By RAY KELLY
Santa Claus will not be leaving a The Other Side of the Wind Blu-ray/DVD underneath the Christmas tree this year.
Producer Filip Jan Rymsza told supporters of a 2015 crowdfunding effort in a posting today that a promised “perk” of a Blu-ray/DVD of the Orson Welles film, as well as as a coffee table book of rare photos from the 1970s shoot, “will take more time.”
“I’d rather not speculate, but I’m guessing it’ll be a while. There are many factors involved, but rest assured we’re working on something special,” Rymsza wrote.
The Blu-ray/DVD and coffee table book are the last of the 20 perks to be sent to donors.
While it has not been announced, it is likely a Blu-ray/DVD perk for nearly 1,700 contributors would be tied to a commercial release given the cost of remastering and preparing bonus features.
In an interview earlier this week, Rymsza told Wellesnet he has been in talks with Netflix about a commercial home video release, but would not predict a release date. “But, when it does, it’ll be very comprehensive… and, hopefully, as with the film itself, well worth the wait.”
It’s been year since The Other Side of the Wind had its historic premieres at the Venice and Telluride film festivals and 10 months since its streaming debut on Netflix.
Netflix — who bankrolled much of the cost of the $6 million completion — is not a fan of physical media releases.
A spokesman for the streaming giant had no information regarding a Blu-ray or DVD release.
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