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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
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Pearls of the Czech New Wave
Pearls of the Deep is compared on Blu-ray HERE
Daisies is compared on Blu-ray HERE
Pearls of the Deep (1966) Daisies (1966) A Report on the Party and Guests(1966)
Return of the Prodigal Son (1967) Capricious
Summer (1968) The Joke (1969)
Of all the cinematic New Waves that broke over the world in the 1960s, the one in Czechoslovakia was among the most fruitful, fascinating, and radical. With a wicked sense of humor and a healthy streak of surrealism, a group of fearless directors—including eventual Oscar winners Miloš Forman and Ján Kadár—began to use film to speak out about the hypocrisy and absurdity of the Communist state. A defining work was the 1966 omnibus film Pearls of the Deep, which introduced five of the movement’s essential voices: Věra Chytilová, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, and Evald Schorm. This series presents that title, along with five other crucial works that followed close on its heels, one from each of those filmmakers—some dazzlingly experimental, some arrestingly realistic, all singular expressions from a remarkable time and place. |
Titles
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Pearls of the Deep |
Posters
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Theatrical Releases: 1966 - 1969
DVD Review: Eclipse Series Thirty Two from the Criterion Collection (4-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC
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DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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Distribution | Eclipse / Criterion Collection - Region 1 - NTSC | |
Time: | Respectively - 1:47:12, 1:16:12, 1:10:36, 1:43:00, 1:16:36, and 1:20:54 | |
Bitrate: Disc 1 Pearls of the Deep |
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Bitrate: Disc 2 - Daisies + A Report on the Party and Guests |
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Bitrate: Disc 3 Return of the Prodigal Son |
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Bitrate: Disc 4 Capricious Summer + The Joke |
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Audio | Czech (original mono) | |
Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
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Comments: |
Pearls of the Deep is compared on Blu-ray HERE Daisies is compared on Blu-ray HERE NOTE: The 6 features are on 4 discs housed in individual slim transparent keep cases they are not sold separately by Criterion at this time. We have compared two of the films (Daisies + A Report on the Party and Guests) to the PAL - Second Run editions. All four DVDs are dual-layered and each are coded for Region 1 in the NTSC standard. The transfers are all progressive, except for Capricious Summer which is, surprisingly, interlaced (see capture), and all are in the 1.33 aspect ratio.
Disc one has Pearls of the Deep (1966)
Disc two has Daisies (1966) + A Report on the
Party and Guests (1966) The audio is in original Czech mono and there are optional English subtitles (samples below). Bitrates are very strong ranging from from in the high 6's to 8.2 Mbps. Aside from one page liner notes for each film (visible on the inner case sleeve through the transparent case cover) there are no supplements as per standard for Eclipse label releases. Video quality is pretty solid with the interlacing of Capricious Summer as the only drawback. There may be hints of boosting but this also may be a function of the sources used. Comparing the Eclipse Daisies to the Second Run - the UK transfer looks a shade horizontally stretched - only really noticeable in direct comparison. Ditto, to a lesser degree, for A Report on the Party and Guests. Criterion's black levels are a more prominent but both pair of releases support the films with the same colors and nothing appears to be significantly cropped from either frame. Pearls of the Deep may be the weakest with a more frail image and some light frame-specific scratches - often looking too bright. Capricious Summer is all in color with Daisies also in color having some black and white sequences. Pearls has a couple of instances of color but the rest of the film is in black and white. The Joke probably looks the best - and all 6 films shows some degree of grain. The sound is original mono is as clean as the original source could provide. Dialogue is clear enough and audible - I noted a no instances of pops, or other glaring weaknesses. The Czech language has a slightly different translation from the Second Run DVD subtitles but nothing varying significantly from the Eclipse's renditions.
The Mission Statement description on the back of the boxset remains faithful: "Eclipse is a selection of lost, forgotten, or overshadowed classics in simple, affordable editions. Each series is a brief cinematheque retrospective for the adventurous home viewer." It was a pleasure to revisit Daisies and A Report on the Party and Guests plus the other 4 - which were all new for me. Capricious Summer and The Joke are brilliant films worth of revisitation and Pearls of the Deep is impacting and masterful. This package has immense value - 6 strong Czech New Wave films offered at a reasonable price (less than $9/film). The transfers offer solid presentations and getting them in own package makes it an important set. I would strongly recommend this at anyone interested in world cinema. This is another essential Eclipse package. |
DVD Menus
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Slim Transparent Keep Case Cover
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Slim Transparent Keep Case Cover
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Screen Captures
Daisies
(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Screen Captures
A Report on Party and Guests
(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Second Run - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Eclipse - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Slim Transparent Keep Case Cover
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Screen Captures
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Slim Transparent Keep Case Cover
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Capricious Summer
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Combing - Interlaced transfer
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The Joke
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