Radiance Films General Discussion & Wishlist

[rapta]

I think it'd be wise for them to consider just doing a Nikkatsu Noir set (or sets; plural), not unlike the Daiei Gothic sets they're seemingly doing. Suzuki aside, they could at least do some more Kurahara (e.g. Intimidation, The Warped Ones, Black Sun, Thirst for Love) and maybe some Masuda (e.g. Rusty Knife, The Perfect Game, The Poem of the Blue Star, Hotbed of Crime).

My guesses this month are The Tale of Oiwa's Ghost (Kato), Palindromes (Solondz), and World Noir Vol. 3. The Italian title is bound to be more Raro content, at this point treated as semi-official Radiance titles.

Wonder if the German title could be something that was shown at this year's Berlinale, such as Deadlock, Spare Parts or Strange City (though if The Cat can stand on its own as a single release, these all could too; as could Solo Sunny or Bloody Friday, I'm sure). Someone on the other forum suggested Girl with Hyacinths could be the Swedish title...

EDIT: If the Swedish title was Hyacinths, maybe the German title would have to be from a similar era. It Happened in Broad Daylight, The Rest is Silence or The Devil Strikes at Night perhaps?

[therewillbeblus]

If the French noir is le monte-charge I'll lose it

[domino harvey]

That would be the best film they’ve released to date if so

[therewillbeblus]

A few of us have mentioned it on the discord, so it's at least on the radar

[Finch]

Animation teased for next month

[ellipsis7]

First in a series of Visconti releases!

Tantalising...

[TMDaines]

Radiance are number one and it is not even close.

[rapta]

EDIT: If the Swedish title was Hyacinths, maybe the German title would have to be from a similar era. It Happened in Broad Daylight, The Rest is Silence or The Devil Strikes at Night perhaps?

Turns out I was on the right track here, just didn’t think a Peter Lorre film would end up in a box set. Glad to be proven wrong about the Visconti too (that’s the ‘LTT’ teaser ticked off too).

Their biggest month yet, with their first UHD, a box set and two big individual titles on top of that. Will find it hard not to preorder all four!

[ryannichols7]

Animation teased for next month

glad we don't have to wait long to see what this is, because it's very curious and could be anything really. just not Angel's Egg

First in a series of Visconti releases!

Tantalising...

I don't know how any of us didn't guess Senso for SEN, which somehow didn't have a UK Bluray and doesn't appear to have a UK DVD either! I always figure Criterion just ported their version over. I'm gonna guess the series will be La Terra Trema, La Notti Bianche, and Senso

Radiance are number one and it is not even close.

agree completely. it somehow keeps getting better and better too. once we start branching out into more countries, it's a wrap, but to see long time FR/IT/JP/US rescues that many have called for eons finally happening, it's tremendous stuff

Turns out I was on the right track here, just didn’t think a Peter Lorre film would end up in a box set. Glad to be proven wrong about the Visconti too (that’s the ‘LTT’ teaser ticked off too).

Their biggest month yet, with their first UHD, a box set and two big individual titles on top of that. Will find it hard not to preorder all four!

I'm gonna guess the reason Lorre is in the box is because it appears to be an older master, which is a little easier to sell in a box. if it was an individual release, probably trickier. still awesome, I had no idea that he ever directed a movie!

La Terra Trema and Palindromes are probably two of the longer in demand titles I've seen come to fruition. this year has been a tear for Radiance on these - I started listing them out and realized I was basically listing half their slate for this year!

[colinr0380]

First in a series of Visconti releases!

Tantalising...

I'm trying to guess which they may be. Ossessione perhaps if the BFI isn't going to upgrade their over twenty year old DVD edition any time soon (what if Radiance could put it out in a month together with either of the US versions of The Postman Always Rings Twice!). Has White Nights/Le Notti Bianche ever come out in the UK? I stopped looking on getting the Criterion edition back in the day.

[Calvin]

White Nights is all but announced - we know there's a Dostoevsky adaptation coming, there's a recent 4K restoration, and there's a 'NB' clue (Le notti bianche). Whether there's any more Visconti after that, we'll have to wait and see. Ossessione and Senso have been OOP for a long time in the UK and I'm not sure if The Stranger has ever had a release here.

[kekid]

Sandra (Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa) has not been released in proper aspect ratio anywhere. That would be a good choice if Radiance could get it.

[Matt]

is In My Skin really big enough to be a UHD title?

New French Extremity is hotter than it's ever been, and this film's been essentially out of circulation for two decades. Severin has announced it for UHD (limited edition of 2500), and I don't see why Radiance couldn't sell an equal number (or more, given the likelihood that their tech specs will be better).

[Mr Sausage]

It's weird thinking of In My Skin as New French Extremity, because every other NFE film I've seen (good or bad) were clearly just exploitation films that didn't mind being unenjoyable. De Van's doing something much different and weirder than any of them, and the violence and unpleasantness is, at least on paper, comically minor when compared to something like Maryrs or Revenge. I guess she's like Cronenberg and Polanski that way: technically a part of a "low" genre but also quite apart from it.

I hope it sells like griddle cakes, it's such a fascinating (and worrying!) film.

[rapta]

Sandra (Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa) has not been released in proper aspect ratio anywhere. That would be a good choice if Radiance could get it.

Isn't that with Sony though? More likely to come from Criterion, if so.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I remember being at a private screening of a new 35mm restoration of Sandra thirteen years ago and have been surprised Columbia has done nothing with it. Strikes me as very bizarre! Would there be any other reason for it not to be released?

[beamish14]

I wonder if Antonioni’s Chung Kuo might be a possible. I don’t know if it’s been restored, but I did see a gorgeous 35mm print some years ago. As an RAI production, I have no clue as to where that would leave it with a company like Radiance

[tenia]

Posting here as it’s a multiple releases question : I’m trying to make sense of Japan Organized Crime Boss and Underworld Beauty’s tech specs, which feels almost like they’ve been mixed up.

