Cinelicious Pics restoring Belladonna of Sadness for US release

[chronoclast]

http://www.cineliciouspics.com/indie...na-of-sadness/

INDIEWIRE: Cinelicious Pics Restoring Animated Masterpiece BELLADONNA OF SADNESS for U.S. Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2014 | 9:00AM PT

Cinelicious Pics has signed an exclusive deal to restore and distribute the long-unavailable 1973 Japanese animated masterpiece BELLADONNA OF SADNESS, as its first major restoration and re-release. The last film in the groundbreaking Animerama trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime & manga, Osamu Tezuka (METROPOLIS, ASTRO BOY) and directed by his long time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto, BELLADONNA is a mad, swirling, psychedelic lightshow of medieval tarot-card imagery with horned demons and haunted forests. Never before released in the U.S., BELLADONNA OF SADNESS unfolds as a series of spectacular still watercolor paintings that bleed and twist together like an animated version of Chris Marker’s LA JETEE. Cinelicious will restore the feature using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements in anticipation of a 2015 theatrical, VOD, and home video re-release in North America.

Cinelicious Pics, which launched earlier this year, is uniquely positioned to restore film through its parent company Cinelicious. “It took months of negotiations to convince the Japanese rightsholders to entrust us with the original camera negative of the film which we’re restoring in-house,” says Cinelicious Pics’ President Paul Korver. “People will be simply blown away by the wild, hallucinatory images and soundtrack,” he adds. “BELLADONNA OF SADNESS belongs on a short list with Rene Laloux’s FANTASTIC PLANET and Ralph Bakshi’s WIZARDS as one of the trippiest animated films ever conceived,” adds Cinelicious Pics’ EVP of Acquisitions & Distribution Dennis Bartok. “This is a major rediscovery – and I have to give credit to Hadrian Belove at The Cinefamily here in L.A. for bringing the film to our attention.”

An innocent young woman, Jean (voiced by Katsutaka Ito) is savagely assaulted by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself (voiced by Tatsuya Nakadai, from Akira Kurosawa’s RAN) who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire. The film is fueled by a Japanese psych rock soundtrack by Masahiko Sato. The deal was negotiated by Cinelicious Pics’ President Paul Korver, President of Business Affairs Kristine Blumensaadt and EVP Dennis Bartok with Japanese rightsholders Gold View Co. and Mushi Productions.

[Bubblegum2032]

Good news indeed. A very deranged and surreal film, one that I never thought I'd see released out here.
Coincidentally I bought it on laserdisc just a couple weeks ago haha.

Here's hoping the other two in the Mushi Pro Animerama film trilogy; Cleopatra and A Thousand and one Nights, receive similar treatment.

[UseY0ur1llusi0n]

Fantastic! Love the animation style of this, looks super trippy/atmospheric and something right up my alley. If it's anything like this this surreal experience, they should compare compare brilliantly.

And the best news of all:

Cinelicious will restore the feature using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements in anticipation of a 2015 theatrical, VOD, and home video re-release in North America.

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by UseY0ur1llusi0n

If it's anything like this this surreal experience, they should compare compare brilliantly.

This movie is a lot crazier. If you look around for reviews, "acid trip" comes up very often.

[Yami]

Great news! It's a beautifully animated film

[UseY0ur1llusi0n]

Originally Posted by Tiberius

This movie is a lot crazier. If you look around for reviews, "acid trip" comes up very often.

...Awesome.

[Gehirn]

Should look pretty good on bluray, hope to pick it up when it releases.

[jaydecay]

when is this coming out? I wanna buy it.

[jacobsever]

Never heard of this until today. I'm not a fan of anime, but the animation style of this looks amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack!

It's playing here in theaters next week, and I'll definitely go check it out. Doubt I'll enjoy it enough to spend $120 on the LE book/blu ray. But I feel like they'll definitely release a standard version of this blu ray. I can't imagine them spending so much time and money to restore the film, only to have a small run of super expensive discs pressed, and a small theatrical run.

[Craig-Rogers]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

Never heard of this until today. I'm not a fan of anime, but the animation style of this looks amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack!

It's playing here in theaters next week, and I'll definitely go check it out. Doubt I'll enjoy it enough to spend $120 on the LE book/blu ray. But I feel like they'll definitely release a standard version of this blu ray. I can't imagine them spending so much time and money to restore the film, only to have a small run of super expensive discs pressed, and a small theatrical run.

Indeed, we'll be releasing the blu-ray on it's own this summer.

[supercutz]

Originally Posted by spiffnme

Indeed, we'll be releasing the blu-ray on it's own this summer.

Great to hear!

[Bobo1313]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

Never heard of this until today. I'm not a fan of anime, but the animation style of this looks amazing. Not to mention the soundtrack!

It's playing here in theaters next week, and I'll definitely go check it out. Doubt I'll enjoy it enough to spend $120 on the LE book/blu ray. But I feel like they'll definitely release a standard version of this blu ray. I can't imagine them spending so much time and money to restore the film, only to have a small run of super expensive discs pressed, and a small theatrical run.

you're missing out on an entire medium of greatness.

Give it a try.

[zrdb]

Man-if the film is anything like the trailer then it's too artsy for me.

[Thomas Guycott]

I'll have to check this out at the Alamo Drafthouse later this month.

[llj]

Originally Posted by zrdb

Man-if the film is anything like the trailer then it's too artsy for me.

Your instincts are probably correct if you don't dig arthouse.

As for people who don't like anime, I have to say there's so much variety out there that you're going to stumble upon something you like eventually. There are plenty of arthouse and b-movie style genre classics to appeal to those who don't like the typical otaku-bait anime, and as a medium it is much more than just "Pokemon", "Miyazaki", "tentacle rape", and "Big eyed lolita girls looking cute and doing cute things". It's possible some people might prefer certain eras of anime over others (people who want b-movie style anime are best served watching 80s anime films), but there's just such a rich history for film connoisseurs to explore.

Anime was also doing compact TV serials (which are NOT mini-series, btw--big difference) LONG before it became in vogue in the U.S. Up until the late 1990s, American TV was typically long running soap operas or ongoing episodic shows with little relation from one episode to another. Now you have all these little cable shows that air for 3 or 4 seasons and have a beginning, middle and end to them and people in the U.S. act like it's a new and revolutionary thing, but that was actually one of TV anime's greatest appeals for decades. Some of these TV anime are really well written too. Maybe not to the standards of a Breaking Bad or Mad Men, but certainly of a high quality by TV standards.

It really is a medium worth exploring. It's just all about knowing what types you like and looking for it.

[Oscar Rothman]

Pre-order http://www.amazon.com/Belladonna-Sad...16588&sr=1-147

street date - July 12

One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, never before officially released in the U.S., BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is a mad, swirling, psychedelic light-show of medieval tarot-card imagery with horned demons, haunted forests and La Belle Dame Sans Merci with J.R.R. Tolkien influences. The last film in the Animerama trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime & manga, Osamu Tezuka and directed by his longtime collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (ASTRO BOY and KIMBA THE WHITE LION), BELLADONNA unfolds as a series of spectacular still watercolor paintings that bleed and twist together. A young woman, Jeanne (voiced by Aiko Nagayama) is assaulted by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself (voiced by Tatsuya Nakadai, from Akira Kurosawa's RAN) who appears as a sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire.

Extremely transgressive, BELLADONNA is fueled by a mind-blowing Japanese psych rock soundtrack by noted avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh. The film has been newly restored by Cinelicious Pics using the original 35 mm camera negative and sound elements and including over 8 minutes of surreal footage cut from the negative. On par with Rene Laloux's FANTASTIC PLANET and Ralph Bakshi's WIZARDS as an LSD-stoked 1970s head trip, BELLADONNA marks a major rediscovery for animation fans. If Led Zeppelin had a favorite film, this would be it. In other words, Stairway to Hell.

Special Features:
New Video Interviews with Director Eiichi Yamamoto, Art Director Kuni Fukai, and Composer Masahiko Satoh
Red Band Trailer, Green Band Trailer, Original Trailer
16 page booklet

[pikagreg]

Perfectly fine with the standard set myself! Any idea if it will be available elsewhere or will it be Amazon exclusive?

[NLScavenger]

I'm pretty sure Belladonna will be available at other retailers like the other Cinelicious releases.

[Monroville]

Shame they couldn't have ported over the director's commentary from the Japanese DVD release a few years ago, as well as include a CD soundtrack with the limited edition version. The LP soundtrack goes for @ $300 to $400 (!).

It also would have been nice if they could have created a mediabook (with this or this as the cover) akin to what Koch Media in germany occasionally do.

If this does fairly well, will there be a chance that Ozamu Tezuka's prior release of 1001 NIGHTS will get a blu-ray release as well (as well as the long lost english dub created during it's initial release, or at the least a recreation)?:

A Thousand & One Nights English Trailer - YouTube

Animerama - Osamu Tezuka - Senya Ichiya Monogatari - YouTube

[Norbie]

Originally Posted by Monroville

... It also would have been nice if they could have created a mediabook...

... If this does fairly well, will there be a chance that Ozamu Tezuka's prior release of 1001 NIGHTS will get a blu-ray release as well (as well as the long lost english dub created during it's initial release, or at the least a recreation)?:

Yes, it would be nice if it came in somethink like fancy digipack. But it's not a deal breaker, I'll still be getting the Belladonna blu-ray.

I too hope it sells well for them to release 1001 Nights on blu-ray in the near future. I wonder what sort of condition the negatives are at, or even if they exist for a HD transfer.