Criterion?
Someone said this is coming to that collection. Is it true?
shareThere's a good chance:
1.) Criterion released "f is for fake" by welles recently.
2.) It's getting a new German release.
3.) I just saw it in the theater double-billed with "Pickpocket" by Bresson, went to Criterion's site & saw that "Pickpocket" is getting a Criterion release. Though the print they used of Pickpocket was much better than the one for Mr. Arkadin (if it's the case, hopefully they use a better print).
Short answer, YES. Tentatively, it will include the European Cut titled Confidential Report, the Corinth Films version titled Mr. Arkadin, and a restored version being done right now by the munich Filmmuseum. As for the public domain version or the spanish version, no word yet. Commentary is being done on the corinth print by jonathan rosembaum and james naremore. Was scheduled for the end of the year, but that will likely change.
shareHow come there are so many versions of the movie???????
It's coming to Criterion in February, as listed on the inserts on the November criterion discs.
shareSome more info from the Criterion forum:
It will be a three-disc set including the Corinth version of the film
(with a commentary by James Naremore and myself), CONFIDENTIAL REPORT, and a new edit by Stefan Droessler (of the Munich Film Archives) that will draw material from a variety of sources. Each version will have separate liner notes--by me, Francois Thomas, and Stefan, respectively--and I believe the set will also include some radio shows and a reprint of the novel (although there's new and more conclusive
evidence, that will be cited, that Welles didn't write the latter).
I am surprised that they didn't include the linear public domain version since it differs so much from the other versions. The three versions that have been confirmed for the Criterion share a lot of similarities.
share[deleted]
Well, a nice Criterion version of this film is something to look forward to.
"Keep Ted Turner and his goddamned Crayolas away from my movie."--Welles
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Welles' movies really haven't been getting much dvd treatmeant.
Its great that Criterion put out F for fake And I can't wait for the Mr.Arkadin dvd, especially if its three disc.
They need to release CHimes at Midnight, Magnificent Ambersons, The Trial, The Stranger, The other side of Wind(If it ever gets put out), and Macbeth.
Citizen Kane has a good DVD, touch of Evil too got a good dvd.
Alot of his other movies like Arkadin, stranger, and trial are all out on three dollar DVDs that are completely lacking in quality.
Lady from Shanghai has an all right DVD, but they could have given it alot more extras.
Don't forget his TV projects. Some of that stuff literally hasn't seen the light of day since their original broadcasts.
shareI heard that WB is working on a Greed-type restoration of The Magnificent Amberson's... Which means that they will add intertitles to describe cut scenes and possibly use storyboards or stills to show the missing footage... I hope that they (WB) release it as a two-disc set with both the "restored" and the theatrical versions in a remastered form.
I hope that Criterion will release The Trial, as the only versions available here in the USA are very poor versions with out-of-synch audio (the Image version is now out of print... and Image also now distributes Criterion titles)... The Trial is my favorite Welles film.
I've heard rumors that Miramax might put out Chimes At Midnight...
Macbeth is said to have a two-disc set coming in the future from Universal (with two different versions of the film)...
I am sadened that Othello will never be released in its original form (the current form was ruined by Welles' daughter via a "restoration" that changed the film)
Mind sharing where you heard about the wb and a possible reconstruction of Ambersons?
Welles films on DVD are like his films during their original release, more popular in Europe than here. You might not be able to purchase them at your local Best Buy, but there are available dvds of most of his films for those with multi-region and PAL viewing capabilities.
Stranger- Best R1 is the Roan disc, best overall is a MGM German release.
Shanghai - It might not be perfect, but paramount's current release is very good IMO.
Macbeth - Being released in a SE in France next week, and this version should be available in R1 sometime next year.
Othello - yes, sadly the Criterion LD of the original will likely never see the light of day thanks to Welles' daughter. Thank god for DVD-r.
The Trial - I expect this to one day be another criterion release, but until then Studio Canal in France released an excellent dvd with the sharpest image of the film I've seen yet.
Chimes - Spanish and french discs have been released. Spanish is good but french is better (or so I've heard).
Immortal Story - only dvd release anywhere is from an italian company.
On the Criterion website now it says it's getting a US DVD release in March.
share[deleted]
It now has an April release date. Sounds like an interesting dvd.
