Those who think the Criterion Collection release of Chimes at Midnight was one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2016 are not alone.
Il Cinema Ritrovato (“Cinema Rediscovered”) festival has selected it and 26 other Blu-ray and DVD titles from the past year as finalists for its Best DVD Release award. The festival will take place June 24-July 1 in Bologna.
The film festival in northern Italy is dedicated to the rediscovery of rare and little-known films with a particular focus on cinema origins and the silent movie period. The festival was found in 1986 by the Cineteca di Bologna and is one of the world’s major festivals of film restoration.
Upon its release, DVD Beaver gave its highest recommendation to Chimes at Midnight, calling the 1080P image “superb – looking consistent, rich, and detailed.” High Def Digest wrote, “The image transfer is a revelation. Blacks and whites are crisp and contrast is wonderful. The film has an evenly balanced grain structure throughout.”
In addition the excellent transfer, the Criterion Collection included such as extras an audio commentary from film scholar James Naremore; interviews with cast members Keith Baxter and Beatrice Welles and authors Simon Callow and Joseph McBride; and an interview with Welles as he edited the film from a 1965 episode of The Merv Griffin Show.
The finalists are:
Dekalog – (Poland, 1985) by Krzysztof Kieślowski; Arrow Movies (Blu-ray & DVD)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia – (USA, 1974) by Sam Peckinpah; Arrow Movies (Blu-ray)
Napoleon – (France, 1927) by Abel Gance; BFI (Blu-ray)
Dissent & Disruption. Alan Clarke at the BBC – (UK, 1969-1989); BFI (Blu-ray + DVD)
The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema – (France-Japan, 1939-1964); Carlotta Films (DVD)
Amarcord – (Italy, 1973) by Federico Fellini; CG Entertainment (Blu-ray + DVD)
The Life Is To Us, The Time of Cherries and Other Films Of The Front Popular – (France, 1936-1937) by Jean Renoir, Jean-Paul Le Chanois Ciné-Archives (DVD)
Private Property – (USA, 1960) by Leslie Stevens; Cinelicious Pics (Blu-ray)
Margot Dias: Films Etnográficos (1958-1961) – (Portugal, 1958-1961); Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema / Direção-Geral do Património Cultural, Museu Nacional de Etnologia (DVD)
Already The Wings Skinny Flower – (Belgium, 1960) by Paul Meyer; CINEMATEK (DVD)
Jacqueline Veuve Retrospective – (Swiss, 1966-2010) Swiss Film; Archive / Cinema & Letters / Radio Television Switzerland (DVD)
Chimes at Midnight – (Spain, 1966) by Orson Welles; Criterion (Blu-ray)
The Kennedy Films of Robert Drew & Associates – (USA, 1960-1964) by Robert Drew; Criterion (Blu-ray)
Wajda – (Poland, 1954-2013); Cyfrowe Repozytorium Filmowe (Digital Film Repository) (DVD)
Martin Scorsese Present: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema – (Poland, 1958-1988); di Factory (Blu-ray)
Rushes Of Bruno Muel / With The Blood Of Others – (France, 1974) by Bruno Muel; Editions Commune (DVD)
The Salvation Hunters – (USA, 1925) by Josef von Sternberg; Edition Filmmuseum (DVD)
Kuk Kinobox. Die Donaumonarchie in Originalen Filmdokumenten – (varies, 1896-1918); Filmarchiv Austria / Ernst Kieninger, Nikolaus Wostry (DVD)
Woman On The Run – (USA, 1950) by Norman Foster; Flicker Alley, LLC./The Black Film Foundation (Blu-ray + DVD)
Opfergang – (Germany, 1944) by Veit Harlan; Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung / Concorde Home Entertainment (Blu-ray)
Immensee – (Germany, 1943) by Veit Harlan: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung / Concorde Home Entertainment (Blu-ray)
A Ball Carnet – (France, 1937) by Julien Duvivier; Gaumont Video (DVD / Blu-ray)
Rendez-Vous From July – (France, 1949) by Jaques Becker; Gaumont Video (DVD / Blu-ray)
Vinicius of Moraes, Um Rapaz Of Familia – (Brazil, 1983) by Susana Moraes; Instituto Moreira Halls (DVD)
Pioneers of African-American Cinema – (USA, 1915-1944); Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)
Color Box: 19 Movies by Len Lye – (USA-New Zeland, 1929-1980); Len Lye Foundation / Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision (DVD)
Tresors of the Cinema Yiddish – (Poland-USA-Germany, 1936-1949); Lobster Films (DVD)
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