Flicker Alley

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justeleblanc
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:05 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: Flicker Alley

#826 Post by justeleblanc » Thu May 05, 2016 10:53 am

Flicker Alley announced in an email that they would release Fritz Lang's Destiny on MOD DVD.

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Forgive me if this has already been asked, but being that the film has been restored for high def and will be made available on Blu from MOC, is there any reason why Flicker Alley is only making this an MOD DVD? Is it possible that this is a different restoration, and that being how the film is in the public domain they are able to release their own version of it -- and that their version will be of slightly worse quality? Just curious, and thanks in advance.

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ShempTCat
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2014 4:20 pm

Re: Flicker Alley

#827 Post by ShempTCat » Thu May 05, 2016 11:16 am

justeleblanc wrote:Flicker Alley announced in an email that they would release Fritz Lang's Destiny on MOD DVD.

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but being that the film has been restored for high def and will be made available on Blu from MOC, is there any reason why Flicker Alley is only making this an MOD DVD? Is it possible that this is a different restoration, and that being how the film is in the public domain they are able to release their own version of it -- and that their version will be of slightly worse quality? Just curious, and thanks in advance.
On April 29th, Tim Lucas announced on his Facebook page that he would be recording a commentary track for a Kino Blu-ray release of Destiny:

I've just been cleared to announce that I'll be doing the audio commentary for Kino's restored version of Fritz Lang's DESTINY. This will be my first commentary for a silent film, a bit outside my comfort zone, but I watched the film earlier today - which is marvelous - and it looks like there is plenty to cover.

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justeleblanc
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Re: Flicker Alley

#828 Post by justeleblanc » Thu May 05, 2016 11:46 am

ShempTCat wrote:On April 29th, Tim Lucas announced on his Facebook page that he would be recording a commentary track for a Kino Blu-ray release of Destiny:

I've just been cleared to announce that I'll be doing the audio commentary for Kino's restored version of Fritz Lang's DESTINY. This will be my first commentary for a silent film, a bit outside my comfort zone, but I watched the film earlier today - which is marvelous - and it looks like there is plenty to cover.
Thanks! Then I wonder if Flicker Alley is releasing the DVD and Kino is releasing the Blu.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Flicker Alley

#829 Post by What A Disgrace » Thu May 05, 2016 11:49 am

I hope Lucas's commentary will be on the Masters of Cinema disc.

Jonathan S
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2008 3:31 am
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Re: Flicker Alley

#830 Post by Jonathan S » Thu May 05, 2016 12:44 pm

justeleblanc wrote:Flicker Alley announced in an email that they would release Fritz Lang's Destiny on MOD DVD.
Forgive me if this has already been asked, but being that the film has been restored for high def and will be made available on Blu from MOC, is there any reason why Flicker Alley is only making this an MOD DVD? Is it possible that this is a different restoration, and that being how the film is in the public domain they are able to release their own version of it -- and that their version will be of slightly worse quality? Just curious, and thanks in advance.
Flicker Alley's MOD will surely be a reissue of the previous (2000) Image Entertainment release of the Blackhawk Films version.

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Forrest Taft
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Re: Flicker Alley

#831 Post by Forrest Taft » Fri May 06, 2016 9:26 am

From Flicker Alley's newsletter:
A NOTE ON THIS EDITION: This edition of Destiny is digitally mastered from a 35mm fine grain master print of the French reissue version, Les trois lumières. New English titles, including many absent from previous American versions of the film, are translated from the original German censor records and composed in typefaces approximating those in the prints of 1921. The images are in color tints authentic to German films of the same year. A new orchestral score recorded in digital stereo by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra uses authentic film music arrangements of the period and German traditional tunes as indicated by the action on screen.
A bit cynical to put this one out when the FWMS restoration has recently finished and is about to be released on disc. Why would anyone buy an MOD dvd of this when blu's are coming from Kino and MoC?

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
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Re: Flicker Alley

#832 Post by Drucker » Fri May 06, 2016 9:31 am

Considering BFI and MOC put out rival editions of Nosferatu, Birth of a Nation, and Man With the Movie Camera...and that Criterion could release a rival to Flicker Alley's Nanook of the North...their must be some financial incentive to do this.

It shocks me too, but I have to assume someone at Flicker Alley knows they'll make money on this?

