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zedz wrote:Oh bugger, and I've just done a Merlin order. Great find, Michael.

I was doing a Merlin order myself - I just thought I'd have a scroll through their entire Polish cinema section to see if anything interesting had crept out in the months since I last ordered from them, and bingo! But before this afternoon I had absolutely no idea that such a thing was even on the cards, let alone actually released.

(I also ordered the Agnieszka Holland box, the second Polish Film School box, and of course the latest PWA documentary set).

Am I to assume that...

Napisy: angielskie

...means english subtitles?

Cold Bishop wrote:Am I to assume that...

Napisy: angielskie

...means english subtitles?

That's exactly what it means.

davidhare wrote:Terrific pickup Michael!

How much is a Zlotyl worth these days?? And if you don't object I'll give this a heads up at Dave Kehr's blog. The set deserves wide distribution.

91.99 PLN = 38.0627 USD
I'm getting this set for sure.

If anybody's ordering the Skolimowski set, for heaven's sake consider adding a couple of PWA titles: they're world-class and cheap as chips.

posto wrote:

davidhare wrote:Terrific pickup Michael!

How much is a Zlotyl worth these days?? And if you don't object I'll give this a heads up at Dave Kehr's blog. The set deserves wide distribution.

91.99 PLN = 38.0627 USD
I'm getting this set for sure.

No reviews of the set are kicking around as of now, right?

If someone who's ordering it could report on the quality of the transfers (I'm with Michael in that I want to see the films regardless of transfer quality, but it would still be nice to know if they're utter shit or not before pulling the trigger)/confirm English subtitles (in case the listing is wrong) once they receive it, I'd greatly appreciate it...

Well, SPI International Polska is one of the more reputable labels in that part of the world, and they've gone to the trouble of adding English subtitles, so I suspect they'll be far from unwatchable.

They probably won't be amazing either, given the age of the films and Poland's less than stellar track record in film preservation, but the price is absurdly low so it's hardly a major gamble.

(Talking of which, I absolutely second Zedz' recommendation - everyone ordering anything from Poland should also buy a PWA set on spec. See PWA's dedicated thread for more details, though pretty much anything they've put out is worth buying.)

Does this page help?

I still have my versions of WALKOVER & BARRIER taped from SBS TV in the 90s. . I say to anyone who hasn't seen these early Skolimowski films that you must not hesitate to get them. They are quite remarkable. Skolimowski is a master at choreographed setups. In WALKOVER there is a train sequence which culminates with Skolimowski stepping off of a moving train which, despite it slowing down, looks pretty dangerous to me. It looks good on film though. BARRIER is an eastern Euro view of the 60s revolution. It is both symbolic and poetic. The music is brilliant.

The trilogy featuring the director - a boxer - is RYSOPSIS, WALKOVER & HANDS UP! Is the last film on this set? I'd love to see this as it was banned outright at the time and is considered to be quite brilliant by those who have seen it.

charal wrote:The trilogy featuring the director - a boxer - is RYSOPSIS, WALKOVER & HANDS UP! Is the last film on this set? I'd love to see this as it was banned outright at the time and is considered to be quite brilliant by those who have seen it.

Yes - the four films in the box are those three plus Barrier. Basically, it's Skolimowski's purely Polish output in its entirety.

charal wrote: The trilogy featuring the director - a boxer - is RYSOPSIS, WALKOVER & HANDS UP! Is the last film on this set? I'd love to see this as it was banned outright at the time and is considered to be quite brilliant by those who have seen it.

Correct, "Hands up" was the only movie which was outright banned in Poland and not shown until 1981. In 1981 Skolimowski shot the prologue with, among others, Alan Bates & Volker Schlondorff, which, according to this site was not included when the movie was finally released in Poland in 1985. I wonder if the version on this set includes this prologue. ("Hands up" is the only movie from this set I haven't seen yet.)
I recall that his earlier movies were screened in smaller theaters in 70's and 80's in Poland. I saw "Barrier" 30 years ago in Kraków and it left a lasting impression on me. I haven't seen any of his polish movies since.

BTW here is Skolimowski pagefrom filmpolski.pl (sort of polish IMDb). It is in polish only, but it is pretty exhaustive database on anybody and anything to do with polish film.

Re: Hands Up!, it's not just a prolog (although Bates & Schlondorff do appear only briefly at the beginning). The finished version includes extensive interstitial material from the later (1981?) shoot. It's basically unwatchable in my opinion, although it was the 1967 stuff (an attempt at Beckett-style absurdism) that I found especially tedious. In any case, it's very different from the New Wave-influenced style of Skolimowski's earlier films earlier films.

Could anyone comment on the quality of the SPI Skolimowski set at this point? I had almost forgotten about the set, but in ordering the Network DVD of The Shout I was reminded of it. I figure at least a few people have received the set by this point, and I'd appreciate any/all feedback before I take the plunge.

Cronenfly wrote:Could anyone comment on the quality of the SPI Skolimowski set at this point? I had almost forgotten about the set, but in ordering the Network DVD of The Shout I was reminded of it. I figure at least a few people have received the set by this point, and I'd appreciate any/all feedback before I take the plunge.

I have it on reasonably good authority that there may be alternatives to at least some of the films in this set released separately at some point this year - so unless you're desperate, it might be a good idea to wait.

