The Masters of Cinema Series: Eureka! | Recent Updates

Murnau, Lang, and Sirk

Sun, 28 Feb 2010, 19:57:02 GMT

Now available: sterling editions of classic works by three directors whose careers enjoyed enormous success in the German film industry and the Hollywood studio system alike.

F. W. Murnau’s 1930 <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/city-girl/“>City Girl</a>, the buoyant and lyrical follow-up to <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Sunrise_</a> that for too long dwelt in the earlier film’s expressionist shadow, appears from MoC in a breathtaking 1080p transfer of the definitive silent version’s 20th Century Fox restoration — and marks our first ever Blu-ray only release. The feature is accompanied by the 2008 score by Christopher Caliendo, and includes a new and exclusive optional audio commentary by film scholar David Kalat. A 28-page booklet rounds out the release, and contains a 2003 essay on the film by Adrian Danks, flanked by a selection of production stills.

The immortal 1931 Fritz Lang masterpiece <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/m/“>M</a> at last sees the light of day on Blu-ray in its restored form. Peter Lorre gives one of the most brilliant and moving performances in cinema history as the child murderer who is hunted like vermin by the Berlin police — and the Berlin underworld. A new 2x DVD edition of the film is also available, with both editions hosting identical supplements: two separate audio commentaries (Anton Kaes and Eric Rentschler on one; Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Koerber, Torsten Kaiser, and excerpts from Bogdanovich’s 1965 audio interview with Fritz Lang on the other); the rarely seen 1932 English-language retooling of the original film; and Erwin Leiser’s 1968 interview documentary Zum Beispiel Fritz Lang [For Example: Fritz Lang]. A heavily illustrated 48-page booklet containing essays by Lang, Anton Kaes, and Robert Fischer is also included.

Finally, we bring you a DVD-only edition of one of Douglas Sirk’s greatest Hollywood achievements: the heart-wrenching <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/theres-always-tomorrow/“>There’s Always Tomorrow</a> from 1956. Norma Vale (Barbara Stanwyck) and Clifford Groves (Fred MacMurray) are two people who thought their successful careers had put an end to the love they shared long ago. But after ‘magically’ crossing paths once again, they discover that their love might have been rekindled… despite the presence of a wife (Joan Bennett) and three children. A rough only-extant version of the original American theatrical trailer appears on the disc, along with Pascal Thomas’s and Dominique Rabourdin’s marvelous 61-minute 2008 documentary Quelques jours avec Sirk [A Few Days with Sirk], largely constructed out of early-‘80s archival film footage of Sirk in conversation and in lecture. A 40-page booklet presents an essay by Andrew Klevan and excerpts from a 1977 interview with Sirk.

Herzlichen Kinowunsch!

Six from Lubitsch

Thu, 04 Feb 2010, 18:46:32 GMT

Out now: a DVD collection of the early German silents that established the incredible Ernst Lubitsch’s reputation not only as master/creator of the hyper-risqué hundred-karat rom-com (the “Lubitsch Touch” film), but as an innovator of set design, an able director of extras, and a capable pacer of melodramatic arcs.

These traits — calling cards for Lubitsch’s eventual and triumphant Hollywood career (directing such immortal classics as Trouble in Paradise and To Be or Not to Be) — manifest themselves across six varied works, riotous in every sense: <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/ich-mochte-kein-mann-sein/“>Ich möchte kein Mann sein</a> I Wouldn’t Like to Be a Man — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/die-puppe/“>Die Puppe.</a> The Doll. — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/die-austernprinzessin/“>Die Austernprinzessin.</a> The Oyster Princess. — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sumurun/“>Sumurun</a> (1920) — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/anna-boleyn/“>Anna Boleyn</a> (1920) — and <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/die-bergkatze/“>Die Bergkatze</a> The Mountain-Lion / The Wildcat.

All films are presented in officially licenced transfers from restored materials, include the original German intertitles (with new removable English subtitles), and are accompanied by recently recorded musical scores; Die Puppe. includes an exclusive new score that we’re especially pleased to present — composed, performed, and recorded by Bernard Wrigley. Robert Fischer’s 2006 feature-length documentary Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin: From Schönhauser Allee to Hollywood rounds out the package of six ThinPaks included in a hardbox, with each feature supplemented by a short essay penned variously by David Cairns, Anna Thorngate, and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (x2 each).

There’s never been a better opportunity to rediscover or reconsider your appreciation of Lubitsch’s work — or to discover his awesome art for the very first time.

***

In addition to delving into the smorgasbord of Lubitsch, we invite you to investigate a few of our other recent releases: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s re-forefronted tour-de-force <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/house-hausu/“>House</a>, now available on DVD as it makes new and turbulent waves around the globe; a Blu-ray release of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 masterpiece <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/une-femme-mariee2/“>Une femme mariée, fragments d’un film tourné en 1964 en noir et blanc</a> [A Married Woman: Fragments of a Film Shot in 1964 in Black and White] appearing, along with its JLG-cut trailer, in glorious 1080p, and which retains the same acclaimed 80-page book that accompanied our original DVD edition; and Al Reinert’s timeless, exquisite 1989 <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/for-all-mankind2/“>For All Mankind</a>, available on both Blu-ray and DVD, which chronicles the experiences of the orbital-lunar and terranean heroes of NASA’s ‘68-‘72 Apollo missions.

Last but not least, a reminder about a film dear to our hearts: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte’s 2008 <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/soul-power/“>Soul Power</a>, built out of footage shot in 1974 by Albert Maysles, Paul Goldsmith, Kevin Keating, and Roderick Young to chronicle the landmark Zaire ‘74 concert event organised in Kinshasa in tandem with the (subsequently postponed) Ali-Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle.” Whether on the DVD edition or, especially, on the Blu-ray edition, you’ll likely not have heard so powerful or ecstatic a soundtrack, nor seen the glory of 16mm celluloid film-grain presented so faithfully, as on this release of Levy-Hinte’s recently unearthed film-treasure.

Happy viewing.

Humbled and re-energised

Wed, 13 Jan 2010, 19:33:22 GMT

We’re extremely humbled by the support that The Masters of Cinema Series has received in some of the big year-end best-of-2009 polls that have hit various media within the last few weeks.

<a href=“http://hcc.techradar.com/news/“>Home Cinema Choice</a> magazine in the UK voted MoC “DVD Label of the Year” in their January issue, and singled out our recent <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Blu-ray</a> and <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise”>DVD</a> editions of F. W. Murnau’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</a> as the “Best Remastering” of the past year.

We were likewise very honoured to learn that the weekly cultural staple <a href=“http://www.timeout.com/film/“>Time Out London</a> had <a href=“http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/9362/the-dvds-of-2009.html”>acknowledged our releases</a> of Maurice Pialat’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-gueule-ouverte/“>La Gueule ouverte</a> (which package includes nine other shorter Pialat films!) and Al Reinert’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/for-all-mankind_2/“>For All Mankind</a> as the #1 and #2 DVD releases of the year, respectively.

The UK’s Sight & Sound magazine asked numerous contributors to list their best DVDs of 2009, and <a href=“http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/exclusive/dvdsof2009">over ten of our 2009 releases were chosen here</a>.

Writers for <a href=“http://dvdoutsider.co.uk/“>DVDOutsider</a> and <a href=“http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/72009/dvd-times-top-10-dvds-of-2009.html”>DVDTimes</a> also chose a number of our 2009 releases in their end of year roundups.

Our theatrical releases this year have also been mentioned in end of year roundups, <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/tokyo-sonata2/“>Tokyo Sonata</a> by John White at <a href=“http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/72027/dvd-times-top-10-films-of-2009.html”>DVDTimes</a>, and <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/soul-power2/“>Soul Power</a> (second best film of the year) by Jason Solomons at the Guardian (the <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/soul-power/“>Soul Power DVD</a> was picked out by the Metro).

