A Zed & Two Noughts and The Falls: Two Films by Peter Greenaway

[Akijama]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C25VMSGG...es-tv&sr=1-352

Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber are proud to present two of Peter Greenaway’s crowning achievements in this captivating two-disc set.

A Zed & Two Noughts (1985) is Peter Greenaway’s beautifully disturbing and darkly humorous take on erotic obsession and death. In a horrific automobile-swan accident in front of the Rotterdam Zoo, two women die and a third, Alba (Andrea Ferréol), loses her leg. The two widowers, twin zoologists Oliver and Oswald (Eric and Brian Deacon, in roles originally offered to the Quay Brothers), fixate on their wives’ bodies, and slowly become obsessed with evolution and decomposition—even going as far as to meticulously craft exquisitely morbid time-lapsed films of decaying creatures. The plot thickens when a mad surgeon schemes to use Alba as a subject in his experiments with animal symmetry and Vermeer homage. Full of surprises and magnificent conundrums, A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS is a perversely comic and teasing treat for the mind and senses.

The Falls (1980) is arguably the most significant film of Peter Greenaway’s prolific career. Shot as a pseudo-documentary, this magnum opus dazzlingly details 92 case histories of people who have been affected by the VUE (Violent Unknown Event)—a mysterious, apocalyptic phenomenon related to birds, flying, and bizarre invented languages.

Special Features:

DISC 1:
• Peter Greenaway commentary and video introduction (6 minutes)
• Greenaway Shorts: H Is for House (1976, 9 minutes), A Walk Through H (1978, 41 minutes)
• Theatrical Trailer

DISC 2:
• Vertical Features Remake (1978, 44 minutes)
• Video pieces on The Falls and Vertical Features Remake created by Greenaway

[Walter Kafka]

A Zed and Two Naughts is stonking amazing. I may have to get this.

The Falls is one I'm less crazy about.

[Lope de Aguirre]

Hope this is a new transfer of "A Zed & Two Noughts" and I have never seen "The Falls".

[LeDroitDeTuer]

Just got my copy. I haven't compared A Zed to the BFI release yet, but here are some screen caps from The Falls below:

[Show spoiler]

[LeDroitDeTuer]

Originally Posted by Lope de Aguirre

Hope this is a new transfer of "A Zed & Two Noughts" and I have never seen "The Falls".

I finally compared it to the BFI release and it's the same transfer, with a very slightly boosted contrast level.

The sound seems different on paper (BFI has the original mono track, the Zeitgeist release claims it has a 2.0 stereo track), but I haven't done an actual in-depth comparison.

While the scan is perfectly fine, I would love a 4K UHD release of this (and other Peter Greenaway movies). Drowning by Numbers was a welcome surprise upgrade, so who knows.

Screen caps from the Zeitgeist release:

[Show spoiler]

Screen caps from the BFI release:

[Show spoiler]

[LeDroitDeTuer]

Another case of some new US release having gimped audio for absolutely no good reason.

While the Zeitgeist does indeed have mono audio (but saved as DTS 2 channels), it sounds completely hollowed out compared to the BFI version. Similar to what I saw with a different release by KL.

BFI at the top, Zeitgeist at the bottom. Look at that first block alone where music is played, it's not just a question of the volume being slightly different.



Hear it for yourself. BFI version first:

https://vocaroo.com/1nJtr9S70WQW

Zeitgeist version:

https://vocaroo.com/1gDXKx56vQYT

The BFI version is also region free. I'll keep the Zeitgeist one for The Falls, but this is pretty shoddy.

[LeDroitDeTuer]

BFI is having a 3 for 20 GBP sale right now, so you can get their superior version along with The Belly of an Architect and The Draughtsman's Contract for a great price.

https://shop.bfi.org.uk/a-zed-and-tw...s-blu-ray.html

https://shop.bfi.org.uk/the-belly-of...t-edition.html

https://shop.bfi.org.uk/the-draughts...t-blu-ray.html