Jacques Rivette

[Michael Kerpan]

I would be up for a release of THE VALLEY in exchange for OUT 1

Homevision already released this.

;~}

[David Ehrenstein]

I don't think he'd be hard to sell to Criterion purchasers.

[chaddoli]

Can we add to the list of questions that are (still?) being compiled for Criterion: "Why the hell don't you guys like Rivette?"

[zedz]

A (non-abusive) petition to Criterion sounds like a good idea to me. It would at least be a vote of confidence that there's an audience out there for these films (if Criterion are in any doubt about that).

Then in three years time we can piss and moan about "not another Rivette release" when the Pont du nord / L'Amour par terre / Bande des quatre Eclipse set is announced!

[justeleblanc]

I already asked about Rivette in the original set of questions. I assume the mods didn't take them out.

Also, let's not turn this into a Ron Paul forum. Criterion does not hate Rivette, he's just low priority for them.

[David Ehrenstein]

Image put out La Bande des Quatre (aka Bulle Ogier's School For Actresses ) some years back.

[domino harvey]

All three of the Image Rivettes are out of print though...

[justeleblanc]

I really know nothing about who owns what in Europe, but in the states, here are the unreleased Rivette titles with known DVD distributors.

Paris Belongs to Us/Fool's Mate (Criterion)
The Nun (Lionsgate/Studio Canal)
L'Amour Fou (New Yorker)
Out 1: Spectre (Kino/KimStim?) - Spectre only
Celine and Julie (New Yorker) - possibly in current production
Divertimento (New Yorker)

Also, Cinema Parallel released the VHS of Up/Down/Fragile, but they've told me they have no plans to release this onto DVD.

[Tommaso]

Well, as has been observed with regard to dvd editions of old(er) films, especially silents, it seems to be fact that the real costs come up with restoring/cleaning a print and then producing a master. Once somebody made a master anywhere in the world, it's relatively likely other companies will licence it for their territory. In other words, it's likely someone will release just another version of "L'amour par terre", "Paris nous appartient", "Divertimento", "La bande des quatre", "Divertimento" and also "Duelle/Noroit" in the US or another English-speaking country sooner or later. Thus, I have some hopes for AE or that new company releasing three Rivette discs in February in the UK for doing "Duelle/Noroit".
The real problem would be those films that nobody has yet tackled, "L'amour fou", "Out1", "Pont du Nord", and "Jeanne La Pucelle". If whoever owns these can't get contracts with other companies, it's unlikely we'll see them anytime soon.
CC is the exception from the rule, as they usually do their own masters and restoration. That's why it would be so important that CC do Rivette. It would definitely help to raise his reputation and perhaps even incite other companies to put out more Rivette. I'm sure CC would get rave reviews for "Out1" or "Jeanne".

[Awesome Welles]

Well, as has been observed with regard to dvd editions of old(er) films, especially silents, it seems to be fact that the real costs come up with restoring/cleaning a print and then producing a master. Once somebody made a master anywhere in the world, it's relatively likely other companies will licence it for their territory.

Two companies in different territories could split the cost of a restoration and then sell said film in their own territories, that makes most sense for cutting costs of something they may deem risky.

Of course Bluebell Films in the UK are a relatively new outfit and it seems unlikely that they'll have the money to fund such a restoration even if their imminent Rivette films (Gang of Four, Wuthering Heights, Love on the Ground) sell really well.

Then of course there is the BFI, though as it is a publicly financed company they are going to have to have a good reason for financing such a restoration, I guess if Celine and Julie and Paris Nous Appartient have sold really well it would help, though that is something I have no idea about.

I guess there's always hope that MoC could get involved, which I'm sure they'd like to, but again it's always a question of rights and money, and I would guess a company like MoC are too small to spend a lot of time chasing something like this up if they feel that the eventual profit is not going to be as big as something as if they put their energies into projects which are more readily available (though I don't say that lightly). I guess it really is down to CC to use their weight and I think lobbying them is a good idea.

[Michael Kerpan]

Also, Cinema Parallel released the VHS of Up/Down/Fragile, but they've told me they have no plans to release this onto DVD.

At $80+ a piece, I can't imagine Cinema Parallel sold many copies of their Up Down Fragile video. I paid less than this for the Arte box sets that included this film (along with many others). Granted, the dollar was healthier back then.

Supposedly there is a lovely new restoration of Pont du Nord that has been shown in a few places.

[Tommaso]

I guess there's always hope that MoC could get involved, which I'm sure they'd like to, but again it's always a question of rights and money, and I would guess a company like MoC are too small to spend a lot of time chasing something like this up if they feel that the eventual profit is not going to be as big as something as if they put their energies into projects which are more readily available (though I don't say that lightly). I guess it really is down to CC to use their weight and I think lobbying them is a good idea.

