Janus Films

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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JakeStewart
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:44 pm

Re: Janus Films

#426 Post by JakeStewart » Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:44 am

Seems likely another World Cinema Project volume is on the way with these latest additions. I can't really see any of those films being released as stand-alone's

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jwd5275
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Re: Janus Films

#427 Post by jwd5275 » Sat Mar 14, 2020 2:40 pm

yoloswegmaster wrote:
Fri Mar 13, 2020 8:24 pm
'Emitai' and 'Ceddo' were both being shown on TCM and they each had the Janus logo appear at the start.
Peter Becker gave an interview in 2016 where he mentioned acquiring at least five (maybe seven) additional Sembene films. Xala and Guelwaar showed up on Filmstruck in 2018 and I would guess have rights to at least Mandabi too...

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Janus Films

#428 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Sat Mar 14, 2020 3:38 pm

JakeStewart wrote:
Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:44 am
Seems likely another World Cinema Project volume is on the way with these latest additions. I can't really see any of those films being released as stand-alone's
I can't find any indication that Emitai and Ceddo are WCP titles. From jwd5275's post, these are more likely to be part of a Sembène box—this site for a recent-ish documentary on Sembène states that the producers are working with Criterion and Sembène's estate to restore the rest of his films (i.e., the two not previously restored as part of the WCP).

JakeStewart
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Re: Janus Films

#429 Post by JakeStewart » Sun Mar 15, 2020 8:34 am

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:
Sat Mar 14, 2020 3:38 pm
JakeStewart wrote:
Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:44 am
Seems likely another World Cinema Project volume is on the way with these latest additions. I can't really see any of those films being released as stand-alone's
I can't find any indication that Emitai and Ceddo are WCP titles. From jwd5275's post, these are more likely to be part of a Sembène box—this site for a recent-ish documentary on Sembène states that the producers are working with Criterion and Sembène's estate to restore the rest of his films (i.e., the two not previously restored as part of the WCP).
I was referring to Lucia, Pixote and Soleil Ô. I should have been clearer.

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Cremildo
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Re: Janus Films

#430 Post by Cremildo » Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:00 am

It'd be a shame if Pixote was deemed unworthy of a standalone release. I wonder if its stature among film enthusiasts in the United States is considerably more muted than it is here, despite receiving accolades when it opened there and being directed by an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker.

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A Tempted Christ
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:31 am

Re: Janus Films

#431 Post by A Tempted Christ » Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:33 am

I really hope they release another volume of World Cinema Project. Out of all the films, I really want to see Downpour, Bahram Bayzai's feature film debut. It probably will be one of the rough-looking films of the set but I'm sure it will be better than all the VHS rips that are available online.

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swo17
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Re: Janus Films

#432 Post by swo17 » Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:38 am

Eagerly anticipating Night of Counting the Years myself

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jwd5275
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Re: Janus Films

#433 Post by jwd5275 » Sun Mar 15, 2020 4:42 pm

Cremildo wrote:
Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:00 am
It'd be a shame if Pixote was deemed unworthy of a standalone release. I wonder if its stature among film enthusiasts in the United States is considerably more muted than it is here, despite receiving accolades when it opened there and being directed by an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker.
With the exception of Los Olvidados, I doubt any of remaining WCP titles have immunity from being boxed. Edward Yang and Apichatpong Weerasethakul provided names more recognizable to English speaking audiences as a selling point for volume two. I suspect Hector Babenco and Hou Hsiao-hsien will do this for volume three. I am particularly looking forward to he two Mexican horror films, especially Dos Monjes.

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
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Re: Janus Films

#434 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Apr 28, 2020 6:41 pm


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Malickite
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Re: Janus Films

#435 Post by Malickite » Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:47 am


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Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
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Re: Janus Films

#436 Post by Big Ben » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:48 pm

Oh boy I hope that means a Blu-Ray of The Ceremony is coming soon!

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swo17
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Re: Janus Films

#437 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:49 pm

Big Ben wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:48 pm
Oh boy
Speaking of which, whatever happened to Boy coming out?

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Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
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Re: Janus Films

#438 Post by Big Ben » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:55 pm

swo17 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:49 pm
Big Ben wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:48 pm
Oh boy
Speaking of which, whatever happened to Boy coming out?
I've always been under the impression that parts of Oshima's filmography are harder to market than others. In the Realm of the Senses can be sold on salaciousness alone but a great film about a child being manipulated significantly less so. I would hope that the forum would take kindly to it as it's a wonderful film.

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swo17
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Re: Janus Films

#439 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 1:57 pm

Boy is the film that sold me on Oshima after being put off by the salacious ones

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Janus Films

#440 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:15 pm

This is probably true for other films on that list, but I know firsthand that Janus has had the U.S. rights to The Ceremony for years. I can't trawl through the site now to confirm this, but I don't believe Janus lists holdings on their website unless they have materials for them, and when The Ceremony was screened here a few years ago it was with a print from the Japan Foundation, implying that Janus couldn't provide a copy themselves. It's possible that these new additions to the site augur for Criterion releases in the near future, but I think it's also possible Janus has had the rights to these films for some time and has just acquired a big batch of 35mm prints to loan out.

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Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Janus Films

#441 Post by Minkin » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm

I had all of them listed on the forthcoming topic except
WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?

