An open letter to Facets, re: Satantango
To whom it may concern:
It has come to my attention that your company is planning to release a DVD of Bela Tarr's film Satantango in 2006. I should not have to tell you how important this film is; in a poll conducted by the Cinematheque Ontario it was voted one of the ten best films of the Nineties by a panel of internationally respected film scholars and curators, and is considered something of the "holy grail" of DVD releases by nearly every film aficionado I know. Given your company's spotty (to put it kindly) record in the past when it comes to DVD quality, I feel the need to impress upon you the tremendous responsibility you have in releasing this film. It is of vital importance that you do it well. Your target audience will be among the most discriminating DVD buyers in the world - we know a lemon when we see one! If you do a good job with the DVD of Satantango you will have a group of purchasers guaranteed to spend the rather sizable amount that you will no doubt charge for this film transfer, and in addition, you will have earned the thanks of a dedicated, nay, obsessive group of DVD buyers. If you do a poor job then you will have earned the enmity of, once again, a large group of very vocal DVD buyers.
I understand there will be problems finding high quality, well-preserved film elements. There are surely scant few prints of this film extant, and the amount of time and energy that must be devoted to a project of this size is no doubt daunting. All we ask is that you treat this masterpiece with the care and respect it deserves. I hope and pray that you do so.
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