Jonathan S
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Re: Flicker Alley

#833 Post by Jonathan S » Fri May 06, 2016 11:15 am

RobertAltman wrote:From Flicker Alley's newsletter:
A NOTE ON THIS EDITION: This edition of Destiny is digitally mastered from a 35mm fine grain master print of the French reissue version, Les trois lumières. New English titles, including many absent from previous American versions of the film, are translated from the original German censor records and composed in typefaces approximating those in the prints of 1921. The images are in color tints authentic to German films of the same year. A new orchestral score recorded in digital stereo by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra uses authentic film music arrangements of the period and German traditional tunes as indicated by the action on screen.

That's exactly what was printed on the rear of the 2000 Image Entertainment release I linked to above. So presumably the "new" Mont Alto score is the one that was new 16 years ago. Although good for its day, this Blackhawk edition, reviewed here, has a major deficiency in the cropping of the left edge of the picture - apparently to accommodate an optical track on the sound reissue print - which often makes the images appear obviously off-centre.

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whaleallright
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Re: Flicker Alley

#834 Post by whaleallright » Fri May 06, 2016 4:40 pm

their must be some financial incentive to do this.
Given that it’s taken from an existing master, they are using standard artwork, and it is being sold on-demand, there is very little financial risk for something like this. I suppose a few people (and probably some libraries) who either aren’t aware of the other (future) releases—or can’t wait for them—will buy this, and I imagine that the break-even point is probably a pretty low sales number.

Still, it seems a little cynical to put this on the market in advance of other, no-doubt improved releases, thus possibly stealing a bit of their sales potential.

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Ashirg
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Re: Flicker Alley

#835 Post by Ashirg » Sun Jul 03, 2016 3:55 pm

BD-R editions released on June 22 -

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The Ghost That Never Returns
This is the original silent version with new English titles and a new musical setting by Rodney Sauer (the film was re-released in 1933 in a shortened version with dubbed dialogue and music). Our only available source was a mint 16mm print made for circulation to workers clubs in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, the image quality is well below our usual standard, but we believe that the high quality of the production is worth the compromise.

As a bonus we include one of the first experimental Soviet sound films, Pacific 231 (1931), that presents images by Mikhail Tsekhanovsky (book illustrator and film animator) based on Arthur Honegger's music etude which was a spinoff from his score for La Roue.
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Four of the films in this collection arrived after the release of the much larger anthology Masterworks of the American Avant-garde Experimental Film, 1920-1970 had gone to press; they are such beautiful and extraordinary works that deserve to be seen after decades of unavailability. All are brilliant and true color copies mastered in high definition from original Kodachrome master copies or camera films.

Abstract in Concrete (1952). John Arvonio shot footage for this stunning pattern film of New York City at night over a five-year period. The music by Frank Fields is a movement of his 1931 suite Times Square Silhouette. Although it was quite successful and widely shown in the 1950s, Arvonio never released another film.

Analogies #1 and Color Dances #1 are both by Jim Davis (1952-53). Painter, sculptor and a major figure in '50's avant-garde film, Davis is represented in the Masterworks anthology by Evolution. "Abstract and mysterious to many spectators, these waves and studies of light were for Davis images if the causative forces of nature." - ReVoir

Treadle and Bobbin by Wheaton Galentine (1954). The Singer treadle sewing machine stars in this rhythmic and imaginatively photographed work. "A distinguished visual analysis of moving parts, well exploited for beauty and interest and notable for its fresh observation." - Melbourne (Australia) Int'l Film Festival. Galentine collaborated with other major independent filmmakers of the period including Francis Thompson, Shirley Clarke and Alexander Hammid, but this is his only released solo work.

N.Y., N.Y. by Francis Thompson (Filmed 1949-57, released 1958). Thompson shot the vibrant fractured images with a Kodak Cine-Special camera specially rigged with "secret" mirrors, kaleidoscopes and even reflective car hubcaps. The experience remains an exquisite time capsule that not only documents Manhattan during the 1950s but also, in the words of the New York Times, proffers "one of the few genuine masterpieces" of the burgeoning experimental film movement in the United States.

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Ashirg
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Re: Flicker Alley

#836 Post by Ashirg » Sun Jul 03, 2016 3:59 pm

November 22 blu-ray & DVD editions -

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The Best of Cinerama is comprised of all the greatest thrills of Cinerama, from the breathtaking roller coaster ride to the visit to La Scala, Milan, for Aida; from the hurtling bobsled run, to the stirring dances of the African Watusis. Made up of over 20 such exciting highlights, the film is not only an historic compilation, but also a stand-alone thrill-a-minute experience.

