Own A Piece Of Cinematic History With Masters Of Cinema Release Of Passion Of Joan Of Arc

One of the most acclaimed films by Danish legend Carl Theodor Dreyer,  The Passion Of Joan Of Arc [LA PASSION DE JEANNE D'ARC / JEANNE D'ARC'S LIDELSE OG DØD] is to be released in the UK on Blu-ray, DVD & Limited Edition Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) SteelBook as part of Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on 19 November 2012

One of the most emotional film experiences of any era, Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 The Passion of Joan of Arc is a miracle of the cinema, an enigmatic and profoundly moving work that merges the worlds of the viewer and of saintly Joan herself into one shared experience of hushed delirium.

Dreyer's film charts the final days of Joan of Arc as she undergoes the degradation that accompanies her trial for charges of heresy – through her imprisonment and execution at the stake.

The portrayal of Joan by Renée Maria Falconetti is frequently heralded as the all-time finest performance in the history of film, and Dreyer's unusual and virtuosic method, in seeming to render the very soul of his actress, vaulted the director decisively into the ranks of the art form's supreme geniuses.

Recently voted one of the Top 10 Greatest Films of All-Time by Sight & Sound magazine, the Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present The Passion of Joan of Arc in its worldwide Blu-ray première, in an exclusive new restoration, presented in both 20fps and 24fps playback speeds, and featuring Dreyer's own original Danish-language intertitles, available in THREE formats—Blu-ray, DVD, and Ltd Edition Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) SteelBook editions, released in the UK on 19 November 2012.



SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Exclusively restored high-definition master presented in the film's original aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray
• Presented in both 20fps and 24fps playback speeds
• Optional audio tracks: a piano score performed by Japanese silent film composer Mie Yanashita (for the 20fps option), and a radical accompaniment by esteemed American avant-garde musician Loren Connors (for the 24fps option)
• Newly translated optional English subtitles for Dreyer's original Danish intertitles
• The complete "Lo Duca" version of the film – the version (featuring an alternate edit and soundtrack) that circulated in France and around the world for decades before the rediscovery of Dreyer's "director's cut"
• Extended illustrated booklet featuring the words of Dreyer, rare archival imagery, and more
• Further details to be announced nearer the release date!

Pre-Order/Buy:PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, THE [LA PASSION DE JEANNE D'ARC] Blu-ray [1928]/ DVD / Double Play (Blu-ray + DVD) - Steelbook

Grigori Kozintsev's Don Quixote DVD Review

Don Quixote is obviously an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ mammoth novel of the same name. It was the first adaptation to be shot in colour and widescreen but the first Quixote adaptation was over a century ago in 1906. It was also a Russian production and was entered into the Cannes film festival where it left empty handed. It was directed by noted Russian director Grigori Kozintsev, who starting working in film back in the days of Eisenstein. Kozintsev who like Eisenstein was also a member modernist avant-garde movement “Eccentricism”. After Quixote he did some Shakespeare adaptations of King Lear and Hamlet. The actor who plays Quixote Nikolai Cherkasov also starred in some Eisenstein films.

★★★★☆

The adaptation of Quixote is supposedly relatively faithful to the novel according to some reviews (I haven’t read the novel). It however chronologically changes the order of adventures is changed drastically. Don Quixote de la Mancha is a aging old gentleman who’s real name is Alonso Quixano. He reads many books of chivalry and starting believing he is a knight. He meets with his trusty squire Sancho Panza. They have adventures, Quixote falls in love the possibly imaginary Lady Dulcinea, they however treated like fools but their humour and dreams help them along.

The film is a really well done adaptation; it’s a relatively short 100 minutes or so. The film is beautifully shot and I wish the dvd release wasn’t letterbox but a anamorphic widescreen transfer which would really show the beauty of the photography. I am however happy a film this obscure is even released in the UK. The best scene for me was the scene when you actually see what Quixote sees and it’s done very surreally and will stick in my mind for a time. The film is a somewhat more serious version of the story than some adaptations, which is partly in tone with the 2nd half of the novel but it does have the expected humour of Quixote. It will be probably the best film of Don Quixite till Terry Gilliam does his.

Ian Schultz

Rating:PG
UK DVD Release Date: 24th September 2012
Directed  By:Grigori Kozintsev
Cast: Nikolai Cherkasov, Yuri Tolubeyev, Tamilla Agamirova, Lyudmila Kasyanova
Pre-Order/Buy:Don Quixote On DVD

Raiders of the Lost Ark IMAX Review

★★★★★

Each Indiana Jones movie brought something to the franchise. Raiders, a fantastic sense of adventure; Temple of Doom, horror; The Last Crusade a brilliant sense of humour and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull... um... CGI gophers? Indestructible fridges? Shia Labeouf swinging through trees with monkeys?... I shouldn't be negative, for here I am reviewing Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of, if not the, best adventure films of all time.

Everything works in Raiders. The script is smashing, the performances perfect, and the direction dazzling; Spielberg at his best. After making two of the greatest blockbusters of the seventies with Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he started the eighties by harnessing the novelty of the adventure serials of the 1930s, much as Star Wars had with science-fiction serials of the same period. The formula of falling from one bad situation into another works wonderfully here. The perfect example being the infamous opening with Jones going after a golden idol in South America, the moment he grabs it everything starts to go wrong.

The action throughout is quite amazing and is greatly helped by Harrison Ford's marvellous lead performance. He sells all the action through the genuine fear on his face. Never has a man looked more worried... well maybe Hans Gruber as he fell from Nakatomi Plaza. This ability of Ford's to look scared and vulnerable made all his classic action films far more relatable. But its not just Ford that makes this film, there is not a single weak performance. Karen Allen is great as the feisty love interest. Paul Freeman provides the best villain of the series and possibly the only one who doesn't play it like a character from Adams West's Batman (I'm looking at you Cate Blanchett). And both Denholm Elliott and John Rhys-Davies provide fantastic allies for Jones.

But everyone is a star here; in front of and behind the camera. John Williams composed one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis (John Landis' wife) created some iconic costumes and Douglas Slocombe's cinematography is gorgeous. This is to name just a few amazing contributions.

For this current release on IMAX Spielberg has enhanced the sound but made no other alterations. A testament to just how perfect the film is. Or maybe he and Lucas have just learnt to LEAVE THEIR FILMS ALONE!!! We love them already.

Harry Davenport

Rating:PG
Re-Release Date: 21st September 2012 (UK)
Directed by:Steven Spielberg
Cast:Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Alfred Molina, Ronald Lacey, Paul Freeman