Cohen Film Collection

Vinegar Syndrome, Deaf Crocodile, Imprint, Cinema Guild, and more.
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Florinaldo
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:38 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#626 Post by Florinaldo » Sun May 24, 2020 10:45 pm

kekid wrote:
Sun Apr 12, 2020 7:58 pm
Amazon Prime has two versions of Tavernier's documentary on French cinema. One is called "My Journey through French Cinema", which is 192 minutes long. The other is called "Journeys through French Cinema", which is the longer version in 8 parts. Of these, Cohen has issued the first as a Blu Ray disc. Does anyone know if they intend to issue the longer version in the physical format?
Those are actually two different works, with similar titles as if deliberately designed to confuse.

BT first made a 3-hour documentary, Voyage à travers le cinéma français, released in theaters and then issued on video with a lot of bonus content. He then did a follow-up TV show in 8 one hour episodes, called Voyages à travers le cinéma français, la Série, with all new material and which allowed him to discuss directors and titles he had to set aside or gloss over too quickly in the first outing (like Guitry, Ophuls, Tati, Litvak, etc.) for lack of time. It's also available on video (I have both). From the English titles you mention I conclude that these are the two works on Netflix.
Last edited by Florinaldo on Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.

kekid
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#627 Post by kekid » Sun May 24, 2020 11:52 pm

They are both available on Amazon Prime, but only the shorter version is available to buy as a DVD/Blu Ray. For some reason Cohen has chosen not to sell the longer version on DVD/Blu Ray

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Florinaldo
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:38 pm
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#628 Post by Florinaldo » Mon May 25, 2020 8:17 am

They were both issued on video in France by Gaumont and these are the editions I have. I just took my copies out and the packaging actually adds to the confusion since both bear nearly identical titles except for a plural mark (Voyage(s) à travers le cinéma français), but the difference is noted only in the description, printed in smaller characters: one says "un film", the other one "une série documentaire". The color scheme is also different: for the film Tavernier's giant scarf with film titles is red against a blue background, while it's the reverse for the second one (and the selection of titles is different).

If a customer is not very attentive he might think these are just variant covers for the same work, whereas as I noted they are made from completely different material and voice-overs from BT, shot at different times; the film is not a "shorter version". I will have to check Amazon Prime (not Netflix as I mistakenly wrote) out of curiosity.
Last edited by Florinaldo on Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#629 Post by tenia » Mon May 25, 2020 4:50 pm

1 thing though : the TV version was a Fnac exclusive.

kekid
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#630 Post by kekid » Mon May 25, 2020 5:20 pm

Florinaldo, does the 8-part series have English subtitles?
Amazon.fr says it does, but they would not ship to UsA.
Amazon.UK would ship it to USA but says it has only French subtitles.
Could you please clarify the subtitle situation?
Thank you.

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#631 Post by fdm » Mon May 25, 2020 5:45 pm

On Prime you can watch it "with a free 30-day Cohen Media Channel trial" it says. ($4.99/mo after trial)

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Florinaldo
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#632 Post by Florinaldo » Mon May 25, 2020 10:20 pm

tenia wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 4:50 pm
1 thing though : the TV version was a Fnac exclusive.
kekid wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 5:20 pm
Florinaldo, does the 8-part series have English subtitles?
Amazon.fr says it does, but they would not ship to UsA.
Amazon.UK would ship it to USA but says it has only French subtitles.
Could you please clarify the subtitle situation?
Thank you.
I do not know how long that FNAC exclusivity may have lasted. I bought my copy from Amazon.fr back in October 2018, long before shipping restrictions started being applied to some items because of that damned virus. I note that Amazon.fr does not ship it to Canada either at this time.

I am assuming that the edition you viewed on Amazon.co.uk is the one bearing the same ASIN reference, B07G2CTJ76. The back cover does indicate "Anglais" for subtitles, a fact reflected in the picture in the listing which you can enlarge by clicking on it. But since info on DVD covers is sometimes incorrect or incomplete, I tested the first 2 episodes on disc 1 and there are indeed English subtitles. I forgot to check if they are also present on the interview bettween BT and a film historian included as a supplement. The Gaumont discs for this and the earlier film of the same title are Region-free.

