Repulsion and Yesterday Today and Tomorrow DVD (1 Viewer)

[MarcoBiscotti]

Holy s**t... did any of you know that a new transfer of Polanski's Repulsion was available on dvd??

I just came back from my local retailer looking to pick up a couple of older ctalogue titles and out of the corner of my eye, a cover on the new release shelf caught my attention - Repulsion!

It appears to be a brand new remastered transfer, and with much more fitting cover art this time too!!


I'm so stoked about this, I can't wait to get home and pop it in!

Am I the only one that was unaware of this new issue, and if so... has there been any word/reviews on the new dvd??

I'm so excited!!

 

[Brian PB]

Marco:

I think most of us assumed that Koch had simply slapped a new cover on their old substandard transfer. I haven't seen any reviews for the re-release, but DVD Empire lists a MAR of 1.33:1.

Hard to believe that Koch wouldn't have released a "digitally re-mastered" version of this great film under their Koch Lorber label, with a few extras and at a higher price.

I look forward to your comments on the AR and transfer quality (compared to the DVD Beaver screen caps linked above).

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Aspect ratio is not listed anywhere on the cover, nor are any specs for that matter... but it seems to be released under some independant studio and not KOCH. The cover also indicates (don't have it in front of me) something about transfered from original source elements or something to that extent...

 

[Brian PB]

So the covers on your (Canadian?) version differ from the version distributed by Koch on March 29th?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

No, that's the exact same cover... it indicates that it's been digitally remastered and I had thought it mentioned something about original source material but I guess not. Maybe I was just excited when I read that on the back cover. It seems to be released by a company called Entertainment Programs Inc. though...

Is this the same release that you guys were criticizing earlier for having a MAR transfer and looking terrible? (*crosses fingers it's not)

 

[JPCinema]

"No Shame" from Rykodisc just released a terrific 2.35 restored print of "Yesterday Today and Tomorrow" on DVD.
Also the uncut "Boccaccio 70"
I'm very pleased with these

 

[Mark_TS]

oddly enough, EPIs' site ***mentions nothing*** of the DVD, but here is what they do show listing in their catalog:

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

That looks like a VHS cover to me, Mark.

I'm gonna watch the dvd now on my regular 20" crt and let you guys know what I think, though obviously I won't be able to offer a thorough assessment without properly auditioning on my ht setup. I just want to make sure the aspect ratio is correct and the transfer looks decent. This was obviously shot 1.85:1, right?

 

[ArthurMy]

1:85 or 1:66 would be acceptable. Anchor Bay DVD seems to be more 1:66 to my eye. But it absolutely should NOT be full frame.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Anchor Bay's disc is 1.78:1 or 1.85:1, depending on who you ask. Criterion's LD was ~1.75:1.

DJ

 

[ArthurMy]

I'm sure Repulsion was shown in 1:66 in England, and I know it was shown in 1:85 here in New York.

 

[Mark_TS]

>>That looks like a VHS cover to me, Mark.



I know...............a *COLUMBIA* VHS cover, to be exact.

 

[Mattias_ka]

The R2 Repulsion DVD is as good as the Criterion LD IMO. So get it, why wait for something when you can get it now?

 

[Tommy G]

You guys got me all worked up and still no Repulsion in R1.

 

[Mattias_ka]

Tommy G, But where is your problem? There are already a great R2 DVD of the movie, just get that one. All region dvd-players are really cheap now so there is no problem at all.

 

[Tommy G]

From an earlier post of mine about the PAL to NTSC conversion. Still reservations there.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I'm the one who lamented some of the PAL>NTSC artifacts upthread, so I should probably be a bit clearer about what to expect. The R2/PAL disc looks mighty fine on my display, far better than I've ever seen this film look. I cannot point to any specific "artifact" from the conversion, I simply assume that the transfer would look better on my display (NTSC-only) if it were NTSC. And I'm using a Toshiba SD-4900 for PAL conversion, a player that cost me $65 (b-stock).

Whether it's the source elements or just an unfortunate string of rights holders, "Repulsion" has always looked murky and veiled and grungy on home video. This disc was a revelation to me, as I'd never seen it in theaters, and at least by comparison to all my previous viewings, it's a great transfer. Next to many other films from that time period, with pristine elements and gorgeous transfers, it certainly comes up short.

But given what we know (and don't know) about it's prospects in R1, it seems very unlikely to me that this film will ever get a decent transfer in North America. Unless Criterion gets it. And the extras on the R2 disc are very, very good. Again, unlikely they'll be surpassed in R1. Again, unless Criterion gets it.

 

[Mattias_ka]

Tommy G, Sorry, that's no good. A good player will do it without any problem. Maybe your display can take PAL also. But, it all come down to, I one a movie lover or not? Why in the *** would anyone not get movies one want to see just because they are not on R1? :rolleyes

 

[Dorian Gray]

Anchor Bay UK disc is around 1.78:1 and looks a little over-matted to me. I assume the film was shot for 1.66:1 presentation.

Here's a comparison between the ugly French R2 release and the UK disc :
http://dorian.gray.free.fr/repulsion.html

 

[Mattias_ka]

If the Anchor Bay Uk DVD is over-matted, then the Criterion LD is also that because they are almost exactly the same in ratio and picture, I know, I have looked on both my a CRT PJ that had no overscan.