So thanks for posting the list. I'm always assuming that I've missed quite a few things.

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dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Janus Films

#442 Post by dwk » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:59 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:15 pm
This is probably true for other films on that list, but I know firsthand that Janus has had the U.S. rights to The Ceremony for years. I can't trawl through the site now to confirm this, but I don't believe Janus lists holdings on their website unless they have materials for them, and when The Ceremony was screened here a few years ago it was with a print from the Japan Foundation, implying that Janus couldn't provide a copy themselves. It's possible that these new additions to the site augur for Criterion releases in the near future, but I think it's also possible Janus has had the rights to these films for some time and has just acquired a big batch of 35mm prints to loan out.
You may be right about them only listing titles that they have elements to rent out. Bandits vs Samurai Squadron and a number of other Gosha films have been with them for ages. They've been streaming them since the Hulu days, but they never showed up on Janus' site.

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Shrew
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Re: Janus Films

#443 Post by Shrew » Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:28 pm

Minkin wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm
I had all of them listed on the forthcoming topic except
WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?

So thanks for posting the list. I'm always assuming that I've missed quite a few things.
What Did the Lady Forget? has already been released as an extra on The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice, so no need to add it to the list.

Glowingwabbit
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 1:27 pm

Re: Janus Films

#444 Post by Glowingwabbit » Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:32 pm

Shrew wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 4:28 pm
Minkin wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm
I had all of them listed on the forthcoming topic except
WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET?

So thanks for posting the list. I'm always assuming that I've missed quite a few things.
What Did the Lady Forget? has already been released as an extra on The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice, so no need to add it to the list.
That's why they didn't add it.

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Janus Films

#445 Post by beamish14 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 5:53 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:15 pm
This is probably true for other films on that list, but I know firsthand that Janus has had the U.S. rights to The Ceremony for years. I can't trawl through the site now to confirm this, but I don't believe Janus lists holdings on their website unless they have materials for them, and when The Ceremony was screened here a few years ago it was with a print from the Japan Foundation, implying that Janus couldn't provide a copy themselves. It's possible that these new additions to the site augur for Criterion releases in the near future, but I think it's also possible Janus has had the rights to these films for some time and has just acquired a big batch of 35mm prints to loan out.

It's interesting that Janus didn't have a print of The Ceremony. They struck brand new prints of the majority of Oshima's
oeuvre for that massive retrospective that toured North America a few years ago (Band of Ninja was one of the big omissions,
but the Harvard Film Archive did get a print from somewhere, I believe). The Japan Foundation's archival materials are incredible;
the prints of Suzuki Seijun's films that they provided for a similar touring festival looked unbelievably good.

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jwd5275
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Re: Janus Films

#446 Post by jwd5275 » Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:36 pm

With the exception of Ceremony, most all of these look like they are part of the large set of phantom pages discovered here.

I seem to remember there being at least fifty or sixty, most of which are already on the Criterion Channel. Minkin has the remaining few listed on the Forthcoming Criterion & Criterion Channel Titles page (over half of which were either produced by Wim Wender or were directed by Carlos Saura)


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Never Cursed
Such is life on board the Redoutable
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Re: Janus Films

#448 Post by Never Cursed » Mon Jul 13, 2020 6:56 pm

If a theater were to pay for a DCP in such a manner as described above, how long would they retain the actual hardware for? More importantly (at least to my interests), what besides the ludicrous cost is stopping an individual (rather than a cinema) from purchasing something in this manner?

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Janus Films

#449 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:25 pm

Never Cursed wrote:
Mon Jul 13, 2020 6:56 pm
If a theater were to pay for a DCP in such a manner as described above, how long would they retain the actual hardware for? More importantly (at least to my interests), what besides the ludicrous cost is stopping an individual (rather than a cinema) from purchasing something in this manner?
DCPs are encrypted and run off exclusive Linux based operating systems. You injest DCPs into the computer and upload each film onto the server then mail the DCP back to the studio. Unless you have a computer with the hard drive, you’re looking at each 4K master easily being 100-300gb. A DCP projection system goes for at least $50K (these are the lower end Sony projectors). They also have keys that unlock the file for a specific amount that you have to get directly from the studio.

Unless you have a home theater system and projectionist ready to which I would ask if I can come over and watch movies with you!

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Never Cursed
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Re: Janus Films

#450 Post by Never Cursed » Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:44 pm

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote:
Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:25 pm
Never Cursed wrote:
Mon Jul 13, 2020 6:56 pm
If a theater were to pay for a DCP in such a manner as described above, how long would they retain the actual hardware for? More importantly (at least to my interests), what besides the ludicrous cost is stopping an individual (rather than a cinema) from purchasing something in this manner?
DCPs are encrypted and run off exclusive Linux based operating systems. You injest DCPs into the computer and upload each film onto the server then mail the DCP back to the studio. Unless you have a computer with the hard drive, you’re looking at each 4K master easily being 100-300gb. A DCP projection system goes for at least $50K (these are the lower end Sony projectors). They also have keys that unlock the file for a specific amount that you have to get directly from the studio.

Unless you have a home theater system and projectionist ready to which I would ask if I can come over and watch movies with you!
Well those are certainly some obstacles! I thought there were some types of DCP software that could run natively on Windows, though, would those not work around at least the OS issues?

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