The Blu-ray Blog » Marcel Camus

The Blu-ray Blog » Marcel Camus http://www.theblurayblog.com Blu-ray disc news, reviews, releases, movies, films on PS3, Playstation, players, drives, Apple, Mac, OSX, HD, HDTVTue, 04 Jan 2011 16:58:41 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Classics http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/12/blu-ray-holiday-gift-guide-2010-classics/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/12/blu-ray-holiday-gift-guide-2010-classics/#commentsSun, 19 Dec 2010 23:31:59 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=13538Almost there. We’re less than a week away from Christmas morning and thankfully, I’m almost through my yearly gift guide. This list of classics on Blu represents some of the best and most exciting high-def releases of the past year. Every last one of them would make an ideal gift for the real film fan in your life.

Next up: The Best New Blu-ray Discs of the Year!

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

Seven Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Bigger Than Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1956)

Walkabout (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1971)

8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

Stagecoach (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1939)

M (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1931)

Black Narcissus (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1947)

The Red Shoes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1948)

The Night of the Hunter (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

The Leopard (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

Modern Times (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1905)

Lola Montès (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1905)

Charade (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1963)

The Magician (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Breathless (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1960)

Black Orpheus (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

What can I say? I’m a massive, unadulterated fan of just about everything that comes out of The Criterion Collection. To me, the studio can do no wrong. I fork over a decent amount of my salary to them each and every year and 2010 has been no exception. Some of the most exciting titles to come out of Criterion are the older, more classic catalogue releases, quite often lovingly restored and always looking and sounding better than ever. The images above represent a handful of the classics Criterion published on Blu-ray this year. They all come highly recommended.

READ MORE:

AMAZON: Click for price list

The Complete Metropolis [Blu-ray] (1927)

The Complete Metropolis is unquestionably one of the finest and most important Blu-ray releases of the year. This restoration, incorporating 25-minutes of newly discovered footage back into the film for the first time in decades, is absolutely stunning in high-def and is necessary viewing for every film fan. This disc receives our highest possible recommendation.

AMAZON: $29.49

The Bridge on the River Kwai [Blu-ray] (1957)

David Lean‘s Lawrence of Arabia might not be available on Blu yet but Sony has given us the next best thing in their brilliant new high-def transfer of The Bridge on the River Kwai. The boxed set contains a bunch of unnecessary collectibles, but the disc is to die for!

AMAZON: $19.99

Doctor Zhivago Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Book) (1965)

And speaking of Lean, his very fine and highly under-rated Doctor Zhivago was released on Blu-ray earlier this year in a nice, new digi-book edition from Warner. If the photography and the music don’t get you, Omar Sharif surely will. Purely briliant!

AMAZON: $28.99

Who doesn’t just absolutely love the original King Kong?! The Merian C. Cooper film has inspired a couple of remakes, tons of knock-offs and countless filmmakers over the years. And it’s never looked or sounded better on home video than on this gorgeous new Blu-ray edition from Warner. Highly recommended!

AMAZON: $25.99

And while we’re on the subject of brilliant films made with stop-motion animation, don’t miss out on the incredible Blu-ray edition of Ray Harryhausen‘s Jason and the Argonauts! I still can’t get over what a great job Sony did restoring and transferring this to Blu. You have to see it to believe it!

AMAZON: $20.99

As I stated in my review of the A Star is Born Blu-ray, I really hate musicals. But I’m always willing to make an exception for a well made film presented in a pretty great Blu-ray edition. This is classic Judy Garland and James Mason in a classic George Cukor film. Don’t miss this WHV digi-book edition of the Blu-ray!

AMAZON: $24.99

Mutiny on the Bounty [Blu-ray Book] (1935)

There aren’t a whole lot of special features on this new Blu-ray edition of the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty but the film itself has never looked or sounded better on home video. This isn’t a flawless restoration here but it’s a great package, including a hardcover digibook, that most collectors and fans will be satisfied with.

AMAZON: $22.99

This gorgeous restoration has been a long time in coming! We film fans have been waiting to get our grubby mitts on a cleaned up, digital copy of The African Queen for ages. It’s one of those few titles that didn’t appear on DVD at all until just this year, when it also saw release on Blu-ray. John Huston‘s classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn has never looked or sounded better and is a must for all film fans.

AMAZON: $24.99

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [Blu-ray] (1948)

Speaking of Bogey and Huston, Warner recently hit us with amazing Blu-ray editions of a couple of their finest collaborations – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Maltese Falcon! Both look fantastic, considering their ages, with the transfer for Treasure often quite breathtaking. The discs both contain a myriad of special features, which you can read about here.

AMAZON: $18.49, $17.49

Kino has been absolutely killing it this year with silent film releases on Blu-ray! Aside from their killer high-def version of Metropolis, I think my favourite title has to have been Douglas Fairbanks‘ The Black Pirate. I never thought a two-strip Technicolor film of this age could look this good in high-def! Amazing!

AMAZON: $22.99

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM KINO:

Sherlock Jr. / Three Ages [Blu-ray] (1924)

Nuts to the Coen brothers! This here original version of True Grit is the real deal. This classic John Wayne film co-starring the likes of a very young Dennis Hopper and Robert Duvall, is pretty stunning here in its new Blu-ray incarnation. The special features are all carried over from the previously issued DVD but hold up well.

