StudioCanal: Godard: The Essential Collection

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rockysds
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StudioCanal: Godard: The Essential Collection

#1 Post by rockysds » Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:12 pm

January 25th. Hopefully we'll see individual releases of Une femme est une femme and Alphaville as well.

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Raymond Marble
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#2 Post by Raymond Marble » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:54 pm

Has anyone gotten their hands on the British Godard blu-ray set yet? Despite already owning all of the films in it, I'm inclined to import it anyway, so long as the picture quality is good.

And while I'm here, how about the special features in the set? Anything of any particular interest there?

peerpee
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#3 Post by peerpee » Fri Feb 05, 2016 3:04 pm

SC aren't famous for their scintillating extras. I'm curious to see the Jefferson Hack interview on BREATHLESS, hopefully it's a good laugh. Fully expecting Baz Bamigboye to be on one of the other discs.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#4 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Wed Feb 10, 2016 7:04 am

Re Godard set
Haven't viewed yet but the set replicates the extras of the 3 individual digi-book blu releases. (Was there a Tempo episode on Breathless?) For Une Femme and Alphaville there is an intro by McCabe and interview with Karina on each.

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PfR73
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#5 Post by PfR73 » Wed Feb 10, 2016 11:33 am

Going by the text on the discs, they actually added additional extras to Breathless & Pierrot Le Fou compared to the digibook releases.

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domino harvey
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#6 Post by domino harvey » Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:43 pm

I just got my set in, A Woman is a Woman looks underwhelming and the subs are markedly different than the ones on the Criterion disc

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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#7 Post by criterion10 » Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:52 pm

How does Alphaville look?

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domino harvey
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#8 Post by domino harvey » Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:57 pm

Better, though after seeing the subs for A Woman is a Woman completely wreck the opening joke by mistranslating or rather literalizing the French vert/verre pun I removed my Criterion copy of Alphaville from eBay until I can better compare the two, which sucks because I talked myself into the cost of this box on the grounds that I could pay for a good portion of it by reselling it (was never getting rid of my A Woman is a Woman though)

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feihong
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#9 Post by feihong » Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:23 pm

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5015&start=750#p470543" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have some screencaps back here for the Japanese blu rays of Alphaville and A Woman is a Woman, down a post or two. Do the Studio Canal discs look similar, do you think?

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domino harvey
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#10 Post by domino harvey » Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:29 pm

I'm no expert, but the Une Femme SC's transfer is not as washed out as those caps seem. Lots of smudgy grain, but I think a lot of that is down to the film stock used. Still, it doesn't look much or any better than the up-rezzed Criterion to me (though perhaps side by side DVDBeaver caps will prove me wrong). Having gone through more of the disc, I know I'll never watch this version again anyways because of the subs, so it's all moot to me anyways

Alphaville is def darker / better contrasted in the SC disc too, with more detail (again, I assume, could just be my own set-up, caveat emptor, &c)

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tenia
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#11 Post by tenia » Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:10 pm

domino harvey wrote:I'm no expert, but the Une Femme SC's transfer is not as washed out as those caps seem.
I don't have the JP disc myself so I can't say where it's coming from but feihong's caps have black bars with RGB values around 34 / 29 / 3 instead of the proper 0 / 0 / 0, so something's off.

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feihong
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#12 Post by feihong » Mon Feb 22, 2016 5:36 pm

It looks like that on the disc. When you watch it, it's clear the black levels are not zeroed out. That's never bothered me so much because it usually means I can see more picture detail. In motion, there's a lot more depth-of-field on the Japanese disc than on the Criterion DVD. If the StudioCanal disc is better done, I'm going to get that set. If needs be, I can make a version of the StudioCanal that has the Criterion subs on it. A better Alphaville is worth it as well.

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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#13 Post by isakborg » Mon Feb 22, 2016 6:45 pm

I've only taken a look at the first five minutes or so of Une Femme on the new SC set, and, while the color is at times exhilarating, there are shots that have this strange slightly out of focus look to them, not unlike watching a 3-D movie without the glasses. I don't think the problem is my Panasonic or my Oppo and I don't think it's Godard being Godard. Anyone else encounter this?

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domino harvey
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Re: Studio Canal/Kinowelt/Optimum

#14 Post by domino harvey » Mon Feb 22, 2016 6:47 pm

Yep, like early on in the magazine shop where Brialy is showing the Zazie girl the storybook? I couldn't remember if it was like that on the Criterion or not but I did notice it here

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feihong
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#15 Post by feihong » Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:18 pm

That's apparent on the Japanese disc as well. I assumed that was print damage that couldn't be fully restored? There are shots like that on some of the Shaw Brothers titles that have damaged elements.

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hearthesilence
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#16 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:37 pm

Does the film grain look "sharp" (or rather at an appropriate sharpness)? If so, that would indicate that it's inherent in the film. Very possible, it's not unusual for the focus to be a touch off on the occasional shot in vintage films.

