Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by John_N (i) on June 23, 2001 at 23:47:54

Here is a link to the web site:

http://www.ruscico.com/catalog_en.php

Here is a printout of the company profile(from the website):

RUSCICO (RUSSIAN CINEMA COUNCIL) is a commercial association of Russian and foreign companies, created for the purpose of realizing a complex program of restoring, remastering, replication and world distribution of a collection of the best Soviet and Russian feature, documentary and animated films, as well as of film versions of the best ballet, opera and theatre productions, in a DVD format. The project's budget will allow RUSCICO to release on DVD discs, within the 1999-2005 period, over 120 motion pictures produced at MOSFILM, LENFILM, GORKY FILM, GEORGIA-FILM, SOYUZMULTFILM, and other studios.


RUSCICO's products are distinguished by a whole set of advantages. For each of the collection's films, a copyrighted DVD version has been created which includes an interactive menu (100-150 pages) in three languages (Russian, English, French), with elements of graphic design and animation, and recorded in a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound format.

The picture quality, achieved through the digital, frame-for-frame restoration with the use of state-of-the-art technologies, meets highest world standards. The soundtrack, restored and remastered in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format, enhances the old films' special coloring and offers a qualitatively new perception. Each film in the collection is specially provided with 10-13 subtitled versions with qualified translation. A standard choice of subtitled versions includes the Russian, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese languages.

An important feature of the collection is its extra materials containing information about the making of films and their creators - directors, cinematographers, script writers, composers, actors. Used to this end were both archive and new video, audio, photo and print materials, specially prepared within the framework of the project. Among the newly created materials are full filmographies and video interviews with the filmmakers.

Each film of the collection has, besides its original Russian version, no less than two (English and French) dubbed versions, made by professional native-speaking actors at European film studios.

Such a huge amount of data on the disc (about 8,5 Gb) calls for a DVD-9 type of the DVD disc used. Printed at the plants of U-TECH, Pioneer, SDC, the DVD discs are shipped to RUSCICO's warehouses in Europe and the US.

RUSCICO's Feature Film Catalogue offers over 120 titles, divided into following collections:

· DIRECTOR
· ORIGINAL STORY BY
· FAIRY TALES
· WAR
· HISTORY

The "DIRECTOR" collection is comprised of films made at different times by such outstanding directors as S. Eisenstein, L. Kuleshov, M. Romm, A. Tarkovsky, S. Paradzhanov, G. Danelia, N. Mikhalkov, A. Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, and others. The creative work of these directors, whose films have already become the classics, is a valuable contribution to the development of world and Russian cinema.

The "ORIGINAL STORY BY" collection includes films based upon the works by world-renowned classics of Russian and world literature. L. Tolstoy, A. Pushkin, F. Dostoyevsky, A. Chekhov, N. Gogol, M. Bulgakov, W. Shakespeare, M. Cervantes are only a few of the authors whose works will find a new life on RUSCICO's discs. The maximum approximation to the literary source and its spirit, the detailed recreation of the period and, most importantly, the exact psychological portrayal of the protagonists - all this distinguishes the screen adaptations included in the collection.

The "FAIRY TALES" collection is represented by the best fairy-tale movies based on popular Russian folk tales and on fairy tales by Andersen, Charles Perrault, the Grimm brothers. The genre of fairy-tale movie developed particularly in the Soviet period, providing a sort of artistic haven for talented directors, script writers and actors wishing to avoid the dictates of Communist ideology. Marvelous hand-made costumes and sets, magnificent location photography, use of original technologies when staging complicated stunts and special effects, combined with an inimitable acting of the stars who created amazing magic characters, make the fairy-tale movies, selected for this collection, altogether unique.

The "WAR" collection includes films depicting one of the central historic events of the 20th century - World War II (1939-1945). This war was a special landmark in Russia's history, one of the hardest trials experienced by her people. Many of the war filmmakers - directors, camera persons, script writers, actors - had themselves gone through the crucible of war. This had enabled them to create truthful, realistic characters. The use during the shooting of a great number of authentic world-war-two fighting machinery helped making these films a breathtaking entertainment.

The "HISTORY" collection offers films related to different stages in Russian history (from the mid-9th to the early 20th century). Great acting, masterfully executed period costumes, location shooting in historic places and still existing interiors make these films unforgettable. The beautifully recreated, up to minutest details, atmosphere, the authenticity of historic events show the originality and uniqueness of Russian culture and history.

We invite all interested parties to participate in this project as sponsors. To show our gratitude to you as a sponsor who has provided funds for the restoration work, the cover of each disc with the restored film will carry the acknowledgements and you will receive a specially designed advance copy of the disc, as well as a RUSCICO certificate enabling you to enjoy priority when placing film production work orders, participating in the events and acquiring the products of RUSCICO.

As a sponsor, you may be afforded an advertising space in the disc's menu to place your advertisement or informational video materials, and you may also be presented promotional copies of the discs.

We believe that your sponsorship of the RUSCICO projects will work to your advantage in the public eye both in Russia and in the world.

Sponsor participation of the Russian Federation's residents is encouraged by the acting law, namely, the funds you may assign to us for the film restoration will be excluded from the taxable base, in full and with no limitations.

We would also like to introduce to you one more project RUSCICO is working on now.
"Russian Classical School", a block of musical DVD projects aimed at preserving the traditions of Russian school of classical instrumental, vocal and dancing performing art. New and archive recordings of concert performances make the basis of audio and video materials, with the most interesting features being the recording of teaching a master class, as well as numerous interviews with the performers, their friends and relatives, teachers and students, colleagues, critics, etc.

To make the audio and video materials more dynamic, the staging was done by the method of multi-camera photography, with the initial sound recording made in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format.

Also stored on the discs are numerous photographs from the state and private archives, posters of performances, musical scores with the authors' notes, biographical data and career highlights, discography, repertoire plans, and much more.

A special emphasis is given to the interactive menu in the Russian, English, French and German languages, recorded in a Dolby Digital 5.1 sound format and created with elements of graphic design and animation.

To date, a project with the participation of the world-renowned Borodin Quartet and Maestro Valentin Berlinsky is in the stage of its completion.

The project comprises two DVD discs with the recording of the quartet's concert performance and the maestro's master class devoted to Beethoven's and Shostakovich's works. Although the artistic design of both discs follows the same pattern, their scenario content corresponds to the subject matter of each of them.

At present, negotiations are under way and plans are in the making for producing programs with the participation of other Russian masters, well-known in the world of music.

John_N