Janus Contemporaries: Afire

[Walter Kurtz]

The rest of the soundtrack is n"original" piano theme composed for "Undine".

You already know this because of the quotes containing "original" but for anyone else interested... Johnnie Bach composed that theme approximately 300 years ago. It was also used in the beginning and ending of The House of Mirth , a film that featured a fine and controlled performance by Gillian Armstrong in the lead. I don't know if Delerue is burind at the cafe because Bach's Concerto in D Minor, BWV 974 - 2.Adagio is my biggest earworm that lasts a week whenever I hear it... especially using piano instead of violins.... that prevents me from revisiting the movie for a great while.

[shankle73]

I would guess the fact that this is Janus/Sideshow would indicate Janus Contemporaries.

Just started streaming Afire & it begins with Criterion logo so i believe we have our answer.

[Matt]

I’ve got a cuckoo hypothesis that

SpoilerShow

as in Undine where Paula Beer plays a water nymph luring men to their death, here she’s some sort of angel of death mysteriously showing up at their residences just before they die. Probably not, but if Petzold is indeed building a trilogy or series of films around the natural elements, it would make something of a case for this film to have some sort of supernatural or mythological component as in the previous film.

Anyway, what a picture! Typical Petzold slow burn (sorry) leading to a quiet yet unexpectedly emotional climax. I did not find the denouement to be as telegraphed as others did because there are so many small surprises and seemingly minor characters who become important that turn up throughout the film, but of course it could only have ended he way it does.

[nicolas]

Afire / Roter Himmel will be released tomorrow on BD in Germany by Piffl Medien, the label that releases all of Petzold’s films and not much else. I was worried about the BD as a) it wasn’t initially planned (DVD only), b) the product photos on Amazon indicated that that this is a burned, MOD disc as there’s no official Blu-ray Disc logo anywhere and finally c) the sound was listed as Dolby Digital 5.1, which as we know is DVD level.

I’m pleased to report that ALL concerns are a thing of the past. This is a properly pressed BD (BD-25), sound is actually DTS-HD 5.1 and there are English subtitles on the disc! This is great news for international buyers. It’s a Region B disc but I believe the top menu trick on Panasonic player works. (A German-language booklet is included as well).

Finally, the encoding is surprisingly good. Petzold and his DP employed a fake grain layer over the digital images and that renders exceptionally well. The detail level will certainly be better than the inevitable Criterion / Janus release due to their filtering. If you’re a fan of the film, don’t hesitate. Can’t wait for the film!

[swo17]

Feb 20

[Matt]

Disappointed it’s not a full-on Criterion edition, but I guess keeping all Sideshow/Janus releases in the same line and not “promoting” some over others will keep sensitive filmmaker egos in check.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Afire / Roter Himmel will be released tomorrow on BD in Germany by Piffl Medien, the label that releases all of Petzold’s films and not much else. I was worried about the BD as a) it wasn’t initially planned (DVD only), b) the product photos on Amazon indicated that that this is a burned, MOD disc as there’s no official Blu-ray Disc logo anywhere and finally c) the sound was listed as Dolby Digital 5.1, which as we know is DVD level.

I’m pleased to report that ALL concerns are a thing of the past. This is a properly pressed BD (BD-25), sound is actually DTS-HD 5.1 and there are English subtitles on the disc! This is great news for international buyers. It’s a Region B disc but I believe the top menu trick on Panasonic player works. (A German-language booklet is included as well).

Finally, the encoding is surprisingly good. Petzold and his DP employed a fake grain layer over the digital images and that renders exceptionally well. The detail level will certainly be better than the inevitable Criterion / Janus release due to their filtering. If you’re a fan of the film, don’t hesitate. Can’t wait for the film!

Nicolas thanks for your review. I was about to order the German release of "Afire / Roter Himmel / Ciel Rouge" but I was waiting for the Criterion release (I did not know that Janus/Contemporaries collection was using filtering to remove grain from the picture (being digital or argentic; there is generally a slight grain even on digital) : is it the case fo "EO" or or the Louis Garrel's movie ?
Good news to read that there are subtitles in English for the movie.
What are the bonus ? The Criterion addition just appeared and the bonus is very light to say the least; after "Phoenix" in the Criterion collection, I was expecting a Criterion release for this movie. Petzold deserved it. A lot of people here were confident about a Criterion release.

