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The Almodóvar Collection (Vol.2)
'Law Of Desire' 'Flower Of My Secret'
Spain's high priest of hip, Pedro Almodovar, returns with
a brilliant combination of his familiar stylized comedy and a new departure
into full-blooded melodrama.
The films in this box set by Pedro Almodovar, Spain’s most celebrated
filmmaker since Luis Bunuel, include Matador (1985), a fable about
sex, death and bull-fighting which Almodóvar proclaimed the ‘weirdest’ film
of his career, and The Flower of My Secret (1995), which signalled a
new maturity and emotional depth which would continue to distinguish films
such as
All About My Mother. Also included here are Law of Desire
(1987) and Kika (1993), the former a classic tale of romantic
obsession starring a young Antonio Banderas, the latter an outrageous media
satire featuring Victoria Abril in costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Visually
assured, the films from Law of Desire onwards established the
director’s working relationship with brother Augustin, with whom he formed
production company El Deseo. All four are quintessential Almodóvar, and
validate his status as one of the most consistently exciting film-makers in
the world.
directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Spain 1986
A very black comedy and highly provocative satiric allegory on sex and death, "Matador" is my favourite of all Almodovar's films. While lacking both the depth of character and emotions of "Law of Desire", it is so unashamed direct in its attack on - for instance - the church suppression of the lust of the flesh and its – almost – vulgar refusal to censor its own motifs, as in creating a parallel between death and orgasm, that one just have to admire the boldness of Almodovar.
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Theatrical Release: March 7, 1986
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Optimum (The Almodovar Collection Volume 2) - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Optimum Region 2 - PAL |
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| Runtime | 1:41:52 (4% PAL speedup) | |
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1.75:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish | |
| Subtitles | English (fixed) | |
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Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 13 |
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| Comments |
Of the earlier transfers, this is the best yet I
have seen. It is still not presented in its OAR, and it still
has a large degree of compression artefacts, but it looks
decent. While brief, the introduction by José Arroyo enriches the viewing. |
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directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Spain 1993
Following Atame and High Heels, Almodovar felt like
making a comedy – an absurd comedy – and Kiki is as absurd as they come.
Lots of everyone sleeps with everyone, spiced with absurd elements, like
the Robocop-ish sleaze reporter Andrea Scarface, who tapes people having
sex and the showing it on TV.
Not for all tastes, not even those who love “everything” Almodovar
makes. But its so absurdly fun anyway.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: October 29, 1993
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Optimum (The Almodovar Collection Volume 2) - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Optimum Region 2 - PAL |
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| Runtime | 1:49:23 (4% PAL speedup) | |
| Video |
1.75:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate |
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish | |
| Subtitles | English (fixed) | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
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| Comments |
Compression artefacts visible, mainly colour binding and
mosquito noise, but in general, a nice transfer. Sadly not OAR. Additional material on this DVD is plenty. While brief, the introduction by José Arroyo enriches the viewing. Adding to this are brief interviews with cast and Almodovar who talks about story, characters and the music. |
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(aka "La ley del deseo" )
directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Spain 1987
The key Almodovar film. His most important film. His
break-thru film. The Law of Desire is the one film one needs to watch if
one wants to see what Almodovar is about and why everyone is saying he
is a genius.
Almodovar examines different views on sex and love here, mainly thru the
relationship between Pablo – an filmmaker – and Juan – who fears being
gay and getting involved, even though his fears are exactly what he is
living out; so to speak.
It is with Law of Desire, that Almodovar for the first time manages to
enrich his already complex mise-en-scene with the depth of the emotions
his characters and his examination of relationships, thus forewarning
even more skilled displays of this and these motifs in Carne Tremula and
All About my Mother.
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Theatrical Release: February 1987 (Berlin International Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Optimum (The Almodovar Collection Volume 2) - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Optimum Region 2 - PAL |
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| Runtime | 1:37:45 (4% PAL speedup) | |
| Video |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate |
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish | |
| Subtitles | English (fixed) | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 13 |
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| Comments |
Quiet a beautiful transfer. While grainy, there is a minimum of
artefacts, ranging from almost detectable in some scenes to none
in others. While brief, the introduction by José Arroyo enriches the viewing. Sadly missed is an audio commentary or Almodovar talking about the motifs. |
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(aka "The Flower of My Secret" or "La Flor de mi secreto" )
directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Spain 1995
To me a minor and disappointing Almodovar, lacking the flamboyance which makes him so irresistible to begin with. While having some of his signatures, its too polished and too nice.
Poster
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Theatrical Release: September 22, 1995
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Optimum (The Almodovar Collection Volume 2) - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the Review!
| DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from:
|
| Distribution |
Optimum Region 2 - PAL |
|
| Runtime | 1:41:07 (4% PAL speedup) | |
| Video |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate |
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish | |
| Subtitles | English (fixed) | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Optimum Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
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| Comments |
The best of the transfers in the
box, but still with visible artefacts. Notable here is, that
while colours are extremely strong and details rich, colours
blend and clash. This DVD has the best additional material. As on all of them, while brief, the introduction by José Arroyo enriches the viewing. Once again, Almodovar briefly talks about film, but the cast gets more speaking time here and can go into more depth. |
DVD
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Screen Captures
Capture is resized from 1016px to 800px
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution |
Optimum Region 2 - PAL |
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Gary Tooze
Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA |
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Thank You!
