This ground-breaking collection brings together Walerian Borowczyk's key films from a twenty-five-year period stretching from 1959 through to 1984. This unique release includes five of Borowczyk s provocative feature films: Theatre de Monsieur et Madame Kabal, Goto, l ile d amour, Blanche, Contes Immoraux and La Bête as well as his ground-breaking short films from this period, in digital high definition restorations approved by the director s widow, Ligia Branice.
In addition to exclusive documentaries featuring cast and crew, an hour long portrait of Borowczyk is included, featuring the director s musings on painting, animation and sex. Arrow Academy's Walerian Borowczyk Collection is a vital addition to the collection of anyone interested in either world cinema, animation or experimental film.
5-DISC SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- HD restorations of the five features
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
- Original uncompressed mono 1.0 audio
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeves featuring Borowczyk s original poster designs and artwork
THEATRE OF MR AND MRS KABAL
- The short films Astronauts (1959), The Concert (1962), Grandmother s Encyclopaedia (1963), Renaissance (1963), Angels Games (1964), Joachim s Dictionary (1965), Rosalie (1966), Gavotte (1967), Diptych (1967), The Phonograph (1969), The Greatest Love of All Time (1978) and Scherzo Infernal (1984)
- Introduction by filmmaker and animator Terry Gilliam
- Film is Not a Sausage, a documentary about Borowczyk s animated work featuring Borowczyk, producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, assistant André Heinrich and composer Bernard Parmegiani
- Blow Ups, a visual essay by Daniel Bird about Borowczyk s works on paper
- Commercials by Walerian Borowczyk: Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964) and Tom Thumb (1966)
GOTO, ISLE OF LOVE
- Introduction by artist and Turner Prize nominee Craigie Horsfield
- The Concentration Universe, a new interview programme featuring actor Jean-Pierre Andréani, cameraman Noël Véry and camera assistant Jean-Pierre Platel
- The Profligate Door, a new documentary about Borowczyk s sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet
BLANCHE
- Introduction by Schalcken the Painter director Leslie Megahey
- Ballad of Imprisonment, a documentary about the film featuring producer Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin, assistant director André Heinrich, camera operator Noël Véry and assistant Patrice Leconte
- Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Borowczyk, a newly edited archival interview in which Borowczyk discusses painting, cinema and sex
- Gunpoint, a documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk
IMMORAL TALES
- Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird
- Love Reveals Itself, a video essay about the film featuring production manager Dominique Duvergé-Ségrétin and cinematographer Noël Véry
- Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Valerian Borowczyk, a newly edited archival interview in which the filmmaker discusses painting, cinema and sex
- Blow Ups, a visual essay by Daniel Bird about Borowczyk s works on paper
- Theatrical trailer
THE BEAST
- An introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw
- Borowczyk s erotic short film Venus on the Half-Shell (1975)
- The Making of the Beast, an hour-long documentary with rare on-set footage, narrated by cameraman Noël Véry
- Frenzy of Ecstasy, a visual essay about The Beast s design and the film s unmade sequel
- Original theatrical trailer