Mr. Bongo Films

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Drucker
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#426 Post by Drucker » Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:13 pm

Does anyone else have the Mr. Bongo DVD of this film, from a few years ago? Honestly, the grading/color temperature (apologies for not using right terms) didn't seem drastically different than the Spanish restoration shown at Film Forum.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#427 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:19 pm

There are details on the Spanish restoration here. They worked from the original negative and based the grading of the English version on "the grading instructions of the print presented at Cannes in 1966," plus some post-Cannes changes that Welles made at some point or another in a print at the Swedish Film Institute. If this is really what the DCP looks like then I don't know what to think, since the restoration team seems to have done their due diligence—but I can't imagine the screen caps I've seen of the Bongo disc reflect what Welles had in mind.

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Cremildo
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#428 Post by Cremildo » Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:14 pm

david hare wrote:They don't reflect what I SAW in 1967.
Like hell you can remember such detail from a screening nearly half a century ago. :roll:

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Roger Ryan
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#429 Post by Roger Ryan » Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:52 am

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:...They worked from the original negative...
I have a hard time believing this since the Filmoteca Española DCP has "cigarette burns" visible for every reel change in additional to the usual wear-and-tear you'd expect with a print that has been run through a projector numerous times. I saw the film twice projected from 35mm (in 1993 and 2006) and both times the film looked and sounded better than this current DCP making the rounds. I don't doubt that the restoration team were very careful in selecting the correct shots (a short documentary on the restoration I saw in late April noted how Welles requested certain shots to be flipped or zoomed in to hide a nearby highway), but I can't believe this is the best the film can look.

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Drucker
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#430 Post by Drucker » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:30 am

david hare wrote:Here's Gielgud (compressed from 1080) from the BD:

Image
As has been repeatedly pointed out, the Spanish restoration certainly isn't perfect, and certainly doesn't have piercing blacks, but it certainly isn't that washed-out looking.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#431 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Fri Jun 26, 2015 11:32 am

Roger Ryan wrote:
The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:...They worked from the original negative...
I have a hard time believing this since the Filmoteca Española DCP has "cigarette burns" visible for every reel change in additional to the usual wear-and-tear you'd expect with a print that has been run through a projector numerous times. I saw the film twice projected from 35mm (in 1993 and 2006) and both times the film looked and sounded better than this current DCP making the rounds. I don't doubt that the restoration team were very careful in selecting the correct shots (a short documentary on the restoration I saw in late April noted how Welles requested certain shots to be flipped or zoomed in to hide a nearby highway), but I can't believe this is the best the film can look.
Searching for more on this, I find that you made a post along these lines in a Wellesnet thread, which contains a useful follow-up from another poster speculating that the Filmoteca didn't have access to the negative materials (which ended up in the hands of the Saltzman estate). There's also a worrying comment that Michael Dawson has a negative for Chimes but (as of last month) had not been contacted by anyone at Criterion; granted that Dawson was producer of the understandably controversial Othello restoration, but if I were Criterion I certainly wouldn't forgo the possibility that he might have something superior to the Filmoteca restoration, which from the sound of things is no world-beater.

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Roger Ryan
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#432 Post by Roger Ryan » Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:11 pm

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote: ...There's also a worrying comment that Michael Dawson has a negative for Chimes but (as of last month) had not been contacted by anyone at Criterion; granted that Dawson was producer of the understandably controversial Othello restoration, but if I were Criterion I certainly wouldn't forgo the possibility that he might have something superior to the Filmoteca restoration, which from the sound of things is no world-beater.
If it's any consolation, Dawson alerted Criterion's Issa Clubb (via Skype) on June 9th that he had possession of CHIMES elements. This exchange happened immediately following a panel presentation during the third day of a Welles Centenary celebration in Detroit/Ann Arbor (I was standing next to Dawson as he spoke with Clubb).

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tenia
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#433 Post by tenia » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:27 pm

It seems Too Much Johnson BD suffers from the same overblown aspect than Chimes.

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tenia
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#434 Post by tenia » Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:44 am

Well, the Macbeth / Othello Carlotta package wasn't bad, and Criterion might be topping this for Othello at least, hopefully getting a bit around the 92 restoration.
The Carlotta Mr Arkadin BD also looks good, but it only has this version. I guess you can't have it all, but it's good start isn't it ?

But yes, as somebody too young to have been able to be aware earlier about Welles' movies like Chimes or Too Much Johnson, I was very eager about Bongo's BDs, and they're so disappointing it is frustrating.

