowser sink into oblivion. (We South Australians won't forgive her for abusing her overseas travelling allowance to pay for herself and her fancy-man's trip to Italy a few years ago.)
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#804 Post by s_mac_k »

Does anyone have any info on the R4 release of Terry Gilliams Tideland?
I think it's through Dendy but I don't have a release date or a ratio (apparently noone has got it right anywhere yet, wouldn't it be something if we managed it in R4?).

Any info appreciated... (I know it's not meant to be great but I'm such a fan i don't care)
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devlinnn
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#805 Post by devlinnn »

Tideland = Dendy = Magna Pacific = Queensland = ratio or extra material will be unknown/dodgy, with a release date 6 months after rental = $10 release 9 months after rental release = John Howard's Australia = we have no idea = Tideland = Dendy = Magna Pacific.........

(apologies - but I feel the cynicism will only get worse over the next 8-10 weeks. Anyway, just pick up Funny Face next week - it'll pour joy in your soul.)
solent

#806 Post by solent »

Just got the R4 ALPHAVILLE. Good transfer, a short but typical Godard trailer and an excellent French 30min doco on the film featuring various Godardian personages are part of the package. The only difference is in the title frames: on the Criterion it is momentarily windowboxed to display all the text but in this transfer the credits appear cut due to no bordering of the frames [On a PC or in shrink mode the text is extant]. The film is not cropped however as further comparisons with the R1 version show. As Davidhare said earlier the print is from a much cleaner source than the R1 release. Has anyone seen the new R2 versions of PIERROT & MADE IN USA? Are there any good extras. These titles are out in Oz tomorrow.
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feckless boy
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#807 Post by feckless boy »

The swedish release of Crazy Pete included an intro by Colin Mccabe and a subtitled commentary track by Jean-Bernard Pouy probably same as the one for Sèrie Noir. The (swedish) disk is only sold as part of a box set including ten features (same as the Australian, except Breathless) and an extra disk with documentaries. All of it has english subtitles, price 470 Swedish crowns (=82 Australian dollar). Most of the transfers are great (Oh woe is me, Detective, Crazy Pete). First name Carmen is single layered and Passion is interlaced (but dual layered). All the others are progressive and dual layered.
Macintosh
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#808 Post by Macintosh »

solent wrote:Just got the R4 ALPHAVILLE. Good transfer, a short but typical Godard trailer and an excellent French 30min doco on the film
Any chance that French doc has subs solent?
Solaris
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#809 Post by Solaris »

Universal/Studio Canal are also releasing a DVD called "Godard Encore" soon.
solent

#810 Post by solent »

I've checked out the R4 CRAZY PETE & MADE IN USA.

As mentioned before PIERROT has, in addition to a great transfer with nice white subs, a trailer, an English-dubbed version of the film, a German TV spot [c.1965] and a French audio commentary. The DVD is identical to the R2 versions. To access the trailer in French [it is dubbed in English] choose French audio option. To get subs on the commentary use the English audio option.

MADE IN USA has a 9 min interview with Karina [she gives a lot of info on Godard in such a brief time] and a silent trailer. The trailer has "silence" flashed twice so I guess it isn't an audio glitche but simply the usual Godardian comic touch. The widescreen transfer is excellent.

Whether the $19 price will drop further is anyone's guess. It is possible unlike the Umbrella Godards which are absurdly high in price.
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devlinnn
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#811 Post by devlinnn »

solent wrote:Whether the $19 price will drop further is anyone's guess. It is possible unlike the Umbrella Godards which are absurdly high in price.
Madman I think you mean. I'd be more inclined to grab what you want asap, as the chance of these disappearing are quite high (remember Amarcord, Blow-Up etc.) Considering the price we pay just taking a piss these days, shelling out and getting change from $40 for Funny Face and Made in USA this morning was embarrassing.

Off to load up, let loose and think pink.
solent

#812 Post by solent »

WIM WENDERS DOCUMENTARIES, a companion 3-disc set to the ROAD MOVIES set is due out on Dec. 5 as part of the Director's Suite series. It contains the obvious TOKO-GA, NOTEBOOK & ROOM 666. The cover artwork matches the ROAD MOVIES set as well. Details here.

I'm still puzzled as to how ALICE & KINGS OF THE ROAD are making their DVD debut in the English-speaking world here in Oz. I would have expected Anchor Bay to have done these in the US or even the UK before us. I'm not complaining, I am waiting for next week.
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devlinnn
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#813 Post by devlinnn »

Caps have been posted for the Madman Wenders set - sadly, Alice in the Cities is very poor, so much so I'm very close to returning the set. I had this on UK VHS nearly 20 years ago and it looked much better. However, Kings of the Road looks stunning, so I'm torn.

A friend called this afternnoon to report he had just picked up Madman's Medea, and in his words 'it's the worst $34 I've ever spent'. Box states 16x9 transfer when it's not, terrible PQ, dirt, etc, etc. I'll try to post caps if I can before he returns, but it may not be worth it.
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domino harvey
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#814 Post by domino harvey »

Alice in the Cities doesn't look bad at all based on the caps you posted, am I missing something? I mean, it's filmed in 16mm right?
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devlinnn
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#815 Post by devlinnn »

I've seen Alice over the years (16mm screenings/VHS/TV) and this is the first time I've noticed bicycle tracks running over the complete print. But if this is the best the film can look now (and possibly is the reason it hasn't been released in the UK and USA) then a simple warning on the box stating so would have quelled the heart a little. Or maybe I've been spoilt these past few weeks with those Studio Canal Godard's and Funny Face.
solent

#816 Post by solent »

Two versions of ALICE are available on Amazon's German website but I don't know of any reviews. Both are from Kinowelt.

