The Monday Morning Foreign Region DVD Report...

...will be on hiatus for a few weeks. Some wind got knocked out of my sails last week, and today I'm off to Cannes, and after that there'll probably be some time off for me, just to recharge my batteries. But The Report shall return, despite it having been one of the least-commented-on features of my prior blog. (I complained about this to a pal once and he said, "Just because there aren't any comments doesn't mean it's not read," and I said "Yeah, but," and continued whining...)

In the meantime, a couple of domestic releases this week underscore one of the downsides of foreign-region disc-mongering/collecting: tomorrow sees perfectly acceptable and relatively cheap domestic discs of Minnelli's Some Came Running—a film I like so much, I named this blog for it!—and Anthony Mann's magisterial Man of the West (a magisterial screen cap from which is below), both of which I and I imagine quite a few other impatient mavens shelled out relatively big bucks for in foreign editions. Us movie nuts, we just can't wait sometimes. As I'm tightening my belt even as we speak, further purchases in this area are going to be quite a bit less impulsive.

But let's not talk about that now. Look what a great shot this is.

Godard wrote a terrific review of this picture for Cahiers du Cinema in 1959; it's one of those writings of his where the inspiration is indistinguishable from the loopiness, or the one actually is the other, always. (The review, titled "Supermann," is in the indispensable Godard on Godard.) "With Anthony Mann, each shot comprises both analysis and synthesis, or as Luc Moullet noted, both the instinctive and the premeditated." Think about it.

Comments

[Mary Kay in Maumee]

How nice that you have a new home. It's a lovely site! I am feeling bad that you were worried when you didn't have comments on your old blog. A daily reader, I much enjoyed your thoughts, wit and wisdom, but I felt to comment might earn me the rejoinder "You're out of your element, Donnie!" Of course, my name isn't Donnie, but I think you know what I mean. Guess I read blogs like I've always read movie reviews and columns, for the education, and I save my thoughts and opinions for discussion with my husband. I'll try the commenting thing more at your new site, if you don't find the thoughts of an amateur presumptuous. Safe journey to Cannes!

[Dan]

Well, to be honest, I never felt the need to weigh in. Although I have to admit, part of the reason I never got THAT into the foreign DVD thing was because I got burned way too often.

I'm picking up "Some Came Running" tomorrow, by the way. The DVD at my local video shop is the cost of a movie ticket (literally, with tax, it works out to $10.50). I figure if I'm willing to come across for that for "Speed Racer", might as well do the same for Minelli. :-)

[bill]

I have "Man of the West" saved on my DVR. I guess I should probably watch it.

[Bec]

There doesn't seem to be a Region 2 version of 'Some Came Running' currently available but I've managed to track one down via ebay. I did have it taped at one point after reading Scorsese rave about it but I haven't got the tape anymore (or a video player for that matter). So, I'm waiting for that to arrive and then I'll tuck in. Maybe you should try and arrange a commission on the sales of the films you mention?

[Brian]

Dan, what kind of awesome video store sells new DVDs for ten bucks?

[Dan]

Brian, it's a regional chain in the New England area (mostly Boston) called Newbury Comics. Basically, every week the new releases are on sale, usually $3 to $7 off the sticker price (for example, this week's Criterions are $20 a pop) for a week. They also have a great discount bin; I snagged Johnnie To's "Election" for $7.

The best is when they have Criterion sales. A few years back I walked in and saw this giant rack of Criterions with low sticker prices. I got "Le Samourai", "Gimme Shelter", "Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas" and "My Own Private Idaho" for about $120 all told.

[bill]

But wait...Dan, wouldn't that amount to roughly sticker price for the Criterion titles?

I say that because there's a place near me where I can get all three of those, new, for about $80. Not to brag, or anything.

[Dan]

Heh, I forgot a title, I also got "Rififi." Of course, now you can get the discs from Criterion directly for a fairly decent price, and if you drop $250, you get a $25 gift card.

[bill]

Okay, THAT'S better. My place is very good, though. All Criterion DVDs are always about ten dollars cheaper than retail, and every so often they'll get one used, in good condition. I've picked up pristine used copies of "Life of Brian" and "The Spirit of the Beehive", each for $15.

They currently have used Criterion editions of "Chasing Amy" and "The Rock", both for about $10, but, well, you know.

[Matt Noller]

Glenn, I'm going to be in Cannes studying abroad for the University of Georgia and blogging for the House Next Door. If you don't mind, I would love to meet up sometime just to say hi. Leave a message at The House or my blog, or just e-mail me if you don't mind.

Thanks,
Matt Noller

[bill]

Speaking of Criterion, I've heard rumblings that David Mamet's "Homicide" might get the treatment. Anybody know anything more concrete?

[KrauthammerOh]

Ooh.. I love Anthony Mann. Each new movie I see by him is better than the last. I've always loved Godard's review as well, especially when he says something to the effect of "I haven't seen anything this original since... why not... Griffith." It perfectly encapsulates the attitude of the Cahieurs crowd at the time.

My favorite of his, however, still remains the opening sentence to his review of Sirk's A Time to Love and a Time to Die, "I love ostriches, they are realists."

[Brian]

The new DVD of MAN OF THE WEST is not showing up anywhere on Netflix. Weird. What's up with that? Usually it has a title up there well in advance of the release date. But here we are with the disc already out and there's nothing...

[oakling]

My god, you totally should have Amazon links here to these movies or something. Netflix ads. Monetize it up now that you can ;-)

[Andy H.]

I love the Monday Morning Foreign DVD Report! It is, along with Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Global Discoveries on DVD" column in Cinema Scope, my primary source for determining which foreign DVDs I should purchase. I'd be super bummed out if you stopped writing it. Not as bummed out as I was when I found out Premiere was foolish enough to drop one of their best assets (belated best wishes for future film crit employment opportunities, by the way), but definitely disappointed. Congrats on getting the new blog up and running so quickly. Now that I have Some Came Running, I never need visit Premiere.com again. Terrific Cannes coverage so far, too.