criterionforum.org

Back in 2017, this Little White Lies article claimed there was only one 35mm print known to exist. I'm skeptical, but there's definitely very, very few. It was mentioned upthread that they have the negative and they were already restoring it - hopefully they'll make at least a DCP available soon!

I think in the early 2000s there was only one English-subtitled print in acceptable condition. Maybe this is where the mistaken notion that there was only one print (of any sort) in existence.

Va savoir+ (220 mins) gets a showing in Paris in January, 2022:
https://www.cinematheque.fr/film/151372.html

Nice! Might be a one-off, but I'm hoping this is a harbinger of some kind of physical release.

I would really love to enjoy the film, and I’m hoping if the longer cut does surface it would transform my experience.

I t would be great if they could find (and include) a performance of the underlying Pirandello play. We got to see a student production of this (not long after first seeing the movie) -- and it really added some value.

Not sure what is the exact policy here re posting links to piracy-related websites, however, out of the blue, «L’Amour fou» (1969) just popped out now on a very famous video-sharing website, subtitled in English.

We don’t allow links, but your hint is fine. There have been subs circulating for years, I’m surprised it took this long to surface on a public site

domino harvey wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:31 pm We don’t allow links, but your hint is fine. There have been subs circulating for years, I’m surprised it took this long to surface on a public site

Thanks for the clarification, hoping that it will reach anyone interested enough until a proper DVD/BD release is available.

Cinephile1 wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:33 pm

domino harvey wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 11:31 pm We don’t allow links, but your hint is fine. There have been subs circulating for years, I’m surprised it took this long to surface on a public site

Thanks for the clarification, hoping that it will reach anyone interested enough until a proper DVD/BD release is available.

Hoping that it is also fine to post this here: In case anybody is interested, I know someone selling booleg DVDs of this film (and of a great many others that never saw light on authorized home video releases) with covers, artworks, and all, feel free to DM me if interested, I received my copy today.

Has anyone heard any rumors about the L'Amour Fou restoration? Is it actually happening or was it just a figment of our imaginations?

I hope 2022 doesn't pass without an exciting Rivette release or two.

Va Savoir+ has just made an appearance on back channels, currently sans English subs (though hopefully that will change soon). Can't wait to finally check it out after all these years!

Literally watched the 154 minute version for the first time today -- I might have waited if I'd read this in time! Still great news though, and I won't mind revisiting soon as I've yet to see a Rivette that didn't open up more for me with each subsequent viewing. Of course this time the added layers will also be completely literal! I've still never seen any version of Out 1 so I guess I could start with Spectre if I ever want the most extreme version of that experience...

I watched Va Savoir last night and was impressed. It's kind of like Lubitsch in slow motion, and Rivette and his cast create an ensemble full of vivid, surprising characters that are a pleasure to spend time with. That said, after a carefully structured first half, holes start appearing in the last hour or so—why does Sonia wake up at an unspecified apartment with Camille when they parted ways at the end of their previous scene together?—and the roles of minor characters get reduced when by the logic of the script they should be increased, i.e. as the roving duet variations of the narrative cycle through them. I'd guess that these holes would be filled in by the cut hour(!), not only giving us entire new scenes between these minor characters but also connective tissue between the scenes we do have. I hope the longer cut sees release sometime soon since it seems plausible to me, given the assurance and energy of Rivette's filmmaking here, that this very good film is actually an abridged version of a great one.

Va savoir was our family's introduction to Rivette (seen at the theater during its brief run). We all enjoyed it.

Red Screamer wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 5:07 pm why does Sonia wake up at an unspecified apartment with Camille when they parted ways at the end of their previous scene together?

At the end of the scene, it's revealed that they're not at an unspecified apartment, but the back of the dance classroom where Sonia teaches. (Though Va Savoir + expands a bit on that)

Ah OK, thanks for clarifying. Could you share any more details about the longer cut?

Well, going by memory, there are alternate takes and extended scenes. Of course there is also new material (most notably scenes of the Pirandello play being performed and small moments with members of the troupe). In that particular case, there is a scene at that location between Marianne Basler and Bruno Todeschini.

So I just got the Potemkine release of La Bande des quatre (Gang of Four), and there's now one b&w shot in the film:

Spoiler

I've seen the film in at least two different 35mm prints (one subbed, the other not), and it was in color all the way through.
It's the first shot in here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5OqzmADeD0

On somewhat different news, I've seen this comparison of Va Savoir (dvd, top) and Va Savoir + (4K restoration, bottom), and I think the colorists at Hiventy just don't care anymore.
Source:https://twitter.com/fivepoisonskid/stat ... 3697744896

Spoiler

There are also other comparisons at https://twitter.com/faunagrotesque/stat ... 7502031874

This one b/w shot is truly astounding, as it has always been in color to my knowledge (of the film since its release). How did it come about? Sure, if you were considerate towards its inclusion (of this otherwise SPLENDID bluray - the film has never looked SO good and detailed), you could think of it as a directorial gimmick that has only been discovered 30+ years later. Also, you could think of that shot as of a wilful break similar to the b/w photos that pop up "arbitrarily" in "Out 1: Spectre" (yet alter your whole perception of the film an its narrative), as it stars the "private theater play" of the four sweet women in "La Bande des Quatre" who then reenact a court proceedings that concerns a friend of theirs and that also is supposed to have some up-to-the minute acuteness in the contemporaneity of the film itself. But: what do we make of it? Nobody knows, at least as of now, which in the context of Rivette's lifework is nothing but apt and delicious.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLYG1JZ6/re ... 205&sr=8-7

Gang of Four 1-10-2023

Special Features: -Audio commentary track by Director Emeritus, New York Film Festival & Professor of Film and Media Studies, Columbia University Richard Peña -Re-release Trailer

FINALLY. Let’s hope this sells well and gets the ball rolling on the rest.

Interesting to see the addition of the "the" to the title – I don't think that's ever been present on any English-language releases, but it does seem the more literal translation. Does anyone know why it was left off to begin with?

(I note that L'amour par terre has always been translated as Love on the Ground and not The Love on the Ground, so maybe there are some subtleties in French article usage that I'm missing here... )

French articles are far more mandatory than English ones, so there are always usage considerations in translating them. With La Bande des quatre, you've got two competing associations in English translation: with the article, its the Maoist political faction; without, it's the awesome Leeds band. I'm guessing Rivette was referencing the former.

"The Love on the Ground," on the other hand, is completely unidiomatic. I have heard it alternatively referred to as "Love Laid Low" (which is smoother than either and sounds more like a theatrical piece.)

Generally a noun in French needs an article unless there’s a determinative like some types of adjectives in play (For example, Notre musique = “Our music,” “our/notre” is a possessive adjective so it didn’t need “La” in front of it)