[Walter Kurtz]

Disappointed it’s not a full-on Criterion edition...

What we got was Club Sandwich??

[nicolas]

Afire / Roter Himmel will be released tomorrow on BD in Germany by Piffl Medien, the label that releases all of Petzold’s films and not much else. I was worried about the BD as a) it wasn’t initially planned (DVD only), b) the product photos on Amazon indicated that that this is a burned, MOD disc as there’s no official Blu-ray Disc logo anywhere and finally c) the sound was listed as Dolby Digital 5.1, which as we know is DVD level.

I’m pleased to report that ALL concerns are a thing of the past. This is a properly pressed BD (BD-25), sound is actually DTS-HD 5.1 and there are English subtitles on the disc! This is great news for international buyers. It’s a Region B disc but I believe the top menu trick on Panasonic player works. (A German-language booklet is included as well).

Finally, the encoding is surprisingly good. Petzold and his DP employed a fake grain layer over the digital images and that renders exceptionally well. The detail level will certainly be better than the inevitable Criterion / Janus release due to their filtering. If you’re a fan of the film, don’t hesitate. Can’t wait for the film!

Nicolas thanks for your review. I was about to order the German release of "Afire / Roter Himmel / Ciel Rouge" but I was waiting for the Criterion release (I did not know that Janus/Contemporaries collection was using filtering to remove grain from the picture (being digital or argentic; there is generally a slight grain even on digital) : is it the case fo "EO" or or the Louis Garrel's movie ?
Good news to read that there are subtitles in English for the movie.
What are the bonus ? The Criterion addition just appeared and the bonus is very light to say the least; after "Phoenix" in the Criterion collection, I was expecting a Criterion release for this movie. Petzold deserved it. A lot of people here were confident about a Criterion release.

The authoring houses Criterion/ Janus use generally filter a more or less light amount of high-frequency detail off the top of the image in order to make encoding easier for them. The Blu-ray’s and 4K’s are therefore generally not as sharp as those released by other labels and / or encoded by other authoring houses. This has been the case for years.

I don’t have EO or L’innocent so sadly can’t comment here - I would have to see them side-by-side with different editions to be able to judge properly.

Bonus features on the German BD are wonderful but NOT subtitled. You’d buy the BD just for the film itself, which is subtitled and looks & sounds superb!

[Rupert Pupkin]

There was a time that we would even got a manuscrit of "Club Sandwich" - being your own jury - after all it was not *that* bad.
Nicolas, can you please tell me a bit more about the bonus of the German Blu-Ray ? - interviews : is there an interview with Paula Beer ? Wearing a beautiful dress/outfits for the Mostra de Venise ?
Unfortunately I live in France, and DVD only here- perhaps in the UK there will be a Blu-Ray.
I remember EO got more bonus than a single interview of Petzold on the outcoming Criterion.

[nicolas]

There was a time that we would even got a manuscrit of "Club Sandwich" - being your own jury - after all it was not *that* bad.
Nicolas, can you please tell me a bit more about the bonus of the German Blu-Ray ? - interviews : is there an interview with Paula Beer ? Wearing a beautiful dress/outfits for the Mostra de Venise ?
Unfortunately I live in France, and DVD only here- perhaps in the UK there will be a Blu-Ray.
I remember EO got more bonus than a single interview of Petzold on the outcoming Criterion.

