Godard on DVD and Blu-ray

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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Dylan
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:28 pm

Godard on DVD and Blu-ray

#1 Post by Dylan » Tue Feb 08, 2005 3:18 pm

More Godard:
Browsing on Play.com, I found these, due for release in May: Detective and La Chinoise
Not sure who's putting them out, but at the moment, I don't care - having them available on DVD is great in itself.[/quote]
La Chinoise! With this, Masculin/Feminin, Two or Three Things, and Week End, this is absolutely the greaest year for R2 Godard releases.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
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#2 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Tue Feb 08, 2005 3:54 pm

La Chinoise
Finally, I can delete my crappy eDonkey bootleg with incomprehensible Engrish subtitles.

solent

#3 Post by solent » Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:49 pm

Someone mentioned this two weeks ago but I found no confirmation. This looks sound. Now we need A MARRIED WOMAN.] The only thing to watch out for with this DVD of LA CHINOISE is the quality.

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Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
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#4 Post by Oedipax » Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:59 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:
La Chinoise
Finally, I can delete my crappy eDonkey bootleg with incomprehensible Engrish subtitles.
Haha. I was so excited about this initially, then I ended up not even watching the film, the subs were so bad. Not only bad, but incomplete! Argh.

Glad to see R2 is really stepping up for Godard releases. My only problem is I'm afraid to invest in several of these for fear of a later, greater Criterion release (2 or 3 things, Masculin-Feminin etc).

solent

#5 Post by solent » Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:52 am

Glad to see R2 is really stepping up for Godard releases. My only problem is I'm afraid to invest in several of these for fear of a later, greater Criterion release (2 or 3 things, Masculin-Feminin etc).
Id say that if money is an issue don't get MASCULIN or 2 OR 3 THINGS as they will certainly be out in R1 within year [?]. I prefer US dollars to UK pounds in exchange for my AUD dollars. Despite being a Godard freak I have patience (and faith in the CC producing something better).

peerpee
not perpee
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm

#6 Post by peerpee » Thu Feb 10, 2005 10:24 pm

solent wrote:
Glad to see R2 is really stepping up for Godard releases. My only problem is I'm afraid to invest in several of these for fear of a later, greater Criterion release (2 or 3 things, Masculin-Feminin etc).
Id say that if money is an issue don't get MASCULIN or 2 OR 3 THINGS as they will certainly be out in R1 within year [?]. I prefer US dollars to UK pounds in exchange for my AUD dollars. Despite being a Godard freak I have patience (and faith in the CC producing something better).
Probably a big chance of a crap PAL > NTSC conversion for R1 land ----- unless Criterion get it and send the flying squad in to do an HD transfer.

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tubal
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:52 am
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#7 Post by tubal » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:15 pm

The covers are now up on Play.com for La Chinoise and Detective.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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#8 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:55 pm

davidhare wrote:La Chinoise plus two Godard shorts also listed for release in R4 April 13.

AVChannel/Madman releasing can be terribly variable in quality. I will be waiting for reviews.
British Sounds kinda fits as an extra (it's an "agit-prop" film, and there's some students in it), but the inclusion of JLG/JLG is a bit weird. It's as though they had the rights just sitting around and couldn't figure out what else to do with it, so they just stuck it in on a disc with whatever other Godard properties they happened to own. I doubt the transfer will be as good as the R2 (cramming those two hour-long films on the same disc alongside the main feature is definitely going to hurt the bitrate) but so long as it's not unwatchable the extras will probably make me spring for the R4. I like that one of the critics' blurbs they're using is from the Maoist International Movement.

solent

#9 Post by solent » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:58 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:British Sounds kinda fits as an extra (it's an "agit-prop" film, and there's some students in it), but the inclusion of JLG/JLG is a bit weird.
A more intelligent extra would have been the Pennebaker/Leacock film of Godard's visit to NYC in 1968. [30 mins?] I have it on a bootleg VHS of MADE IN USA. Most of the discussion [in English] is about Godard's latest film which happened to be - guess what? - that's right: LA CHINOISE! The comments on the film (recently watched by the film students) are revealing. [I assume this short would end up on a CC release if CC had the rights to LA CHINOISE but I am speculating.]

As an Australian, used to a dearth of Foreign films on R4, I am shocked to see a film I covet as the first Godard film out on DVD in this country. I would have expected ALPHAVILLE [the universal classic?]. I will get this over R2 due to the poor exchange rate between the UK and Oz. I only have PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK from AV Channel so I don't know of their quality. PICNIC is OK. The DVD of LA CHINOISE will be better than my Jap VHS version anyway.

p.s. A 2-disc edition of DON'S PARTY by Bruce Beresford is out on the same day [AV Channel again]. It is loaded with interesting extras. The film is based on the David Williamson play and it is good for a laugh.

Aldso coming out in R4 are the first of the American Film Theatre DVDs [BUTLEY, etc.] These are the sames as the R2 versions with extra interviews not found on the Kino versions.

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devlinnn
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#10 Post by devlinnn » Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:36 am

davidhare wrote:Solent as an example AVChannel is now porting a pile of R2 foreign titles incl. Rocco, Open City, Ossessione etc (in most cases identical to the R2 editions.) As an example of quality their LA PIANISTE is quite good (but certainly not Hidef sourced) with removeable subs but their PARIS TEXAS is an abomination. Then there is the outageous, misframed ELEPHANT in widescreen.
If JLG/JLG finds its way onto the R4 DVD of La Chinoise I'll eat my dead uncle's hat. AVChannel are notorious for announcing titles months in advance with news of great added content that end up having little to do with the final product. Just this week Ossessione was released with a promised commentary that is absent. (Not that you would know from their own website!) The March release of The Leopard was originally going to be a port of the Criterion (Cowie commentary, doco, two versions etc.). Now it's one version, different commentary.

therainsong
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#11 Post by therainsong » Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:00 pm

Does anybody know how the quality is on the British DVDs of Two or Three Things... and on the second WB Box Set of Godard's films?

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Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

La Chinoise: Special Edition (Region 4)

#12 Post by Gordon » Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:56 pm

La Chinoise: Special Edition (Region 4)

Image

Short Feature By Godard, British Sounds, 1969 (52mins)
One Of Jean-luc Godard�s Maoist-marxist Agitprop Films, Also Known As �See You At Mao.�
Short Documentary By Godard On Godard Called Jlg/jlg: A Self-portrait In December, 1994 (62mins)
Starring Jean-luc Godard As A Fictional Character Who Wanders About In The Winter Landscape Of His Swiss Home While Musing On The Fate Of Cinema And Western Culture.
Insert Essay By Author Christos Tsiolkas

AV Channel are one of the best independant Australian distributors and this will probably be anamorphic with optional English subtitles.

The BFI are releasing their edition next month, but the extras aren't known yet.

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Keaton
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:31 am
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#13 Post by Keaton » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:39 pm

Hi,

What fabulous supplements, a must buy only for the two shorts.

Regards,

Dennis :)

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

#14 Post by ellipsis7 » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:41 pm

The BFI are releasing their edition next month, but the extras aren't known yet.
UK R2 release of LA CHINOISE in May is from Optimum, reliable but not known for their extras...

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Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#15 Post by Gordon » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:50 pm

D'oh! No wonder I couldn't find it at the BFI site! #-o

Yeah, Optimum, though in the past they were a bit iffy, seem to use excellent elements these days. However, the R4 looks amazing and once www.michaeldvd.com.au review it, I'll make my decision.

The film itself has been very hard to see over the years and I'm glad it is finally available.

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ellipsis7
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#16 Post by ellipsis7 » Sun Apr 03, 2005 3:54 pm

Those extras aren't going to turn up together anywhere else!

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Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#17 Post by Gordon » Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:03 pm

Correct!

I have bought a few DVDs from Ezy and have found them to be the best Australian DVD etailer.

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devlinnn
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:23 am
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#18 Post by devlinnn » Sun Apr 03, 2005 6:35 pm

As mentioned in another thread on the same topic, don't get your hopes up on this one yet. AV Channel are not the most reliable when it comes to DVD details. The release date has been pushed back to May-June, and there is no way all those added films will fit on the one disc. I'd hesitate to pre-order on this one.

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Gordon
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 8:03 am

#19 Post by Gordon » Sun Apr 03, 2005 6:52 pm

I'd hesitate to pre-order on this one.
That's exactly what I intend to do. Once I read a review, I'll make my decision.