The adventure begins with the Sabre jet precision flying team from Search For Paradise, and then whirls back to the iconic roller coaster sequence from This is Cinerama! newly restored for this release. From there, the three-panel journey goes global, showcasing some of the rich and exotic locales of Cinerama Holiday and Seven Wonders of the World. There s the Marian Year Celebration at St. Peter s Square in Rome, featuring the first commercial motion-picture footage of Pope Pius XII. There s the boat trip down the Ganges River at Benares. There are visits to Paris, Vienna, Athens, India, Brazil, Japan, Africa, Israel, and New Orleans, all in one spectacular Cinerama presentation. Flicker Alley and Cinerama Inc. are proud to present The Best of Cinerama in the Smilebox® Curved Screen Simulation. The film has been digitally remastered from original camera negatives, and includes an all-new restoration of scenes from This is Cinerama! This edition celebrates a decade of Cinerama filmmaking, and over five years of bringing those treasures back to life on Blu-ray and DVD for future Cinerama audiences to enjoy!

Bonus Materials Include:
- Feature Length Audio Commentary: With Cinerama historian David Coles
- Shellarama (1965): Shot in Super-Technirama and released on 70mm, this Shell-produced short follows the journey of Shell oil from raw source to refined fuel
- Bridge to Space (1968): A 70mm short documentary shot on Merritt Island and at Cape Canaveral
- The Rangerettes : Deleted scene from Seven Wonders of the World featuring Kilgore College Rangerettes
- Battleship Iowa Arrives in San Pedro : A Cinerama short film shot in 2012
- Reconstructing The Best of Cinerama : A restoration demonstration with Dave Strohmaier
- Cinerama Troika : Interview with the principles behind Cinerama travelogue restorations (Blu-ray only)
- Remembering The Best of Cinerama : Interview with Norman Karlin, Cinerama editor (Blu-ray only)
- Slideshows: Who s Who in Cinerama History ; Show Places of the 1950s ; and more! (Blu-ray only)
- The Best of Cinerama Trailer: Original theatrical trailer
- Program Booklet: A facsimile representation of the original program booklet
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Photographed over an eight-year period by Russia s top filmmakers, Cinerama's Russian Adventure brings together some of the most exquisite, jaw-dropping, and beautiful sequences from over six Soviet Kinopanorama productions (the Russian equivalent of three-panel Cinerama). The film s locations stretch from one end of Russia to the other, from the snow-covered countryside to the majestic subways of Moscow, from the deck of a whaling ship to the front seats of the Bolshoi Theater. Bing Crosby narrates the journey, offering both a grand and intimate view of a country and culture so often cited and yet so seldom seen.

In classic Cinerama style, your first glimpse of Russia is from behind the reigns of a troika, a traditional three-horse sled, speeding through the snow. Next, you ll land in Moscow for spectacular shots of the Kremlin, the Volga River, the bustling street life, and a spring carnival complete with singing, dancing, and clowns on stilts. From there, you ll marvel at the dazzling Moscow Circus, take a raft ride down the Tisza River, join in a wild antelope roundup on the Barsa-Kelmes, and witness a show-stopping performance of the famous Moiseyev Dancers. The most visceral sequences, though, take place not on land, but on water: the spare-no-details whale hunt aboard a factory ship in the Antarctic and the alien voyage of an octopus as it glides beneath the sea.

Flicker Alley and Cinerama Inc. are proud to present Cinerama's Russian Adventure in the Smilebox® Curved Screen Simulation. The film has been digitally remastered, and beautifully so, allowing audiences to experience - in the words of Bing Crosby what I believe will be our most exciting journey...

Bonus Materials Include:
- Fortress of Peace (1964): A Swiss Army propaganda film shot in Cinerama and nominated for the 1965 Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short Film
- Concorde (1966): A 70mm Cinerama short about the then soon-to-be-unveiled supersonic airplane
- Working With Our Father on Russian Adventure: An interview with film editors Craig and Hal Dennis Jr., sons of producer Hal Dennis
- Reconstructing Russian Adventure : A restoration demonstration with Dave Strohmaier
- Russian Adventure Trailer: Original theatrical trailer
- Trailer Gallery: Collection of trailers from other Cinerama shows (Blu-ray only)
- Slideshows: Ads and publicity materials, sample scripts pages, and Russian Adventure Study Guide
- Program Booklet: A facsimile representation of the original program booklet

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swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Flicker Alley

#837 Post by swo17 » Sun Jul 03, 2016 4:03 pm

Ashirg wrote:Image
Four of the films in this collection arrived after the release of the much larger anthology Masterworks of the American Avant-garde Experimental Film, 1920-1970 had gone to press; they are such beautiful and extraordinary works that deserve to be seen after decades of unavailability. All are brilliant and true color copies mastered in high definition from original Kodachrome master copies or camera films.

