Carlotta Films

Vinegar Syndrome, Deaf Crocodile, Imprint, Cinema Guild, and more.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
Location: Dublin

Carlotta: Coffret Antonioni

#1 Post by ellipsis7 » Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:51 am

Got this set from Carlotta mainly for THE LADY WITHOUT CAMELIAS and 2 early Antonioni shorts, NU and RAYON...

Also includes RED DESERT and CHRONICLE OF A LOVE AFFAIR...

It's a beautifully presented set, lovely transfers of restored prints (RD anamorphic), witn extras including outtakes of RED DESERT, ANTONIONI - THE EYE THAT CHANGED CINEMA, and several interesting featurettes...

Needless to say the subs are in French - they are clear and easy to understand...

Versus the R1 No Shame release of CHRONICLE OF A LOVE AFFAIR this is a film transfer, is sharper and more textured with none of the combing or streaking that pops up occasionally on the No Shame video sourced transfer, which nevertheless has the advantage of Eng subs...

LADY WITHOUT CAMELIAS is in a lovely print, and rare on DVD...

RED DESERT has image quality comparable to the Australian R4 Madman disc but appears not to have the distracting audio compression of the soundtrack on that release, as well as white subtitles (where many felt the yellow Oz subtitles were inappropriate)... Of course plus on the Madman disc are the excellent Roland Caputo commentary and Eng subs... I'm glad to have both...

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#2 Post by Kinsayder » Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:37 am

Carlotta: Coffret Antonioni
Thanks, ellipsis. I'd been pondering on this set, having enjoyed some of Carlotta's Pasolini editions. The price is discouraging, but I guess with those extras and that quality it's not unreasonable.

Ecranlarge have done a favourable review of the set which includes some screenshots. I did notice, though, that one of the user commentaries at the bottom of the page complains that Red Desert has been "zoomed".

User avatar
ellipsis7
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
Location: Dublin

#3 Post by ellipsis7 » Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:08 am

Just checked opening titles of RED DESERT comparing Madman and Carlotta versions... Both are slightly cropped, the Carlotta a tiny bit more so, but generally there's not too much in it... Certain of the title texts are shaved on either side in both editions...

Stefan Andersson
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:02 am

Carlotta: L'Argent (L'Herbier, 1928)

#4 Post by Stefan Andersson » Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:15 am

Carlotta: L'Argent (L'Herbier, 1928)

A post on the www.dvdclassik.com forum says L'Herbier L'Argent is up for 2008 DVD release by the reputable Carlotta Films.

Now, anyone for an Eclipse box with L'Argent, FEU MATHIAS PASCAL, EL DORADO and maybe that movie based on Tolstoy´s RESURRECTION? I posted this idea in the Eclipse Random Speculation but it seems to have gone unnoticed.

User avatar
Knappen
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:14 am
Location: Oslo/Paris

#5 Post by Knappen » Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:14 am

Crap. Shall I watch the old vhsrip that's been laying around the house for ages or should I wait for this release?
I saw Feu Mathias Pascal at the cinémathèque at Bercy last year. It is far superior to El Dorado and L'Inhumaine. L'Herbier seems to have produced better films when his ambitions leaned slightly more towards realism. That said, the dreamy talkie La Nuit fantastique (R1) is very over the top and a real treat.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#6 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:03 am

L'Homme du large aint nothing to sneeze at either. I dig the mood and atmosphere of L'Inhumaine (this dude loved his L'films) but the lead is bordering on obnoxious and the story titters on absurdity... yet some wonderful deco-bau art direction blended with exquisitely Impressionist photographic sensibility. It may be that all facets of the attempt were too formally Impressionist (and exceedingly ambitiously so), whereby the tale became secondary and in fact ponderous.

Back to L'Argent-- fabulous news of course, as this is a holy grail and a real disgrace that it's been blooped over this long across the globe. The fucking thing is on a par with Jeanne D'Arc and the best of Epstein-- nay anybody-- and it's oversight is absurd. Having recently acquired a dvd-r of an (unsubbed) broadcast of the resto, I can say for non-French speakers-- this would be one hell of a chore without subs. I need to make a project to sit down and babelfish the cards and sit with the rough trans while watching the film (Anthology-handout style).

Seeing the great Alcover (of Kirsanoff's pal Gremillon's early sound masterpiece La petit Lise) in a role completely opposite of his character in the Grem is wonderful too. From Charles F Kane type money- baron to destitute convict. Sublime.

User avatar
Knappen
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:14 am
Location: Oslo/Paris

#7 Post by Knappen » Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:32 am

You can all babelfish your way through L'Argent or you could read a translation of Zola's novel. The plot has been modernized, but the adaptation is reportedly rather faithful.

