Roman Polanski Box Set - Blu-ray Forum

mikey 6 · 07-31-2016, 06:47 PM

A box set coming from Screenbound Entertainment which contains Knife in the Water, Repulsion and Cul-De-Sac. Due for release on Nov. 7, don't know of any other details.
I will be sure to pick this up for a decent price, 3 great early Polanski films, I'm particularly a fan of Cul-De-Sac. I used to have a box set of these 3 from Anchor Bay UK which also contained some early Polanski shorts so maybe if Screenbound also have these they will be included as extras?

Gerby · 07-31-2016, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey 6

A box set coming from Screenbound Entertainment which contains Knife in the Water, Repulsion and Cul-De-Sac. Due for release on Nov. 7, don't know of any other details.
I will be sure to pick this up for a decent price, 3 great early Polanski films, I'm particularly a fan of Cul-De-Sac. I used to have a box set of these 3 from Anchor Bay UK which also contained some early Polanski shorts so maybe if Screenbound also have these they will be included as extras?

According to the description on amazon, it will contain the early Polanski shorts & an interview with him.

Ianzombie · 07-31-2016, 10:10 PM

The AB release is still one of my favourite sets, mostly for the shorts which are absolutely fantastic. If it is just an upgrade to blu i will probably buy it for the movies, i cant imagine the shorts being much better.
This is great news.

monologuerecords · 08-03-2016, 05:29 PM

This is great news IF the transfers are up to scratch. I already have the Criterion discs of Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac and they both look great, so I'm hoping those transfers will have been licensed for this release. Mostly I'm just super excited to see Knife in the Water get a blu ray release. Desperately hoping Warner (or anyone) will now issue The Fearless Vampire Killers next.

StephenFS · 08-03-2016, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monologuerecords

Desperately hoping Warner (or anyone) will now issue The Fearless Vampire Killers next.

Me too!

Spiderwalk · 11-04-2016, 05:18 PM

There's still no information about what the transfers are like for this set. It's released in 3 days time, and I can't find a review anywhere!.

rapta · 11-04-2016, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiderwalk

There's still no information about what the transfers are like for this set. It's released in 3 days time, and I can't find a review anywhere!.

Hey, that's been the case with all recent Screenbound discs I'm afraid. Guess we will only get Caps-a-holic shots at the most! Unless they want people to actually but this set and have sent out screeners, that is.

Spiderwalk · 11-14-2016, 03:55 PM

It looks like I'm the guinea pig then!

I picked this up from HMV today, and I must say it's a really attractive looking set. Nice design all-round, from the outer box to the slim black Amaray's that hold the individual discs. The artwork is very minimal, but very stylish looking.

All of the short films are repeated on each disc alongside the main feature, so I would imagine that all three will have an individual release at some point. The shorts are PAL SD only unfortunately, but most of them look fairly decent for SD.

As for the main transfers, it's a bit of a mixed bag really. Repulsion looks stunning, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same master that Criterion used. Knife in the Water looks very good, but not reference material. Cul-de-sac is the ugly duckling of the set, with a very mediocre transfer. It seems to come from a very old print, with continuous vertical lines and scratches throughout, and to add insult to injury it's got some very bad compression issues too!

On the whole though, I'm glad that I picked it up today. Cul-de-sac is my least favourite of the three films anyway, but if it's your main reason for buying this set, you might want to think twice about it.

AlexIlDottore · 11-14-2016, 04:04 PM

Criterion need to release Knife in the Water. That's the one I want.

rapta · 11-14-2016, 04:27 PM

Cheers Spiderwalk. I'll probably pick up the set when it's cheaper or just get them separately later on. Mostly interested in Repulsion and Knife in the Water, but have always wanted to see Cul-de-sac as well so will keep an eye out for that if I do end up getting them on the cheap. Glad to hear at least two of them have decent transfers though!

rapta · 11-15-2016, 01:57 PM

Sure enough, there are separate releases of all three arriving on March 13th (some Amazon listings just popped up).

Douglas R · 02-28-2017, 08:54 PM

Criterion released CUL-DE-SAC yesterday. How can they do that when it's also been released by Screenbound? Surely only one label can have the rights at any one time.

Persona · 03-01-2017, 12:16 PM

Obviously not.

rapta · 03-01-2017, 12:33 PM

Some have speculated that Screenbound released it without obtaining rights, somehow. Was the case with Black Orpheus as well.

Even more confusing is what's going on with Solaris, but obviously they're not going to release these titles if it was illegal. My guess is the rights are shared between two or more libraries, but doesn't explain why they cancelled their Ivan's Childhood release on launch.

Anyway, from what I've heard the Screenbound release of Cul-de-sac looks terrible, so I'm going to get the Criterion instead eventually. Might be tempted to get Knife in the Water on its own though, and maybe Repulsion but might wait for the Criterion edition of that to arrive here as well (for the sake of extras).

