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Cabiria (1914) (1 Viewer)

Michael Fournier

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Almost seven years ago, Roger Ebert wrote about what sounds like a stunning restoration of Pastrone's Cabiria, almost an hour longer that what's currently available from Kino. Ebert's review is here: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060702/REVIEWS08/607020301/1023 I'm wondering if Mr. Harris or any of his readers here might have heard anything about a Blu/DVD release of this restoration.
 

Michael Fournier

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Just wanted to float this question again. This is the film's centennial, but I'm unable to find any new of a release for this restoration. Has anyone here heard anything?
 

Ed Lachmann

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I'd love to hear some news about this, as well. Since this beautiful restoration already exists, it seems like just the sort of thing Kino or Flicker Alley would consider releasing since they have been active in blu-rays and upgrades. Even the shortened Kino DVD version is quite an experience featuring the feeding of babies into the fiery idol Baal's mouth and the strongman escapades of the first Maciste characters. The film so captivated Italians of that era that Fellini's Cabiria took the name of the epic's princess and immortalized it in the 50's.
 

JoHud

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I agree that a centennial release of this films is an opportunity that shouldn't be passed up by Kino or any other company that intends to release this in the future. That new restoration is certainly enticing.
 

Ed Lachmann

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I've been chasing this thing around and got a reply from the Criterion Forum that they were denied a bid to release it some time ago. At the end of the Ebert article it states that "the Criterion Collection is preparing a DVD edition of CABIRIA". I just sent an email off to Kino since I would imagine they are the most likely company to put it out. In my "travels" I ran into something else interesting at sempreinpenombra.com/2013/04/quo-vadis-100th-anniversary/ concerning a full restoration of the 1913 QUO VADIS that the Nederlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam spearheaded back in 1996. I've been hearing about that one for decades. Sadly, they've already missed the centennial for that, too. Let's hope that Kino has some plans for CABIRIA.
 

Brandon Conway

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For the record, criterionforum.org is not officially related to Criterion. It's a fan forum. The members there just happen to be very knowledgeable about where/when statements were made by official Criterion sources (which in this case was an email stating Criterion did not have rights to Cabiria).
 

Ed Lachmann

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Really, I guess only the folks at the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin really know what's going on with it as they are the ones who own and control it.
 

Brent Reid

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Afraid I've no news of a BD release, but I saw this restoration just last week, in 35mm on a huuuge screen at the Karlsruhe silent film festival (http://www.stummfilmfestival-karlsruhe.de/de/home.html). It was accompanied with a great live score by the inestimable Günter Buchwald & co.

Am unsure what speed it was projected at, but it ran for 3 hours 20 mins. An awesome spectacle, with astonishing visual detail for the most part; BD won't do it justice but would certainly be a vast improvement on what's currently available...
 

Ed Lachmann

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Well, I attended the Los Angeles screening of the wonderful 1921 LOVES OF PHARAOH, then promptly ordered the blu-ray from Alpha-Omega when it came up for sale. It is one of the most beautiful transfers I've ever seen and I've viewed it countless times since purchase. A proper blu-ray of CABIRIA could be jaw-dropping. Still, on the big screen the experience is much more intense. God, I hope someone does this!
 

Michael Fournier

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I just wanted to give this thread another bump. I wrote to Scorsese's office about a year ago to inquire whether he had any news about a Cabiria release on Blu, but heard nothing back. Ebert had indicated about 15 years ago that Criterion would be preparing a release, but this sounds more like a project for Kino. Has anyone heard anything?
 

Mr. A.G.

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Hi. To get the bottom of this matter, on the availability of this film to public, I recently contacted Museo Nazionale del Cinema ([email protected]) and was told the following:

"I’m very sorry, we don’t have an edited dvd of the restored version of Cabiria. We can provide a low resolution file (with logo and time code) just for academic purposes. The cost of the file is 25 Euro + IVA (around 30 Euro)."

"Cabiria (1914) lasts 169 minutes. The sonorized version (1931) is 139 minutes. If you want, you can find some more infos on the site:
"
 

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