DVD Releases in Spain

[Scharphedin2]

Films available on DVD in Spain are occasionally commented upon in various threads throughout the forum, but not many people appear to have actually seen any of these DVDs. I thought it would be interesting to throw a thread out there in the hope that we have some people around, who can comment on the quality of some of these releases.

To begin with, I have seen positive comments about a number of Divisa Red's releases -- especially some of their silent film DVDs have been compared favorably to DVDs of the same films in other countries. Going through their catalogue, I noticed a number of interesting titles that I do not remember seeing in other countries. To name just a couple: Bryan Forbes' Cuando El Viento Silba/Whistle Down the Wind (1961), Jerzy Skolimowski's El Crito/The Shout (1978) and Maximilian Schell's First Love (1970).

They also have a newly released collection of Samuel Bronston's epics: El Cine Épico de Samuel Bronston (inluding King of Kings, 55 Days in Peking, Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid and Circus World). In this article + the enlargedimage of the box, it claims that the films are "nueva remasterzación"?! I own a couple of the Japanese Bronston releases, which Beaver recommended a year or so ago, and they are fine. However, they are costly, and if these are even newer and better transfers, it would be very exciting. Anyone know anything about this?

Aside from Divisa, the label Suevia has dozens of classic American films available in a Seleccion Clasicos De Oro line. Many of these have not been released in the States or UK before. They are inexpensive, so the only question is, whether the quality is decent?

There are many other interesting releases, which I hope other forum members will link up to this thread and discuss.

One final title -- that I remember Jonathan Rosenbaum giving high marks in Cinemascope magazine, and which has apparently recently been re-released -- is Emir Kusturica's El Sueno de Arizona/Arizona Dream. I know, the cover fits right into one of our most popular threads around here, but apparently there is a very long interview with Depp or Kusturica, as well as (if I remember correctly) almost 30 minutes of extra scenes. A field day for anyone fond of this strange little film.

[Tommaso]

The thing about the divisa red silents is not that they are as good generally as other releases of the same films (quite definitely the MoC transfers of Lang and Murnau are much superior), but that divisa has managed to put them out before anybody else did in reasonable quality, and that they always retain the original titles which makes them at least preferable to Kino. But if you're looking for, say, "Nosferatu", "Woman in the Moon", or "Tabu", wait for the forthcoming MoC's. They will be more expensive, but clearly far ahead.

In Spain there is a good selection of Eisenstein silents at a ridiculously cheap price, all of which have optional English subs. Of course these are the 70s versions from Mosfilm of "October", "Que viva Mexico", and "Potemkin" with those awful Shostakovitch soundtracks, but they don't look worse than the available alternatives and might be grabbed if you're ordering something anyway.

A great dvd I haven't yet ordered (as it's a fnac.es exclusive, and they have rather forbidding shipping costs apparently) is a double dvd edition with English subs of Victor Erice's "Sol del membrillo", a masterpiece film which unbelievably hasn't been taken by Criterion yet. There's also a dvd of Erice's second film "El Sur", but that doesn't seem to have any subs.

[Scharphedin2]

Thanks for the suggestions Tommaso.

The Eisenstein releases are a great suggestion -- I really want to see these again, and can't continue waiting for Criterion.

Now, here I may display both ignorance and unpopular taste, but were the Shostakovich scores not originally commisioned for Eisenstien's films? I remember seeing Battleship with Shostakovich's score, and I have to admit, I thought it worked very well (what is more, I have to admit I actually remember liking the score in and of itself). What is awful about them?

[vogler]

In my opinion there is only one dvd of Battleship Potemkin worth considering and that is the French DVD from Films Sans Frontieres. The image quality is far better than the other versions that I have seen. It also features three soundtracks; the Shostakovich, a score by Krioukov (which I haven't actually listened to) and a recording of the score by Edmund Meisel which is magnificent. The Meisel score was the original score commissioned for the film when it became a success in Germany and this is the first dvd release to restore this music. It was composed with a certain amount of collaboration with Eisenstein and is a very effective score. Apparently in Russia the film had only previously been shown with bland organ accompaniment. Unless the Spanish dvd features this score and the better quality print then I'd advise getting the Films Sans Frontieres. Especially since it also features an excellent copy of The General Line which I find to be one of Eisenstein's greatest films. Both films feature the Russian intertitles with optional English or French subtitles. The dvd also features Eisenstein's 1923 short film Glumov's Diary.

Here are some DVDBeaver comparisons/reviews.

