Essential Polish Animation: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Poland, 1957-1987
Directors: Walerian Borowczyk, Jan Lenica, Halina Bielinska, Wlodzimiez Haupe, Witold Giersz, Kazimierz Urbanski, Daniel Szczechura, Stefan Schabenbeck, Miroslaw Kijowicz, Ryszard Czekała, Zofia Oraczewska, Jerzy Kucia, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Jerzy Kalina, Piotr Dumała

Release Date: July 21st, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 2 Minutes 54 Seconds (Banner of Youth), 8 Minutes 25 Seconds (Love Requited), 8 Minutes 7 Seconds (The Changing of the Guard), 11 Minutes 6 Seconds (New Janko the Musician), 5 Minutes 46 Seconds (A Little Western), 7 Minutes 8 Seconds (Playthings), 14 Minutes 57 Seconds (Labyrinth), 5 Minutes 50 Seconds (The Chair), 6 Minutes 43 Seconds (The Red and the Black), 8 Minutes 19 Seconds (Everything is a Number), 6 Minutes 25 Seconds (Horse), 7 Minutes 50 Seconds (Cages), 7 Minutes 45 Seconds (The Stairs), 10 Minutes 17 Seconds (The Son), 6 Minutes 55 Seconds (Journey), 7 Minutes 34 Seconds (Roll Call), 4 Minutes 41 Seconds (Road), 8 Minutes 39 Seconds (The Banquet), 6 Minutes 5 Seconds (Barrier), 7 Minutes 46 Seconds (A Hardcore Engaged Film. Non-camera), 6 Minutes 38 Seconds (Reflections), 8 Minutes 13 Seconds (Tango), 7 Minutes 26 Seconds (Solo in a Fallow Field), 7 Minutes 21 Seconds (The Source), 10 Minutes (Chips), 11 Minutes 28 Seconds (A Gentle Woman), 14 Minutes 56 Seconds (Parade)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Shorts Except The Stairs, Journey, Roll Call), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Roll Call), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (Journey), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC (The Stairs)
Rating: PG, 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Polish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Polish animation, influenced by jazz, poster design, and collage, took off in the late 1950s when artists found creative freedom in the wake of Stalin’s death. Pioneering filmmakers like Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica would change the form and usher in a golden age of filmmaking that would enable this art form to be appreciated around the world, including winning prestigious international awards at festivals such as Cannes, Annecy, and Oberhausen and an Oscar for Rybczyński’s Tango. This collection of 27 films spans the breakthrough works of the late 1950s to the close of the classic era in the 1980s, capturing some of the form’s essential films." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (All Shorts Except The Source), 4/5 (The Source)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Each of the films in this collection was transferred in 2K by Filmoteka Narodowa and WFIDF. The films were supplied to Radiance Films as digital files and are presented in their original aspect ratio."

Disc one is a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray, and there are 13 short films.

Disc Size: 42.1 GB

Disc Two is a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray, and there are 14 short films.

Disc Size: 30.3 GB

All of the shorts are in excellent shape except The Source, which still has some minor debris. Colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5

Only three shorts have spoken words: Roll Call, Solo in a Fallow Field, and A Gentle Woman. All text and dialogue in Polish comes with removable English subtitles. All of the films sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an interview with film historian and Eastern European cinema expert Michael Brooke titled Animated Poland; this is a comprehensive overview of Polish animation (59 minutes 29 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), audio commentaries with film historian Daniel Bird for Banner of Youth and Love Requited, and audio commentaries with Michael Brooke for Banner of Youth, Love Requited, The Changing of the Guard, The Chair, Cages, and The Stairs.

Extras on disc two include audio commentaries with film historian Ela Bittencourt for Banquet, Barrier, Reflections, The Source, and Chips, and audio commentaries with film historian Kambole Campbell for Journey and Tango.

Other extras include reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings, and a 28-page booklet (limited to 3000 copies) with a section titled Films & Filmmakers, an essay titled Tango in the Labyrinth written by Karol Szafraniec, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

The short films in this collection are split into four decades: the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Pioneers: Banner of Youth, Love Requited, The Changing of the Guard, and New Janko the Musician.

