The Comfort of Strangers

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MichaelB
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The Comfort of Strangers

#1 Post by MichaelB » Wed May 16, 2018 11:16 am

Dual Format edition confirmed for July 23rd.
The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader


Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett) first fell in love on a romantic holiday in Venice, Italy. Now four years later, they have returned to rekindle their romance and determine where their relationship is headed. What they don't know is why an English-speaking Venetian (Christopher Walken Pulp Fiction) is following them, watching them, and taking pictures. Soon they learn they are involved in a bizarre tale of sex, voyeurism, deception and passion. Oscar® winner Helen Mirren plays Walken's wife in a film that will take you into the dark world of charming yet dangerous strangers.

Written by the great Harold Pinter from a novel by Ian McEwan, the film was directed by Paul Schrader (director of American Gigolo and Blue Collar, and writer of Taxi Driver).

Special features
• Archive interview with Paul Schrader
• Original theatrical trailer
• Other extras TBC
• Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film and on Harold Pinter, full film credits

US | 1990 | colour | 104 minutes | 1 x BD50 / Region B | DVD9 x 1 /Region 2 | Cert 15

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MichaelB
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#2 Post by MichaelB » Fri May 18, 2018 9:42 am

Image

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swo17
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#3 Post by swo17 » Fri May 18, 2018 10:20 am

That's...not a very "12" cover.

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Lost Highway
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#4 Post by Lost Highway » Fri May 18, 2018 11:06 am

swo17 wrote:That's...not a very "12" cover.
In Europe, it is !

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tenia
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#5 Post by tenia » Fri May 18, 2018 11:07 am

Would even be PG in France.
EDIT : and that's not even a joke. We've had topless Crazy Horse dancer on-screen during the evening news on the first French national channel a few years ago, for instance.

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swo17
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#6 Post by swo17 » Fri May 18, 2018 11:21 am

I was thinking it was more of a "15" cover, which in any case is the actual rating for the film.

M Sanderson
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#7 Post by M Sanderson » Sat May 26, 2018 2:36 am

Very positive announcement of a beautiful and strange, sensual and cerebral film. Any ideas about the transfer?

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#8 Post by hans_lucas » Sun May 27, 2018 7:44 am

M Sanderson wrote:
Sat May 26, 2018 2:36 am
Very positive announcement of a beautiful and strange, sensual and cerebral film. Any ideas about the transfer?
I share your sentiment - one of my favourite films of the 90s. I have the German Koch Blu-ray, and besides from a massive amount of speckles and debris, the transfer is actually quite beautiful and film-like looking.

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#9 Post by M Sanderson » Mon May 28, 2018 9:15 am

Off the shelf but healthy MGM transfer with a good encode, then, by the sounds of it?

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rapta
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#10 Post by rapta » Tue May 29, 2018 8:23 am

I watched this on Netflix UK recently. Can anyone compare that transfer with the Koch Media disc?

hans_lucas
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#11 Post by hans_lucas » Tue May 29, 2018 7:20 pm

M Sanderson wrote:
Mon May 28, 2018 9:15 am
Off the shelf but healthy MGM transfer with a good encode, then, by the sounds of it?
That's how I'd put it. It's rough, but anyone who's used to old 35-mm-projections will handle it. Maybe the BFI will use the Koch master, but perform their own clean-up work, who knows...

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#12 Post by Rupert Pupkin » Tue May 29, 2018 11:28 pm

I really hope a stunning transfer like Criterion Mishima.
Is there some info about the transfer ? when there's only written HD remastering I'm a bit reluctant and afraid to see just a fair HDTV transfer on blu)ray (like for "The Passenger" by Indicator but I couldn't wait for anotehr release)

This is one of my favorite Paul Shrader movie from this era (what I would call the "arty" era). Christopher Walken was amazing (and so was Rupert ;-). This is one of the best movies at Venise (my favorite being Nicolas Roeg "Don't Look Now"; close to "Mort à Venise" - and there's also Dario Argento part from "Stendhal Syndrome")- and I love the artwork A LOT- if only the photography of the movie will get the transfer it deserves.
Unfortunately they screwed up "Cat People" (the French Blu-Ray has slighlty less DNR but it doesn't worth it). I really hope that they will re-release one day "Cat People". Too bad for Nastassia...

They did a great transfer for "Auto-focus" which was one of those great Paul Shrader movie while M.Scorsese was really disappointing (I love how P.Shrader achieved to make a perfect film with his typical sex-obssession themes (with great acting, photography and editing) and how Paul Shrader treat the obsession-compulsive syndrome, the "moral issue" (some great scenes with his wife or the preacher), and the strange duet with Willem Dafoe (amazing) - Maria Bello was hot as ever with this Nelly Olson (little house in the prairie) blonde haircut) - In the meantime, I love all these details about the video and hi-fi era which is the background of the movie (and which was one the background "rise and fall" of PT Anderson "Boogie Nights"). What a great Blu-Ray by Twilight Time. (sorry for the aparté about "Auto-focus")

M Sanderson
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#13 Post by M Sanderson » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:42 am

I also like Schrader a lot, going back to the Mark Cousins hosted Moviedrome.

