15 / BD 9 The Cremator

[AidanKing]

I suspect that, based on the additional extras and the improved master, Second Run would be able to sell a significant number of copies of an upgraded DVD as well as a BluRay. Whether it would be worth going to the expense of mastering a DVD as well as a BluRay would have to be taken into consideration, of course, but I think it would be worth Second Run looking into it.

[Ribs]

SR's newsletter describes this release as the first in a series of upgrades for some of their most popular titles.

[Caligula]

I dearly hope Makk's Love is receiving serious consideration for a BD-upgrade

[jbeall]

SR's newsletter describes this release as the first in a series of upgrades for some of their most popular titles.

And with Herz's short for Pearls of the Deep included as an extra.

Available for the first time anywhere on Blu-ray, our release will contain a host of extra special features including the world-premiere release of Herz's 1965 debut, the short film The Junk Shop, originally to have been part of the omnibus film Pearls of the Deep from stories by Bohumil Hrabal. In addition, our Blu-ray will also feature a new audio commentary by critic and editor Kat Ellinger and an introduction by the exceptional Quay Brothers. The Cremator Blu-ray will be available from December 11.

[swo17]

[Bikey]

THE CREMATOR Blu-ray now just £13.30 pre-order at
Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cremator-Blu-r ... 8&qid=&sr=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MichaelB]

A tiny quibble about the extras - The Junk Shop was included on the Czech DVD of Pearls of the Deep, so it's not technically a world premiere. However, it undoubtedly is the world premiere release of an English-friendly version, and very possibly in any medium including 35mm.

[Bikey]

Full details of this release now up at our website

[Bikey]

THE CREMATOR Blu-ray is OUT TODAY!
First reviews at Backseat Mafia: "clever, disturbing and powerful expressionistic horror"

5-star review at Psychotronic Cinema

Still just £13.30 at Amazon UK
2-for-£25 at HMV UK

[Bikey]

"THE CREMATOR is a demented and twisted film that is an absolute essential to watch for any fan of the Czech New Wave or the Left Bank that Herz emerged from, like his contemporaries Jan Švankmajer and Eduard Grecner. Honestly, this makes the works of Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier look like farcical comedies in comparison. This Second Run Blu-Ray is must have for the holidays"

Aidan Fatkin reviews at The Geek Show

[Bikey]

"This is a very impressive release... a giant leap over the SD transfer of over 11 year ago. It is significantly sharper, has beautifully layered contrast, exports depth and looks great in-motion. Wow... With the commentary and Podcast THE CREMATOR gains a whole new appreciation and the 1080P visuals dynamically augment the viewing experience. What a deeply layered, entertaining and visually appealing film. Bravo to Second Run - one of the most impressive releases of the entire year... and it's Region FREE! Our highest recommendation!"

DVD Beaver

[Bikey]

"The wild, often startling creative fever running through THE CREMATOR... A fantastic new HD transfer overseen by the Czech National Film Archive. Detail is improved significantly and looks startling even in wide outdoor shots, with perfect deep blacks giving the entire presentation a fine sense of depth."

Mondo Digital review Juraj Herz's Czech New Wave horror fantasy

[Bikey]

"If you've never seen this film, then you're in for a dark and inventive treat, but even if you do have the earlier DVD, I'd consider this release an essential upgrade, for the considerable improvement in the image quality and the newly added and consistently excellent special features. Highly recommended."

Cine Outsider review Herz's THE CREMATOR

[Bikey]

Just published on radio and in print - an interview with Second Run's Mehelli Modi on our new Blu-ray release of Herz's THE CREMATOR
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffr ... e-cremator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bikey]

"The transfer is absolutely gorgeous, with deep, rich blacks and impressive clarity throughout. Viewed on a nearly 100-inch projected screen, the fine detail and film-like grain reproduction are fantastic."

Dusty Somers reviews THE CREMATOR at World Cinema Paradise

[Bikey]

"This singular, incantatory work fuses hard political history in the post-war period with experimental horror... a fascinating and frighteningly realistic film about how politics often defies rational thought, self-preservation and, most of all, idle sentiment"

David Jenkins reviews THE CREMATOR in the latest Little White Lies magazine

[Bikey]

DVD Compare

[Bikey]

"A masterpiece of ‘Absurdist Horror’... It is electrifying, and it is terrifying, and as a film I cannot recommend it enough."

An excellent new essay by Neil Snowden on Herz's THE CREMATOR in the latest Diabolique Magazine

[Bikey]

"A marvel, once seen, never forgotten... The film's Gothic allure has never looked better in this new transfer.
Superb all round."

Trevor Johnston reviews in the latest Sight & Sound magazine

[Bikey]

R.I.P. JURAJ HERZ

We have just heard the very sad news that filmmaker Juraj Herz has passed away aged 83.

Herz's leaves an extraordinary legacy, a body of work that includes his dark masterpieces The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol, 1968) and Oil Lamps (Petrolejové lampy, 1971), the delirious Morgiana (1972), and his own striking, and decidedly dark version of Beauty and the Beast (Panna a netvor, 1978).

Second Run are proud of our long association with this great man of international cinema - and honoured to have called him a friend.

Radio Prague announcement: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/news/cre ... dies-at-83" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;