A Serbian Film FINALLY hits blu...10/25/11

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by thrillmygorilla

Will there be a Criterion edition of this?

Criterion supposedly was interested in releasing it, but ended up passing due to the content.

[AmrlKJaneway]

This is my 666th post. I didn't know where to put it, so I'm going to put it here.

I'm upping A Serbian Film to 7/10. The description is Good, Recommended. Which is true. When I misspelt recommended, comprehended came up. If you can comprehend the concepts and not get lost in the gore, this is a good movie.

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Even in the complete uncensored version you don't see the

[Show spoiler]rape. You see the guy from the back and you see him moving, but you don't see any sort of penetration.

It's all in the soundtrack and in the viewer's mind. In fact, considering how much flak this movies has received for its content, I find it is surprisingly toned down. Most of the violent scenes only show few short graphic shots before they cut away to reaction shots. In that way it is actually way less graphical explicit than, say, the HOSTEL movies.

Obviously you're not going to see penetration. The difference between the cut and uncut is night and day. The cut version is sloppy and unclear. The uncut scene is highly disturbing to say the least.

[AmrlKJaneway]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Obviously you're not going to see penetration. The difference between the cut and uncut is night and day. The cut version is sloppy and unclear. The uncut scene is highly disturbing to say the least.

Okay. Mine lacked continuity, even though I did kind of see it. It felt cut, and looking at the runtime it was cut a lot. I don't know what I missed, but I don't feel it made the film lack any shock or consistency.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Obviously you're not going to see penetration. The difference between the cut and uncut is night and day. The cut version is sloppy and unclear. The uncut scene is highly disturbing to say the least.

Well, sort of.

I think the very fake-looking doll used can act as a 'bailout mechanism', i.e. it allows you to distance yourself from the scene. To me it ended up becoming so grotesque that it almost, almost, became laughable. And I can definitely see why someone might feel there is some (very) dark humor going on.

There are of course different censored versions, and I have only watched the one from U.K. But to me, that almost felt harder to watch than the uncensored cut. Because you don't really have the doll to remind you that all is make-believe and instead you only have the very disturbing soundtrack.

All in all, I do prefer the uncut version of course. I have the Scandinavian BD which is completely uncensored.

[Yankees0222]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Well, sort of.

I think the very fake-looking doll used can act as a 'bailout mechanism', i.e. it allows you to distance yourself from the scene. To me it ended up becoming so grotesque that it almost, almost, became laughable. And I can definitely see why someone might feel there is some (very) dark humor going on.

There are of course different censored versions, and I have only watched the one from U.K. But to me, that almost felt harder to watch than the uncensored cut. Because you don't really have the doll to remind you that all is make-believe and instead you only have the very disturbing soundtrack.

All in all, I do prefer the uncut version of course. I have the Scandinavian BD which is completely uncensored.

I have 3 different cuts of the movie. The UK cut (blu), the US cut (blu) and the uncut version (DVD).... In my opinion, the UK cut is the most effective.

[Moe Szyslak]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

Criterion supposedly was interested in releasing it, but ended up passing due to the content.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear they were interested. Any chance you have a link to a source for this?

[Moe Szyslak]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

I think the very fake-looking doll used can act as a 'bailout mechanism', i.e. it allows you to distance yourself from the scene. To me it ended up becoming so grotesque that it almost, almost, became laughable. And I can definitely see why someone might feel there is some (very) dark humor going on.

It wasn't so much the doll that got me as the way

[Show spoiler]he excitedly yells "newborn porn!"

lol I guess that line combined with a situation that goes so far beyond taboo made it comical for me.

Now that I'm thinking about it, one of the more disturbing experiences I had watching this was during my second viewing. The first time I watched it with my girlfriend (a keeper, she's seen it twice and is still with me lol), and the second time was with her and a couple others I was showing it to. During certain scenes, I found myself looking over at them to see their reaction. The look of genuine disgust on their faces was kind of unnerving.

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by AmrlKJaneway

Okay. Mine lacked continuity, even though I did kind of see it. It felt cut, and looking at the runtime it was cut a lot. I don't know what I missed, but I don't feel it made the film lack any shock or consistency.

I think you'd change your mind if you saw the uncut version. Watching the cut US version after seeing it uncut dramatically lessened the impact for me.

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Well, sort of.

I think the very fake-looking doll used can act as a 'bailout mechanism', i.e. it allows you to distance yourself from the scene. To me it ended up becoming so grotesque that it almost, almost, became laughable. And I can definitely see why someone might feel there is some (very) dark humor going on.

There are of course different censored versions, and I have only watched the one from U.K. But to me, that almost felt harder to watch than the uncensored cut. Because you don't really have the doll to remind you that all is make-believe and instead you only have the very disturbing soundtrack.

