109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

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swo17
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#176 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:11 pm

One extra that's apparently just apologizing for its Orientalism no less

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R0lf
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#177 Post by R0lf » Sat Jun 02, 2018 6:24 am

hearthesilence wrote:
Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:01 pm
Universal released a PAL DVD of Shanghai Express that's pretty good - surprised DVDBeaver didn't use it in their comparisons, and I have to say the new Criterion doesn't look all that different from it. (No surprise - I was under the impression that any radical improvement in PQ is very unlikely given the best available elements,)
I have the Universal PAL DVD releases of all these movies from the UK and the French blu ray release of BLONDE VENUS and the difference between the DVD and blu is night and day. The DVDs by any standard are not good. I can't imagine a scenario where the blu ray in motion won't be a radical improvement in PQ. We all know the difference between Beaver caps and how the final product will actually look on our TV!

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hearthesilence
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#178 Post by hearthesilence » Sat Jun 02, 2018 11:50 am

That's good to hear. I'm definitely getting the set anyway - once I do, I'll be able to make a proper comparison.



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Lost Highway
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#181 Post by Lost Highway » Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:15 pm

My favourite of the bunch and that looks lovely.

Marwood
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#182 Post by Marwood » Sat Jun 16, 2018 10:46 am

Has there been any confirmation regarding the cuts to Shanghai Express for this blu-ray? The beaver review does not seem to mention it at all…

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Ashirg
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#183 Post by Ashirg » Tue Jun 19, 2018 3:14 pm

Looks like this dialogue is still missing in the Criterion release -

CHANG. Explain to him if he does not tell the truth I'll have him shot.
LILY to LENARD (in French): He says if you don't tell the truth he will have you shot.
LENARD (In French) when I was in the army I committed a minor offence and I was discharged.
LILY: He has been discharged for a minor offence.

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Ashirg
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#184 Post by Ashirg » Tue Jun 19, 2018 10:53 pm

Gary checked it and updated review at DVD Beaver.

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domino harvey
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#185 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:06 am

Gary puts who wrote/captured the review at the bottom of the Comments box. Here it's credited to "Colin Zavitz and Gary Tooze"

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Roscoe
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#186 Post by Roscoe » Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:54 pm

Might it also speak to the non-existence of the missing footage?

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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#187 Post by JAP » Fri Jul 06, 2018 6:47 am

Regarding a possible UK release
Jon Mulvaney wrote:To the best of my knowledge, the Dietrich/von Sternberg set isn't yet on the schedule to be released on Region B Blu-ray.
So, maybe?...

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Yaanu
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#188 Post by Yaanu » Fri Jul 06, 2018 5:06 pm

RogerEbert.com has published a review of the box set.
The best Criterion box sets like “Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project” and “Dekalog” serve as film classes that people can take at home. These are sets that you can spend days with, not just revisiting classic films but dissecting and learning about them in a way that makes not only these movies more interesting but can impact the way you view all cinema. This is one of the best Blu-ray box sets of the year.
Unfortunately, they don't give starred reviews to box sets of DVDs/BDs.

Orlac
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#189 Post by Orlac » Sat Jul 07, 2018 7:59 pm

dwk wrote:
Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:55 pm
Beaver on Blonde Venus
What is his obbsession with sticking in nude shots into the reviews, even something as random as a bathing scene?

mteller
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#190 Post by mteller » Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:36 am

I am 100% certain Tooze types his reviews with one hand.

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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#191 Post by Werewolf by Night » Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:47 pm

It's gonna blow your mind when you learn the site is called "DVD Beaver"

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hearthesilence
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#192 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:53 pm

So I guess Tooze was browsing through Mr. Skin, and then it dawned on him - "what if Robert A. Harris ran this site?"

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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#193 Post by Michael Kerpan » Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:43 pm

Halfway through the set -- and utterly impressed (speaking as one who has never seen any of these films before).

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HJackson
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#194 Post by HJackson » Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:04 am

And if you're watching them in chronological order, the best is yet to come!

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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#195 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:30 pm

I found Blonde Venus a bit of a let-down. Some lovely cinematography -- but much more plot-heavy than its 3 predecessors. And I just don't have any sort of positive response to Herbert Marshall (here or anywhere else -- including Trouble in Paradise). Looking forward to the last two. And the ending struck me as remarkably perfunctory.

As an aside, Sternberg's vision of "New Orleans" struck me as genuinely weird.

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swo17
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#196 Post by swo17 » Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:32 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:
Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:30 pm
And I just don't have any sort of positive response to Herbert Marshall (here or anywhere else -- including Trouble in Paradise).
Not even in The Good Fairy?

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Lowry_Sam
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#197 Post by Lowry_Sam » Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:55 pm

HJackson wrote:
Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:04 am
And if you're watching them in chronological order, the best is yet to come!
because they saved the best for last.

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Drucker
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#198 Post by Drucker » Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:23 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:
Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:30 pm
I found Blonde Venus a bit of a let-down. Some lovely cinematography -- but much more plot-heavy than its 3 predecessors. And I just don't have any sort of positive response to Herbert Marshall (here or anywhere else -- including Trouble in Paradise). Looking forward to the last two. And the ending struck me as remarkably perfunctory.

As an aside, Sternberg's vision of "New Orleans" struck me as genuinely weird.
I've never seen Dishonored, but Blonde Venus is the one I found weakest as well when I watched the Dietrich Glamour Collection. In fact I can barely remember it except for that last scene!

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#199 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:32 pm

Never saw Good Fairy.... Hard to imagine Marshall as anything but stolid....

Loved Dishonored.

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domino harvey
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Re: 109, 930-935 Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

#200 Post by domino harvey » Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:36 pm

Yeah, but you haven't seen him sharpen a pencil yet

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