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Dersu Uzala

#1
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12/19/08 at 8:09am
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Criterion's releasing _Dodeskaden_ next year, which reminds me to wonder if there's any news about a Blu-ray transfer of _Dersu Uzala_. If I recall correctly, Mosfilm has a 70mm print, but all home video transfers have come from 35mm copies.

Does anyone here have any information about the prospects of a really nice edition of _Dersu Uzala_?

(I know RAH probably has his plate full with other projects, but this discussion area does seem to be a general default for all aspects of film restoration.)
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#2
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12/20/08 at 1:01pm
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Re: Dersu Uzala

I would absolutely love to see this done. Dersu Uzala is an amazing film, and I consider it one of Kurosawa's most underrated pieces of work.

The DVD is pretty bad, and really not watchable on my projection system. A new transfer of this great film on Blu-ray would be fantastic news indeed.

For ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
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#3
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2/8/09 at 3:16am
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Re: Dersu Uzala

I remember watching this film in a big open air cinema event in the 90s. After some time I wondered about the strange framing and camera movements. It turned out they were showing a 35mm pan and scan TV print. Ouch.
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#4
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2/8/09 at 8:46am
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Re: Dersu Uzala

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michel_Hafner
I remember watching this film in a big open air cinema event in the 90s. After some time I wondered about the strange framing and camera movements. It turned out they were showing a 35mm pan and scan TV print. Ouch.

Aye carumba!

For ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
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#5
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2/12/09 at 4:39am
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Re: Dersu Uzala

There should not be any major problems with this title. I would surmise that it simply needs to be printed or scanned from the OCN.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#6
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2/12/09 at 8:19am
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Re: Dersu Uzala

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
There should not be any major problems with this title. I would surmise that it simply needs to be printed or scanned from the OCN.

RAH

Well, that's great news. If that is the case, then whoever has the rights should "get on with it" already!

For ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
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#7
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2/12/09 at 1:25pm
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Re: Dersu Uzala

At a running length of 16,500 feet approx., this is no small task.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#8
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2/12/09 at 4:32pm
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Re: Dersu Uzala

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
At a running length of 16,500 feet approx., this is no small task.

All the more reason for them to "get on with it" already!

For ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
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#9
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2/14/09 at 2:20am
  • Joined: September 2005
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Re: Dersu Uzala

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianSiano
Criterion's releasing _Dodeskaden_ next year, which reminds me to wonder if there's any news about a Blu-ray transfer of _Dersu Uzala_. If I recall correctly, Mosfilm has a 70mm print, but all home video transfers have come from 35mm copies.

Does anyone here have any information about the prospects of a really nice edition of _Dersu Uzala_?

(I know RAH probably has his plate full with other projects, but this discussion area does seem to be a general default for all aspects of film restoration.)

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Russia has no facilities for dealing with 70mm & the likelihood of removing the original to another country where such facilities do exist is, well, remote, to put it mildly.
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#10
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2/14/09 at 9:14am
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Re: Dersu Uzala

I can only hope that if we do finally get a new release of Dersu Uzala finally (and hopefully through Criterion as Janus does control this title IIRC) that we get the film's original 6-track mix as an audio option.
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#11
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7/17/09 at 11:57pm
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The film is almost entirely shot outdoors in the ruggedly beautiful Siberian wilderness. As with most of Kurosawa's work, each frame is carefully composed to form a dramatic picture. The film explores the theme of a native of the forests who is fully integrated into his environment, leading a style of life that will inevitably be destroyed by the advance of civilization. It is also about the growth of respect and deep friendship between two men of profoundly different backgrounds, and about the difficulty of coping with the loss of strength and ability that comes with old age.

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