Fans of French cinema and Olivier Assayas in particular will be thrilled to find the director’s early works, Disorder and Winter’s Child, released in the UK for the first time. Arrow Academy’s brand new 2K restorations of the two films have been supervised and approved by Assayas himself, allowing the films to be seen as the director intended. The Early Films of Olivier Assayas is a must-see double bill for cinephiles.

Director
Oliver Assayas (Irma Vep, Carlos, Summer Hours, Clouds of Sils Maria)

Cast

Wadeck Stanczak (Rendez-vous, Una vita scellerata)
Ann-Gisel Glass (Leise Schatten, Rats: Night of Terror)
Lucas Belvaux (One, Trilogy: Two, Three)
Clotilde de Bayser (Tumultes, L’enfence de l’art)
Marie Matheron (Presque rien)

Now recognised as one of French cinema’s finest talents courtesy of such modern classics as Irma Vep, Carlos, Summer Hours and Clouds of Sils Maria, Olivier Assayas started out as critic and screenwriter before making his debut feature as director in 1986. The Early Films presents this work, Disorder, and his second feature, Winter’s Child, in the UK for the first time.

Disorder concerns a group of friends in a post-punk band. When a robbery at a music store turns fatal, the resulting chaos threatens both their working relationship and their long-held friendships as they leave France to tour London and potentially make their big break.

Released two years later, Winter’s Child presents a four-person, two-couple tragedy of passion. Natalia is pregnant, but the child’s father, Stéphane, doesn’t want to know and abandons her. He meets Sabine, a set designer, and falls in love – but she is struggling with her attachment to Bruno, an actor with whom she had a brief fling.

Arrow Academy never fail to disappoint with their pristine releases of classic and world cinema. The Early Works of Olivier Assayas is no different, bringing together two of the film-critic-turned-auteur’s earliest features: Disorder and Winter’s Child.

The two dramas give a tantalising glimpse of the director Assayas would become, showing him even then to have bold vision and execution. His knack for telling meaningful stories and eliciting memorable performances from his actors is apparent in both films, which prove to be valuable additions to the collection of any Assayas fan.

The Blu-ray set includes a brand new 2K restoration of each film, supervised and approved by Assayas himself, as well as interviews with the director and his actors. The set also comes complete with newly commissioned artwork (plus original artwork for traditionalists), and first pressings come with an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writings on the film by experts in the cinema of Assayas.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

Brand new 2K restorations of both films, supervised and approved by Olivier Assayas
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations
Original 2.0 Stereo soundtracks
Optional English subtitles
Interview with writer-director Oliver Assayas
Interview with the cast of Disorder, Ann-Gisel Glass, Lucas Belvaux, Wadeck Stanczak and Rémi Martin
Theatrical trailers
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin

First pressing only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Noel Megahey and Glenn Kenny

DETAILS

Director: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Wadeck Stanczak, Ann-Gisel Glass, Lucas Belvaux, Clotilde de Bayser, Michel Feller, Marie Matheron
Release date: October 8th
RRP: £24.99
Format: Blu-ray
Region: B
Rating: TBC
Genre: Dramas
Duration: 88 + 84 mins
Language: French
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: 2.0 Stereo
Colour
Discs: 1

Blu-ray Cat No: FCD18181
Blu-ray Barcode: 5027035019871