278 L'eclisse

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ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
Location: Dublin

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#151 Post by ellipsis7 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:08 am

THE MYSTERY OF OBERWALD (1981) is a reunion for MA with an older Monica Vitti in a period piece (unusually for him) shot on SD analogue video, where he used the then state-of-art video effects (mainly manipulation of colours) to further his exploration of the cinematic medium and chromatic range... It was commissioned as a piece for Italian television, RAI... The effects and image quality can be seen as pretty primitive now, given the subsequent advances in HD digital technology & CGI effects... Another exception for MA is that the drama was based on a preexisting work by fellow filmmaker (& artist) Jean Cocteau, L'AIGLE A DEUX TETES, written as a play in 1943 and then filmed by the Frenchman in 1948, and again produced by French television in 1975... It is essentially a melodramatic narrative and less characteristic of Antonioni's overall oeuvre... A more familiar trope is however apparent in the concept of two characters doubling or substituting for one another...

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jegharfangetmigenmyg
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:52 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#152 Post by jegharfangetmigenmyg » Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:18 am

Thanks! Doesn't sound too thrilling. I guess you would place it in the lower tier of his work? Being a completist, I will have to get around to watching it, although it doesn't sound like a must see...

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ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
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Re: 278 L'eclisse

#153 Post by ellipsis7 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:30 am

If not essential, it is nevertheless a key link and interesting engagement with the video culture & technology of the early '80s... Closest comparison I guess is this pop video FOTOROMANZA he made with Gianna Nannini in 1984...

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jegharfangetmigenmyg
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:52 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#154 Post by jegharfangetmigenmyg » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:00 am

Interesting. Thanks, I will have to check it out.

By the way, I was lucky enough to catch a 35mm showing of Chung Kuo. Even though it's a documentary, I think that it's a shame that it is too often neglected in his filmography. Quite a striking, sometimes disconcerting, and in many ways unique look at China that no Western director would be allowed to film today, I think.

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ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
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Re: 278 L'eclisse

#155 Post by ellipsis7 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:16 am

That 35mm print would have been a blowup from the original Super 16mm negative on which it is shot... I was in Beijing last November (my eldest son is based for work in China & speaks fluent Mandarin) & it was fascinating to see some of MA's locations in the flesh & old men playing Mahjong oblivious to any political climate or cultural change while the ancient & modern are unjarringly juxtaposed in cause of progess forward rooted in the past, a lot of contradictions coexisting if not reconciled, so I don't know if I agree with your point... This Senses of Cinema article gives an interesting perspective on CHUNG KUO CINA from a Chinese point of view...

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jegharfangetmigenmyg
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 7:52 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#156 Post by jegharfangetmigenmyg » Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:23 am

Thanks for the link - I'll have to look into that when I have the time. And yes, it was blown up from 16mm, but still amazing to watch it on film.

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criterionoop
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:46 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#157 Post by criterionoop » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:03 pm

This preorder page appeared on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/LEclisse-Blu-ray ... PDKIKX0DER

I'm guessing that Criterion is doing a Blu-ray only edition (though it lists Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as the studio)

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#158 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:12 pm

I think they mean Sony is the distributor, who distributes the physical media for the Criterion Collection.

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Yaanu
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:18 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#159 Post by Yaanu » Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:30 pm

I noted in the "Criterion and Dual-Format" thread a few days ago that L'eclisse is listed on the website as "Buy on Amazon.com", so your guess is probably accurate.

oh yeah
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 7:45 pm

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#160 Post by oh yeah » Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:26 pm

I guess this explains why the Criterion dual-format edition was out of stock and going for a minimum of $300-400 from Amazon sellers about a week ago, and is now gone altogether (though Best Buy seems to still have it listed for $27.99 in case anyone's interested!)

black&huge
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:35 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#161 Post by black&huge » Fri Nov 29, 2019 11:16 pm

So I've been wanting to get the current blu but I read studiocanal did a restoration in 2015 and to my knowledge there exists no physical media releade of it? Isn't studiocanal letting Criterion license again? I know the criterion blu apparently uses the master as their old dvd just wonderimg if I should hold off

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: 278 L'eclisse

#162 Post by tenia » Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:14 am

Criterion uses indeed their older HD master, and Canal used the same master in France in 2015. I'm not sure if a new restoration exists.

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