Upcoming Releases

[filmlover]

from classicflix.com, a new Kino set:

 

*Gaumont Treasures: 1897 - 1913 (Alice Guy / Louis Feuillade / Leonce Perret)*

 

75 FILMS BY ALICE GUY ? LOUIS FEUILLADE ? LEONCE PERRET

 

The invention of cinema ? and its growth into a sophisticated art form ? are vividly brought to life in this massive collection of films from the early years of the influential Gaumont Film Company. Each disc is devoted to one of Gaumont?s artistic directors, who oversaw all film production at the studio, and profoundly influenced not only the identity of the studio but also the evolution of the cinema itself.

 

DISC 1: ALICE GUY

 

Few individual artists have exerted as profound an influence upon the evolution of cinema as Alice Guy (later known as Guy-Blache). With this collection of more than 60 films, culled from the world?s leading archives and carefully mastered, Guy may no longer be seen as a (woman filmmaker.) These films, produced by Guy for Gaumont before she moved to the US, reveal her to be an unqualified pioneer whose work stands alongside that of the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies, and Edwin S. Porter, in cinema?s rapid growth from an optical illusion to a storytelling medium to an art form. Among the highlights are a 19th-century serpentine dance, early (trick) films, experiments with hand-coloring and synchronized sound, comedies, social commentaries, and (as the collection?s centerpiece) a 33-minute religious epic: The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ (1906).

 

(1897) The Fisherman at the Stream / Bathing in a Stream / Serpentine Dance by Mme. Bob Walter

 

(1898) The Turn-of-the-Century Blind Man / At the Hypnotist's / The Burglars / Disappearing Act / Surprise Attack on a House at Daybreak

 

(1899) At the Club / Wonderful Absinthe

 

(1900) Avenue de l?Opera / Automated Hat-Maker and Sausage-Grinder / At the Photographer's / Dance of the Seasons: Winter, Snow Dance / The Landlady / Turn-of-the-Century Surgery / Pierrette?s Escapades (In Original Hand-Tinted Color) / At the Floral Ball (In Original Hand-Tinted Color) / The Cabbage-Patch Fairy

 

(1902) Serpentine Dance by Lina Esbrard / Midwife to the Upper Class / An Untimely Intrusion / Miss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs

 

(1903) How Monsieur Takes His Bath / Faust and Mephistopheles

 

(1905) The O?Mers in The Bricklayers / The Statue / The Magician?s Alms / Clown, Dog and Balloon / Spain / The Tango / The Malaguena and the Bullfighter / Cook & Rilly?s Trained Rooster / Cake Walk, Performed by Nouveau Cirque / Alice Guy Films a Phonoscene / Saharet Performs the Bolero (In Original Hand-Tinted Color) / Polin Performs: The Anatomy of a Draftee (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene) / Dranem Performs: The True Jiu-Jitsu (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene) / Dranem Performs: Five O?Clock Tea (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene) / Felix Mayol Performs: Indiscreet Questions (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene) & (In Original Hand-Tinted Color) / Felix Mayol Performs: The Trottins? Polka (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene) / Felix Mayol Performs: White Lilacs (A synchronized-sound Phonoscene)

 

(1906) The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ / An Obstacle Course / Madame?s Cravings / A Sticky Woman / The Hierarchies of Love / The Cruel Mother / A Story Well Spun / The Drunken Mattress / The Parish Priest?s Christmas / The Truth Behind the Ape-Man / The Consequences of Feminism / Ocean Studies / The Game-Keeper?s Son

 

(1907) The Race for the Sausage / The Glue / The Fur Hat / The Cleaning Man / A Four-Year-Old Hero / The Rolling Bed / The Irresistible Piano / On the Barricade / The Dirigible Homeland

Curated by Pierre Philippe - Total running time: 225 Minutes - Full-Frame (1.33:1) - Music by Sorties d?Artistes, except The Birth, the Life and the Death of Christ: Music by Patrick Laviosa

 

DISC 2: LOUIS FEUILLADE

 

Best remembered today for his espionage serials Les Vampires and Fantomas, Louis Feuillade had a more varied and profound influence upon French cinema than many of his followers realize. For more than a decade, he was the artistic director at Gaumont, encouraging the rise of such filmmakers as Abel Gance and Leonce Perret. This collection of films offers a wider view of Feuillade?s directorial efforts -- but, admittedly, it is only a small portion of the nearly 800 films he is believed to have directed. These films run the gamut of ribald comedy (The Colonel?s Account), charming fantasy (Spring), tragedy (The Heart and Money), social commentary (The Defect) and historical epic (the remarkably poignant The Agony of Byzance). No Feuillade collection would be complete without a sampling of thrillers. To that end, we offer The Trust: Or the Battles for Money and The Obses-sion, which are characterized by the brisk pacing and diabolical tone for which he would become famous.

