Chimes At Midnight DVD roundup (sort of)

[aysie]

Apologies if this has already been posted, I couldn't see it anywhere.

Glenn Kenny has posted a piece on the various version of Chimes available on DVD; except he did it without realising that Mr Bongo just put out another issue (one of the best?) in the UK last week, an issue addressed in the comments. Here's the piece:

http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some ... guide.html

I was wondering: Does the community here think it might be worth starting a new section on this forum devoted to cataloguing the various Welles DVDs that are out there, with the intention of pointing people toward the best/ different versions available, or at least rounding up what extras etc are included? As a longtime lurker, I know this stuff gets discussed in individual film threads, but I wonder if a (cough) "definitive" DVD section might not be a great resource, and the minds to put it together are surely here if anywhere.

[mteal]

That's a good idea, Aysie. I created a video catalogue pdf of Welles videos, including the old Laserdiscs from the 80s and 90s, but this recent proliferation of grey-market CHIMES DVDs is getting hard to keep straight (I've never heard of the "Sans Frontiere" edition before). Someone made me a copy of the Studio Canal disc a few years ago, which I would put up against any of the new releases, although that one is hard to find these days. Hopefully, there'll be some kind of official DVD release of the film one of these days, with some good extras. My guess is that might happen in 2015, for the film's 50th anniversary. Anyway, here's the updated pdf if anyone has any suggestions:

http://web.me.com/mteal1/Site_9/OW_Vide ... update.pdf

[aysie]

Hi,

I imagine a dedicated DVD section would be a labyrinth to attempt, but I think it could prove really fascinating as well as truly useful to try and get down everything that's floating about out there, and what exactly each is, in terms of different cuts, restorations, supplementary material, etc. You know (these are not real questions, simply illustrations): if one were to pick up the Arthaus 2-disc Macbeth, would that mean one could stop hunting the French 3-disc set? What about the Arthaus single disc? If I see the old Second Sight Othello in a bargain bin, why shouldn't I get it, and which should I am for? Are all these version of Jess Franco's Quixote the same? What the hell cut of Journey Into Fear is this, anyway? (And then we get to the sizeable question of the documentaries about Welles from various countries....) And on, and on...

With Chimes - I have the new Mr Bongo, and it's without a doubt a great improvement over the old Suevia disc I had. However, I do still wonder whether this is a new attempt at cleaning it up, or a dupe of the legendary Studio Canal release, which I've never had the chance to see. Hopefully the promised DVDBeaver review will go some way to clearing that up.

It never ends, which I guess is part of the fascination.

EDIT: meant to say: thanks very much for the PDF, only had a chance to skim through so far, but that is a really incredibly solid start!

[mteal]

From what I understand, the Arthaus MACBETH is the one to get, since it has removable subtitles, while the French set does not. Thanks for the info on the "Second Sight" OTHELLO, which I assume is the British release of the '92 restoration.

[cinescot]

Hi,

A pinned thread on the 'Welles films in general' section would be a good place for any additional info on DVD / Blu-ray releases - it could also contain a list in the first post of Welles' films and "Best Availble Version". Similarly to the filmmaker threads on criterionforums.

Mike, this catalogue is very helpful, thanks. I can think of a couple of additional releases that would be worth adding to your guide when you next update. Firstly, the R2 Optimum release of The Trial, which has great picture quality and extra features but frustratingly omits the 'Before the Law' parable sequence. Secondly the R4 Madman release of the The Immortal Story which contains 2 versions plus extras. [edit: let me know and I can provide further info on these]

Cinescot

[mteal]

Good suggestions, Cinescot. There was already a thread on the Madman TIS in another subforum. I've updated it and will get to the catalogue soon. Thanks.