Luchino Visconti

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Anonymous · #76 Post by **Anonymous** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:33 am

Many thanks, as I was about to fall asleep, it occurred to me that even if the DVD player couldn't read the end of the disc properly, I might be able to rip the data to the hard drive and then play it. Success! As you say, Visconti just about hints at a conspiracy.

(Whilst I was waiting for the computer to do this, I found thiscondensed translation of Helmut Berger's autobiography which seemed one of the most unintentionally hilarious things I'd read in a long time. I finally got to sleep at around five...)

Murasaki53 · #77 Post by **Murasaki53** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 5:08 pm

Just to reassure people, my Infinity Arthouse DVD worked fine.

Thought the film was quite good and the picture quality was unexpectedly impressive too in spite of the reservations expressed about it here and at DVD Beaver.

I won't add a review as there are some very perceptive and informative comments over on the imdb website.

#78 Post by **Matt** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:36 pm

Murasaki53 wrote:there are some very perceptive and informative comments over on the imdb website.

That's got to be a first.

Gordon · #79 Post by **Gordon** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:35 pm

matt wrote:
Murasaki53 wrote:there are some very perceptive and informative comments over on the imdb website.
That's got to be a first.

SNOB! The guy is right: there are "some very perceptive and informative comments" over there. I love the IMDb's earthy rabidity as much as I appreciate the direct info-sharing it provides. It's just like Wikipedia: if you find an article spurious, then do something about it. Add your own thoughts to the IMDb's review section for the film in question or weigh-in on the forums with all your might! What's so great about this forum, exactly? It's just that most people haven't discovered it yet. If I am anything to go by, there's just as much bollocks on these forums as there is at IMDb, or anywhere else.

Gordon · #80 Post by **Gordon** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:55 am

Here's the DVD Beaver comparison of the German Kinowelt and UK Infinity Arthouse editions of Ludwig.

Such images. Not that Infinity have any idea. Who are these fucks? They gave us amazing extras, but a way-too-dark, non-anamorphic transfer? Bums.

jonjao · #81 Post by **jonjao** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:34 pm

Recently watched this Infinity DVD of Ludwig and the quality was pretty subpar (especially since it's non-anamorphic and my DVD player had to stretch the image to fill my HDTV). A shame, because, against expectation, I ended up finding this one of Visconti's very greatest films. I had been expecting an indulgent, overblown wallow (nothing wrong with that, of course, I do love The Damned and DIV), but I was surprised by how elegantly and sharply Visconti chronicled not only Ludwig's descent into a world of aesthetic fantasy, but his poignant acceptance of his fate when reality finally intrudes. I wish Criterion would release this and do their usual bang-up job.

Also - the DVDs from the Japanese Visconti boxsets are being broken up as individual releases, making them more appealing financially. I got Vaghe Stelle Dell'Orsa and was struck again by what an extraordinary film it is (alas no English subtitles, though a solid transfer). One of Visconti's most beautifully shot and intense dramas, once again, here's hoping Criterion will release!

Guest · #82 Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:03 am

Does anyone know something about this Japanese DVD of Luchino Visconti's SENSO?

Gofter · #83 Post by **Gofter** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 4:26 pm

Ludwig II

Kinowelt / Arthaus Premium 3-Disc Digipack

Release date: November 16.

Extras, Subtitles: TBA

planetjake · #84 Post by **planetjake** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:22 pm

Gofter wrote:Ludwig II

Kinowelt / Arthaus Premium

Arthaus released La Luna, did they not? I'm optimistic. . . Although I don't think many of their current releases have English subs. . . Who can we write to?

Update: Both Kinowelt and Art Haus websites confirm NO English subtitles.

Barmy · #85 Post by **Barmy** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 6:02 pm

Ludwig 1881, with Helmut reprising his role as the Mad King (they should have called it Ludwig II II), is available in Switzerland, with English subtitles.

Ludwig 1881

Lino · #86 Post by **Lino** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:20 pm

Barmy wrote:Ludwig 1881, with Helmut reprising his role as the Mad King (they should have called it Ludwig II II), is available in Switzerland, with English subtitles.

Ludwig 1881

I didn't even know this existed! Is it any good? Was it made for TV?

Barmy · #87 Post by **Barmy** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:54 pm

Lino wrote:
Barmy wrote:Ludwig 1881, with Helmut reprising his role as the Mad King (they should have called it Ludwig II II), is available in Switzerland, with English subtitles.

Ludwig 1881
I didn't even know this existed! Is it any good? Was it made for TV?

It's not a historical drama like the Visconti film--it's mostly Helmut wandering around looking moody. I saw it years ago at MoMA as part of their new German film series.

Stefan Andersson · #88 Post by **Stefan Andersson** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:35 am

The Imdb says that Arte (Euro TV channel) sometimes shows a print of LUDWIG with a Romy Schneider death scene missing from other prints.

I also believe that English is the original language for the film, but IÂ´ve found no good source for that supposition. Would be a prime restoration projects if elements were to be found.

Comments?

Claes · #89 Post by **Claes** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:32 am

Taken into account the disappointment the Nouveaux Pictures dvd of L'innocente caused on this forum, I found it rather strange that nobody has written a word about the Russian edition from a label called Some Wax.

Has anybody seen this DVD? The specs looks fine.

MichaelB · #90 Post by **MichaelB** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:40 am

I'm a bit curious as to why it's NTSC - native Russian discs are usually PAL, and Ruscico's NTSC transfers are notoriously terrible.

Person · #91 Post by **Person** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:00 pm

Claes wrote:Taken into account the disappointment the Nouveaux Pictures dvd of L'innocente caused on this forum, I found it rather strange that nobody has written a word about the Russian edition from a label called Some Wax.

