Following the sell-out successful release of Arrow Academy’s Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection, which brings together all of the key works from the Polish film-maker’s career, five of his most provocative features as well as his shorts and animation have been released individually on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in a new 2k digital high definition restoration.
THE SHORTS For the first decade of his film-making career, former colourist artist Walerian Borowczyk made short animated films in his native Poland and then in France, where he settled in the 1950s. This disc includes the majority of the shorts that he made between 1959 and 1984, including the acclaimed surrealist cut-out Astronauts, and the extraordinary Angel’s Games, which was hugely influential on likes of Jan Svankmajer, David Lynch and Terry Gilliam, who selected it as one of the best 10 animated films of all time and supplies the introduction to this release.
THE THEATRE OF MR & MRS KABAL In 1967, Borowczyk made his feature debut, the grotesque, surreal animated fantasy, The Theatre of Mr & Mrs Kabal. Rendered in mainly monochrome graphics it’s the polar opposite of Disney’s saccharine features, and is a key film in understanding Borowczyk as a master craftsman and Dadaist prankster.
THE UK DUAL FORMAT RELEASE • Brand new 2K restorations of Borowczyk short films and feature animation are presented in brand new high-definition restorations from original 35mm elements, with uncompressed mono 2.0 PCM audio and optional English subtitles. • Introduction by Terry Gilliam (2013) • Film is Not a Sausage (2014), documentary about Borowczyk’s animation • Blow Ups (2014), a visual essay by Daniel Bird about Borowczyk’s works on paper • Commercials (1963-64): Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964), Tom Thumb (1966) • Reversible sleeve featuring original poster designs • Collector’s booklet