You're quite right there, and I too see myself sometimes falling into the illusion of thinking that MoC is something like the last straw if CC fails to see sense. MoC surely do their best, but they can't right everything that is going wrong in the dvd world, so it's good to be realistic about them. Still: perhaps lobbying MoC might make more sense than lobbying CC, though. After all, the incessant pleas for "Vampyr" here at the forum and from other people who wrote to MoC seem to have been finally successful.

[Awesome Welles]

I think you're right Tommaso, perhaps we should begin inundating Nick with emails about Out 1! Seriously.

[Tommaso]

I'm sure he's reading this anyway
I'd be glad if they did any unavailable Rivette. "Out 1" might be too heavy for a start, though. "Jeanne la Pucelle" should be more manageable.

[Awesome Welles]

Or L'Amour Fou?

[David Ehrenstein]

I'm down for that! And I'd love to do the Out 1 commentary with Bill Krohn -- as we did on the McC discs of Murnau's Faust and Nick Ray's The Savage Innocents.

To make it really super-duper, MoC could include Marc O's Les Idoles in the package.

[Awesome Welles]

Well there's one sold right here!

[justeleblanc]

I think we should start smaller. As much as I would love to see OUT 1 available tomorrow, a company will be more likely to invest in it if Rivette is more familiar, like Fassbinder.

Lionsgate is currently sitting on a newly restored print of THE NUN, via Studio Canal. It's just a matter of them releasing it onto DVD. No licensing costs, no restorations, the only thing stopping them is the lack of audience. I assume Optimum in the UK has the rights as well. I think this is our best bet to start with. After that I'm out of suggestions.

Though, is it up to the DVD companies to determine which films to start working on? Isn't it up to whether or not a new print was struck or if third parties competed restorations?

[Michael Kerpan]

The problem with La religieuse -- though it is a fine film, it is extremely atypical for Rivette.

If New Yorker ever gets its Celine and Julie off the ground, this should do more to increase the universe of potential Rivette buyers...

(no idea what the hold up is -- I had been under the impression that this was getting close to release -- over a year ago).

[colinr0380]

I'm down for that! And I'd love to do the Out 1 commentary with Bill Krohn -- as we did on the McC discs of Murnau's Faust and Nick Ray's The Savage Innocents.

All twelve plus hours?

[Tommaso]

Lionsgate is currently sitting on a newly restored print of THE NUN, via Studio Canal. It's just a matter of them releasing it onto DVD. No licensing costs, no restorations, the only thing stopping them is the lack of audience. I assume Optimum in the UK has the rights as well. I think this is our best bet to start with.

You're probably right. The only problem is that "La religieuse" is perhaps his only film that seems almost conventional (and I don't mean that in any bad way) in retrospect. It's surely the least desired Rivette for me, though of course I'd immediate purchase it.
EDIT: didn't see your post, Michael. Good to see we both seem to think the same about "La religieuse".

[justeleblanc]

Also, Cinema Parallel released the VHS of Up/Down/Fragile, but they've told me they have no plans to release this onto DVD.

At $80+ a piece, I can't imagine Cinema Parallel sold many copies of their Up Down Fragile video. I paid less than this for the Arte box sets that included this film (along with many others). Granted, the dollar was healthier back then.

Supposedly there is a lovely new restoration of Pont du Nord that has been shown in a few places.

I got my copy of Up Down Fragile used online for 15 dollars. I assume the CP release was mainly for libraries and universities.

There is a Japanese disc of Pont du Nord that was part of a set along with Celine and Julie and Gang of Four. No idea about the quality.

[Michael Kerpan]

Good to see we both seem to think the same about "La religieuse".

There is (or was) a fairly lovely (albeit unsubbed) French DVD of this film.

[justeleblanc]

The problem with La religieuse -- though it is a fine film, it is extremely atypical for Rivette.

If New Yorker ever gets its Celine and Julie off the ground, this should do more to increase the universe of potential Rivette buyers...

(no idea what the hold up is -- I had been under the impression that this was getting close to release -- over a year ago).

I agree about THE NUN, but like I said it's the one with a solid print and no licensing fees all ready to go.

New Yorker has basically no money and they are working on Celine and Julie very slowly because of it. And when they were more communicative to emails, they told me that they want to make sure their Rivette films look as best as possible.

I've gone off on New Yorker many many times, but they just don't have the money that Criterion does. That being said, their interest and time spent on Rivette, given the obstacles and economic value of doing such, says to me that their view of cinema is a bit more real and a bit less "pop" than Criterion's.

[justeleblanc]

Good to see we both seem to think the same about "La religieuse".

There is (or was) a fairly lovely (albeit unsubbed) French DVD of this film.

The Kino VHS tape isn't terrible either.