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The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Disc news (1 Viewer)

Yorkshire

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I pass on to you that which I received...

Studio Canal is working on the newly restored ToH for a UK DVD & Blu-ray Disc release next year; it should be around March.

Apparently the rights held be Criterion have lapsed, and Lionsgate aren't interested, so there's little chance of a US release in the near future.

Apparently SC have been stung by criticism of previous Powell/Pressburger releases (they got a lot of stick for Peeping Tom) and are working with...shall we say the right people to ensure this will be a stellar release.

More if and when I hear it.

Steve W
 

Powell&Pressburger

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This is my favorite Powell & Pressburger film. I believe the Film Foundation is helping with the restoration so as long as all goes well the disc should be a nice one. I know Criterion lost the rights but I think the way home video is going lately even with so few Studio Canal releases and with Martin Scorsese in the mix I can only hope a Criterion edition will be forthcoming. I don't mind importing if I need to. That Criterion commentary track is one of their best I think I've listened to it more than any other commentary they have released.

(IMO Studio Canal yanking licensing from Criterion (with a few exceptions) was one of their worst moves ever. How many years has it been and how so few titles have rec'd U.S. Blu ray releases? Really huge mistake on their part No one can sell a catalog title like Criterion)
 

David Weicker

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Just ordered the French release of 49th Parallel - should arrive tomorrow.Waiting on A Matter Of Life And Death. I know a French release is scheduled for next week, but because the restoration was done by Sony/Crisp, I'm hoping the will be a U.S. release soon
 

Lord Dalek

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I wouldn't count out Criterion just yet as recent signs have shown they might have made up with Canal+.
 

WilliamMcK

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Re: Criterion and Studio Canal: All the Tati films in the latest Criterion box set start with the Studio Canal logo! :)

Really hoping that this Tales of Hoffman restoration comes to the U.S. via Criterion (but then… since I have a region free player… I'll be buying it wherever and whenever it's released! (It's also my favorite P&P… well there's a three- or four-way tie… ;) ).
 

ABaglivi

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Tired of saying it, as I am sure others are tired of hearing it, but I keep hoping it will be the full 138-minute version, not he cut version Crieterion issued.
 

WilliamMcK

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ABaglivi said:
Tired of saying it, as I am sure others are tired of hearing it, but I keep hoping it will be the full 138-minute version, not he cut version Crieterion issued.
Do we know for sure that the 138 min version still exists? When I saw this during a Powell retrospective a number of years ago, Thelma Schoonmaker claimed that it was the "uncut" version being screened… but it was just the 124 minute version with an intermission.
 

ABaglivi

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Steve Crook, of PnP in England, has seen some of the cut scenes at festivals, as he puts it. I had access to Bill Kenly's (Paramount) 16mm Kodachrome of the complete cut. He allowed me to take the parts from that print to cut into an IB 16mm print. I know this is not of sufficient quality to use for
a full-scale restoration, but maybe at least, if necessary, as an extra. Thelma, I am afraid, was in error about the running time. The full length soundtrack has been issued on CD.
 

david hare

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Good news, it was expected sooner rather than later.So finally we can retire the very badly color timed Criterion DVD, but we can't really hope for a "long" vesion in 1080p? The inclusion of the cut footage as an extra is a great idea, given it's 16mm, and I think you could do worse than directly contact Thelma Schoonmaker perhaps through Film Foundation with the offer (or might there be problems with Canal?)I don't know if Canal is still interested in individual title licensing with Criterion and I suspect the boxset for Tati was a special case.Still a Canal Region B release of this is fine by me. They have not technically put a foot wrong with mastering deep catalogue titles in years with the sole exception of their 4k 2012 Plein Soleil which they clearly gavce to someone without the skills to author it correctly. Criterion wisely dodged the resulting DVNRed and filtered mess and went back to the older 2k master which they re-authored themselves for their BD. In general terms Canal's run of Blu classic catalogue has been right up there with the best IMO.
 

WilliamMcK

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I don't think Schoonmaker meant that there had never been a longer version, just that what was being screened was the "official" uncut version (I believe there are even shorter prints floating around). I have the sound track and indeed there is much Offenbach that didn't make the final cut (at least of the version we know)… but there was also music in the film that didn't make the CD. It's never a good idea to use a sound track release as a guide to what the final cut should be. The Rodgers and Hammerstein sound tracks on Capitol contain music not in their respective movies… some were filmed and cut (You're a Queer One, Julie Jordan & Shall I Tell You What I Think of You) and others were apparently recorded but never filmed (My Lord and Master).

All that said, the fact that you've seen cut scenes at festivals is EXCELLENT news… and personally I'd love to see them reinserted to the main body of the movie regardless of their condition! But I'm curious as to what Powell himself would have wanted (were the cuts made at his behest or at the studio's?).
 

Derrick King

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Powell&Pressburger said:
(IMO Studio Canal yanking licensing from Criterion (with a few exceptions) was one of their worst moves ever. How many years has it been and how so few titles have rec'd U.S. Blu ray releases? Really huge mistake on their part No one can sell a catalog title like Criterion)
So true. Especially since Lionsgate has taken to dumping SC titles as Amazon exclusive MOD DVD-Rs.

I was hoping that the Tati set was a sign that Criterion would be getting access to SC titles, but, despite SC's logo, all the licensing info on the packaging seems to indicate that Criterion got those back directly from the Tati estate.
 

Powell&Pressburger

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In regards to the longer UNCUT version of the film, I think if they are able to restore it to that length I am sure if Scorsese / Schoonmaker are involved they will give it the best release they can. I think like others mentioned it all comes down to what footage they can/have found and is it usable.
 

david hare

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From ABaglivi's previous posts I surmise that the cut sections sound like absolutely perfect material for a "Deleted Scenes" bonus feature, and perhaps the authoring could enable a seamless branch feature if the 16mm footage was of sufficient quality for 1080p encoding. Wildside did this with their dual Long and short versions of Hawks' Red River, even though the missing footage looks pretty dupey and is unrestored, compared to the main feature. Nobody was heard to complain.

I have been poring through Powell's two books of Autobiography, My Life in Movies and Million Dollar Movie for any information about the cut material. The only reference to cutting Powell makes is during a chapter on the first preview in New York prior to it going to the Venice Film Festival, where he relates that after the successful NYC Prem Alex Korda suggested to Emeric they cut the third act out for "timing". Powell and Emeric refused of course (it sounded like an absurd suggestion) even though they sensed that Korda's intention was actually a political ploy to gain the film more "favor" in Venice. It didn't take the Grand Jury prize as it turned out so he may have been right!. In any case this is what I wrongly remembered as Emeric suggesting cuts, and Powell disagreeing. Does anyone else here know anything else?
 

Yorkshire

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AnthonyClarke said:
Twenty-two pounds sounds a bit over the odds ...
At that price, I'll wait for the inevitable Region A release.
It may well come, but I'm afraid it's far from inevitable.

Steve Crook from the PNP Appreciation Society is in touch with SC about their upcoming release, and he says his understanding is that Lionsgate are not interested, and they own the US rights.

Steve W
 

Alan Tully

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AnthonyClarke said:
Twenty-two pounds sounds a bit over the odds ...
At that price, I'll wait for the inevitable Region A release.
It's four months away. Amazon always puts a silly price on these long pre-orders, so as not to be caught out, as I'm sure they don't know the price themselves yet. It'll probably end up half that.
 

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