Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese founded the World Cinema Project to help with the preservation and restoration of landmark films from countries all over the world. This boxed set presents six of these films, all digitally mastered for this Blu-ray/DVD Combo set by Criterion. Most are largely unknown to even savvy cinema buffs, but all are landmarks within their own cultures. The Housemaid (1960, South Korea), directed by Ki-young Kim, attracted some attention when it was remade in 2010, but the original is very different—a wildly melodramatic, vibrant, and beautifully-designed story of middle-class ambition set almost entirely in a two-story home that becomes a prison of desire, anxiety, and loathing. Djibril Diop Mambéty's Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal), a lively African road movie that pairs a cowherd with a university student, is filled with French New Wave energy and is a reminder of the vitality of the New African Cinema of the 1970s. The oldest entry in the set is Redes (1936, Mexico), a semi-documentary feature, co-directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and future Oscar-winner Fred Zinnemann, about a Mexican fisherman and his political awakening. Dry Summer (1964, Turkey) tells the story of a greedy farmer who builds a dam to prevent others from having access to water; helmed by Metin Erksan and David E. Durston, it won the Golden Bear at Berlin. In Trances (1981, Morocco), the sole full-on documentary in the collection, filmmaker Ahmed El Maanouni profiles an important Moroccan musical group, Nass El Ghiwane. Finally, A River Called Titas (1973, Bangladesh/India), directed by Ritwik Ghatak, is about the disintegration of a community as a result of the partitioning of Bengal; restored from an incomplete and damaged negative, it still shows signs of neglect. This compilation is designed to introduce viewers to cinematic cultures underrepresented in America, and Scorsese's name on the cover will hopefully help attract viewers. Extras include introductions by Scorsese, filmmaker interviews, a visual essay on Redes by filmmaker and critic Kent Jones, and a booklet with notes on each of the films. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)