Son of the White Mare (1981) [Eureka | Masters of Cinema] - November 14, 2022

[MechaGodzilla]

Eureka will release Son of the White Mare (and Other Early Works by Marcell Jankovics) as part of their Masters of Cinema series on November 14 this year.

SYNOPSIS

Legendary Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics created a definitive masterpiece of world cinema with this psychedelic adaptation of the Hungarian folk tale.

Traversing an otherworldly canvas, Son of the White Mare follows mythic folk heroes Treeshaker, Stonecrumbler, and Irontemperer as they descend into the perilous Underworld on an epic quest to battle the forces of ancient evil and save the cosmos.

An astonishing fantasy epic, this kaleidoscopic medley of groundbreaking animation styles comes to home video for the first time ever in the UK as part of the Masters of Cinema series. Presented from a 2019 4K restoration supervised and approved by director Marcell Jankovics, this release also includes Jankovics’ debut feature–and the first ever Hungarian animated feature film–Johnny Corncob [János Vitéz] (1973), as well as a selection of his short films.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Limited Edition O-Card slipcase
• 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a director approved 4K digital restoration
• Johnny Corncob (János Vitéz) – Jankovics' first animated feature, and the first ever Hungarian animated feature film, is also presented here in 1080p from a director approved 4K digital restoration
• Sisyphus – short film
• The Struggle (Küzdők) – short film
• Dreams on Wings – short film created as a commercial for Air India
• Optional English Subtitles
• Brighter Colors – extensive interview with Marcell Jankovics from the Hungarian National Film Archive, filmed in 2020
• Making of János Vitéz – archival featurette from 1973
• The Director Talks – featurette with Jankovics produced by the Hungarian National Film Archive
• A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Rich Johnson

Eureka official site link: Son of the White Mare (Fehérlófia)

[ravenus]

Sounds like a terrific film, the trailer looks great. I hope this does good numbers for Eureka, even if not on the same scale as their Hong Kong actioners.

[RossyG]

It all looks terrific, but the one I’m most looking forward to is the support feature, Johnny Corncob, which is also benefitting from a 4K restoration. It’s a traditional tale of a boy joining the hussars told with folk music and visuals inspired by Yellow Submarine.

János vitéz - Katonalét (Delhusa Gjon) - YouTube

Amazing that Eureka can put out two features and two shorts for £18.99 while Criterion have jacked up their prices to £22.99 as if they’re still the biggest game in town and not outdone and undercut by Eureka, Arrow, the BFI etc on a monthly basis.

So it goes…

(NB. Probably best to just watch the first couple of minutes of the video, the snowy Venice stuff, so as not to risk spoilers)

[Doomhunter]

I see blu ray posted a review on Nov 6th