More French P&P DVDs

[Steve Crook]

The good people at l'Institut Lumière in Lyons brought us 4 P&P DVDs earlier this year; Forty-Ninth Parallel, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus & The Red Shoes.

Now they've done another 3 P&P DVDs; A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I'm Going! and Peeping Tom.



They are all very good quality prints with their original soundtracks (so being P&P films are mainly in English) with French subtitles. Each film is released as a double disc with the film on one disc and a load of extras on the other disc. All the extras are either in English with French subtitles or in French with English subtitles.



The DVDs are region 2 in PAL format if anyone has equipment that needs to take account of such things.



There are a series of essays that run through all the sets with Thelma Schoonmaker (Scorsese's Oscar winning editor and Powell's widow) talking about the people involved in the film and Bertrand Tavernier talking about the film itself, how it was made and received.



Some of the other extras have been seen before on other DVDs but many of them are recorded especially for these new releases.



The first four films can be purchased individually, The second group of three films can be bought as a boxed set from November 22nd and individually from mid December.



Steve

[ChristineCB]

I need to grab these. I only recently saw 49TH PARALLEL and I'd give that pretty high marks for a "war film". Maybe it won't stand up well upon subsequent viewings (which I consider important), but it's one of those little slice of life stories that I seldom see on film.



My NTSC version of CANTERBURY is excellent video & audio quality, and these others could be half as good and still be impressive.

[Steve Crook]

name='ChristineCB']I need to grab these. I only recently saw 49TH PARALLEL and I'd give that pretty high marks for a "war film". Maybe it won't stand up well upon subsequent viewings (which I consider important), but it's one of those little slice of life stories that I seldom see on film.



My NTSC version of CANTERBURY is excellent video & audio quality, and these others could be half as good and still be impressive.

49th Parallel does stand repeated viewings. It takes a few viewings before you can believe the French Canadian accent that Larry Olivier puts on! It's episodic and some episodes are better than others, but they're all pretty good.



Have you not got the Criterion DVD of A Canterbury Tale and the chance to see yours truly on one of the documentaries on it?



Steve

[ChristineCB]

Steve, yes I have the CRIT release of CANTERBURY, but I neglected to look for you specifically... no offense. You're not one in the long cape and sinisterly tapered fingers with the flashlight in his eyes saying, "I am... Dracula..." are you? Ooops - wrong film!! (wink wink nudge nudge... I still wouldn't let you near my throat...)

[moonfleet]

49th Parallel does stand repeated viewings. It takes a few viewings before you can believe the French Canadian accent that Larry Olivier puts on!


Steve

And even after few viewings, you can not believe it !! ... it's just awful, but I think Mr Olivier is not really "credible" when using foreign accents, he seems too much "exagerating", at least from my point of view, as he was with "mittlel Europe" intonations like in John Badham's Dracula (Von Helsing) or in F.J Schaffner's The Boys from Brazil (Lieberman)

[Steve Crook]

And even after few viewings, you can not believe it !! ... it's just awful, but I think Mr Olivier is not really "credible" when using foreign accents, he seems too much "exagerating", at least from my point of view, as he was with "mittlel Europe" intonations like in John Badham's Dracula (Von Helsing) or in F.J Schaffner's The Boys from Brazil (Lieberman)

Ah, but he isn't meant to be doing a French accent. Not even a French Canadian accent as would be heard in a bit city like Montreal. He's a trapper up in the wilds of northern Quebec who hasn't spoken to anyone for a year. Having heard recordings of people like that, Olivier wasn't all that far out

Steve

[moonfleet]

... Having heard recordings of people like that, Olivier wasn't all that far out

Steve

Yes, when alone in the canadian forest for such a long time, you finally discuss with all the little animals
But I'm naughty, because it's only a detail point and this is a film I enjoyed very much in part because of the acting quality and the wit story line for a propaganda + the magnifcent B&W photography , made me very much think of some Fritz Lang's films atmosphere ...

[Steve Crook]

Yes, when alone in the canadian forest for such a long time, you finally discuss with all the little animals
But I'm naughty, because it's only a detail point and this is a film I enjoyed very much in part because of the acting quality and the wit story line for a propaganda + the magnifcent B&W photography , made me very much think of some Fritz Lang's films atmosphere ...

A lot of critics who should have known better have slagged him off for doing a terrible French accent - as if they'd recognise a good one if they heard it

Steve

[moonfleet]

A lot of critics who should have known better have slagged him off for doing a terrible French accent - as if they'd recognise a good one if they heard it

Steve

I didn't know about those critics, were they french ?? ...
The fact is that when earing Mr Olivier speaking, it sounds a bit weird like if he recited his part phoneticaly, and that's funny (even for a canadian trapper)