Special Features on Mondo Vision DVDs

This past Tuesday I received the two limited editions DVDs from Mondo Vision that I ordered via Amazon some days ago. The cost of the two videos, with NY state tax, was three dollars shy of $100.00. And, that's using the free shipping service! With this amount of money I could have bought three Criterions or four Hollywood blockbuster DVDs, and still have some pocket change. So what makes the DVDs from Mondo Vision so special?

Mondo Vision is a new video label that aims to distribute radical and innovative contemporary films from around the world to cinephiles. Their focus is on films that has been ill understood, and subsequently forgotten, by the public. The company released its debut title, La Femme Publique, on November 2008 to much success. So far, the company has had only three releases, all by Andrzej Zulawski. The company has treated all three films as "lost masterpieces." The packaging for each release is beautiful to look at. They are also thick sturdy and sturdy. Critics and connoisseurs have raved about the quality of the transfers and captions, comparing it to those made by The Criterion Collection. In addition, each release comes with a wealth of extras that mimic those made by Criterion like behind the scenes, interviews, and commentary, etc. Among the most prized extras, in my opinion, is the booklet. However, the booklet varies in thickness, meaning in quantity of text material and references, depending on whether a Special Edition or Limited Edition is purchased. This is the main difference between the two editions, and this is where I have a problem with.

Andrzej Zulawski was never popular. A native of Poland, he was forced to live in exile in France during the early 1970s after releasing Diabel (The Devil). The film was banned and deemed indecent by the authorities. Diabel did not conform to the aesthetics of socialist realism of the time or to the established conventions of the "Polish Film School." Zulawski abhors the established conventions of cinema as well as mainstream culture and commercialism. As a result, his films have been confined to arthouse cinemas, mostly in France, and with the notable exception of My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, his videos have not been available in the U.S. and Canada until the arrival of Mondo Vision, unless one had a multi-region PAL player. Likewise, few articles have been written about him or his films in this country. Much of the information about Zulawski comes from French sources, few of which have made their way across the ocean or have been translated into English. To people like me, this was a pity.

Mondo Vision has translated from the French some of the reviews and commentary about each film. They have also included critical essays and reprinted (in translation) the interviews made to the director or actors by film magazines from Europe. To someone who likes film, or has a liking for Zulawski's art, this is a treat. However, it's only available in the limited edition set. The special edition only has the critical essay. The former is limited to 2,000 sets which are serially numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity. So this means that only 2,000 "lucky" people will have the benefit of this information for each release. The French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, said that differences in intellectual knowledge and educational achievement, and in turn social standing, could be explained by what he called, "Cultural Capital." He identifies three types of cultural capital, one of which is "objectified cultural capital" which is the ownership and commerce of works of art or having an intimate relation with it. The poor, due to their limited resources, do not have such opportunity to "buy" or "tap" into such cultural products thereby excluding them from forming part of the dominant cultural class. More than ever, culture has become meritocratic where only few have control and access to it. If we as a society believe in education and in the betterment of our citizens, then why are we excluding or limiting intellectual knowledge? When I think of "limited editions" DVD sets, especially one that is serially numbered, I think of a nice and sturdy case wrapped in fabric or leather, a collection of postcards or trinkets, or even an extra disc with music scores and videos. I also think of having an original print or photo with an authentic signature by the author. But I never think of a set that contains critical readings not available otherwise on regular sets. This sort of thinking about what constitutes a limited edition is elitist to me. Mondo Vision has released three DVDs thus far: I have only two. I couldn't afford the other one so, there is a likelihood that I'll never know about the text contained therein. Luckily, I live in New York City where our research public library is one of the largest in the world and is well stocked with foreign publications and media, but people from smaller cities and the rural counties don't have such access. Thus, Mondo Vision is promoting the "social elimination," as Bourdieu will put it, of some of us by denying access to higher knowledge whether they like it or not.

I'm happy that Mondo Vision brought back from obscurity the films of this great director. Two thumbs up for that! But I wish they weren't so exclusive.