All in all, I do prefer the uncut version of course. I have the Scandinavian BD which is completely uncensored.

Maybe it was the quality of the uncut version I saw but the baby looked real to me, so I was horrified. Although I haven't seen the UK cut, how is it handled? Because the US cut is sloppily edited.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Maybe it was the quality of the uncut version I saw but the baby looked real to me, so I was horrified. Although I haven't seen the UK cut, how is it handled? Because the US cut is sloppily edited.

It's been quite a while since I watched the UK cut, but as far as I remember it lacks some closer shots of the baby and the "penetration shot" where you see the man from three quarters of his back and the top of the doll's head. His motions implies penetration. Instead you only see him from the back and hear the sounds.

That had a much more disturbing effect on me than the uncut version because much more is implied whereas the doll in the uncut version, to me, worked as a bailout mechanism. When I think about it, it is especially the close shot of the baby that makes it look very artificial.

You might be on to something about the video quality supporting the illusion, though.

[Kentai]

Originally Posted by Moe Szyslak

I guess that line combined with a situation that goes so far beyond taboo made it comical for me.

I don't know if there's any way to interpret A Serbian Film as anything but a pitch-black comedy. Vukmir in particular is such an over the top presence in an otherwise dour, miserable universe that I refuse to believe the writer/director behind this didn't try to inject a paradody-fueled version of themselves into him; Vukmir shouting about "New genres!" and "A real, happy Serbian family" are ideas the script toys with, but it does it in such a grotesque and overblown manner that I can't imagine anyone taking it totally seriously.

The fact that A Serbian Film is playing with such nasty and taboo ideas, and does it not only with a sense of finesse, but gallows-humor, is part of what makes it such an impressive experience. If it took itself seriously (think AUGUST UNDERGROUND, IN A GLASS CAGE, IRREVERSIBLE...), the film would have still been affecting, but substantially less interesting for it.

Some people I've shown it to thinks that the humor undermines the message that the film carries, and I won't deny that's a valid complaint if you go in expecting the next Salo, but I think every moment, every line, and every nasty, nasty moment has been arranged the way it was for a specific reason. You don't have to agree with those reasons (plenty of people don't!), you just have to acknowledge that Spasjoevic did it for a reason.

[lolwut]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

It's been quite a while since I watched the UK cut, but as far as I remember it lacks some closer shots of the baby and the "penetration shot" where you see the man from three quarters of his back and the top of the doll's head. His motions implies penetration. Instead you only see him from the back and hear the sounds.

That had a much more disturbing effect on me than the uncut version because much more is implied whereas the doll in the uncut version, to me, worked as a bailout mechanism. When I think about it, it is especially the close shot of the baby that makes it look very artificial.

You might be on to something about the video quality supporting the illusion, though.

Ah, thanks for the info.

[konger82]

Ok, I am a newb to this discussion and have yet to see this movie. However since I now want to see this movie, which version do I need to pick up. I have read so many different things that I must have confused myself. Thank You for who ever replys to this post,

because me and my friends are sick ba*tards, I want to get the least edited version. We dont mind subtitles

[jmb1381]

Originally Posted by konger82

Ok, I am a newb to this discussion and have yet to see this movie. However since I now want to see this movie, which version do I need to pick up. I have read so many different things that I must have confused myself. Thank You for who ever replys to this post,

because me and my friends are sick ba*tards, I want to get the least edited version. We dont mind subtitles

It's a dvd but it's fully uncut:
http://www.amazon.com/Serbian-Film-U...a+serbian+film

[Hubunkey]

Wasn' the Uncut version relelased on Blu-ray somewhere in the world?

[Behemot]

Originally Posted by Hubunkey

Wasn' the Uncut version relelased on Blu-ray somewhere in the world?

The Scandinavian Blu-ray is uncut, but not English friendly.

[tenebre6]

Is there still no english subbed release thats uncut? the uncut DVD is a joke with its packaging

[Moe Szyslak]

Is the "French cut" the uncut version, and is anyone able to confirm if it's Region A compatible? Referring to these two releases:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Serb...Blu-ray/37244/
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Serb...Blu-ray/36533/

[tenebre6]

Originally Posted by Moe Szyslak

Is the "French cut" the uncut version, and is anyone able to confirm if it's Region A compatible? Referring to these two releases:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Serb...Blu-ray/37244/
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Serb...Blu-ray/36533/

its uncut... French are good like that. but only has french subs. If you speak french or Serb.....

Can confirm the region but most of the French blus i have are not region B locked.

[Moe Szyslak]

No Englsih subs? The description says it has them. Oh well, guess us English-only folks will never cut a proper, uncut release on BD.