Jacques Rivette

[Tommaso]

The absolut medien release of "Out 1" is now postponed to October 2012

I guess it's because the rightsholders don't want this release to preceed other editions in other countries rumoured for 2012, but it's annoying for sure.

[Dazza]

Yeah, I just noticed this when visiting their site. At first, the image jumped out at me and I thought "great, some artwork, that's progress", but then noticed the available 10/2012 bit. I expect a cancellation email from Amazon.de any day now

[nosy lena]

so... what's this then?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270866974359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

same picture and all...

[J Adams]

so... what's this then?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270866974359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

same picture and all...

obscenely overpriced?

[htshell]

NYC screening of L'Amour Fou on Sunday 12/19 at Walter Read/Film Society of Lincoln Center.
http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/lamour-fou

[spectre]

That price is completely outrageous. That's simply the same (perfectly watchable) bootleg copy of Out 1 that everyone (well, y'know) already has. I was selling the same thing on a single disc on ebay for $5 AU a while ago, although it's easily downloadable from several torrent sites for free if you're not averse to such things.

I think it's really sad that people would try to profit from other cinephiles so shamelessly. How much does a blank disc cost?

By the way, very, very excited about the DVD release of the two versions of Out 1. Just hope it comes out somewhere with English subs (ideally Criterion!). Only the most hardcore Rivette fan could sit through the current bootleg of Spectre - I'd liken it to watching a TV through a window on a foggy morning whilst a jumbo jet flies overhead. :P

[Ovader]

A new book on Rivette by Mary M. Wiles is soon to be published.

[cinemartin]

It's actually already published. You can purchase it tout suite.

[AlexHansen]

Mubi has added three titles for your viewing pleasure: Gang of Four, Wuthering Heights, and Love on the Ground.

[rrenault]

The absolut medien release of "Out 1" is now postponed to October 2012

I guess it's because the rightsholders don't want this release to preceed other editions in other countries rumoured for 2012, but it's annoying for sure.

Which releases in other countries would it be preceding? In any case, is Out 1's rarity and lack of a home video release in any capacity at all a rights issue, or does it exclusively have to do with its extremely limited appeal? Because with respect to the other coveted 'film maudit' The Mother and The Whore I'm pretty sure it's exclusively a rights issue, not that there's any need for a comparison other than the fact that these two films seem to be the two most prominent holy grails of cinephilia, due to their unavailability.

[Peacock]

Out 1 doesn't have any rights issues, it's due to the length.
Mother and the Whore is being held up by Eustache's son.

A French release and a US release (probably, but not definitely, Criterion) of Out 1 are coming out using the same restoration/new master/whatever it is.

[rrenault]

20 bucks Criterion releases an Eclipse set with both the long and short versions of Out 1. That's my prediction. I find it highly unlikely they would release Out 1 on the mainline, considering The Human Condition and Berlin Alexanderplatz were financially risky enough as DVD-only releases, loaded with features. Never mind the fact the latter two would appeal to a much wider audience than Out 1.

[zedz]

There's no way Criterion (or any other sane company) would embark on a restoration project as daunting and expensive as Out 1 only to release it on their budget line. Particularly when it's a niche film with a small but fanatical following who expect to pay top dollar for the privilege of seeing the film. Halving the asking price of the film makes the project more financially risky, not less.

[justeleblanc]

It's become increasingly rare for Criterion to do their own in-house restorations. I may be quite wrong but I suspect that Criterion would instead license the restoration from a third party and share the cost with other DVD distribution companies from various countries. They would probably want to do their own 2K master from the restoration, but then I don't know what the cost of this is. An Eclipse set would be strange, given that this would be a BFD for cinephiles, but I can see this happening if the existing material isn't strong enough for a Blu.

[Mathew2468]

I can't imagine Out 1 selling less than Berlin Alexanderplatz or The Human Condition. It is a BFD. It'd be a huge release.

[Perkins Cobb]

I can't imagine Out 1 selling less than Berlin Alexanderplatz or The Human Condition. It is a BFD. It'd be a huge release.

Or at least World on a Wire, which warranted a main-line Blu-ray.

[Peacock]

Although, to play devil's advocate, World on a Wire has the whole Matrix connection and was short enough for them to do a decent theatrical release in advance of the Blu/DVD...

But as the others say I can't imagine them licensing a new restoration which they may be contributing to and then putting it out on Eclipse.

I am a little concerned though how they'll squeeze both cuts of the film onto Blu-ray (let alone DVD!) Almost 17 hours + extras... I imagine they'll spread it over 3 disks, which isn't ideal, but I guess World on a Wire takes up a similar length on a disk, is 16mm as well and looks fine... I guess this really is a case of not looking a gift horse in the mouth though!

[colinr0380]

Although, to play devil's advocate, World on a Wire has the whole Matrix connection and was short enough for them to do a decent theatrical release in advance of the Blu/DVD...

And don't forget Josef Rusnak's official US remake of the material as The Thirteenth Floor, ironically with the film being released (and overshadowed somewhat) in the same year as The Matrix!

[tarpilot]

And that The Thirteenth Floor was produced by Michael Ballhaus!

(anyone got any other exclamation points left?)

[Brian C]

And that The Thirteenth Floor featured Armin Mueller-Stahl, who was also in Fassbender's Lola!

[Perkins Cobb]

And I eagerly lapped up World on a Wire without knowing or (now that I do know) particularly caring about any of that!

[colinr0380]

By the way (and pointedly ignoring Perkins Cobb not caring ) I also think Koji Suzuki must have been obliquely referring to this material for Loop, the last, sci-fi tinged, novel in his genre redefining trilogy following Ring (horror) and Spiral (medical thriller).

[Michael Kerpan]

I can't imagine Out 1 selling less than Berlin Alexanderplatz or The Human Condition. It is a BFD. It'd be a huge release.

I'd like to think it would sell well -- but this is not by any means a sure deal. Who would have thought that the two UK Naruse sets would have sold so poorly -- with all the positive buzz at the time of people discovering/rediscovering Naruse?

[J Adams]

If Out 1 is such a BFD why is so much other Rivette unavailable with English subs and/or decent transfers? Have you seen Out 1? I love the film, saw it both times it screened in NYC a few years ago. But it is a huge slog for anyone who is not a hardcore Rivette-ophile. It is not a particularly beautiful or entertaining film, unlike, say, Duelle and Noroit. Berlin at least has a straightforward narrative, graspable characters and interesting cinematography, and was directed by a better-known/loved director. I would buy it, but I doubt I will watch it more than once every 5 years, at best.

[Michael Kerpan]

If Out 1 is such a BFD why is so much other Rivette unavailable with English subs and/or decent transfers?

Exactly. So much of Rivette's work (even stuff that is far more accessible) is missing -- either never released with subs or long out of print -- and the problem is especially acute of the American side of the Atlantic.