Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

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Peacock
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:47 pm
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Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#1 Post by Peacock » Sat Dec 26, 2009 6:43 pm

Will somebody please release Youssef Chahine's Cairo Station? Anybody!

hangman
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#2 Post by hangman » Sat Dec 26, 2009 7:55 pm

Peacock wrote:Will somebody please release Youssef Chahine's Cairo Station? Anybody!
Alas that's been one of the most requested here. I wonder what is keeping either R2 or R1 versions from being released on DVD, I'll assume really complicated rights issues that bars other similarly requested titles? Come to think of it I believe only its remake is out on DVD, saw it on some site, even the original seems to not be available in its home country.

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perkizitore
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#3 Post by perkizitore » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:29 pm

I asked Criterion for an Egypt Golden Era Eclipse set and the first film mentioned was this!

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Ashirg
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#4 Post by Ashirg » Sun Dec 27, 2009 1:30 am

It's being released in US in February by some studio called Typecast Releasing. Available for pre-order on Amazon.

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Peacock
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#5 Post by Peacock » Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:44 am

Thank you for that information, I hope the quality's good!

hangman
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:33 am

Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#6 Post by hangman » Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:26 am

I just hope the Amazon information is wrong, chances are or rather hopefuly are high, in claiming the film is colored XD. But yeah never heard of that company so here is to hoping it is good, I mean they seem to have access to the restored print.

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Peacock
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#7 Post by Peacock » Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:30 am

I noticed that too, but judging by their website and the retrospective, it would be very very strange if they colorized it.

tornadoZ
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run—Cairo Station

#8 Post by tornadoZ » Mon Dec 28, 2009 2:05 pm

Alex here from Typecast Releasing. We're based in Seattle, WA in the USA. The Cairo Station DVD was made via transfer from the restored 35mm print. Unfortunately, the transfer was done after the print had been shown quite a few times, so has some wear and tear, but still looks very nice. We did not colorize the film. Amazon site needs updating; you can actually get the DVD now from other retailers and on our AFD website. DVD also includes Chahine's short documentary Cairo As Seen By Chahine, made for French TV in 1991 and also transfered from a nice-looking 35mm print.

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perkizitore
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#9 Post by perkizitore » Mon Dec 28, 2009 5:34 pm

I can't find it anywhere, except for the pre-order in Amazon and the company's site. Will this be an Amazon exclusive?
Last edited by perkizitore on Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Peacock
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#10 Post by Peacock » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:00 pm

tornadoZ wrote:Alex here from Typecast Releasing. We're based in Seattle, WA in the USA. The Cairo Station DVD was made via transfer from the restored 35mm print. Unfortunately, the transfer was done after the print had been shown quite a few times, so has some wear and tear, but still looks very nice.
Hey Alex, I don't mean to look the gift horse in the mouth, but is there any chance you could upload some screen grabs from the dvd?

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Jeff
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#11 Post by Jeff » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:20 pm

perkizitore wrote:I asked Criterion for an Egypt Golden Era Eclipse set and the first film mentioned was this!
Didn't Criterion basically confirm in their response that they were working on this? That might help make an informed decision as to whether or not to take a chance with the Typecast release. Strange that they're doing the transfer from a release print.

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Peacock
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#12 Post by Peacock » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:23 pm

I found one review online on Msn Movies regarding the new dvd
Cairo Station: 50th Anniversary
The breakthrough film by Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine plays like a neo-realist film by way of a psychological thriller set in the bustling central station of Cairo. A student of international cinema, Chahine energizes the human drama with cinematic invention (including a rock and roll) and sets it against a lively cross-section of working-class lives and the swirling backdrop of social activity and political action. It's a landmark of Egyptian cinema and a vital, vibrant revelation making its American DVD debut. The archival print shows signs of wear and damage, and it has the annoying visual stutter of a PAL transfer. Includes Chahine's 1991 film essay "Cairo as Seen by Chahine." In Egyptian with hard (unremovable) English subtitles.
Can someone explain what is meant by the 'visual stutter of a PAL transfer'? Are they referring to a poor conversion?
Screen grabs would be nice!

Oh and here's another review (from seanax.com) saying similar things
Cairo Station (Typecast Releasing), the 1958 breakthrough film by Egyptian auteur Youseff Chahine, plays like a neo-realist film by way of a psychological thriller transplanted to the bustling central station in Cairo. A student of international cinema, Chahine energizes the human drama with cinematic invention (including a rock and roll) and sets it against a lively cross-section of working-class lives and a the swirling backdrop of social activity and political action. Chahine himself plays a crippled newsboy whose obsession with a sultry lemonade seller builds up a head of lust that finally explodes when she rejects his advances. It’s a landmark of Egyptian cinema and a vital, vibrant revelation making its American DVD debut (the cover proclaims it a 50th Anniversary Edition). The archival print is acceptable but shows signs of wear and damage and the transfer has the awkward visual stutter of a video transfer from a European PAL master. Includes the 1991 short film Cairo as Seen by Chahine, a kind of introspective film essay with Chahine playing himself: a director pondering how to make a film to capture his love of his city. In Egyptian with hard (unremovable) English subtitles. At this point, it’s available exclusively at the AFD website but will be available via Amazon later in 2010.
Still not sure what is meant by the visual stutter of a transfer from a PAL master?

broadwayrock
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#13 Post by broadwayrock » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:40 pm

They mean the stuttering/combing that occurs from a PAL to NTSC transfer.

