4 Films by Otar Iosseliani (2 DVD set)

 

Pastorali      Iko shashvi mgalobeli      Giorgobistve     Aprili

 

directed by Otar Iosseliani
Soviet Union 1962 - 76'

 

Multi award-winner at the Cannes, Venice and Berlin Film Festivals, Otar Iosseliani is a Georgian filmmaker whose works feel like 'silent talkies'. They contain a unique sense of nostalgia and a poetic casualness that is characterized by the 'joyous pessimism' of his universe. In 1962, the short film completed at the end of his studies, 'April', was immediately banned by the Soviet authorities. His first three features: 'Falling Leaves' (1966), 'There Once Was a Singing Blackbird' (1970), 'Pastorale' (1976), were similarly banned or restricted severely on release...

 DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Blaq Out - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

Sold only in the Otar Iosseliani 4 film boxset

 
Distribution

Blaq Out

Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime 5'05
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.42 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Audio Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Georgian
Subtitles French, English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Blaq Out

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Four Films:
• Aprili (April) 1962
• Giorgobistve (Falling Leaves) 1966
• Iko shashvi mgalobeli (There Once Was a Singing Blackbird) 1970
• Pastorali (Pastorale) 1976
• Bonus:
• 10 minutes commentary by Naum Kleiman on Otar Iosseliani's films

DVD Release Date: March 11th, 2005
single amaray holding two discs

Chapters 34

 

 

Comments Four films well presented with good transfers having nice rendition of black levels, contrast ratio and clear audio. Overall images can tend to be rather soft at times. Subtitles seem to be spotty on the last two films but the narrative was still discernible. It's doubtful that these early works will be released again with English subtitles and better transfers in the near future. Worth noting that this release comes with Region ALL regionalization, very much in tune with eclectic worldwide cineastes. Recommended.

 - Rob Janik

 

 


 

(aka "Pastorali" or "April" )

 

directed by Otar Iosseliani
Soviet Union 1962

 

A young man and a young woman pursue each other through the streets of Tbilisi. They keep bumping into men carrying furniture, but they don’t stop. Wishing for some intimacy, they install themselves in an apartment. The electricity, the water and the gas arrive, along with a man who advises them discreetly about their private lives. Suddenly, with the consent of the other inhabitants of the building, the apartment is filled with the furniture. There is now room now for their love; everything is guarded by the annoying presence of a padlock...

Theatrical Release: May, 2000 Cannes Film Festival

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DVD Review: Blaq Out (Part of '4 Films by Otar Iosseliani') - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

Sold only in the Otar Iosseliani 4 film boxset

 
Distribution

Blaq Out

Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.42 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate

Audio Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Georgian
Subtitles Franch, English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Blaq Out

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:

DVD Release Date: May 12th, 2005
single amaray holding two discs

Chapters 1

 

 

Comments Note, this film is a typical example of 'silent talkie' instances of comical combination of high pitched fast forward indiscernible dialog combined with almost real time motion, usage of classical instruments as a representation of speech and other audio elements substituting dialog.

There are segments of dialog in the movie that contain Georgian language, but are un-subtitled, most likely intended to be in tune with the rest of the film.

 - Rob Janik

 

 




DVD Menus


 

 

Screen Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(aka "Iko shashvi mgalobeli" or " Falling Leaves" )

 

directed by Otar Iosseliani
Soviet Union 1966

 

Niko and Otar begin their professional career in a wine-producing cooperative. The two men are totally different: Niko is reserved, loyal and serious, while Otar is an opportunist convinced of his possibilities of succeeding. Niko establishes a sincere relationship with the workers and, because of his innate integrity, eventually enters into a conflict with Otar. The bottling of a wine which Niko considers to be of very bad quality but which the directors of the cooperative like, exacerbates the disagreement. The younger man will win the battle, which will be brought to an end with the help of the workers...

Theatrical Release: 1966

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DVD Review:  (part of '4 Films by Otar Iosseliani') - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

Sold only in the Otar Iosseliani 4 film boxset

 
Distribution

 

Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime 1'31
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.42 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate

Audio Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Georgian
Subtitles Franch, English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio:

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:

DVD Release Date: March 11th, 2005
single amaray holding two discs

Chapters 11

 

 

 

 

Comments See main review.