The Golden Age: A Little Western, Labyrinth, Playthings, The Chair, The Red and the Black, Everything is a Number, Horse, Cages, and The Stairs.

The Silver Age: The Son, Journey, Roll Call, Road, Banquet, Barrier, A Hard-Core Engaged Film. Non-camera, and Reflections.

End of an Era: Tango, Solo in a Fallow Field, The Source, Chips, A Gentle Woman, and Parade.

The 27 shorts in this collection showcase a wide range of stylistic choices. Many are heavily influenced by avant-garde elements, particularly in their disregard for conventionalism in favor of innovation. Another thing that binds all of these films is their creativity, use of symbolism, and how effectively they employ subtext. Ultimately, anyone who's only familiar with more traditional animation that has linear stories that are easily digestible is in for a real treat if this is their excursion into Polish animation.

Radiance Films Essential Polish Animation is a collection that truly lives up to its name; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

La marge (Emanuela 77): Mediabook – Plaion Pictures (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1976
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Sylvia Kristel, Joe Dallesandro, André Falcon, Mireille Audibert, Louise Chevalier

Release Date: February 29th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 91 Minutes 53 Seconds (Director's Cut), 86 Minutes 11 Seconds (Producer's Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: FSK-16 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English, German (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray), Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: 31,99 Euro (Germany)

"Sigismond (Joe Dallesandro) leads a happy life with his wife and child in the French provinces. But on a business trip to sinful Paris he meets the breathtakingly beautiful Emanuela (Sylvia Kristel). Fascinated by her appearance, he follows her and immediately falls under her spell. They begin a passionate affair and spend exciting hours together. But a letter from home changes everything and throws Sigismond completely off track." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Producer's Cut), 4.75/5 (Director's Cut)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "This reconstruction of Walerian Borowczyk's original cut of "La Marge" restores scenes omitted from the producers cut along with the original French soundtrack mix."

La marge (Emanuela 77), the director's cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 25.6 GB (Director's Cut), 18.6 GB (German Theatrical Version)

La marge (Emanuela 77), the producer's cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 24 GB

This is the first time La Marge has been released in high definition, previously it had only been available on home media in analog formats. The sources for the director’s cut and the producer’s cut are comparable; they both look excellent. That said, there is a minor dip in quality for moments that are exclusive to the director’s cut. Colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid. Also, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

La marge (Emanuela 77), the producer's cut, comes on a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 7.1 GB

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with four audio options, two DTS-HD mono mixes in German, a DTS-HD mono mix in French, and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the French and English language tracks. Both audio tracks are in great shape; there are no issues with background hiss or sibilance issues. They both sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Included are removable German and English subtitles. Also, the English subtitles are for the French language track since they match up with character names.

Extras:

Extras on Blu-ray disc one include an image gallery (30 images - stills/German press book ), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM mono German, no subtitles), alternate scenes from the UK version titled The Streetwalker (10 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), and the German theatrical version (86 minutes 31 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD mono German, no subtitles).

Extras on Blu-ray disc two include an image gallery (91 images - stills/German press book/posters/Japanese press book), an interview with Andre Heinrich and Noel Very (4 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Noël Simsolo (7 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable German subtitles), Diana Au’s Amsterdam (5 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (40 minutes 30 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable German subtitles), and a documentary titled Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk (63 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable German subtitles).  

Extras on a DVD include an image gallery (91 images - stills/German press book/posters/Japanese press book), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo German, no subtitles), an interview with Andre Heinrich and Noel Very (4 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Noël Simsolo (7 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable German subtitles), Diana Au’s Amsterdam (5 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (38 minutes 50 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable German subtitles), and a documentary titled Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk (60 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable German subtitles).

Other extras include a 20-page booklet with an essay titled Im Spielraum Der Sünde (In the Scope of Sin) written by Marcus Stiglegger, Walerian Borowczyk filmography and information about Marcus Stiglegger.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, and The Beast.

A husband learns of the deaths of his son and his wife's suicide while on a business trip in Paris. Unable to come to terms with what has happened, he becomes obsessed with a prostitute who resembles his wife.