Underworld Beauty’s OBI strip says on its front it’s from a “4K restoration”, but on its back it’s from a HD transfer, while the booklet says it “was transferred in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.”
Japan Organized Crime Boss’s OBI strip says on its front and back it’s from a “4K transfer” but the booklet says it “was transferred in high definition by Toei Company, Ltd. and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.”

Does anybody here can clarify what’s what ?

[GaryC]

Sandra (Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa) has not been released in proper aspect ratio anywhere. That would be a good choice if Radiance could get it.

I saw that on Mubi in 2017, in its English-language version. It was streamed in HD so it would sound there's some kind of HD master out there. No idea about rights etc though.

[andyli]

Underworld Beauty’s OBI strip says on its front it’s from a “4K restoration”, but on its back it’s from a HD transfer, while the booklet says it “was transferred in 4K by the Nikkatsu Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.”

Radiance correctly identifies the accompanying short Love Letter as from a new 4K restoration (also available in a Japanese box set). As for Underground Beauty I don't know for sure but I did a search and it seemed there's no mention of a 4K restoration anywhere on the internet (outside of the Radiance specs, that is). But judging by the picture quality and the fact that they gets the info for Love Letter right they probably get this one right as well.

[ryannichols7]

improbably and impressively, Barnes and Noble is carrying Radiance titles and all the ones at that link are 40% off, and it looks like pre-orders (The Eel and the Hardboiled set) are included!

New French Extremity is hotter than it's ever been, and this film's been essentially out of circulation for two decades. Severin has announced it for UHD (limited edition of 2500), and I don't see why Radiance couldn't sell an equal number (or more, given the likelihood that their tech specs will be better).

I honestly had no idea the movement was that "in" aside from Titane kinda reviving it. as a squeamish weakling who doesn't like gore or anything, all of it is basically as far away from my tastes as possible, but I figured the UHD would be Carax since Gaspar Noe is the only big "headliner" of the movement and his movies are largely accounted for. so I genuinely had no clue In My Skin was all that popular - but hey, if Severin can sell 2500 and Radiance sells 3000 (assuming it'll be that figure since Palindromes has that number of print run) then I guess I was way off base with this movie. I genuinely hadn't really heard of it before, but it has more Letterboxd views than Pola X, a movie I was actually familiar with!

[Matt]

I'd say In My Skin definitely paved the way for filmmakers like Julia Ducornau and Coralie Fargeat, whose international success is probably what now makes a 4k UHD release of In My Skin feasible. All of their work might more properly be considered body horror or le cinéma du corps given that their extremity is more psychologically-focused and internalized by their female protagonists than focused externally or inflicted upon them by men as might be the case with classic New French Extremity. I might be overstating the micro-genre's overall current popularity, but the horror streamer Shudder has recently featured many films collected under the banner of New French Extremity, and I see its continued influence on female-focused indie horror/thriller films like Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli's Violation and Rose Glass's Love Lies Bleeding (both amazing films).

Marina De Van was also a collaborator with François Ozon on some of his best early work like Sea the Sea (in which she also co-stars) and Under the Sand and, given the flimsiness of much of his later work and the concerns of her own, seems to have been key in making those films as good as they are.

[ryannichols7]

I'd say In My Skin definitely paved the way for filmmakers like Julia Ducornau and Coralie Fargeat, whose international success is probably what now makes a 4k UHD release of In My Skin feasible. All of their work might more properly be considered body horror or le cinéma du corps given that their extremity is more psychologically-focused and internalized by their female protagonists than focused externally or inflicted upon them by men as might be the case with classic New French Extremity. I might be overstating the micro-genre's overall current popularity, but the horror streamer Shudder has recently featured many films collected under the banner of New French Extremity, and I see its continued influence on female-focused indie horror/thriller films like Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli's Violation and Rose Glass's Love Lies Bleeding (both amazing films).

Marina De Van was also a collaborator with François Ozon on some of his best early work like Sea the Sea (in which she also co-stars) and Under the Sand and, given the flimsiness of much of his later work and the concerns of her own, seems to have been key in making those films as good as they are.

you know what, I forgot all about The Substance basically being a product of this too. considering Fran likes to tie his more obscure titles in to more well known ones, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ducornau and Fargeat's names on the OBI strip when this is released. great call, and why I love posting on here - still being able to learn about different avenues of cinema, even if I can't personally watch them

I do appreciate that these two and Marina De Van's work kinda move New French Extremity away from being so male focused. I have (unfortunately, as I really hate both of them) watched Irreversible and Enter the Void, and those are as "dude movie" as it gets to me. so I think it is bold and good to put forth In My Skin, though I had hoped for a Claire Denis film originally, since I'm a fan of some of her other movies of course

[Lowry_Sam]

My dream World Noir 3 box would be Le Monte Charge (Paris Pickup), Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murders Are Among Us),& Yajû shisubeshi(1959) (The Beast Shall Die).

[colinr0380]

On female 'New French Extremity' entries, I do remember back in the early 2000s that Tartan Video in the UK put out In My Skin on DVD together with other titles such as Claire Denis' Trouble Every Day and Catherine Breillat's Anatomy of Hell, which are also titles that because of their auteur directors got placed more in the arthouse arena and away from the 'French Extremity' genre per se (they probably went a bit under the radar because Tartan missed out on being the ones to coin the "New French Extremity" term, as compared with their "Asia Extreme" branding). I do agree with Matt on the way that In My Skin anticipates Ducornau and a particularly unnerving female approach to self-harm - we could also add something like 2019's Swallow to that collection as well.