Chimes at Midnight - another new issue.

[the scotsman]

Just got a heads-up from Gary Tooze at DVD Beaver that an Italian company called Sinister Films has issued CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT special edition(so called)
with a running time of 113m(PAL) selling for 11 euros 70 cents.
I have ordered this sight unseen and will post a report as soon as it arrives.

[atcolomb]

DVD BEAVER has on their website a new dvd release link of Chimes as a region 2 British release on April 23 by Mr Bongo. The only info on the Amazon.co.uk website is that it is PAL disc at 113 minutes. Went to the Mr Bongo website but saw no info on the release...but from what i saw i think another cheap dvd release.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007H7OQW2/r ... amp=211189

[LostOverThere]

DVD BEAVER has on their website a new dvd release link of Chimes as a region 2 British release on April 23 by Mr Bongo. The only info on the Amazon.co.uk website is that it is PAL disc at 113 minutes. Went to the Mr Bongo website but saw no info on the release...but from what i saw i think another cheap dvd release.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007H7OQW2/r ... amp=211189

It seems to have gotten pushed back to the 30th of April. It also got a title change on Amazon: "Falstaff: Chimes at Midnight [Definative Restored Version DVD]". Let's hope that last part isn't just some sort of marketing grab...

EDIT: This I didn't expect. Mr Bongo have put some clips of their restoration up on their website, and it actually looks...great.

http://www.mrbongo.com/product/falstaff ... t-dvd-1456

[atcolomb]

I saw the clip too and have to say much better than the Spanish dvd version i have...both in image and sound. Did pre-order on Amazon.UK and will write a review when i receive it.

[A Sled in Flames]

Hmm. Interestingly good quality. I'd be very interested to see an eventual comparison with the Studio Canal DVD. While more impressive than the other competition, I'm not sure how it will hold up to the Studio Canal release, which put pretty magnificent. The feature on the Canal release was not given too much space on the disc (only about the amount of a DVD5); perhaps this will have better encoding. Improved (but not too improved) synchronization could be interesting as well. Time will tell, I suppose.

[etimh]

If Mr. Bongo can get the rights to this for Europe and do a relatively decent restoration, why isn't Criterion pursuing it? Seems like a logical choice.

Tim

[LostOverThere]

To be honest, I question how legitimate Mr Bongo actually are in obtaining rights. They have, allegedly, in the past avoided getting their films classified.

Regardless, here's a review posted on Amazon.co.uk regarding the transfer of the new Mr Bongo release:

This is purely a review of the new Mr Bongo DVD release of Orson Welles' 1965 film "Falstaff" (aka "Chimes at Midnight") released on the 30th of April 2012. I have bought two previous DVD releases of this superb Welles film only to be bitterly disappointed by the extremely poor quality of both. However, as the saying goes, third time lucky. I took the plunge with this new Mr Bongo version. I have previously bought several DVD releases from Mr Bongo and have been pretty impressed by them all, and now I can add their DVD release of "Falstaff" to that list as its an enormous improvement over the others. The image is anamorphic widescreen (enhanced for widescreen televisions) preserving the original 1.85:1 ratio and the grey tones and contrast are impressive. My only very slight concern is the image can appear a little soft at times, but that may be due to the original print used and may be how the film looked theatrically. There are no extras at all and no subtitles, but as far as bare bones DVDs are concerned, the film is really all you need as its quite excellent. The Mr Bongo release is the one to go for. There is no contest.

5/5 Stars

Source

[Roger Ryan]

Not having the new issue, I can only add that I've been fortunate to see CHIMES twice on 35mm and did not feel the image looked "soft" at all. The screengrabs for the Mr. Bongo release do look a little soft and others have commented on this. I suspect that whatever source Mr. Bongo has used, it went through quite a bit of DNR. All the same, legitimately licensed or not, it appears that the new Mr. Bongo edition is the best one available.

[Jeff Wilson]

Mr Bongo appears to be fairly negligent of the law, but their disc is listed at the US Amazon site, where it will be available from tomorrow (with free Prime two-day shipping, for those in the Prime program.

[RayKelly]

I know it says ALL REGION, but it is PAL too, correct?

[Jeff Wilson]

I know it says ALL REGION, but it is PAL too, correct?

Yeah, it is PAL.

[atcolomb]

Have the Mr Bongo dvd release and played the first 10 minutes of it and then played the Suevia Films dvd release from Spain and have to agree with the Amazon review. The new release is much improved in both image and sound and skipping thru the new release i find no print damage at all! The image is a little soft at times but still a big improvement. The dvd is 16x9 widescreen with no extras only play or chapters. On the back of the dvd case it says: "An Emiliano Piedra Production Licensed for the estate of Emiliano Piedra, Thanks to Delores Piedra". So the print used for this dvd release is a good one and so far the best looking print of the film i have seen on video, laserdisc, or dvd. A big recommendation to buy it!!

[A Sled in Flames]

Not having the new issue, I can only add that I've been fortunate to see CHIMES twice on 35mm and did not feel the image looked "soft" at all. The screengrabs for the Mr. Bongo release do look a little soft and others have commented on this. I suspect that whatever source Mr. Bongo has used, it went through quite a bit of DNR.

Are there any specific screengrabs you're referring to, Roger? Sorry if I missed something. I can't stand excessive DNR, so I'm interested to see just how much it was applied on Chimes for this.

So the print used for this dvd release is a good one and so far the best looking print of the film i have seen on video, laserdisc, or dvd. A big recommendation to buy it!!

Glad to hear that there's a decent release available now. Atcolomb, you say this is the best you've seen of Chimes: did you ever see the French Studio Canal disc? It didn't have any softness issues and virtually no print damage. I'd honestly be very impressed and glad to see that release surpassed.

[atcolomb]

The versions of the movie i saw were two VHS copies, a Japanese laserdisc, a dvd bootleg, and the Suevia Films release. By the time i did hear of the French Studio Canal version i did try to find a copy but no luck. Looking at the Mr. Bongo release alittle more last night the image is kinda soft with the outdoor scenes looking the sharpest and no print damge. Roger Ryan could be right that DNR was used to make this dvd and it does look like it because of the softness. The next step i hope will be a blu-ray release taken from the original negatives of the film...who ever has them. Talked to Gary Tooze last night and they will have a review of it on his website DVD BEAVER.

[A Sled in Flames]

The next step i hope will be a blu-ray release taken from the original negatives of the film...who ever has them. Talked to Gary Tooze last night and they will have a review of it on his website DVD BEAVER.

A Blu-Ray of any of Welles's films would be fantastic. Honestly, it would take HD resolution to do justice to the stunning cinematography of Welles's films. For instance, Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil look fantastic in HD. If only his other works could get this treatment... I can imagine that Mag, Ambersons, The Trial, and Chimes would all look stunning.

Can't wait for that review on DVDBeaver. I'm surprised they only reviewed one release since they're so known for their comparisons.