Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

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dwk
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Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#1 Post by dwk » Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:14 pm

According to this tweet that Criterion Cast retweeted, at a screening at the Alamo San Francisco, Tom Luddy confirmed that Criterion will be releasing Godard's King Lear

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knives
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#2 Post by knives » Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:48 pm

Sweet. I'm assuming it's a given, but any word on including Meetin' WA?

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domino harvey
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#3 Post by domino harvey » Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:57 pm

Incredible news! Presumably they won't repeat the sickening widescreen framing of the MGM DVD

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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#4 Post by Rayon Vert » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:50 am

That is indeed terrific. Before Criterion released Every Man for Himself, I'd hoped they would eventually branch out to 80s-and-beyond Godard and specifically thought of this film as an ideal candidate - because it's missing an adequate release but especially because it would perhaps benefit most (among his key works) from the kind of supplements Criterion can provide to help make its richness more decipherable. Hopefully this means other late(r) Godards are possibilities, like In Praise of Love.

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domino harvey
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5 Post by domino harvey » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:52 am

Cohen has been doing a great job with their 80s Godards but Criterion's Slow Motion was shockingly on-point for a label we used to joke would never touch late-period Godard

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whaleallright
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#6 Post by whaleallright » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:37 am

Does Lionsgate still have the rights to the 1980s/1990s Godards they released in that rather shoddy set nearly a decade ago? First Name: Carmen and Passion could stand to be rescued, since all of the existing DVDs I know of have problems of one kind of another. Not to mention they are among his very best films of any era.

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dda1996a
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#7 Post by dda1996a » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:13 am

I really disliked Godard's Lear, but then I only saw Breathless and Vivre Sa Vie beforehand. Does knowledge and familiarity with his earlier work make his difficult 80s work more palpable?

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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#8 Post by Zot! » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:38 am

Nope, that wont help.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#9 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:52 am

whaleallright wrote:Does Lionsgate still have the rights to the 1980s/1990s Godards they released in that rather shoddy set nearly a decade ago? First Name: Carmen and Passion could stand to be rescued, since all of the existing DVDs I know of have problems of one kind of another. Not to mention they are among his very best films of any era.
Problem is that Lionsgate got those titles from Canal. It doesn't help if Lionsgate no longer has the rights when Canal seems generally unwilling (or, perhaps, unable) to license to Criterion.

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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#10 Post by beamish13 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:32 am

King Lear will be the first Cannon Group film in the Criterion Collection. Here's hoping that Fons Rademaker's The Assault, Andrei Konchalovsky's Shy People and Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit (one of the only Cannon titles still with WB) are on the docket, too.

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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#11 Post by CSM126 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:49 am

beamish13 wrote:King Lear will be the first Cannon Group film in the Criterion Collection. Here's hoping that Fons Rademaker's The Assault, Andrei Konchalovsky's Shy People and Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit (one of the only Cannon titles still with WB) are on the docket, too.
I think it's actually the third Cannon film for Criterion (Love Streams and Powagaatsi being the others).

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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#12 Post by beamish13 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:16 pm

CSM126 wrote:
beamish13 wrote:King Lear will be the first Cannon Group film in the Criterion Collection. Here's hoping that Fons Rademaker's The Assault, Andrei Konchalovsky's Shy People and Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit (one of the only Cannon titles still with WB) are on the docket, too.
I think it's actually the third Cannon film for Criterion (Love Streams and Powagaatsi being the others).

You are totally right! I completely forgot that Cannon financed and distributed the former and released the latter.

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Oedipax
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#13 Post by Oedipax » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:29 pm

This is fantastic news, doubly so if it means (and I hope this goes without saying) the film is presented in its proper 1.37:1 academy format. At first I was surprised by Criterion's choice to present this Godard film in particular, but after some reflection it makes more sense - it is a Shakespeare 'adaptation' in some sense, it has a fantastic production backstory that I hope the set will delve into (offering Richard Nixon $500,000 for one day of shooting, etc), you have the presence of Woody Allen and Norman Mailer, not to mention Godard himself.

I'm sure the rights situation is completely different, but I also hope we'll see a definitive edition of Nouvelle vague from Criterion one day, which is another film that needs 'rescuing' (in terms of aspect ratio and even compression) on video. I dare say it might be a bit more 'accessible' to the uninitiated as well.

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domino harvey
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#14 Post by domino harvey » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:41 pm

I would love to see Criterion track down Julie Delpy to talk about her minor role (or hell, since they'll no doubt already be interviewing her for Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald)

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colinr0380
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#15 Post by colinr0380 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:00 pm

At least we know from that Electric Boogaloo documentary that Ringwald is willing to talk about the experience!

(I like to think of this as part of Godard's 'travellers trapped in hotel rooms' period, in which various figures are pursuing projects and trying to create meaning whilst being rather rootless. His 2 x 50 Years Of French Cinema piece feels a little similar in tone and location! But this goes through into the conference in Yugoslavia in Notre Musique and the ill-fated stand in for Europe Costa Concordia in Film Socialisme)
Last edited by colinr0380 on Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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domino harvey
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#16 Post by domino harvey » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:03 pm

Oedipax wrote:I'm sure the rights situation is completely different, but I also hope we'll see a definitive edition of Nouvelle vague from Criterion one day, which is another film that needs 'rescuing' (in terms of aspect ratio and even compression) on video. I dare say it might be a bit more 'accessible' to the uninitiated as well.
I revisited the Cahiers DVD recently and couldn't believe how bad it looked in terms of compression-- I am certain a 1 GB AVI would have looked better on my TV. Tube TVs did have their advantages in hiding problems like this!

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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#17 Post by beamish13 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:10 pm

domino harvey wrote:I would love to see Criterion track down Julie Delpy to talk about her minor role (or hell, since they'll no doubt already be interviewing her for Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald)
Leos Carax, too!

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domino harvey
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#18 Post by domino harvey » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:12 pm

beamish13 wrote:
domino harvey wrote:I would love to see Criterion track down Julie Delpy to talk about her minor role (or hell, since they'll no doubt already be interviewing her for Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald)
Leos Carax, too!
And Burgess Meredith

Image

beamish13
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#19 Post by beamish13 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:16 pm

domino harvey wrote:
beamish13 wrote:
domino harvey wrote:I would love to see Criterion track down Julie Delpy to talk about her minor role (or hell, since they'll no doubt already be interviewing her for Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald)
Leos Carax, too!
And Burgess Meredith

Image

well, Twilight Time was unsuccessful in conjuring him for the State of Grace commentary, so...

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zedz
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Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#20 Post by zedz » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:35 pm

beamish13 wrote:King Lear will be the first Cannon Group film in the Criterion Collection. Here's hoping that Fons Rademaker's The Assault, Andrei Konchalovsky's Shy People and Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit (one of the only Cannon titles still with WB) are on the docket, too.
Or Ruiz's completely bonkers Treasure Island!

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Oedipax
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#21 Post by Oedipax » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:16 pm

beamish13 wrote:
domino harvey wrote:I would love to see Criterion track down Julie Delpy to talk about her minor role (or hell, since they'll no doubt already be interviewing her for Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald)
Leos Carax, too!
I'm embarrassed to have forgotten completely about Ringwald, Delpy and Carax! Quite the stacked cast for a JLG film.

Molly Ringwald would certainly be up for an interview, I think. She talked at length about her career in an honest fashion on Bret Easton Ellis' podcast last year.

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#22 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:14 pm

Now is as good as a time to share its completely misleading trade magazine ad.

Image

I love Cannon films, both for the weird output of art house like this or films by Raul Ruiz and John Cassavetes, and for their schlocky, but fun, Z-tier action films like Crackhouse.

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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#23 Post by Pepsi » Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:28 pm

Don't forget Woody Allen.

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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#24 Post by vidussoni » Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:18 pm

I remember this being awful. I guess i'll have to revisit it. I'd much rather seeing Peter's Brooks version with Paul Scofield.

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Re: Forthcoming: King Lear (Godard)

#25 Post by Michael Kerpan » Mon Mar 06, 2017 7:51 pm

vidussoni wrote:I remember this being awful. I guess i'll have to revisit it. I'd much rather seeing Peter's Brooks version with Paul Scofield.
I'd much rather a fully restored Kozintsev (+ Shostakovich) version.

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