Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, No. 2 (1931-2000)

[Scottie]

Established by Martin Scorsese in 2007, the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has maintained a passionate commitment to preserving and presenting masterpieces from around the globe, with a growing roster of more than two dozen restorations that have introduced moviegoers to often-overlooked areas of cinema history. This collector’s set gathers six important works, from the Philippines (Insiang), Thailand (Mysterious Object at Noon), Soviet Kazakhstan (Revenge), Brazil (Limite), Turkey (Law of the Border), and Taiwan (Taipei Story). Each title is an essential contribution to the art form and a window onto a filmmaking tradition that international audiences previously had limited opportunities to experience.

LIMITE
Mário Peixoto 1931
One of the earliest works of independent Latin American filmmaking, Limite was for most of the twentieth century famously difficult to see. It is a pioneering achievement of Brazilian cinema that continues to captivate with its timeless visual poetry.

https://www.criterion.com/films/28407-limite

REVENGE
Ermek Shinarbaev 1989
Rigorous and psychologically complex, Revenge weaves together luminous color imagery and inventive narrative elements in its unforgettable meditation on the way trauma can be passed down through generations.

https://www.criterion.com/films/29208-revenge

INSIANG
Lino Brocka 1976
A savage commentary on the degradation of urban social conditions under modern capitalism, Insiang introduced Filipino cinema to international audiences by being the first film from the country ever to play at Cannes.

https://www.criterion.com/films/29099-insiang

MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON
Apichatpong Weerasethakul 2000
As a recent film-school graduate, Apichatpong Weerasethakul brought an appetite for experimentation to Thai cinema with this debut feature, an uncategorizable work that refracts documentary impressions of the director’s native country through the concept of the exquisite corpse game.

https://www.criterion.com/films/2909...object-at-noon

LAW OF THE BORDER
Lütfi Ö. Akad 1966
Set along the Turkish-Syrian frontier, this terse, elemental tale of smugglers contending with a changing social landscape combines documentary authenticity with a tough, lean poetry.

https://www.criterion.com/films/28415-law-of-the-border

TAIPEI STORY
Edward Yang 1985
Edward Yang’s mournful anatomy of a city caught between the past and the present illuminates the precariousness of domestic life and the desperation of Taiwan’s globalized modernity.

https://www.criterion.com/films/29110-taipei-story

2K, 3K, or 4K digital restorations of all six films, presented courtesy of the World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
Remastered digital soundtrack of Limite created almost entirely from archival recordings of the same musical performances director Mário Peixote and his musical arranger Brutus Pedreira originally selected to accompany the film, presented in uncompressed monaural sound on the Blu-ray
New introductions to the films by World Cinema Project founder Martin Scorsese
New interview programs featuring film historian Pierre Rissient (on Insiang), director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (on Mysterious Object at Noon), director Ermek Shinarbaev (on Revenge), filmmaker Walter Salles (on Limite), producer Mevlüt Akkaya (on Law of the Border), and actor and cowriter Hou Hsiao-hsien with filmmaker Edmond Wong (on Taipei Story)
Updated English subtitle translations
Three Blu-rays and six DVDs, with all content available in both formats
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Phillip Lopate, Dennis Lim, Kent Jones, Fábio Andrade, Bilge Ebiri, and Andrew Chan

Cover by Jason Hardy

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/12...a-project-no-2

[GenPion]

Awesome news. Glad that they are continuing this project. The more classic foreign language films restored and preserved by this project of Scorsese's the better.

[CelestialAgent]

Woah, is this the first time since they've done DF since they stopped doing DF?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Woah, is this the first time since they've done DF since they stopped doing DF?

Yup.

[whiteberry]

Originally Posted by iScottie

2K, 3K, or 4K digital restorations of all six films, presented courtesy of the World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna

Uh oh

[javi92]

It's been a long time coming, but glad they finally got the rights situation sorted out so this could happen. Stellar looking release.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by whiteberry

Uh oh

It's the same with Vol. 1, which didn't receive any outcry.

[I KEEL YOU]

So sad that "The Horse Thief" isn't on this. I guess there must be some problems with acquiring the elements, because I know that Marty would've wanted that amazing film restored among the first ones.

If not, I hope it's on Eureka's Vol. 2.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

So sad that "The Horse Thief" isn't on this. I guess there must be some problems with acquiring the elements, because I know that Marty would've wanted that amazing film restored among the first ones.

If not, I hope it's on Eureka's Vol. 2.

Doubt they'll be making any more.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Doubt they'll be making any more.

Why do you suspect this?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Why do you suspect this?

I believe the first one was a poor seller for them, and is often clearanced dirt cheap. They also had ambitious plans to release like two sets a year, but haven't put out any since the first one in 2013, nor any word on continuing the sets anytime in the future over the last 3 years.

Also, as far as The Horse Thief goes, it isn't part of the WCP, so there would be no reason to expect it in any set until we know it has been added to the project.

[I KEEL YOU]

Well, Eureka continuously releases movies that I can't imagine are huge sellers.

And too bad about The Horse Thief. I hope the original negatives, or at very least a source close to the OCN is available for restoration at some point, at least.

[MifuneFan]

Amazon pre-order is up, no price mistake this time around

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Scorse...+Collection%29

[Fabs]

Was hoping there'd be one. Still have to pre-order. I need more Yang. Perhaps I can just sell off the others.

[dkelly26666]

Yeah, darn it, I was hoping for a price goof again, too.... I pre-ordered , anyway. Before release, it will come down some...

[spanky87]

$114 CAD on amazon.ca right now. $86 USD before shipping and any import fees.