Claire Denis on DVD

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Message
Author
User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#26 Post by franco » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:29 pm

Edited for faulty information.

My apology, I always thought that Noel reviewed the Tartan at DVDTimes, but that's the French version!

I think Mr. Banana has the Tartan version, but it may be a while before he opens it.
Last edited by franco on Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:16 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
Miguel
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:15 pm

#27 Post by Miguel » Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:00 pm

Thanks for the link, but I also found a review that says it doesn't:
[...]so sadly the advertised directors audio commentary (which is still listed on the cover) is nowhere to be found.
Can anyone who owns the disc confirm this?

User avatar
NABOB OF NOWHERE
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
Location: Brandywine River

#28 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:08 am

Miguel wrote:Does anyone know if the Tartan UK Trouble Every Day comes with the Denis/Godard commentary from the French dvd?
Looking at it now and it doesn't. Only filmographies and a trailer.

User avatar
Miguel
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:15 pm

#29 Post by Miguel » Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:22 pm

Thanks for checking, Nabob. I've also received another confirmation that the commentary is indeed absent. Too bad.

User avatar
Len
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 7:48 pm
Location: Finland

#30 Post by Len » Mon Nov 21, 2005 9:20 am

Didn't like Trouble Every Day too much (except for the excellent soundtrack by The Tindersticks), but I've been meaning to check out some other works by Denis, as she seems to be one of the more interesting directors working in france nowadays. Any suggestions?

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#31 Post by zedz » Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:33 pm

Len wrote:Didn't like Trouble Every Day too much (except for the excellent soundtrack by The Tindersticks), but I've been meaning to check out some other works by Denis, as she seems to be one of the more interesting directors working in france nowadays. Any suggestions?
See above, but Beau travail is probably the consensus classic that's most readily available, and probably a much easier entry point than Trouble Every Day. Anything, basically.

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#32 Post by Kinsayder » Tue Nov 22, 2005 4:41 pm

franco wrote:As for S'en fout la mort and Nénette et Boni , there is still no word on the subtitles yet.
I have this and can confirm there are no subtitles on either disc.

User avatar
zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#33 Post by zedz » Tue Nov 22, 2005 5:12 pm

davidhare wrote:Nobody has mentioned Chocolat which is available on a decent MGM DVD and is as good an introduction to her work as anything. The transfer is nice but non-anamorphic.
I probably need to revisit this film (it's been seventeen years already!?), but, although I enjoyed it at the time, it didn't hit me as the revelation of a major talent (in the way that J'ai pas sommeil did and Nenette et Boni - my favourite - did all over again). I think it's definitely the easiest entry point, but my concern is that it misses out on much of the Denis magic (no Agnes! no Nelly!). On the other hand, any film with a soundtrack by Abdullah Ibrahim (the erstwhile Dollar Brand) deserves your attention.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#34 Post by franco » Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:13 pm

The menu for the Tartan L'Intrus is up :D

acquarello
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:22 am
Contact:

#35 Post by acquarello » Sun Nov 27, 2005 3:53 pm

For those getting ready to tackle L'Intrus for the first time, I definitely suggest seeing Denis' segment Vers Nancy on Ten Minutes Older: The Cello as a primer (available on an R3 Korean disc) which features Jean-Luc Nancy, author of the novel L'Intrus. It doesn't really decipher Denis' vision, but it does add another dimension to the film's recurring theme of assimilation and rejection and notions of "foreign-ness".

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#36 Post by franco » Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:11 pm

The review for L'Intrus is up on DVDTimes :D

User avatar
Arn777
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:10 am
Location: London

#37 Post by Arn777 » Mon Dec 05, 2005 7:50 pm

Hmmm, I was going to get this but I noticed the running time listed by DVD Times is only 92 minutes, whereas it was over 2 hours for the French TV broadcast and theatrical release, which explains why Tartan put in on a one layer dvd. I wonder what is going on here, over half an hour missing is not good.

User avatar
Miguel
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:15 pm

#38 Post by Miguel » Mon Dec 05, 2005 7:51 pm

It also seemed longer to me in the theater, but
dvdtimes wrote:The Intruder is released in the UK by Tartan in PAL format on a dual-layer disc.

User avatar
Arn777
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:10 am
Location: London

#39 Post by Arn777 » Tue Dec 06, 2005 6:16 am

Strange, I would swear that the first time I read that review it said in the text that it was a single layer disc. I have checked on the Tartan website and the running time is 121 minutes, so it must be a mistake on the DVD Times review.

User avatar
Barmy
Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 3:59 pm

#40 Post by Barmy » Fri May 05, 2006 1:04 pm

Now out in R1 with one of those cuddly dogs on the cover.

User avatar
Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

#41 Post by Oedipax » Fri May 05, 2006 3:50 pm

Any word on the transfer? I have the R2 Tartan which looks very nice but I'd like to hear whether it's been properly transferred for R1, or if it's yet another ghosting-laden quickie.

