The pains of hard to find films

[BleuPanda]

I've been slowly making my way through the They Shoot Pictures list. I recently decided to finish off the last few in the top 100. I just watched The Leopard, leaving only one film in the top 100.

The only problem is, the remaining film is The Mother and the Whore, which I cannot find anywhere. Right outside of the top 100 is A Brighter Summer Day, which is also unavailable. It's strange to see a film called the 97th greatest film of all time while also being impossible to view in a reasonable manner. These two must have really left an impact on the few who have seen it.

I've heard rumors of Criterion getting the rights to A Brighter Summer Day years ago, yet it still hasn't been released through them. No idea what's going on with The Mother and the Whore.

[irreduciblekoan]

I feel your pain immensely. In the case of both films, there are lo-fi versions available to pirate online. That's how I watched both. And though the picture quality and sound are certainly lacking, I still loved both films.

As for whether better versions will be officially released, you can remain optimistic about A Brighter Summer Day. Criterion definitely owns the rights to it. Plus, a new restoration was recently screened around the world, last year or two years ago I believe. So that tells me that a blu-ray either from Criterion or another company around the world will come sooner rather than later.

As for Mother and the Whore, we must be less optimistic. I myself inquired about who owns the rights for the film not too long ago. The answer I got was that the rights were in limbo, and that Eustache's surviving family was being difficult about it. And if no company can get the rights it means no restoration and no high quality home release anytime soon. Looks like that pirated version online is how we will have to make do for awhile. I'm usually not one to defend free downloading but in the case of hard-to-find and out-of-print works of art, I take the exception. Downloading something that is almost impossible to find any other way is better than not experiencing something at all and waiting for who know how long for a decent release.

[irreduciblekoan]

This is from an article from last year.

As if on cue, the same magazine posted an article yesterday, by Théo Ribeton, titled “ ‘The Mother and the Whore’: Why Is Jean Eustache’s Movie Almost Invisible?” The film, as Ribeton reminds readers, came in second to Jean Renoir’s “The Rules of the Game” in a recent poll of French movie-industry professionals on the best French film of all time. The basic reason: “the impossibility of an agreement between the sole rights holder, Boris Eustache, the filmmaker’s son, and the companies that had made him offers in recent years.” According to Ribeton, Boris Eustache is “in agreement in principle” with the idea of a DVD release but “hasn’t received any satisfactory offers.”

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richar ... -revisited

[Jirin]

I have a bootleg of A Brighter Summer Day I got on ebay. Check on ebay.

It's one of my favorite films, seriously, get that film.

The Mother And The Whore I found on Amazon. If you're serious about exporing the TSPDT list get a region free player. You will also need it for Partie de Campagne, all of Bunuel's Mexican films and Umbrellas of Chernbourg.

The one I'm having trouble with is A City Of Sadness. That, Meet Me In St Louis, and Professione: Reporter are all I need to fill out my top 200.

[BleuPanda]

Partie de Campagne was easy enough to find on youtube. I found Los Olvidados at my University's library, and Umbrellas of Cherbourg is available to rent on amazon instant.

[Jirin]

Have you been able to find The Traveling Players? That's another great one I needed a region free player to watch. Not available in the US but easily available in the UK.

Seriously, if you like the sort of films that are praised on TSPDT, get the Artificial Eye collections for both Angelopolous and Vlacil.

Chimes at Midnight is another amazing film that criminally does not have a region 1 release.

[irreduciblekoan]

There's an Asian DVD of A City of Sadness complete with English subtitles! I have that copy. It looks and sounds solid, though I can't wait for some company to bring it to blu-ray. And Hsiao-Hsien's films in general need to be treated better. Other masterpieces of his such as The Puppetmaster are tougher to find.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, part of a Jacques Demy boxset, is out on blu-ray already by Criterion.