British distributors Eureka Entertainment have officially announced and detailed their upcoming standard and Limited Edition Dual Format SteelBook editions of Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), starring Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain and André Berley. The two releases will be available for purchase on November 19th.
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.
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!
I can see that Eureka have joined the steelbook bandwagon to maximise their sales and from their point of view it makes commercial sense. But I do feel that the digibook format would be more appropriate for their particular unique releases.
@JOhn.Gotti they have been releasing steelbook for their film for years....nothing new for them...I have a few of them and they do a better job on them then most major companies...
@filmcrzy doesn't it say 'exclusively' restored...my guess unless Criterion can tap into that exclusive contract I dont hunk we'll see a Criterion. Plus Criterion has been focusing on more modern titles lately. I'm glad I'm region free so I can enjoy both companies
I second that steelbook comment. MoC's steelbooks are the best! They pull all the stops and they come with a huge booklet! It makes you rethink steelbooks. They're not just for the action-no-brains-required-adrenaline-pumping-new-release-soon-to-forget movies.
I'm pretty surprised, yet excited for this release, considering the preserved version of the film was found in an insane asylum 30 years ago. It's amazing what you can do with restoration technology.
Such a fantastic movie. But what about Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light that he composed to accompany the film? talk about the perfect marriage of sight and sound
@DetroitSquirreL. Not quite 'years'. Their first steelbooks were 'Silent Running" and "Touch Of Evil" released in Nov 2011.
The point I am making is that they have been very clever commercially as many of their releases are not big sellers, but they have done their research and have discovered that there are obsessive steelbook collectors out there who will buy absolutely anything in this format, even if it is a movie they do not especially like.
Or to put it another way: I doubt that the majority of MOC's original customers, who may buy this in a steelbook release, would buy the "Battleship' steelbook.
@Adrian Brown. Good point, but they only really began an intense release schedule in Nov 2011, with "A Touch Of Evil" and "Silent Running". There was a gap of a year between releases between Nov 10 and 11 and we have had incessant releases since Nov 11. If it helps the sales figures, then fair play to them.