As much as I like listening to BT discoursing with intelligence and conviction, even when I disagree with his opinions, I must say that the prices asked for that title by vendors on Amazon UK are rather steep.

kekid
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:55 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#633 Post by kekid » Mon May 25, 2020 11:18 pm

Thank you very much Florinaldo.

ethel
Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:47 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#634 Post by ethel » Tue May 26, 2020 3:08 am

Both the superb Tavernier VOYAGE(S) films are fully subtitled in English except for the special features, irritatingly enough. (Tavernier spends a lot of time discussing his choices and which films aren’t currently available for viewing in any form.)

French labels’ reluctance to subtitle their films in English (and sometimes even in French!) is an ongoing annoyance, especially as the chances of the films being sub-licensed in US, UK, Australia, NZ or Canada is probably diminishing by the day, and the probable audience for old Danielle Darrieux pictures is dying off by the minute. An insane business decision, possibly aggravated by restrictive contracts, but one which distributors show no sign of wanting to overcome.

That being said, the 11-odd hours of Tavernier’s survey are a must for devotees of French cinema. There is no overlap whatever between the feature and the series, and Tavernier gives the briefest attention to the best known directors, so don’t feel you’ll be going over well-trodden ground with Renoir, Carne’, Gremillion et al. They’re there, but not always in the form (or at the length) you expect. What’s really eye-opening is the number of directors and films quite unfamiliar to the average anglophone cineaste, with 99% of the HOURS of excerpts presented in fine restorations.

I didn’t want to wait for this to appear (if ever) outside France, but took the plunge immediately and I’m glad I did. It’s worth whatever you pay for it IMHO. Essential viewing for anyone interested in the field.

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#635 Post by tenia » Tue May 26, 2020 4:49 am

Florinaldo wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 10:20 pm
I do not know how long that FNAC exclusivity may have lasted. I bought my copy from Amazon.fr back in October 2018, long before shipping restrictions started being applied to some items because of that damned virus. I note that Amazon.fr does not ship it to Canada either at this time.
I was slightly misremembering : it wasn't the longer version that was a FNAC exclusive but both BD versions.
ImageImage

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Florinaldo
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#636 Post by Florinaldo » Tue May 26, 2020 10:08 am

After another quick view, I can confirm that not only are the bonus interviews on the DVDs not subtitled in English, they also are not in French.

I fully agree with @ethel's positive comments about the two works. Although BT does not pretend to give an exhaustive or encyclopaedic history of French cinema from his youth up to to the early 60s, he does cover a lot of ground. His choices are subjective and may surprise (he devotes more time to Litvak than to Cocteau for example). But even someone well-versed in French cinema will make tantalising discoveries or rediscover near-forgotten titles or authors.
Last edited by Florinaldo on Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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whaleallright
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#637 Post by whaleallright » Tue May 26, 2020 4:18 pm

I was extremely impressed with the series, and am working through the obscenely long list of titles I wrote down while watching it. It's probably the best of this sort of thing I've seen, with the possible exception of Scorsese's series on Italian cinema.

I had mixed feelings about the episode on female directors. It shone a revelatory light on some neglected filmmakers (a measure of how neglected is the crummy quality dupes of the excerpts of some of the films; Tavernier even apologizes for this), still had a tokenist feeling since it raced through so many directors and films in the same number of minutes spent on entire films by (male) directors by Duvivier, Clouzot, etc.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#638 Post by knives » Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:00 pm

I see that they have the rights to a BFI restoration of Nurse Edith Cavell. Has there been any word of a release either via streaming or home video?

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Fred Holywell
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:45 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#639 Post by Fred Holywell » Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:26 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:05 pm
That may be the most piss-colored resto I’ve seen yet
Unfortunately, Pandora and The Flying Dutchman may give it a run for its money...

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Old Kino
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New Cohen

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HinkyDinkyTruesmith
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:21 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#640 Post by HinkyDinkyTruesmith » Thu Jul 16, 2020 11:14 pm

I've been getting angrier and angrier about the teal/yellow biases that recent transfers have been getting with each passing day. What I would give to watch the video with one of the people working on these, and get some explanation.

