criterionforum.org

domino harvey wrote:It's one thing to be forced to use a flawed master, but to hide that information from the consumer is despicable.

"Despicable" implies a deliberate intention to deceive, and there's no evidence of this whatsoever.

I suspect they put the original info up there in good faith on the basis of information they were given prior to the arrival of the master, and the disc producer may not even have been aware that this information had been published online at all.

If it doesn't say that the picture has been cropped, then yes, that's intentional

domino harvey wrote:If it doesn't say that the picture has been cropped, then yes, that's intentional

You're missing my point - which is that the initial information may have been posted in entirely good faith. You're alleging that Eureka deliberately and maliciously set out to deceive its customers - and I'm saying that there's no evidence for this whatsoever.

This has nothing to do with the initial specs. I'm saying that right now, where is the notice that the film has been cropped from 'Scope to 1.78? If there is no such notice, that is evidence of the company intentionally misleading the consumer.

domino harvey wrote:This has nothing to do with the initial specs. I'm saying that right now, where is the notice that the film has been cropped from 'Scope to 1.78? If there is no such notice, that is evidence of the company intentionally misleading the consumer.

*cough*

I'm under the impression here that the 1.78 is cropped, not open-matte. If it is indeed open-matte, I retract my righteous rage

domino harvey wrote:This has nothing to do with the initial specs. I'm saying that right now, where is the notice that the film has been cropped from 'Scope to 1.78? If there is no such notice, that is evidence of the company intentionally misleading the consumer.

It says that the aspect ratio is 16:9, which I understand is the case.

And with very very few exceptions - and even Second Run aren't consistent in this (<cough>Passenger</cough>) - it's extremely rare for distributors to announce that a film has been cropped (or censored) on their own promotional website. After all, most of their target market won't care, and those who do will doubtless be suspicious enough of the 16:9/2.35:1 discrepancy to do their homework and find out.

So I wouldn't say that was "intentionally misleading" so much as not giving a hostage to fortune - after all, there's nothing on the page that's actually inaccurate, is there?

I think these caps show a lack of headroom, and it does appear to be cropped from the original 2.55:1 (as IMDB claims the 'scope ratio to have been - there's also a telling title shot on the movie review page) rather than opening up the matte. BTW my question to Eureka was has this been cropped to 1.78:1 and the answer was in the affirmative. My second second question was why? No reply; of course, they may not actually know.

Eureka have removed any misleading information from the DVD's information page, and should be applauded for that, but I, personally am disturbed they have removed the reference to this being Universal's first Cinemascope film (without proper explanation as to what is on the disc and why) while that info is already out there in their press release; I'd hope that at least an addendum will be sent out.

Distubing also that this is the best that Universal could source for Eureka.

I am indebted to Eureka's Kevin Lambert for going to extra mile to find out from Universal themselves just why we have what we have with TBSoF, and the news is not good:

I'm not sure if you are aware but Universal had a fire earlier this year and lost a huge amount of masters, it turns out that there was never a down conversion done from the HD 16X9 print before the fire, so nothing would exist to create one from at the original aspect ratio at the present time.

I've asked them to have a look at it and see if there is another copy anywhere else in the world but it looks doubtful.

Very interesting, but I'm a little confused ... is "HD 16x9 print" a misstatement? Is Universal saying that there was a master in 2.35 that burned, and all that exists is a 1.78 downconvert (presumably made for 16:9 TV broadcasts)? Or that the only HD master created was 1.78, and that the print from which it was telecined was incinerated?

Perkins Cobb wrote:Very interesting, but I'm a little confused ...

Me too, but I let it pass. What I didn't know until the last few minutes was that it was shot in 'scope and in 1.85:1 protected for 1.37:1. I knew it had been shot twice but assumed it was 'scope and Academy. It's possible this is a transfer of one of those 1.85:1 prints? Far from ideal, but a happier thought than cropping 'scope.

Not sure this has been posted elsewhere, but Eureka will be releasing 4 interesting titles in January, 2009:

- Vittoria De Sica’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Italy, 1964)
1964 Best Foreign Film Oscar winner starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastrio, the Italian neo-realist director of Shoeshine and Bicycle Thieves goes for a change of pace with this comedy anthology based around a trio of sexual escapades. Available on DVD in the UK for the first time ever, the film is uncut and in its original aspect ratio.

- Carlo Lizzani’s Last Days of Mussolini
Rod Steiger lead an all star international cast as Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Available on DVD in the UK for the first time, the film is uncut and in a new transfer taken from the original negative. Extras include an interview with director Carlo Lizzani, the original trailer and a photo gallery.

- Joseph Pevney’s Man of a Thousand Faces
James Cagney stars as Lon Chaney in this true story that follows the life of one of the most iconic and mysterious stars in Hollywood history. Known as the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’, silent film star Lon Chaney captured the imaginations of the world through his incredibly expressive and transformative roles, such as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom from the original Phantom of the Opera. Behind the scenes, however, this long-suffering gifted genius’ life was filled with trials and tribulations that helped shape some of his groundbreaking performances.

