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Underground (1995)
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:20 pm
by antnield
Early 2016.
...released in 3-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets, this Palme d’Or winner is presented with the complete 5-hour TV version, Once upon a Time There Was a Country, as an extra.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 4:10 pm
by TMDaines
Oh my. Currently the best TV version available is an old ARTE broadcast with burnt-in yellow subtitles. Fantastic news.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 5:20 pm
by Raymond Marble
I didn't know there was a five-hour TV version. Ooo...
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:23 pm
by TMDaines
There's extended TV versions of a few of Kusturica's film. I would love this to be the start of a few releases of his work.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:55 pm
by tenia
Because of the price drop on Amazon, I was looking at the specs of this release and was surprised to see it is announced as a 1 BD-50 + 2 DVD-9 release.
But the main movie is already 167 min, so if this is correct, then the TV cut can't be in HD, right ?
Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 7:12 pm
by MichaelB
It isn't. I assume no HD master was available - which would make sense, given that it dates from the mid-1990s and there was no reason to master a TV series in HD back then.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:00 pm
by AK
Amazon just send an email about a new release date, which is now 22 February.
Can't wait to see this.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:59 pm
by antnield
New extra listed on Amazon:
- Shooting Days: Emir Kusturica Directs Underground (1996, Aleksandar Manic, 73 mins): on-set documentary
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:53 pm
by dr_anticant
I got excited about this, but then I remembered that after seeing the 3-hour cut about 3 years ago I bought the Artificial Eye dvd, and it's still in its shrinkwrap. i probably don't need it in higher definition and longer. And i know it's a wonderful film!
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 5:11 pm
by Raymond Marble
Do we know how limited this is? The usual 3000 copies, maybe? (I wonder how that became the standard figure for limited Blu-ray releases...) I tried finding the number, but a cursory search didn't yield anything.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 2:57 pm
by MichaelB
Full specs announced:
Underground
A film by Emir Kusturica
Music by Goran Bregović
Underground, Emir Kusturica’s deeply moving and masterful tragic-farce, earned the Serbian director/actor/musician his second Palme d'Or in 1995, securing his place amongst an elite group of filmmakers.
This epic tale of friendship, betrayal and romantic entanglement, set against the backdrop of 50 turbulent years of Yugoslavian history, will be released on Limited Edition Blu-ray for the first time in the UK and in a 3-disc DVD set by the BFI on 29 February 2016.
Special features included Kusturica’s six-part TV cut of the film, Once Upon a Time There Was a Country, and a making-of documentary.
Marko (Miki Manojlović) and Blacky (Lazar Ristovski) are two charming rogues making a living on the black market by stealing arms to sell on to the Partisans. Both men are in love with actress Natalija (Mirjana Joković), and in the chaos of war, Marko orchestrates a way to eliminate his competition, by hiding him away in a cellar – for over 20 years – by means of an elaborate charade that the war is still going on.
The film’s soundtrack is by Yugoslavian contemporary composer Goran Bregović, one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers from the Balkans. He has also worked with Kusturica on his films Time of the Gypsies and Arizona Dream.
Special features
• Once Upon a Time There Was a Country (Emir Kusturica, 1995, 315 mins): The six-part TV version of Underground;
• Shooting Days (Aleksandar Manic, 1996, 73 mins): a documentary charting the making of Underground shot whilst the film was in production;
• EPK items (29 mins): Behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the director, cast and production designer;
• Trailer;
• Illustrated booklet featuring essays and film credits.
Blu-ray product details
RRP: £34.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1227 / Cert 15
France, Germany, Hungary / 1995 / colour / Serbo-Croat language, with optional English subtitles / 170 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.85:1
Disc 1: BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / 1080p / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM stereo audio (48KHz/16bits) / Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / stereo audio (192Kbps) / Disc 3: DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / stereo audio (192Kbps)
DVD product details
RRP: £29.99 / Cat. no. BFIV2074 / Cert 15
France, Germany, Hungary / 1995 / colour / Serbo-Croat language, with optional English subtitles / 163 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.85:1
Disc 1: DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 audio (48KHz/16bit) / Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / stereo audio (192Kbps) / Disc 3: DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / stereo audio (192Kbps)
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:43 am
by Aunt Peg
They are great extras. Can't wait!
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 11:49 am
by MichaelB
Interestingly, this site devoted to dream versions of DVD/BD releases tackled Underground and
posited something very similar to what the BFI is doing here - certainly all the major stuff.
The specs also confirm that the TV version is DVD-only, but that's not even the tiniest bit surprising.
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2016 1:45 am
by andyli
DVDBeaver. Looks like another
Idaho case here. All the DVDs look yellow compared to the new Blu-ray's neutral(?) image .
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:56 pm
by criterion10
Any recommendation for which version of Underground is best to watch first/superior? Also: any information on the source of the HD master (basically wondering if this new color palette is as Kusturica intended)?
Re: Underground (Kusturica)
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:27 am
by fatboyslim142
criterion10 wrote:Any recommendation for which version of Underground is best to watch first/superior? Also: any information on the source of the HD master (basically wondering if this new color palette is as Kusturica intended)?
I'd recommend the 6 part TV version as this is the version Kusturica apparently prefers. Mind you, it's ONLY on DVD (included within the BD set).
The film version corresponds to the TV version in a way similar to shortened (butchered) film versions of Bergman's TV mini-series stuff he did.
Re: Underground (1995)
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 12:33 am
by hearthesilence
Re: Underground (1995)
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:15 am
by hearthesilence
The playback on the DVD looks sped-up - I'm still checking the settings to figure out why, but regardless, I wound up seeing the Blu-ray since it had no issues. Great transfer, and what a great, black comedy. Ristovski in particular is marvelous. I only watched this because it finally came in the mail, but in light of what's happening here in the U.S., it carried an extra punch.
Re: Underground (1995)
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:31 am
by MichaelB
The DVD will be 25fps PAL, as originally broadcast in Europe.
Re: Underground (1995)
Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:40 am
by hearthesilence
MichaelB wrote: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:31 am
The DVD will be 25fps PAL, as originally broadcast in Europe.
I know but for some reason when the DVD is played back on my BD player everything moves a touch faster. I have it set to 24fps playback - if anything, I thought that would slow things down (albeit imperceptibly) rather than speed them up.