L'Atlantide (Pabst, 1932)

gordonovitch · Post by **gordonovitch** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:14 pm

Does anybody own the MK2 (French) DVD release of Pabst's L'Atlantide? I've a hankering for that film, and I'm doubtful it will ever get a Region 1 release. It seems the MK2 edition is still available on their site, but with shipping to the US, it would cost a bit under 70 bucks.

Plus, there are no English subtitles. Well, I'm willing to test my limited French if the transfer is decent.

Gordon Thomas

Einar the Lonely · Post by **Einar the Lonely** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:03 pm

I do.`The transfer is very good. What else do you want to know?

gordonovitch · Post by **gordonovitch** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:25 pm

Einar the Lonely wrote:I do.`The transfer is very good. What else do you want to know?

Thanks for your response, which answered my main question. I basically wanted to know if the transfer was good enough for me to blow nearly 70 dollars on. Do you like the film? I've read that Feyder's 1921 silent (which I own on disc) is a better adaptation of the story, but I have a feeling Brigitte Helm makes for a better man-destroyer.

Gordon

Gaucho · Post by **Gaucho** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:30 pm

I wholeheartedly second that endorsement of the French MK2 set - it is splendid.

Einar the Lonely · Post by **Einar the Lonely** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:09 pm

The film was shot in three languages - English, French, German -, and all survive. A rather poor image quality English version is available on Alpha Videos. I have seen all three, and it is the weakest of the three as well. I think the French and German version compare very well (the latter not being available) with only minor differences.

Personally I liked the film very much. I think it surpasses the Feyder version which I remember as a bit clumsy and overly corny. Helm is wonderful to watch as a panther-like woman (she keeps a leopard as a pet), and the atmosphere of the unreal and of feverish oriental pipe dreams is well done. It is odd that Pabst of all people would direct it, as the story is of course pretty dated hokum (and probably even was by 1932 already, more like turn-of-the-century taste), and completely different from his previous contemporary films such as WESTFRONT 1918 and KAMERADSCHAFT. But there is also some ironic, de-mystifying element added (the Atlantide is in fact the daughter of some Parisian night club dancer).

boblipton · Post by **boblipton** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:13 pm

Visually the Feyder film is fine except for some misapprehension on how to handle the Scheherazade layering of the story -- and Stacia Napierkowska(sp?) who is absolutely ludicrously over the top in her performance. Plus she could have used a brush on her hair.

Bob

gordonovitch · Post by **gordonovitch** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:53 pm

boblipton wrote:Visually the Feyder film is fine except for some misapprehension on how to handle the Scheeherazade layering of the story -- and Stacia Napierkowska(sp?) who is absolutely ludicrously over the top in her performance. Plus she could have used a brush on her hair.

Bob

Yes, the Feyder is quite beautiful, and, I agree, the female lead is a hyper-vamp and not very sexy. Interestingly, if I remember correctly, Feyder's film is more about the relationship between the two men than the siren. From what I can see on Youtube bits, Helm on her end wisely underplays. I ordered the MK2 disc today, so we shall see.

Gordon

Doug Sulpy · Post by **Doug Sulpy** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:35 am

How does the French edition compare to the U.K. DVD from Artificial Eye (in "The Complete Jean Vigo")? I thought the restoration there was about as good as one could hope for.

gordonovitch · Post by **gordonovitch** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:46 pm

Doug Sulpy wrote:How does the French edition compare to the U.K. DVD from Artificial Eye (in "The Complete Jean Vigo")? I thought the restoration there was about as good as one could hope for.

The French (MK2) edition under discussion here is of G. W. Pabst's L'Atlantide, not Vigo's 1934 L'Atalante.

Gordon

Doug Sulpy · Post by **Doug Sulpy** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:08 pm

gordonovitch wrote:
Doug Sulpy wrote:How does the French edition compare to the U.K. DVD from Artificial Eye (in "The Complete Jean Vigo")? I thought the restoration there was about as good as one could hope for.
The French (MK2) edition under discussion here is of G. W. Pabst's L'Atlantide, not Vigo's 1934 L'Atalante.

Gordon

To quote Mr. Finlayson... Doooough!