I have been working my way through quite a few unsubbed german silents lately (Von Morgens bis Mitternact, Das Wieb des Pharao, Mutter Kraus - subbed in italian) and know that half-digested intertitles can be hard on the brain even if my german is acceptable. The problem gets worse with my three portugese or dutch subbed Langs coming from obscure sources.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#8 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:15 pm

SOunds like an admonishing curse that sounds vaguely obscene, Knap! "You can all go babelfish your way thru L'Argent.." like "You can all go take a flying f#$%..."

Seriously though, as tempting as reading translated Zola sounds, I just can't take on the task of reading source novels to get thru unsubbed silents. My To-Read list is already sky high... I'd hafta saw thru my upstairs neighbor's floor to accommodate the add-on to the stack..

rollotomassi
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:23 pm
Location: Kendal

#9 Post by rollotomassi » Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:56 pm

The irony is I have the same DVDR of the French TV broadcast and recently sat down and translated each and every title card and the exact time to the second when it appears so a friend of mine could add a subtitle rip to the DVDR at a later date.

Maybe we can rip onto an even better print now...all assuming it carries on the French tradition of refusing to put English subs on 95% their releases, the one notable exception probably being Poirier's Verdun.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#10 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:11 pm

rollotomassi wrote:The irony is I have the same DVDR of the French TV broadcast and recently sat down and translated each and every title card and the exact time to the second when it appears so a friend of mine could add a subtitle rip to the DVDR at a later date.

Maybe we can rip onto an even better print now...all assuming it carries on the French tradition of refusing to put English subs on 95% their releases, the one notable exception probably being Poirier's Verdun.
I know. Lamentable. If cheapo old Kino can invest not only in translating but (going too far and) replacing the title cards in foreign silents, surely co's like Carlotta and Pathe' can do the planet a fucking service and propogate their heritage for the rest of the world with simple english subs. It's not like we're asking for Egyptian glyphs.

Vive La France-Cinemaa.aa.u.uh but for French people only.

Cinematic Nationalism!? Or cheapskateism?

User avatar
Knappen
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:14 am
Location: Oslo/Paris

#11 Post by Knappen » Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:18 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:I know. Lamentable. If cheapo old Kino can invest not only in translating but (going too far and) replacing the title cards in foreign silents, surely co's like Carlotta and Pathe' can do the planet a fucking service and propogate their heritage for the rest of the world with simple english subs. It's not like we're asking for Egyptian glyphs.

Vive La France-Cinemaa.aa.u.uh but for French people only.
This is a much discussed topic.

I know that in many cases the French leave out the subs because it will later be impossible to sell the product to a foreign distributor otherwise.

Maybe there is an old thread that explains the subtleties. People like Kinsayder may be able to say a lot more on the subject than I am.

Anyway: great job doing the subs for L'Argent. I don't need them myself, but they can be very easily distributed on the web this way. And changed from srt to a version compatible to a dvd with programs like txt2sup.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#12 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:37 pm

Knappen wrote:This is a much discussed topic.

I know that in many cases the French leave out the subs because it will later be impossible to sell the product to a foreign distributor otherwise.

Maybe there is an old thread that explains the subtleties. People like Kinsayder may be able to say a lot more on the subject than I am.

Anyway: great job doing the subs for L'Argent. I don't need them myself, but they can be very easily distributed on the web this way. And changed from srt to a version compatible to a dvd with programs like txt2sup.
Either they're not selling or nobody's buying the rights (I mean Duvivier, Gremillion, L'Herbier so many others i e Rene Chateau, Pathe-Fox et al)... in which case they should expand their market for the primary distribution rather than look for revenue in secondary-market licensing fees-- which, as it seems to stand for much of this material, just aint happening.

Kino needs to start getting down with Impressionist features. They're doing nicely viz their agreement w Douris for the shorts running from the 20's on up to the 50's w the AV 1&2... but there are so many features for them to plumb, I'm really surprised they havent nibbled.

Or bfi, AEye, MoC (forget CC... if it isn't Napoloen, we'll get no french silents). Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprising at all) Flicker Alley is beating everyone in R1 to the punch w the Gances.

User avatar
Lino
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
Location: Sitting End
Contact:

#13 Post by Lino » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:56 pm

Carlotta Films in France has released last year The Complete Works of Joaquim Pedro de Andrade and in the review here you can see that ALL the movies come with English subs on them! So, if you're tired of waiting for an eventual Criterion edition of Macunaíma, why not spring for the whole set and save some substantial bucks?

Consider yourself warned. BTW, here's the official site.

My Andrade set is on the way. I'll report back on how it looks and sounds as soon as I get my hands on it. Been waiting for ages to see Macunaíma in particular and the waiting is now almost over. I just love this period in Brazilian filmmaking.

Update: It came through the door yesterday and already had a chance to do a cursory view of the whole set plus a full viewing of the eagerly awaited Macunaíma.

What can I say? Top marks, Carlotta! Not only were you able to produce a fantastic Complete set of a director in dire need of world recognition, you also filled it with incredible extras and gave it the best A/V I have seen in a long, long time. Oh, and it comes with english extras on (almost) everything - only the interviews are not subtitled - including the shorts by Andrade himself.

