are two new versions of F.W. Murnau’s immortal Sunrise. And you don’t need any special player to enjoy them, hence the slight name change of my column to the Foreign DVD Report, at The Auteurs’ as always.
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Glenn KennyJanuary 5, 2010
I should probably see this sometime…
You got a pull-quote in the new Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer. But they probably contacted you about that right? It’s from your post about the trailer, no?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB9ya5KW9p4
Apperantly it’s not, you must have seen the entire thing then.
Speaking of Mr. Fox, why isn’t it playing in the New York Film Festival? An odd omission…
John: It’s premiering as the opening night film of the London Film Festival (and the AFI film festival) and I assume London wanted the première. There were rumors of it playing Venice but it did not. Makes sense anyway, British author and animation crew.
Indeed, I have seen the whole thing—and very much loved it—and will post the full review as soon as I can without irritating the forces who were kind enough to let me see it. Which should be pretty soon.
Watched a snippet of Sunrise in class the other day. It reminded me of how completely and utterly amazing it is, and how it’s been way, way too long (six, seven years?) since I’ve watched it all the way through.
One tiny, niggling little correction though – the Fox Standard DVD isn’t just available in the Murnau/Borzage box; it’s also still around as part of the Fox Studio Classics “Best Picture Winners” set:
http://www.amazon.com/Studio-Classics-Collection-Gentlemans-Agreement/dp/B0000AINLS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1254315546&sr=1–2
Only $25, apparently in stock, and very much worth it for Sunrise alone.
Thanks for drawing attention to this magnificent blu-ray disc, Glenn. The scene where George O’Brien breaks down in church and begs Janet Gaynor’s forgiveness is indeed the greatest shit ever.
@Mark VH: I’m not sure if the version you cite was made from the 2008 high-def master that’s the source for the versions I took screengrabs from. I’ll try to find out.
@GK – No need, it’s not. I’d assumed Fox used the same transfer for Murnau, Borzage and Fox, but this disc was released way back in 2002, so it’s definitely not the same.
I forgot how long and involved O’Brien/Gaynor’s urban getaway (post-rowboat-crisis) is in this movie. It’s huge! And so elaborate. Yet Murnau’s handling of the image and the emotional arc it inscribes is never less than assured.
Glenn, I’m also interested in your thoughts on AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN. Indiewire tells me you gave it an A.
I for one can already barely remember it. Seemed to me an almost perversely minor film.
Lot of those going around at NYFF this year…