 

The Colonel?s Account (1907, 4 min.)

A Very Fine Lady (1908, 3 min.)

Spring (1909, 7 min.)

The Fairy of the Surf (1909, 7 min.)

Custody of the Child (1909, 11 min.)

The Defect (1911, 41 min.)

The Roman **** (1911, 8 min.)

The Trust (1911, 24 min.)

The Heart and the Money (1912, 17 min.)

The Obsession (1912, 23 min.)

Tragic Error (1913, 24 min.)

Bout de Zan Steals an Elephant (1913, 9 min.)

The Agony of Byzance (1913, 29 min.)

 

BONUS FEATURE:

 

Louis Feuillade: Master of Many Forms - This collection of scenes from more than twenty films demonstrates Feuillade?s mastery of (and influence upon) a wide range of cinematic genres.

Curated by Pierre Philippe - Total running time: 217 Minutes - Full-Frame (1.33:1) - Music by Patrick Laviosa

 

DISC 3: LEONCE PERRET

 

Until now, the films of Leonce Perret have been virtually unseen in the United States , yet he was a hugely influential figure in the growth of the French film industry. As an actor, he appeared in more than 100 films from 1909 to 1916, including the long-running series of (Leonce) comedies. But his greater contribution was as a director. Working at Gaumont under the supervision of Louis Feuillade, Perret set the standard to which other French filmmakers aspired. His films had a technical mastery and aesthetic grace that allowed them to reveal subtleties of character and meaning. Perret?s artistic maturity is beautifully represented in the influential feature The Child of Paris, a naturalistic drama reminiscent of Emile Zola. Of this film, critic Georges Sadoul proclaimed, Leonce Perret was able to render a graceful and lively story by using an extraordinarily refined cinematic repertoire: backlighting, low-angle shots, close-ups, moving shots and numerous other innovations, all of which Perret implemented with flair, in stark contrast to...the still somewhat primitive technique of David W. Griffith at that time. Perret made a number of self-referential films, in which the medium of cinema is a component of the plotline. In The Mystery of the Rocks of Kador, an amnesiac woman undergoes a sort of cinematic hypnosis as a means of recalling the details of a tragic crime.

 

The Mystery of the Rocks of Kador (Le Mystere des roches de Kador) (1912)

Color Tinted - 43 Minutes - Directed by Leonce Perret

The Child of Paris (L?Enfant de Paris) (1913)

Color Tinted - 124 Minutes - Written and directed by Leonce Perret

 

BONUS FEATURE:

 

Leonce Perret: The Filmmaker?s Filmmaker - Illustrated with rare film clips, this mini-documentary reveals the artistry and wit of French cinema?s unsung hero.

Curated by Pierre Philippe - Full-Frame (1.33:1) - Music by Philippe Dubosson

 

More info and cover art here:

http://www.classicflix.com/kino-gaumont-treasures-1897-1913-september-a-461.html

[filmlover]

Other news from classicflix.com, *Becoming Charley Chase* is now back on the schedule. July 28th is the new release date:

 

DISC 1 (Charles Parrott at Keystone - And More!):

 

Peanuts and Bullets (01/30/1915) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Love in Armor (03/11/1915) - Music by Ben Model

Settled at the Seaside (03/29/1915) - Music by Ben Redwine and Redwine Jazz

The Rent Jumpers (04/08/1915) - Music by Ben Redwine and Redwine Jazz

Love, Loot and Crash (04/24/1915) - Music By Ben Model

A Versatile Villain (05/29/1915) - Music by Ben Model

He Wouldn't Stay Down (05/30/1915) - Music by Ben Model

Married to Order (10/30/1920) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

 

BONUS FEATURES:

The Parrott Chase (45 Minute Documentary)