User avatar
Subbuteo
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:10 am
Location: Hampshire, UK

#42 Post by Subbuteo » Sat May 06, 2006 8:28 am

Oedipax wrote:Any word on the transfer? I have the R2 Tartan which looks very nice but I'd like to hear whether it's been properly transferred for R1, or if it's yet another ghosting-laden quickie.
Am I right in thinking the R1 is Fox 'fuckin' Lorber? If so Tartan gets my vote!

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#43 Post by franco » Thu May 18, 2006 1:39 pm

What the hell is this? I have never been so creeped out by a DVD cover before.

User avatar
Barmy
Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 3:59 pm

#44 Post by Barmy » Thu May 18, 2006 1:43 pm

I guess they are trying to market it to horror buffs.

User avatar
Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

#45 Post by Oedipax » Thu May 18, 2006 3:11 pm

Does anyone know if there's a difference between the two UK releases of Trouble Every Day? The teeth cover one goes for £3.97 and the other a whopping £19.99. Different transfers? Different extras? Did Tartan lose the rights? If anyone can shed some light on this I'd be very thankful. As a Denis fan, I'm pretty much required to order it for £3.97, provided it isn't an awful disc.

Anonymous

#46 Post by Anonymous » Sun Jul 02, 2006 2:29 am

I remember when I was first exposed to Claire Denis at the Melbourne International Film Festival, where they had a retrospective of her films (around when Beau Travail did the rounds). Unfortunately I couldn't see all her films then, but with those I did see (I Can't Sleep, Chocolat, No Fear No Die) I was struck by the feeling that I believe the films could've run for 5 hours and I would've been just as inthralled. Not since Tarkovsky and Marker had I seen cinema so mesmerising.
and the sound and cinematography just keep getting better (though I thought Friday Night's imagery was so perfect it actually became too distracting, and I didn't quite enjoy this as much). I'd love to hear someone's thoughts on the US DVD of I Can't Sleep, as has been mentioned Denis get's rather neglected on DVD (just like Tsai Ming-Liang). I wish Wellspring would just die die die!

On Trouble Every Day, I remember not thinking much the first time I saw it, but since have seen it a few times and find it gets better each time. Naturally the Tindersticks s/track (something missing also from Friday Night) is wonderful, but the mood it creates is amazing. And Intruder, I really need to see again - Mirror is a very good comparison for the effect on the viewer it creates.

One last thing - Denis' films like all great celuloid need to be seen at the cinema to be truly appreciated, you just can't immerse yourself in them on a TV screen...

I think i could keep talking forever right now :roll:
Adam

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#47 Post by franco » Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:31 am

I find Trouble Every Day utterly enthralling. The character interactions are so rich in details and so intense in emotions that I cannot take my eyes away. My favorite scene has to be the one when Shane and June, after entering their hotel room, attempt to make out on the bed that is yet to be made. When they finally register the presence of the maid, June starts to help her with the bed sheet. It's one of these moments, for me, that not only change the way I see things, but also change the things I see. (Phrase stolen from here)

Having read Nancy's essay and done a few comparisons, I now find L'Intrus far more straight-forward and umambiguous than, say, Beau Travail. What Denis has done here is taking Nancy's abstract concepts and inserting them into the connotative space of her images. Her achievement is indeed remarkable in translating someone's stream of consciousness into an image discourse.

For instance, Denis illustrates Nancy's idea of dual identities (brought by the foreign heart) by literally having character doubles. For Nancy, this stranger also seems to have always lain dormant within him. Certainly the idea of a dormant intruder coming from within is brought alive by Louis' alter ego or conscience – Katia's role. Similarly, Sidney's immense longing for his father finds its resonance in the wild woman, who is constantly searching for something and eventually finds her way to Louis' abandoned cabin. As though following her footsteps, Sidney will also find his way to the same location and wear the very same crown of thorns that the wild woman has once put on.
SpoilerShow
Considering its connotation, one may find the final revelation less unexpected, although not in any degree less poignant.
It's really fun and rewarding to decode L'Intrus. I encourage anyone who still haven't done so to seek out Nancy's original essay.

Anonymous

#48 Post by Anonymous » Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:08 am

franco wrote:It's really fun and rewarding to decode L'Intrus. I encourage anyone who still haven't done so to seek out Nancy's original essay.
when you say essay do you mean his book that Denis based her film on, or the segment that acquarello mentioned in Ten Minutes Older? Does anyone know if the book can be found in English (for the sadly mono-lingual among us)?

by the way zedz, if fairly certain Chocolat has cinematography by Agnes Godard, she's been with Denis since the beginning... and those who haven't should read this fantastic interview with Denis from 2000

User avatar
Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

#49 Post by Oedipax » Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:28 am

entizari wrote:Does anyone know if the book can be found in English (for the sadly mono-lingual among us)?
Indeed it can - here it is as a pdf

Edit: Also, not to be a pain in the ass about it, but does no one really know the difference (if any) between the R2 Trouble Every Day releases?
Last edited by Oedipax on Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#50 Post by franco » Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:28 am

Yes, I meant Nancy's short story. the English translation can be found here but you need access to a library network.

That's right, it's Agnes Godard for Chocolat. At least she's hanging around on the set.

Here's also an insightful essay

EDIT: Oh thanks Oedipax :D

Post Reply