After
Image (2017/Film Movement
Blu-ray w/DVD)/All The
Money In The World
(2017/TriStar/Sony DVD)/Chant
Of Jimmie Blacksmith
(1978/Umbrella Import Blu-ray)/The
Passion Of Joan Of Arc
(1928/Criterion Blu-ray)/A
Trip To The Moon (1902 in
original color version + original black & white version/Flicker
Alley Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B & C+/C+/B-/B+/B & C+ Sound: B+ & C+/C+/C+/B+/B &
C+ Extras: B-/C/B-/B+/B- Films: B/B/B-/B+/B-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith
Import Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can play on all Blu-ray players and can
be ordered from the link below.
Here's
our latest set of important classics and a new gem worth going out of
your way for...
When
it comes to serious filmmakers of world class and renown who always
had something to say, Andrzej Wajda is at the top of the list, a man
who never felt pure cinema about was to be taken for granted. Always
daring truth to power and speaking on a higher level, After
Image
(2017) turned out to be his final film and it is his tribute to
another artist who was vital to his homeland of Poland, but was
abused, hated, disregarded, tossed away and trashed like so many in
oppressive countries like his as Poland became part of Stalin's
infamous Soviet Bloc.
Often
painful to watch in how the abuse, witch-hunting, censorship and
abuse took place, this is sadly typical of how police states worked
and such abuse still takes place in countries all over the world, but
Wajda seems interested in comparing a regime that needed to fall
versus someone who gave the country a distinct identity in his
amazing art, but the Stalinists wanted their 'social realism' which
really means to have any media be their idea of 'real life' (or
whatever they decide to define that at any moment) and ANY
creativity, freedom or innovation counter to that (all of those) must
be annihilated. Wajda is no doubt speaking of his own experiences
and of the dark side of Poland that has recently re-reared its ugly
head as this arrives on home video.
Film
Movement has nabbed this great film and issued it as a Blu-ray/DVD
set, a film that describes a MUCH wider audience in the U.S., et al,
than it got for being the final film of such a master of filmmaking.
Like his entire catalog of vital work, it is more relevant now than
ever before and a big surprise because like the last films of many
other filmmakers, it is not a laidback, reserved final film wrapping
a career up, but another, final triumph by someone who could see
things as they really were and showed us how and why.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is a remarkable
representation of a superior HD shoot that is up there with the best
non-U.S./Non-U.K. HD productions I have seen to date. Wajda was
going to have form and superior images no matter what and after all
the film formats he worked with over the decades (including a few
U.S. and U.K. filmmakers never even encountered), his vision persists
with ease. Cheers to Director of Photography Pawel Edelman, P.S.C.,
for delivering on such a high level.
Originally
issued in theaters in Dolby Atmos 11.1 sound, we get a very strong
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixdown with fine dialogue
recording and clarity, plus a consistent soundfield that even took me
by surprise. Those with state-of-the-art home theater systems will
also be surprised. The anamorphically enhanced DVD with its lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix are passable, but tame as compared to this sold
Blu-ray.
Extras
include a reversible cover, while the discs add a 95 minutes long
Wajda
By Wajda
documentary and a feature length audio commentary track by Professor
Emeritus Stuart Liebman (CUNY Graduate Center) on this film, film
history, political history and Wajda's career. Overall, a great set!
Ridley
Scott's All
The Money In The World
(2017) is the director's best film in years, after returning to genre
filmmaking with mixed results, he shows and tells the powerful,
remarkable, twisted story of how a group of Communist/Marxists in
Italy kidnap John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer)... for money! So
much for principles, but instead of a guaranteed payday and sticking
it to the West, Getty the first, the richest man in the world at the
time, refuses to pay a penny for his return, distracted too much by
his business interests and the like.
