Friday, September 20, 2013

Tristana [Blu-ray]



I'll be ordering with confidence
I read the warning here from another potential buyer complaining about the excision of certain frames from the movie's end-montage, so sent an email to the Cohen Group asking about it.
Here's their reply, which sounds very positive indeed, so I'll be ordering this new Blu ray

"Thank you for your e-mail. The version of the feature TRISTANA that we are releasing is exactly the same version that Criterion released on VHS and Laserdisc in the mid 1990's - though the quality is far superior. Our scan is from an original negative, as confirmed by one of Criterion's lead producers (This restoration began with Criterion, but not completed before their license expired). We've checked the negative and there are no physical cuts to the ending montage sequence introducing new material. However, we were made aware that a few shots in the end montage differ from the version available in Europe. We accessed this ending and include it as an alternate ending.

Among...

A Late Buñuel Classic Restored: A Sly Dance Of Obsession With A Great Catherine Deneuve Performance
Note: Apparently, there is some discussion about whether the film ending provided here is the original as conceived by Buñuel. I can't answer that definitively as I was not at the film's premiere in Spain over 40 years ago. In any version I've seen, I personally find the ending a tad abrupt. However, this is the same ending that was on the Criterion LaserDisc release and those involved in both that release and this one maintain that this is the director's vision. The alternate ending provided in the extras was found on some circulating European prints and so it was provided as a Bonus.

Released in 1970, this late period Buñuel classic serves up exactly what you might expect of the master. With requisite jabs at government, religion, and class distinction, I've always felt like "Tristana" was one of Buñuel's most straightforward efforts. There is sly humor, to be sure, and surrealistic undertones that distinguish his style. But those touches...

SUPERB RESTORATION OF ONE OF BUNUEL'S LATE MASTERPIECES
Hello. I'm posting this review to let everyone know that the new Blu ray of Luis Bunuel's TRISTANA is excellent both in quality as well as being complete. There is an extra feature of an alternate ending in which a few shots are different, but contrary to an earlier post, the ending on the main feature is exactly the same as when I saw this film at the NYFF & also in theatres. The image quality of this Blu ray is very film like and quite beautiful. In fact, I would say that watching this Blu ray is for me a revelation, bringing out facets of the film I had never noticed before. The image is a touch darker in a few interior scenes than when this film was released, but I don't find this to be a problem. In fact, the difference is so slight as to be a non-issue.

In terms of the quality of Bunuel's film, rather than give my own opinion, I'll simply quote Alfred Hitchcock, who felt after seeing TRISTANA that Bunuel was "the world's greatest living director" and that he had never...

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