41 / BD 91 Frau im Mond.
- Lino
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
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41 / BD 91 Frau im Mond.
Frau im Mond.
Frau im Mond. [Woman in the Moon.] is: (a) The first feature-length film to portray space-exploration in a serious manner, paying close attention to the science involved in launching a vessel from the surface of the earth to the valleys of the moon. (b) A tri-polar potboiler of a picture that manages to combine espionage tale, serial melodrama, and comic-book sci-fi into a storyline that is by turns delirious, hushed, and deranged. (c) A movie so rife with narrative contradiction and visual ingenuity that it could only be the work of one filmmaker: Fritz Lang.
In this, Lang's final silent epic, the legendary filmmaker spins a tale involving a wicked cartel of spies who co-opt an experimental mission to the moon in the hope of plundering the satellite's vast (and highly theoretical) stores of gold. When the crew, helmed by Willy Fritsch and Gerda Maurus (both of whom had previously starred in Lang's Spione), finally reach their impossible destination, they find themselves stranded in a lunar labyrinth without walls where emotions run scattershot, and the new goal becomes survival.
A modern Daedalus tale which uncannily foretold Germany's wartime push into rocket-science, Frau im Mond. is as much a warning-sign against human hubris as it is a hopeful depiction of mankind's potential. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present in a Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) special edition the culmination of Fritz Lang's silent cinema, restored to its near-original length.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Gorgeous 1080p transfer on the Blu-ray of the F. W. Murnau-Stiftung restoration
• Original German intertitles with newly-translated optional English subtitles
• The First Scientific Science-Fiction Film, a German documentary about Frau im Mond. made by Gabriele Jacobi [15:00]
• 36-page booklet which includes a newly revised analysis by Michael E. Grost on the film, and on Fritz Lang's body of work as a whole and more!
Frau im Mond. [Woman in the Moon.] is: (a) The first feature-length film to portray space-exploration in a serious manner, paying close attention to the science involved in launching a vessel from the surface of the earth to the valleys of the moon. (b) A tri-polar potboiler of a picture that manages to combine espionage tale, serial melodrama, and comic-book sci-fi into a storyline that is by turns delirious, hushed, and deranged. (c) A movie so rife with narrative contradiction and visual ingenuity that it could only be the work of one filmmaker: Fritz Lang.
In this, Lang's final silent epic, the legendary filmmaker spins a tale involving a wicked cartel of spies who co-opt an experimental mission to the moon in the hope of plundering the satellite's vast (and highly theoretical) stores of gold. When the crew, helmed by Willy Fritsch and Gerda Maurus (both of whom had previously starred in Lang's Spione), finally reach their impossible destination, they find themselves stranded in a lunar labyrinth without walls where emotions run scattershot, and the new goal becomes survival.
A modern Daedalus tale which uncannily foretold Germany's wartime push into rocket-science, Frau im Mond. is as much a warning-sign against human hubris as it is a hopeful depiction of mankind's potential. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present in a Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) special edition the culmination of Fritz Lang's silent cinema, restored to its near-original length.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Gorgeous 1080p transfer on the Blu-ray of the F. W. Murnau-Stiftung restoration
• Original German intertitles with newly-translated optional English subtitles
• The First Scientific Science-Fiction Film, a German documentary about Frau im Mond. made by Gabriele Jacobi [15:00]
• 36-page booklet which includes a newly revised analysis by Michael E. Grost on the film, and on Fritz Lang's body of work as a whole and more!
- skuhn8
- Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
- Location: Chico, CA
- codam
- Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:40 am
- Location: London
Woman in the Moon doesn't seem to be in the October releases, any word on when we might expect it?peerpee wrote:Currently, it's looking like Visconti's BELLISSIMA, and Shinoda's SILENCE in Sept. FRAU IM MOND and two previously unannounced titles in October, then all eight Mizoguchi releases in early Nov, and early Dec.
- 125100
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:07 pm
- Location: UK
At a guess I'd say with the 2 Murnau releases hopefully touching down in Nov this will pop up early next year with Der Letzte Mann. I'd love to see what artwork MoC are using for the cover though, there's so many delicious posters kicking around for this movie... let's hope they'll use one like the "Retro Rocket" poster above.codam wrote:Woman in the Moon doesn't seem to be in the October releases, any word on when we might expect it?
-
- Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:16 am
- Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
I am ashamed, but only recently I've checked the Transit Classics web site for the 1st time. It appeared that German editions of both Spione and Frau include documentaries...
