Amelie! (1 Viewer)

[Lance Nichols]

Looks like North America will be getting an R1 release of this little gem on the 16th of July, thanks to Buena Vista!
Specs (from Image entertainment)
very little known :frowning:
I am glad, I wonder if the same version will be available in Canada or not. I really can't remember who distributed it up here.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Whoops, admins please correct the spelling of the Thread title...

 

[Jay W]

http://www.dvdenfrancais.com/accueil/index.asp has some information about this.
Running it through a translator, looks like we will get a bare bones 1 disc edition, whereas a 2 disc SE will be distributed in Canada which will NOT have English subtitles. Quite sad to hear about it :frowning:

 

[Karen Maraj]

I'm in Canada but a 2 disk SE without english subtitles wouldn't do a darn thing for me! This is not good.. I am so looking forward to thsi release!

 

[Dan Brecher]

Jeez, could this be the first movie I ever buy on PAL R2? My fingers are crossed that the Canadian disc will in fact have have english subs.

Dan

 

[Jason Whyte]

I'll look into this, but If it's R1 and Canadian release, it WILL have english subtitles. Alliance Atlantis is the film and DVD distributor up here and I see no reason as to why they wouldn't. (Unless they think only people in Montreal saw this film!)
Jason

 

[Jay E]

From what I heard there will be two versions in Canada. The 2 disc version will not have english subtitles and is being distributed only in Quebec. The rest of the country gets the 1 disc version.

I hope this is wrong.

 

[Mark McLeod]

I'll look into this, but If it's R1 and Canadian release, it WILL have english subtitles. Alliance Atlantis is the film and DVD distributor up here and I see no reason as to why they wouldn't. (Unless they think only people in Montreal saw this film!)

.

In talking with my Canadian studio sources, I've learned that often a film will have two distributors in Canada if there's a french language version. In this case the english version of Amelie is handled by Alliance Atlantis in Canada and the French version (released only in Quebec) is being handled by TVA International. I don't have exact confirmation on what's on the TVA disc since I got all this information from a friend at another studio.

So since two companies are handling the film it means each company will do a different disc. I believe the TVA disc will not have English subtitles as per a contract they signed.

That's just my two cents.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Anyone have contact info for Alliance Atlantis? I am thinking that a petition, or letter writing campaign. I want the extras!

I loved this film and I want to see it properly handled, with subtitles and the original score, not a dub. With OAR and anamorphic encoding, and as many special features as they can provide. Here is to hoping that it gets the proper repect it commands.

 

[DonRoeber]

Lance,

Lets make it easy on everyone. We won't torch their village if they give us the French Tin, but tack on English subtitles. Thats all I ask.

 

[Jay E]

Someone has already started a petition. You can find the link for the petition here at DVDTalk:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=191643

 

[Mark McLeod]

Just posting confirmation from TVA regarding the English subtitles issue on their release. As I suspected it's a rights issue.

Here's the information straight from the horses mouth.

TVA is releasing both a single disc and a Collector's Edition 2 disc version loaded with extras. TVA's rights for this film are for French Language only so we cannot have english sub-titles on our disc.

A petition to TVA won't do any good but Alliance can be worked on.

Mark

 

[Julian Lalor]

This is bizarre behaviour from the French rights holder. Obviously, they don't consider licensing English language rights to the DVD supplements for this film will generate any additional revenue for them? What possible purpose is served by withholding English subtitle rights to extras? It was this sort of behaviour that led to the omission of the deleted scenes on Twin Peaks: Fire Walks With Me, which, not suprisingly, are about to turn up on MK2's French DVD release (I presume even the French won't dub everyone's voices to prevent English speakers from buying the DVD - although you can bet they'll give us irremovable subtitles).

 

[Josh_Hill]

Im definately getting this disc!

 

[Mathieu_D]

Hello,
As correctly pointed out a few release are in Canada handle by two editors: one for the editor holding the rights for the english edition and another the one holding rights for the french edition.
But dont make any mistake, we can count on ten fingers the number of titles which has been release that way.
The last known case is Kiss of the Dragon. Chrystal Films owned the rights for french edition, so here in Quebec we had a french only edition of that movie. For the rest of Canada Fox handle the title.
As for Amelie TVA International owns the rights for the french edition. It wont have any english subtitles. For any english track/subtitle you'll have to wait for the Miramax edition. Miramax products are distributed in Canada by Alliance/Atlantis. Those Alliance/Atlantis are usually the same as produced by Miramax (only different logo on the packaging).
Now here is the specs of both TVA International editions that we published a few weeks ago. Those informations were provided by the producers of those titles which we have been in contact with. Both edition will be in store april 30th.
Le fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain (regular edition/single disc): Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic transfer. French tracks (Dolby Digital 5.1/2.0 Surround and DTS). Extras: an interview with Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Le fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain (collector edition edition/double disc): Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic transfer. French tracks (DD 5.1/DTS). Extras: an interview with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, screen test (auditions), a CD containing the soundtrack, storyboards, a photobook, trailers, a booklet (24 pages), interviews, an 8x10 picture, a little rock (!),
Basically this collector disc edition will be almost the same as the limited one offered in France by TF1. It will miss a short-film done by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, International rights were not available.
You can have a look at both covers here:
http://www.dvdenfrancais.com/accueil...iers.asp#30avr
Best regards.

