August 2010
Love and war: Jia and Ichikawa
We’ve just released two dazzling humanist epics from the East this month, making their worldwide debuts on Blu-ray.
The first is Jia Zhangke’s spectacular tapestry The World [Shijie], detailing the lives and loves of workers and migrants in Beijing’s World Park. We’re especially pleased to present it from the fully digital original HD source, with a rich bounty of supplements: an engrossing hour-long on-set making-of piece — Made in China — and a fascinating 25-minute interview, The World According to Jia Zhangke (both subtitled in English for the first time), along with an exclusive new video introduction by Tony Rayns. The accompanying booklet includes a further discussion of the film by Rayns, an essay by Jia on “amateur cinema”, a tract of PR copy from the actual World Park, and a short essay by Craig Keller on the ending of the film.
Our other release is Kon Ichikawa’s haunting, magisterial The Burmese Harp [Biruma no tategoto] — the director’s breakthrough work which also stands as the first of the two versions of the film made during the course of his career. (The second, a colour version, dates from 1985.) We’re proud to present one of the most beautiful films of the 1950s in a glorious HD master, with a new subtitle translation and a 20-minute video introduction by Tony Rayns, as well as the original Japanese trailer. The booklet features rare stills and an essay by the sadly missed Keiko I. McDonald.
Coming up — brace yourself for tears of laughter and sorrow with two of the most uncompromising films ever to emerge from studio-era Hollywood…
New releases :
- The World August 2010
- The Burmese Harp August 2010
- Vengeance Is Mine July 2010
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We love #6: The restoration of Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS
From the end of August through October, UK audiences will be able to go to the cinema to view Fritz Lang's landmark movie-epic Metropolis, which now incorporates previously missing footage rediscovered in 2008. The result is a stunning experience that returns the film to its virtually complete version. Blu-ray and DVD releases will follow later this year from MoC. Visit our Metropolis microsite here for full details!