Is KINGS OF THE ROAD anamorphic 1.66:1 or is it cropped to fit 16:9?
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devlinnn
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#817 Post by devlinnn »

Cropped to fit 16:9 - there's also audio sync problems in the last reel, with the old woman running a cinema, refusing to show new films, as she sits surrounded by portraits of Lang and Bardot (fuck I love Wenders at this point in his life). With these issues, and the dreadful state of Alice, it's not a purchase I would recommend.

However, viewing Kings of the Road last night for the first time in close to 20 years, makes up for it. You know when you start watching a movie, and within a couple of minutes, the tingles start? Maybe at the feet first, then lower back, then straight up the spine to the back of the neck and into the dark soul of the mind and heart. It feels like it hasn't happened in years for me, but just this past seven days - three times. Funny Face, Pierre le Fou, KOTR. Works that make one glad to be alive.
solent

#818 Post by solent »

The release has been delayed here in Adelaide until next week.
Devlinnn are the extras anything to get excited about? Are the discs all housed in one amaray or are they three-in-a-box? Thanks for the warnings. I only asked about 1.66:1 since Wenders himself has it plastered over the opening credits as a guide to projectionists. BFI used that ratio for their VHS release years ago as well.
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devlinnn
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#819 Post by devlinnn »

One Amaray case. Sorry, I've yet to bother with the extras. Wim does a commentary on Wrong Move, Mr. Martin does the same with Alice, a few minutes of deleted scenes from KOTR. Ho, hum.

Oh, and I forgot to add - when re-watching KOTR on the weekend, there are also sync problems with the subtitles half way through. It didn't bother me that much on first viewing, but have come come around to thinking it's a bigger problem than it should be. Madman should be re-calling this whole package.
solent

#820 Post by solent »

The Wender's ROAD MOVIES seems OK to me. ALICE is grainy [remember it is 16 mm] but the 'tyre tracks' mentioned don't seem evident in my copy; if they are there then they are very faint (although they do show up clearly in a few shots here and there). KINGS OF THE ROAD's subs only go out for a short time, they seemed on time by the border scene. The audio glitch mentioned only occurs on the 5.1 mix and only at the very end. The stereo track is OK. The 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes are without sound and are in pretty good condition. They are in anamorphic 16:9. My guess is the source of the KINGS DVD is the same as the one used for the German release. Pity there is no Wender's commentary on this: perhaps it will surface on R1.

The two B & W films have white subs instead of the usual yellow. Is this a first for Madman?
solent

#821 Post by solent »

I got a shock while watching KINGS OF THE ROAD. When our heroes drive off Winter puts a disc in the record player to my surprise instead of "The More I See You" there is a different song entirely (some 70s heavy rock thing). The same thing happens later on, instead of the rockabilly number there is something else. Is this a new directors's decision in the light of copyright laws or is the version I saw previously [UK: BFI] a specific mix used outside of Germany?

As to the rating with its "high level sexual activity" I'm still scratching my head over this but in Howard's Australia where colour coding is considered a step forward I shouldn't be surprised. Grammar is moving forward in Australia with constructs like: moderate foul language with mild intermittent nudity and occasional coarse violence. (Aesthetics was never on the agenda with the Libs. After all Howard is the grey man so he needs colours to tell him if a DVD is suitable or not. Mere reading is not good enough in the 21st century.)
solent

#822 Post by solent »

In KINGS OF THE ROAD you see a few seconds of a woman in fake ecstacy from a porno scene shot from the side of the cinema plus a short shot of the projectionist masturbating to the aformentioned film: big deal.

By the way, I did further research on the web concerning the Madman print of KINGS and have discovered that the German edition has the same 20 minutes of deleted scenes [with soundtrack music over], an audio commentary by Wenders [in German] and a trailer. I assume the print is the same due to the inclusion of the deleted scenes in R4. Why Madman excluded the trailer is beyond me since they lumber us with 4 'propaganda' trailers as an extra feature anyway & why not put music over the deletions as per WRONG MOVE & R2? Apart from the subtitle glitch [it occurs after the Rhine scene & stops at the border scene] this is a good disc.
solent

#823 Post by solent »

Adrian Martin's commentary on ALICE IN THE CITIES is well worth a listen. He places the film within the context of all of Wenders' work, discusses (filmic) influences upon Wenders leading to his 'road' film philosophy and mentions filmakers influenced by this period of Wenders' work. Martin does not leave many pauses keeping the dicussion going for just under 2 hours.
solent

#824 Post by solent »

Adrian Martin's commentary on ALICE IN THE CITIES is well worth a listen. He places the film within the context of all of Wenders' work, discusses (filmic) influences upon Wenders leading to his 'road' film philosophy and mentions filmmakers influenced by this period of Wenders' work. Martin does not leave many pauses keeping the dicussion going for just under 2 hours.
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devlinnn
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#825 Post by devlinnn »

To quote a Wenders film, The State of Things, Australia, 2007.

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