Of
course, the other big story from this film is how it was reshot at
the last minute because Getty was originally played by Kevin Spacey,
suddenly exposed for extremely predatory sexual behavior that helped
shock Hollywood and the world in a avalanche of such revelations and
Scott was so incensed, he went back to the studio (sony in this case)
and they agreed to reshoot all the Getty scenes with his actor of
first choice: Christopher Plummer. The result was Mr. Plummer
received another Academy Award nomination and saved the film.
Yet,
the whole film (at a never boring 133 minutes) has a strong cast,
great locales and a pace that brings the crime and the times to life
with ease. Michelle Williams is great as Getty III's mom, putting up
with all kinds of toxic dysfunctional from her family and beyond,
Mark Wahlberg is the most senior Getty's security troubleshooter who
is called in to help fix the situation and also has issues and Scott
himself is really on target with the material throughout, making this
one of last year's best and most underrated feature films. I was
surprised that it was not just good, but strong and you should really
check this one out.
It
has been issued on Blu-ray but not 4K Blu-ray yet, a release we look
forward to. In the meantime, we have the DVD and the anamorphically
enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is not bd for the old format and an HD shoot,
with Scott and the great Director of Photography Darius Wolski,
A.S.C., creating a visual world whose density is slyly effective and
impressive throughout. The film was a 11.1 audio release, but the
DVD only has a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, still only passable at
best, but adequate at best foe what it is.
Extras
include Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy for PC, PC portable and other
cyber iTunes capable devices, while the DVD adds three Making Of
featurettes in Ridley
Scott: Crafting A Historical Thriller,
Hostages
To Fortune: The Cast
and Recast,
Reshot, Reclaimed,
plus an interesting section of Deleted Scenes. Don't miss this one!
Fred
Schepici's The
Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith
(1978) is
now celebrating its 40th
Anniversary, so Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia has issued a Blu-ray version of the Aussie
classic ten years after the extras-loaded DVD we covered then at this
link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8032/The+Devil%E2%80%99s+Playground+(1977)+++T
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show the
age of the materials used, but this is a superior a transfer to that
DVD form the same restored transfer, but there is more motion blur
than expected for some reason and I am not certain if that is a
1080i/50Hz issue or just the age of the older HD master, but it is a
little annoying, yet still clearer than that DVD.
The
original theatrical monophonic sound is now here a a lossless DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 2.0 mono track that is clearer and a little warmer
than the lossy Dolby Digital on the older DVD, but the low budget of
the film shows here. Still, I cannot image this sounding much better
and we get the same big number of extras from that older release.
That makes this the best way to see the film outside of a movie
theater until Umbrella enters the 4K Blu-ray market.
Restored
in 4K, director Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic silent film The
Passion of Joan Of Arc
(1928) gets a remarkable high-def upgrade that's a must see for film
fans. Thought at one point to be lost in a fire, the film was
miraculously recovered in perfect condition in a Norwegian mental
institution in 1981, if you can believe it! Groundbreaking for its
camerawork and its cinematic technique, this is a film that is and
should continue to be shown in film schools are the world.
Criterion
always does great work and this release is no exception. The disc
features several different versions of the film (in 24fps (a more
expressionistic presentation) and 20fps (naturalistic speed, but
still faster than the 16fps or 18fps pf most silent films) silent
versions) with new extras and new sound mixes. Most breathtaking is
the 4K transfer on this release that looks fantastic even in 1080p
and is really like seeing the film for the first time.
The
film stars Maria Falconetti (in a fantastic and celebrated
performance), Eugene Silvain, Andre Berley, Maurice Schutz, and
Antonin Artaud.
The
artsy film centers around the last days of the courageous Joan of Arc
and centers around the torment in her character through the eyes of
those permitting her torture. A sad and quite dramatic file that is
even more powerful in Gaumont's new 24 fps restoration and haunting
score, the film is more focused on cinematic technique and visual
storytelling that constantly feels realistic and haunting.
Presented
in 1080p on Blu-ray, the 4K restoration looks great but could look
even better on 4K UHD disc with HDR, which is a great thing to say
about a silent classic. (Here's hoping Criterion will embrace that
format in the future) The film is presented in its original 1.33:1
full frame aspect ratio and is benefited by three different scores
mixed in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 depending on your home
entertainment system and which audio option you choose.
Special
Features include...
Alternate
presentation of the film at 20 frames per second with original Danish
intertitles
Three
scores: Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light, a choral and orchestral
work performed by vocal group Anonymous 4, soloist Susan Narucki, and
the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir; another by Goldfrapp's
Will Gregory and Portishead's Adrian Utley; and the third composed
and performed by pianist Mie Yanashita
Audio
commentary from 1999 by film scholar Casper Tybjerg
New
interview with Einhorn
New
conversation between Gregory and Utley
New
video essay by Tybjerg exploring the debate over the film's frame
rate
Interview
from 1995 with actor Renre Falconetti's daughter and biographer,
Helene Falconetti
Version
history
Production
design archive
New
English subtitle translation
PLUS:
An essay by critic Mark Le Fanu, a 1929 director's statement by Carl
Theodor Dreyer, and the full libretto for Voices of Light
This
is a great disc that filmmakers and film buffs alike should take in,
a must see for all serious cinema fans.
Last
but not least is a new set issued on Georges
Melies' A
Trip To The Moon
(1902) that is not only one of the most successful short films of all
time, but one of the most famous films of any kind ever made,
featured in Martin Scorsese's Hugo
(his 3D film) as part of the director's amazing career. Too bad most
of his films were destroyed for the materials in the film prints when
he was low on money, a tremendous loss!
The
reason we're getting this Blu-ray set now is not just because of the
film has a nice HD master that deserved Blu-ray release, as that
already happened, but because the great folks at Flicker Alley have
been able to nab the rights to the finally restored color version
thought to be lost for decades, but a damaged print of it with
missing frames was recovered a while ago and after many years of hard
work and recreating missing frames with their color, we have a
complete print of how it was supposed to look in that version. Turns
out Melies hand colored every single frame himself as an alternate
vision of his film. It is a fun variant that may lack some of the
detail, depth, clarity and definition of the original black and white
version also included here, but I like seeing what he would have done
if he had color film. After seeing the film so many times over the
years, it is a kick to check it out this way.
Flicker
Alley have made this a Blu-ray/DVD set with both versions, so 1080p
1.33 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image transfer is
my slight favorite of the two, though I wish there was a way to get
rid of some of the printed in damage, but the 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital
High Definition image color
version of the film has its moments and covering up some of the flaws
as it does (for better and worse) is another experience worth your
time. The Blu-ray has PCM 2.0 Stereo sound and DVD lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo for the instrumentals
(two brand new scores by Jeff Mills and Dorian Pimpernel, as well as
an improvised piano track by Serge Bromberg with optional narration
written by Georges Melies) included.
Extras
include a thick & nicely illustrated booklet on the film
including informative text and an essay excerpt, while the black &
white version offers
two separate audio tracks of music: An orchestral score by composer
Robert Israel with the original English narration written by Georges
Melies; and a second track produced by Russell Merritt consisting of
a troupe of actors voicing the various characters as performed in the
U.S. in 1903, with piano accompaniment by Frederick Hodges. We also
get The
Eclipse
(1904) & The
Astronomer's Dream
(1898, on its 120th
anniversary!!!) in new high-definition versions of two lunar-related
shorts by Melies and...
The
Extraordinary Voyage:
Directors Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange (Lobster Films) documentary
chronicle the journey of A
Trip to the Moon
from production in 1902, to the astonishing rediscovery in 1993, to
the eventual restoration and opening at the Cannes Film Festival in
2011. The feature-length documentary includes interviews with
filmmakers Costa Gavras, Michel Gondry, Michel Hazanavicius, and
Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Melies enduring significance to cinema.
This
is a fun set everyone should see and will enjoy!
To
order The
Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith
Umbrella import Blu-ray, go to this link for it and other hard to get
releases:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo and James
Lockhart (Joan
Of Arc)
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/