As for Macunaíma, well, wow is all I can say. One of the most colorful and inventive movies I had the pleasure of watching. This movie is Tropicalism incarnated! If you have even a slight interest on this title alone, go for it. Check out the trailer here.

I am surprised this set hasn't ended on last year's best lists because it surely deserves a place there. I am overjoyed I own it.

rollotomassi
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:23 pm
Location: Kendal

#14 Post by rollotomassi » Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:20 pm

L'Argent is now up on amazon.fr, alapage and fnac. No mention of English subs - I didn't expect them inspite of their being on last year's Verdun - but the print quality will be an improvement on my telecast copy.

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#15 Post by Kinsayder » Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:21 am

L'Argent is to be a 2-disc set:

Disc 1:
Le Film : L'Argent
- La présentation par Jean-François Zygel (3 mn)
- Le nouvel accompagnement musical de Jean-François Zygel (dolby Digital 5.0 et stéréo)

Disc 2:
- Autour de L'Argent (40 mn) : Making of d'époque réalisé par Jean Dréville pendant le tournage du film. C'est un précieux témoignage historique sur les expérimentations avant-gardistes de Marcel L'Herbier
- Marcel L'Herbier, poète de l'art silencieux (54 mn) : Un documentaire consacré à la figure artistique de Marcel L'Herbier réalisé par Laurent Véray, enseignant et président de l'AFRHC
- L'arrivée à Paris de Brigitte Helm pour le tournage de L'Argent (1 mn)
- Les essais des acteurs (17 mn)
- Accompagner le cinéma muet (7 mn) : Le célèbre pianiste Jean-François Zygel évoque l'accompagnement musical du film muet au début du siècle et comment il le conçoit aujourd'hui
- La scène de la bouse avec et sans bruitages d'époque (4 mn)

Image

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#16 Post by Kinsayder » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:34 am

A short French review of the forthcoming L'Argent set. Full marks for the quality of the restored image and the new score.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#17 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:17 am

Maybe I can ouijaboard a channelling of the French language, DAMN I hope someone subs this set in total dupe.

Jealous bastard I am. I already have an unsubbed version of this, but I'm sure this is going to look glorious.

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#18 Post by Kinsayder » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:28 pm

A full review of the Carlotta L'Argent with about 100 screencaps (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the thumbnails).

User avatar
Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

#19 Post by Tommaso » Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:27 am

Not sure whether this has been mentioned before, but there's now also a double disc set of L'Herbier's El Dorado. Has anyone seen it? Am much tempted to get me this and "L'Argent" plus the two arte Duviviers rather than "La roue" at the moment...

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#20 Post by Kinsayder » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:47 am

Either Alapage have got the release date wrong, or that's a reissue of the limited Gaumont edition that came out in 2000. It's from the excellent 1995 restoration. Just one disc, though, with two booklets, including a facsimile of L'Herbier's handwritten shooting script.

User avatar
Knappen
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:14 am
Location: Oslo/Paris

#21 Post by Knappen » Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:13 am

I have the Gaumont edition too. It's a beautifully made set, but I found the film itself a bit dull... L'Herbier comes into full form a couple of years later...

... but starts his career in the talkies with the truly awful L'Enfant de l'amour.

User avatar
Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

#22 Post by Tommaso » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:13 am

Ah merci. I must have assumed it was a double disc due to the price point...
Alapage sometimes gets release dates wrong indeed, though it seems it's also still available from amazon.fr (at 32,99 Euros...). But ok, if it's second tier, no need to hurry for me about this, then.

User avatar
HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#23 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:21 pm

Kinsayder wrote:A full review of the Carlotta L'Argent with about 100 screencaps (scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the thumbnails).
Utterly gorgeous screencaps. I'd love to see CC or MoC preconvert a port on this for english speakers. The extras look magnificent.

I'm confident they or Flicker Alley (or at the very least Kino or Milestone) will get this out. It's just too fantastic.

rollotomassi
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:23 pm
Location: Kendal

#24 Post by rollotomassi » Thu May 01, 2008 12:36 pm

Yes, they are gorgeous screencaps. I have done some myself having just got the DVD through. Same style packing as the earlier Verdun. There may be no English subs, but I'm working on that when a friend gets a spare moment.

If anyone's interested, give me an email address to send them to and I shall send a Word file with the English translations on it, including time of caption. A bit like going to the opera.

maltydog

Carlotta Films - L'Argent

#25 Post by maltydog » Sun May 04, 2008 4:16 pm

rollotomassi wrote:Yes, they are gorgeous screencaps. I have done some myself having just got the DVD through. Same style packing as the earlier Verdun. There may be no English subs, but I'm working on that when a friend gets a spare moment.

If anyone's interested, give me an email address to send them to and I shall send a Word file with the English translations on it, including time of caption. A bit like going to the opera.
Last edited by maltydog on Tue May 06, 2008 4:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply