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McCrutchy wrote:I haven't gotten round to my copy yet, but count me as another one perturbed by the yellow subtitles. And not to fan the flames, but I also thought we were past the lossy audio encodes as well. I realize full well that this is score for a silent film, but even with the long feature, they still had plenty of room for a lossless 2.0 track, and given the prices they charge, it's pretty lame that we're back to bog standard 192 kbps Dolby.

McCrutchy wrote:I haven't gotten round to my copy yet, but count me as another one perturbed by the yellow subtitles. And not to fan the flames, but I also thought we were past the lossy audio encodes as well. I realize full well that this is score for a silent film, but even with the long feature, they still had plenty of room for a lossless 2.0 track, and given the prices they charge, it's pretty lame that we're back to bog standard 192 kbps Dolby.

triodelover wrote:Finally got around to watching Feu Mathias Pascal last night. Wonderful film; outstanding performance from Mozzhukhin (and in two brief appearances, a young Michel Simon). Some damage as reported, but long stretches that look stunning on the BD.

The good news: not all the subs are yellow. A number are white. \:D/ The bad news: at least two sets are turquoise (reaches for smelling salts and applies cold compress to brow).

As far as the lossy audio encode goes, I suspect the appearance of the film in SD in the upcoming set had something to do with it. One soundtrack, two discs. Make budget where you can. Despite this and the sub brouhaha, a must own.

bdurden wrote:

triodelover wrote:Finally got around to watching Feu Mathias Pascal last night. Wonderful film; outstanding performance from Mozzhukhin (and in two brief appearances, a young Michel Simon). Some damage as reported, but long stretches that look stunning on the BD.

The good news: not all the subs are yellow. A number are white. \:D/ The bad news: at least two sets are turquoise (reaches for smelling salts and applies cold compress to brow).

As far as the lossy audio encode goes, I suspect the appearance of the film in SD in the upcoming set had something to do with it. One soundtrack, two discs. Make budget where you can. Despite this and the sub brouhaha, a must own.

Thanks for all the kind words triodelover, as we thought this was a great film as well we wanted it to be available for everyone to see. I had never even heard of it before I started working for Flicker Alley and got sucked in when I was watching it. So much so that I had missed the turquoise subtitles, could you please let me know where you found these so I can check again. I can understand how jarring that may have been. And again, for the audio, please see above. As I hope you'll understand why we made the choice we made with the budget we had. If it was available in a higher recording we definitely would have used that for the BD.

jbeall wrote:Gary Tooze says that Flicker Alley's release of Nanook of the North is a significant upgrade on the old Criterion dvd.

jheez wrote:Which version of the Cinerama booklet is the correct one? Is it the version with the "about this blu-ray..." on the back cover or the one with nothing on the back cover?

Curtis Harrington, widely regarded as one of the important avant-garde directors of the 1940 s, as well as an early influential figure in what would come to be known as New Queer Cinema, was born in Los Angeles in 1926. He began making films as a teenager, often deeply surreal, intuitive, and owing much to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in film studies, his unique career trajectory led him from the academic circles of cinematic criticism (he wrote a publication on the films of Josef von Sternberg); to the Hollywood assistant desk of writer/producer Jerry Wald; to the elite group of independent filmmakers associated with Kenneth Anger (the two remained life-long friends); to the famed film factory of cult icon Roger Corman; then on to his own stint in the world of genre movie-making with Night Tide and Games; and most unpredictable of all, to finding commercial success in television. This publication, a joint effort between Flicker Alley and Drag City featuring restorations carried out by the Academy Film Archive on a single-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo, comprised of six short films by the late experimental filmmaker, as well as bonus interview footage and rarely-seen early works.

Fragment of Seeking (1946, 16 mins.) Harrington plays a young man desperately seeking out the fleeting image of a female companion, and though he never quite catches her, he discovers much more through the surreal explorations of his own sexuality. Made a year before Kenneth Anger's Fireworks, the films contain some similarities in their treatment of homoerotic themes, though Fragment is more restrained and subtle.

Picnic (1948, 22 mins.) Beginning in the reality of American middle-class life, Picnic portrays the idealistic dream-quest of the protagonist, from which he is finally cast off. Harrington himself described the film thus: 'A satirical comment on middle-class life frames a dream-like continuity in which the protagonist pursues an illusory object of desire.'

On the Edge (1949, 6 mins.) In this fragile, yet frightening poetic fantasy, set against a dark industrial landscape, Harrington casts his own mother and father in the lead roles.

The Assignation (1953, 8 mins.) Long considered lost, this was Harrington s first color film. It was shot in Venice, Italy, and not unlike Fragment of Seeking, follows a masked figure through the labyrinthine canals of the city, building to a spectacular climax.

The Wormwood Star (1955, 10 mins) A film study of the artwork of famed painter, occultist and Alistair Crowley-enthusiast Majorie Cameron. Cameron went on to star in Harrington s feature-length Night Tide. It is by far one of his most visually arresting works.

Usher (2002, 38 mins.) Harrington s final film before he died in 2007, Usher is a remake of a short he made in high school based on the classic Edgar Allan Poe story The Fall of the House of Usher. He once again expresses his interest in the occult by casting known members of the Church of Satan, Nikolas and Zeena Schreck.

Bonus Features Also included are four bonus features. The Four Elements (1966) is a poetic and avant-garde documentary Harrington made for the U.S. Information Agency. The Fall of the House of Usher (1942) is the original film made by Harrington when was in high school from which Usher is based. A short interview shot by filmmakers Tyler Hubby and Jeffrey Schwarz, who are responsible for the documentary House of Harrington (2009); and a 2003 interview with Harrington made courtesy of the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. An enclosed booklet contains notes on restorations by Academy Film Archive preservationist Mark Toscano and an essay by Lisa Janssen.

knives wrote:For those who haven't yet pulled the trigger on the Harrington set FA have released On the Edge to test the waters with.