 

[Bill McCamy]

Can someone explain Canadian language law to me. My impression is that French has to be published everywhere. Packaging in Alberta and British Columbia certainly is bi-lingual, although there are few French speakers in those provinces. However, in Quebec, I think only French need be published. Not having been there, I really don't know. But can an English only dvd be pressed in Canada? If not, how can a French only dvd be released?

Thanks for any and all clarifications.

 

[Mathieu_D]

==

Can someone explain Canadian language law to me. My impression is that French has to be published everywhere. Packaging in Alberta and British Columbia certainly is bi-lingual, although there are few French speakers in those provinces. However, in Quebec, I think only French need be published. Not having been there, I really don't know. But can an English only dvd be pressed in Canada? If not, how can a French only dvd be released?

==

Hello,

First of all language law in Canada are under provincial jurisdiction.

Lets recap the situation properly. Since the launch of DVD in 1997 almost every DVD covers available in province of Quebec were the same as the one in US.

At the beginning of 2001 the OLF, a Quebec gouvernmental agency in charge of protecting french language, went under talk with all the major studios concerning DVD covers. Under the law of province of Quebec a product packaging must be available in french. An agreement was reached late spring 2001 with the studio's.

Effctive January first 2002 Studio's would have to also provide a french packaging in province of Quebec if the title is having a french track. If a title doesn't have any french track (ie: most Criterion title) no french packaging has to be made and the title can be sell as is.

This agreement goes only for province of Quebec. Period.

There is no law of any sort forcing studio's to offer french packaging in other province.

Now, not all studio's adjusted their strategy the same way.

Warner/MGM opted, in Canada, to do two packaging for every single title that got a french track: one entierly french and one entierly english. Of course full french packaging are not distributed in the rest of Canada.

Other studio's like Universal-Alliance/Atlantis-Paramount opted since a few weeks to do bilingual packaging. This cramped up, in my opinion, too much information on a jacket. Also it kill the artwork. I prefer, by far, Warner/MGM strategy.

Now to answer your question if an english only DVD be pressed in Canada: Absolutely, no problem at all. It can also be sold in Quebec whitout any problems.

Your second question: how can a French only dvd be released? Think of this in terms of market rights for Quebec or Canada, and this apply to only a few titles. Mainly european movies.

If a Quebec editor buys the video rights of a movie he can specify, in the contract, that no other company/editors can offer the french track in an edition distributed in province of Quebec.

I hope this explain things a bit.

Regards.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Bill, Quebec has it's own charter, and formally has never signed the Canadian Constitution. It's own constitution and law(s) are based on French civil law (napoleonic code), while the rest of Canada's Laws are based on (like the USA) British common law practices.

Civil rights in Quebec are different than the rest of Canada, and the province has separate laws that govern language use. In fact, they have a controversial law called bill 101 that not only promotes the use of French, but actively dissuades the use of English. It is a law that could be seen as constitutionally illegal. I suspect the rights issue might be tainted by that whole issue of the basic basis of the law(s).

Officially all of Canada (that has ratified the constitution) is bi-lingual, and I for one really don't begrudge the nature of the beast. The only province that is truly officially bilingual is Nova Scotia. Although various implementations of packaging/art work have disturbed me in the past. Technically any item can be sold in Canada as a French or English only product, but it has to be marked as such, in the other language

A cynical, "english" point of view, and please don't believe I support it, is what ever Quebec wants, they get....

Not knowing the full story, I suspect that Mirimax and Alliance Atlantis simply acquired the English rights for NA. I hope that the resulting disc(s) from these two is a treat for those of use who loved the film.

 

[Eric Sevigny]

Thanks Mathieu_D for the update! I am definitely getting the collector's edition - since French is my primary language, english subtitles aren't of any concerns. I was afraid though we might not get to see the supplements the R2s had, glad we *do* get them I am shocked we also get the DTS track!
Let's hope those releases are as good as the recent Seville DVDs came out, and not another "Art of War"...
Getting a little off topic here but... Will "Le Pacte des Loups" have an exclusive Quebec release with the extras from the R2s also?

 

[Rod Melotte]

The LAST thing I want is to hear this movie in English. Dubbing is as bad as making a film full frame in my opinion.

In fact if I hada choice I would rather have subtitles and full frame rather then widescreen ahd hear it in english.

Couching Tiger in English made the movie a total waste where as with subtitles it was very good movie.