- Last up is a re-release, Kinji Fukasaku’s Shogun’s Samurai

cana7cl wrote:- Joseph Pevney’s Man of a Thousand Faces
James Cagney stars as Lon Chaney in this true story that follows the life of one of the most iconic and mysterious stars in Hollywood history. Known as the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’, silent film star Lon Chaney captured the imaginations of the world through his incredibly expressive and transformative roles, such as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom from the original Phantom of the Opera. Behind the scenes, however, this long-suffering gifted genius’ life was filled with trials and tribulations that helped shape some of his groundbreaking performances.

Universal just released this title this year in a new transfer, and the Eureka will no doubt be a port.

Eureka's Mabuse discs are getting bumped up to the MoC line in a Lang Box this October along with Phantom as per the most recent Sight and Sound ad.

Well I was looking forward to Blue Underground's release of Rolf de Heer's Bad Boy Bubby on blu-ray.

Now it appears that Eureka will be releasing this title in the UK. Fantastic news. I've wanted to see more of this guys films since Ten Canoes, although this looks very very different!

http://eurekavideo.co.uk/classics/bad-b ... y-blu-ray/

I like Bad Boy Bubby very much, though I've not seen it since 1997 so my memory is a little hazy about it! It had just one showing on Channel 4 (in their Cinema Extreme season along with Clean, Shaven, Hellraiser, Fun, Dangerous Game, Candyman, Cook Thief Wife and Lover, Eraserhead etc) in a cut down to 1.85:1 ratio so I'll be interested in getting the DVD too to see it fully!

It probably has the most harrowing and disorienting opening thirty minutes of any recent film, as a child is raised in a dingy room by a domineering and perverse mother who wears a gas mask to go into the outside world. It is quite a good sequence to have at the beginning as the audience is in the same position as the boy of trying to piece together exactly what type of film this is going to be - is it post-apocalyptic? It turns out to be much more upsetting, but ultimately uplifting, than that.

Sorry to bring up the Daily Mail again so soon but the best review I read of this film was in the TV listings where it was decryed as the sickest film ever made - of course the reviewer had walked out during the first third of cat torture, mother/son sex and plastic bag murders! The film is about how our childhood upbringing and experiences mark people and influence them in adulthood but how even the worst events can be used to positive ends, that even not knowing how society works can give a person a unique and valuable 'outsiders' perspective.

It is also an interesting take on someone living in a world full of fear and enforced rules and the frightening but also liberating steps as the horizons of the world expand - fear falls away and curiosity takes its place. It could be seen as a prescient political comment on a climate of fear, but I wonder if that is too extreme for a film which features the main character making their reputation through a piece of performance art/therapy session with a blow up doll!

One of the other interesting aspects of the film is that apparently every scene was shot with a different cinematographer in a different style to convey Bubby's disorientation.

The Black Shield of Falworth [Blu-ray] in September.

DVDBeavers review of Bad Boy Bubby Blu-ray release. And for comparison, blu-ray.com's review of North-American release from Blue Underground.

From the MOC twitter: "we've been working on this for Eureka (it's non-MoC)"



The previous Lone Wolf boxset that Artsmagic released had transfers were cropped, transferred to vhs, left dormant up a cats arse and then transferred onto dvd.

I wonder if the Eureka set is based on the masters that AnimEigo used (which were good) or new masters?

eerik wrote:The Black Shield of Falworth [Blu-ray] in September.

Any idea of the region-coding on this one?

Cash Flagg wrote:

eerik wrote:The Black Shield of Falworth [Blu-ray] in September.

Any idea of the region-coding on this one?

ABC?

broadwayrock wrote:From the MOC twitter: "we've been working on this for Eureka (it's non-MoC)"



The previous Lone Wolf boxset that Artsmagic released had transfers were cropped, transferred to vhs, left dormant up a cats arse and then transferred onto dvd.

I wonder if the Eureka set is based on the masters that AnimEigo used (which were good) or new masters?

What do you think?

(new Japanese masters)

peerpee wrote:(new Japanese masters)

You've been bought by a Japanese company? That's gotta bode well for more Naruse, right?

Oh, masters. I get it. 8-[

Nice. These films are pretty fun. I like the second one in the series the best. Actually, I was just listening to GZA's Liquid Swords the other day (which, for the uninitiated, quotes liberally from Shogun Assassin) so this timing is rather...erm, ridiculous [chokes on own blood, falls in a neat pile].

From the MOC twitter: "we've been working on this for Eureka (it's non-MoC)"

Image

Nice. These films are pretty fun.

I agree, although I've only seen the second and last film. But as the picture was so bad in the previous dvds, I'm thrilled Nick and co are sprucing this up.

I really wish though that Shogun Assassin did not exist - it's basically a cut and paste of job of the first two films, with poor dubbing thrown in for good measure. Sword of Vengeance and Babycart at the River Styx should be seen separately, preferably with subtitles.

Any word on the release date and price, Nick?

And is there any chance you'll be restoring the old Zatoichis with Shintaro Katsu?