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soundchaser
Leave Her to Beaver
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 12:32 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#641 Post by soundchaser » Thu Jul 16, 2020 11:16 pm

I thought the Cohen restoration looked fine when I watched it — the first and last sequences are clearly of a different look to the rest of the film, and I assumed they were intentionally stylized.

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HinkyDinkyTruesmith
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:21 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#642 Post by HinkyDinkyTruesmith » Thu Jul 16, 2020 11:58 pm

It just looks dreadful in screenshot. Perhaps it looks fine––but does it really make sense that these classical filmmakers shot their films with heavy tints? After all, Gordon Willis and Coppola's color timing with The Godfathers was controversial when they were first released. I watched Golden Eighties on the Criterion Channel the other day, and it was made rather ugly with the color timing––there was even a shot that didn't have the teal color timing that looked wonderful. Maddening!

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#643 Post by hearthesilence » Fri Jul 17, 2020 1:14 am

Yeesh, it's like they wanted Ava Gardner to have normal flesh tones in the night scenes (rather than the cold blue look) and applied the same LUT to the entire film.

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swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#644 Post by swo17 » Fri Jul 17, 2020 1:18 am

Times like these make me so glad I never actually watch any of the movies I buy

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
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Re: Cohen Film Collection

#645 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:14 pm

KL insider has said that KL will be distributing the Cohen library and upcoming new releases...Here

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whaleallright
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#646 Post by whaleallright » Sun Sep 20, 2020 6:54 pm

Is Cohen kind of giving up after having invested so much money in theaters, distribution, home video...? Was the downgrading of the Quad the first step?

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skilar
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2019 11:45 pm

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#647 Post by skilar » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:25 pm

whaleallright wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 6:54 pm
Was the downgrading of the Quad the first step?
What happened with the Quad? Bad renovation?

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whaleallright
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#648 Post by whaleallright » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:23 pm

No, they scaled back their more inventive rep programming (or at least were planning to before the pandemic) seemngly to make room for more typical arthouse fare, around the same time Cohen bought Landmark.

That's after a major renovation and shift in policy that saw them doing some really great programming for a few years. (The renovation itself is kind of ugly to my tastes, but obviously expensive. Some of the individual theaters are so tiny that you can't stand up without moving into the projector beam, but that's just how the space was built.)

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#649 Post by hearthesilence » Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:19 pm

whaleallright wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:23 pm
No, they scaled back their more inventive rep programming (or at least were planning to before the pandemic) seemngly to make room for more typical arthouse fare, around the same time Cohen bought Landmark.

That's after a major renovation and shift in policy that saw them doing some really great programming for a few years. (The renovation itself is kind of ugly to my tastes, but obviously expensive. Some of the individual theaters are so tiny that you can't stand up without moving into the projector beam, but that's just how the space was built.)
I didn't go enough times to get a clear memory of it, but wasn't the old theater kind of dumpy?

Anyway, there's only so much you can do with inherent flaws in the way the space was built, but aesthetics aside, the Quad at least seemed comfortable and well-maintained prior to the pandemic. The Paul Schrader program tied in with First Reformed was outstanding, partly thanks to Schrader's own tastes, and I was impressed they got Pacino to appear several times at his own retrospective.

Let me add one thing - a while back (this was during the Texasville screening), I had a terrible experience where I saw something (most likely a rat) running several times back and forth across the aisles. There were very few people in the theater, and I got the feeling only one other person saw - he was sitting behind me in the very back row, and I heard him grab his bag off the floor and throw it on the seat next to him. Wound up spending the next 30, maybe 45 minutes with my legs up and feet off the floor. Anyway, I don't think it ever made its way up to the rows we were in, but it's a small theater, so even 1/3 of the way down isn't that far. I told the staff and they said they just had an exterminator come in to do his routine inspections but they were clearly distressed to hear about it. I didn't go back for several months, but eventually I did, and it was a while before I could comfortably keep my eyes glued to the screen instead of checking the floor every five minutes.

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whaleallright
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am

Re: Cohen Film Collection

#650 Post by whaleallright » Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:52 am

Rats are part of living in NYC, no? I guess you wouldn't want to get bitten, so having one in a dark theater is a little unnverving, but I'm sort of unfazed even if I see one in a restauarant.

Maybe the Quad should program Muppets Take Manhattan for them.

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