Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight) Studio Canal DVD - Availability of French release?

[Ste]

Anyone know what is happening with this DVD?

For personal reasons, I wasn't able to buy the five-disc boxed set (along w/The Third Man and The Trial) when it was released last October. Now I come to look for it again, I can't find it anywhere. I've checked all the usual French e-tailers: Amazon.fr, Alapage, FNAC, etc. They all list the box as out of stock and unavailable for order.

Has this gone OOP already, or are Studio Canal by any chance readying a stand-alone release of Falstaff?

Incidentally, if anyone knows of an e-tailer that actually has this DVD in stock, that would be great.

Cheers,

Ste

[colwood]

A while ago, there was discussion of a Chimes airing on French TV that was superior to the Spanish dvd. Does anyone know if this print was the basis for the Studio Canal dvd?

[catbuglah]

Removed due to legal, copyright issues? I got the Spanish Chimes at one point, and it was widely and cheaply available, then rather abruptly, it seems, it became hard to find and pricey.

[Ste]

Removed due to legal, copyright issues?

That's what I'm beginning to think. I've searched the 'Net pretty extensively over the last couple of weeks and it is absolutely nowhere to be found. All power to those who bought it in October. As for the rest of us, we can only sit and wait.

The now-inferior Spanish DVD is still available from DVDGo. See here.

[colwood]

I got the Spanish Chimes at one point, and it was widely and cheaply available, then rather abruptly, it seems, it became hard to find and pricey.

I got the Spanish version pretty cheap and made a few bucks hawking a couple of extra copies. At the end, I was barely making a profit. Yet after reading this thread, I checked even ebay, where they used to sell pretty cheap and they're now averaging $30. Makes me wish I had held onto a few.

Then again, checking around the place I got mine still is advertising it for the price I paid. Only downside, I don't speak much spanish, and it took me forever to order it. Then again, at 5 Euros each (about $7.25) you can't go wrong,

http://elcorteingles.com/cine....0900563

[colwood]

Removed due to legal, copyright issues?

That's what I'm thinking as well. I mean, thinking back, the Welles fest that played in 03-04 in London, LA and NY, wasn't Chimes the only film that wasn't screened. Wonder who owns the rights on this one?

[Jeff Wilson]

The Spanish producers and Harry Saltzman's widow have been engaged in a long running legal battle over the film which may yet be unsettled. The Locarno festival had a special "dispensation" of sorts to screen the film, if I recall.

[Ste]

Got it!

I ordered the Studio Canal boxed set from Belgian e-tailer Proxis a few weeks back, but didn't hold out much hope of it coming through. (They didn't have it in stock, had to order it from their supplier, etc.) Anyway, it just arrived in the mail this morning

If any of you are still craving the new transfer of Chimes at Midnight, there is still hope. Get yourselves over to Proxis tout suite. The order page says nothing about the box's contents, but if you check out dvdfr.com you'll see that the artwork is the same. It's not cheap, unfortunately, but, like I say, you're unlikely to find it anywhere else.

N.B. Also posted over at the Criterion Forum.