BrightEyes23
Joined: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:46 am

#20 Post by BrightEyes23 » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:02 pm

devlinnn wrote:As mentioned in another thread on the same topic, don't get your hopes up on this one yet. AV Channel are not the most reliable when it comes to DVD details. The release date has been pushed back to May-June, and there is no way all those added films will fit on the one disc. I'd hesitate to pre-order on this one.
Are you sure its been pushed back? That site lists it as April 19th.

I've got the Optimum on pre-order from Bensons, but if this is going to have what it looks like it's going to have, I think I'm going to cancel the pre-order from Bensons and get this.

I understand the cautious optimism around these...but don't you think they're rather large supplement to announce and THEN pull back from the release?

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devlinnn
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#21 Post by devlinnn » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:52 pm

Are you sure its been pushed back? That site lists it as April 19th.
Yes.
I understand the cautious optimism around these...but don't you think they're rather large supplement to announce and THEN pull back from the release?
It wouldn't be the first time. Recent releases from AV, The Leopard and Ossessione, had very different, or absent, bonus features on the DVDs to what was initially announced. La Chinosie + British Sounds + JLG/JLG on one disc (and from all accounts it will be only one disc) looks too good to be true. Quality would also be an issue if indeed all is there.

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Rufus T. Firefly
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:24 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

La Chinoise: Special Edition (Region 4)

#22 Post by Rufus T. Firefly » Mon Apr 04, 2005 12:49 am

The AV Channel's website lists it for a 25 May release.

I would not be surprised if all of the extras appear on the disc. Their release of La Strada has the film, an audio commentary and two 50 min+ documentaries (and more), all on one dual-layer disc. I have not watched the disc, but that's pushing the storage limits of a DVD to its extreme, given the feature runs 104 mins.

I would be more concerned about the video quality. AV Channel are very variable with the quality of their transfers, especially if the original source is NTSC. Their releases often have lots of artefacts, in my experience.

solent

La Chinoise: Special Edition (Region 4)

#23 Post by solent » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:24 pm

Their prices are a bit high also [typical of Australia].

My French is not 100% so I was looking forward to seeing this film with subs [removable?]. Another 5 weeks to wait. I have it on order so if you all want to wait I'll post a review on the day I get it to confirm the extras & the quality.

For those who are desperate to see MADE IN USA the review of the disc [in JEAN-LUC GODARD COLLECTION VOL. 2] is posted on the DVD Times website. The subs on all films are fixed but the reviewer noticed that on USA the subs disappeared on FF mode but he claims they can't be turned off. The transfers are not brilliant but they are OK according to him. If the exchange rate b/n the UK & your country is good then you have a cheap bargain. I'll wait to see if comes out in the US.

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hellboytr
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 4:23 am
Location: Istanbul - TURKEY

#24 Post by hellboytr » Fri Apr 08, 2005 1:35 am

Hi all,

i have sent an e-mail to EzyDVD with some questions regarding the upcoming La Chinoise DVD, especially whether it will be subtitled.

Here is the reply :
Hi there

Thanks for your enquiry.

I can confirm that this title is presented in French audio with English subtitles. I have now updated the site to reflect this information.

Unfortunately we have just been advised by the distributor that this title has been delayed until May or June. We will update the website when more details come to light.

Hope this helps.


Regards
Ben


Website Manager
EzyDVD Head Office
PO Box 701
Marleston SA 5033
Phone: (08) 8301 8907
Fax: (08) 8301 8999

BrightEyes23
Joined: Tue Dec 28, 2004 9:46 am

#25 Post by BrightEyes23 » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:12 am

I'll be popping in the WB set and 2 or 3 Things tonight, I've gotta finish watching Bed Education, and I kind of wanted to get through the 2 Criterion Tati's before hooking up my multi-region player though.

OT: Does anyone know of a relatively affordable component cable switch? I've got 4 things that use them (sony 5 disc player that came with surround sound system, my cyberhome, xbox, ps2), and only 3 connections (2 on the TV and 2 on the receiver, but one from the TV is taken up by one going out of the receiver) :p

Anyway, I DO plan on hooking it up tonight and checking those out along with Pitfall.

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