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jsteffe
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#17 Post by jsteffe » Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:43 pm

The Criterion DVD has the same focus issues in the shots you mention. I'm pretty sure that it's inherent to the film: Coutard and Godard shooting a color and 'scope film together for the first time, in their usual impromptu manner.

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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#18 Post by Raymond Marble » Mon Feb 22, 2016 8:25 pm

I have the Criterion DVD and the Japanese blu-ray of Une femme est une femme, and I much prefer the picture quality on the blu-ray; what Domino says above isn't entirely selling me on the Studio Canal disc (though I never did import the Japanese Alphaville...).

Of course saying you prefer the PQ on a blu-ray over a DVD is not exactly a controversial stance to take, but it's worth mentioning that, most of the time, I'll take a Criterion DVD over a non-Criterion blu-ray (see: Contempt, Ran, etc.). But for Une femme, the dreamy soft focus, which often pushes toward being plain old out of focus, is very compelling in a way I have trouble explaining, and the depth of field is nice, too.

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feihong
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#19 Post by feihong » Mon Feb 22, 2016 8:30 pm

hearthesilence wrote:Does the film grain look "sharp" (or rather at an appropriate sharpness)? If so, that would indicate that it's inherent in the film. Very possible, it's not unusual for the focus to be a touch off on the occasional shot in vintage films.
On the Japanese disc I see no difference in the grain structure during those shots.


Here's a link to one of the shots that looks out of focus to me:

http://postimg.org/image/udes0ldtx/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://postimg.org/image/ammjuq43p/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's a couple of shots that don't look out of focus:

http://postimg.org/image/5dw4alb2d/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
that 1st one isn't especially elegant, here's another:
http://postimg.org/image/97pkjqsed/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The grain structure looks relatively the same to me (though the grain is soft in general, true for a lot of Japanese discs), definitely not more out-of-focus in the out-of-focus shots.

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filmyfan
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#20 Post by filmyfan » Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:18 pm

Thanks to all for all the info about this box set-have been waiting to hear whats its like since it came out.

Thoroughly confused now though about what to do!

To sell my single SC blus and replace -or just not bother ?... as Une Femme was the one I want really (and Alpha) but I will keep my Crit of Une Femme anyway-so whats the point!

:?

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Oedipax
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#21 Post by Oedipax » Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:36 pm

feihong wrote:Here's a link to one of the shots that looks out of focus to me
To me that looks like the difference between shooting with the aperture wide open (the softer, out of focus shots) versus stopped down (the sharper, deep focused ones).

I would say it's either the lens itself losing resolution at its widest opening, or Coutard not 100% nailing critical focus on those shots (it's really hard with anamorphics!)

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feihong
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#22 Post by feihong » Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:14 pm

I'm looking at the Studio Canal discs that arrived last night. They look like they are the same transfers as the Japanese blu rays. Alphaville looks a little bit darker and A Woman is a Woman looks a bit more DNR'ed, but I will try and get matching screencaps with my Japanese discs for a better comparison. I haven't been able to synch any set of English subtitles to my Japanese disc of Alphaville, so that disc is already worth it to me. I imagine Contempt is the same as the previous Studio Canal release. I haven't looked at Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou or Breathless yet.

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domino harvey
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#23 Post by domino harvey » Tue Mar 08, 2016 6:20 pm

I compiled this for another member, but might of use to others. Here's the run times of the features and the extras:
Alphaville 1:38:52
McCabe intro 5:16
Karina interview 4:30
Trailer 0:59

A Woman is a Woman 1:23:19
McCabe intro 3:18
Karina interview 12:35

Breathless 1:29:47
McCabe intro 4:42
Godard, Made in USA 50:17
Room 12... 1:18:50
Jean-Luc According to Jean-Luc 7:36
Jefferson Hack interview 8:15
Tempo Godard Episode 16:31
Jean Seberg featurette 12:11
Trailer 2:09

Contempt 1:42:56
McCabe intro 5:31
Once Upon a Time there was Contempt 52:28
Contempt ... Tenderly 31:31
The Dinosaurs and the Baby 1:00:57
Conversation with Fritz Lang 14:26
Trailer 2:31

Pierrot le fou 1:50:02
McCabe intro 3:13
Karina interview 6:29
Godard, Love and Poetry 53:00
Film analysis by Jean-Bernard Pouy (French commentary track with English subs)
Trailer 1:59
German TV advert 3:08

Poster galleries also for every film but Contempt

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manicsounds
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#24 Post by manicsounds » Wed Mar 09, 2016 5:04 am

Thanks for the info above!

Seems that Contempt doesn't add anything new, but judging from the movie's runtime, it's not the exact same disc as the previous Studio Canal Collection disc. But if anyone else can confirm as well, do the new discs drop all the dubs and subtitles or are they kept? (Japanese for example)

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StevenJ0001
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Re: StudioCanal: Godard: the Essential Collection

#25 Post by StevenJ0001 » Wed Mar 09, 2016 12:33 pm

Can anyone comment on the packaging of this set and the cover art for each film? Do the films released separately have the same art?

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