criterionforum.org

As I am presently digging through the Kino catalogue, as well as reviews and forum threads, in the interest of placing an order with DDD during their Kino sale, and since it was suggested in the Kino thread to create an annotated Kino catalogue, I have gone ahead and done that (a few as yet unreleased titles are included, and probably a couple that are out of print).

I will not try to rate these, as I did in the Facets thread -- I think Kino is in a different game than Facets in several ways, and whereas I am generally very happy with the Kino discs I own, I also think that more often than not, they can be improved upon (and probably will in the future) for the obvious reasons of limitations in the source materials. A whole list of "yellow" titles would not be inviting, especially to people relatively new to Kino, and part of the motivation behind this little project is to help people make qualified decisions on titles to view. All things even, I think Kino is up there with the best labels in what they have to offer, and it would be a shame for any film lover to pass over their catalogue.

What I have done instead is to compile links to external reviews, and quoted comments made by forum members in other threads (and since this is far from complete yet, I will add to it as time permits in the coming days/weeks). If anyone is unhappy with being quoted out of context let me know, and I will remove your comments.

Finding it hard to keep my little fingers off the crayons, I have coded negative comments in red, positive comments in blue, and neutral comments are left in black.

The first and best place to go for additional information on any of these titles is of course Kino's own web site, which has a lot of information on each and every release, in many cases supplemented with video clips.

I hope this is helpful, and I wish everyone a lot of fun and pleasure in discovering new films through this little exercise, as I have already done myself.