Has anybody seen this DVD? The specs looks fine.

Digitally remastered from a restored print

The Nouveaux had these exact same words on the front cover, as did many of their releases - and it meant next to nothing, i.e. the transfers were scratchy and dirty.

bergelson · #92 Post by **bergelson** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:25 pm

Can anyone tell me which is the best version of Visconti's Conversation Piece? Is it the Minerva Classics version or perhaps the Australian one by Madman? Thanks.

pro-bassoonist · #93 Post by **pro-bassoonist** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:04 am

I would recommend that you get the Minerva disc. The Australian disc isn't poor but the transfer is very rough, colors in particular are bleeding. The Italian disc isn't one of Minerva's strongest efforts (La Visita/Il Generale della Rovere) but I prefer it over the R4.

Claes wrote:Taken into account the disappointment the Nouveaux Pictures dvd of L'innocente caused on this forum, I found it rather strange that nobody has written a word about the Russian edition from a label called Some Wax.

Has anybody seen this DVD? The specs looks fine.

The majority of these discs (98%) copy French sources and at times add English subs. Believe it or not they are primarily encoded in NTSC because they are meant to be sold in the USA/Canada (Russian markets). These are improper PAL-NTSC ports by the way.

Ciao,
Pro-B

bergelson · #94 Post by **bergelson** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:55 am

Continuing my journey for the best versions of some of Visconti's films, does anyone familiar with the French releases of the Damned and Death in Venice? I understand that both of them are 2 disc special editions and that all the extras are subtitled. How about the quality of the films itself?

Thanks in advance.

Person · #95 Post by **Person** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:03 pm

I received the Koch Lorber of Ludwig today. The transfer seems to have been made from a clean element of fairly vibrant color, though the blacks are not inky, being a teeny bit crushed, but overall it's a very good transfer. Mono sound is fine, pretty robust and the score comes across well. Dull-hued yellow subtitles. 2 x DVD-9s. Haven't watched the whole film yet or the extras, but basically, this is a must buy for Visconti and/or Helmut Berger fans.

jonjao · #96 Post by **jonjao** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:14 pm

Agreed - this Koch Lorber release is superb - and anamorphic too. The best I've ever seen the film look.

Stefan Andersson · #97 Post by **Stefan Andersson** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:48 am

Is the video master on Koch Lorber´s LUDWIG identical to the Kinowelt one?
The Kinowelt R2 is superb.

How does the UK CONVERSATION PIECE compare to the others?

Much obliged for any and all info.

Tommaso · #98 Post by **Tommaso** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:55 am

I've been watching the Kinowelt "Ludwig" last night, and while looking through this thread to see what everyone thinks of it, I found this older post:

kinjitsu wrote: Anyhow, the original language is Italian, not German, though of course there is a German dub.

Really? "Ludwig", as most Italian films of the time, was completely post-dubbed, and it features actors from Germany, England, Italy, and even Russia, all probably speaking in their native languages during the shoot. However, as the two leads (Berger and Schneider) are German, and the whole film is also set in Germany, I'd say: if you MUST name any original language for the film, German seems a logical choice, even though the original script probably was in Italian. In any case, it's a pleasure to hear Berger and Schneider speak with their own voices.

Another question : the Kinowelt disc breaks the film down into five parts, each lasting about 45 minutes, and all of these come with introductory credits and end credits. I found that pretty annoying, though you can of course skip forward (but you are always transported back to the main menu after each of these parts). So, how come? Did Visconti perhaps shoot this also a sort of TV series (a la Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage"), and what we are seeing in this reconstructed version is actually some sort of original TV edit? Or are the RAI, who co-produced the restauration according to the credits, responsible for this? In any case, the Kinowelt seems to be the only edition that presents the film in this form.

Another bit of trivia: the end credits mention that the film contains the world premiere of the very last and until then unpublished piano composition by Richard Wagner. Does anyone know more about this piece? Is it published and available now? I assume it's the one with the rather dissonant introductory chord that often punctuates the film.

Person · #99 Post by **Person** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 9:14 am

Tommaso wrote:I've been watching the Kinowelt "Ludwig" last night, and while looking through this thread to see what everyone thinks of it, I found this older post:

kinjitsu wrote: Anyhow, the original language is Italian, not German, though of course there is a German dub.
Really? "Ludwig", as most Italian films of the time, was completely post-dubbed, and it features actors from Germany, England, Italy, and even Russia, all probably speaking in their native languages during the shoot. However, as the two leads (Berger and Schneider) are German, and the whole film is also set in Germany, I'd say: if you MUST name any original language for the film, German seems a logical choice, even though the original script probably was in Italian.

The première of the film was in Bonn on 29 December 1972, most probably in German. It was also an Italian-German co-production, though it featured a predominantly Italian crew. The film plays better with German language, I feel.

As for the Kino DVD presenting a TV edit, that does seem odd, as the transfer is 2.35:1. It is a bit odd, but this cut is by far he most coherent and dramatically powerful.

Stefan Andersson · #100 Post by **Stefan Andersson** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:24 am

LUDWIG was severely cut after the premiere. The TV cut on the Kinowelt DVD is, as far as I know, the product of later restoration work, probably led by RAI. It´s been shown on Swedish TV as a TV series. I´ve heard vague rumours of English language tracks for the film.

The Kinowelt DVD is razor-sharp, much better than the Infinity Arthouse. If anybody knows of the Koch duplicating the Kinowelt master, please advise.

Luchino Visconti

Senso (Visconti, 1954)

L'innocente Russian DVD (Visconti)

Re: L'innocente Russian DVD (Visconti)

Re: L'innocente Russian DVD (Visconti)

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