(Even if better masters can't be found, I'd certainly expect the subtitles to be cleaned up considerably)

For Melbournians, Melbourne Cinematique are screening a bunch of Skolimowski films in July, 2009.

The ones screening are....

1. Rysopis
2. Walkover
3. Barrier
4. Deep End
5. Hand's Up
6. Moonlighting
7. Four Nights with Anna

and I think a few short films will be screened also.

I'm not sure how much I can reveal at this stage (I suspect the Polish Cultural Institute will make the first formal announcement, so I'll leave it up to them), but London-based Skolimowski fans might want to keep mid-March free.

Specifically the 18th.

For those of you in Rotterdam for this year's filmfestival, Skolimowski is one of the filmmakers in focus.
The films being shown are:

Barrier
Deep End
Départ, Le
Erotique
Ferdydurke
Four Nights with Anna
Hands Up!
Identification Marks: None
Lightship, The
Little Hamlet
Menacing Eye, The
Money or Life
Moonlighting
Shout, The
Success is the Best Revenge
Walkover

For more info, check out: http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/nl ... 9c8e9b4b22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

OK, the Skolimowski programme in London has been formally announced, with key dates being:

March 18, BFI Southbank
7pm: UK premiere of Four Nights With Anna, followed by Jerzy Skolimowski Q&A (hosted by yours truly).

March 21, Riverside Studios
2.30pm: Identification Marks: None
4.10pm: Walkover

March 22, Riverside Studios
2.30pm: Barrier
4.15pm: Hands Up!

April 4, Tate Modern
3pm: Identification Marks: None

Four Nights With Anna is out in Poland on 20 February.

I've yet to find out if the disc has English subtitles, though other titles on the same label (Gutek Film) have done. I'll probably take the plunge anyway, as the zloty seems to be doing even worse than the pound right now, so it's not much of a gamble - and I have a Polish friend who's a Skolimowski nut who'll be only too happy to take it off my hands if it's incomprehensible!

MichaelB wrote:March 18, BFI Southbank
7pm: UK premiere of Four Nights With Anna, followed by Jerzy Skolimowski Q&A (hosted by yours truly).

A very prominent French producer, a very sincere and mild mannered man not given to invective or exaggeration, once told me that Skolimowski was the most difficult and abject **** that he ever had to deal with... and who made Polanski look like a pussy cat. Let's hope he has mellowed with age. Good Luck!.

Has anyone here seen Success Is the Best Revenge? It doesn't seem to be available on DVD, however a VHS is being sold on eBay for not exactly peanuts. Was wondering if it was worth it.

Thanks.

dmk_world wrote:Has anyone here seen Success Is the Best Revenge? It doesn't seem to be available on DVD, however a VHS is being sold on eBay for not exactly peanuts. Was wondering if it was worth it.

I'll be watching it very soon as part of my pre-interview preparations, but probably not for another fortnight. It has a pretty good reputation, though.

MichaelB wrote:

dmk_world wrote:Has anyone here seen Success Is the Best Revenge? It doesn't seem to be available on DVD, however a VHS is being sold on eBay for not exactly peanuts. Was wondering if it was worth it.

I'll be watching it very soon as part of my pre-interview preparations, but probably not for another fortnight. It has a pretty good reputation, though.

Wow, good review. Thanks.

I'll def. be getting it then.

MichaelB wrote:Four Nights With Anna is out in Poland on 20 February.

I've yet to find out if the disc has English subtitles, though other titles on the same label (Gutek Film) have done. I'll probably take the plunge anyway, as the zloty seems to be doing even worse than the pound right now, so it's not much of a gamble - and I have a Polish friend who's a Skolimowski nut who'll be only too happy to take it off my hands if it's incomprehensible!

I was sent an appalling-quality checkdisc yesterday (with so much artefacting that the bitrate must have been near zero, and the massive timecode didn't help), so I've gone ahead and ordered it - even if it doesn't have subtitles, at least I have a set for reference.

If it does, of course, I'll confirm as soon as it arrives - probably late next week if Merlin's usual delivery times apply.

Since they've announced it in the ad in the Kinoteka programme, I'm probably at liberty to reveal that Second Run is releasing Barrier and Hands Up! later this year - plus a tantalising hint that those won't be their only Skolimowski releases.

No idea about transfers/extras - but even if they use the same masters that Telewizja Kinopolska did, they're well aware of the inadequate subtitles on that release and intend to improve on them.

MichaelB wrote:Since they've announced it in the ad in the Kinoteka programme, I'm probably at liberty to reveal that Second Run is releasing Barrier and Hands Up! later this year - plus a tantalising hint that those won't be their only Skolimowski releases.

No idea about transfers/extras - but even if they use the same masters that Telewizja Kinopolska did, they're well aware of the inadequate subtitles on that release and intend to improve on them.

That's great news.

Success is the Best Revenge has actually been released on DVD in Greece, though the only place I've seen it being sold is on eBay for about US$20. It's only a little bit more expensive than the VHS a local seller is selling, so I'm going to take the plunge, and buy it. Is anyone aware of a reliable Greek Online Store? My Keyboard doesn't have the Greek alphabet, so my googleing has come to nothing. I expect online Greek stores to sell the DVD also.