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The Other Side of the Wind on blu-ray in 2015? (1 Viewer)

Winston T. Boogie

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May 6th 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Orson Welles and to any Welles fan it could not be more amazing news that his last film The Other Side of the Wind is set to be completed and have its first public screening on that day. This means we may actually see this film make an appearance on blu-ray by the end of the year...fingers crossed and all that.


The Other Side of the Wind.jpg



One of my personal "blu-ray Holy Grails" and the perfect way to celebrate Orson's 100th I have not seen this mentioned here although the news that a deal had been brokered finally to finish the film emerged last October.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/movies/hollywood-ending-near-for-orson-welles-last-film.html?hpw&rref=arts&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0


Royal Road.png



"The producers say they aim to have it ready for a screening in time for May 6, the 100th anniversary of Welles’s birth, and to promote its distribution at the American Film Market in Santa Monica, Calif., next month."


“We will set up a cutting room and Peter Bogdanovich and I will assemble the film,” Mr. Marshall said. “We have notes from Orson Welles. We have scenes that weren’t quite finished, and we need to add music. We will get it done. The good news is that it won’t take so long because of all of the technology today.”





http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz7r33_the-other-side-of-the-wind-entretien-avec-francoise-widhoff_shortfilms


http://variety.com/2014/film/news/orson-welles-final-film-2015-release-1201341048/


This looks like it could be the release of the year...


 

Brian McP

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Not crazy about this poster artwork, I hope it is an early version -- surely a good shot of John Huston and headshots of the rest of the stellar cast would be great selling points for this movie getting a run in arthouse theatres before it comes to bluray.


I don't know if Orson Welles ever had a studio (or two studios) who handled his movies on home video -- I think for example that this would be the perfect addition to an Orson Welles bluray boxset (similar to the Stanley Kubrick one) for Christmas 2015 (I don't think everyone will be walking in and out of "Star Wars" and James Bond all through December) My favorite of his later movies are "Othello", "Chimes at Midnight" and "F for Fake" and to have this with all the usual classics (as well as the new "Wind") would be....science fiction, but what a miracle it would be if such a set should be released for Orson's 100th.
 

mikeyhitchfan

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So glad that after 40 years this film will be completed and released, theatrically and on blu-ray. Many years of rumors and attempts for financing and rights issues and the negative being held in France preceded this.
 

Winston T. Boogie

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I kind of think a box set would be a long shot because as you said I don't think there are just one or two companies handling his films for home video distribution and so not sure anybody could really assemble a box set of films. I would guess that if it makes it to blu-ray by the end of the year it will be as stand alone release, obviously some sort of special edition to celebrate his 100th. I would rather a stand alone because I've already purchased everything I could get my hands on as stand alone releases.


I would add The Trial to his later films as one I really love. I went back and forth on purchasing the European blu-ray because I had read rumors that Criterion would do The Trial on blu-ray in the US...that has yet to happen if it is still even a viable rumor...so I picked up the European release of The Trial.


I do think Criterion would be a great landing spot for The Other Side of the Wind as they did such an incredible job with F for Fake and recently got that out on blu. Honestly though I have not heard any indication that Criterion is involved and so who knows who will handle a blu-ray of it. Obviously, I would expect special features and commentary from Bogdanovich and Marshall no matter who handles it as these two will be so closely involved with this process.
 

Allansfirebird

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mikeyhitchfan said:
So glad that after 40 years this film will be completed and released, theatrically and on blu-ray. Many years of rumors and attempts for financing and rights issues and the negative being held in France preceded this.

Wasn't Orson's daughter Beatrice the biggest hurdle in the odyssey of getting The Other Side of the Wind out there? I'd heard she routinely blocked Bogdonavich's efforts in the past.
 

Winston T. Boogie

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I think as the story goes, Beatrice has control of the Welles Estate and so had to sign off on this getting done. I believe she was one of the final hurdles and at one point was against having the film completed and preferred to just have the collective raw footage released...at least some stories I read said this. I don't think she was blocking it as much as trying to have a say in how it would be presented when it was released. Apparently this is what was settled and she was thrilled with the approach now being taken with the film. Perhaps it was just a matter of convincing her that what would be done would be in accordance with her father's wishes and that it could be done to present the film in the best way possible.
 

Winston T. Boogie

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So, the update on this is it won't make the May 6 deadline for the first screening and it won't make Cannes either but work is well underway and moving forward.
 

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