Medea

[djvaso]

Medea



A mythical tale of love, betrayal and revenge, Medea is a fascinating collision of Freudian and Marxist themes from Italy's most controversial director, Pier Paolo Pasolini. Adapted from the Euripides drama, Pasolini's disturbing vision of personal and national conflicts stars operatic legend Maria Callas in the title role, offering an extraordinary performance as the high priestess Medea whose love is threatened by corrupt political ambition. A vivid and aesthetically challenging vision, Medea is a complex blend of classical mythology and contemporary social criticism.

Extras
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Alternate English language version
- Original Italian trailer
- English teaser spot
- International release elements (DVD only)
- Illustrated booklet featuring essays, reviews and biography

[MichaelB]

Pier Paolo Pasolini's Medea (1967), starring opera legend Maria Callas, Massimo Girotti, Laurent Terzieff, and Giuseppe Gentile has received a preliminary release date: December 5. Exact technical specs and region coding status TBC. Amazon pre-order

It's probably reasonably safe to assume that it'll be a Dual Format released based on the transfer discussed here - but this is purely educated guesswork on my part; I don't have any privileged info about it.

[TMDaines]

Saw this was coming out in the US over the next few months so wondered if there would be any release in Europe. Thumbs up, especially because BFIs Dual releases are such great value.

Between MoC, BFI and Arrow we're really getting classic films on Blu-ray at a nice pace in the UK now.

[zedz]

Fantastic news; fantastic film. The Raro disc included Le mura di Sana, and the BFI have already given us Pasolini's Notes Towards an African Orestes, so I'm really hoping they manage to include more of Pasolini's marginal works, like another Appunti or a couple of those elusive portmanteau segments. We're actually getting close to having everything he directed available on DVD or BluRay, so it would be very satisfying to plug a few more of the gaps.

EDIT: Actually, a little internet searching has revealed that there's only one proper Pasolini film that remains unissued on DVD: the short TV documentary Appunti per un film sull'India, and I have no idea whether that film is even extant. Che cosa sono le nuvole? is available in Italy, though apparently without English subs, and the other missing films I was thinking of seem to have been released this year, La terra vista dalla luna in the US and Sopralluoghi in Palestina in a spiffing, subbed 2DVD set in Italy.

[Tommaso]

the short TV documentary Appunti per un film sull'India, and I have no idea whether that film is even extant. Che cosa sono le nuvole? is available in Italy, though apparently without English subs, and the other missing films I was thinking of seem to have been released this year, La terra vista dalla luna in the US and Sopralluoghi in Palestina in a spiffing, subbed 2DVD set in Italy.

"Appunti per un film sull'India" was available on the OOP Tartan Pasolini Vol.2 set, "Che cosa sono le nuvole?" and "La terra vista della luna" are also available on the French "Les années 60" Pasolini set. Which only leaves the unfinished "Appunti per un romanzo dell'immondezza", which apparently was 'edited into' a 2005 documentary about the making of that film.

And yes, get that Italian disc of "Sopralluoghi" as soon as you can, if you haven't got it yet. The second disc contains a 120-minute documentary on Pasolini which may be the best on the man. Like the main feature, it has English subs.

[zedz]

Oh, I must have missed that the India film had snuck out on the Tartan set (which I own). Well, that's everything then, except for a subbed Che cosa sono le nuvole? (were English subs included on the French set?). The other Appunti, which didn't seem to exist until it appeared in that short documentary doesn't sound to me like an actual Pasolini film, maybe just some footage he shot which was later issued in that form.

I have ordered Sopralluoghi. Thanks for the recommendation.

[zedz]

The other Appunti, which didn't seem to exist until it appeared in that short documentary doesn't sound to me like an actual Pasolini film, maybe just some footage he shot which was later issued in that form.

Having done a little more research, this does seem to be the case, since that film doesn't appear in the comprehensive filmography in San Rohdie's BFI monograph and doesn't warrant a mention in the book itself. There is mention of a third Appunti, on a film about the Third World, but this was never shot, apparently.

[antnield]

[antnield]

Medea

A film by Pier Paolo Pasolini

A mythical tale of love, betrayal and revenge, Medea is a fascinating collision of Freudian and Marxist themes from Italy's most controversial director. Adapted from the Euripidean drama, Pasolini's disturbing vision of personal and national conflict stars operatic legend Maria Callas in the title role, offering an extraordinary performance as the high priestess Medea whose love is threatened by corrupt political ambition. A vivid and aesthetically challenging vision, Medea is a complex blend of classical mythology and contemporary social criticism.

"Pasolini's sense of joy, poetry and composition are a constant inspiration to me." Martin Scorsese

Special Features

- Dual Format Edition: includes both the Blu-ray and the DVD of the film and the extras
- Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
- Original Italian language version
- Optional English language dub
- Original Italian and English trailers
- Illustrated booklet with critical writing, biography and film credits
- All films remastered to High Definition

[TMDaines]

Wording kind of states that their won't be any extras on the discs. I kind of expected more from the BFI. The Italian disk had a short, an interview about the film with Carlo Lizzani and some set footage. Luckily I won't be missing out on the short as it's on the US disk of La rabbia also. Still a definite buy, especially at the purchase price, but I kind of expected an extra minor Pasolini or a commentary or something.