AMAZON: $17.99

CLASSICS ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

Ocean's 11 (50th Anniversary) [Blu-ray] (1960)

Psycho (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1960)

White Christmas (Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1954)

MORE GIFT IDEAS:

* GIFT & BOXED SETS
* TV ON BLU
* ANIMATION
* THE BEST OF THE YEAR

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/12/blu-ray-holiday-gift-guide-2010-classics/feed/2The Criterion Collection: Black Orpheus Blu-ray Disc Review http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/the-criterion-collection-black-orpheus-blu-ray-disc-review/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/the-criterion-collection-black-orpheus-blu-ray-disc-review/#commentsFri, 20 Aug 2010 00:58:00 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=11586THE CRITERION COLLECTION: BLACK ORPHEUS (1959, Blu-ray released August 17, 2010 – MSRP $39.95)

Until Fernando Meirelles‘ 2002 City of God, it can undoubtedly be said that the most famous and most influential film to come out of Brazil wasn’t a Brazilian film at all. French director Marcel Camus‘ Black Orpheus, set in the favelas of Rio during the sensory overload of Carnival, won the Palme d’Or in 1959 and the Academy Award for Best Foreign-language Film in 1960, introduced the Bossa Nova sound to the world and was responsible for creating an international sensation of its country of concern. At the same time as it was winning awards and admiration, Black Orpheus was causing quite a stir for not accurately representing the Brazilian people, culture or social issues. Despite some perceived artistic failure, it remains a beautiful, poetic, idealized fantasy now given fresh, new life on Blu-ray disc by The Criterion Collection.

There’s a rumour that Camus wasn’t, in fact, as in love with the Brazilian people as Black Orpheus might make it seem. He paints the culture with such passionate and seemingly specific strokes in the film that its easy to believe he had fallen for it, head over heels. But the reality is that he fashioned the portrayal of the Brazilian people to best suit the story and the themes of the film – a tale culled from the Greek romance and tragedy of lovers Orpheus and Eurydice.

Adapted from Brazilian poet Vinicius de Moraes‘ theatrical take on the famous myth, Black Orpheus‘ titular hero is a streetcar driver and popular salsa-school instructor in Rio, engaged to local diva, Mira but with a heart as free as the wind. Preparations for Carnival celebrations proceed on track, Orpheus organizing his schools performance, until the arrival of lost beauty, Eurydice, who quickly steals his heart. But, as the classic story goes, death is hot on her heels. And no Carnival costume, quick dance step or brave salsa instructor can help her escape her date with destiny.

Camus doesn’t change up the plot of the myth as much as play with the details – the setting, the colours and music. He leaves the poetry of the narrative to the playwrights and focuses on offering us up sumptuous and exotic new images and sounds to inspire. And oh, are they ever inspirational! The poverty and misery of Brazil’s favelas, not suited to the spirited, optimistic tone of his film, transformed in Camus’ hands into a joyous, colourful town of charming wooden planks and golden-aluminum sheeting, filled with everlasting song and dance set to the new rhythms of composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto. Their music, as plucked on nylon-stringed guitar, is the sound that awakes the Brazilian sun from its sleep every morning and starts the dance, and as it turns out, the Orphic cycle over anew for us all, day after day.

Black Orpheus is another Criterion Collection treasure on Blu-ray. It’s a significant upgrade over their previously available DVD edition of the film, offering up a vast improvement in detail and colour fidelity.

From the included booklet:

Telecine colorist: Richard Deusy/Scanlab LTC, Paris.”

While not the picture of HD perfection (there are still notable signs of age) you’ll find Black Orpheus to be extremely pleasing and film-like, all around.

The Portuguese LPCM Mono track is likely the finest audio presentation the film has ever seen. It’s crisp and clean, with no audible issues.

From the included booklet:

“The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.”

In addition, Criterion has provided an English Dolby Digital Mono track as well as English subtitles.

As you’d expect from a Criterion Blu-ray disc, the special features are phenomenal. The highlight has got to be the feature length 2005 feature, “Looking for Black Orpheus” – a French-language documentary by Rene Letzgus and Bernard Tournois that examines the making of the Black Orpheus, as well as the roots of its influence and resonance today. There are a coupe of short, vintage interviews with the director and his star (and later, his wife), Marpessa Dawn, a worthwhile 20-minute examination of the origins of the Bossa Nova sound and a 17-minute chat with Brazilian film scholar Robert Stam on the importance of the film. This brilliant disc package is rounded out with a trailer and a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Michael Atkinson’s essay “Dancing in the Streets”.

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/the-criterion-collection-black-orpheus-blu-ray-disc-review/feed/1Top 5 New Blu-ray releases for the Week of August 17 http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-17/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-17/#commentsTue, 17 Aug 2010 15:21:51 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=11386

This week’s got something for everyone – a bat-shit crazy asian-western, straight-up Shakespeare, comedy/drama set in the 70s, one of the best seasons of any TV show you’ll see this year, all topped off by another stellar release from The Criterion Collection! Who could blame you for not knowing where to start this week?

