Before the Rain DVD petition PLEASE SIGN (1 Viewer)

[Prentice Cotham]

(Small update in post #24--some hope!)

A friend and I have started a petition (I know...another petition) to get Universal to release Milcho Manchevski's 1994 film "Before the Rain" to DVD. Since the days of laserdisc and when the film was in Polygram's hands, I have sought to get a higher resolution video release of this amazing film. Since Polygram's library shake-up it has taken a lot of research and a lot of calls to find the rights holder. This DVD is found nowhere in the world unless you were Quentin Tarantino and begged the Macedonian government for one of the 1,000 promotional DVD copies produced by the Macedonian Ministry of Culture in August last year (those copies are all gone--I tried).

If you have never seen this film, it's an amazing work of art. It reflects the ongoing struggle in the Balkan region in a quite beautiful and moving way. The score by Anastasia is unbelievable. You owe it to yourself to at least find a VHS copy. But, please sign the petition so we can get Universal to release a DVD of this lost treasure. Maybe Criterion will also see the interest and pry this one from Universal's library since they do have a relationship.

Here's a link to Ebert's review.

Here's a link to our petition.

Thanks everyone for your help and if anyone knows a good DVD contact at Universal, please let me know. It will save that research .

 

[MartinMcNally]

A great movie, but I think you mean the Balkans, not Baltic.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

You're right...didn't mean to type Baltic. Too much Monopoly I guess.

 

[SteveGon]

Petition signed!

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

That's 11 signatures, now.

It's a great films. I was amazed to find it was not on DVD in any country.

Send an email to www.mastersofcinema.com about the petition, Prentice. I'm sure they would accomodate you.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Thanks so much guys. Gordon, I fired off an email to them. If anyone knows anybody who will support this, please send the link to them.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Mr. Manchevski has emailed his support to me of this petition. I gave him a phone number and person to call at Criterion.

Still working on Universal info.

Please everyone sign up!

 

[Prentice Cotham]

75 signatures and going strong...looking at the signatures (as long as they are not fake)Willem Dafoe signed the petition! I thought that was pretty cool.

 

[Ted Todorov]

I signed this afternoon (#99). I hope that it has the desired effect! A Criterion would be a dream come true...

Ted

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Thanks Ted.

I appreciate it!

 

[Prentice Cotham]

We made news in Macedonia...wish I could translate the page.

http://www.vest.com.mk/default.asp?i...idg=4&idb=1169

 

[Odysseas]

Hi Prentice,

I own this movie on VHS and would love to have it on DVD. Perhaps you should initiate other similar attempts for Balkan related movies that deserve to come out on DVD. I was delighted to see New Yorker release "Underground" and would love to have earlier Kusturica films.

Isn't it ironic that Oscar nominated and Palm d'or winning films (such as "When father was away on business") don't get released on DVD, while most of the Hollywood drivel does? (don't mean to imply that everything Hollywood puts out is drivel, just that a fair amount is but still gets released for posterity or something).

 

[Ted Todorov]

I'll give the first paragraph a shot:
"A group of American film lovers and fans of M. Manchevski's Before The Rain after a long and patient wait, rolled up their own sleeves and started a petition to release the film on DVD".

The article goes on to say, among other things, that Before The Rain has never been commercially released in Macedonia on either VHS or DVD.

Ted

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Odysseas,

Mr. Manchevski has been esp. kind and communicative. I believe he has forwarded the petiton around a fair amount. If the other directors are as accommodating, then other petitions wouldn't be out of the question (assuming we are successful). As long as we can find out the rightholders, I should say. That was the one issue with Before the Rain.

In 1994 the nominees for Foreign Language Oscar were Before the Rain (should have won), Strawberry and Chocolate, Burnt by the Sun (winner), Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, and Farinelli. All of the other films have been released to DVD except BtR. I think this the exception to the rule and I agree that award winners/nominees are often neglected for a Bourne Identity Extreme Edition. While a decent flick, we don't need a second release.

Ted, thanks for the partial translation!

 

[Ricardo C]

Signed!

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Just bumping the thread...we have over 275 signatures right now, but we need a lot more. Please forward this to anyone you know or any forum that might like to see this DVD release.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

We still need more signatures...please keep 'em coming!

 

[DanaA]

Just signed it. This sounds to be the type film I most enjoy. I'd probably buy it sight unseen based on Ebert's review alone. Thanks for making the effort to make it available.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Thanks for the sigs...we need all the help we can get. We think we need around 3,000 sigs to make an impact so it's going to be a tough road. Here's an article that was on a Macedonia newssite about the petition if any are interested.

http://www.culture.in.mk/story.asp?id=10147
Americans Write Petitions to Get “Before the Rain” on DVD

(Vest, 26.05.2004) - After waiting patiently for a long while, a group of American film lovers and fans of “Before the Rain” by Milco Mancevski have pulled up the sleeves and initiated a petition for releasing the film on DVD.
“Before the Rain” has been distributed at US cinemas since 1995 when it was nominated for Oscar and won prestigious Independent Spirit. Even though the film has been broadcast on the US television for several times, and even though it can be found on a video tape in every shop, a DVD has not been released yet.
American fans of Mancevski’s film got in touch with Macedonian Ministry of Culture and the distributor in the United States, Universal Pictures, and after Universal Pictures did not respond to their appeal, they initiated a petition with a demand to the distributor to release the film on DVD.
The petition is circulating on Internet and those who want to sign it can find in on the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/modperl/signed.egi?BR2004

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Petition is making rounds. It has been sent to the Australian-Macedonian community. We have nearly 500 sigs. Please keep them coming!!