Last but certainly not least, the cumulative votes by contributors of the <a href=“http://www.dvdbeaver.com/DVDBlu-rayoftheYear2009.htm”>DVDBeaver DVD and Blu-ray of the Year 2009 global poll</a> ranked our release of <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/dr-mabuse-der-spieler/“>The Complete Fritz Lang Mabuse Boxset</a> as the #1 worldwide DVD release of the year, and our Blu-ray edition of F. W. Murnau’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</a> as the #1 worldwide Blu-ray release of the year. (Other MoC DVD placings included Antonioni’s <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/il-grido/“>Il grido</a>, and Pialat’s <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-gueule-ouverte/“>La Gueule ouverte</a> and <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/nous-ne-vieillirons-pas-ensemble/“>Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble</a> as numbers 8, 12, and 18 best of the year respectively, while our edition of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/tokyo-sonata2/“>Tokyo Sonata</a> garnered mention as the #17 best Blu-ray of the year — alongside nods to superlative releases from our friends at Criterion, BFI, Second Run, and Artificial Eye, among others). In the same poll, The MoC Series was also recognised for “Best Cover Design” for our <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/das-testament-des-dr-mabuse/“>Complete Fritz Lang Mabuse Boxset</a>; “Best Audio Commentary” for the great David Kalat’s work on our editions of the three Mabuse films and F. W. Murnau’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/die-finanzen-des-grosherzogs/“>Die Finanzen des Grossherzogs</a>; and “Best Extras” in the way of the short films by Pialat which accompany the <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-gueule-ouverte/“>La Gueule ouverte</a> release, and the 80-page book that accompanies our edition of Jean-Luc Godard’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/une-femme-mariee2/“>Une femme mariée, fragments d’un film tourné en 1964 en noir et blanc</a> (which book will also accompany the Blu-ray edition out this month).

Among such commendations we stand flabbergastedly grateful — to our supporters and all of our collaborators. We promise our fans a tremendously exciting 2010 and beyond. Our 80th anniversary Blu-ray of Murnau’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/city-girl/“>City Girl</a> has given us goosebumps, and we can’t wait to share it. A wonderful way to kick off the new decade, in glorious 1080p…

Zaire ‘74 documentary on Blu-ray

Sun, 06 Dec 2009, 05:49:00 GMT

Out now on <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/soul-power/“>DVD</a> and <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/soul-power2/“>Blu-ray</a> is Soul Power_, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte’s fascinating 2008 documentary about the Zaire ‘74 3-day music festival starring James Brown, BB King, Miriam Makeba, Bill Withers, Celia Cruz and the Fania Allstars, and many more.

A vérité documentary — compiled entirely from footage shot in 1974 — it was held in Kinshasa ahead of the biggest boxing event of all time: the Muhammad Ali—George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle”. Now, after years of painstaking restoration — legal wrangling prevented an edit and release at the time of filming — Soul Power joins the pantheon of concert film classics, taking its place alongside others of the late-1960s and early-1970s, including Monterey Pop, Woodstock, Gimme Shelter, Soul to Soul, and Wattstax. For full details see <a href=“http://www.soulpowerfilm.co.uk”>our microsite</a>.

Fritz Lang’s three Dr. Mabuse films

Thu, 22 Oct 2009, 12:15:27 GMT

Out now on DVD, assembled together for the first time by a single label, and in one boxset — Fritz Lang’s legendary trilogy of films on the machinations of arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse. These landmark works — presented here in their fully restored forms — trace not only the death-cycle of Mabuse’s conspiratorial network, but also the arc of cinema history in the first half of the twentieth century through the evolution of film master Lang’s iconoclastic style.

The trail of clues: 1: <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/dr-mabuse-der-spieler/“>Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler.</a> Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler. — Lang’s two-part, nearly 5-hour silent epic detailing the rise and fall of Dr. Mabuse in Weimar-era Berlin. 2: <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/das-testament-des-dr-mabuse/“>Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse</a> The Testament of Dr. Mabuse — a tour-de-force thriller rife with supernatural elements, all converging around an attempt by the now-institutionalised Mabuse (or someone acting under his name, and possibly will) to organise an “Empire of Crime”. 3: <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/die-1000-augen-des-dr-mabuse/“>Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Mabuse</a> The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse — Fritz Lang’s final film, in which hypnosis, clairvoyance, surveillance, and machine-guns come together for a whiplash climax that answers the question: Who’s channeling Mabuse’s methods in the Cold War era?

Film scholar David Kalat provides new and exclusive feature-length audio commentaries for each of the entries in the trilogy. Additionally, three heavily illustrated booklets accompany the films, presenting writing by Lang, Michel Chion, and David Cairns, along with passages of interviews conducted with Lang in the years after he finished filmmaking. The long-gestating release of The Complete Fritz Lang Mabuse Boxset is a DVD event that no cinephiile will want to miss.

The world’s first silent feature on Blu-ray

Thu, 01 Oct 2009, 19:15:09 GMT

Out now — on both Blu-ray and DVD, one of F. W. Murnau’s final and greatest achievements, <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise/“>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</a> [1927] along with Georges Franju’s feature debut, <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-tete-contre-les-murs/“>La Tête contre les murs</a> [Head Against the Wall, 1959].

