Posted Tue Jan 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by Tom Landy
Criterion slates up Denis and Melville films for Blu-ray this April.
Criterion has revealed the 2009 drama 'White Material' for Blu-ray on April 12.
In White Material, the great contemporary French filmmaker Claire Denis, known for her restless, intimate dramas, introduces an unforgettably crazed character. Played ferociously by Isabelle Huppert, Maria is an entitled white woman living in Africa, desperately unwilling to give up her family’s crumbling coffee plantation despite the civil war closing in on her. Created with Denis’ signature full-throttle visual style, which places the viewer in the center of the maelstrom, White Material is a gripping evocation of the death throes of European colonialism and a fascinating look at a woman lost in her own mind.
The Blu-ray will feature 1080p, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio, and supplements include: New interviews with Clare Denis and actors Isabelle Huppert and Isaach de Bankolé; Short documentary by Denis on the film's premiere at the Écrans Noirs Film Festival 2010 in Cameroon; Deleted scene; Theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Amy Taubin.
On the same day, Criterion will also be bringing 'Le Cercle Rouge' to Blu-ray.
Alain Delon plays a master thief, fresh out of prison, who crosses paths with a notorious escapee and an alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand). The unlikely trio plot a heist, against impossible odds, and then a relentless inspector and their own pasts seal their fates. Le cercle rouge, from Jean-Pierre Melville, combines honorable antiheroes, coolly atmospheric cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces to create a masterpiece of crime cinema.
The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, an uncompressed soundtrack, and supplements will include: Excerpts from Cinéastes de notre temps: "Jean-Pierre Melville"; Video interviews with assistant director Bernard Stora and Rui Nogueria, the author of Melville on Melville; Thirty minutes of rare on-set and archival footage, featuring interviews with director Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon, Yves Montand, and André Bourvil; Original theatrical trailer and 2003 Rialto Pictures rerelease trailer; and a booklet featuring essays by film critics Michael Sragow and Chris Fujiwara, excerpts from Melville on Melville, a reprinted interview with composer Eric Demarsan, and an appreciation from director John Woo.
Suggested list price for each Blu-ray is $39.95.
You can find the latest specs for 'White Material' and 'Le Cercle Rouge' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under April 12.
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