When discussing Walerian Borowczyk's cinema, we frequently bring up the provocative subject matter and abundant nudity. That said, some of his films transcend the erotic genre, notably La marge (Emanuela 77), a film that perfectly blends exposition and erotic moments. Also, La marge (Emanuela 77), like most of Walerian Borowczyk’s films, is a celebration of the female form.

Though the opening setup gives a brief glimpse into the protagonist's life with his wife and child, There is actually very little in the way of character development, and when it comes to characters the protagonist interacts with while in Paris, even less is revealed about them. Fortunately, this is easy to overlook since the performances of the two leads, Joe Dallesandro (Flesh for Frankenstein) and Sylvia Kristel (Emmanuelle), are outstanding in their respective roles. It also does not hurt that they have a tremendous amount of on-screen chemistry.

What starts off as a harmless fling quickly transforms into a coping mechanism for the protagonist. Instead of dealing with the loss of his child and wife, he loses himself in a relationship with a prostitute who resembles his dead wife. His grief becomes overwhelming, despite her temporarily filling the void left by his loss.

The soundtrack for La marge (Emanuela 77) is one area where it is different from most of Walerian Borowczyk's films, which feature classical music. Instead, the soundtrack for La Marge (Emanuela 77) features pop and rock songs, some credited and others uncredited. Notable songs include two by Elton John: Funeral for a Friend and Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting), 10cc’s I’m Not in Love, and Pink Floyd’s Shine on You Crazy Diamond.

Walerian Borowczyk was a filmmaker who walked to the beat of his own drum; if he had any cinematic influences, they were not as in your face as most filmmakers. Also, despite a few missteps, Walerian Borowczyk makes a strong case for himself as an auteur. That said, the way in which he approached erotica in many ways is similar to that of Radley Metzger, a filmmaker who also pushed the boundaries of erotica.

From its opening moments, the narrative firmly grasps you, and by the time it reaches its bleak gut-punch final, you are as emotionally drained as the protagonist. Also, the narrative pacing does a phenomenal job building towards the finale. Ultimately, La marge (Emanuela 77) is an extraordinary exploration of loss and grief whose final moments linger on in your mind.

Plaion Pictures gives La marge (Emanuela 77) a strong release that comes with two English-friendly versions of the film, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Behind Convent Walls – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1978
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Ligia Branice, Howard Ross, Marina Pierro, Gabriella Giacobbe, Rodolfo Dal Pra, Loredana Martinez, Mario Maranzana, Alex Partexano, Olivia Pascal, Gina Rovere

Release Date: April 29th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Behind the walls of an apparently serene convent, a zealous abbess tries in vain to keep order and prevent her sexually repressed charges from experiencing the sins of the flesh. When the unfortunate young nuns get out of control, the church inflicts cruel punishment for their carnal crimes." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Behind Convent Walls has been restored exclusively by Arrow Films.

The original 35mm negative was scanned in 2K resolution at Cinema Communications, Rome. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at R3Store Studios, London. Much of Behind Convent Walls was photographed handheld and with filters, contributing to a film presentation that is both intermittently unsteady and in soft focus.”

Behind Convent Walls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.8 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The source looks excellent. Behind Convent Walls has an intended soft-focus look, and this transfer does a great job retaining it. Flesh tones are healthy, colors look correct, image clarity is strong, black levels and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, the English-language track sounds more robust than the Italian-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an appreciation by film scholar Virginie Sélavy titled Anarchic Nuns and the Artistry of Desire (18 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (40 minutes 31 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable English subtitles), an audio commentary by film critic Justine Smith, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 24-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Daughters of Lilith: Borowczyk’s Behind Convent Walls and the Chthonic Woman written by Kat Ellinger, original press materials, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, The Beast, and The Margin.

Abbess Flavia Orsini struggles to retain control of a convent filled with sexually repressed nuns. The Mother Superior’s niece Clara is her strongest ally, as she believes that a spiritual calling led her to the monastery. Will Abbess Flavia Orsini quench the lustful desires that burn in virtually every one of the nuns at the monastery before their wicked ways convert her niece Clara into a sinner?