Yes, there are interviews with Paula Beer (not sure what you mean with her dress - this is an interview likely conducted in Berlin and exclusively for the BD), Petzold, Enno Trebs and Langston Uibel. These are all very informative about the process of the film and how they got involved. Petzold for instance got a big Eric Rohmer DVD set as a gift when he and his team had to leave Paris the last day before the 2020 lockdowns. He then watched the films while lying sick in bed with Covid. As a result of that experience, he scrapped plans for making a rather bleak and dystopian film and wrote Afire, wanting to make something fun and light in the vein of Rohmer and one or two other minor influences I don’t recall any more. The actors talk about their casting, Petzold as director and their characters. Beer mentioned that her working relationship with Petzold gets better every time - they’re trusting each other more and she’s allowed to have a voice of her own when it comes to shaping the character.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Thanks for all your info Nicolas; I have just ordered it. You were talking about Covid; I think that there is a scene in the movie (they are going to the town where someone is a wearing a Covid mask)
Well, Paula Beer used to wear some very desirable dresses; I regret the time when the press Cannes conference was available in almost every past Criterion release.
This is a movie which has been praised by reviews and at the Mostra of Venise. There was a lot to discuss about this movie. Whilst I don't expect Criterion to ressuscite Eric Rohmer, an interview between Petzold and another cineast would have been great.
"Afire" is kind of part of a trilogy which has been skipped by Criterion (I'm sure that Petzold will discuss about some references, etc... in the Criterion interview; I don't know the length of this interview, but it's the kind of movie you want to know more after a while : the mythology influence, the Eric Rohmer influence (for the beginning and the set-up); I was thinking of la Collectionneuse (for the beginning of the movie) the first time I saw "Afire" and a bit of François Ozon's "Swimming Pool" (the process of writing, the sexual tension, the enigmatic ending, etc...). Whilst Ozon's ending is a clumsy "bâclé" twist, a lot of things remains unsolved with "Afire".
I have watched it like three times already and wonder if when Paula Beer's character appears in the bed next to is a part of his desire or if this is an "apparition". She seems to mock him a little bit with the "thin wall" thing but she is in kind of flirting mood with him. That's a great scene with some great sensual tension, a "grand moment de convivialité" which obviously he would declined.
Even if the movie is filmed from his POV (almost during all the movie), in this particular great scene there is a kind of surreal atmosphere which makes us seen in a subtle way : is it from his imagination, or does Paul Beer's character has a kind of surreal power to "disturb" and reveal him. Apparently she seems sad that he declined to glowing sea ballad.
Talking about Eric Rohmer, another great cineast is lacking in the Criterion collection.: La Virgen de Agosto deserved a Criterion release. This was a refreshing, beautiful, moving movie which did not get a single blu-ray release.

It's sad that Jonás Trueba is not in the Criterion collection.


Since you seem to buy some Blu-Ray in several different countries, are you aware of a blu-ray release of La Virgen De Agosto ?
According to blu-ray.com database, a blu-ray combo with DVD was originally planned but apparently never released in Spain :
https://www.mubis.es/titulos/la-virgen- ... to-blu-ray

I have checked several countries; I was only able to find a WEB 1080 release in the end.
Too bad. They could have released it with the sequel filmed during Covid.

[nicolas]

Thanks for all your info Nicolas; I have just ordered it. You were talking about Covid; I think that there is a scene in the movie (they are going to the town where someone is a wearing a Covid mask)
Well, Paula Beer used to wear some very desirable dresses; I regret the time when the press Cannes conference was available in almost every past Criterion release.
This is a movie which has been praised by reviews and at the Mostra of Venise. There was a lot to discuss about this movie. Whilst I don't expect Criterion to ressuscite Eric Rohmer, an interview between Petzold and another cineast would have been great.
"Afire" is kind of part of a trilogy which has been skipped by Criterion (I'm sure that Petzold will discuss about some references, etc... in the Criterion interview; I don't know the length of this interview, but it's the kind of movie you want to know more after a while : the mythology influence, the Eric Rohmer influence (for the beginning and the set-up); I was thinking of la Collectionneuse (for the beginning of the movie) the first time I saw "Afire" and a bit of François Ozon's "Swimming Pool" (the process of writing, the sexual tension, the enigmatic ending, etc...). Whilst Ozon's ending is a clumsy "bâclé" twist, a lot of things remains unsolved with "Afire".
I have watched it like three times already and wonder if when Paula Beer's character appears in the bed next to is a part of his desire or if this is an "apparition". She seems to mock him a little bit with the "thin wall" thing but she is in kind of flirting mood with him. That's a great scene with some great sensual tension, a "grand moment de convivialité" which obviously he would declined.
Even if the movie is filmed from his POV (almost during all the movie), in this particular great scene there is a kind of surreal atmosphere which makes us seen in a subtle way : is it from his imagination, or does Paul Beer's character has a kind of surreal power to "disturb" and reveal him. Apparently she seems sad that he declined to glowing sea ballad.
Talking about Eric Rohmer, another great cineast is lacking in the Criterion collection.: La Virgen de Agosto deserved a Criterion release. This was a refreshing, beautiful, moving movie which did not get a single blu-ray release.