Yes Mishima (Criterion) and Auto Focus (Twilight Time) are on my radar.

Enjoyed Indicator’s good disc of the great Blue Collar and their great disc or the very good Hardcore.

Hope Comfort of Strangers gets an astounding release but when companies are sketchy on the details of the transfer it usually means off the shelf with hopefully clean up work without digital manipulation and hopefully a strong encode.

Shame about the flawed releases of Cat People, a film I admire for its gloomy and exotic romanticism, it’s splashes of colour, and intoxicating mood.

Struggling to find Adam Resurrected on Blu ray. I know it’s been released but fear it’s OOP.

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#14 Post by antnield » Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:12 am

Specs have appeared on Amazon:

- Audio commentary by director Paul Schrader, newly recorded for this release
- Prospectus for a Course Not Given: The Paul Schrader Film Masterclass (1982, 110 mins, audio only): Paul Schrader provides an illuminating precis of the film he had recently presented in America
- Paul Schrader Guardian Interview (1993, 85 mins, audio only): the director discusses films and filmmaking with critic Derek Malcolm
- Venice in War Time (1918, 1 min), The Glass Makers of Murano, Venice (1928, 4 mins), City Lights (1963, 3 mins): fascinating glimpses of Venice in archive film
- Theatrical trailer
- Fully illustrated booklet with full film credits and new writing by film historian Dr Deborah Allison, Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington, and Little White Lies essayist Paul Fairclough

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MichaelB
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#15 Post by MichaelB » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:04 am

Full specs announced:
The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader

Natasha Richardson, Rupert Everett, Christopher Walken, Helen Mirren


See a short clip here

Dual Format Edition release on 24 September 2018

With a sharp–edged screenplay by playwright Harold Pinter, adapting Ian McEwan’s haunting novel, and chillingly directed by Paul Schrader (First Reformed), The Comfort of Strangers leads viewers on a shadowy, dreamlike journey towards the darkest realms of human experience. On 24 September the BFI will release it on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, presented in a Dual Format Edition.

Amongst the special features is a brand new commentary by Paul Schrader, recorded just last month exclusively for the BFI, and cinematographer Dante Spinotti has specially written a piece for the accompanying booklet.

Jaded lovers Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince) attempt to reinvigorate their flagging relationship with a romantic trip to Venice. Soon, though, they find themselves drawn into in a complex web of deceit, passion, perversion and sexual intrigue, subtly spun by mysterious Robert (Christopher Walken), who resides nearby in palatial splendour with his wife Caroline (Helen Mirren).

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Harold Pinter, one of the most important and influential British playwrights of the last century. This release follows BFI Southbank’s two month season – Pinter on Screen: Power, Sex & Politics – which concluded at the end of August.

Special features
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• Audio commentary by director Paul Schrader, newly recorded for this release
Prospectus for a Course Not Given: The Paul Schrader Film Masterclass (1982, 100 mins, audio only): Paul Schrader provides an illuminating precis of the film course he had recently presented in America
Paul Schrader Guardian Interview (1993, 85 mins, audio only): the director discusses films and filmmaking with critic Derek Malcolm
Venice in War Time (1918, 1 min), The Glass Makers of Murano, Venice (1928, 4 mins), City Lights (1964, 3 mins): fascinating glimpses of Venice in archive film
• Theatrical trailer
• Illustrated booklet with full film credits and new writing by cinematographer Dante Spinotti, film historian Dr Deborah Allison, The Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington, and Little White Lies essayist Paul Fairclough

Italy/UK / 1990 / colour / 105 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / aspect ratio 1.85:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320kbps)

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#16 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:32 am

MichaelB wrote:
Wed Sep 05, 2018 10:04 am
Full specs announced:
The Comfort of Strangers
Directed by Paul Schrader



This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Harold Pinter, one of the most important and influential British playwrights of the last century. This release follows BFI Southbank’s two month season – Pinter on Screen: Power, Sex & Politics – which concluded at the end of August.
And thus it is a shame that there are no Pinter specific extras

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MichaelB
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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#17 Post by MichaelB » Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:05 am

I suspect that's the subject of Michael Billington's piece in the booklet, what with him being Pinter's biographer.

But I know from the experience of co-producing Indicator's The Pumpkin Eater that there's very little useful Pinter material in the archives, given that BBC stuff is usually off limits. Even something tantalisingly labelled Guardian Lecture: Harold Pinter turned out to be exclusively about one obscure film (which was neither The Pumpkin Eater nor The Comfort of Strangers), and disappointingly brief.

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Re: The Comfort of Strangers

#18 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Wed Sep 05, 2018 12:26 pm

I'm really glad to see that Dante Spinotti wrote something for the release! I love his work with Mann and forgot he also worked with Schrader.

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