We decided, ultimately, to not write about the excellent Criterion 3-disc DVD for Steven Soderbergh’s “Che.” It’s territory we thoroughly covered on this blog when the film was at film festivals and then in theaters (and as if we don’t say enough about what’shisface as it is).
Rope of Silicon, for example, did a commendable job transcribing Soderbergh quotes from the DVD, but these were all things he said in the press before (i.e., “I want to retire,” “Does cinema matter?” It seemed he was delivered a big emotional blow by his perceived failure of the film — how it was downloaded, neglected, etc.). We actually had thought of doing something comprehensive on the DVD, which is truly a fantastic Criterion must-own, but Arthouse Cowboy did what we considered a pretty definitive piece, so there was really no point in trying to add noise to the Interwebs (if you’re a big fan of the film, read Chiullan’s piece).
Anyhow, this is a long-winded way of say that one of the best features on the DVD, a 33-minute documentary on the RED camera that was used to shoot “Che,” called, “Che and the Digital Cinema Revolution,” is now online (the Jon Lee Anderson commentary is also crucial if you’re a history buff and a fan of this subject matter).
A little bit of related news for you though: Soderbergh’s spy thriller, “Knockout” and the virus outbreak film, “Contagion” will both be shot on the RED with the latter possibly even using a new RED Camera called the Scarlet. We’re told he’s probably not ever going back to film. Which makes sense considering both these aforementioned projects span the globe and it’s a good way to keep costs down without sacrificing quality.
Watch: “Che and the Digital Cinema Revolution”
I'm happy Soderbergh went with "Contagion" before "Liberace". I don't want to see him talk his way into director's "jail" again after another would-be limited release (maybe really limited release?). And his talk of quitting after "Che" was pretty depressing too. Would hate to see him leave.
Even if the "jail" is only in his head, with "The Informant" and "Knockout" not exactly having been limited releases.
The trend has been especially strong in Germany, France, and Great Britain, as well as in Austria, The Netherlands, and Sweden, but also in Russia, Romania, Poland, and Slovakia. The average ticket price rose due to 3D. There was a 70% growth in digital screens during the first half of the year. France grew to be the European leader in digital screens, beating Great Britain.