It's sad that Jonás Trueba is not in the Criterion collection.


Since you seem to buy some Blu-Ray in several different countries, are you aware of a blu-ray release of La Virgen De Agosto ?
According to blu-ray.com database, a blu-ray combo with DVD was originally planned but apparently never released in Spain :
https://www.mubis.es/titulos/la-virgen- ... to-blu-ray

I have checked several countries; I was only able to find a WEB 1080 release in the end.
Too bad. They could have released it with the sequel filmed during Covid.

Thanks for your extensive reply - very interesting. I’m glad you enjoyed the film as much as I did. The German BD will be a great addition for your collection, even if just for the feature.

Re. La virgen de Agosto - I wish I knew. I haven’t seen it. The Spanish disc market is very strange - so much of it are bootlegs and many official releases are disappointing (too compressed, BD-25’s etc.). I guess your best bet is a boutique label, maybe even from one of the Vinegar Syndrome partner labels in the near future.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Sorry for the aparté; regarding "La Virgen De Agosto" it is a Spanish movie; it appeared on la fnac.es and amazon.es as an upcoming combo DVD+Blu-Ray; They have released a blu-ray for this cineast but not this great movie. Then no blu-ray seems to have been released at all (and I have checked some others countries; no sign of blu-ray). My guess is that initially it was announced as a blu-ray, then canceled (in France we only got a DVD).
What strikes me is that no other countries have released it on Blu-Ray whilst it has been made available as a WEB 1080 release. Perhaps it's because it was during the "tense Covid era".
I doubt it's a bootleg like for instance "La Fille à la Valise" or "Sandra" (Visconti) which is for V.Zurlini movie (still waiting for a true HD restoration) a fair HDTV transfer (looks like the Mk2 release now old master in HD).

Generally with French movies I have some luck to get a blu-ray release in Germany ("Rien à Foutre", "Une Passion Simple" for instance).

[nicolas]

Mini comparison between the Janus / Criterion BD and the German Piffl BD of Afire (both have English subtitles). I was quite convinced the German BD was definitive and appropriate for the film but this is not the case after comparing both simultaneously. The German BD is heavily low-pass filtered for the image (even more than the usual for Criterion) and excessive compression applies to the audio as well, even though the Janus is overall only roughly 10 GB larger in file size. This doesn’t mean the Criterion is good though, as evident in most of these caps, with severe compression issues.
The second aspect are colors. The German BD is more vibrant and less green-ish, although the Janus looks more natural and less blown-out. Overall a really interesting comparison:

https://slow.pics/c/CK5ODapH

[tenia]

Fascinating comparison between a low-pass filtered disc and one that isn't but present other issues due to sub-optimal compression.

[nicolas]

Fascinating comparison between a low-pass filtered disc and one that isn't but present other issues due to sub-optimal compression.

I initially thought my system had issues because of how weird the differences felt. I wasn’t even trying to do a comparison in the first place and only did it after comparing the metadata in MediaInfo and noticing the huge difference in size of the video master and the audio despite the film being relatively short, digitally shot and normally ideally compatible with a BD-25. The German BD’s audio is heavily compressed as well (16 bit vs 24 bit), which I noticed when watching the film for the first time in November and looked at the near-constant bitrate stats in my player menu. That was the reason I got the Janus BD as other Petzold films are affected by this as well in their German versions.

The difference in colors is very interesting. I wonder which one is right. Probably the Janus after all the tinkering they did for the German BD.

[Walter Kurtz]

I wonder which one is right.

I saw Afire twice in two different theaters (my wife also loves the film). The Janus is much more correct.

[nicolas]

I wonder which one is right.

I saw Afire twice in two different theaters (my wife also loves the film). The Janus is much more correct.

Thanks for the confirmation, this is very good to know. Afire is in my top 3 of 2023 and can’t wait to revisit the film a third time, now finally in its correct master.