Dan8700 · 06-23-2017, 03:12 PM

Can anybody post caps from Screenbound's Knife in the Water?

ravenus · 04-27-2018, 06:15 AM

I got my copy of the standalone blu of Knife in the Water yesterday and watched it.

Knife in the water is I suppose what may be described as an emotional thriller. A "made" writer and his wife pick up a hitchhiker on their way to a lakeside holiday. On a whim, likely to show off his superiority to the hitcher whom he regards a bum, the writer asks him to join. What follows is an on-and-off game of one-upmanship. Initially the writer is at an advantage, bullying the wisp-like hitcher for not knowing the skills that in his view make a man. But it is when after reach a kind of truce, working together during a sudden storm, that the hitcher's youth and sensitive artistic temperament are unveiled, and the older man develops a jealousy that leads him to rash acts that have drastic consequences. The narrative is purely personality driven, but Polanski shoots it like a suspense thriller. The maximum portions of the film are shot on a small-sized sailboat. Film students will have much to learn about how to make the most of a confined space by watching this film. Krysztof Komeda's jazz score also generates much turbulence and tension. This is a terrific early feature from one of the finest Hitchcock successors.

Screenbound's blu-ray looks quite good in terms of a relatively clean print (although there are some damage marks and hair). In most scenes the film looks more gray than black but perhaps it was not intended to be high-contrast B&W. The mono audio is quite decent with presence for the sound effects and Komeda's score. The subtitles are a little weird in that several lines go unsubtitled. The film is more about mood than plot so you don't lose anything critical but it's distracting. I have read somewhere that Polanski was responsible for the more minimal subs as he wanted extraneous dialog to go by but I really would have appreciated a choice between full subs and this minimalist offering.

CelestialAgent · 07-19-2021, 10:36 AM

Not sure on their other titles but this looks to be OOP now. So here's your regular reminder to not sleep on titles you're after.

07-31-2016, 06:47 PM	#1
mikey 6 Special Member Member since:Sep 2012 Location:England 4K collection:688 Blu-ray collection:1755 DVD collection:3	Roman Polanski Box Set A box set coming from Screenbound Entertainment which contains Knife in the Water, Repulsion and Cul-De-Sac. Due for release on Nov. 7, don't know of any other details. I will be sure to pick this up for a decent price, 3 great early Polanski films, I'm particularly a fan of Cul-De-Sac. I used to have a box set of these 3 from Anchor Bay UK which also contained some early Polanski shorts so maybe if Screenbound also have these they will be included as extras? Last edited by BigNickUK; 10-15-2017 at 04:47 AM.

11-14-2016, 03:55 PM	#8
Spiderwalk Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Jan 2013 Location:UK 4K collection:292 Blu-ray collection:2362 DVD collection:108 Trading Score:1	It looks like I'm the guinea pig then! I picked this up from HMV today, and I must say it's a really attractive looking set. Nice design all-round, from the outer box to the slim black Amaray's that hold the individual discs. The artwork is very minimal, but very stylish looking. All of the short films are repeated on each disc alongside the main feature, so I would imagine that all three will have an individual release at some point. The shorts are PAL SD only unfortunately, but most of them look fairly decent for SD. As for the main transfers, it's a bit of a mixed bag really. Repulsion looks stunning, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same master that Criterion used. Knife in the Water looks very good, but not reference material. Cul-de-sac is the ugly duckling of the set, with a very mediocre transfer. It seems to come from a very old print, with continuous vertical lines and scratches throughout, and to add insult to injury it's got some very bad compression issues too! On the whole though, I'm glad that I picked it up today. Cul-de-sac is my least favourite of the three films anyway, but if it's your main reason for buying this set, you might want to think twice about it. Last edited by Spiderwalk; 04-27-2018 at 09:26 AM.

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07-31-2016, 10:10 PM	#3
Ianzombie Senior Member Member since:Dec 2011 Location:Dublin 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:809	The AB release is still one of my favourite sets, mostly for the shorts which are absolutely fantastic. If it is just an upgrade to blu i will probably buy it for the movies, i cant imagine the shorts being much better. This is great news.

08-03-2016, 05:29 PM	#4
monologuerecords Member Member since:Jan 2012 Location:Switzerland Blu-ray reviews:3	This is great news IF the transfers are up to scratch. I already have the Criterion discs of Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac and they both look great, so I'm hoping those transfers will have been licensed for this release. Mostly I'm just super excited to see Knife in the Water get a blu ray release. Desperately hoping Warner (or anyone) will now issue The Fearless Vampire Killers next.