Behind Convent Walls was adapted from Roman Walks, a story written by the notorious 19th-century French author Stendhal. And though Behind Convent Walls has many of the elements that are synonymous with the nunsploitation genre, the result is actually not as exploitative as in most nunsploitation films. That said, though all genres have their tropes, it is the way in which Walerian Borowczyk uses them that sets Behind Convent Walls apart from other nunsploitation films.

Though most of the nuns have fully embraced their vocation, there are a few who have not. In the case of the latter, most of them were forcibly sent to the convent by their parents. In charge of the convent is a domineering mother superior who punishes anyone who exhibits free will, ensuring that they remain faithful to their calling. And just like any bad behavior left unchecked, it spreads like wildfire throughout the convent. That said, at its core, Behind Convent Walls is about free will and repressed feelings.

The entire cast are phenomenal, especially Ligia Branice’s (Blanche) portrayal of Sister Clara, the niece of the mother superior. In Behind Convent Walls' most infamous scene, Sister Clara comes across a large piece of wood that is lying in a pile of glass, and with those fragments of glass, she makes a dildo out of that piece of wood. This scene is nothing short of amazing, as Ligia Branice, the actress who portrays Clara, loses herself in the moment. This is a bold scene that dances the line between art and pornography, and as usual, director Walerian Borowczyk beautifully captures this moment of pure ecstasy.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Behind Convent Walls is lacking. The deliberate, paced narrative does a superb job building momentum. Luciano Tovoli's (Suspiria) exquisite cinematography is filled with symbolic imagery. Another strength of the visuals is the soft-focus lighting that gives the nuns a more angelic look that contrasts with their naughty deeds. Ultimately, Behind Convent Walls is a powerful tale about faith and desire, making it a must-see film if you are a fan of nunsploitation cinema.

Behind Convent Walls gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Walerian Borowczyk Short Films and Animation – Arrow Academy (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: France, 1959 (The Astronauts), France, 1962 (The Concert), France, 1963 (Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia), France, 1964 (Renaissance), France, 1965 (Angels' Games, Joachim’s Dictionary), France, 1966 (Rosalie), France, 1967 (Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre, Diptych), France, 1968 (Gavotte), France, 1969 (The Phonograph), France, 1977 (The Greatest Love of All Times), France, 1984 (Scherzo Infernal)
Directors: Walerian Borowczyk, Chris Marker (The Astronauts), Walerian Borowczyk (The Concert, Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia, Renaissance, Angels' Games, Joachim’s Dictionary, Rosalie, Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre, Diptych, Gavotte, The Phonograph, The Greatest Love of All Times, Scherzo Infernal)
Cast: Michel Boschet, Ligia Branice, Anatole Dauman, Philippe Lifchitz (The Astronauts), Ligia Branice (Rosalie), Louisette Rousseau, Pierre Collet, Louis Jojot, Renata Astruc, Jacqueline Boivin, Edith Catry, Yvonne Landry, Kathy Luc, Maïté Mansoura, Mei-Chen (Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre), Roberto, Ludo (Gavotte), Ljubomir Popovic (The Greatest Love of All Times)

Release Date: September 8th, 2014
Approximate running times: 12 Minutes 37 Seconds (The Astronauts), 7 Minutes 1 Second (The Concert), 6 Minutes 51 Seconds (Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia), 9 Minutes 18 Seconds (Renaissance), 12 Minutes 1 Second (Angels' Games), 9 Minutes 26 Seconds (Joachim’s Dictionary), 15 Minutes 7 Seconds (Rosalie), 77 Minutes 5 Seconds (Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre), 8 Minutes 41 Seconds (Diptych), 10 Minutes 41 Seconds (Gavotte), 5 Minutes 41 Seconds (The Phonograph), 9 Minutes 38 Seconds (The Greatest Love of All Times), 5 Minutes 14 Seconds (Scherzo Infernal)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Greatest Love of All Times), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Angels' Games) 1.37:1 (The Astronauts, The Concert, Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia, Renaissance, Joachim’s Dictionary, Rosalie, Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre, Diptych, Gavotte, The Phonograph, Scherzo Infernal)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono French (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray)/Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: £19.99

"For the first decade of his career, Walerian Borowczyk exclusively made short films, initially in his native Poland, but then mostly in France, where he settled permanently in the late 1950s. This disc includes the vast majority of the shorts that he made between 1959 and 1984, apart from ones that were originally intended to accompany specific features.