When the clock reads 21:13. All work will stop and the ground will relieve
The official release date is 4/18/2006. if you would like the Criterion version, check Deep Discount DVD. You can pre-order it there for a little less than retail. Good luck.
shareTechnical data about the Arkadin DVD on Criterion's website, www.criterionco.com:
"These new high-definition digital transfers of Mr. Arkadin and Confidential Report are presented in their original aspect ratios of 1.33:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and the right of the image to maintain the proper screen format.
"The Corinth version of Mr. Arkadin was mastered from a 35mm composite fine-grain print discovered in France, a 35mm duplicate negative provided by Video Mercury, and a 16mm duplicate negative. The comprehensive version was made from all of the above elements as well as a 35mm print from the Cinémathèque municipale de Luxembourg. All of the elements were mastered on a Spirit Datacine, except for the 35mm dupe negative, which was created on a C-Reality with Oliver Electronic Wetgate processing. Finally, a da Vinci 2K Color Corrector was utilized for the tape-to-tape color correction process to insure color consistency between all of the various film elements. The soundtracks for these versions were created from optical soundtracks found on many of the above film elements.
"Confidential Report was mastered on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm composite fine-grain print. The soundtrack was created from an optical track from this same fine-grain.
"Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using Mathematical Technologies’ Digital Restoration System and Digital Vision’s ASC3 Advance Scratch and Dirt Concealer. Apple’s Shake was used for stability correction—specifically needed within the 16mm footage. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on these dual-layer DVD-9s was encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included.
"The soundtracks were mastered and restored at 24-bit using Cube-Tec’s AudioCube and Sonic Solutions’ NoNoise systems. In addition, Elemental Audio’s Firium EQ was applied to match the timbres of the many different soundtrack elements used in the comprehensive version. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signals will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound."
Yeah, it's obvious they went all-out on this set, and the cuts and transfers, restorations, etc. . Expect a major-reappraisal of this film.
Film-producers should keep their filthy-hands off.
"I believe the set will also include some radio shows and a reprint of the novel (although there's new and more conclusive evidence, that will be cited, that Welles didn't write the latter)."
Heh.
Personally, I've always thought that this evidence:
"Peter, I didn't write one word of that novel." - This Is Orson Welles, pg. 239
...was conclusive enough, but I guess some folks like to be thorough.
Here's the full quote, which is pretty funny:
PB: When you wrote the novel of Mr. Arkadin -
OW: Peter, I didn't write one word of that novel. Nor have I ever read it.
PB: How could they publish it with your name on it?
OW: Somebody [Maurice Bessy] wrote it in French to be published in serial form in the newspapers. You know - to promote the picture. I don't know how it got under hardcovers, or who got paid for that.
PB: In a couple of books about you they talk about the "beautiful" style of your writing in that novel.
OW: Maybe I did write it, at that.
"Here's to feelin' good all the time!"
I rented the new Criterion version, and its rather overwhelming that they put out the other two versions of the film in addition to the master reconstruction version. The reconstruction is only about 10 minutes longer than the other two versions, but I have to assume they could really differentiate between Orson's intention with any outtakes, pisstakes and mistakes. It does very closely resemble the other two versions, though.
Other than a couple different dubbed lines, the odd aspect of the new version is it starts with a slow panned shot of a dead woman on a beach, and then goes into the normal airplane flying shot. The woman is Milly, who is killed later, and apparently Orson wanted the beach shot first. Kind of odd, no?
About the book that Orson did or didn't write (which is included in the set), I would add to the Orson quote in the preceding message that actor Robert Arden (in the Criterion extras) says he himself saw Orson writing the book, on the set it seems.
I like the movie, though, a few nice subversive jabs in it, and it might be the last classic era Orson-manned project where he's got fire in his eyes. I say he looks good (for him) for 40.
PostScript: I would have thought the Third Man extras in this set should have been on Criterion's Third Man DVD instead of this one.
I think the Third Man extras would be fitting since Welles adapted Mr. Arkadin from the Adventures of Harry Lime radio show.
"Keep Ted Turner and his goddamned Crayolas away from my movie."--Welles
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thanks for your thoughts on the dvd.
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