Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films

This is certainly the most remarkable collection of films to come out in one DVD package. And I would really like to thank Criterion for overpricing their DVDs so much that I had very little overlap with my existing library, having passed on most of their editions of these films. Here are a few observations that might be of use to potential buyers: 1) the widescreen movies are anamorphic 2) Haxen is 104 min, substantially longer than the 77 min version that has shown on premium cable. 3) I compared the Janus versions of two films, Wages of Fear and Seven Samurai, with the Criterion versions I had. I expected them to be identical (figuring that Criterion probably did the work for Janus) but they were considerably different. In both cases, the Janus copies were amazingly superior: much better (and louder)sound, crisper images with fewer defects, much better definition in shadowy areas, and a much more stable image. I never realized how poor the Criterion prints were until I saw the comparison. It's amazing the psychological effect of all that. In both cases, I was strongly tempted to continue watching the whole film with Janus, and found the Criterion copy 'tiring'. The translations also differed, with Janus having fewer errors (e.g. Samurai's "the rice we're eating now" v.s. "the rice we're eating, how"). I cannot wait to watch the rest of these films.3. I could detect no difference between Anchor Bay's and Janus's Kind Hearts and Coronets.4. The print of Lady Vanishes is the clearest I've seen. The el cheapo Brentwood print, in their Hitchcock collection, is unwatchable.5. The one really bad aspect of the collection is that the DVDs are wedged tightly into paper slots. Every single disc was covered with tiny flecks of paper, and every disc was scratched, sometimes quite badly (but not enough to affect playback, I think). Whether this occurred putting the disc in, or taking it out, I can't say. However, repeating this process would rapidly damage the surface. I put all the discs into individual cases, and I STRONGLY recommend doing so. Some of the discs felt like they were glued to the page, the packaging was so tight. If you are a real fanatic about surface defects, and don't plan on reselling the set, you might even want to use a razor to cut the paper and LIFT the disc out. Whatever you do, don't rotate the disc as you try to unstick it or you may get a spiralling defect. Despite that caveat, this is an incredible bargain - less than $12 per film instead of $30 for Criterion's. That makes those commentaries pretty bloody expensive. One can only hope Janus will put out another 50 movies (hopefully in individual cases, though).

This was a state-sponsored, carefully monitored production. Artists, scenario writers directors are carefully conntrolled. A mis-step could land you In the USSR, artists, scenarists and directors were scrutinized by the State and their organs of Censorship. Any mis-step could land you dead, in Siberia or placed on the Russian Blacklist, like Askoldov, where you suffer a fate worse than prison, and never allowed to work again. In spite of this Eisenstein manages to turn the tables on his Inquisitors. He produced a propaganda movie that exalted Russian Leaders, even focused on the lowly soldiers (something not done during the Stalin years) but he managed to produce a touching love story. Between the two suitors, Vasili and Gavrilo, each publicly vying for the hand Olga Danilova, the beautiful maiden. Their gallantry in battle is noteworthy but their chivalry in courting though comically overplayed brings fresh notes to the film. The muse is also a fighter, hearkening back to early Russian Cinema female protagonist left the farm to become commissars and party leaders bringing about Communist Russia. In the end both soldiers appear to be dying. Something quintessentially marvelous takes place. The film recalls Act IV of Verdi’s La Boheme, with some role changes. There is a grim situation with the two soldiers appearing to be both dying. An aria unfolds with choral accompaniment. The skies are dark. The mood somber. This was meant to be the most romantic moments. But one soldier though clearly the most recovered states that his friend is more deserving of Olga and renounces her to him. Olga accepts and they are to be married. The Aria is at once a dirge and a serene mercurial composition (recalling Musette's Waltz). Perhaps Eisenstein was exploring the surreal, the fantastic, doing fine job of it. I’ll leave you view the film yourself. Now one of my favourite films. No need for Eisenstein’s “montage” theory. His narrative produced a classic, the old-fashioned way: Genius. The censors got their Russian propagandist fare, with Olga’s aria’s lyrics, “…Where are the Germans? Spread to the four winds or sunk below the ice! This scene was obviously copied by Antoine Fuqua in King Arthur (2004). Eisenstein cast a long shadow.© JV.

Arrived on time and in good condition.

To get to the point, there are several versions of this film being sold or have been sold on Amazon. When you read the reviews you will see that all versions have been lumped together. The version which I received was the one with Eisenstein's photo on the front and runs for about 2 1/2 hours. This is extremely hard to watch, fuzzy in many parts and the music is distorted in many parts of the film. I understand that the Criterion version is very much better. I think the Criterion version is the one shown on TCM and provides a very clean and clear version of the film with the proper sound. Right now the Criterion version is not available on Amazon. Hope it returns soon.

The performance is unexciting, and the recording is mediocre. The soprano solo rates 2 stars.

cette version anglo-russe est curieuse : les sous-titres anglais sont assez approximatifs dans leur rédaction...mais cela n'enlève rien à la majesté de l'aventure! un vieux film qu'il est intéressant de (re)découvrir...

I had forgotten how great a film this is. You must, of course, put aside all our tedious modern gimmickry and realism ... which surprisingly often obscure the true sense and impact of films ... and accept Eisenstein's work on its own terms. You then have something which literally brings tears to the eyes: the force of nobility and sacrifice which can, on occasion, stand over and above any flaws of nationalism, politics or calculated interest. You also have a stunning musical score from Prokoviev: tears to the eyes, indeed. The re-mastering is a success, though naturally the age of the filmstock shows through. Similarly, the sound track is a bit muddy, but Prokoviev's score has the force and clarity to overcome that; the need to overcome the technical weakness almost, in itself, seems to underscore the concept of heroic nobility facing against the odds running through the whole film. The camera work is, of course, excellent if you allow yourself to accept the notion of declaratory symbolic representation of ideals. Do not forget the idealistic message of true socialism! 1938 ... and the film shows almost uncanny foreknowledge of the Nazi assault on Russia to come, with all its horrors and ultimate victory. A great and unforgettable film.

This is a classic film which I have seen many times and I am happy to have it on DVD. All the film-makers who came after this, saw it and learnt from it (I haven't asked everybody, but I read this reference in a number of interviews with some film-makers).Two or three things to look out for:1. This is shot with a static camera but there is a feeling of movement on the screen, through a lot of diagonally positioned shots, rapid switches from close-ups to middle distance and long distance shots, and by moving a lot of people / horses through the back of the static shot, while action or conversation is going on in close-up. It can be enjoyable just to observe what he is doing technically!2.Prokofiev's score is quite brilliant and the destruction of Pskov still sends shivers down the spine.3. The subtitles, unfortunately, were done by the Soviets long ago. I am a native Russian speaker, so I can say with authority that while the actors speak modern Russian, for reasons not altogether clear (unless they wanted to convey the ancient times when the action took place), on the subtitles everybody speaks exactly like Yoda, so much so that I began to wonder about influences... It can be annoying or a bit funny, but you will not lose the meaning of what is going on. I love it.

Not bad