pro-bassoonist

Earlier today I received the Bunuel set so as I promised here are my comments (for those who care).

The Bad:

On more than one occasions I’ve made it clear that I dislike thin-packs and seeing what Optimum have done is absolutely 100% disappointing in my book. Their design is gorgeous (beautiful reproductions resembling the French covers), the commemorative insert a la poster-replica is also beautiful…so, why the thin-packs ? I understand that some collectors are in dire need of more space but let me say this: having the disc protected (read not touching the surface of the case) is more important to me. Space I can deal with!!

The audio issue described earlier on the That Obscure Object of Desire disc…it appears on my DVD as well. So, I am going to contact Optimum asap.

Noise: I am not disturbed by it but I do hear clunky sounds when some of the discs load up as well!

The Good:

First of all there is a great deal of extras on these discs. Each disc offers approximately 28-30 min. of documentaries (only one of the discs comes down to about 16 min.). I skipped through all of them and these are not fillers. This is my first impression and during the next couple of days I am going to watch each one of them to make up my mind. So far however….these are great in my book.

Transfers: With the exception of Tristana which offers the same print the French set does, which some find disappointing (I do not) the set beats every other release of Bunuel’s films I’ve seen released. This means Criterion included (even though there is some softness on the Phantom disc) particularly when it comes to colors. Milky Way looks top notch and so does La Joven! If you cared about any of Bunuel’s works I would think that La Joven alone should make this set a must own.

Belle De Jour: no need to repeat what has already been said! Very solid transfer!

Dairy of a Chamber Maid: There is marginal difference between the WB UK print (this goes for Milky Way as well) in favor of Optimum’s release. Again I find colors better here.

The Phantom of Liberty: great cover work (the same leather-whiplash design that appears on the French set). YET another preference here over the Criterion for colors (I am sure the inevitable “Criterion is Better” review at DVDBEAVER will appear).

Where necessary all prints are indeed anamorphic (1.66:1 ratio, 1.77:1). Tristana is anamorphic and this time around offers the French audio (not the Spanish mix). While some argue that this is a letdown I say it is just fine. In Eastern Europe where I first saw the film it was presented with the French mix not the Spanish one. (If you are dying to have the Spanish audio then you should consider the BFI disc).

All in all there are a couple of things that have crystallized from this boxset:

1. Optimum are really learning their way! Meaning that the company now has a big load on its shoulders (there are a ton of titles set to be released) and they are CLEARLY trying to do a good job (Tristana being 16/9 for the UK market says a lot) while Studio Canal is licensing their prints. So, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt...run a credit check so to speak: let’s hope that they will address the audio-issue and their upcoming releases won't suffer from any such flops.
2. A lot of care has gone into this boxset. When you get it you will see what I mean. If you care about Bunuel’s films (and considering the price this set is sold for) this is a no-brainer.
3. You have to beat me with a stick to convince me that Criterion haven’t played with the color scheme on their discs (as expected).
4. Looking at what extras have been provided I think it is fair to say Optimum will be paying enough attention to supplying notable extras where such are needed.


Ciao,
Pro-B

slop101

I got this on Monday (and it shipped on Friday, on amazon.uk's cheaper shipping, so 3 or 4 days from UK to LA - that's gotta be some sort of record), and pretty much back up pro-B's statements - except for the thin-packs - I dig them. Not even so much because they save space, but just because they look slick, and also make the box more "handleable". Though I wish the outer box wasn't so "Belle DeJour"-centric. Even though I already have most of these movies, I'm glad I got this set. Great price for what you get.

nitin77

question, well two :

is the That Obscure Object of Desire transfer than the criterion ?

is the Diary of a Chambermaid transfer better (it's b & w so I dont see the better colours argument).

pro-bassoonist

I see what you mean. I worded my comment very poorly as the last reference was meant to imply that Milky Way looks just slightly better on the Optimum than it does on the WB although they should be identical.


To answer your questions:

My honest opinion is that Optimum's Obscure Object looks better because of the colors. To me this is important (so are the thin-packs if that should matter). If it isn't to you then stay with the Criterion.

Last night (apparently after you posted here) I actually watched Diary of A Chamber Maid and the print is exceptionally strong. I can play with it this weekend and see how exaclty it compares with the Criterion but I like it very, very much (I also like the Criterion disc A LOT).

So, to sum it all up if Optimum replace the audio-botched disc I will be extremely happy with my purchase!

Pro-B

chaos2046

Should Optimum decide to replace the fault disc, I certainly hope they could extend it for oversea customers!! *fingers crossed*

Gigantopithecus

anyone know anything on Los Olvidados? any release date? or is there an anamorphic version available?

slop101

Los Olvidados was 4:3, so there shouldn't be any anamorphic version.

Gigantopithecus

ohh ok, any good version available?

slop101

Here's the cover to the version I have which is pretty decent.



I don't remember where I got it, but you can find it on ebay easy enough.

cine

Have you contacted Optimum, and if so, any word from them?

pro-bassoonist

I have not received a word yet and if I do not get anything by Friday I will call them up.

Pro-B

vcuram

Anyone else think that the mini posters that came with each DVD are pretty cool? I just got done framing all of mine and I'm going to hang them beside my DVD rack.

pro-bassoonist

Absolutely!!

As Dazza pointed out first this set is utterly stylish: from cover work to the mini posters.

Pro-B

fnordboy

Is it worth holding out to order this in hopes of corrected discs hitting the market? Any word on if/when that will happen?

pro-bassoonist

Did not receive anything back...will call the UK office on Monday!

Pro-B

cgray

Did that call result in anything? Just curious about this.

pro-bassoonist

No plans for re-release at this point.

Pro-B

nitin77

got mine yesterday, just some comments.

belle de jour is a massive improvement, tristana (over the BFI) not so much despite being anamorphic (this disc has more compression issues than the BFI one too), that obscure object I prefer the criterion (audiot issue mentioned and also the fact that the criterion is encoded better and is slightly sharper to my eye), but diary of a chambermaid is an improvement over the laready impressive criterion disc (sharper and with less edge enhancement).

pro-bassoonist

UPDATE:

There has been some development on the issue with the faulty disc as it appears that Optimum are now aware about the audio fiaso and are in a process of recalling the faulty sets. New ones for now are confirmed to be available through their on-line store.

As of this very moment I consider this both good and bad news!

Good: because obviously if you wait a bit for the faulty stock to be replaced at the major vendors then you are going to end up with a great set (my opinion on the quality of the discs is well-known).

Bad: because if you happen to be one of the people who bought this set immediately after it was released, like I did, then you might very well be stuck with it. I hope however that there is going to be a positive end to this story as Optimum is indeed trying to deal with the issue. So, I am going to call the London office again tomorrow and see exactly how we (and specifically folks from the US, Australia, etc.) can get the faulty disc replaced.

One last thing: If it turns out that non-UK folks can get their discs replaced only through a UK contact is there anyone on this board, obviously a UK member, that will be willing to assist me/us in redirecting these new individual discs (of course assuming that Optimum are willing to replace them). If you are willing to assist please respond here so I know who you are and get in touch with you.

Thanks in advance and let’s see what happens now….

Pro-B

Ps
Vogler, if you read this post, thank you for the info (Rsdio included).

pro-bassoonist

Just spoke on the phone with Mrs. Emilie Barra from the London office and sent an email to point her to our discussion.

Will report back!

Pro-B

fnordboy

Pro-B, thanks for everything.

PotVsKtl

Yeah, thanks for your work on this, I'm very interested in this set but will be happy to wait to know I've got the best version.

pro-bassoonist

Here's the final news on the set:

1. UK customers can now directly contact the London office and exchange their faulty sets/disc (though Optimum prefer that you deal directly with the vendor you obtained the set from). There should be absolutely no problem with it as confirmed by Mrs. Barra in her email to me after we spoke on the phone (I will attach the two emails below).

2. Since there are rights limitations on this set, which should be obvious to anyone, Optimum can NOT extend the replacement program overseas. Meaning that if you happen to be a non-UK customer then your only option is to ship the set back to the vendor you bought it from for a replacement.

3. The faulty boxsets have been recalled (if you order from Benson's AT THIS POINT you should be getting the new CORRECTED set). I am certain this will be the case with Amazon.UK shortly if it already isn't. I am told that all sets are now recalled. Once again, if you happen to be form the UK from this point on this should be easy game: just send back your set and get a new one.

4. It is a bit unfortunate for people like us, not being in the UK, but all tihngs considered I think that the conversation I had on the phone clearly shows that Optimum tried and did resolve what appears to have been a minor glitch. That is my final take on the issue and hopefully whether you happen to be in the UK, USA, Australia, Europe, or elsewhere this post answers your questions.

I am attaching the two emails that I received from Mrs. Barra shortly after we spoke on the phone:


Dear Svet,
(As per our conversation) I've passed on your e-mail to our people in technical and the general
manager of Optimum Home Entertainment.
I will let you know Asap what they've decided to do.
Regards.

Emilie Barra
DVD Assistant

Direct Line: 0207 307 1518
Tel +44 (0)207 637 5403
Fax +44 (0)207 637 5408

Optimum Releasing
22 Newman Street
London
W1T 1PH



Dear Svet,

Thanks for your email. We do care passionately about the films we
release and always try to maintain the highest possible technical
standards. The audio problem on the initial run of That Obscure Object
of Desire has now been corrected. We are happy to replace faulty discs
for any UK customers although in the first instance they would need to
contact the retailer from which they purchased the disc. As our rights
cover the UK and Ireland only unfortunately we cannot supply DVDs to
customers in the US.

Best wishes



Ciao,
Pro-B

tsetse27

For the packaging, is there any way to tell which is initial one, and which is corrected one?

thanks!

Subgeniusguy

Anybody know when it would be safe to order. I'm very interested in the set but don't mind waiting until Amazon.uk gets corrected discs.