Abstract in Concrete (1952). John Arvonio shot footage for this stunning pattern film of New York City at night over a five-year period. The music by Frank Fields is a movement of his 1931 suite Times Square Silhouette. Although it was quite successful and widely shown in the 1950s, Arvonio never released another film.

Analogies #1 and Color Dances #1 are both by Jim Davis (1952-53). Painter, sculptor and a major figure in '50's avant-garde film, Davis is represented in the Masterworks anthology by Evolution. "Abstract and mysterious to many spectators, these waves and studies of light were for Davis images if the causative forces of nature." - ReVoir

Treadle and Bobbin by Wheaton Galentine (1954). The Singer treadle sewing machine stars in this rhythmic and imaginatively photographed work. "A distinguished visual analysis of moving parts, well exploited for beauty and interest and notable for its fresh observation." - Melbourne (Australia) Int'l Film Festival. Galentine collaborated with other major independent filmmakers of the period including Francis Thompson, Shirley Clarke and Alexander Hammid, but this is his only released solo work.

N.Y., N.Y. by Francis Thompson (Filmed 1949-57, released 1958). Thompson shot the vibrant fractured images with a Kodak Cine-Special camera specially rigged with "secret" mirrors, kaleidoscopes and even reflective car hubcaps. The experience remains an exquisite time capsule that not only documents Manhattan during the 1950s but also, in the words of the New York Times, proffers "one of the few genuine masterpieces" of the burgeoning experimental film movement in the United States.
I'm excited to see the Davis films after discovering Evolution on the Avant-Garde set. Odd that they're featuring N.Y., N.Y. again though.

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manicsounds
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Re: Flicker Alley

#838 Post by manicsounds » Mon Jul 04, 2016 8:47 am

Glad to see more Cinerama titles and glad they lowered the MSRP to $39.99. Didn't pick up the last two releases which were $49.99 each.

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captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Flicker Alley

#839 Post by captveg » Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:23 pm

Free shipping from flickeralley.com if you make an order today.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Flicker Alley

#840 Post by What A Disgrace » Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:39 pm

I'm wondering when some of the titles from the 2016 calendar, like the early women filmmakers set, will appear.

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Ashirg
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Re: Flicker Alley

#841 Post by Ashirg » Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:11 pm


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Flicker Alley
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Re: Flicker Alley

#842 Post by Flicker Alley » Mon Aug 08, 2016 3:46 pm

We are offering 20% OFF our entire Manufactured-On-Demand (MOD) Collection with promo code UEP3U6ST this month!

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L.A.
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Re: Flicker Alley

#843 Post by L.A. » Fri Sep 23, 2016 8:11 am

Children of Divorce (1927) coming in December.

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Flicker Alley
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Re: Flicker Alley

#844 Post by Flicker Alley » Fri Sep 23, 2016 1:51 pm

FREE SHIPPING on all Children of Divorce pre-orders ends today at 3 p.m. PST! The Blu-ray/DVD will be released on December 6, 2016. For a limited time, we are also offering 25% off MSRP.

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starmanof51
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Re: Flicker Alley

#845 Post by starmanof51 » Fri Sep 23, 2016 6:01 pm

Has anyone seen their Liebelei?

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Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

Re: Flicker Alley

#846 Post by Tommaso » Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:22 am

No, but it's announced as 'forthcoming' from Edition Filmmuseum, too. However, with that label 'forthcoming' can mean anything between a few months and five years. But probably worth the wait if you want a pressed dvd and be sure to get a transfer from the best available materials and their usual high-class presentation. English subs will definitely be included.


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rockysds
Joined: Wed May 19, 2010 11:25 am
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Re: Flicker Alley

#848 Post by rockysds » Tue Nov 01, 2016 5:33 am

David Shephard has shared a tentative list of titles for Flicker Alley's forthcoming Early Women Directors box - which should complement Kino's Pioneers box very nicely - over at Nitrateville.
David Shepard wrote:I'm sure our friends at Kino Lorber will do a first class job with this ambitious project. However, I guess circumstances force a premature admission that I am working on a somewhat similar set that will be released next year through Flicker Alley, although we are not raising funds through Kickstarter. We coordinated planning with Kino and whereas their set will include exclusively American films, ours will be international in scope. Together we managed to winnow things so there will probably be only one reel of overlap ("Suspense" by Lois Weber). As this will be Blu-Ray, any film that has been previously released on DVD will be rescanned from the original celluloid elements.