11-04-2016, 05:18 PM	#6
Spiderwalk Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Jan 2013 Location:UK 4K collection:292 Blu-ray collection:2362 DVD collection:108 Trading Score:1	There's still no information about what the transfers are like for this set. It's released in 3 days time, and I can't find a review anywhere!.

11-14-2016, 04:04 PM	#9
AlexIlDottore Banned Top contributor Member since:Jan 2014 Location:France 4K collection:289 Blu-ray collection:509 DVD collection:19	Criterion need to release Knife in the Water. That's the one I want.

11-14-2016, 04:27 PM	#10
rapta Blu-ray Duke Top contributor Member since:Mar 2013 Location:Hants, UK 4K collection:70 Blu-ray collection:5441 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:7	Cheers Spiderwalk. I'll probably pick up the set when it's cheaper or just get them separately later on. Mostly interested in Repulsion and Knife in the Water, but have always wanted to see Cul-de-sac as well so will keep an eye out for that if I do end up getting them on the cheap. Glad to hear at least two of them have decent transfers though!

11-15-2016, 01:57 PM	#11
rapta Blu-ray Duke Top contributor Member since:Mar 2013 Location:Hants, UK 4K collection:70 Blu-ray collection:5441 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:7	Sure enough, there are separate releases of all three arriving on March 13th (some Amazon listings just popped up).

02-28-2017, 08:54 PM	#12
Douglas R Expert Member Member since:Sep 2008 Location:London, UK Blu-ray collection:197	Criterion released CUL-DE-SAC yesterday. How can they do that when it's also been released by Screenbound? Surely only one label can have the rights at any one time.

03-01-2017, 12:16 PM	#13
Persona Special Member Member since:Oct 2015 Location:UK 4K collection:414 Blu-ray collection:2092	Obviously not.

03-01-2017, 12:33 PM	#14
rapta Blu-ray Duke Top contributor Member since:Mar 2013 Location:Hants, UK 4K collection:70 Blu-ray collection:5441 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:7	Some have speculated that Screenbound released it without obtaining rights, somehow. Was the case with Black Orpheus as well. Even more confusing is what's going on with Solaris, but obviously they're not going to release these titles if it was illegal. My guess is the rights are shared between two or more libraries, but doesn't explain why they cancelled their Ivan's Childhood release on launch. Anyway, from what I've heard the Screenbound release of Cul-de-sac looks terrible, so I'm going to get the Criterion instead eventually. Might be tempted to get Knife in the Water on its own though, and maybe Repulsion but might wait for the Criterion edition of that to arrive here as well (for the sake of extras).

06-23-2017, 03:12 PM	#15
Dan8700 Special Member Top contributor Member since:May 2011 Location:Rome, Italy 4K collection:42 Blu-ray collection:1178	Can anybody post caps from Screenbound's Knife in the Water?

04-27-2018, 06:15 AM	#16
ravenus Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Dec 2010 Location:India Home Theater Gallery:6 4K collection:6 Blu-ray collection:1205 DVD collection:144 Blu-ray reviews: 184 Trading Score:8	I got my copy of the standalone blu of Knife in the Water yesterday and watched it. Knife in the water is I suppose what may be described as an emotional thriller. A "made" writer and his wife pick up a hitchhiker on their way to a lakeside holiday. On a whim, likely to show off his superiority to the hitcher whom he regards a bum, the writer asks him to join. What follows is an on-and-off game of one-upmanship. Initially the writer is at an advantage, bullying the wisp-like hitcher for not knowing the skills that in his view make a man. But it is when after reach a kind of truce, working together during a sudden storm, that the hitcher's youth and sensitive artistic temperament are unveiled, and the older man develops a jealousy that leads him to rash acts that have drastic consequences. The narrative is purely personality driven, but Polanski shoots it like a suspense thriller. The maximum portions of the film are shot on a small-sized sailboat. Film students will have much to learn about how to make the most of a confined space by watching this film. Krysztof Komeda's jazz score also generates much turbulence and tension. This is a terrific early feature from one of the finest Hitchcock successors. Screenbound's blu-ray looks quite good in terms of a relatively clean print (although there are some damage marks and hair). In most scenes the film looks more gray than black but perhaps it was not intended to be high-contrast B&W. The mono audio is quite decent with presence for the sound effects and Komeda's score. The subtitles are a little weird in that several lines go unsubtitled. The film is more about mood than plot so you don't lose anything critical but it's distracting. I have read somewhere that Polanski was responsible for the more minimal subs as he wanted extraneous dialog to go by but I really would have appreciated a choice between full subs and this minimalist offering.

07-19-2021, 10:36 AM	#17
CelestialAgent Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Aug 2015 Location:Norwich 4K collection:133 Blu-ray collection:2172 DVD collection:659 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:1	Not sure on their other titles but this looks to be OOP now. So here's your regular reminder to not sleep on titles you're after.

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