Far from being prentice work or optional extras, the shorts include many of his greatest films, such as the cut-out Astronauts, the reverse-motion Renaissance and the extraordinary Angels Games, a one-off masterpiece of the macabre that would alone establish Borowczyk as one of the cinema s most innovative artists.

In 1967, Borowczyk made his feature debut, a grotesque and surreal fantasy about the physically and temperamentally mismatched couple Mr & Mrs Kabal. Made with a tiny production team at a time when animated feature films were far scarcer than they are now, it s almost the polar opposite of a Disney film, with angular, mainly monochrome graphics bringing the Kabals universe to startlingly vivid life." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre was sourced from the original 35mm interpositive and the original sound negative.

The shorts were transferred from the following sources (picture, sound), scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan and graded using the Nucoda Film Master grading system. All materials were original 35mm elements.

The Concert (interpositive, sound negative)

Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia (camera negative, magnetic reels)

Renaissance (internegative, optical soundtrack)

Angels' Games (interpositive, magnetic reels)

Joachim’s Dictionary (interpositive, optical soundtrack)

Rosalie (finegrain positive, combined print)

Gavotte (internegative, optical soundtrack)

Diptych (camera negative, optical soundtrack)

The Phonograph (interpositive, optical soundtrack)

The Greatest Love of All Times (dupe negative, magnetic reels)

Scherzo Infernal (camera negative, magnetic reels)

The picture and sound of Holy Smoke!, The Museum and Tom Thumb were sourced from original 35mm prints.

The Astronauts was remastered in High Definition by the International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen, and transferred from a new 35mm print struck from the original negative at Eclair Laboratories.”

Walerian Borowczyk Short Films and Animation comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.5 GB

The sources for these shorts range from great to excellent. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, details look crisp (the live action moments have ever so slightly more clarity), contrast, black levels, and compression are consistently strong, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

Each short film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. And though there is minimal dialog, it's always clear. Also, sound is very important to most of these short films, and range-wise, all of these short films sound great.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction with filmmaker Terry Gilliam (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a segment titled Blow Ups (4 minutes 43 seconds, this extra contains drawings and paintings created by Walerian Borowczyk), three commercials directed by Walerian Borowczyk, Holy Smoke! (9 minutes 55 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), The Museum (1 minute 50 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), and Tom Thumb (1 minute 50 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a documentary about Walerian Borowczyk’s Short Films and Animation with comments from Walerian Borowczyk (via an archive interview), filmmaker Andre Heinrich, producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and composer Bernard Parmegiani (via a vintage audio interview) titled Film is not a Sausage (28 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information,  an essay titled The Magician written by Daniel Bird, an essay titled Two Films by Walerian Borowczyk written by Peter Graham, Director’s Statement for Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre by Walerian Borowczyk, an essay titled Scratched into the Screen with a Blunt Fork written by Daniel Bird, Contemporary Reviews, an essay titled So Common Yet So Uncanny written by filmmaker Patrice Leconte, and information about the restorations.

Included with this release are two DVDs that have the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

The Astronauts: A man builds a rocket ship in his basement, then flies it around town before venturing into outer space.

This was Walerian Borowczyk’s first short film after arriving in France, and since he was not a citizen at the time, he had to co-author it with Chris Marker, who is most known for his short film La Jetée, which later inspired the film 12 Monkeys.

The Concert: A husband and wife do an impromptu concert while they run around the house thrashing on each other.

This short would mark the first appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal, who would later be the main characters in Walerian Borowczyk’s first film.

Grandmother’s Encyclopaedia: Three letters of the alphabet are explored: the letter A is for an Automobile, the letter B is for a balloon, and the letter C is for Chemin De Fer.

A simple narrative that was propped up by its creators boundless imagination.

Renaissance: Destroyed objects reassembled themselves.

This short is most remembered for its use of reverse motion, which gives the illusion that the destroyed objects are reassembling themselves. This short ends with an ironic twist: one of the objects was a bomb that, when put back together, destroys everything.

Angels' Games: A nightmarish factory removes the limbs of angels through various processing machines.