 

DISC 2 (Charley Chase Becomes Jimmy Jump):

 

At First Sight (01/06/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

One of the Family (01/26/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Just a Minute (02/03/1924) - Music by Ben Model

Powder and Smoke (02/10/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Hard Knocks (03/02/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Don't Forget (03/23/1924) - Surviving Extract Music by the Snark Ensemble

The Fraidy Cat (03/30/1924) - Music by Ben Model

Publicity Pays (05/04/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Young Oldfield (06/22/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Stolen Goods (06/29/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Jeffries, Jr (07/06/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

A Ten-Minute Egg (07/20/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Seeing Nellie Home (07/27/1924) - Partial Reconstruction from Surviving Material Music by Ben Model

Outdoor Pajamas (09/14/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Sittin' Pretty (09/28/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Too Many Mammas (10/12/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Accidental Accidents (11/09/1924) - Surviving Extract Music by Ben Model

 

NO BONUS FEATURES:

 

DISC 3 (Jimmy Jump Becomes Charley Chase ):

 

The Poor Fish (12/07/1924) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

The Rat's Knuckles (01/04/1925) - Music by Ben Model

Hello Baby! (01/18/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Fighting Fluid (02/01/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Should Husbands be Watched (03/14/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Is Marriage the Bunk? (03/29/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Bad Boy (04/12/1925 - Charley Chase's First Surviving Two-Reel Short) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Big Red Ridinghood (04/26/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

Looking for Sally (05/10/1925) - Music by Ben Model

No Father to Guide Him (09/06/1925) - Music by the Snark Ensemble

 

BONUS FEATURES:

The Sounds of Silence Music Featurette

 

DISC 4 (Directed by Charley Parrott):

 

Jus' Passin Through (1920, Will Rogers) - Music by Ben Model

A Rolling Stone (01/20/1919, Billy West ) - Music by Ben Model

The Flirts - (04/08/1919, Harry Mann & Jimmie Adams) - Music by the West End Jazz Band

The Dumb Bell (07/16/1922, Snub Pollard) - Music by Ben Redwine and Redwine Jazz

Soft Pedal (12/16/1922, Paul Parrott) - Music by Ben Model

The Courtship of Miles Sandwich (06/24/1923, Snub Pollard) - Music by the West End Jazz Band

Dear Old Pal (11/11/23, Snub Pollard and Paul Parrott, The Last Film Directed by Charles Parrott Before He Became Charley Chase) - Music by Ben Redwine and Redwine Jazz)

 

BONUS FEATURES:

Interview With Charley's Daughter June Chase Hargis

 

Suggested price is $39.95. Cover art is here:

http://www.classicflix.com/back-becoming-charley-chase-july-special-price-a-459.html

[filmlover]

Midnight Express is coming to Blu-ray on July 21st.

[filmlover]

blu-ray.com has announced that *El Cid* and *The Fall of the Roman Empire* are both coming to Blu-ray on August 21, at least to Germany, at the moment. Koch Media will be releasing them there and it is uncertain at this point if they will be region locked (The Weinstein Company owns the distribution rights here in the U.S.).

 

Here are the scheduled extras for each:

 

Extras for 'El Cid' include:

 

 

Three original trailers

 

Picture gallery

 

Hollywood Conquers Spain: 'El Cid'

 

A Visionary Producer in Hollywood: Samuel Bronston

 

Mikl?s R?zsa, Master of Film Music

 

The Preservation of a Legend: Gerry Burne on the Restoration of a Classic

 

11 filmographies

 

Extras for 'The Fall of the Roman Empire' include:

 

 

Original trailer

 

German trailer

 

Picture gallery

 

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire: a Historical Analysis

 

Dimitri Tiomkin: the Score for the Roman Empire

 

12 filmographies

 

Encyclop?dia Britannica documentaries

 

Both titles will come in three-disc sets, where only the first one will be a BD. The second disc will be a DVD with the bonus features, and the third will contain a digital copy of the film, with separate files optimized for PSP, Blackberry, and iPod/iPhone.

 

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2694

[HollywoodGolightly]

Legend Films has announced *The Outlaw - Special Edition* for release on June 16th. This restored two disc set will contain the original black and white as well as a colorized version.

 

No documentaries or featurettes, but it will have new and exclusive commentary by Jane Russell and Terry Moore (presumably on the same track).

 

[HollywoodGolightly]

More news from classicflix... Almost slipping under the radar by being buried in the re-releases of Janus Films Essential Art House line, Janus, via Criterion, has set a June 16th release date for the Alec Guinness dark comedy *Last Holiday* (1950).

 

[filmlover]

Fox will be issuing both the original and theatrical remake of *Miracle on 34th Street* on Blu-ray. No set date yet.

[HollywoodGolightly]

Criterion/Eclipse titles for August are announced!!

 

*AUGUST 2009 CRITERIONs ANNOUNCED:*

 

*The Last Days of Disco* (Whit Stillman, 1998)

*Kagemusha* - Blu-ray Edition (Akira Kurosawa, 1980)

*Playtime* ? Blu-ray Edition (Jacques Tati, 1967)

*Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles* (Chantal Akerman, 1975)

 

*ECLIPSE SERIES 17: NIKKATSU NOIR*

*I Am Waiting* (1957), *Rusty Knife* (1958), *Take Aim at the Police Van* (1960), *Cruel Gun Story* (1964) and *A Colt Is My Passport* (1967)

[edgeciff]

These titles are mostly obscure and would not interest me. Criterion is quite expensive unless you can get a good sale. Now that I started my Blu Ray collection I am being very selective and don't want to spend more than $20 per disc for BR.

[HollywoodGolightly]

Well, I generally rent most Criterion titles. To me it's not worth to buy most of them, not because of the cost but because I very seldom have the time to watch them more than once or twice.

 

Probably about the only thing they could release at this point that I'd definitely buy would be Brazil in blu-ray, if they can still license it from Universal.

[HollywoodGolightly]

Generally regarded as Max Ophuls' masterpiece, Lola Montes has been out-of-print in the U.S. for years.

 

For those with multi-region DVD players, the restored version of Lola Montes is coming out in the UK in July:

 

Second Sight have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Lola Montes on 6th July 2009 priced at ?19.99 RRP. Max Ophuls? final work tells the tragic story of the life of the legendary 19th century cabaret dancer Lola Montes (Martine Carol).

 

After two years of painstaking restoration, this restored edition of the film arrives with a host of brand new special features. These include:

 

* Lola Montes: Revisited ? A Documentary on the Making of the Film

* Commentary by Susan White, author of ?The Cinema of Max Ophuls?

 

[HollywoodGolightly]

I don't recall any previous mention of Mad Max coming out on blu-ray; there is now an official word that MGM home video is working on a 30th anniversary edition of it for blu-ray, in this interview from Home Media Magazine:

 

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/people/six-questions-eric-doctorow-15769

[filmlover]

Two new classic packages from Sony on Aug. 4:

 

Icons of Screwball Comedy:

 

Vol. 1: If You Could Only Cook (1935), Too Many Husbands (1940), My Sister Eileen (1942), She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945)

 

Vol. 2: Theodora Goes Wild (1936), Together Again (1944), The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940), A Night to Remember (1943)

[filmlover]

Edgecliff, glad to have you aboard for Blu. Which classic titles have you picked up so far? If you haven't already, here are some I highly recommend:

 

The Searchers

South Pacific

Gigi

An American in Paris

Zulu

The Sand Pebbles

Sleeping Beauty

Pinocchio

The Robe

Quo Vadis

(there are some others I have forgotten for the moment)

[edgeciff]

filmlover, I have purchased the following Blu Ray's: DR, NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, PINOCCHIO, LA CONFIDENTIAL and SLEEPING BEAUTY.

 

Waiting for DDD big sale and will be purchasing GIGI, THE SEARCHERS, DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, THE ROBE, DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) and GOLDFINGER.

 

Trying to be very selective about my choices.

[edgeciff]

Sony seems to be on a roll. They have announced three boxes of film noirs plus a Rita Hayworth set for release in November. It looks like WBHV has completely slowed down with no new announcements with the exception of the archives. I wonder what happened to the Esther Williams set and RAINTREE COUNTY? Looks like FOX might have thrown in the towel re their classics for now. They have announced zero!! With SEVEN YEAR ITCH on hold I wonder if they are going to release any more classics in Blu Ray. Miles Kruger told me he recorded the commentary for STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER over a year old and the DVD has still not been released.

