Der Todesking

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Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Der Todesking

#1 Post by Ribs » Tue Nov 28, 2017 1:16 pm

The second feature film from German provocateur Jörg Buttgereit, director of Nekromantik and Nekromantik 2, Der Todesking (“The King of Death”) presents seven suicides across seven days of the week.

As a chain letter from the self-proclaimed “Brotherhood of the 7th Day” circulates encouraging its recipients to end their lives, a series of grim murder-suicides unfold. In one vignette, a young woman massacres a room of concert-goers before turning the gun on herself; in another, a man, driven to madness by some unspecified mental disturbance, repeatedly slams his head into a wall before collapsing in a pool of his own blood… These are just some of depictions of death and despair that make up the tortured fabric of Der Todesking.

Regarded by many as director Jörg Buttgereit’s most accomplished work, Der Todesking is an existential masterpiece - a powerfully haunting howl of rage from one of the genre’s most underrated filmmakers.

3-DISC DIRECTOR-APPROVED LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Director’s approved HD transfer from the original 16mm negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Stereo Audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles
Limited edition packaging featuring new artwork by Gilles Vranckx
Limited edition certificate featuring original artwork
Replica “Brotherhood of the 7th Day” Chain Letter
Der Todesking Soundtrack CD
Limited Edition 60-page book
DISC 1 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 2 [DVD] – ‘DER TODESKING’

Audio commentary by Jörg Buttgereit and co-writer Franz Rodenkirchen
From Bundy to Lautréamont - Jörg Buttgereit in conversation with journalist Graham Rae at the 2016 Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films
The Making of Der Todesking - vintage production featurette
Footage from the original 1990 Berlin premiere
Corpse Fucking Art - 1992 documentary bringing together the making of featurettes of Nekromantik,
Der Todesking and Nekromantik 2 Der Gollob (1983, 25 mins) - short film by Jörg Buttgereit, newly transferred in HD and viewable with optional director’s audio commentary
Two short films by producer Manfred O. Jelinski: Die Reise ins Licht (1972, 27 mins) and Geliebter Wahnsinn (1973, 7 mins)
Still Gallery Jörg Buttgereit
Trailer Gallery
DISC 3 [CD] – ‘DER TODESKING’ SOUNDTRACK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

CD featuring the complete Der Todesking score
60-PAGE BOOK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE

Exclusive perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film from Graham Rae and Kat Ellinger, all illustrated with new artwork and original archive stills

Image

26 February

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Der Todesking

#2 Post by colinr0380 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:24 pm

That's great news! I've been very curious about this film ever since missing out on a chance to pick up the old Screen Edge VHS tape back in the late 90s (when it was one of Buttgereit's only films to be legally available in the UK). This looks just as death enamoured as the Nekromantik films but on a wider and more abstract level. Here's the (very NSFW) trailer

This is also the Buttgereit film that Barrel did not produce a packed US DVD edition of, though Adam mentioned a few years ago that a German edition of the film was available. I presume that this carries over the extras from that German edition? Or contains more?

M Sanderson
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 3:43 am

Re: Der Todesking

#3 Post by M Sanderson » Thu Nov 30, 2017 3:46 pm

It’s really haunting and beautiful and meta cinematic. Very formalistic, throughout, like some of the stranger passages of Nekromantik 2 and Schramm. It’s poetic and at the same time a massive downer. I’m a huge admirer of all three.

Yes, I waited a long time for that Barrel DVD. Ended up getting a German or Austrian one from Sazuma’s website. Now I have the Cult Epics Blu ray but I will support the Arrow version also. I hope they release Schramm before I cave in and buy the Cult Epics.

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Adam X
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:04 am

Re: Der Todesking

#4 Post by Adam X » Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:42 am

colinr0380 wrote:Adam mentioned a few years ago that a German edition of the film was available. I presume that this carries over the extras from that German edition? Or contains more?
Finally got around to comparing extras on the DVD Colin, it had the following (exclusive extras in bold):
GERMAN DVD (Media Target Distribution, 2006) wrote:* Audio Commentary w/ Jörg Buttgereit & Franz Rodenkirchen (in english & unsubtitled german)
* Making of Der Todeksing (in english & german, 15m 42s)
* “The Letter” (alt insert shot of “Brotherhood of the 7th Day” Chain Letter w/ english text)
* still gallery (w/ music from the film: mostly production stills, w/ some promo material, 12m 30s)
* short film: Ogar - Der Hässliche (not subtitled. 1981, 4m 14s)
* Interview from CLIPPIN’ (not subtitled. 2005 TV interview, 9m 50s)
* Music video: Cockbirds - Suche Kontakt (not subtitled, 2006)
* “Into the Mind of a Splatter Director” (2005 JB int in english, 8m 20s)
* JB filmography
* Trailers: Nekromantik 1 & 2, Der Todesking, Schramm, Corpsefucking Art, Hot Love
* 16pp booklet in english feat. reproduction of “Brotherhood of the 7th Day” Chain Letter, and writing on the film (appears to be by David Kerekes, possibly excerpted from his book ‘Sex Murder Art’)
* first so many copies came with a set of dog tags
Of the extras absent from Arrow's release, I found the music video on You Tube. Some of this could still make it onto the (hopefully) eventual Arrow edition of Schramm.
Last edited by Adam X on Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:27 am, edited 3 times in total.

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Der Todesking

#5 Post by colinr0380 » Sat Feb 03, 2018 9:51 am

That's great! Thanks for the comparison and the music video, although I don't know how anyone could think themselves to be lonely when they have a giant teddy bear as big as themselves to cuddle!

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Adam X
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:04 am

Re: Der Todesking

#6 Post by Adam X » Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:21 am

Final specs announced, new additions/changes below:
3-DISC DIRECTOR-APPROVED LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
* Limited edition digipak

DISC 1 [BLU-RAY] & DISC 2 [DVD] – ‘DER TODESKING’
* Todesmusik – composer Hermann Kopp on his numerous collaborations with Jörg Buttgereit
* Skeleton Under the Skin – journalist and Buttgereit fan Graham Rae on Todesking tattoo culture
* The Making of Der Todesking - viewable with both an English language and a German-language audio track with English subtitles
* “The Letter” – alternate English-language chain letter insert used for the original UK VHS release
* Corpse Fucking Art - viewable with both an English-language and a German-language audio track with English subtitles
* producer Manfred O. Jelinski['s] Die Reise ins Licht (1972, 27 mins), viewable with optional audio commentary

DISC 3 [CD] – ‘DER TODESKING’ SOUNDTRACK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
* the complete Der Todesking score plus bonus tracks

60-PAGE BOOK – LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE
* featuring [...] an exceprt from David Kerekes' definitive Sex Murder Art: The Films of Jörg Buttgereit

black&huge
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:35 am

Re: Der Todesking

#7 Post by black&huge » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:05 am

I really hope this edition gets US release

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Adam X
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:04 am

Re: Der Todesking

#8 Post by Adam X » Sat Feb 17, 2018 8:16 am

Cult Epics have already released it in the US. Arrow only have it licensed for the UK.

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