does anyone know if there are plans for a wider release or eventually a dvd release?
shareI'm not sure, but you can watch Nina Paley's website/blog for news:
www.ninaplaey.com
Link fix: blog.ninapaley.com
"SHOWTIME." - MR. INCREDIBLE (2005 OSCAR® WINNER)
I am afraid never. As you can read in Ms. Paley's blog (www.ninapaley.com), before she can find a distributor, she must pay for the rights of the songs she used (the songs themselves, not Annette Henshaw's registrations) to the owners, which are big companies such as Warner, Universal, etc., and which request high right fees.
shareAnother example of everything that is wrong with the studio system. As Roger Ebert said, "They would rather see knowledge lost". At least Roger Ebert is lending his weight to the argument, though.
Check out his blog post:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/12/having_wonderful_time_wish_you .html
It's currently being shown here in the Philippines as one of the films featured in the CineManila Film Festival (http://www.cinemanila.org.ph). If you're in town, you can check it out.
sharehttp://sitasingstheblues.wordpress.com lists where and when it will and has been screened (and these festival showings are the only way to legally see it, though Nina has theorised about giving away free preview DVDs to "reviewers" who might just happen to be the same people who have made a completely unrelated "donation" to her). Regardless, it benefits greatly, whether intentionally or not, from being seen from an analogue, 35 mm print (it stops it looking so much like Flash animation and instead enhances the "classic cartoon" aesthetic).
shareYes, probably you are right: I have seen the movie in 35 mm in two festivals (Berlin and Annecy where it won a deserved first prize) and I too am afraid that as a dvd its flaws linked to the use of Flash limited animation would be more visible. But, of course, not everyone goes to every festival, so I understand that a dvd would be the best way for most of the people to see it.
shareThis movie was sent as a DVD to Roger Ebert, who posted a RAVE blog entry on his journal site - no official review unless it gets released sometime soon... SOUNDS GREAT! :)
shareI found it from the blog post - the best advertising you can get. Although it might never have a proper release (unless perhaps they redub it with another singer), it's an incredible calling-card.
shareRedubbing it with another singer wouldn't change a thing and would only make the film worse. The sound recordings are in the public domain, but the sync rights for the songs are not. Which means that the recordings are "public domain" but with strings attached - you can copy them but cannot legally use them in any new cultural work.
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My blog about Russian animation: http://niffiwan.livejournal.com/
You can see it online right now http://www.thirteen.org/sites/reel13/blog/watch-sita-sings-the-blues-online/347/
and it will be shown on Public Television next week - March 7 in NY, I think - find out for your own location. The online thing, by the way, is totally legit, with Nina Paley's involvement.
In case not posted
you can see this TOMIGH Sat March 7 in the US on your PBS station.
It's at 10:45 on the East Coast.
I just saw a screening of this with Nina Paley talking after, and she mentioned that the film will be uploaded in the near future. Her site is mentioned in an above response.
shareMoreover, New York's thirteen/WNET will premiere the film on March 7.
"SHOWTIME." - MR. INCREDIBLE (2005 OSCAR® WINNER)
I got mine from a free (legal) download site:
http://www.archive.org/details/Sita_Sings_the_Blues
excellent quality if you opt for the larger file size.
"That's tough talk for a man with a basket on his head!"
It's also now available on commercial dvd and has opened theatrically in NYC (after short runs in San Francisco and I'm not sure where else).
share[deleted]
You can download the DVD ISO format and burn the image on a blank dvd.
Or get it in any other possible format for your computer/smart tv here:
http://archive.org/details/Sita_Sings_the_Blues
If people are still looking for this, its available for free on Youtube in excellent quality.
Addicted to the Movies!