[edgeciff]

Sony seems to be on a roll. They have announced three boxes of film noirs plus a Rita Hayworth set for release in November. It looks like WBHV has completely slowed down with no new announcements with the exception of the archives. I wonder what happened to the Esther Williams set and RAINTREE COUNTY? Looks like FOX might have thrown in the towel re their classics for now. They have announced zero!! With SEVEN YEAR ITCH on hold I wonder if they are going to release any more classics in Blu Ray. Miles Kruger told me he recorded the commentary for STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER over a year ago and the DVD has still not been released.

[filmlover]

Edge...shoot, I can't believe I forgot to mention one of the very best Blu's...How the West Was Won!!!! Incredible picture quality, plus the second Blu disc has the SmileBox version which shows it like it was in Cinerama. This is a must for you to get!

[filmlover]

Mentioned before, but now official. VCI is releasing the serials of The Green Hornet and The Green Hornet Strikes Again on July 28th.

 

Here's a link with cover art (nice) and list of contents and extras:

 

http://www.classicflix.com/green-hornet-green-hornet-strikes-again-july-a-468.html?osCsid=5afc077d3d0a777fd878bbfd4786363a

[HollywoodGolightly]

New details about the 2nd volume of noir films from Sony - apparently the set will include Pushover, Nightfall, The Brothers Rico, City of Fear and a re-issue of In a Lonely Place.

 

Also, Paramount has announced it is *FINALLY* releasing *The African Queen* on DVD!!!

 

No line on price or bonus features, but Paramount has scheduled an October 13th release date for The African Queen as part of their Paramount Centennial Collection series. Stay tuned for more details...

[CelluloidKid]

*Very ....Very cool ...I'm a huge by Roman Polanski fan!!!*

 

 

*Polanski's Scariest Movie Getting Criterion Treatment*

 

The Roman Polanski horror movie everyone knows and loves is, of course, Rosemary's Baby (and to some extent The Ninth Gate, except for the "loves" part, though I think that one gets a bad rap). But the seriously scary Polanski film that is criminally underseen -- though generally appreciated by those who see it -- is his 1996 effort Repulsion, the first movie in his "apartment trilogy" that would conclude with Baby and The Tenant. Certainly it's the scariest movie about sex that you'll ever see, putting Teeth to shame. (Any other contenders?) A character study that gradually reveals a very disturbed psyche, it's super-creepy in insinuating, unconventional ways. (Remember the constantly ticking clock in Rosemary's Baby? It's here too. And mysterious bells. And sometimes the sound just cuts out...)

 

If you've never seen Repulsion -- as I hadn't until very recently -- you might hold out for July 28th, when the wonderful folks at Criterion will release their typically awesome-sounding Special Edition on DVD and Blu-Ray. Among other things, it'll have a full-length commentary from Polanski and Catherine Deneuve, who was barely 20 when the film was shot and is a dead ringer for Gwyneth Paltrow. It'll also have a documentary shot on set in 1964, which should be fascinating.

 

But even if you don't shell out the $40 bucks for the Criterion set, see this movie. Netflix it or something. It's a master class for admirers of the horror genre. Here's something tantalizing: it has one of my favorite final shots of all time.

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Eugene Novikov May 21st 2009

Cinematical.coom

[CelluloidKid]

*"Centennial Collection: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"(Paramount, 1962, b/w, $16.99).*

 

 

This is a fine example of how a movie can rise above studio interference and budget restrictions with the right director, script and cast. John Ford would likely have filmed this in color on vivid outdoor locations except that Paramount was in a cost-cutting mood, so it was filmed on studio soundstages.

 

But the film still approaches perfection ? it's filled with clever, witty dialogue (most famously, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend") and is perfectly cast: John Wayne is confident and authoritative as a tough, rough-hewn cowpoke in love with an intelligent woman (Vera Miles). But she is naturally drawn to a city slicker, a new-in-town lawyer (James Stewart) who dreams of taming the West using the law instead of violence. His dream is waylaid by the terror wrought by a local thug (Lee Marvin in a starmaking turn as the ruthless, wild-eyed title character).

 

This was the last great movie for the 68-year-old Ford, whose direction is as sharp as with anything he made in his prime (and that includes a lot of classic films), and whose terrific supporting cast includes Woody Strode, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef and John Carradine.

