Home Video / Lorber Films / Press Release — 2 comments
30
Aug 10

LORBER RELEASES THE GATES (2005), A DOC ABOUT CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE’S WORK AT NEW YORK’S CENTRAL PARK, ON DVD.

The Gates on DVDNew York, NY – August 30, 2010 – Lorber Films is proud to release on DVD the Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysles documentary The Gates (2005), which chronicles Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s almost 15-years odyssey to create the largest public art installation in history: a “golden river” of 7,503 fabric-paneled gates in Central Park.

After a much-publicized premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, as well as national bookings across the US, The Gates will prebook on September 14, 2010, on DVD. With a SRP of $29.95, The Gates will become available to the general public on October 12, 2010.

In 1979, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude approached the mayor of New York City with the idea to create one of the most ambitious public art installations in history: a river made of recyclable orange nylon curtains covering 23 miles of walkways in Central Park. Their proposal was promptly rejected after a vote by the board.

In 1980 David and Albert Maysles began filming Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they proposed The Gates project to the City of New York. The recording of these debates and discussions continued until the project was declined one year later in 1981 and the footage was vaulted uncut for 23 years.

After Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, announced, on January 22, 2003, that a contract had been signed permitting both artists to realize their work of art (named The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005), the work on the projects started right away. And after years of political negotiations and bewildering opposition (and controversy), The Gates was finally completed in 2005.

Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysles’ film chronicles the artists’ twenty-six year commitment to transform the winter darkness of the iconic park into a garden of light and color. Weaving together archival interviews with committees, politicians and on-site conversations with visitors, the film ultimately poses some fundamental questions about the value of art in our contemporary society.

As Christo and Jeanne-Claude have always done for their previous projects, The Gates was entirely financed by the artists through their C.V.J. Corp, (Jeanne-Claude Javacheff, President) with the sale of preparatory studies, drawings, collages, and scale models, earlier works of the fifties and sixties, and original lithographs on other subjects. The artists do not accept sponsorship or donations.

THE GATES

Directed by Antonio Ferrera and Albert Maysles

98 Minutes

16:9

This Movie Has Not Been Rated

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Commentary / Kino International — 2 comments
27
Aug 10

BBC – What makes sci-fi epic Metropolis so influential?

Excellent segment on Metropolis prepared by the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8949756.stm

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Home Video / Kino International / Trailers — 2 comments
19
Aug 10

Who is Fantômas?

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON DVD

Based on the phenomenally popular French pulp novellas, Louis Feuillade’s outrageous, ambitious FANTÔMAS series became the gold standard of espionage serials in pre-WWI Europe, and laid the foundation for such immortal works as Feuillade’s own Les Vampires and Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse films.

René Navarre stars as the criminal lord of Paris, the master of disguise, the creeping assassin in black: Fantômas. Over the course of five feature films (which combined to form a 5 1/2-hour epic), Fantômas, along with his accomplices and mistresses, are pursued by the equally resourceful Inspector Juve (Edmund Bréon) and his friend, journalist Jerôme Fandor (Georges Melchior).

THE FILMS

  • Fantômas in the Shadow of the Guillotine (1913, 54 Min.)
  • Juve vs. Fantômas (1913, 62 Min.)
  • The Murderous Corpse (1913, 90 Min.)
  • Fantômas vs. Fantômas (1914, 60 Min.)
  • The False Magistrate (1914, 71 Min.)
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In Theatres / Lorber Films / Press Release — 2 comments
05
Aug 10

LORBER FILMS OPENS “WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM)?” ON SEPT. 10 IN NYC

New York, NY – August 5, 2010 – Lorber Films is proud to announce the theatrical release of the documentary WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM)? profiling the extraordinary life and career of the enigmatic Harry Nilsson, considered by many music critics and peers to be one of the best singer-songwriters of his time. Nilsson was also famous for being The Beatles’ favorite “group.”

WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? premiers at New York’s Cinema Village on September 10, 2010, and will expand to other US markets during the Fall and Winter of 2010.