1. BLACK ORPHEUS

Get ready to experience one of the most colourful, gorgeous transfers you’re bound to see all year on Blu-ray! Black Orpheus is truly a feast for the senses, updating the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice for the 20th Century, setting the story during the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, and steeping it in the amazing bossa nova sounds of Antonio Carlos Jobim! There’s a reason that Marcel Camus’ film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for best foreign film. Don’t miss it in this incredible Blu-ray edition from Criterion!

Special Features:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn
New video interviews with Brazilian cinema scholar Robert Stam, jazz historian Gary Giddins, and Brazilian author Ruy Castro
Looking for “Black Orpheus,” a French documentary about Black Orpheus’s cultural and musical roots and its resonance in Brazil today
Theatrical trailer
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson

Amazon: $29.49

2. DEXTER: THE FOURTH SEASON

I can’t even begin to tell you how much this fourth season of Dexter is like crack! Once you stop, you just can’t start. I was really averse to checking this show out for quite a long time. I just really didn’t dig the premise – cop moonlights as serial-killer/vigilante. I know it sounds like so much junk on the surface but the characters are rich and fully realized and the plotting is absolutely fearless. I can’t accentuate that word enough when describing this show and particularly this season – FEARLESS! The Blu-ray is balls-to-the-wall awesome in its technical presentation but lacks much in the way of special features. But who cares when the show itself kicks so much ass! Start watching now if you’re not hooked already.

Amazon: $39.99

3. CEMETERY JUNCTION

I fully understand that this won’t be a very popular sentiment, but Cemetery Junction is one hell of a great little film. One of the most enjoyable I’ve watched all year, in fact! It’s a light, comedy-infused drama from the brilliant minds of The Office creative team of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who both wrote and directed the film!), both of whom turn up on screen in smaller yet brilliant roles. Aside from being a brilliant film about growing up in 1970s England, the Blu-ray is so packed full of amazing bonus features, you’ll feel like you’re getting two entire, extremely entertaining packages for one price!

Cemetery Junction comes to Blu-ray today with my highest recommendation!

Amazon: $22.99

4. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD

Wow. We just finished watching Ji-Woon Kim‘s absolutely insane The Good, The Bad, The Weird and it’s totally done my head in. What did I just see there up on screen?! A western? An Indiana Jones-style adventure film? Or some bat-shit nuts asian pop-culture mash-up? Any way you slice it, the film is boat loads of fun and you won’t regret giving a couple hours of your time over to it. It looks stellar on Blu-ray, with tons of great extras. My only gripe comes in the form of a complaint about the lack of proper English subtitles on the E1 release I screened. It’s French or “English for the hearing impaired” or nothing on that disc. And lemme tell you, you’ll get a bit tired of reading about how the wind is blowing or that there is a train whistle in the distance pretty quickly. Sigh…

Amazon: $19.99

5. HAMLET

I’ve still never had an opportunity to see Kenneth Branagh‘s epic, and mostly unabridged take on the Danish Prince play. I’m excited to finally check it out, and get my hands on Warner‘s new deluxe Blu-ray edition of Hamlet, complete with nice, hardcover digi-book packaging. I’m hearing mixed reviews about the transfer at the moment but without seeing it firsthand I can’t speak to the concerns about the image one way or the other. But rest assured, I’ll pop it in and let you know how it comes across the moment my screener arrives!

Amazon: $23.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

]]>http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/08/top-5-new-blu-ray-releases-for-the-week-of-august-17/feed/0Criterion bringing Black Orpheus and Crumb to Blu-ray http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/05/criterion-bringing-black-orpheus-and-crumb-to-blu-ray/ http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/05/criterion-bringing-black-orpheus-and-crumb-to-blu-ray/#commentsThu, 20 May 2010 16:04:39 +0000Brendenhttp://www.theblurayblog.com/?p=9770

This is the part of the month that gets me most excited – the new Criterion Collection announcements are here! August will see the release of Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus, a groundbreaking Brazilian film with an incredible score by bossa nova legend Antônio Carlos Jobim, and Terry Zwigoff‘s documentary portrait of legendary underground comic book creator Robert Crumb in his aptly-named film, Crumb. Both works are stunning and deserve to make it to the top of your must-buy list for August. Details below:

BLACK ORPHEUS

(August 17, 2010 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.33:1 1080
Audio: Uncompressed monaural soundtrack

Special Features:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
Archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn
New video interviews with Brazilian cinema scholar Robert Stam, jazz historian Gary Giddins, and Brazilian author Ruy Castro
À la recherche d’“Orfeu negro,” a feature-length documentary about Black Orpheus’s cultural and musical roots and its resonance in Brazil today
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson

CRUMB

(August 10, 2010 – MSRP $39.95)
Video: 1.33:1 1080
Audio: Uncompressed monaural soundtrack

Special Features:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Terry Zwigoff, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Two audio commentaries, one from 2010 with Zwigoff, and one from 2006, featuring Zwigoff and critic Roger Ebert
More than fifty minutes of unused footage
Stills gallery
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum

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