Battleship Potemkin
The General Line

In my opinion this is an absolutely essential DVD. If the Spanish dvds feature these versions of the films then they would be well worth getting but otherwise this is the one to buy.

[Tommaso]

No, the Spanish dvd looks identical to the Eureka R2 printwise (and has only English intertitles), although the image is far better (no contrast boosting here, the Eureka is close to unwatchable because of this). Thanks for the advice on the French discs, then, Vogler!
However, the Spanish "October" and " Que Viva Mexico" discs both have the Films sans Frontieres logo at the start, so I suppose that these may be the same as the French discs (and they look far better than "Potemkin", too), but don't shoot me if they're not. For "The General Line" you might consider the German arte edition release, however, as this has a new reconstruction of the film following Eisenstein's original cut as closely as was possible (before the film got butchered and re-cut by Stalin's censors), and it runs 131 min now as opposed to the 120 min. on the French disc. It looks very good, too, and has a very good new soundtrack. Only shortcoming is that there are only German subs (removable).

I don't like the Shostakovitch scores simply because they are nothing more than excerpts from his symphonies, the more 'dramatic' parts of it, and using this as film music doesn't do justice to the critical intention that the composer laid into the music (critical of Stalin, by all means) and transforms it into a constant onslaught of orchestral agitation. It tries to underline the 'patriotism' and the propagandistic aspects of the films, and as these are the bits that I dislike in Eisenstein anyway, I would like to have something less of a knock-out character.

[peerpee]

I'd hang on re: POTEMKIN. Lotsa activity coming later this year. (Not MoC)

[Tommaso]

I'd hang on re: POTEMKIN. Lotsa activity coming later this year. (Not MoC)

The oracle has spoken, and I may interpret it this way: a new British edition featuring the Meisel soundtrack plus the one from the Pet Shop Boys... if not from MoC, then (PLEASE!!) from the bfi.

[vogler]

The oracle has spoken, and I may interpret it this way: a new British edition featuring the Meisel soundtrack plus the one from the Pet Shop Boys... if not from MoC, then (PLEASE!!) from the bfi.

The Pet Shop Boys! - jesus christ, I'd projectile vomit all over the T.V! I might have to DVDshrink that off of there just in case I play it by accident and my poor ears get exposed to those wretched noises.

Good news about the dvd though and I reckon it's going to be the BFI. Can't wait.

Back on the subject of Spanish dvds does anyone know anything about a Spanish dvd of Caught (or Atrapados for the Spanish) by Max Ophuls. I keep seeing it on ebay and I'm very tempted. I believe there is also a French version. I have no idea what the quality of either of these is like. Also does anyone know a good online retailer for Spanish dvds? It would be nice to have a browse somewhere to see what's available.

[Kinsayder]

The French Caught was sampled in the Screen Captures thread.

As for Spanish DVD sites, I always use DVDGO. If you click on that link you should get the English-friendly interface. Delivery can be steep, but they send by fast courier (generally 2 days Spain->UK for in-stock items).

[Scharphedin2]

So Kinsayder, I just noticed your screen caps for Woman In the Window (Spanish release). You comment that it has some challenges both with the audio and the video. The stills do not look pristine, but I would not really expect them to either. In your opinion (when the film is playing), is the experience so poor as to not be worth it? In layman's terms are we talking quality a la Editions Montparnasse? Alpha?

[Kinsayder]

It's a muddy image, watchable but with lots of detail lost in the night scenes (of which there are many). I'd love to replace my Spanish DVD with a better edition, but as this seems to be the only version available and as it's only 5.96 Euros at DVDGO, I'd be an idiot not to recommend it if you're eager to see the film.

Edit: Yes, comparable quality to some of those thinpak Montparnasse noirs.

[Scharphedin2]

I went ahead and ordered a batch of Spanish released DVDs through DVDGo. The shipping was about €20 to Denmark, but the package arrived within 24 hours!!

As for the discs, it was something of a mixed experience. I skimmed through each release, and here are my initial reactions:

Distant Drums (Raoul Walsh, 1951) -- This technicolor film looks strange -- vibrant green foliage in some scenes, and very faded color palette in others. In general, I would say this is about the quality of Optimum's Rancho Notorious.

Roughshod (Mark Robson, 1949) -- The image qulity of this Black and White RKO film is very similar to Editions Montparnasse's The Big Sky, so dare I recommend it?

Jubal (Delmer Daves, 1956) -- This is a Sony release, so I would expect it to be of near the same quality as the R1 release. It is a widescreen color western, but the image looks rather bland.