Part of the Four films boxset and represents another well presented image from a good transfers having nice rendition of black levels, contrast ratio and clear audio. Overall images can tend to be rather soft at times. Subtitles seem to be spotty on the last two films but the narrative was still discernible. It's doubtful that these early works will be released again with English subtitles and better transfers in the near future. Worth noting that this release comes with Region ALL regionalization, very much in tune with eclectic worldwide cineastes. Recommended.

 - Rob Janik

 

 




DVD Menus

 

 

Screen Captures


Subtitle sample

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(aka "Giorgobistve" or "There Once Was a Singing Blackbird" or "Lived Once a Song-Thrush" or "Zhil pevchiy drozd (Russian)")

 

directed by Otar Iosseliani
Soviet Union 1970

 

Ghia is a young man who plays the kettledrum in the orchestra at the Tbilisi Opera House. All day long he runs around doing nothing, his only accomplishment being to annoy everybody else with his unreliability. His lack of organization does not prevent him from making an extraordinary intervention, at the very last moment, in the final score of the work being performed by the orchestra. After the performance is over, however, he is reprimanded by his superiors for his constant tardiness. Unfazed, he makes a date with Lia, a ballerina, but then gets side-tracked and goes off with a friend. His efforts to make it up with Lia are unsuccessful. Meanwhile, everyone is concerned about his inactivity. The director of the orchestra tells him to go and see the director of the theater...

Posters

Theatrical Release: 1970

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Blaq Out (part of '4 Films by Otar Iosseliani') - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

Sold only in the Otar Iosseliani 4 film boxset

 
Distribution

Blaq Out

Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime 1'18
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.76 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate

Audio Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Georgian
Subtitles Franch, English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Blaq Out

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:

DVD Release Date: May 12th, 2005
single amaray holding two discs

Chapters 18

 

 

 

 

Comments See main review.

Part of the Four films boxset and represents another well presented image from a good transfers having nice rendition of black levels, contrast ratio and clear audio. Overall images can tend to be rather soft at times. Subtitles seem to be a shade spotty on this (and the last) film but the narrative was still discernible. It's doubtful that these early works will be released again with English subtitles and better transfers in the near future. Worth noting that this release comes with Region ALL regionalization, very much in tune with eclectic worldwide cineastes. Recommended.

 - Rob Janik

 

 




DVD Menus


 

 

Screen Captures


Subtitle sample

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(aka "Aprili" or "Pastorale" )

 

directed by Otar Iosseliani
Soviet Union 1976

 

A group of musicians move from the city to the countryside. There, seeking a forgotten tranquility, the young men dedicate themselves to practicing their music. A relationship is immediately established between the urban and the rural world, against a backdrop of life at the kolkhoz. Encounter, seduction and separation are the three instances that stand out in the story, embodied in the character of the youngest of the group. Having lived under the spell of a completely different life, returns to experience the customs of his people. That which remains as proof of the brief encounter stripped of its original worth, can only prove to be false...

Theatrical Release: N/A

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Blaq Out (part of '4 Films by Otar Iosseliani') - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover

Sold only in the Otar Iosseliani 4 film boxset

 
Distribution

Blaq Out

Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime 1'31
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.76 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate

Audio Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Georgian
Subtitles Franch, English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Blaq Out

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:

DVD Release Date: May 12th, 2005
single amaray holding two discs

Chapters 14

 

 

Comments See main review.

Part of the Four films boxset and represents another well presented image from a good transfers having nice rendition of black levels, contrast ratio and clear audio. Overall images can tend to be rather soft at times. Subtitles seem to be absentee on this film but the narrative was still easily discernible. It's doubtful that these early works will be released again with English subtitles and better transfers in the near future. Worth noting that this release comes with Region ALL regionalization, very much in tune with eclectic worldwide cineastes. Recommended.

 -Rob Janik

 

 




DVD Menus

 

 

Screen Captures


Subtitle sample

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 




 

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