By RAY KELLY
Five years after the November 2, 2018 debut of The Other Side of the Wind on Netflix, the most frequently asked question by Orson Welles fans is: “When the $%@! is the Blu-ray coming out?”
Sadly, there is no official word from Netflix or the Criterion Collection on an imminent release. Wellesnet was told there has been no movement toward issuing a 4K UHD or Blu-ray during the past five years – despite the streaming giant allowing Criterion to release such prestige titles as Roma, Marriage Story and The Irishman. Whether the lack of interest is on the part of Netflix, Criterion or both companies is purely a matter of conjecture.
The closest we have come to a home video release was the awards season promotional “For Your Consideration” DVDs and Blu-rays issued by Netflix to entice voters almost five years ago. Those limited edition collectibles now fetch a few hundred dollars on eBay. Fans had hoped a Blu-ray release would be permitted since it was a “perk” offered during the failed Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign before Netflix took on the project.
In the meantime, cheaply made pirated copies of The Other Side of the Wind have flourished. Fans of who have tired of waiting for a commercial release have queried Wellesnet about the quality of those discs and the honesty of those who sell them.
For the purpose of this article, I decided to see what the pirates have to offer. Frankly, I was uncomfortable about placing an order since I am genuinely fond of the people who labored hard to complete the movie and they should be fairly compensated for their work. Therefore, there are no links here to bootleg retailers and please don’t email asking for one.
Pirated copies of The Other Side of the Wind – most of them cheaply packaged and manufactured on DVD-R or BD-R discs – are openly sold online for as little $9.99. A high-end version that contains not only the feature film in high definition, but the informative documentary short A Final Cut for Orson and the trailer was offered for $26.99 through a popular online retailer.
Before placing the order, I asked the California-based seller a few questions by email. How was the quality? Better than streaming, I was told. Further, I was assured it was a factory pressed Blu-ray and not some cheap BD-R.
When the disc arrived in the mail 11 days later, I removed the shrink wrap to find a handsomely packaged blue plastic case with full color artwork slyly using the Netflix logo, a totally bogus UPC code and surprisingly accurate film credits. Inside, there was a silkscreened BD-R! (Remember the adage “buyer beware,” my friends). The region-free BD-R had a simple, unattractive but functioning menu. There were nine chapter stops in the 122-minute film, but none were linked to the start of a key scene, making them pointless. The 1080p video and Dolby sound quality were good with the film grain clearly visible. As advertised, the disc had optional English, Spanish and French subtitles.
By my calculation, the BD-R, color artwork and plastic case cost less the bootlegger about $3 – so there was a pretty healthy profit made on the sale.
Obviously, this BD-R bootleg was not even remotely on par with a typical Criterion disc, but for less discerning fans it may suffice until an official release is issued.
In conversations with Wellesnet over the years, the film’s producers have suggested The Other Side of the Wind could ideally be packaged on Blu-ray with the companion Morgan Neville documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, the Ryan Suffern short A Final Cut for Orson, the film festival fave HOPPER/WELLES and various rarities that producer Filip Jan Rymsza and editor Bob Murawski have already assembled in hopes of a future deluxe home video release. Hopefully, such a set will one day be released.
I should note, I know I don’t NEED a Blu-ray to enjoy The Other Side of the Wind. Not only do I currently subscribe to Netflix and can stream the movie on TV or my iPhone 24/7, I received an mp4 file for supporting the failed Indiegogo campaign and bought one of those Netflix promotional discs for a ridiculous sum on eBay years ago.
But like many fans of The Other Side of the Wind, I believe the completion of Orson Welles’ last major film project is historic and deserving of a handsome, comprehensive physical release. It’s a pity that feeling is not universal.
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