Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Just arrived...

6:41 PM / Blu-ray / Comments18 Comments

BD

Antichrist (BD, Chelsea Films, Region B, UK)

My first disc of 2010.

 
18 Comments

1. Todd S. Gallows said:

I can't say I'm a fan of Mr. Von Trier. Dancer in the Dark should have been a movie I really liked because of how harrowing the whole thing is, but for some reason, I only felt annoyed. And I wasn't a fan of its cinematography.

As for Anti-Christ... sit with your legs crossed. As a film, it didn't really work for me, and the obvious allusions to Christianity were kind of over my head, a problem I had a lot more with A Serious Man and Judaism.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:19 PM)

2. Ronny said:

I'm looking forward to reading your review. I do admire the film's daring and it is quite visceral to say the least.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:35 PM)

3. Bleddyn Williams said:

IFC Films have the rights here in the US, and have no upcoming date for a domestic release on home video, so I'm very interested to see how this version turns out.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:14 PM)

4. David Mackenzie said:

Love the cover art!!

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:23 PM)

5. Bleddyn Williams said:

Comparing the UK version with the French & Danish versions, according to DVD Times, the UK seems to have lost a 44 minute interview with Charlotte Gainsbourg (in French) and a 9 minute one with Willem Defoe.

It gains a trailer though.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:25 PM)

6. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Todd:

I'm not too familiar with von Trier's work, admittedly. I saw The Idiots and found it rather intriguing, but I'm glad he's now ditched the Dogme 95 rulebook and embraced the possibilities of the cinematic language. I know very little about Antichrist except, you know, that scene, but I figure this is too controversial a movie to miss.


Bleddyn:

Yeah, you're right. The UK disc does have interviews with Gainsbourg and Dafoe, but they run for only 6 and 8 minutes respectively.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:37 PM)

7. Bleddyn Williams said:

Looks like the UK disc may be based on the danish disc, which also offers only danish and italian subtitles. Are there really no english subtitles anywhere?

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 11:03 PM)

8. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Correctamundo! When you first pop in the disc, you are prompted to choose to have the menus in either Danish or English, and there are no English subs to be seen anywhere.

I was under the impression that Artificial Eye was supposed to be handling the UK release, but their name doesn't appear anywhere.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 11:10 PM)

9. Bleddyn Williams said:

I'm quite a fan of Von Trier, and have a few of his films in Danish DVD - I just pulled them to see what options they had.

A number of older sets offer subtitles in at least half a dozen languages, for sale all over. But the last couple I have, Dogville & Manderlay, offer a choice of the menus in three languages, and the movie subtitles in Danish and; French (Dogville) or Swedish (Manderlay). Any extras not in english are subtitled, though, so you can enjoy everything.

I'm actually a bit surprised that the UK disc is not simply identical to the Danish, as been the case in the past, with say the Europa trilogy. I suspect the feature will be the same, though.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 11:48 PM)

10. Marcus said:

Without a doubt check out Von Trier's Dogville, Michael. The greatest film of the last decade, IMO.

As for Dogme 95, I have mixed feelings about it but it did produce one of my favorite films of the 1990s: The Celebration.

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:23 AM)

11. Kentai said:

While I know my opinion on this is anything but common, I have to say it: Dogville is the single most excruciating thing I've ever sat through. And I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment the way people call Salo, Clockwork Orange, Passion of the Christ or whatever "excruciating". I mean it was the single most infuriating and pointless 3 hours of my life wasted in front of a television. If given the chance, I might still sock Trier in the face for having wasted so many minutes of my already short life on his pandering high school level pageant full of banal moral narration telling the audience how to feel, and characters I wanted only to strangle and then forget.

The only positive thing I can say about it is that Takashi Miike's use of the same "minimalist" technique in Big Bang Love was fantastic. Sadly, it also suggests what an utter waste Dogville was of its' own potential. I know most people who see it love it, but I'd feel I was performing the world a disservice if I didn't warn them of how hard a kick to the pills it was for me (and my poor wife).

Antichrist is fantastic. Watched it back in October and it was one of my favorite films of the year. Do you know if the UK BD is 1080i50, like the French release?

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 5:54 AM)

12. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Kentai:

It is indeed 1080i50. My understanding is that the film was shot at 25 frames per second.

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:12 PM)

13. Brian said:

Picked up the Bluray last weekend. Enjoyed it more the second time around, as the cinema screening I attended was punctuated by walkouts and, most annoyingly, a couple two rows back who didn't stop giggling the entire time.

Make sure to check out the Cannes festival extra, where a ridiculously incensed Baz Bamigboye from the Daily Mail has a go at Von Trier at the press conference. Say what you like about the director or his films, but anything which winds up the Mail can't be completely devoid of merit!

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:31 PM)

14. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Brian:

That featurette was actually the first thing I checked out when I popped the disc in.

Bamigboye: "Would you please for my benefit explain and justify why you made this movie?"
Von Trier: "I don't think I have to justify..."
Bamigboye (cutting him off): "Yes you do."
Von Trier (in disbelief): "Yes I do?"
Bamigboye: "YES YOU DO. This is the Cannes Film Festival, and you've brought your film here, and you have to explain why you made it."
Von Trier: "...I think it's a very strange question, that I have to excuse myself... You are all my guests. It's not the other way round. It's the hand of God, I'm afraid, and I am the best film director in the world."

It was indeed comedy gold, at least until he got all pretentious and started talking about the "hand of God".

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:43 PM)

15. Todd S. Gallows said:

Was he actually serious about the last part though? Or was he just being an ass?

I can't say I know much about Lars Von Trier's personal views or attitudes.

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 5:06 PM)

16. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Todd:

I doubt he was serious about being the best filmmaker in the world (he said it with a smile on his face), but I don't think he's kidding about the whole "hand of God" business. He's made similar statements before.

(Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 5:12 PM)

17. David said:

Hello! I'm really thinking about purchasing this disc myself, but I really dislike the cover. Is there any chance that the cover has an optional printing on the back (like the American blu ray for There Will Be Blood)? Anyone know? Information much appreciated.

(Posted on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 10:23 AM)

18. Author Profile Page Michael said:

David:

No reversible cover, I'm afraid.

EDITED TO ADD: Wow, 18 posts on a film I haven't even expressed an opinion on yet! That's quite something.

(Posted on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 5:42 PM)

 
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