[filmlover]

Here's reaction to the screening of The Red Shoes at Cannes:

 

from blu-ray.com:

 

Restored Red Shoes Wows Cannes, Now Coming to Blu-ray

Posted May 23, 2009 06:04 AM by Juan Calonge

 

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Technicolor masterpiece 'The Red Shoes' was unveiled May 15 at Cannes Film Festival in a newly restored version completed under the impetus of Martin Scorsese. A Blu-ray release is scheduled in the UK for June 29. Criterion's partner Janus Films has also participated in the restoration, so a US edition may follow.

 

The reaction to the restoration was enthusiastic. Charlotte Higgins wrote on The Guardian from Cannes: "The colours of the restored Red Shoes absolutely leap from the screen. Moira Shearer is all icy skin, palely freckled. And then there is her hair, that miraculous sheet of red-gold fire. ... Imagine you possess a faded, tattered photograph of someone you love, and then, quite unexpectedly, you see them again, solid, living and breathing. That was what watching the restored Red Shoes felt like."

 

The Guardian also has an interesting video interview with Thelma Schoonmaker, longtime Martin Scorsese editor and widow of director Michael Powell, where she discusses the restoration and what the film means for Scorsese and for her, and some before-and-after restoration images are shown.

 

According to the press release issued by The Film Foundation and the restoration booklet, the film has undergone an extensive 2-year 4K digital restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation, in association with the British Film Institute, ITV Global Entertainment Ltd and Janus Films. The restoration was funded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Film Foundation and the Louis B. Mayer Foundation.

 

Restoration work began in the fall of 2006. The original nitrate 3-strip camera negatives have been used for this restoration to obtain the highest possible image quality, despite the preservation problems they suffered from.

 

Robert Gitt, Preservation Officer, UCLA Film & Television Archive and responsible for the restoration, puts it in painful detail. "Sixty-five per cent of the film had bad color fringing caused by differential shrinkage and sometimes by mis-adjustment of the camera during shooting; 176 shots contained color flickering, mottling and 'breathing' because of uneven development and chemical staining; seventy sequences contained harsh optical effects with excessive contrast; and throughout there were thousands of visible red, blue and green specks caused by embedded dirt and scratches. Worst of all, mold had attacked every reel and begun to eat away the emulsion, leaving behind thousands of visible tiny cracks and fissures."

 

Extensive digital restoration was the only practical solution. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and Prasad Corporation Ltd. were chosen to undertake the immense task of digitally scanning 579,000 individual frames directly from the three-strip camera negatives, re-registering the colors, removing visible specks and scratches, mitigating color breathing, solving contrast issues, performing shot-to-shot color correction, and finally recording all 134 minutes back to 35mm Eastman color internegative stock. To obtain uniformly high quality results, 4K resolution was employed at every stage of the digital picture restoration work.

 

Digital techniques were also employed by Audio Mechanics to remove pops, thumps, crackles and excessive background hiss from the film's original variable density optical soundtrack.

 

For Martin Scorsese, 'The Red Shoes' was a "seminal" work. "It expresses so much about the burning need for art, and I identified with that feeling the very first time I saw the picture with my father. I was so young then. It put me in contact with something in myself, a driving emotion I saw in the characters up there on the screen, and in the color, the rhythm, the sense of beauty?in the filmmaking."

 

The next Powell&Pressburger title up for restoration is 'The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp', for which The Film Foundation is still looking for funding.

 

'The Red Shoes' will be released in the UK by ITV DVD on June 29, initially as an exclusive for HMV. In the meantime, film lovers might want to check out the other P&P movie available on Blu-ray, 'Black Narcissus'.

 

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2741

[HollywoodGolightly]

> {quote:title=filmlover wrote:}{quote}

> 'The Red Shoes' will be released in the UK by ITV DVD on June 29, initially as an exclusive for HMV. In the meantime, film lovers might want to check out the other P&P movie available on Blu-ray, 'Black Narcissus'.

>

> http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2741

 

If Criterion doesn't announce a blu-ray release in the U.S. soon, it's going to be mighty tempting to order this one from hmv.com. Has anyone here ever ordered anything from them?

[HollywoodGolightly]

Here's the artwork for the "Icons of Screwball Comedy" sets: