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Reviews of silent film releases on home video.
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Anémic cinéma
(1926)

 

Anémic cinéma (1926) directed by Marcel Duchamp (as Rrose Sélavy) alternates between entrancing revolving spirals and French wordplay. Within the context of its title, the film is a brief wry comment on avant-garde film itself and an excuse (and perhaps an apology) for graphical experimentation.

Carl Bennett

coverKino Classics
2023 Blu-ray Disc edition

Silent Avant-Garde (1921-2022), black & white, color-tinted and color-toned black & white, and color, 188 minutes total, not rated, including Anémic cinéma (1926), black & white, 7 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K26157, UPC 7-38329-26157-3.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at ? Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.6 Mbps audio bit rate; French language (rotating) intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; no chapter stops (within the film); standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 21 February 2023.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 7 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from the 2018 4K high-resolution restoration prepared from a very-good to excellent 35mm print from Det Danske Filminstitut. The scan has not been digitally cleaned, repaired or stabilized. Framing is generous and keeps any edges of the revolving spirals from being cropped off.

The film is accompanied by a soundtrack composed and performed on a synthesizer by Gustavo Matamoros in alternating aural textures to complement the film’s editing.

This is the best home video edition of the film available.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
This Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from . . .
coverFilm Preservation Associates /
Anthology Film Archives
2005 DVD edition

Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film (1894-1947), black & white, color-toned black & white and color, 1127 minutes total, not rated, including Anémic cinéma (1926), black & white, 7 minutes, not rated.

Film Preservation Associates with Anthology Film Archives,
distributed by Image Entertainment,
ID0592DSDVD, UPC 0-14381-05922-9.
Seven single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame and windowboxed 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 5.0 Mbps average video bit rate, 224 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo and mono sound; French language (rotating) intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 1 chapter stop; seven slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; $99.99.
Release date: 18 October 2005.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 9 / additional content: 8 / overall: 8.

This mammoth DVD collection contains one of the best presentations of Anémic cinéma (1926) available on home video, transferred from a very-good to excellent 35mm print from Det Danske Filminstitut.

The film is accompanied by an amusing synthesizer and digital piano music score by Donald Sosin.

This is the best and recommended DVD home video edition of the film available.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverKino on Video
2005 DVD edition

Avant-Garde: Experimental Cinema of the 1920s and ’30s (1921-1947), black & white, 360 minutes total, not rated, including Anémic cinéma (1926), black & white, 6 minutes, not rated.

Kino International, K402, UPC 7-38329-04022-2.
Two single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD discs, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 stereo sound, French language (rotating) intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; no chapter stops; two-disc DVD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 2 August 2005.
Country of origin: USA

This avant-garde DVD collection contains one of the best presentations of Anémic cinéma (1926) available on home video.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
coverRisqué Cinema
2005 DVD edition

Anthology of Surreal Cinema, Volume 1 (1924-1928), black & white, 65 minutes total, not rated, including Anémic cinéma (1926), black & white, 5 minutes, not rated.

Risqué Cinema, RC003, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono sound, French language (rotating) intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; no chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $24.95.
Release date: 26 April 2005.
Country of origin: USA

This subpar DVD collection offers a video transfer of Anémic cinéma (1926) that has been prepared from a good 16mm reduction print, which is relatively contrasty, making it hard to read the spinning French language intertitles, and flecked with several specks of dust and some white speckling. Horizontal video glitches appear throughout this short presentation.

The film is presented with, what appears to be, a custom music score performed on a synthesizer.

Not the best presentation but, given the low quality of some of the other films in the collection, the disc is not the best buy either.

 
USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
 
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Nostalgia Family Video
2010 DVD edition

Avant Garde Short Subjects from France (1915-1928), black & white, 70 minutes total, not rated, including Anémic Cinéma (1926), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Nostalgia Family Video, 5253D, unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; chapter stops; clamshell CD case; $14.99.
Release date: 2010.
Country of origin: USA
This DVD-R edition was likely mastered from 16mm reduction prints.

This edition was produced without menu navigation.

 
NOSTALGIA FAMILY VIDEO has discontinued business
and this DVD-R edition is . . .
Other FRENCH FILMS of the silent era available on home video.

Other AVANT-GARDE FILMS of the silent era available on home video.

 
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