F. W. Murnau’s <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise/“>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</a> is considered by many to be not only the greatest silent film ever made, but also among the very greatest of all films, a work that pushed the ingenuity of image-building into an entirely new realm and stripped back the notion of plot to its barest essence in order to clearly articulate the universal fundamentals of love and compassion in all mankind. This new MoC release of <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Sunrise</a> marks the first-ever global release of a silent film on Blu-ray, and both the high-defintion and standard-def DVD versions include the complete film with its Movietone soundtrack, and the lustrous HD restoration of the slightly shorter Czech print of the movie. <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise2/“>Sunrise</a> is one of the few works about which it feels like neither hyperbole nor cliché to assert: “This is truly the most beautiful of films.”

Pierre Brasseur, Anouk Aimée, Charles Azanavour, Paul Meurisse, and future director Jean-Pierre Mocky (who also wrote the film’s scenario) come together for Georges Franju’s elegant and poetic-realistic exposé of a psychiatric institution in <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-tete-contre-les-murs/“>La Tête contre les murs</a>. Said Franju about his subject: “Mental illness is contagious. I’m not able to stay alone with the mentally ill. They are many and I am one. It’s not mental force that prevails — it’s the numbers. I feel hopeless next to them — so subtle are they, so mysterious are they, so full of poetry…” Upon the release of the film, Jean-Luc Godard proclaimed: “In the incomparable Orphée, Jean Marais, being pelted with stones by the false poets, shouts at Heurtebise: ‘What says the marble in which a masterpiece is sculpted?‘ He responds: ‘I am insulted; I am stricken.’ — but he knows he’s wrong. The same goes for the celluloid ribbon upon which Georges Franju imprinted <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-tete-contre-les-murs/“>La Tête contre les murs</a>.”

Georges Franju and F. W. Murnau

Mon, 21 Sep 2009, 18:14:18 GMT

Out now — Georges Franju’s feature debut, <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-tete-contre-les-murs/“>La Tête contre les murs</a> [Head Against the Wall, 1959] and, on both Blu-ray and DVD, one of F. W. Murnau’s final and greatest achievements, <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/sunrise/“>Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans</a> [1927].

Two more mighty Maurice Pialat films

Wed, 09 Sep 2009, 17:21:01 GMT

Out now – <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/nous-ne-vieillirons-pas-ensemble/“>Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble</a> (1972) and <a href=“http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/passe-ton-bac-dabord//“>Passe ton Bac d’abord</a> (1979) — two films by the late, great French director Maurice Pialat (releases #4 and #5 out of a planned series of 7).

Out now on 2 x DVD and Blu-ray

Fri, 31 Jul 2009, 05:44:31 GMT

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/tokyo-sonata/“>Tokyo Sonata</a> (2008) which opened theatrically across the UK in January is now available to own on 2 x DVD and Blu-ray. Please visit our dedicated <a href=“http://tokyosonata.co.uk/“>Tokyo Sonata microsite</a> for full details of the film. It’s had great reviews in the press, there’s a detailed technical breakdown of the discs at <a href=“http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews46/tokyosonatablu-ray.htm”>DVDBeaver</a> and a review of the film and Blu-ray at <a href=“http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/70917/tokyo-sonata.html”>DVDTimes</a>.

A Godard and ten films by Pialat

Sat, 25 Apr 2009, 15:26:20 GMT

Monday 20th April 2009 saw two new releases in the MoC Series — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/une-femme-mariee/“>Une femme mariée</a> (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964) with a hefty 80-page book; and our third Maurice Pialat release so far — <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-gueule-ouverte/“>La Gueule ouverte</a> (1974) as a special edition 2-disc set along with 9 short Pialat films, copious extras, and a 32-page book. Arriving too late to fit into the package, a 1974 interview with Pialat can be found <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/la-gueule-ouverte/essay//“>exclusively here.</a>

Our only release in May 2009 will be Michelangelo Antonioni’s sublime <a href=“http://eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/il-grido/“>Il grido</a> (1957) which comes with the original Italian trailer, deleted scenes, and a gorgeous 52-page book.

Our current theatrical release, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s <a href=“http://tokyosonata.co.uk/“>Tokyo Sonata</a> (2008) continues its travels around the UK over the next few months. Please visit our dedicated <a href=“http://tokyosonata.co.uk/“>Tokyo Sonata microsite</a> for full details. Look out for <i>The Masters of Cinema Series</i> DVD and Blu-ray release in June.

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