StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

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artfilmfan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#26 Post by artfilmfan » Sun Sep 03, 2017 10:28 pm

Michael,
If you are happy with the version that you've got, stay with it. :wink: Like David said, there isn't a great need to upgrade this title from any of the previous Blu-ray versions. I bought the latest version released in France because of the 4K restoration and the bonus postcards that come with it.
I used to watch the Miramax DVD on a 20 inch CRT TV and it looked just fine at that time. :)

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domino harvey
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#27 Post by domino harvey » Sun Sep 03, 2017 11:47 pm

Kind of a moot point for me since I'm picking up the box anyways for all these new to Blu titles! But yeah, I too don't remember thinking it needed any more work done while watching the Criterion Blu-ray

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#28 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Sep 04, 2017 12:00 am

Colors were incredibly ugly on the Miramax DVD. I felt really shocked when I saw this. I'll wait to see what comes out on Blu here...

artfilmfan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#29 Post by artfilmfan » Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:45 am

Although I like the more vibrant-looking Criterion, I've felt that it looks too hot. Therefore, I've preferred watching the cool, more subdue-looking SC that was released previously. The new SC Blu-ray settles that hot/cool issue. :) I have the feeling that Gary Tooze's gonna like the fact that consumers have another choice.

I was fortunate to have a Sony 20-in flat-screen CRT TV that produced the colors very nicely. I held on to it for the very longest time until house space consideration (and the difficulty of finding a reliable D/A converter to receive the broadcast TV signals) forced me to get rid of it. Switching to HDTVs made most of the DVDs in my collection look much less than optimal (umm .. bad).

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#30 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Sep 04, 2017 7:42 pm

We will baby along our (now vintage) Samsung 50"" plasma as long as we can...

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#31 Post by kekid » Thu Oct 26, 2017 11:42 pm

How do the Blu Rays of Milky Way and Diary of a Chambermaid in the new Studio Canal box set compare with the Criterion DVDs? (I have seen no comparisons).

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nick
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#32 Post by nick » Sun Oct 29, 2017 12:19 pm

I received my Bunuel boxset over the weekend and started to look through it a little bit. Chambermaid looks like a drastic step up in detail over the old Criterion DVD. I haven't compared The Milky Way yet but Tristana appears to be from a different source than the Cohen as the title cards and opening credits are different. The good news is that the Studio Canal offers the Spanish soundtrack, as well as French and German. The Cohen blacks appear boosted next to the Studio Canal, though the Canal seems a little washed out with blacks appearing greenish on my setup. I think I prefer the skin tones on the Studio Canal though I will defer to others with more knowledge over which is more accurate.

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#33 Post by MichaelB » Sun Oct 29, 2017 12:39 pm

The restoration of the Spanish soundtrack for Tristana is very good news indeed - I bought my copy last week, but haven't had a chance to inspect it yet.

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#34 Post by shiftyeyes » Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:32 am

nick wrote:I received my Bunuel boxset over the weekend and started to look through it a little bit. Chambermaid looks like a drastic step up in detail over the old Criterion DVD. I haven't compared The Milky Way yet but Tristana appears to be from a different source than the Cohen as the title cards and opening credits are different. The good news is that the Studio Canal offers the Spanish soundtrack, as well as French and German. The Cohen blacks appear boosted next to the Studio Canal, though the Canal seems a little washed out with blacks appearing greenish on my setup. I think I prefer the skin tones on the Studio Canal though I will defer to others with more knowledge over which is more accurate.
I'm looking at the StudioCanal Tristana right now, but you're mistaken about the audio. The Cohen only has Spanish audio, whereas the StudioCanal adds the French, which presumably has Catherine Deneuve's original voice (though Fernando Rey and others appear to have spoken Spanish on the set).

I feel the Cohen release has superior picture quality, which makes sense since it's taken from a more recent restoration, albeit of a different print and version of the film. The StudioCanal looks like it was taken from an older master. It has a softer, less detailed and a filtered look. The StudioCanal has different cut of the film. The Cohen's opening credits are truncated, it cuts out abruptly before the film's final shot of Tristana and Saturna walking away, and tacks on end credits. The StudioCanal runs 1:39:08, whereas the the Cohen release runs 1:38:41.

Some thoughts on PQ of the 7 titles. These all appear to be from older DVD era masters, with the exception of Belle de Jour

Diary of a Chambermaid: A bit filtered and sharpened, a fair amount of ringing
Belle de Jour: New remaster, looks sharper and cleaner than the Criterion, but a bit too green and the encoding is a poor.
The Milky Way: A tad soft but pretty decent
Tristana: Soft and filtered, some shots quite heavily
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeosie: Filtered, Edgy look, the worst of the bunch. Never saw the first release, but this one is apparently worse. http://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=11050&d2=11051&c=4393" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Phantom of Liberty: A tad soft but pretty decent
That Obscure Object of Desire: Quite heavily filtered and soft, probably same as previous SC release

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Finch
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#35 Post by Finch » Mon Nov 06, 2017 4:33 pm

That really doesn't inspire confidence in the upcoming Melville set... SC have produced fantastic discs on occasion but they're still far too inconsistent.

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#36 Post by jsteffe » Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:05 am

I'd like to second everything that shiftyeyes has said. On the whole, I'd call it a moderate disappointment. We should be able to expect better in 2017. I'm happy have these films on Blu-ray, but it's not a set that I will watch with delight, and not a single one of these discs represents the best looking Bunuel on Blu-ray.