25 Fireman's Street (Istvan Szabo, 1973) – Positive review at DVDtalk.
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke, 1994) – Very positive review at DVDSavant ; lukewarm review at DVDfile DVDfile.
A Double Tour (Claude Chabrol, 1959) – Positive review at DVDBeaver ; mainly positive review at 10k Bullets.
Adoption (Márta Mészáros, 1975) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... Adoption is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends." Positive review at DVDTalk.
Age d'Or, L' (Luis Bunuel, 1930) -- Very positive review at DVDSavant; Quite negative review at Digitally Obsessed; Comparison with the R2 release from BFI which also includes Un Chien Andalou at DVDBeaver.
Agony (Elem Klimov, 1975) -- The film and extras receive excellent marks, while the transfer leaves something to be desired according to DVDTalk.
Alila (Amos Gitai, 2003) -- Positive review at DVDTalk.
Amen (Costa-Gavras, 2002) -- Very positive review at Digitally Obsessed
American Film Theater Box 1 -- Collects the individual Kino releases of: The Iceman Cometh, Rhinoceros, Butley, The Maids and Luther.
American Film Theater Box 2 -- Collects the individual Kino releases of: A Delicate Balance, The Man In the Glass Booth, The Homecoming, Three Sisters and In Celebration.
American Film Theater Box 3 -- Collects the individual Kino releases of: Galileo, Lost In the Stars, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Animal Love (Ulrich Seidl, 1995) -- -- Fairly positive review at DVDSavant.
Antigone (Yorgos Javellas, 1961) -- Positive review with minor reservations at DVDTalk; and, a good review with major reservations on the image quality at Digitally Obsessed.
Applause (Rouben Mamoulian, 1929) -- Lubitsch: "What I think is a bit sad is that Kino doesn't get the attention when they do something really wonderful. If LOVE ME TONIGHT and APPLAUSE would have been Criterion releases, there would have been much ... eh, applause, sorry for the pun, couldn't resist. As Kino releases they were hardly noticed it seems to me. I add my voice to the chorus of those who sing the praise of Mamoulian and strongly suggest buying his films..." Fairly positive review at The Digital Bits and one that is similar in tone at DVDTalk.
Arbuckle & Keaton vol. 1 (Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, 1917-1919) -- Positive review at Digitally Obsessed; what can best be described as party time at Silent Era; and, high recommendation from DVDTalk.
Arbuckle & Keaton vol. 2 (Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, 1918-1920) -- The celebration continues at Silent Era; and, at The Laser Examiner people are also pleased.
Art of Buster Keaton DVD Box Set -- Collection of all of Kino's individual Buster Keaton releases. HerrSchreck: “The Keaton box has been bettered to a mild degree by some newer releases but the box is one of the all time grand slams in all of silent-filmdom, and suffers that "bettered" disposition because of it's veteran status.”
As Tears Go By (Wong Kar-Wai, 1988) -- Lukewarm review at DVDTalk; a more positive review at Digitally Obsessed; and, a comparison at DVDBeaver, which is fairly positive about the Kino release in some respects, but in the end comes out in favor of the Tartan R2 release.
Asphalt (Joe May, 1929) -- Excerpt from NY Times review (courtesy of Souvenir: "The revelation in this bunch is Joe May's “Asphalt,” an UFA superproduction from 1929 that features one of the largest interior sets ever built... Kino's bad habit of replacing original language intertitles with English translations remains a drawback. (Why not use subtitles, as the British distributors of these same transfers have done?) But the images survive, and they speak quite clearly enough." Generally positive review at DVDTalk.
Assunta Spina / The Last Diva (Bertini, Francesca, Gustavo Serena/Gianfranco Mingozzi ,1915/1982)
Asylum (Peter Robinson, 1972) -- Gordon McMurphy: "They released the amazing Carl Jung documentary, Matter Of Heart and also included the rarely seen BBC "Face to Face" interview with Jung from 1959 and footage of Jung at Bollingen in 1951. Priceless stuff and this DVD wasn't reviewed anywhere! They also released the 1972 documentary on R.D. Laing, Asylum. I can't recommend these releases enough. Amazing." A strongly positive review at DVDTalk.
Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and ‘30s -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Hard to argue about this one. Any wear on the original films aside, anyone who owns this set will probably agree on its excellence, and so do the various reviewers: DVDSavant, Digitally Obsessed and DVDBeaver.
Ayuveda (Pan Nalin, 2001)
Battling Butler (Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline, 1926) -- This Keaton release includes the two short films "Frozen North" and "The Haunted House," DVD Times gives the disc a generally positive review.
Behind Locked Doors (Oscar “Budd” Boetticher, 1948) -- A very enthusiastic review at Digitally Obsessed and a positive review at DVDBeaver with screen caps that look strong.
Belle of Amherst, The (Charles Dubin, 1976) -- This is a filmed theatrical performance from the mid-'70s, and seen in that context DVDTalk gives it a positive review.
Benny's Video (Michael Haneke, 1992) -- As pointed out by DVDTalk, this is at present the only English-friendly version of the film. The review is lukewarm, and prefers the French image to that on the Kino release. Digitally Obsessed is generally pleased with the release. And, DVDFile is disappointed with the Kino release.
Best of Big Bands & Swing, The (Various, 1929-1939)
Best of Jazz & Blues, The (Various, 1930-1941)
Betty (Claude Chabrol, 1992) -- DVDTalk presents a negative review that is somewhat puzzling in its insistence that the film is ruined by "PAL speedup" in the transfer.
Big Fella / Song of Freedom (J. Elder Wills, 1937/1936)
Biograph Shorts (D.W. Griffith, 1909-1913)
Birth of a Nation, The (D.W. Griffith, 1915) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. DVDBeaver compares the Kino release with the R1 Image release and the R2 disc from Eureka. The R1 releases are color tinted and the R2 is not. Beaver's conclusion goes in favor of the Eureka disc, which does look sharper and cleaner in the comparison, although it is hard to tell due to the tinted vs. untinted images. For extras, Kino is the strongest.
Black Pirate, The (Albert Parker, 1926) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Silent Era has a piece on The Black Pirate, which mentions, but does not really throw any light, on the Kino release. DVDTalk on the other hand has a long and informative review highlighting the early 2-strip color process of the film, and recommending the release highly.
Black Tights (Terence Young, 1960)
Blind Chance (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1981) -- A strong review at DVDTalk, and a strong recommendation from DVDBeaver.
Blind Husbands / The Great Gabbo (Erich von Stroheim/James Cruze, 1919/1929) -- HerrSchreck: "The STROEHEIMS have been discussed over & over again on this site: they are regarded as very worthwhile, though the material itself, from the AFI resto's, is obviously not in the best shape and is responsible for the flaws. I do think the bitrate could be higher on these." Tryana: "I find the three von Stroheims to be fine: Queen Kelly, Foolish Wives, and Blind Husbands. All three are important films, all have useful and intelligent extras, and (IMO) all boast reasonably decent transfers for the age of the materials and the DVDs themselves. (Folks might want to hold off on Blind Husbands until the R2 Filmmuseum edition comes out, though.)" Tribe: "You're right about the extras and the importance of the films themselves. But they are shitty transfers, regardless of the reason, be it age or what have you. I'm not sorry I have them, but the quality of them isn't all that great." Silent Era points out the inherent flaws in Kino's release, but recommends the disc highly.
Blind Shaft (Li Yang, 2003) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... Blind Shaft is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends. This review captures well the quality of the release"
Blood and Sand (Fred Niblo, 1922) -- Near ecstatic review at Silent Era, and a more tempered but still mainly positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
Blue Angel, The (Josef von Sternberg, 1930) -- A generally positive review from Digitally Obsessed, and a comparison at DVDBeaver with the German R2 release from BMG. The conclusion is that the releases (as well as Eureka's release of the title) are all but identical. Denti alligator: “As for Blue Angel. Wait until MoC tackles this one. The Kino isn't all that great. It's in the wrong AR, for example.”
Blue Bird, The (Maurice Tourneur, 1918) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Tommaso: "And another definitive must-have, not yet discussed here in detail, is Tourneur's "Blue Bird". This is a good example of what I described elsewhere as a very good transfer made from less-than-optimal source materials (to put it mildly), but in this case I really couldn't care less. What a beautiful film, but I guess that if it had lain two more years in the vaults it would have been completely decomposed..." Considering the age of the film and the inherent decay of the source elements, DVDTalk gives Kino's release a positive review. Digitally Obsessed offers an even more positive assessment.
Blue Kite, The (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 1993) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... The Blue Kite is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends."
Boesman & Lena (John Berry, 2000)
Bonnes Femmes, Les (Claude Chabrol, 1960) -- Good image but not stellar DVD according to 10k Bullets. Reasonably positve review at DVDBeaver, a not very positive review at French Films on DVD, and finally a positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
Borsalino & Co. (Jacques Deray, 1974) -- "Dazzling disc" says DVDSavant, Digitally Obsessed is less excited about the release, although they do commend the "filmic" look of the disc.
Broken Blossoms (D.W. Griffith, 1919) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Silent Era proclaims this release "head and shoulders" above any previous release. DVDAuthority is positively surprised. And, Digitally Obsessed is likewise very happy with the image and general quality of the disc.
Brothers Quay Collection, The (Brothers Quay, 1979-1993) -- Scharphedin: "I own this disc and have watched it several times over the years, and it has always really reminded me of the way these films have looked in the cinema. For anyone interested in the work of the Quays, I would recommend this release. That said, Zeitgeist has promised an updated and restored release with a lot of extra goodies to come out in 2007, and BFI has announced the same for R2. Highly recommended at Digitally Obsessed.
Butley (Harold Pinter, 1974)
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The (Robert Wiene, 1919) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Zone Resident: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari may be a decent representation given
the state of the source material. Reviewed by DVDBeaver here." Another comparison (text only) at Sex Gore Mutants. And, a string of positive reviews at Silent Era, Digitally Obsessed and DVDTimes.
Cabiria (Giovanni Pastrone, 1914) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without list. Until Criterion produces goods." Generally positive reviews at Silent Era and Digitally Obsessed.
Camera Buff (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979) -- A fairly positive review by DVDTalk, and another positive review at DVDBeaver
Capitaine Conan (Bertrand Tavernier, 1996) -- Digitally Obsessed gives the image quality very poor marks, and FilmsOnDisc agrees.
Captive, La (Chantal Akerman, 2000) -- DVDBeaver recommends this disc both for quality of image and extras. Digitally Obsessive and DVDTalk are likewise very positive.
Carnegie Hall (Edgar Ulmer, 1947) -- This rare film receives a very positive review for its image (not its sound) at Digitally Obsessed.
Cavalcade of Comedy (Various, 1929-1933) -- A release that sounds like a lot of fun, and receives high marks from DVDSavant. Digitally Obsessed does not give it highest marks, but finds the films themselves invaluable.
Chaos (Hideo Nakata, 1999)
Charley Chase Collection, The (Leo McCarey, 1924-1926) -- DVDTalk commends the disc for a nice restoration, and for making it possible through this release to rediscover one of the lost figures of the silent era.
Charley Chase Collection II, The (Leo McCarey, 1924-1926) -- DVDTalk highly recommends this release both for image and content quality. In the review, the following point is made: "The only cause for concern with this disc is that it was transferred from a PAL master. This means that the speed of the film is accelerated by 4%, which isn't a concern for silent films since there wasn't a standard running speed. A more troublesome matter is that this results in ghosting, where there seems to be a false image during some action scenes. This isn't really a major worry since the vast majority of people won't notice it. It is a subtle defect that is more readily observed if you freeze a frame. While the film is running, it is a minor or nonexistent issue for most people." And, another quite positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
Cheat, The /Manslaughter (Cecil B. DeMille, 1915/1922) -- A mixed review at Silent Era aimed more at the content than the image quality. And another mixed review at Digitally Obsessed.
Cherry Orchard, The (Michael Cacoyannis, 1999)
Chess Fever / Earth / End of St. Petersburg, The (Vsevolod Pudovkin/Alexander Dovzhenko/Vsevolod Pudovkin, 1925/1930/1927) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Scharphedin: "I own this disc, and while the source material is clearly in bad shape, it is a great treat to be able to view these essential Russian film classics. Other than the condition of the original film materials, I am not unhappy with the image quality of this disc."
Chess Players, The (Satyajit Ray, 1977) -- Digitally Obsessed is not happy with the transfer or the source material, and gives this release low marks. DVDTalk is much more forgiving, and finds the transfer and image quality quite good, all things considered.
Chèvre, La (Francis Veber, 1982)
Chi-hwa-seon (Im Kwon-taek, 2002) -- DVDBeaver features a strong review of this film, but finds the R3 Cinema Service release superior to Kino's in terms of image. The screen caps for both releases look good, although they present the film very differently. Tommaso: "Not having seen the Kino, I can nevertheless strongly recommend the R3, especially because I do not find that the faces are 'stretched' (at least I did not recognize anything disturbing me). More importantly, the R3 has removable subs and is anamorphic, whereas the Kino (according to the Beaver) has burnt-in subs and is letterboxed. This is a truly visual film with some of the most breathtaking images I came across in recent years. The narrative is a little loose, as if something had been cut out before release, but it's still a very intense meditation on art and its making, and quite well acted, too. Although the extras are unsubbed, some of them can be used nevertheless, like the special fx demonstration or the account of the Cannes visit. A must see for any fan of Eastern arthouse cinema."
Christmas Past, A (Various, 1901-1925) -- Another disc that sounds like a lot of fun, reviewed positively at Silent Era. The following is an interesting excerpt from the review on the topic of image compression/bit rate: "...Most of the source prints feature very good detail and broad grayscale tonal ranges. The video transfers are very good but the DVD's video bit rate rarely exceeds 5 megabytes per second, which means the video information has been highly compressed. The compression results can be seen in still frames as jagged diagonal edges and in full motion as what appears to be film grain but is instead the averaging of the gray levels of many film grains contained in the larger than should be tolerated image pixels. The lower the bit rate, the noisier and rougher the image. The higher the bit rate (7 to 8 Mbps should be a target compression rate), the smoother the resulting image quality."
Chronicle of a Disappearance (Elia Suleiman, 1997) -- DVDTalk basically says "skip it." The presentation is not very good, and the reviewer does not connect with the film.
Circle of Deceit (Volker Schlöndorff, 1981) -- DVDSavant makes this film sound really exciting, and gives the transfer high marks.
Clockmaker of St. Paul, The (Bertrand Tavernier, 1973) -- Digitally Obsessive gives an average rating of this disc, and while DVDBeaver also finds this (quite old] release midling in quality, it is not said to distract from the enjoyment of the film. Multi-region viewers interested in Tavernier may want to look into the French releases of his work, which are said to be good and most often with English subs.
Code Unknown (Michael Haneke, 2001) -- A fairly neutral review at Digitally Obsessed. DVDBeaver compares the Kino disc to the R2 Artificial Eye release, which pretty clearly is superior in image.
Collected Shorts of Jan Svankmajer, The (Jan Svankmajer, 1965-1992) -- Myra Breckinridge: "Finally, what other label has Jan Svankmaker titles out there, hey? This alone shows just how broad Kino's vision is. A minor remark, but it would be nice if they had included the original dub tracks instead of the english ones but it's nice to know that they are available, anyhow." Two mainly positive reviews at DVDSavant and Digitally Obsessed.
College (Buster Keaton, 1927) -- This Keaton disc also includes the shorts "Electric Horse, "Hard Luck" and "The Blacksmith." It is reviewed by DVD Times here.
Color of Lies, The (Claude Chabrol, 1998) -- "Fine film but the presentation is lacking," says 10k Bullets. DVDBeaver has screen caps, so one can make a personal choice on the image quality. Beaver's conclusion is that the film is poorly presented, but with great extras.
Color of Pomegranates, The / Paradjanov: A Requiem (Sergei Paradjanov/Ron Holloway, 1969/1994) -- Tommaso: "[T]here are actually two cases where the film-viewing experience (at least for me) actually WAS ruined by [Kino], and these are Paradjanov's "Colour of Pomegranates" and "Ashik-Kerib", and not just because of the hideous ULTRA-LARGE NON-REMOVABLE YELLOW subs, but because of the atrocious image quality, too." HerrSchreck: ""THE COLOR OF POMEGRANITES? That's a near-consensus level good disc. ASHIK KERIB, yes, you're absolutely right, but POMEGRANITES is straight, clean telecine on a pristine vintage print showing you precisely what it looked like upon release. That was a film made on no budget, on the cheapest film stock. I'd really have to disagree on that one." Yoshimori: "I too am going to have dissent from the consensus on this point. Not only does the r1us disc probably not look like the ur-release print, it doesn't even look close - in color saturation, sharpness - to the decade(s?) old print I saw last year at the UCLA Film Archives. Is the disc unwatachable? No. Is it pristine, etc...? ..." The only review I could find online was at Digitally Obsessed, where the following statement is made about the image/transfer: "For a film of this age and, from what I understand, kept under such poor conditions, it's in pretty good condition. Most importantly, the color is very much intact with very little fading. However, the film is damaged and cannot really be compared to the average DVD. A lot of work had to be done just to get Pomegranates to look this good, and so the amounts of damage still present on the source print are forgivable. Amazingly, the transfer itself is pristine. At no time do any digital flaws appear as a result of the film's natural problems. Not even the dirtiest or most visually complex scenes exhibit any kind of shimmer or artifacting. The film looks simply as pure as possible, and as beautiful as possible. It should be noted that the subtitles are hard intertitles; burned into the film itself. To be honest, they're a little big and take up too much of the frame, but they're also sparsely used, so it's not that big a deal."
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... Come and See is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends." Galen Young: “I just got a copy of the Kino edition? a single disc version running 142 minutes. The transfer is pretty clean, the photography really shimmers at times. The only bummer is not being able to switch off the subtitles. What an amazing film, I had never seen it before.” Ashirg: “This is the second release by Kino. The first one was just a copy of Ruscico NTSC disc. They removed all extras and put both parts on one disc, but I'm not sure if they used the same transfer.” Digitally Obsessed gives the film high marks, but finds the transfer disappointing.
Coming Apart (Milton Moses Ginsberg, 1969)
Compères, Les (Francis Veber, 1984)
Conspirators of Pleasure (Jan Svankmajer, 1996) -- This release includes the short "Food," and is very favorably reviewed at DVDTimes.
Contraband (Michael Powell, 1940) -- Tryavna: “It's been a while since I've watched Contraband, but Powell & Pressburger fans shouldn't hold back if they're interested. The print itself is very nice -- maybe a little too dark during the blackout scenes. I think this one is interlaced, too. Based on the running time, it may even be PAL-sourced, but I don't know for sure.” Digitally Obsessed calls it a much for fans of the spy genre and the Archers alike. The print shows the damage one can expect at its age, but the transfer is acceptable.
Cop Au Vin (Claude Chabrol, 1985) -- Mainly positive review at Digitally Obsessed and quite high praise from DVDTalk.
Cops vs. Thugs (Kinji Fukasaku, 1976) -- The title sounds a little silly, but the descriptions of the film and disc quality are excellent at DVDTalk; Digitally Obsessed is significantly less enthusiastic.
Counsellor-at-Law (William Wyler, 1933) -- A mainly positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
Cyclist, The (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1988) -- Zone Resident: "The Cyclist is the same DVD previously distributed by Image (as confirmed by Kino Website). It is in pretty bad shape, but the only representation of a great film in R1. Reviewed by DVDBeaver here."
Daresalam (Isse Serge Coelo, 2000)
Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991)
Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-Wai, 1991)
Dead Man's Bluff (Alexei Balabanov, 2005)
Dead or Alive (Takashi Miike, 1999) -- Strong recommendation at DVDTalk, and a less enthused review of the disc at Kung Fu Cult Cinema, but reams of enthusiasm about the film from what I gather is a hard core fan.
Dead or Alive II (Takashi Miike, 2000)
Dead or Alive: Final (Takashi Miike, 2002)
Dead or Alive Box Set (Takashi Miike, 1999-2002) -- This release collects Kino's individual releases of Takashi Miike's DoA series. Mainly positive review from DVDAuthority and a reserved recommendation at DVDTalk.
Deep Seijun: Seijun Suzuki Box Set -- Collects the individual Kino releases of Yumeji, Zigeunerweisen and Kagero-za. HerrSchreck: “The only set that apparently has notable image quality issues according to the rest of the planet is the TAISHO box... though not really as bad as your average ZAOITOCHI disc from HVe. The discs are anamorphic & progressive, but have burned-in subs.”
Delicate Balance, A (Tony Richardson, 1973)
Dementia (John Parker, 1953) -- Tryavna: “Based on Schreck's recommendations in the past, I've also purchased Dementia, Little Fugitive, and They Made Me a Fugitive, and I'm happy with all three. They Made Me a Fugitive is probably the weakest, with a print that shows some wear and tear. All three may be interlaced; I'm pretty sure They Made Me a Fugitive is. Little Fugitive boasts that rare extra for Kino: a commentary!”
Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa, 1975) -- Zone Resident: "Another less than decent but unique (at least in R1) edition of a great
film, reviewed here by DVDBeaver." Scharphedin: "I too own this disc, and as it is a favorite film of mine, I would love an even better looking DVD release. However, Kino's version actually looks and reminds me of seeing the film in the cinema in the mid-'80s, and later on laserdisc in the mid-'90s. So, for anyone intent on seeing this wonderful film, I would recommend Kino's disc." This review at Digital Bits very passionately sums up the film, and notes the shortcomings of the disc.
Devarim (Amos Gitai, 1995)
Diary of a Lost Girl (G.W. Pabst, 1929) -- Davidhare: "Diary of a Lost Girl is available in a better (restored) version from Gaumont France in the Louise Brooks coffret (not available separately, includes Pandora's Box and Prix de Beaute.)"
Diaspora (Frédéric Brenner, 2003)
Different From the Others (Richard Oswald, 1919) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Dog Days (Ulrich Seidl, 2001)
Double Headed Eagle, The (Lutz Becker, 1973)
Douglas Fairbanks Box Set -- Collects the following Kino releases of films starring Fairbanks: Robin Hood, Mark of Zorro, Three Musketeers, Black Pirate and Thief of Bagdad. At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Myra Breckinridge: "I am a particular fan of The Thief of Baghdad and there's lots of Fairbanks films I'd love to know more of. The only downside is that this set doesn't contain every Fairbanks DVD Kino owns the rights to. I wonder what they were thinking of when they made this decision."
Down to the Sea in Ships / Parisian Love (Elmer Clifton/Louis Gasnier, 1922/1925)
Dr. Akagi (Shohei Imamura, 1998)
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (J.S. Robertson, 1920)
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler – Restored Authorized Edition (Fritz Lang, 1922) -- A good DVD with the same run time is out from Eureka in R2. Tryavna comments: "In the case of this extended Mabuse, where you have to make a choice between reconstructed English titles vs. reconstructed German titles with clumsy English translation, I can understand why a person might want to go with Kino despite a poor PAL->NTSC transfer. (Personally, I got the Eureka over a year ago, and I don't find the English subtitles incomprehensible or even overly distracting...)" Excerpt from NY Times review (courtesy of Souvenir): "Fritz Lang's “Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler” (1922) was one of the first films to explain modern society as the creation of a master criminal — it's not likely that you've seen them in their full form. “Mabuse,” for example, was cut almost in half for its original American release and has been available only in a partly restored 213-minute version from Image Entertainment. Kino's new double-disc set is 270 minutes long and has superb photographic quality, with images drawn from original camera negatives in the German archives." And, a rather neutral review at Slant Magazine.
East Side Story (Dana Ranga, 1997)
Edison: The Invention of the Movies (Various, 1891-1918) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. HerrSchreck: “EDISON is an absolutely indispensable collection for anyone serious about the history of the cinema, and one of those thankless masterpiece releases that Kino never fails in producing that they rarely get anywhere near enough credit for.” Very positive reviews at Digitally Obsessed and DVDTalk.
Eleanor Roosevelt Story, The (Richard Kaplan, 1965)
Emigrant, The (Youssef Chahine, 1994)
Enfer, L' (Claude Chabrol, 1994) -- Strong reviews of the film with some reservations on the transfer at Digitally Obsessed and DVDTalk.
Ernst Ludwig Kirschner
Erotikon (Mauritz Stiller, 1920) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Zedz: “I heartily recommend the three recent Stillers. Great filmmaker, great films, and some of Kino's best-looking discs.”
Eva (Joseph Losey, 1962) -- Scharphedin: "This is really an excellent film (starring the lovely Jeanne Moreau), and it is presented in two versions -- the original release cut, and Losey's preferred longer cut. As I remember it, and this confirmed by Digitally Obsessed, the image quality of the longer version was rather poor with burnt in Finnish subtitles. However, the release version looked very nice for a film of this age."
Expresso Bongo (Val Guest, 1959) -- Generally positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
F.W. Murnau Box Set -- Collection of Kino's individual releases of Nosferatu, Faust, Tartuffe, The Last Laugh and Tabu. HerrSchreck: “...[S]ome of the Murnau Stiftung sourced material is PAL-NTSC, but with image quality & greyscale balancing that exceed their European counterparts.”
Fallen Angels (Wong Kar-Wai, 1995)
Fanny Trilogy Box Set (Marcel Pagnol/Alexander Korda/Marc Allegret, 1931/1932/1936) -- Kinsayder replying to question of the quality of this release: “The new Foley track is the only problem with this set, but it is a problem.”
Farewell, Home Sweet Home (Otar Iosselani, 1999) -- A mainly positive review at DVDTalk.
Father (Istvan Szabo, 1966) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... Father is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends."
Faust (F.W. Murnau, 1926) -- Myra Breckinridge: "I used to own Murnau's Faust and it served me well enough, that is until the recent MoC edition... hard to beat that one now!"
Faust (Jan Svankmajer, 1994)
Fertile Memory (Michael Khliefi, 1980) -- Gregory: "It's an anamorphic transfer but the picture quality is still somewhat poor. To me, this is less of a distraction because it's a documentary. I recommend it on the strength of the film. No extras to speak of."
Flic Story (Jacques Deray, 1975)
Flying Deuces, The (Edward Sutherland, 1939)
Fool There Was, A (Frank Powell, 1915)
Foolish Wives / The Man You Loved to Hate (Erich Von Stroheim/Patrick Montgomery, 1922/1979) -- HerrSchreck: "The STROEHEIMS have been discussed over & over again on this site: they are regarded as very worthwhile, though the material itself, from the AFI resto's, is obviously not in the best shape and is responsible for the flaws. I do think the bitrate could be higher on these." Tryavna: "I find the three von Stroheims to be fine: Queen Kelly, Foolish Wives, and Blind Husbands. All three are important films, all have useful and intelligent extras, and (IMO) all boast reasonably decent transfers for the age of the materials and the DVDs themselves. (Folks might want to hold off on Blind Husbands until the R2 Filmmuseum edition comes out, though.)" Tribe: "You're right about the extras and the importance of the films themselves. But they are shitty transfers, regardless of the reason, be it age or what have you. I'm not sorry I have them, but the quality of them isn't all that great."
Free Radicals (Barbara Albert, 2003)
Fritz Lang Box Set -- Collects Kino's individual releases of Metropolis, Die Nibelungen, Woman In the Moon and Spies.
Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997)
Galileo (Joseph Losey, 1974)
Gaucho, The (F. Richard Jones, 1927)
General, The (Buster Keaton, Eddie Cline, Clyde Bruckmann, 1926) -- This Buster Keaton release includes the shorts "The Playhouse" and "Cops." There may be better versions of the film available in R2 at this point, but DVDTimes attests to the excellent quality of this release.
Genesis (Cheick Oumar Sissoko, 1999)
German Horror Classics Box Set -- This set brings together Kino's individual releases of Der Golem, Waxworks, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. Review by DVDSavant.
Go West (Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline, 1925)
Golem, The (Paul Wegener, 1920) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list -- on par with Eureka release which has reconstructed German from English titles.
Good Fairy, The (William Wyler, 1935)
Grido, Il (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1957) -- In spite of the rough shape of the source print, Digitally Obsessed recommends this DVD. DVDBeaver offers a poor review, and recommends to wait for a stronger presentation from a different company.
Griffith Masterworks Box Set -- Collection of Kino's individual releases of Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Orphans of the Wind, Broken Blossoms and Biograph Shorts. Myra Breckinridge: "I can only add to the comments here that I personally own and think that the Griffith Masterwoks boxset is as exciting as it sounds. Surely a cornerstone of every film lover's collection. The set has been wonderfully produced with abundant extras and represent the best conditions for most of the titles it contains."
Guimba the Tyrant (Chieck Oumar Sissoko, 1995)
Habanera, La (Douglas Sirk, 1937) -- Gregory: "I noticed some print damage, jitter, and slight softness but I still recommend it, especially to Sirk fans or those with an interest in Nazi-era German cinema, because this is unlikely to be trumped by another release anytime soon. Kino has provided some decent extras with this release."
Halfaouine (Ferid Boughedir, 1995)
Hangmen Also Die (Fritz Lang, 1943) -- For comments on the length of the film, see Tryavna and davidhare's exchange in the thread below. DVDSavant features a long and insightful review, as well as a positive recommendation of the disc with the inherent shortcomings in the source material taken into account.
Happily Ever After (Yvan Attal, 2004)
Happy Together – Deluxe (Wong Kar-Wai, 1997)
Harold Lloyd Collection, The (Various, 1918-1922)
Harold Lloyd Collection II, The (Various, 1918-1921)
Harry Langdon: The Forgotten Clown (Frank Capra & Harry Edwards, 1924-1927) -- Information about the release more than an actual review at Silent Era.
Hell's Highway (Bret Wood, 2002)
Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinemateque (Jacques Richard, 2005)
Himalaya (Eric Valli, 2000)
Hit Man File (Sananjit Bangsapan, 2005)
Hitch-hiker, The (Ida Lupino, 1953) -- DVDBeaver gives Kino's release a very bad review in this comparison, and the screen caps would appear to substantiate his claim. However, a personal friend has testified that Kino's release is not as poorly as Beaver claims.
Holy Mountain, The (Arnold Fanck, 1926)
Homage to Chagall (Harry Rasky, 1977)
Homecoming, The (Peter Hall, 1973)
Hour of the Star (Suzana Amaral, 1985)
House By the River (Fritz Lang, 1949)
Human Resources (Laurent Cantet, 1999)
Hyenas (Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1992
I Have Found It (Rajiv Menon, 2000)
Ice Rink, The (Jean-Phillipe Toussaint, 2001)
Iceman Cometh, The (John Frankenheimer, 1973)
In Celebration (Lindsay Anderson, 1975)
Inspecteur Lavardin (Claude Chabrol, 1986)
Intolerance (D.W. Griffith, 1916) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. HerrSchreck from Kino thread: "...Kino's is the way to go for the most complete print and the best image [of Intolerance], plus a great intro by Welles..."
Iron Mask, The (Allan Dwan, 1929)
It / Clara Bow: Discovering the ‘It' Girl (Clarence Badger/Hugh M. Neely, 1927/1999)
It Happened Tomorrow (Rene Clair, 1944)
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Dennis Heroux, 1975)
Jamaica Inn (Alfred Hitchcock, 1939)
Jan Dara (Nonzee Nimibutr, 2001)
Jesus, You Know (Ulrich Seidl, 2003)
Junk Food (Masashi Yamamoto, 1997)
Kadosh (Amos Gitai, 1999) -- Positive review at Digitally Obsessed and reasonably positive review at DVDBeaver.
Kagero-za (Seijun Suzuki, 1981)
Karmen Geï (Joseph Gaï Ramaka, 2001)
Keaton Plus (Buster Keaton, 1921-2001)
Kedma (Amos Gitai, 2002)
Keeper, The (Joe Brewster, 1996)
Kino Ultimate Box Set Collection
Kippur (Amos Gitai, 2000)
Krzysztof Kieslowski Box Set
Labyrinth of Darkness (Jiri Barta, 1978-1989)
Last Days of Pompeii, The (Mario Casrini, 1913) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Last Laugh, The (F.W. Murnau, 1924)
Last Mogul: The Life and Times of Lew Wasserman (Barry Avrich, 2005)
Last of the Blue Devils, The (Bruce Ricker, 1980)
Legend of Rita, The (Volker Schlöndorff, 2000) -- Lukewarm response to this DVD at Digitally Obsessed.
Legend of Suram Fortress, The / Ashik Kerib (Sergei Paradjanov, 1985/1988) -- Tommaso: "[T]here are actually two cases where the film-viewing experience (at least for me) actually WAS ruined by [Kino], and these are Paradjanov's "Colour of Pomegranates" and "Ashik-Kerib", and not just because of the hideous ULTRA-LARGE NON-REMOVABLE YELLOW subs, but because of the atrocious image quality, too."
Let Joy Reign Supreme (Bertrand Tavernier, 1974) -- A neutral review at DVDBeaver with screen caps that back up the reservations. Digitally Obsessed is much more happy. Many of Tavernier's films are out in France (w. subs), and may be worth looking into, before purchasing this particular DVD.
Life and Nothing But (Bertrand Tavernier, 1989)
Life on a String (Chen Kaige, 1992)
Liliom (Fritz Lang, 1934) -- Tryavna: “Liliom is routinely regarded as one of Kino's very worst efforts. If any Kino DVD deserves a red mark, it's that one. Beaver's review is here. The German 2-disc edition of CAROUSEL apparently contains a much better release of this movie as an extra.” Tommaso: "I haven't seen Kino's "Liliom", but I can confirm that the version on the German "Carousel" is quite nice. Fine image, removable subs, and a very wonderful film indeed. That musical version is a bore, really, but who cares. I find it surprising that they did not care to bring out the Lang on its own." HerrSchreck: "LILIOM is the absolute worst release any "premium" dvd company ever put out, ever, ever, EVER."
Little Fugitive (Morris Engel, 1953) -- Tryavna: “Based on Schreck's recommendations in the past, I've also purchased Dementia, Little Fugitive, and They Made Me a Fugitive, and I'm happy with all three. They Made Me a Fugitive is probably the weakest, with a print that shows some wear and tear. All three may be interlaced; I'm pretty sure They Made Me a Fugitive is. Little Fugitive boasts that rare extra for Kino: a commentary!” HerrSchreck: "LITTLE FUGITIVE-- one of the most charming independent features ever made, and a great film (and piece of old NYC-all-location nostalgia, especially for those who grew up as a kid playing stickball on the streets of the outer boro's back in the 70's-and-earlier streets of NYC, which dramatically changed after Giuliani. Francois Truffaut proclaimed "If it weren't for Morris Engel and his fine LITTLE FUGITIVE, there would have been no French New Wave.""
Long Night, The (Anatole Litvak, 1947) -- A strong recommendation from DVDBeaver, and another very good review at Digitally Obsessed.
Lorna Doone (Maurice Tourneur, 1922) -- Here is a rather tempered review at DVDTalk. While Digitally Obsessed is considerably more excited about both the film and the DVD.
Lost in the Stars (Daniel Mann, 1974)
Love and Pop (Hideaki Anno, 1998)
Love Film (Istvan Szabo, 1970) -- Generally positive reviews from DVDTalk and Digitally Obsessed.
Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian, 1932) -- Lubitsch: "What I think is a bit sad is that Kino doesn't get the attention when they do something really wonderful. If LOVE ME TONIGHT and APPLAUSE would have been Criterion releases, there would have been much ... eh, applause, sorry for the pun, couldn't resist. As Kino releases they were hardly noticed it seems to me. I add my voice to the chorus of those who sing the praise of Mamoulian and strongly suggest buying his films..." Zone Resident: Love me tonight looks really good in my experience. Review at
DVDBeaver. Fairly positive review at The Digital Bits.
Love of Jeanne Ney, The (G.W. Pabst, 1927) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Silent Era is very pleased with the transfer on this disc. And, with some minor reservations, Digitally Obsessed seconds the praise.
Love the Hard Way (Peter Sehr, 2003)
Love Trap, The / Directed by William Wyler (William Wyler/Aviva Slesin, 1929/-) -- Positive review by Digitally Obsessed.
Lured (Douglas Sirk, 1947) -- DVD Verdict applauds the presentation of the image, but is disappointed with the lack of extras.
Luther (Guy Green, 1974)

Hmm... Looks like the Kino Catalogue is just too big for this forum to handle So, A-L in the initial post, and M-Z here. Unless our friendly Administrator can work out a solution.

Maids, The (Chistopher Miles, 1975)
Maiku Hama, Private Eye: Trilogy Box Set (Kaizo Hayashi, 1993-1996) -- Here is a series of reviews (DVDTalk, Digitally Obsessed and Twitch) that are all very good, when it comes to the films themselves, but middling to negative on the topic of the transfers.
Man in the Glass Booth, The (Arthur Hiller, 1975)
Man Who Laughs, The (Paul Leni, 1928) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. -- A very positive review at DVDSavant.
Man With a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929) -- No reviews that I can find, but from what I have heard, the Image Entertainment release is supposed to be superior.
Maniac / Narcotic (Dwain Esper, 1933/1934) -- HerrSchreck: "Even though Esper is probably burning in hell right now for being perhaps the most genuinely mean spirited filmmaker ever to hoist a reposessed-from-some-broke-studio camera, I collect this guy as his films are some of the strangest moodiest species of celluloid, period. Gloom for weeks. The definitive edition of MANIAC, and the hyperobscure & degenerately gloomy NARCOTIC. Strangely these films both feature commentaries by Bret Wood (who is completely in love with Esper's work) and other rare extras describing the strange terrain of the exploitation film and the even stranger world of Esper himself. And the disc appears on the surface to be progressive, as I can step frame by frame deep into the film, though I've never really picked the depths of the disc apart to confirm this hunch. I'm baffled by the fact that these two films work a strange voodoo on me, and this is one of the most-watched dvds in my whole collection, along with MARIHUANA WEED WITH ROOTS IN HELL from Alpha, as well as HOW TO UNDRESS IN FRONT OF YOUR HUSBAND from VCI. (Note, Esper did NOT direct REEFER MADNESS, a dopey accreditation often written on sites & cheeseball books.)" Here is a review that raves about the quality of the release and the extras on it at DVDManiacs.
Mark of Zorro, The / Don Q, Son of Zorro (Fred Niblo/Donald Crisp, 1920/1925) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. A really positive review at (DVDTalk, saying amongst other things that this film would be "...the perfect film to introduce the art of silent pictures to someone who hasn't seen one before."
Matter of Heart (Mark Whitney, 1985) -- Gordon McMurphy: "They released the amazing Carl Jung documentary, Matter Of Heart and also included the rarely seen BBC "Face to Face" interview with Jung from 1959 and footage of Jung at Bollingen in 1951. Priceless stuff and this DVD wasn't reviewed anywhere! They also released the 1972 documentary on R.D. Laing, Asylum. I can't recommend these releases enough. Amazing."
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) -- DVDSavant reviews the disc very positively, but for the projection speed, the correctness of which is debatable on the Kino release. For region free viewers, the way to go is probably the MoC release. DVDBeaver has a comparison here. However projection speed (length of film) is the same on both editions, ie. 24 fps.
Michael (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1924) -- Two mainly positive reviews at Digitally Obsessive and DVDTalk.
Michael Haneke 4-Pack -- Collects Kino's individual releases of Michael Haneke's early feature films.
Mirage Theater
Mirror, The (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975) -- A non-conclusive comparison with the R2 release from Ruscico at Chiaroscuro. While neither release is definitive, both appear to be good presentations that should not deter anyone from viewing the film.
Mirror, The (Jafar Panahi, 1998)
Models (Ulrich Seidl, 1998)
Monday Morning (Otar Iosseliani, 2002) -- DVDTalk calls disc unremarkable, but the transfer good.
Moonlight Whispers (Akihiko Shioto, 1999)
Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears (Vladimir Menshov, 1980) -- Reviewed by Digitally Obsessed, the comments made about the transfere are very close to how I experienced the Ruscico release of the same film. Kino's disc is of course licensed from Ruscico. I think it is fun to own the original release, but I am sure that the Kino is very close in the presentation of the film, if not identical.
Most Terrible Time In My Life, The (Kaizo Hayashi, 1993)
Motel Cactus (Park Ki-Yong, 1997)
Mother and Son (Aleksandr Sokurov, 1997) -- mmacklem: "I own a lot of Kino titles, and the only one that I had issues with the transfer was Mother and Son, which is still well-worth buying, but just not as spotless as I would have hoped prior to its re-release." DVDTalk agrees with mmacklem that this is not an optimal presentation of a film that the reviewer clearly really, really would like for people to watch.
Movies Begin Box Set, The (Various, 1894-1913) -- Tommaso: "I would also recommend the "The Movies Begin" Box, an incredible selection of all those half-mystical very early films everyone has heard about but rarely gotten the chance to see. Surprisingly good prints in most cases. The only shortcoming is that with some of the films there is an - agreedly well-informed - audio commentary which is mandatory. Sometimes I would have loved to see these films just with the piano accompaniment. Can't remember at the moment whether the whole thing was interlaced or had ghostings etc., and in this case I really wouldn't care that much... " A very detailed review listing all the films included in the set is available at Silent Era.
Münchausen (Josef von Baky, 1943) -- Very positive reviews at DVDTalk and DVDSavant.
Nang Nak (Nonzee Nimibutr, 1999)
Navigator, The (Buster Keaton, Donald Crisp & Eddie Cline, 1924) -- This Kino release includes two of Keaton's shorts: "The Boat" and "The Love Nest." DVDTimes commends Kino for a very clean transfer, and cites this as one of the best of Kino's Keaton titles. And, predictable enthusiasm at Silent Era.
New Orleans (Arthur Lubin, 1947)
Nibelungen, Die (Fritz Lang, 1924) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. For those who can wait, MoC will release these films in R2 some time next year. In any event, Kino's release receives very positive reviews at DVDTalk and DVDAuthority.
Ninth Day, The (Volker Schlöndorff, 2004) -- This DVD is highly recommended by DVDTalk both for its quality as DVD, but more importantly for the quality of the film. And, another strong review at Digitally Obsessed.
No End (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1985)
Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) -- DVDTalk said: "The video quality was very good for this film. I don't think I've ever seen it look better..." There is a slightly less positive review here by Digitally Obsessed. And, here is a very detailed and insightful comparison between Kino's and Image Entertainment's releases of the film. Nosferatu will be released in R2 by MoC some time next year, and may be worth waiting for, if one is a region-free viewer and can wait to see this essential film.
Oblomov (Nikita Mikhalkov, 1981)
Ogre, The (Volker Schlöndorff, 1996)
Old Dark House, The (James Whale, 1932) -- Generally very positive reviews at Reel.com and DVDManiacs.
Oliver Hardy Collection, The (Various, 1916-1927)
On Our Merry Way (George Stevens, King Vidor, Leslie Fenton & John Huston, 1948)
Or (My Treasure) (Keren Yedaya, 2004)
Orphans of the Storm (D.W. Griffith, 1921)
Ossuary and Other Tales, The (Jan Svankmajer, 1964-1988)
Othello (Dimitri Buchowetzki, 1922)
Other, The (Youssef Chahine, 1999)
Our Hospitality / Sherlock Jr. (John Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923/1924) -- Positive reviews at DVDFile, DVDBeaver and DVD Times.
Overture, The (Itthi-sunthorn Wichailak, 2004) -- At best a neutral review at DVDTalk.
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (Albert Lewin, 1951) -- A somewhat oddly written, but very informative review at DVD Verdict. Ava Gardner through the technicolor lense of Jack Cardiff. Must be worth a look...
Penalty, The (Walter Worsley, 1920) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Peter Pan (Herbert Brennon, 1924) -- Highly recommended by Silent Era.
Philadelphia, Here I Come! (John Quested, 1975)
Piano Teacher, The (Michael Haneke, 2001)
Piano Teacher, The (R-rated) (Michael Haneke, 2001)
President's Last Bang, The (Im Sangsoo, 2005)
Princess Tam Tam (Edmond Greville, 1935) -- Myra Breckinridge: "Being a fan of Josephine Baker, I can recommend all 3 titles (Princess Tam Tam, Zou Zou and Siren of the Tropics) and although the prints are not in optimal condition, they are nonetheless quite pleasing on the eye and the extras more than make up for it -- quite rare stuff to be found there."
Prix de Beauté (Augusto Genina, 1930) -- Lubitsch's comments on this release from the Kino thread: "It's a remarkable and horrible film at the same time. First the good news it's shot in the fluid style of late silents and quite inventive. Additionally it continues successfully the modern female roles played by Brooks. If you like Brooks, there's no way to miss it. The serious - and I mean really serious - problem is the sound dubbing. The film obviously exists also in a restored, silent version which doubtlessly is far superior. The sound version is again and again unevenly cut supposedly due to recuts for the sound version and the sound is extremely bad synchronized.... I really wish Kino would do the silent version..." On the whole, very positive reviews at DVDTalk and DVDSavant.
Qué Viva México (Sergei Eisenstein, 1931/79) -- The collected fragments of the Mexican film that Eisenstein never finished is reviewed favorably by Digitally Obsessed.
Queen Kelly (Erich von Stroheim, 1928) -- HerrSchreck: "The STROEHEIMS have been discussed over & over again on this site: they are regarded as very worthwhile, though the material itself, from the AFI resto's, is obviously not in the best shape and is responsible for the flaws. I do think the bitrate could be higher on these." Tryana: "I find the three von Stroheims to be fine: Queen Kelly, Foolish Wives, and Blind Husbands. All three are important films, all have useful and intelligent extras, and (IMO) all boast reasonably decent transfers for the age of the materials and the DVDs themselves. (Folks might want to hold off on Blind Husbands until the R2 Filmmuseum edition comes out, though.)" Tribe: "You're right about the extras and the importance of the films themselves. But they are shitty transfers, regardless of the reason, be it age or what have you. I'm not sorry I have them, but the quality of them isn't all that great."
Railroaded (Anthony Mann, 1947) -- Filmsondisc with a rather non-commital review. And, DVDBeaver gives it a careful recommendation (mainly to Film Noir fans).
Red and the White, The (Miklós Jancsó, 1968) -- Zone Resident: "The Read and the White is a rather weak transfer (as quickly dismissed byDVDBeaver in the review of R2 SECOND RUN edition.)"
Return, The (Andrei Zyavgintsev, 2003) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... The Return is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends. This review captures well the quality of the release."
Rhinoceros (Tom O'Horgan, 1973)
Richard III (James Keane, 1912) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Rider Named Death, The (Karen Shakhnazarov, 2004)
Robert Benchley & the Knights of the Algonquin Round Table (Various, 1928-1942)
Robin Hood (Allan Dwan, 1922) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Robot Stories (Greg Pak, 2004)
Ronde, La (Roger Vadim, 1964) -- DVDTalk gives the quality of this DVD a rating bordering on the negative, while DVDSavant is more positive. Savant also appears to have a higher sympathy for Vadim's project -- of bringing as many beautiful women to the screen at one time as possible -- more than his colleagues at DVDTalk.
S.O.S. Iceberg (Arnold Fanck & Tay Garnett, 1933)
Sacrifice, The / Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (Andrei Tarkovsky/Michael Leszczylowski, 1986/1988) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... The Sacrifice is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends. This review captures well the quality of the release."
Sadie Thompson (Raoul Walsh, 1928) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Saga of Gösta Berling, The (Mauritz Stiller, 1924) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Zedz: “I heartily recommend the three recent Stillers. Great filmmaker, great films, and some of Kino's best-looking discs.”
Saphead, The (Herbert Blaché, 1920)
Scandal in Paris (Douglas Sirk, 1946)
Scar, The (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1976)
Scarlet Street (Fritz Lang, 1945) -- HerrSchreck: "SCARLET STREET is a very good looking disc and obviously the definitive disc on the street right now for Lang's little masterpiece programmer, and HOUSE BY THE RIVER, though it could be better (print is no doozy either), still provides a perfectly acceptable viewing experience."
Sebastiane (Derek Jarman, 1976)
Second Circle, The (Aleksandr Sokurov, 1990)
Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925)
Seventh Continent, The (Michael Haneke, 1989)
Seventeen Years (Zhang Yuan, 1999)
Sex in Chains (William Dieterle, 1928) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list.
Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (Katsuhito Ishii, 1999)
She (Irving Pichel & Lansing C. Holden, 1935)
Short Film About Killing, A (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)
Short Film About Love, A (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)
Siberian Lady Macbeth (Andrzej Wajda, 1962) -- A rather unflattering review of this Kino release by Digitally Obsessed. DVDTalk is somewhat less negative, and ascribes most of the weak presentation to the inherent shortcomings of the source.
Sir Arne's Treasure (Mauritz Stiller, 1919) -- At the time of writing (July '06), this Kino release is on HerrSchreck's "No serious collector can do without" list. Zedz: “I heartily recommend the three recent Stillers. Great filmmaker, great films, and some of Kino's best-looking discs.” Both DVDTalk and Digitally Obsessed give this release very high marks.
Siren of the Tropics (Henri Etievant & Mario Nalpas, 1927) -- Myra Breckinridge: "Being a fan of Josephine Baker, I can recommend all 3 titles (Princess Tam Tam, Zou Zou and Siren of the Tropics) and although the prints are not in optimal condition, they are nonetheless quite pleasing on the eye and the extras more than make up for it -- quite rare stuff to be found there."
Slapstick Symposium Bundle of Laughs! -- A bundling of the different slapstick sets released separtely by Kino: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, etc.
Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) -- Silent Era makes a comparison from memory between the newer Image release and the Kino release of this film, and favors the Image.
Spies (Fritz Lang, 1928) -- DVDTalk gives this release a very strong recommendation, only questioning the claim that this is the complete full length version. The film has since been released by Masters of Cinema in R2, and according to DVDBeaver is a yet stronger presentation of the film.
St. Martin's Lane / Wings of the Morning (Tim Whelan/Harold Schuster, 1938/1937)
Stairway to the Distant Past, The (Kaizo Hayashi, 1995)
Stan Laurel Collection, The (Various, 1923-1925)
State of Mind, A (Daniel Gordon, 2004)
Steamboat Bill Jr. (Charles Reiser, 1928) -- This Buster Keaton release comes with the shorts "Convict 13" and "Daydreams." It is reviewed very positively by DVD Times, and is also recommended by Silent Era.
Storm Over Mont Blanc, The (Arnold Fanck, 1930) -- Fairly positive review at DVDTalk, and a positive review with some reservations at Digitally Obsessed.
Strand: Under the Dark Cloth (John Walker, 1990)
Strange Impersonation (Anthony Mann, 1947) -- Neutral review at Digitally Obsessed; reasonably positive review at DVDAuthority; and, another fairly neutral review at DVDBeaver.
Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952) -- A rather lukewarm review at DVDBeaver with screen caps that look fairly good.
Sunday in the Country, A (Bertrand Tavernier, 1984)
Take Care of My Cat (Jae-eun Jeong, 2001) -- mmacklem: "I have a lot of Kino's catalogue, and they are one of those labels that I do try to take their releases as implicit recommendations unless I hear otherwise... Take Care Of My Cat is amongst my favorite movies and one that I often recommend to all of my other movie-loving friends. This review captures well the quality of the release."
Tales From the Gimli Hospital (Guy Maddin, 1988) -- DVDTimes has its reservations about the film, but gives the transfer high marks. DVDBeaver gives the disc an even stronger recommendation (w. screen caps).
Talking Picture, A (Manoel de Oliveira, 2003)
Tartuffe (F.W. Murnau, 1926) -- Good review at DVDTalk and positive review at Silent Era. Zone Resident: "[For region free viewers] I can attest the superior quality of MoC (R2) version compared to Kino's Tartuffe."
Tchaikovsky (Igor Talankin, 1971)
Tell Me Something (Chang Youn-Hyun, 2000)
Tempest, The (Derek Jarman, 1979)
That Day (Raoul Ruiz, 2003) -- A review on the average at DVDTalk.
Thérèse Raquin (Marcel Carné, 1953) -- A very positive review at DVDSavant.
They Made Me a Fugitive (Alberto Cavalcanti, 1947) -- HerrSchreck: "ignore the pulpy title which makes you think it's some minor crime programmer; this film easily ranks side by side with THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, scriptwise, as being filled with gem after gem after gem dialog. Searing performances, particularly the lead (his name escapes me now, he was the military investigator in THE 3RD MAN, and this is generally regarded as his best performance), and the photography is as brilliantly hyper-noir as shadowy alleys, dripping water, foggy countrysides, prison bar shadows, gloomy bar halflights and wet streets soak this thing to the bone. Absolutely positively one of the best (and most bafflingly overlooked) crime dramas Ive ever seen, and the disc presents a very nice looking print on an interlaced disc that could be slightly better, but still and all nonetheless, the film and the disc will knock you completely backwards with a broken jaw. All three of these films are absolutely positively must-own's for any serious collector of the obscurest masterpieces nobody knows about."
Thief of Bagdad, The (Raoul Walsh, 1924) -- "The video was spectacular. There is very nice detail and contrast throughout the film." says DVDTalk.
Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train (Patrice Chereau, 1998)
Three Ages (Buster Keaton, 1923) -- Keaton's spoof on Intolerance is supplemented with the short films "The Goat" and "My Wife's Relations," and is reviewed by DVDTimes.
Three Musketeers, The (Fred Niblo, 1921) -- Positive review at DVDTalk that points out the inherent shortcomings in the source material.
Three Sisters (Laurence Olivier, 1970)
Time of Favor (Joseph Cedar, 2001) -- A moderately positive review of the film itself by Digitally Obsessed, but apparently a very problematic transfer.
Time Regained (Raul Ruiz, 1999) -- Quite a scathing review of both the film and the quality of the DVD by Digitally Obsessed, and a review on the average at DVD Authority.
Tin Drum, The (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979) -- Out of print as far as I know, this Kino release has now also been clearly bettered, as witnessed in this comparison at DVDBeaver.
Titanic (Herbert Selpin & Werner Klinger, 1943)
Tokyo Eyes (Jean-Pierre Limosin, 1998) -- The transfer receives accolades in this review at DVDTalk, but the reviewer confesses that the film itself put him to sleep?!
Tomorrow We Move (Chantal Akerman, 2004)
Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1973) -- A reasonably positive review at Digitally Obsessed of this rarest of things on DVD -- a Senegalese classic.
Trap, The (Kaizo Hayashi, 1996)
Trojan Woman, The (Michael Cacoyannis, 1971) -- Mainly positive review by DVDSavant.
Two Men in Town (José Giovanni, 1973) -- Digitally Obsessed with a review that can best be described as disinterested. DVDTalk likes the film, but apparently the quality is abysmal, and the final verdict is: "Avoid like the plague." This review is probably not very reliable, but it does have some small screen caps.
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harry Pollard, 1927)
Untold Scandal (E J Yong, 2003)
Warning Shadows: A Nocturnal Hallucination (Arthur Robison, 1923) -- Highly recommended by DVDTalk.
Watermarks (Yaron Zilberman, 2004)
Waxworks (Paul Leni, 1924) -- Mainly positive reviews at Digitally Obsessed and DVDSavant; and high praise at Silent Era.
Wedding in Galilee (Michel Khleifi, 1987)
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (Koki Mitani, 1998)
White Hell of Pitz Palu, The (Arnold Fanck & G. W. Pabst, 1929) -- The disc notably includes an hour long interview with Leni Riefenstahl, and the disc is highly recommended at DVDTalk; Very positive review by Digitally Obsessed
Who the Hell is Juliette? (Carlos Marcovich, 1997)
Wife to Be Sacrificed (Masaru Konuma, 1975)
Woman in the Moon (Fritz Lang, 1929) -- Excellent review by DVDSavant; mainly positive review at DVDBeaver; and, a Beaver comparison with Spanish Divisa Red's edition, which generally comes out in Kino's favor.
Woman With Red Hair (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1979) -- DVDTalk does not really know what to make of this film, and the transfer is apparently not the best.
Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, The (Ray Müller, 1933)
Wong Kar-Wai Box Set -- Collection that brings together Kino's previous releases of Kar-Wai's films: Happy Together, Fallen Angels, Chunking Express, As Tears Go By and Days of Being Wild. Gregory: "I recommend avoiding purchase of Kino's Wong titles (As Tears Go By, Chungking Express, Days of Being Wild, Fallen Angels, Happy Together) based on information that all these early Wong films are being remastered for re-release. (While I'm on the subject, it doesn't do Kino much credit that Wong Kar-Wai is under "K" in their web site's director list.)"
World of Geisha, The (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1973) -- A generally unenthusiastic review at DVDTalk.
X2000: Francois Ozon – Collected Shorts (Francois Ozon, Various)
Yakuza Graveyard (Kinji Fukasaku, 1976) -- A mainly positive review at Digitally Obsessed and a very positive review by DVDTalk comparing Kino's release favorable with the R2 edition from Eureka.
Year of the Quiet Sun, A (Krzysztof Zanussi, 1984)
Yeleen (Brightness) (Souleymane Cissé, 1987)
Yom Yom (Amos Gitai, 1998) -- Very negative review at DVDTalk; and negative review at Digitally Obsessed.
Young Dr. Freud (Axel Corti, 1976)
Yumeji (Seijun Suzuki, 1991) -- Very positive review at DVDTalk; mainly negative review at DVDBeaver.
Zero Kelvin (Hans Petter Moland, 1995)
Zigeunerweisen (Seijun Suzuki, 1980) -- Negative review at DVDBeaver; Quite positive review at DVDTalk; negative review at Twitch; mainly positive review at Digitally Obsessed.
Zou Zou (Marc Allegret, 1934) -- Positive review at DVDTalk. Myra Breckinridge: "Being a fan of Josephine Baker, I can recommend all 3 titles (Princess Tam Tam, Zou Zou and Siren of the Tropics) and although the prints are not in optimal condition, they are nonetheless quite pleasing on the eye and the extras more than make up for it -- quite rare stuff to be found there."

Many thanks, Scharphedin, for your contributions here and in the Facets thread. You've very quickly established yourself as one of the best additions to our forum in recent months.

Here are a couple of additional thoughts:

Liliom is routinely regarded as one of Kino's very worst efforts. If any Kino DVD deserves a red mark, it's that one. Beaver's review is here. The German 2-disc edition of CAROUSEL apparently contains a much better release of this movie as an extra.

Diary of a Lost Girl has been announced by Nick as forthcoming from MoC in early 2007, so it might be worth waiting for a comparison.

* Based on Schreck's recommendations in the past, I've also purchased Dementia, Little Fugitive, and They Made Me a Fugitive, and I'm happy with all three. They Made Me a Fugitive is probably the weakest, with a print that shows some wear and tear. All three may be interlaced; I'm pretty sure They Made Me a Fugitive is. Little Fugitive boasts that rare extra for Kino: a commentary!

It's been a while since I've watched Contraband, but Powell & Pressburger fans shouldn't hold back if they're interested. The print itself is very nice -- maybe a little too dark during the blackout scenes. I think this one is interlaced, too. Based on the running time, it may even be PAL-sourced, but I don't know for sure. It's definitely the full-length version, including the scene with the black and white dancers that was cut for the original U.S. release.

---
* Perhaps Schreck will want to make some additional comments regarding these.

I feel like possibly arranging this list by release date. Kino's website has them catalogued, I assume this is by date of release?

HOLY frockanoli, dude! You is the hardest working man in showbiz at present.

What a job you did!

EDIT: LILIOM is the absolute worst release any "premium" dvd company ever put out, ever, ever, EVER. When I bought that thing I felt like walking up to 39th st, introducing myself to Donald "Mr Generous" Krim with a big smile on my face, paying him some nice compliment, then snapping my palm up onto his face wrenching his head back until I could drag him down onto the floor attack him with a copy of the disc I had swished around in some rampant foulness.

Or maybe just mutter "dick" under my breath & walk away.

CONTRABAND I have the old VHS for, so I don't know if a new transfer was done for the disc (probably not)... it's about on a par with RAILRAODED (like BEYOND LOCKED DOORS), HANGMEN ALSO DIE (same), etc. Very watchable interlaced.

Indeed, an unbelievable effort again. Many thanks!

I haven't seen Kino's "Liliom", but I can confirm that the version on the German "Carousel" is quite nice. Fine image, removable subs, and a very wonderful film indeed. That musical version is a bore, really, but who cares. I find it surprising that they did not care to bring out the Lang on its own.

I would also recommend the "The Movies Begin" Box, an incredible selection of all those half-mystical very early films everyone has heard about but rarely gotten the chance to see. Surprisingly good prints in most cases. The only shortcoming is that with some of the films there is an - agreedly well-informed - audio commentary which is mandatory. Sometimes I would have loved to see these films just with the piano accompaniment. Can't remember at the moment whether the whole thing was interlaced or had ghostings etc., and in this case I really wouldn't care that much...

I've never seen "Contraband". How does it fare compared to P&P's masterpieces like "Blimp" or "Canterbury Tale"? The only 'minor' P&P I've seen so far is "The small back room", and although it is often overlooked, I really was amazed and would certainly get me "Contraband" soon if it comes anywhere near, although normally I'm not very much into war/spy sort of films.

Monumental work, Sharph! Highest accolades all around!

I can only add to the comments here that I personally own and think that the Griffith Masterwoks boxset is as exciting as it sounds. Surely a cornerstone of every film lover's collection. The set has been wonderfully produced with abundant extras and represent the best conditions for most of the titles it contains.

As for others, well -- I used to own Murnau's Faust and it served me well enough, that is until the recent MoC edition... hard to beat that one now!

Being a fan of Josephine Baker, I can recommend all 3 titles (Princess Tam Tam, Zou zou and Siren of the Tropics) and although the prints are not in optimal condition, they are nonetheless quite pleasing on the eye and the extras more than make up for it -- quite rare stuff to be found there.

One set that I've been mooning over for the longest time is the Douglas Fairbanks one:

http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?product_id=722

I am a particular fan of The Thief of Baghdad and there's lots of Fairbanks films I'd love to know more of. The only downside is that this set doesn't contain every Fairbanks DVD Kino owns the rights to. I wonder what they were thinking of when they made this decision.

Finally, what other label has Jan Svankmaker titles out there, hey? This alone shows just how broad Kino's vision is. A minor remark, but it would be nice if they had included the original dub tracks instead of the english ones but it's nice to know that they are available, anyhow.

I was nearly forgetting: does anyone own Kino's Baron Munchausen and can vouch for it? I am a big, big fan of this adventure story (loved the Terry Gilliam film and the Karel Zeman classic) but reviews for this title with screencaps are hard to find. Anyone?

Tommaso wrote:I've never seen "Contraband". How does it fare compared to P&P's masterpieces like "Blimp" or "Canterbury Tale"? The only 'minor' P&P I've seen so far is "The small back room", and although it is often overlooked, I really was amazed and would certainly get me "Contraband" soon if it comes anywhere near, although normally I'm not very much into war/spy sort of films.

Tommaso, Contraband is most definitely minor P&P, but extremely enjoyable nonetheless. (Where else do you get to see Conrad Veidt playing a dashing romantic hero in an English-language talkie?) Whether or not you'll like it will depend on how much you like Hitchcock's British thrillers, especially THE LADY VANISHES. Contraband was part of a larger attempt by the British film industry to fill the Hitchcock void c. 1939-41. (Think Carol Reed's NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH or Powell's 49TH PARALLEL, for example.) It's definitely a spy thriller, but it's driven by good-natured humor and romantic banter between the two leads.

tryavna wrote:[

Tommaso, Contraband is most definitely minor P&P, but extremely enjoyable nonetheless. (Where else do you get to see Conrad Veidt playing a dashing romantic hero in an English-language talkie?)

Thanks, Tryavna, sounds promising indeed! Another one for the wishlist, then. Conrad Veidt is an attraction regardless of what he plays (that villain role in Powell's "Thief of Bagdad" is priceless...)... I better stop here for fear of getting OT.

I'd add, via tryavna's request, that the DEMENTIA (one of the most amazingly original independent films of all time, in the restored original cut, this versus DAUGHTER OF HORROR, the post-censorship compromise worked out after Herman G Wienberg's championing of this amazing film) is a very good film, made from the original negative from '53, with the edited DAUGHTER on the disc for comparison, as well as a fascinating case study on the history of the film and J J Parker-- for whom this was his first & only feature... it's failure via the censors completely sunk him. Great great great disc.

LITTLE FUGITIVE-- one of the most charming independent features ever made, and a great film (and piece of old NYC-all-location nostalgia, especially for those who grew up as a kid playing stickball on the streets of the outer boro's back in the 70's-and-earlier streets of NYC, which dramatically changed after Giuliani. Francois Truffaut proclaimed "If it weren't for Morris Engel and his fine LITTLE FUGITIVE, there would have been no French New Wave,"

THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE-- ignore the pulpy title which makes you think it's some minor crime programmer; this film easily ranks side by side with THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, scriptwise, as being filled with gem after gem after gem dialog. Searing performances, particularly the lead (his name escapes me now, he was the military investigator in THE 3RD MAN, and this is generally regarded as his best performance), and the photography is as brilliantly hyper-noir as shadowy alleys, dripping water, foggy countrysides, prison bar shadows, gloomy bar halflights and wet streets soak this thing to the bone. Absolutely positively one of the best (and most bafflingly overlooked) crime dramas Ive ever seen, and the disc presents a very nice looking print on an interlaced disc that could be slightly better, but still and all nonetheless, the film and the disc will knock you completely backwards with a broken jaw. All three of these films are absolutely positively must-own's for any serious collector of the obscurest masterpieces nobody knows about.

MANIAC/NARCOTIC by Dwain Esper. Even though Esper is probably burning in hell right now for being perhaps the most genuinely mean spirited filmmaker ever to hoist a reposessed-from-some-broke-studio camera, I collect this guy as his films are some of the strangest moodiest species of celluloid, period. Gloom for weeks. The definitive edition of MANIAC, and the hyperobscure & degenerately gloomy NARCOTIC. Strangely these films both feature commentaries by Bret Wood (who is completely in love with Esper's work) and other rare extras describing the strange terrain of the exploitation film and the even stranger world of Esper himself. And the disc appears on the surface to be progressive, as I can step frame by frame deep into the film, though I've never really picked the depths of the disc apart to confirm this hunch. I'm baffled by the fact that these two films work a strange voodoo on me, and this is one of the most-watched dvds in my whole collection, along with MARIHUANA WEED WITH ROOTS IN HELL from Alpha, as well as HOW TO UNDRESS IN FRONT OF YOUR HUSBAND from VCI. (Note, Esper did NOT direct REEFER MADNESS, a dopey accreditation often written on sites & cheeseball books.)

Also SCARLET STREET is a very good looking disc and obviously the definitive disc on the street right now for Lang's little masterpiece programmer, and HOUSE BY THE RIVER, though it could be better (print is no doozy either), still provides a perfectly acceptable viewing experience.

justeleblanc wrote:I feel like possibly arranging this list by release date. Kino's website has them catalogued, I assume this is by date of release?

If you follow the spine numbers, they are roughly in chronological order.

Tribe

Tribe wrote:

justeleblanc wrote:I feel like possibly arranging this list by release date. Kino's website has them catalogued, I assume this is by date of release?

If you follow the spine numbers, they are roughly in chronological order.

Tribe

I think it would be great with a catalogue according to spine numbers. Would one of you like to create the post as an appendix to this one?

Another option is that we could add the spine numbers next to the titles of the individual films. It wouldn't be quite the same thing, but at least we would get this information into the list.

Thanks all of you for the encouragements and for helping out with adding your comments to this list. I will make sure to incorporate them all.

As I read through all these reviews, there are many Kino releases that sound much better than I thought, and mostly the releases are in fact reviewed quite positively. I did not realise the extent to which Kino includes extras on their discs. This is something they have become better at, I think. Most of the Kino releases I own are of the early days, and I do not remember much in the way of extras.

Has anyone ever seen or heard of Assunta Spina? An Italian silent film from 1915 directed by and starring Italy's greatest film actress of silent days -- Francesca Bertini.

From Kino's site: This Italian film of 1915 is an ancestor of 1940s neorealism. The performances of co-directors Francesca Bertini (Italy's most important silent film star) and Gustavo Serena follow the florid tradition of grand opera, but the tragic story of a Neapolitan laundress and her jealous lover intends a naturalistic picture of lower-class life. Dir. Francesca Bertini, Gustavo Serena. Italy. 1915. 62 mins. Color-tinted B&W. Music compiled by Rodney Sauer, performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.

Sounds right up your alley Myra

Here are some Kino spine numbers from what I have, add 'em if you got e'm that aren't here (ignore the director and year):

107-The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (Muller, 1993)
113-The Old Dark House (Whale, 1932)
115-Sudden Fear (Miller, 1952)
119-Happy Together (Kar-Wai, 1997)
120-Fallen Angels (Kar-Wai, 1995)
121-Little Fugitive (Engel, 1953)
122-Faust (Svankmajer, 1994)
123-Our Hospitality & Sherlock, Jr. (Keaton, 1923, 1924)
124-The Navigator (Keaton, 1924)
125-Seven Chances (Keaton, 1925)
129-College (Keaton, 1927)
131-The General (Keaton, 1927)
132-Go West (Cline, 1925)
135-Steamboat Bill Jr. (Keaton, 1928)
136-Three Ages (Keaton, 1923)
142-Maniac/Narcotic (Esper, 1933, 1934)
143-Hangmen Also Die (Lang, 1943)
144-The Hitch-Hiker (Lupino, 1953)
145-Railroaded (Mann, 1947)
146-Conspirators of Pleasure (Svankmajer, 1996)
147-The Tempest (Jarman, 1979)
149-The Sacrifice (Tarkovsky, 1986)
150-The Mirror (Tarkovsky, 1975)
153-Strange Impersonation (Mann, 1946)
154-Behind Locked Doors (Boetticher, 1948)
155-Coming Apart (Ginsberg, 1969)
156-The Long Night (Litvak, 1947)
165-Les Bonnes Femmes (Chabrol, 1960)
166-On Our Merry Way (Stevens, Huston, Vidor & Fenton, 1948)
170-The Brothers Quay Collection
171-Institute Benjamenta (Bros. Quay, 1996)
176-Il Grido (Antonioni, 1957)
183-Tales From the Gimli Hospital (Maddin, 1988)
184-Careful (Maddin, 1992)
185-Dementia (Parker, 1953)
194-Sadie Thompson (Walsh, 1928)
195-It (Badger, 1927)
202-Que Viva Mexico (Eisenstein, 1931)
206-The Last Laugh (Murnau, 1924)
207-Faust (Murnau, 1926)
208-The Love of Jeanne Ney (Pabst, 1927)
211-Contraband (Powell, 1940)
222-The Blue Kite (Zhuangzang, 1993)
225-Diary of a Lost Girl (Pabst, 1929)
226-The Blue Angel (von Sternberg, 1930) (2)
245-Queen Kelly (von Stroheim, 1928)
246-Blind Husbands (von Stroheim, 1919)
247-Foolish Wives (von Stroheim, 1922)
252-Time of Favor (Cedar, 2000)
253-Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922)
254-The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene, 1919)
255-The Golem (Wegener, 1921)
256-Waxworks (Leni, 1924)
264-The Piano Teacher (Haneke, 2001)
265-Die Nibelungen (Lang, 1924) (2)
266-The Birth of a Nation (Griffith, 1915) (2)
267-Intolerance (Griffith, 1916)
275-Metropolis (Lang, 1927)
276-The Iceman Cometh (Frankenheimer, 1973) (2)
282-Chaos (Nakata, 1999)
284-Dead or Alive (Miike, 1999)
297-Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov, 1929)
298-Classics of the Soviet Avant-Garde: Earth (Dovzhenko, 1930), Chess Fever (Pudovkin, 1925), The End of St. Petersburg (Pudovkin, 1927)
299-Sebastiane (Jarman, 1976)
300-Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (Ishii, 1998)
301-They Made Me a Fugitive (Cavalcanti, 1947)
303-It Happened Tomorrow (Clair, 1944)
307-The Holy Mountain (Fanck, 1926)
310-The Man Who Laughs (Leni, 1928)
311-Moonlight Whispers (Shiota, 1999)
312-Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films (Wood, 2003) (2)
316-Love the Hard Way (Sehr, 2002)
317-Come and See (Klimov, 1979)
322-Love Me Tonight (Mamoulian, 1932)
323-Applause (Mamoulian, 1929)
324-Dead or Alive 2: Birds (Miike, 2000)
325-Dead or Alive: Final (Miike, 2002)
328-Tokyo Eyes (Limosin, 1998)
336-The Most Terrible Time in My Life (Hayashi, 1994)
343-Dog Days (Seidl, 2001)
349-The Fanny Trilogy: Marius (Korda, 1931), Fanny (Allegret, 1932), Cesar (Pagnol, 1936) (4) (Box Set)
351-The Return (Zvyagintsev, 2003)
361-Asylum (R. D. Laing's Asylum) (Robinson, 1972)
372-Blind Shaft (Li, 2003)
380-Days of Being Wild (Kar-Wai, 1991)
381-As Tears Go By (Kar-Wai, 1988)
384-Woman In the Moon (Lang, 1929)
385-Spies (Lang, 1928)
388-L'Age d'or (Bunuel, 1930)
389-Michael (Dreyer, 1924)
390-Sex in Chains (Dieterle, 1928)
391-Different From the Others (Oswald, 1919)
395-I Have Found It (Menon, 2000)
396-Robot Stories (Pak, 2003)
397-Free Radicals (Albert, 2003)
402-Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema Of The 1920's & 1930's
420-Scarlet Street (Lang, 1945 )
424-The White Hell of Pitz Palu (Fanck, Pabst, 1929)
453-Prix de Beaute (Genina, 1930)
462-Funny Games (Haneke, 1997)
464-Asphalt (May, 1929)
465-Warning Shadows (Robinson, 1922)
466-Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (Lang, 1922)
467-Yakuza Graveyard (Fukasaku, 1976)

Tribe

Here are some more spines... sorry for the duplicates, Tribe.

250 Siberian Lady Macbeth
251
252 Time of Favor
253 Nosferatu
254 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
255 The Golem
256 Waxworks
257 German Horror Classics:
258 Year Of The Quiet Sun
259
260 Good Fairy
261 Counsellor At Law
262 Directed By William Wyler/ The Love Trap
263 The Piano Teacher (Unrated)
264 The Piano Teacher
265 Die Nibelungen
266 The Birth of a Nation
267 Intolerance
268 Biograph Shorts: Griffith Masterworks
269 Orphans Of The Storm: Griffith Masterworks
270 Griffith Masterworks DVD Box Set
271 Kanzo Sensei
272 Cherry Orchard
273
274 Les Comperes
275 Metropolis
276 The Iceman Cometh
277 Rhinoceros
278 Butley
279 Luther
280 Maids
281 American Film Theatre Series

**282 Chaos
**282 Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

283
284 Dead or Alive (Unrated)
285 Dead or Alive
286
287
288
289
290
291 American Film Theatre: Collection Two
292 Galileo
293 Lost in the Stars
294 Philadelphia, Here I Come!
295 Jacques Brel - Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
296 American Film Theatre: Collection Three
297 Man with a Movie Camera
298 Classics of the Soviet Avant-Garde
299 Sebastiane
300 Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl
301 They Made Me a Fugitive
302
303 It Happened Tomorrow
304
305 Amen
306 Assunta Spina/The Last Diva: Francesca Bertini
307 The Holy Mountain
308 Wedding in Galilee
309 Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces
310 The Man Who Laughs
311 Moonlight Whispers
312 Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films
313
314
315 Habanera
316 Love the Hard Way
317 Come and See
318 Genesis
319 Hyenas
320 F.W. Murnau's Tartuffe
321 F.W. Murnau Collection
322 Love Me Tonight
323 Applause
324 Dead or Alive 2: Birds
325 Dead or Alive: Final
326 Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive Trilogy
327 The Keeper
328 Tokyo Eyes
329 Thief of Bagdad
330 Black Pirate
331 Robin Hood
332 Three Musketeers
333 Douglas Fairbanks Collection
334
335 Junk Food
336 The Most Terrible Time in My Life
337 Oblomov
338 Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
339 Tchaikovsky
340 A Short Film About Love
341 A Short Film About Killing
342 Circle of Deceit
343 Dog Days
344 Fertile Memory
345 Liliom
346
347
348 Kedma
349 The Fanny Trilogy
350
351 The Return
352 Alila
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361 Asylum
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371 25 Fireman's Street
372 Blind Shaft
373
374
375
376
377
378 Happy Together
379 Fallen Angels
380 Days of Being Wild
381 As Tears Go By
382
383 Edison - The Invention of the Movies
384 Woman In the Moon
385 Spies
386 Fritz Lang - Epic Collection
387 Guimba the Tyrant
388 L'Age d'or
389 Michael
390 Sex in Chains
391 Different From the Others
392 Karmen Gei
393 Daresalam
394 Touki Bouki
395 I Have Found It
396 Robot Stories
397 Free Radicals
398 Talking Picture
399 Siren of the Tropics
400 Zou Zou
401 Princess Tam Tam
402 Avant Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920's and 1930's
403 The Stairway to the Distant Past
404 Trap
405 Untold Scandal
406 The Rider Named Death
407
408 The Chess Players
409 The Krysztof Kieslowski Collection
410 Flic Story
411 Two Men in Town
412 Borsalino and Co.
413 Chronicle of a Disappearance
414
415 Hour of the Star
416
417 Lorna Doone
418 The Blue Bird
419 House by the River
420 Scarlet Street
421 Happily Ever After
422 S.O.S. Iceberg
423 Storm Over Mont Blanc
424 The White Hell of Pitz Palu
425 Agony: The Life and Death on Rasputin
426
427 Mother and Son
428 The Second Circle
429 Hit Man File
430
431 The Harold Lloyd Collection Vol. 2
432 The Charley Chase Collection Vol. 2
433 The Oliver Hardy Collection
434
435
436
437 The Overture
438 Ninth Day
439 Watermarks
440 A State of Mind
441 Jesus, You Know
442 Or (My Treasure)
443 Circle of Love
444 Threrese Raquin
445 A Double Tour
446 Robert Benchley and the Knights of the Algonquin - Fourteen Complete Classic Films
447 Cavalcade of Comedy - Sixteen Complete Classic Films
448
449
450
451
452 President's Last Bang
453 Prix De Beaute
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459 Seventh Continent
460 Benny's Video
461 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
462 Funny Games
463 Double Headed Eagle: Hitler's Rise to Power 1918-1933
464 Asphalt
465 Warning Shadows
466 Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
467 Yakuza Graveyard
468 Cops Vs. Thugs
469 Gosta Berling's Saga
470 Erotikon
471 Sir Arne's Treasure
472 Yom Yom
473 Devarim
474 Dead Man's Bluff
475 Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque

There are a fair amount of empty spines, if anyone knows if these were originally DVDs or if they are just empty.

You guys are almost as crazy as me... You know, I actually never noticed the spine numbers, and I guess those folks at Kino are a bunch of little devils, because they sure don't list these spines anywhere that I am able to find.

All of the Kino releases that I own are included in your lists, so I am afraid I can't help.

I just noticed that some of the Wong Kar-Wai titles have two spine numbers. I own the earlier releases. Do either of you know if the spines were updated simply due to inclusion in the box set, or, if the new spines actually indicate new versions of these films?

Scharphedin2 wrote:I just noticed that some of the Wong Kar-Wai titles have two spine numbers. I own the earlier releases. Do either of you know if the spines were updated simply due to inclusion in the box set, or, if the new spines actually indicate new versions of these films?

they are new DVD versions..

Tribe

Scharphedin2 wrote: You guys are almost as crazy as me... You know, I actually never noticed the spine numbers, and I guess those folks at Kino are a bunch of little devils, because they sure don't list these spines anywhere that I am able to find.

All of the Kino releases that I own are included in your lists, so I am afraid I can't help.

If you look at the UPC code for each release...the spine number will be the eigth, ninth and tenth digits of the Code. For example, Dr. Mabuse UPC code is 738329046620, the eight, ninth and tenth digits are "466" which is the Kino spine number fo that release. Or, to think of it another way, ignore the last two digits of the UPC Code and the last three digits will represent the Kino spine number.

Tribe

La Habanera (#315) -- I noticed some print damage, jitter, and slight softness but I still recommend it, especially to Sirk fans or those with an interest in Nazi-era German cinema, because this is unlikely to be trumped by another release anytime soon. Kino has provided some decent extras with this release.
Fertile Memory (#344) -- It's an anamorphic transfer but the picture quality is still somewhat poor. To me, this is less of a distraction because it's a documentary. I recommend it on the strength of the film. No extras to speak of.

Also, I recommend avoiding purchase of Kino's Wong titles (As Tears Go By, Chungking Express, Days of Being Wild, Fallen Angels, Happy Together) based on information that all these early Wong films are being remastered for re-release. (While I'm on the subject, it doesn't do Kino much credit that Wong Kar-Wai is under "K" in their web site's director list.)

Also, it looks like K282 is both CHAOS and WELCOME BACK, MR. MCDONALD

Maybe someone could do a better job at this catalogue. I've seem to come into a fair amount of errors, not to mention plenty of gaps.

davidhare wrote:Also the Hangmen Also Die print is cut by 20 minutes. (Original running time 145 minutes.) A friend bought a PAL R2 version hoping for the advertised "restored" print but it appears merely to be a port of the cut Kino, with a bad NTSC to PAL transfer.

David, just a couple of quick points/questions here. The Kino DVD runs 134 minutes, which is the same as the print that TCM uses for its showings on TV in America. The longest run time I've ever heard of for Hangmen is 140 minutes, which is what Lotte Eisner claims. Obviously, there's still missing footage, but I don't think it's quite as much as you indicate -- unless you know something I don't, which is entirely possible. Do you have any idea if a full-length print actually exists anywhere in the world?

BTW, there's an interesting essay on the missing footage over on DVD Savant. (Note: It contains spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the film.)

And another definitive must-have, not yet discussed here in detail, is Tourneur's "Blue Bird". This is a good example of what I described elsewhere as a very good transfer made from less-than-optimal source materials (to put it mildly), but in this case I really couldn't care less. What a beautiful film, but I guess that if it had lain two more years in the vaults it would have been completely decomposed....
I loved its inventiveness and visual style, which however did not remind me of 'Caligari' so much (as the cover text would have us believe) but much more of some of those very early adaptations assembled by the BFI on their "Silent Shakespeare" dvd (witness the fairy who is quite similar to those in "A midsummernight's dream" in that 1908 version...). A bit stagey, and the influence of Meliès is there, obviously, but it works in its own right, and makes very wonderful use of colour tintings and is a surprisingly successful adaptation of Maeterlinck's play. Very nice music as well, not Kino's usual Sosin-sauce.

No-one has commented on Tourneur's "Lorna Doone" yet... according to some reviews this suffers from terrible over-acting, but actually this seldom disturbs me with silents. So, is this another one I must have?

Just another comment:

"Chi-hwa-seon (Im Kwon-taek, 2002) -- DVDBeaver features a strong review of this film, but finds the R3 Cinema Service release superior to Kino's in terms of image. The screen caps for both releases look good, although they present the film very differently. "

Not having seen the Kino, I can nevertheless strongly recommend the R3, especially because I do not find that the faces are 'stretched' (at least I did not recognize anything disturbing me). More importantly, the R3 has removable subs and is anamorphic, whereas the Kino (according to the Beaver) has burnt-in subs and is letterboxed. This is a truly visual film with some of the most breathtaking images I came across in recent years. The narrative is a little loose, as if something had been cut out before release, but it's still a very intense meditation on art and its making, and quite well acted, too. Although the extras are unsubbed, some of them can be used nevertheless, like the special fx demonstration or the account of the Cannes visit. A must see for any fan of Eastern arthouse cinema.