We're still gathering some of the necessary rights, but here is our tentative line-up:

EARLY WOMEN DIRECTORS

ALICE GUY (France) (1902-1912)
LES CHIENS SAVANTS
UNE HISTOIRE ROULANTES
ALICE GUY BLACHÉ (U.S.A.)
FALLING LEAVES
MAKING AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
THE GIRL IN THE ARMCHAIR

LOIS WEBER (U.S.A.) (1912-1921)
DISCONTENT
SUSPENSE
THE BLOT

MABEL NORMAND (U.S.A.) (1914)
MABEL’S STRANGE PREDICAMENT*

MADELEINE BRANDEIS (U.S.A.) (1918)
THE STAR PRINCE

GERMAINE DULAC (France) (1919-1922)
LA CIGARETTE
THE SMILING MME. BEUDET

OLGA PREOBRAZHENSKAIA (U.S.S.R.) (1927)
THE PEASANT WOMEN OF RIAZAN

MARIE-LOUISE IREBE (France) (1929)
LE ROI DES AULNES (THE ERL-KING)

LOTTE REINIGER (Germany) (1931-1935)
HARLEQUIN
THE STOLEN HEART
PAPAGENO

CLAIRE PARKER AND ALEXANDER ALEXIEFF (France) (1933)
A NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN

MARIE EPSTEIN AND JEAN BENOIT-LEVY (France) (1933)
LA MATERNELLE (CHILDREN OF MONTMARTRE), complete restored version

MRS. WALLACE REID (U.S.A.) (1934)
THE WOMAN CONDEMNED

LENI RIEFENSTAHL (Germany) (1935)
DAY OF FREEDOM#

MARY ELLEN BUTE (U.S.A.)
PARABOLA (1936)
SPOOK SPORT (1938)

DOROTHY ARZNER
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (clip) (1940)

MAYA DEREN (U.S.A.)
MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (1943)

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Saturnome
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Re: Flicker Alley

#849 Post by Saturnome » Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:27 pm

La Maternelle ! A Night on Bald Mountain ! This is pretty spectacular.

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Ashirg
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Re: Flicker Alley

#850 Post by Ashirg » Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:30 pm

Announcing Behind the Door (1919)
World Premiere on Blu-ray/DVD
Newly Restored in Its Most Complete Form Available


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Flicker Alley and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival are proud to present the Blu-ray/DVD premiere of Behind the Door (1919), newly restored and available in its most complete version since the film's release.

Legendary producer Thomas H. Ince and director Irvin V. Willat made this---"the most outspoken of all the vengeance films" according to film historian Kevin Brownlow---during the period of World War I-inspired American patriotism.

Hobart Bosworth stars as Oscar Krug, a working-class American, who is persecuted for his German ancestry after war is declared. Driven by patriotism, Krug enlists and goes to sea. However, tragedy strikes when his wife (Jane Novak) sneaks aboard his ship and is captured following a German U-boat attack. Krug's single-minded quest for vengeance against the sadistic German submarine commander (played with villainous fervor by Wallace Beery) leads to the film's shocking and brutal climax.

About This Edition

This newly restored edition represents the most complete version of the film available since 1919, thanks to the collaboration of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, the Library of Congress, and Gosfilmofond of Russia.

Sourced from the only two known remaining prints and referencing a copy of Willat's original continuity script, this edition recreates the original color tinting scheme and features a new score composed and performed by Stephen Horne. Flicker Alley is honored to present Behind the Door on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time ever.

Bonus Materials Include:

Russian version of Behind the Door: The re-edited and re-titled version of the film that was distributed in Russia, with musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne

Outtakes from Behind the Door: Featuring music composed and performed by Stephen Horne

"Restoring Irvin Willat's Behind the Door": A behind-the-scenes look at the restoration

"Kevin Brownlow Spotlights Irvin Willat": Film historian and Honorary Academy Award® winner Kevin Brownlow spotlights director Irvin Willat

Slideshow gallery of stills and promotional material from Behind the Door

Souvenir Booklet: Featuring rare photographs and essays by film historian Jay Weissburg, film restorer Robert Byrne, and composer Stephen Horne

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