The Discreet Charm is quite bad indeed - very harsh and digital. I may end up sticking with the old Criterion DVD for that title.

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#37 Post by jsteffe » Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:10 am

Michael Kerpan wrote:I can't imagine anything looking better (and truer to the first screened print I saw) than the version on the Canadian BluRay... It was like being carried back in time... (I remember being horrified by the Miramax DVD -- which I never watched a second time).
Which Canadian Blu-ray release are you talking about?

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StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#38 Post by charal » Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:38 am

The box cover does not mention any special features. No booklet inside (even if at the very least basic credits and features info for each film.) All you get is a set of pointless photo cards (probably taken from the original lobby cards.)

Despite the above criticisms if you don't have the Master's late films on disc and you can get this box cheap, it is a good way to get everything in one hit. I already had DISCREET & OBSCURE on blu and the transfers look similar to the box versions to my eye. Does anyone think the 'newer' versions are a slight improvement?

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#39 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:58 am

jsteffe wrote:
Michael Kerpan wrote:I can't imagine anything looking better (and truer to the first screened print I saw) than the version on the Canadian BluRay...
Which Canadian Blu-ray release are you talking about?
Must have gone out of print relatively quickly. I see no trace of it on Amazon Canada.

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tenia
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#40 Post by tenia » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:15 am

Is it this one ?
Honestly, I doubt it's anything else than the older SC master. I don't think there was any other available in 2012 (except the Criterion but that wone still looks exclusive to them).

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jsteffe
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#41 Post by jsteffe » Tue Nov 07, 2017 12:18 pm

tenia wrote:Is it this one ?
Honestly, I doubt it's anything else than the older SC master. I don't think there was any other available in 2012 (except the Criterion but that wone still looks exclusive to them).
It must be that one. I'll stick with the Criterion Blu-ray of BELLE DE JOUR, which I feel looks better than the new version in the StudioCanal box set. If nothing else, this box set makes me all the more grateful for the work of Criterion, Arrow and MoC!

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#42 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Nov 07, 2017 12:29 pm

Right now my copy is buried. I _know_ I got my BluRay of Discreet Charm from Canada. I _think_ I got my BdJ disc from there -- but maybe I got in from the UK. At any rate, I'm pleased with it -- and (barring a newer, bigger, higher-res TV) see no need to upgrade. ;-)

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bugsy_pal
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#43 Post by bugsy_pal » Tue Nov 07, 2017 9:23 pm

My impression from the Caps-a-holic comparison of Discreet Charm is that the new version is exactly the same transfer as the older single UK bluray, but with added brightness and sharpening. I prefer the slightly less processed look of the old disc.

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JSC
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#44 Post by JSC » Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:47 pm

Agree with everyone's assessment of the box. Though I think my favorite snafu is
the description on the back:
Enter the surreal world of Bunuel, where an entire dinner party suddenly
finds themselves inexplicably unable to leave the room and where the devil, if
unable to tempt a saint with a pretty girl, will fly him to a disco.
Nice of them to summarize The Exterminating Angel and Simon of the Desert,
both of which are not included in this set!

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TMDaines
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#45 Post by TMDaines » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:11 am

Oh, that's too good!

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motefuzz
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#46 Post by motefuzz » Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:42 am

senseabove wrote:I've asked twice over at The Other Forums whether Kino has any plans to release Los Olvidados, since they were listed as the rights-holder the last time it screened locally, but he ignored/overlooked my post—it would appear intentionally, as, both times, MisterLime answered the questions surrounding my post but not mine, and he's generally a good sport about answering everything, no matter how mundane... I've only seen Los Olvidados and loved it, so I'm keen on seeing the rest in good quality.

Yeah it’s bonkers how little info is out there for this movie’s situation. It must be real messy. I wholeheartedly believe if this could be widely released it would be an incredible success (as much as something like that could anyway) A friend just altered me it’s streaming on AMAZON PRIME of all places. No idea of the picture quality but I’d assume it looks exactly like the shady DVDs that are out, as Prine often uploads standard def transfers of things.

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jegharfangetmigenmyg
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#47 Post by jegharfangetmigenmyg » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:23 am

Speaking of which; what happened to The Young One that was included in SC's original Buñuel box set? Did they lose the rights? IMO it's one of the most often overlooked gems in his filmography. Robinson Crusoe too.

Re. this box set, it is a little annoying that SC releases most of these films separately and have us buy them, just to include them in a lackluster box where the attraction are 2-3 out of 7 films that haven't yet been released on blu-ray. Same for the Melville box. The 4K remaster of Belle de Jour apparently looks close to terrible, so I would have to buy this only for Chambermaid, Milky Way, and Phantom of Liberty which all seem to have been taken from older HD masters.

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hearthesilence
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#48 Post by hearthesilence » Sun Oct 18, 2020 9:40 pm

Cohen Media's BD of Tristana looks indeed quite different from Studio Canal's BD (which has now been given a standalone release outside of the Buñuel: The Essential Collection box set). It looks like Studio Canal may have applied a bit too much degraining, which has left a pretty soft image, but the color timing is very different too.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#49 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:29 pm

I would say I prefer Cohen Media's version (which I have already) overall..

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Re: StudioCanal: Buñuel: the Essential Collection

#50 Post by MichaelB » Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:23 am

I’ve always preferred the film in Spanish, for multiple reasons - situational, source text, Fernando Rey having more dialogue, you name it.

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