I can now only hope the Immortal Story Gaumont restoration won't turn out too filtered.

Calvin
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#435 Post by Calvin » Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:38 am

It's very disappointing as Mr. Bongo's previous Blu-Ray releases (albeit there are only two of them) are technically fine so I had hopes that they wouldn't regress back to the standards - or lack of - of their DVD releases.

While it's probably worth waiting for Criterion, Mr. Bongo did say that they are releasing a box set with extras later in the year so hopefully they're aware of this cock up and take steps to rectify it when it comes to re-authoring discs.

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Roger Ryan
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#436 Post by Roger Ryan » Fri Jul 10, 2015 1:48 pm

tenia wrote:...I can now only hope the Immortal Story Gaumont restoration won't turn out too filtered.
Issa Clubb noted last month that Criterion has done its own HD scan of THE IMMORTAL STORY, so if the Gaumont restoration turns out flawed than it's likely Criterion will release an alternate.

vidussoni
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#437 Post by vidussoni » Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:57 pm

Apparently they are also releasing Fellini's Casanova in the U.S. on August 7.

I thought for sure Criterion would've grabbed this.

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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#438 Post by chatterjees » Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:45 pm

vidussoni wrote:Apparently they are also releasing Fellini's Casanova in the U.S. on August 7.

I thought for sure Criterion would've grabbed this.
I saw that listing last week and thought that there must be a glitch or something. I did not see any official announcement for Mr. Bongo coming to USA anywhere. blu-ray.com has done some random listings before. I could be wrong too. May be they are coming. There is another page for The Saragossa Manuscript Blu-ray.

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Gregory
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#439 Post by Gregory » Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:57 pm

There are Amazon US listings for many Mr Bongo releases, and the release date will probably be bumped. I don't think this is a release specifically for the US market or there wouldn't be the BBFC labelling on the cover.

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solaris72
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#440 Post by solaris72 » Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:02 pm

Weird, there's also a Best Buy listing for Hourglass Sanatorium...$15, gonna pre-order and see what happens.

kekid
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#441 Post by kekid » Mon Nov 16, 2015 5:40 pm

Does anyone know how the Bongo Blu Ray of The Immortal Story compares with the Gaumont version?

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tenia
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#442 Post by tenia » Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:00 pm

The Gaumont will only be released in a few weeks so it's hard to know yet.

Calvin
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#443 Post by Calvin » Sun Dec 25, 2016 6:26 pm

A Blu-Ray release of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's Memories of Underdevelopment has been announced for February 17th.

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feckless boy
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#444 Post by feckless boy » Fri Feb 17, 2017 6:02 am

Calvin wrote:A Blu-Ray release of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's Memories of Underdevelopment has been announced for February 17th.
Review by dvdcompare. Mostly positive but, as per usual with Mr Bongo, questions about the encode's origin.

peerpee
not perpee
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#445 Post by peerpee » Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:05 pm

Are people still giving these clowns money? Mr Pongo have been limping along like a lame, diarrhoeic horse since they began. They're a disgrace to the industry – and probably the last standing truly disreputable label in the UK.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#446 Post by knives » Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:14 pm

Anyone who bought the recent Welles blues from Crit are technically giving them money.

peerpee
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#447 Post by peerpee » Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:38 pm

Yes, that hook-up took my breath away. Which is why their abysmal business practices need to be more widely known. They're the biggest chancers on the block and they've proven time and time again they don't give a fuck.

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rapta
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#448 Post by rapta » Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:42 pm

Beaver review

I'll get it eventually, but will wait for it to drop to the £5-6 mark. You're right that Mr. Bongo don't really deserve our money - their home video arm has always felt like an afterthought, and especially since the whole Welles debacle I've been quite wary of them.

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bugsy_pal
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#449 Post by bugsy_pal » Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:39 pm

I have been tempted to buy a couple of Bunuel DVDs they released a while back - Susana and El Bruto - but have not pulled the trigger.

Not sure if there are any other English-friendly versions around...

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DeprongMori
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Re: Mr. Bongo Films

#450 Post by DeprongMori » Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:52 pm

What exactly is so sleazy about Mr Bongo? It sounds like they are notorious. I had read that they issued things they weren't quite licensed for, but nothing beyond that. And if they were issuing things that they didn't quite have the licensing for, how in the world did they get their name all over Criterion's release of Chimes at Midnight?

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