This short is easily the most memorable one included in this collection. And it also starts off with one of the most unusual openings to ever grace any film. The stark imagery and story content are reportedly a veiled reference to the Nazi concentration camps.

Joachim’s Dictionary: The alphabet once again makes an appearance, as each letter is backed by a visual for that word.

Rosalie: A woman is put on trial for killing her infant child.

This is another standout short that lingers in your mind long after it has ended. This is a live-action short that features Ligia Branice in the role of the woman on trial. She would appear in three of Walerian Borowczyk’s live-action films: Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, and Behind Convent Walls.

Mr. and Mrs. Kabal’s Theatre: A day in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Kabal

Mr. and Mrs. Kabal return for a feature-length adventure that combines animation and live-action shots of attractive women in bikinis. This film opens and closes with appearances from Walerian Borowczyk, who in the opening sequence talks to Mrs. Kabal, who replies in her robotic voice. The opening moments are spent with the animator trying to decide how they want Mrs. Kabal to look as they give her a wide variety of heads that they quickly take away. From there, the Kabal go to the beach, and insanity ensues. One moment that springs to mind is when Mrs. Kaba comes out of the changing room at the beach and her breasts fall off. Needless to say, this film is truly bizarre, and another absurd moment includes a scene where Mrs. Kabal’s body swells up after she swallows a butterfly and her husband climbs inside of her. The most amusing motif in this film is how every time Mr. Kabal uses his binoculars, he sees a beautiful girl in a bikini. Unfortunately, his moment of pleasure is cut short every time he peeps and is caught by an old man, who lets him know he is now being watched.

Diptych: This is a documentary that revolves around a farmer and his dogs. Then the second half of this documentary shifts towards a series of colorful flower arrangements. The first part with the farmer is in black and white, while the latter half is in vivid color.

Gavotte: A man who just wants to sit down and relax is constantly interrupted by another man who keeps taking things like the chair he was sitting on away.

This short takes place in the 17th century, and the twist that I left out of the synopsis is that the two characters at odds with each other are both midgets.

The Phonograph: The title for this one pretty much sums it up: a phonograph plays music. This short uses stop motion to remove and load the new music selections.

The Greatest Love of All Times: This short documentary is about Serbian surrealist painter Ljubomir Popovic.

Scherzo Infernal: An angel angers God when she reveals she would like to be a prostitute, and a devil becomes an outcast when he reveals to his father that he wants to help others. One day the two outcasts meet, and their fornication creates another being.

This is easily the most perverse and sexually graphic of all the shorts included in this collection.

Over the span of twenty-five years in which these shorts were made and are featured in this collection, a wide variety of styles were employed, most notably the use of stop-motion and live-action images with animation. These shorts are all over the place, though several do foreshadow what is yet to come from Walerian Borowczyk.

Walerian Borowczyk Short Films and Animation is an exceptional release from Arrow Academy, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Immoral Tales – Arrow Academy (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1974
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Lise Danvers, Fabrice Luchini, Charlotte Alexandra, Paloma Picasso, Pascale Christophe, Florence Bellamy, Jacopo Berinizi, Lorenzo Berinizi, Philippe Desboeuf, Marie Forså, Sirpa Lane

Release Date: September 8th, 2014
Approximate Running Times: 103 Minutes 8 Seconds (Theatrical Version), 125 Minutes 25 Seconds (Uncut Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono French (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray)/Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: OOP

"Walerian Borowczyk's first explicitly erotic feature, Immoral Tales presents a veritable cavalcade of depravity: cosmic fellatio, transcendental masturbation, blood-drenched lesbianism and papal incest. It tells four stories, each delving back further in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human civilization, whether involving notorious historical figures like Lucrezia Borgia and Erzsébet Báthory, or present-day teenagers. Capitalising on the relaxation of censorship laws, Immoral Tales would transform Borowczyk's image from brilliant but obscure avant-garde artist to one of Europe's most confrontational filmmakers when it came to trampling on sexual taboos." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The master was produced by Argos Films. This film was transferred and restored from the 35mm Interpositive, and the Thérèse Philosphe sequence was transferred from a 35mm low contrast print made from the 16mm reversal original element. The picture was graded and restored in High Definition. All work was carried out at Scanlab under the supervision of Isabelle Raindre of Argos Films."

Immoral Tales comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.2 GB

Feature: 34.2 GB (Uncut Version), 28.1 GB (Theatrical Version)

The sources used for these two versions are in great shape, and any remaining debris or imperfections are minor. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, contrast looks very good, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. Though these transfers are not as strong as the other films released by Arrow Academy, they are still easily the best they have ever looked on home video. Also, this release uses seamless branching for the two versions.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with a removable English subtitle. The audio is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM mono with French text, no subtitles), an introduction to the film by Daniel Bird (5 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a segment where several Walerian Borowczyk collaborators get together and discuss him titled Boro Brunch: Crew Reunion (7 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled Love Reveals Itself: Making Immoral Tales (16 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles) with comments from producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and camera assistant/cinematographer Noël Véry, two versions of a documentary about erotic artifacts titled A Private Collection (12 minutes 12 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), and A Private Collection: Oberhausen Cut (14 minutes 31 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), an alternate version of Immoral Tales titled Immoral Tales: L’Age d’Or Cut (125 minutes 25 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a 28-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled A Plate Full of Cucumbers written by Daniel Bird, Contemporary Reviews, an essay titled Immoral Tales written by Phillip Strick, an essay titled A Private Collection written by Michael Brooke, and information about the restorations. The alternate version titled Immoral Tales: L’Age d’Or Cut includes the segment titled The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, The Beast, Story of Sin, and The Margin.

There are four (five if you include The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan) that make up the narrative for Immoral Tales. Also, each of these tales is set in a different time period, starting with the modern day and working its way back to the fifteenth century.

Though Walerian Borowczyk’s films have always dealt with provocative subject matter, Immoral Tales, at that moment in his career, was by far and away his most graphic in regards to its depiction of sexuality.

The Tide: A young man takes his cousin to a private beach, and once they have arrived, he uses the tide to teach his inexperienced cousin the pleasures of oral sex.

Thérèse Philosphe: To curb her sexual desires, a woman is locked in a room, and once inside, she lets her mind run wild as she uses the various objects in the room to satisfy her unfulfilled sexual desires.

The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan: One day, while strolling through the woods, a woman comes face-to-face with a beast who devours her sexually instead of killing her.

Erzsebet Bathory: In order to retain her beauty, a countess rounds up virgins and bathes in their blood.

Lucrezia Borgia: Unable to conceive a child due to her husband’s impotence, a young woman enlists the help of her father, the pope, and her brother, a cardinal, who help in her quest to have a child.

From a visual standpoint, all of these sequences are impeccable shots, and the production design on each is astounding. Every frame has been composed with the utmost care and for maximum effect. A few of the standout moments include the moment when the tie arrives and the characters in the first story simultaneously reach climax. Another exquisite moment is the scene in the fourth story where Erzsebet Bathory bathes and caresses her flesh with the virgins’ blood. Of course, the short titled The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan is a visual feast for the eyes that has to be seen to be believed. And this sequence would later be expanded into Walerian Borowczyk’s next feature, The Beast, with the footage that comprises the short serving as a dream sequence in the feature film.

The subject matter in these sequences leans heavily towards the taboo, as two of them deal with incest, another involves the aforementioned beast who fornicates with a woman, and another involves mass murder. Not surprisingly, the second short Thérèse Philosphe involving the young woman pleasuring herself is the weakest of these five tales. Without giving too much away, it does end with an ironic twist. While the opening The Tide and closing segment, Lucrezia Borgia, would be neck and neck for the strongest out of these stories, With that being said, the best performances come from the remaining two stories: Paloma Picasso in the role of Elisabeth Bathory (her one and only screen appearance) and Sirpa Lane (Beast in Space), who portrays the object of desire in the story titled The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan.

Immoral Tales gets a solid release from Arrow Academy, highly recommended.

Note: The U.S. release by Arrow Academy is still in print.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Blanche – Arrow Academy (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1972
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Adapted From: Juliusz Slowacki epic poem Mazepa
Cast: Michel Simon, Georges Wilson, Jacques Perrin, Ligia Branice, Denise Péronne, Jean Gras, Lawrence Trimble, Michel Delahaye, Roberto

Release Date: September 8th, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 37 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray)/Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: £19.99

"Based on Juliusz S?owacki's 19th-century play Mazepa but relocated to 13th-century France, Blanche tells the story of the beautiful young wife (Ligia Branice) of a nobleman many decades older (French acting legend Michel Simon). As innocent as her name suggests, Blanche becomes the unwilling centre of attention in a power struggle between her husband, the visiting King and his page, the latter a notorious womaniser." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The film was exclusively restored by Arrow Films for this release, with all work performed at Deluxe Digital-EMEA, London. The restoration work was supervised by James White on behalf of Arrow Films, carried out in close collaboration with project manager Daniel Bird and Walerian Borowczyk’s long-term colleague Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin. The film was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered Arriscan and were graded using the Nucoda Film Master color grading system. Restoration work was carried out using a combination of software tools and techniques. Thousands of instances of dirt, scratches, and debris were carefully removed frame by frame, damaged frames were repaired, and density and stability issues were improved. Some minor picture and audio issues remain, in keeping with the condition of the film materials”

Blanche comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.2 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

The source used for this transfer has undergone extensive restoration, and it looks excellent. Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. This is another solid transfer from Arrow Video, and it is easily the best that Blanche has ever looked on home video.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio is in great shape; there are no issues with background noise or distortion. Dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well represented, and range-wise, this track sounds very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction by painter/director Leslie Megahey (3 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Walerian Borowczyk titled Obscure Pleasures (63 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a documentary about Blanche titled Ballard of Imprisonment with comments by from filmmaker Patrice Leconte, assistant director Andre Heinrich, camera assistant Noël Véry, producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin (28 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a short film directed by Peter Graham titled Gunpoint that was shot and edited by Walerian Borowczyk (11 minutes 4 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable English subtitles), an interview about Gunpoint with Peter Graham (5 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover, and 28-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Needles in the Embroidery written by Daniel Bird, Contemporary Reviews, an essay titled Blanche written by Phillip Strick, a English translation of an extract from Carmina Burana titled Singing of my Sorrow, an essay titled Obscure Pleasures written by Chris Newby, and information about the restoration.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, The Beast, Story of Sin, and The Margin.

The narrative revolves around Blanche, a young virginal woman who lives in a secluded castle where she is constantly facing threats to her virtue as every man she encounters becomes infatuated with her.

If there was ever an image that clarified what was about to occur, that would be the initial moment that the character Blanche arrives on the screen. It occurs during the opening moments as her naked body steps out of a bath and dries off. This tantalizing image gives the viewer a glimpse of something that is unattainable, and as the heroine’s fate is revealed, this moment of clarity finally sinks in.

Thematically, Blanche bears a few similarities to Walerian Borowczyk’s previous film, Goto, Isle of Love. In that film, like Blanche, the female lead is the object of several men’s desires. Another thing that they have in common is that they both take place in worlds that do not have defined borders, so their actual geography is never fully revealed. And though many of Walerian Borowczyk's works define space and time, Blanche clearly takes place during medieval times.

From a production standpoint, the visuals are exquisite, and the production design is first-rate as it effortlessly transports you into the world that is being depicted onscreen. Pacing is never a problem, as things move briskly from one moment to the next. Also, Blanche is easily Walerian Borowczyk’s most modest heroine, as she is covered from head to toe for the majority of the film.

Though Blanche features a strong cast that is great in their respective roles, It is clear from the get-go that this film’s leading lady, Ligia Branice, is the main attraction. Reportedly, this role was tailor-made for her by her husband, Walerian Borowczyk, who had also cast her in his previous film Goto, Isle of Love. She delivers a remarkable performance that maintains her character's purity and, at the same time, shows her own hidden desires. The most surprising performance comes from Jacques Perrin (Girl with a Suitcase, Z) in the role of Bartolomeo, the king’s servant, whose moment of indiscretion sets everything that unfolds in this film in motion. Ultimately, Blanche is a riveting melodrama that has languished in obscurity for far too long.

Blanche gets a definitive release from Arrow Academy; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer