Nov 2011
Five versions, Blu-ray only
Out this month: Orson Welles’ final picture for the Hollywood studio-system: Touch of Evil, in a limited edition 2 x Blu-ray release containing the 1998 Reconstruction Version in both 1.85:1 and 1.37:1 aspect ratios; the 1958 Theatrical Version in both 1.85:1 and 1.37:1 aspect ratios; and the rediscovered 1958 Preview Version in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Controversy has raged for some time around which aspect ratio constitutes the “correct one” for the film; with this release, we’ve taken pains to present the film for the first time in all available presentations. (A full explication of the issue can be found in the accompanying booklet.)
A virtuoso work on every plane, Welles’ film charts the descent of newlyweds Mike and Susie Vargas (Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh) into a maelstrom of vice, corruption, and murder set spinning at the California-Mexico border by small-time gang-leader Uncle Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff) and toxic American police detective Hank Quinlan (Welles himself, in one of his most unforgettable characterisations). Plus: Marlene Dietrich, as a Gypsy madame: five minutes of total screen-time that amount to her most indelible, and exhilarating, post-Sternberg turn.
The versions of the film are accompanied by four separate audio commentaries: Reconstruction producer Rick Schmidlin on the corresponding feature; Schmidlin with Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh on the Reconstruction; scholar and critic F. X. Feeney on the Theatrical Version; and scholars and critics James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum on the Preview Version. Also on-disc: the original 1958 theatrical trailer; two video pieces on the production of the film and the creation of the Reconstruction; and optional English SDH subtitles across all versions of the film. A packed 56-page colour booklet contains writing by François Truffaut, André Bazin, Terry Comito, and Orson Welles — along with full notes on the matter of the varying aspect ratios, and a comprehensive timeline of the film’s production and editing history.
Written in 1957, Orson Welles’ 58-page memo detailing his desired changes to the studio’s rough-cut can be downloaded as a PDF here.
We are receiving lots of emails each day about the unavailability of certain MoC editions. The London riots in August 2011 saw the destruction of the Sony DADC distribution centre in Enfield. Our stock, along with that of many other labels, was destroyed. MoC catalogue titles are slowly being reprinted or upgraded and will be available as soon as possible. New upgraded Dual Format editions of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, City Girl, and Profound Desires of the Gods are already available, and M, For All Mankind, and Make Way for Tomorrow will be ready very soon.
Full up-to-date details of what is out-of-print (OOP) and what is being upgraded can be found in our new printed catalogue which is also available here as a pdf.
Nov 2011
Exclusively restored, Blu-ray only
Out this month: the long-awaited Blu-ray debut of SFX master Douglas Trumbull’s eco-visionary sci-fi classic Silent Running. Trumbull’s picture is that rare specimen which captures the essence of two zeitgeists: from the moment of its 1971 debut and on into our contemporary period forty years later, Silent Running’s prescription for better natural commune diffuses with tender urgency.
This limited edition, Blu-ray only director-approved release features an exclusive new HD 1080p restoration of the feature (with optional English SDH subtitles); a full-length audio commentary by Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern; an isolated music-and-effects track; the 50-minute 1972 on-set documentary The Making of Silent Running; 31-minute and 5-minute video pieces with Trumbull; an 11-minute conversation with Bruce Dern; the original theatrical trailer; and a lavish 48-page full-colour booklet featuring rare photographs and artwork from Trumbull’s personal collection, and recollections of the film’s cinematographer, special designs coordinator, and composer.
We are receiving lots of emails each day about the unavailability of certain MoC editions. The London riots in August 2011 saw the destruction of the Sony DADC distribution centre in Enfield. Our stock, along with that of many other labels, was destroyed. MoC catalogue titles are slowly being reprinted or upgraded and will be available as soon as possible. New upgraded Dual Format editions of Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, City Girl, and Profound Desires of the Gods are already available, and M, For All Mankind, and Make Way for Tomorrow will be ready very soon.
Full up-to-date details of what is out-of-print (OOP) and what is being upgraded can be found in our new printed catalogue which is also available here as a pdf.
Also out this month: our limited edition Blu-ray only release of Orson Welles’ towering Touch of Evil. Stay tuned.
Nov 2011
New printed catalogue and fresh editions
We are receiving lots of emails each day about the unavailability of certain MoC editions. The London riots in August 2011 saw the destruction of the Sony DADC distribution centre in Enfield. Our stock, along with that of many other labels, was destroyed. MoC catalogue titles are slowly being reprinted or upgraded and will be available as soon as possible. New upgraded Dual Format editions of SUNRISE, CITY GIRL, and PROFOUND DESIRES OF THE GODS are already available, and M, FOR ALL MANKIND, and MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW will be ready very soon.
Full up-to-date details of what is out-of-print (OOP) and what is being upgraded can be found in our new printed catalogue which is also available here as a pdf.