This page will be completed when all the featured titles have working videography pages. As of now, I am only listing DVD releases, and will probably only ever include VHS or LaserDisc for titles not yet available on DVD.
Seal of recommendation
This award will be given by Le Palais, just as soon as I am able to create a graphical representation of it, to any English-language release which satisfies the basic requirements which I will go on to describe below. Be aware that these criteria take into consideration neither extra features nor region encoding, so be sure that you can play the given region code before importing DVDs from countries other than your own.
Good | Bad |
---|---|
The main feature is presented with its original-language dialogue and original soundtrack, as it would have been heard when shown its country of origin. An optional English dub is considered a bonus but not essential. | The main feature itself only has the English-dubbed version of the soundtrack, or music which differs from that in the original release. |
Optional English subtitles, directly and accurately translated from the original dialogue. | Hardsubs, dubtitles and, in some rare cases, a dub but no English subtitles at all. |
All content is presented in its original aspect ratio. Anamorphic is preferred but letterboxing is accepted and tilt and scanning is accepted provided that it has been done under the supervision of the original director or cinematographer. | Widescreen films which have been pan and scanned to a 4:3 aspect ratio, or 4:3 video which has been artificially stretched. |
Footage is uncut or, at least, no more so than in its country of origin and on-screen text is translated through subpicture annotations rather than editing of the footage itself. The replacement of opening and ending credits with translated versions is accepted but strongly deterred. | Cut, rearranged or cropped footage or any other form of censorship or editing beyond that in the title's original release in its country of origin. |
Most wanted with English subtitles
Each of these titles is in dire need of an original language, English-subtitled DVD release, preferably region 0 so that it can be enjoyed by the largest possible audience. It is my wish that they be honoured with the same loving presentation as Eureka's Masters of Cinema DVDs of René Laloux's films.
- Wanpaku Ôji no Orochi Taiji (1963)
- Le Roi et l'oiseau (1980)
- Fehérlófia (1981)
- Fuyu no Hi (2003)
Thanks are due to KimStim and Kino International for making Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages (2005) the first title to graduate from this list. The same collaboration was also responsible for the first English-subtitled DVDs of KAWAMOTO Kihachirô's Farce anthropo-cynique (1970) and Shisha no Sho (2005) which, while never quite making the list, came close to doing so. MakDau Goosi (2001) was long unavailable on English-subtitled DVD but now Hong Kong studio Panorama have gone above the call of duty and released English-subtitled Blu-ray Discs of the film and its two fully animated successors; how restricted they are in terms of region coding remains unconfirmed, however.
Back to the start |