Kino International releases for 9/4
Kino International is releasing a cache of great classic films on September 4th. If you aren't familiar with Kino they are a less publicity equivalent of The Criterion Collection (who often releases slightly more mainstream and accessible films, though not always), a brilliant group of film preservationists who continue to bring classic and previously unavailable on DVD films to cinephiles (they also, like Criterion, release newer films). This newest group of releases from Kino includes Alibi (a 1929, Roland West directed expressionistic crime thriller, winner of 3 academy awards), Be Yourself (a Fanny Bride star vehicle musical), and The Lottery Bride (the story of a mail order bride who is bought by her lover's brother). They are also releasing three more recent films including Five Dedicated to Ozu, directed by Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry) it is five extended, single take stories, Scene of the Crime, a French psychological thriller starring Catherine Deneuve, and Francois Ozon: Curtain Raiser and Other Shorts, short films by Francois Ozon unique auteur of such films as 'Swimming Pool.' All should be great additions to your Netflix queue or wherever you find movies that the local rental house no longer offers because they need 35 copies of 'Norbit.'
Also coming soon from Kino, this is their big news of the year (and a long overdue release at that), on October 16 they are re-releasing Sergei Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' in a 2-DVD set that will include all of the special features that this film deserves and has never given anyone. I'm excited, Eisenstein needs a little more attention, even after more than eighty years since it's initial release. I mean really. It's Potemkin..

