[MichaelB]

Wording kind of states that their won't be any extras on the discs. I kind of expected more from the BFI. The Italian disk had a short, an interview about the film with Carlo Lizzani and some set footage. Luckily I won't be missing out on the short as it's on the US disk of La rabbia also. Still a definite buy, especially at the purchase price, but I kind of expected an extra minor Pasolini or a commentary or something.

The official release detailing the full specs isn't out yet - it's pretty clear from the wording that there should be extras, but they haven't been confirmed yet.

What generally happens is that retailers like Amazon want early info that they can supply to their customers weeks in advance of the final specs being locked down. So interim spec sheets get sent out that usually don't tell the full story - you'll see similar examples in a great many other BFI threads. Generally, they consist of truncated descriptions omitting some details that might not have been cleared or completed, although occasionally there are errors - for instance, Paul Rotha's Contact was erroneously listed as one of the shorts on From Turksib to Night Mail.

So these 'announcements' (which aren't official) have to be taken with a pinch of salt until the official press release is sent out. I post the latter within minutes of receipt, and also make it clear at the time that they're the full specs.

[TMDaines]

OK, cool. Maybe I misinterpreted it. I read it as the DVD and Blu of the film were distinct from the extras (i.e. the booklet). Hopefully we'll get a couple more curiosities.

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

Medea
A film by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring Maria Callas

Opera legend Maria Callas gives a magnificent performance in this mythical tale of love, betrayal and revenge written and directed by Italy’s most controversial director. Previously unavailable in the UK on DVD or Blu-ray, Medea is released by the BFI in a Dual Format Edition (containing both DVD & Blu-ray discs).

A fascinating collision of Freudian and Marxist themes, Medea is adapted from the drama written by Euripides. Pier Paolo Pasolini's disturbing vision of personal and national conflict saw Maria Callas in her only dramatic film role, giving an extraordinary performance as the high priestess whose love is threatened by corrupt political ambition.

This stunning restoration by the Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie features Pasolini’s preferred soundtrack with the voice of Maria Callas. Amongst the special features are two alternative audio options: the original Italian and English-language soundtracks.

Bold and uncompromising, Pasolini’s Medea is a complex blend of classical mythology and contemporary social criticism.

Special features
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• Newly-restored audio with the voice of Maria Callas
• Optional original Italian audio
• Optional English audio
• Original Italian trailer (3 mins)
• English-language teaser spot (1 min)
• International release elements (2 mins, DVD only)
• Illustrated booklet featuring essays, reviews and biography

Release date: 5 December 2011
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIB1088 / Cert 12
Italy, France, Germany / 1970 / colour / Italian language with optional English subtitles / 111 mins / original aspect ratio 1.85:1
Disc 1: BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / PCM mono 2.0 audio (48k/16-bit)
Disc 2: DVD5 / PAL / Dolby Digital mono 2.0 audio (320kbps)

[tenia]

BD50 but DVD5 ?

[TMDaines]

I guess if one really cared about PQ they'd have upgraded to Blu anyway by now.

Not sure how they managed to squeeze eight bullet points out of those "special features" but, anyway, it still looks good.

[zedz]

Not sure how they managed to squeeze eight bullet points out of those "special features" but, anyway, it still looks good.

And they forgot "animated menus" and "scene selection" and "widescreen presentation" too!

[knives]

Widescreen? How sexy.

[Person]

I have not seen this film. I have read some synopses of it and it sounds intriguing. Visually it seems striking, but how is the pace? I have imbibed Pasolini's films of this period and they felt slow to me. But Media looks gorgoeus judging by the old DVD reviews so a 1080p presentation is a good opportunity for me to see it!

[j99]

Bit disappointed by the paltry extras, even a Maria featurette would have been welcome if there was a lack of any extra Pasolini material. She spoke in glowing terms about him. Still, finally a release in the UK, and I no longer have to be in two minds about getting the expensive import on Amazon. Nice one BFI.

[zedz]

I have not seen this film. I have read some synopses of it and it sounds intriguing. Visually it seems striking, but how is the pace? I have imbibed Pasolini's films of this period and they felt slow to me. But Media looks gorgoeus judging by the old DVD reviews so a 1080p presentation is a good opportunity for me to see it!

Like a lot of Pasolini's films, the pacing and packaging of the narrative is idiosyncractic, but what he does in this film in that respect is a rather brilliant bit of back-footing which I don't think anybody else has ever attempted

SpoilerShow

in that the climax of the film plays out twice, once as prophesy and once as fact.

The immediate hook of the film, though, is that it features probably Pasolini's best-ever use of found landscape. Just about every scene unfolds in a real setting that seems dreamt. And obviously this is going to look even better on BluRay.

[MichaelB]

Zedz - I can't think of any other films that use that structure, but Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Mask of Orpheus does, and in a far more complex and involved way (in that it dominates the opera's entire structure, as opposed to a single scene).

But Orpheus was composed after Medea came out, and there's every likelihood Birtwistle would have seen it - it would appear to be spectacularly his sort of thing, given his longstanding interest in ritual theatre and Greek myth.

[knives]

To give a proto Medea version the Diamond Sutra plays out in a very similar way as the opera.

[Person]

The immediate hook of the film, though, is that it features probably Pasolini's best-ever use of found landscape. Just about every scene unfolds in a real setting that seems dreamt. And obviously this is going to look even better on BluRay.

I grok. I think I'll acquire this disc, not rent. Where was Medea shot, btw?

[MichaelB]

In common with the BFI's other Pasolini titles (and Italian titles in general), this is unavoidably Region B.

[colinr0380]

DVD Beaver on Medea