Any horizontal movement of the camera or objects will appear to stutter as opposed to a smooth continuous movement.

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perkizitore
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#14 Post by perkizitore » Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:07 pm

Jeff wrote:
perkizitore wrote:I asked Criterion for an Egypt Golden Era Eclipse set and the first film mentioned was this!
Didn't Criterion basically confirm in their response that they were working on this? That might help make an informed decision as to whether or not to take a chance with the Typecast release. Strange that they're doing the transfer from a release print.
I think they didn't even respond, although people on Facebook liked the idea. Unless a UK label picks this, don't expect to see it in better condition soon.

tornadoZ
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#15 Post by tornadoZ » Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:39 pm

Peacock wrote:Hey Alex, I don't mean to look the gift horse in the mouth, but is there any chance you could upload some screen grabs from the dvd?
There are a few screen grabs from the Cairo Station DVD available at the Chahine Retrospective page on our Typecast website here.

hangman
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Re: Recommendations for Second Run

#16 Post by hangman » Mon Dec 28, 2009 11:33 pm

tornadoZ wrote:
Peacock wrote:Hey Alex, I don't mean to look the gift horse in the mouth, but is there any chance you could upload some screen grabs from the dvd?
There are a few screen grabs from the Cairo Station DVD available at the Chahine Retrospective page on our Typecast website here.
Looks great to me, and even if the DVD does have PAL-NSTC issues the screens are still ALOT better than the current way of viewing the film outside of retrospectives or film circuits (I do recall most of the horizontal movements being the women running away from authority, otherwise I recall it still as the crippled news vendor just oggles or stares at things while the camera focuses on his obsessed face, names elude me right now). Definitely blind buying this.

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#17 Post by HerrSchreck » Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:29 am

I've had a couple of TV rips of this film, both of which look relatively excellent (c onsidering it's the most-- and longest-- supressed film in Egypt's history) and I must say the film really is fabulous, supplemented with well-made subtitles. Will make an excellent CC indeed!

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Peacock
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:47 pm
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#18 Post by Peacock » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:10 pm

But surely it won't be released as a CC if the rights are owned by Typecast Releasing?

I'd really appreciate it if someone who buys this will post some caps themselves showing the worst of the PAL-NTSC.
I'm sorry i'm not the best at this sort of thing but is a bad PAL-NTSC ghosting? and a bad NTSC-PAL interlaced?

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Peacock
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#19 Post by Peacock » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:17 am

For the Scotsmen and women out there, Cairo Station will be showing as a one off at the Filmhouse on the 20th Feb

AnamorphicWidescreen
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#20 Post by AnamorphicWidescreen » Sun Mar 15, 2015 10:52 pm

Just saw Cairo Station for the first time several days ago (on the DVD). Superb film; very raw & unpretentious, this tale of extreme poverty & unrequited love in a busy train station was definitely one of the most powerful 1950's films I've ever seen (either American or foreign). Very interesting to see the scenes of late 1950's Cairo - especially seen through the eyes of the train station workers, who saw the hustle & bustle of a big city on a daily basis.

I found the character of Qinawi both sad/pathetic & psychotic. The scenes when he pursued Hannuma to no avail were quite disheartening & disturbing.

I was surprised by the extreme
SpoilerShow
violence towards the end, i.e. where Qinawi attacked one of the women (who he thought was Hannuma), and then attacked Hannuma as well. This character was obviously deranged, and as the film progressed Hannuma's rejection was resulting in him getting more & more divorced from reality...
I also found Qinawi's woolen, tattered cap unintentionally funny - it made the character appear even more pathetic, which I guess was the whole point. I understand that the cap was probably worn for religious and/or cultural reasons, but IMHO to wear a woolen hat - with holes in it no less - in the heat of the summer is ludicrous...

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knives
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Re: Typecast Releasing: Cairo Station

#21 Post by knives » Sun Mar 29, 2020 1:31 pm

After many years of eager anticipation I've finally gotten to see this major film. Perhaps it is just because of the long wait, but I was left rather puzzled by the film. It's basically enjoyable and well made, but it isn't the revolution for me that other non-western films from the era like the Apu trilogy or later on Black Girl would be. Nonetheless it's an easy film to praise due to its unique combination of story and setting with some fantastic performances. Perhaps the best part of the film though is the portrayal of the women who use sex to make money which has a Fellini energy and openness that contrasts beautifully with the De Sica like trudge of the rest of the film. Hind Rostom gives a powerful performance as the female lead maintaining a compelling humour, while also being dramatically compelling.

Beside her the one other particularly interesting part of the film is the subjective redefinition of my image of what an Egyptian film could be. I am probably not the only one who mistakenly has in their head a certain censor of topics and images for movies from the Middle East and North Africa. That undue prejudice made the openness of this film very powerful and sometimes shocking to me. Chahine is very open about sex and desire providing his Lon Chaney like protagonist a broken soul hoping for someone besides his left hand to be friends with. I can definitely see why some call it a precursor to Taxi Driver.

It's also interesting to see such a modern city oppressed by the ancient world. It's almost the opposite of an Antonioni film wherein the desire to exist in a real 1st world city is defeated by the inability to overcome signifiers of the ancient world such as a statue of a king overlooking a fountain.

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