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The Third Part of the Night



Andrzej Żuławski is one of the true mavericks of European cinema and his wild, imaginative and unique films have won awards at many international film festivals over the years. A nightmarish and surreal masterpiece, The Third Part of the Night is his highly influential debut feature film. Set during the time of the Nazi-occupation of Poland and rich with multilayered symbolism and apocalyptic imagery, it shows one of Europe's most uncompromising and visionary directors at his best.

Considered to be one of the best Polish films of the 1970s, this is its first-ever release on DVD anywhere in the world.

Special Features

• Newly filmed interview with director Andrzej Żuławski.
• Digital transfer with restored image and sound, approved by the Director.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Optimal quality dual layer disc.
• Booklet featuring a new Essay by author Daniel Bird.



....
Mentioned by Bikey as under preparation.

The director Zulawski worked with Wajda as assistant & pupil. This film, from 1971, is set in WWII and is mentioned in the IFG as revealing "a mature artist, a personality in possession of an imagination more wide-ranging than any in Polish cinema." The screenplay is based on a story by Zulawski's father.

Zulawski is probably best known for his notorious 1981 Isabelle Adjani / Sam Neill freak-out Possession. His earlier L'important c'est d'aimer, which I haven't seen, apparently has serious cult status in some circles. This sounds like another great addition to Second Run's alternative pantheon.

His films have barely been released in Britain, though seem to have a healthy repertory life in France - especially L'important c'est d'aimer, which was pretty much permanently playing when I visited Paris regularly in the 1980s and 1990s.

I saw it there out of curiosity, but my French isn't good enough to offer a fair assessment - though the constant near-hysterical pitch was familiar enough from Possession (the only genuine art movie to end up on the Director of Public Prosecutions' original "video nasty" list!)

Is Zulawski's banned film DIABEL [1972] set in the 17th century with a mad protagonist searching for his beloved? I saw such a Polish film on SBS-TV a few years ago. The music was modern and violence was featured throughout.

Although I missed the original Bikey's pronouncement, the mention of The Third Part of the Night is one of the most exciting news on this forum - at least for me. I have seen this nightmarish and surreal masterpiece 35 years ago and have not been able to track it down since, in whatever format. Of course, my recollections may be tinted by the passage of time, but I remember the film's dreamy and oppressive atmosphere more than the details of the story set in a place that may - or may not - be the real Nazi-occupied Poland. It must be one of the best Polish films of the seventies. I would buy it blind even if it was released by Facets...

I saw this relatively recently and found it as ugly, hysterical and misogynistic as one expects from Zulawski. Personally I cannot relate to his sense of life as tragedy when his tragedy is so reminiscent of an epileptic fit.

Being released on March 19, according to Amazon. Specs list a "Documentary", but nothing is specified otherwise.

Amazon have this as 16 April now.

Play.com now says a May 7 release, and lists a documentary on Zulawski as a supplement.

Anyone who lives in London might like the know that the Curzon Soho are screening 'The Third Part of Night' on 13 May with a Q&A with Zulawski, in conjunction with Second Run (I think).

There's nothing on the Curzon website, but I have their listings for April and May.

Mini-box art.

Play.com now has a May 14 release for this.

Bikey, when are you going to update the site for the next batch of releases?

All,

Apologies for not responding to your queries and comments for some time. Bikey remains the same, but the person behind the name has changed.

Over the next week, I will respond to all your queries and post an update regarding forthcoming releases, including THE THIRD PART OF THE NIGHT, which will feature a newly filmed interview with Andrzej Zulawski.

Third Part of the Night (Trzecia część nocy)

A film by Andrzej Żuławski
Poland / 1971
Second Run DVD 023


Andrzej Żuławski is one of the true mavericks of European cinema and his wild, imaginative and unique films have won many awards at international film festivals. A nightmarish and surreal masterpiece, The Third Part of the Night is his highly influential debut feature film.

Set during the time of the Nazi-occupation of Poland and rich with multilayered symbolism and apocalyptic imagery, it shows one of Europe's most uncompromising and visionary directors at his best.

Considered one of the best Polish films of the 1970s, this is its first-ever release on DVD anywhere in the world.

Special features:
- Newly filmed interview with director Andrzej Żuławski.
- Digital transfer with restored image and sound, approved by the Director.
- New and improved English subtitle translation.
- Optimal quality dual layer disc.
- Booklet featuring a new Essay by author Daniel Bird.

DVD details:
- Length / Main Feature: 102 minutes
- Length / Special Feature: 21 minutes
- Subtitles: English On/Off
- Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1 widescreen

...

"A complex and surreal work. a haunting first feature" Time Out

Release date: 14th May 2007

Bikey wrote:All,
Bikey remains the same, but the person behind the name has changed.

What has happened to the real Bikey, replicant?

Thanks for those specs.

I prefer to see myself more as a new generation of Bikey. My previous self has gone to work for a like-minded organisation.

So are you Bikey 1.1 or 2.0?

whatever Bikey you may be, thanks for the update...i pre-ordered this last night...the dollar's weakness to the pound is killing me and i may have to hold off on future Secondrun and MoC titles for the time being, but I HAD to purchase this with my order for Verhoeven's "Black Book"

Bikey wrote:I prefer to see myself more as a new generation of Bikey. My previous self has gone to work for a like-minded organisation.

That sounds like an appropriately Stalinist fate, given the climate in which many of the films that Second Run releases were produced.

I prefer to see myself as something more human.

Thanks for pre-ordering the DVD. It's quite an exciting time, with Andrzej coming over for a number of interviews around the country.

No Stalinist insurgency here. The genius behind Second Run is still present (and they are very human). I am merely a symbol of progress.

Żuławski on Second Run DVD website

The full details for the DVD release of Andrzej Żuławski's The Third Part of the Night (Trzecia część nocy) are now up on the Second Run DVD website:

http://www.secondrundvd.com/release_tpotn.php

We have also included an excerpt from Daniel Bird's essay on the film, taken from the DVD booklet.

Bikey wrote:The full details for the DVD release of Andrzej Żuławski's The Third Part of the Night (Trzecia część nocy) are now up on the Second Run DVD website:

Couldn't the woman in the middle still have got her make-up straight before posing?

I only now realise that you have all the special polish letters on the DVD case. Thank you very much for reproducing the original title in such a detailed way.

Only £8.99 when pre-ordered at HMV.

It is also special priced at the screenings we have around the country (and you get to see Andrzej speaking too)