The Assassination of Trotsky (Joseph Losey, 1972) -- The image on this disc looks a little faded, but I actually think it is fairly close to how it was intended to look (maybe someone who knows the film can comment). The scenes I looked at had a documentary-like quality, and the image seemed to be in line with this general approach. Aside from that, it is an interesting title that I have always been curious to see, and as far as I know it has never been available in R1 or R2.

Arizona Dream -- This is of course a much more recent film, and it looks good. The attraction here are the 15 minutes of deleted scenes, and 40 minute interview with Johnny Depp.

The Epic Cinema of Samuel Bronston -- As mentioned above, this box includes the five international mega-productions that Bronston produced in Southern Europe in the early sixties. It says on the box that the films have been remastered, and some of the films look quite good, while a couple look mediocre. King of Kings has the strongest and clearest image, as far as I can tell. I own the Japanese edition of Fall of the Roman Empire that DVDBeaver reviewed, and comparing the same scene from that release with this Spanish edition, I really see no difference, so even if this is the only title of interest, the price of the full Spanish set is about equivalent to the Japanese DVD, and then you get the other four titles for free. And, although I do not own the other Japanese releases, I would say that based on Beaver's stills and comments, I would be surprised if these are not the same transfers. Certainly, El Cid looks the weakest of them all, with 55 Days and Circus World being maybe a notch below Roman Empire, yet slightly better than El Cid. At €30 I would certainly recommend this set to anyone, who is interested in seeing these films.

EDIT: Subsequently I have found that Assassination of Trotsky actually did see a release in R1 not too long ago. Details are up at Amazon.

[nyasa]

Can anyone recommend some good shops to buy locally produced DVDs - new or used - in Madrid and Valencia? I'm going to be visiting both cities in the next couple of weeks.

[Lino]

Well, I haven't been to Madrid in ages but both Fnac and the El Corte Ingles are very big stores and I'm sure you can find what you're looking for in them.

As for smaller shops, I really couldn't tell you. Also, keep you eyes out for titles that might be in "Promocion".

[Paupau]

MediaMarkt and Carrefour also have great prices.

[Trelkovsky]

Have you tried this? It explains how to cancel your order.

[rockysds]

Does anyone know anything about the quality of this 12 disc release of DeMille silents which at present sells for 7,40 euro (85% off).

[zedz]

At that price it's probably worth just taking a punt on it, regardless of quality! Note that it may be a misprice, as the listing claims it's only one disc.

[Tommaso]

Also note that it apparently only has Spanish intertitles.

[George Kaplan]

In April, apparently, Sony Spain published a series of titles, called "Columbia Essential Classics", including
Frank Borzage's MAN'S CASTLE;
John Ford's THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING;
Frank Capra's THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN;
Nicholas Ray's HOT BLOOD;
among others such as,
THEODORA GOES WILD,
LADIES IN RETIREMENT,
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU,
THE STRANGER WORE A GUN,
A GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING,
MR. SARDONICUS,
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE,
STRAIT-JACKET,
MAROONED,
I WALK THE LINE,
HARDCORE,
and SHEENA QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE.

Also, a line titled, and searchable on Amazon.es as, Clásicos Años '50, containing about 14 titles.

It appears that both lines of titles are published DVDs as opposed to burn-on-demand discs.

[Jonathan S]

Thanks for the info. I've had my eye on one or two of these for a while but there are more which interest me (though I have the UK editions of the Capra and Ray). Does anyone know for sure if the Spanish subs are optional? (i.e. removable without re-burning, which would be beyond me).

I've noticed that some Warner classics such as Juarez and The Sea Wolf are also available - presumably on pressed DVDs - in Spain. Can anyone comment on the quality and especially the optionality of subs for that series too (not necessarily those titles)?

[rohmerin]

Wellcome to Spain, I mean, be aware.
They are not 100% sony DVDs. It's a Canary Island sub company (impulso) that make the DVDs using SONY licenses. After destroying too much WB and Fox films in cropped, VHS, pan / scan, pixeled prints, DIVX quality, now Impulso works with and for Sony.

Some Impulso DVDs are good (like some Fox if these films are in USA), some are not (WB classics were mostly massacred).

Juarez is in the middle of a VHS to a DVD.

Nope, nobody owns Man's castle yet.

http://www.mundodvd.com/coleccion-colum ... s-91455/5/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TMDaines]

If Human Desire is part of this line then be careful: that one is P&S and has crappy quality.