I might be wrong, but I think MoC lisenced docus from Transit for their Metropolis and coming Nosferatu editions. For some reasons this is NOT done for Spione.
To me, Frau is more original and more enjoyable movie than Spione; it desreves the best teatment.
So, MoC, please, do not give us half-baked edition of Frau - we do have one already (from Kino)!
I might be wrong, but I think MoC lisenced docus from Transit for their Metropolis and coming Nosferatu editions. For some reasons this is NOT done for Spione.
To me, Frau is more original and more enjoyable movie than Spione; it desreves the best teatment.
So, MoC, please, do not give us half-baked edition of Frau - we do have one already (from Kino)!
Last edited by videozor on Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- Tommaso
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am
Peace, I'd say. The reason why "Spione" doesn't have that documentary is most likely that it simply didn't exist when the MoC disc came out. I'm pretty sure that the MoC "Woman in the Moon" will feature the documentary on the Transit box, considering that they took over the one for "Nosferatu" for their forthcoming disc. And even if it won't have the docu, we are likely to get something very nice in printed form instead.
- Tommaso
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
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I've just finished watching the checkdisc, and you can preorder with complete confidence.
It's a razor-sharp transfer from a print in startlingly good condition - 98% of it is pretty much perfect considering its age, with only a couple of softer exceptions that were presumably the best copies that could be found of those particular shots.
I really enjoyed the film too - I loved the way it blends surprisingly well-researched speculation on the mechanics of space travel with a rip-roaring spy thriller, and then pretty much throws away any pretensions towards accuracy when they actually land on the moon.
It's a razor-sharp transfer from a print in startlingly good condition - 98% of it is pretty much perfect considering its age, with only a couple of softer exceptions that were presumably the best copies that could be found of those particular shots.
I really enjoyed the film too - I loved the way it blends surprisingly well-researched speculation on the mechanics of space travel with a rip-roaring spy thriller, and then pretty much throws away any pretensions towards accuracy when they actually land on the moon.
- HerrSchreck
- Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am
It sounds like this is the first time you've seen the film, Mike, but (and I mean that in relation to your having seen/not seen the FWMS transfer used on the existing editions from Kino and I think divisa red?) I'm wondering whether you can comment on whether this is a new pass or did MoC use the same telecine resident on the existing editions?
I actually really like this film... it came out a few years ago in the states in a nice edition from Kino at the same time as SPIONE, and I felt at the time that this was the better of the two films, and still do (though the public consensus, or at least the critical consensus, seems to lean toward SPIONE).
Also, whats the deal with the score?
I actually really like this film... it came out a few years ago in the states in a nice edition from Kino at the same time as SPIONE, and I felt at the time that this was the better of the two films, and still do (though the public consensus, or at least the critical consensus, seems to lean toward SPIONE).
Also, whats the deal with the score?
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
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You'll have to ask Nick, as I've no idea (you're right about it being the first time I've seen the film) - but I was seriously impressed by the sharpness and stability. The intertitles are in German with optional English subtitles, if that's any help, and the running time isn't far short of 163 mins (probably 162:30 if you crop off the Eureka titles at the beginning and end). It's also native PAL, but you'd probably expect that given the European source.HerrSchreck wrote:It sounds like this is the first time you've seen the film, Mike, but (and I mean that in relation to your having seen/not seen the FWMS transfer used on the existing editions from Kino and I think divisa red?) I'm wondering whether you can comment on whether this is a new pass or did MoC use the same telecine resident on the existing editions?
Piano - fairly bombastic (lots of bass trills and pounding chords), but it suited the material well enough.Also, whats the deal with the score?
- HerrSchreck
- Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am
- Tommaso
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am
"Frau im Mond" was shown a while ago on arte TV, and it had exactly the same piano score as on the divisa (played by some guy from Spain or Argentina, can't recall now), and I'd assume this is the same for the MoC disc. And it's really a very good score.
As to image: the arte transmission looked much superior to the divisa disc, which suffers from badly rendered grain or an even worse attempt to reduce it. Although the divisa is sharp and clear, it has a pretty unnatural look due to this. So, if even the TV broadcast looked better (and actually, very good it looked), I think we can expect a top-notch image from MoC.
As to image: the arte transmission looked much superior to the divisa disc, which suffers from badly rendered grain or an even worse attempt to reduce it. Although the divisa is sharp and clear, it has a pretty unnatural look due to this. So, if even the TV broadcast looked better (and actually, very good it looked), I think we can expect a top-notch image from MoC.
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
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