Directed by Emmy and Grammy nominee John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, We Believe), the powerful and incredibly emotional WHO IS HARRY NILSSON? combines compelling interviews with Harry’s friends and colleagues, rare and never-before-seen archival footage, home movies and excerpts from Nilsson’s recently discovered oral autobiography.

The star-studded documentary features interviews with Micky Dolenz, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Al Kooper, Randy Newman, Yoko Ono, Van Dyke Parks, the Smothers Brothers, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams, Robin Williams, Brian Wilson and many more as well as members of the Nilsson family. The result is a vibrant and definitive portrayal of an uncompromising artist.

Born into poverty in a humble section of Brooklyn and raised by his mother after his father abandoned the family, Harry Nilsson overcame many obstacles, achieving the peak of his commercial success in the early1970s, when the album Nilsson Schmilsson was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. The film reveals how his personal life was as complex and contradictory as his music, as well as his spirited relationship with John Lennon and his close bond with Ringo Starr.

A brilliantly gifted songwriter, his work has been covered by a wide range of artists (The Monkees to Harry Belafonte, Blood Sweat & Tears to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Three Dog Night to Ella Fitzgerald, Aimee Mann to Barbra Streisand). And yet, with an irony that was typical of his career, his greatest fame and success came as a singer of other people’s songs.

Blessed with a remarkable three and-a-half octave range, Nilsson was the recipient of 17 Gold Records (in addition to his two Grammy Awards for “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “Without You”) and yet, never cut his music to fit mainstream fashion. He was also considered to be peer-less as a wild man, a legendary party animal who could drink John Lennon and Keith Moon under the table – while also being known as a devoted husband and father.

Intertwined throughout the doc are rare performances from two BBC specials, promo films, music videos, home movies, as well as excerpts from the Oscar-winning film, Midnight Cowboy and an unfinished documentary about the recording of the Harry’s 1972 album Son of Schmilsson.

All music in the film is by Nilsson, and the film’s soundtrack features over 50 songs from his career, including all of his best-known hits, unreleased tracks and rare recordings. For more information, please visit the film’s official website at www.whoisharrynilsson.com

About Lorber Films

Lorber Films is a theatrical releasing arm of Kino Lorber that specializes in award-winning international films, classics and documentary features.

Current releases include the romantic drama (and box-office hit) Mademoiselle Chambon (2010), starring Vincent Lindon, Sandrine Kiberlain and directed by Stéphane Brizé, Two in the Wave (2009), Emmanuel Laurent’s revealing inquiry into the lives and friendship of New Wave godfathers Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

Upcoming release are Army of Crime (2010), Robert Guédiguian’s sweeping World War II drama about immigrant resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France; and Salt of this Sea (2008), the Danny Glover produced film about a Brooklyn-born woman of Palestinian lineage who comes to Israel to search for the land and ancestral home near Jaffa from where her grandparents were ejected 60 years ago.

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Alive Mind / Industry Updates / Kino Lorber in the News / Special Announcements — 4 comments
03
Aug 10

KINO LORBER, Inc. ACQUIRES DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS TO DOCUMENTARY BRILLIANT MOON

KINO LORBER, Inc. &   HOUSE OF FILM

For Immediate Release

KINO LORBER, Inc. ACQUIRES DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS TO DOCUMENTARY BRILLIANT MOON FROM HOUSE OF FILM

New York, Los Angeles, August 3 2010 – New York-based Kino Lorber Inc. has acquired all North American rights to Brilliant Moon (2010) for release on their Alive Mind label from distribution company House of Film.

The documentary chronicles the life of one of Tibet’s most revered 20th century teachers, Dilgo Rinpoche, a writer, poet and meditation master who inspired all who encountered him. Narrated by Richard Gere and Lou Reed, it tells Rinpoche’s story from birth to death to rebirth – his childhood, escape from Tibet during Tibet’s invasion, and his determination to rebuild the Tibetan Buddhist tradition far and wide.

Brilliant Moon includes rare still and archival footage, beautiful photography from Tibet, India, the US, Bhutan and Nepal and is told in part through interviews with the Dalai Lama, Matthieu Ricard, Rabjam Rinpoche and others. The film is directed by Neten Chokling, a close student of Rinpoche and director of the feature film, Milarepa.

“Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche is a revered teacher and we are honored to be the selected distributor for this inspirational film,” said Elizabeth Sheldon, vice president of Kino Lorber, which has a library of over 600 titles. Kino Lorber will release the film through its Alive Mind Spiritual Cinema initiative, which offers spiritually themed films to theatrical venues and community groups across North America for exhibition. It will be offered to the educational market in fall of 2010 for Public Performance and digital site licenses through the newly formed Kino Lorber Education library, which merges the combined collections of Alive Mind and Kino to the library and post secondary market. It will be released to the retail market later in 2011.

Brilliant Moon will debut at New York’s Rubin Museum on August 4th in honor of the 2010 centennial celebrations for Dilgo Rinpoche.

House of Film offers high quality spiritual films to distirbutors. “Distribution of spiritual films of the highest aesthetic standards is an essential element for us. We are thrilled to see that there is a synergy between Kino Lorber and House of Film as two of our movies, Sunrise/Sunset and Brilliant Moon, have been recently picked up by Alive Mind for North American distribution”, points out Ava B., President and CEO of House of Film.

Alive Mind releases documentary programming in the areas of enlightened consciousness and cultural transformation, and is a specialty distribution arm of Kino Lorber, Inc. Alive Mind provide its audience with intellectually provocative work from leading filmmakers that delivers the “aha” response of a transformative experience. Best-selling releases include: Sunrise/Sunset, a documentary that chronicles a day in the life of the Dalai Lama; The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the definitive filmic interpretation of the classic text, narrated by Leonard Cohen; Edge of Dreaming, which ill premier on POV August 23rd;Fierce Light and Mythic Journeys.

For more information regarding setting-up a screening or preview copies, please contact Kevyn Fairchild at Kevyn@kinolorber.com (212) 629 6880. For media inquiries, please contact Rodrigo Brandao at Rodrigo@kinolorber.com.

www.alivemindmedia.com

www.alivemindspirit.com

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Home Video — 2 comments
09
Jul 10

“Lost” Lost Keaton

Occasionally, we like to offer a glimpse at the creative process of packaging/marketing a film.  The following series of images reveals the evolution of the boxcover of the new DVD set Lost Keaton:  Sixteen Comedy Shorts 1934-37.

This was the first draft, and to be honest I’m still partial to it.  Maybe it’s a little too “Chaplin pathos” for Keaton, but it has a nice Depression-era feel that sums up the budgetary impoverishment he was experiencing at Educational Pictures.

Several members of the Kino staff strongly prefer the image above.  It’s a nice, visually striking pose.  The only problems are a) the frame is dominated by the bottoms of his shoes (not his face) and b) this is not a still from the one Educational short in which Keaton plays baseball (One Run Elmer, 1935).  We know because his uniform is different.

Another strong candidate, this image was adapted from an original poster of Allez Oop (1934).  This was a draft, and it would have worked as a boxcover.  The primary strike against it is that the painting of Keaton looks more like Eddie Cantor.

Here we have a nice portrait of Keaton from around the correct time period.  And it’s kind of nice that he’s standing over a trash can, using lid and broom as weapons, as if defending his lesser-known films from cinema history’s dustbin.  The photo we liked, but the geometric background felt too 1960s.

In the above draft, the 1960s type has been replaced with something more appropriate to the 1930s — and the slanting rays evoke the boxcover style of our initial ten-disc series The Art of Buster Keaton.  But, for whatever reason, we still weren’t happy with this approach, and I was sent back to the drafting board one more time.

This portrait clearly came from the same photo session as the image on the boxcover before (the Keaton-and-trashcan series).  It’s a nice comical photo (like the baseball image), Keaton really looks like Keaton, it’s from the correct era, the trashcan represents the obscurity of the films, and there was room to shoehorn in some original poster art.

PRINT!

Not every boxcover goes through six drafts, but it’s not uncommon.  More often, however, we know what the central image is going to be, and we run through a number of drafts that are subtle variants of each other.  Because the drafts were so different from one another — and because there are so many Keaton devotees out there — I thought this series of images was worth sharing.

Bret Wood (producer/designer)

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Alive Mind / Home Video — No comments
09
Jul 10

Brion Gysin (FLicKer) exhibit at New Museum NY

FLicKeRA retrospective at the New Museum in New York City illuminates the life of Brion Gysin, who was known more for his ties to more famous artists than for his own contribution, the most recognized one being the Dream Machine.

Opening this week, Brion Gysin: Dream Machine is an exhibit that will finally allow the artist Brion Gysin to emerge, fully formed, in this retrospective as the artist he really was. If you can’t make it to the exhibit, check out our definitive documentary FLicKeR that chronicles Gyson’s complex ideas, friendships and influence with some of the 20th century’s key counterculture figures, such as William Burroughs, Kurt Corbain and Marianne Faithful.

Preview on your iPhone or iPod or buy the DVD!

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Alive Mind / Home Video — 6 comments
05
Jul 10

“Holes In My Shoes” – Monday July 5th @ 10pm PBS WNET 13 (NY) & Jack would have been 100!

Filmmaker David Wachs has just informed us that his documentary HOLES IN MY SHOES will be aired on PBS WNET 13 in the NYC area Monday night at 10PM. Don’t miss this fascinating and inspirational documentary.

Holes In My Shoes profiles the ultimate New Yorker, Jack Beers, and demonstrates the power and promise of the American Dream through the artfully-told, inspirational story of his life. The stuff that urban legend is made of, Beers represents everything good about New York – and America itself.

David Wachs wrote about Jack Beers, “It is now one year since Jack Beers passed away.  I miss him more than words can say, as do many of you. He always wanted to make 100 and said he’d have a huge party where everyone was invited if he did…yet, his 99 years in this life were extraordinary, da best (as Jack would say). “

The film is also available on DVD from Kino’s video store or can be downloaded from MyFilmBlog.

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Home Video / Special Announcements / Trailers — 5 comments
29
Jun 10

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (restoration comparisons)

PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
35mm TECHNICOLOR RESTORATION
Presented by The Film Foundation, George Eastman House & Douris UK Ltd.

In this timeless romantic fantasy from director Albert Lewin, Ava Gardner stars as a nightclub singer vacationing in Spain, with whom all men fall hopelessly in love. But Pandora, never having known true love, is indifferent to her suitors’ affections. Until, one evening, she swims out to a mysterious yacht and meets its captain (James Mason). Mastered in HD from the 35mm negative of the 2009 restoration, this Kino edition preserves Jack Cardiff’s (The Red Shoes) vivid Technicolor cinematography with breathtaking clarity.

Coming to Blu-ray and DVD on August 3.
PRE-ORDERS BEGIN 7/6/10 at www.kino.com/video

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Commentary / In Theatres / Kino Lorber in the News — 1 comment
28
Jun 10

Dogtooth Reviews are in!

Kino International’s universally praised DOGTOOTH opened this past Friday, June 25th, in New York. Here are some excerpts from the past week’s reviews:

As DOGTOOTH’s carefully cultivated fictional world begins to unravel, the fallout accelerates too fast for anyone on screen to cope. The truth goes hand-in-glove with a feeling of blind panic. It’s an exhilaratingly unpredictable experience, and not an easy one to shake. - Scott Tobias, The Onion A.V.Club

For those inclined to put it to use, DOGTOOTH offers a unique, acute and profoundly unsettling circus mirror vividly reflecting the darkest aspects of that most frequently and mostly tiresomely cinematically depicted first tier of all societies — the family. - Bruce Bennett, IFC.com

Director Giorgos Lanthimos lays out the rules largely through action rather than exposition, which allows DOGTOOTH to play as a richly satisfying, blackly comic mystery in spite of its delayed, horror-sourced housebreak plot. - Karina Longworth, The Village Voice

DOGTOOTH is so suggestive and frightening, it invites solving, but only by the brave. …Undeniably, though, DOGTOOTH is about something everyone will get, namely the way sex writes its own rules, no matter how strictly curtailed. Summon up the courage and go. - Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

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