There was a DVD but it went OOP. You can find a used copy for about $170 if you want to see it that bad or a used VHS tape for much less. You might try some hipper video stores who miht have an older copy still around for rental.
There are a couple of places selling the Region 2 DVD for around £6. Where are you?
I’ve heard on the wind somewhere that Criterion is preparing " Last Year at Marienbad " for release…
I’m in Illinois so I guess I’ll just have to wait until Criterion releases it. Even if I had the money, I don’t think I’d pay $170 for something I’d never seen, although it would be nice to have that much disposable income. Thanks for the help though guys.
If you didn’t live in Illinois, we rent it at the video store I work at in Claremont, Ca.
you can get it on vhs somehow, someway, somewhere. i bought a brand new copy years ago on tape, and its a perfect print. not one flaw in it. proper aspect ratio and everything. i havent watched the film in an eternity though. i’d love to see a new dvd print with the criterion treatment. i’m sure it will happen soon.
I’m in the UK and I bought it from HMV in London for about £7 no problems. Didn’t even know it was hard to get. I’m sure you can order it from a UK site easily.
The Big Blue on the other hand, was a nightmare! Finally got it secondhand off ebay this week and was surprisingly disappointed after all that!
Yep, as Girl Bites Pen notes the UK R2 by Optimum is cheap and easy to find, and it quite a nice disc (it includes a documentary plus the short “Toute la Mémoire du Monde”. If English subs aren’t needed, the France R2 (Studio Canal) is also a nice release.
Check out Amazon.fr, it’s available there, if you have a multi-zone DVD player.
May I suggest that if you are not lucky enough to have hunted down a copy of Last Year in Marienbad that you may want to go onto the literary route with The Invention of Morel which Alain Resnais and Alain Robbe-Grillet used as a model for the movie. It is written by the Argentinian Adolfo Bioy Casares and if that is not reason enough to read this amazing book, the fact that The Invention of Morel was inspired by Bioy Casare’s obbession with silent movie actress Louise Brooks is reason enough.
@Odile-What a coincidence-I just read The Invention of Morel last week. Interesting short novel-kind of a cross between Borges and Philip K. Dick. It also has been made into a film several times but all seem hard to find.
You can order the UK copy (region 2) from Amazon UK for 6 pounds, or 9 US dollars (roughly). The shipping fee will obviously be larger than if you order it from the US store, but it should still end up costing no more than $20. BTW I own the UK version and its quote good. It includes Resnais’ collaboration with Chris Marker (Toute la memoire du monde, 1956) and a wonderful visual essay on the film “Dans le labyrinthe de Marienbad.” Of course, you need a multi-region player but I see no reason why you shouldn’t already own one. (Couldn’t live without mine.)
I guess it’s not on ebay, which surprises me. But there’s a video store where I live that has several copies. If you really want it I’m sure you could buy it off them. It might not be cheap though.
I bought my copy for about $1.99 when the local Blockbuster was selling off all of it’s VHS tapes to go entirely DVD. It was one of the best movie-buying days of my life, as I also managed to nab The Rules of the Game, Santa Sangre, Time of the Gypsies, Knife in the Water, City of Women, Diary of a Country Priest and Ikiru, all in great condition, and all for about 2 bucks each.
I saw it last summer in Illinois in a theater. And, while it’s a beautiful movie, after my first viewing I have very little understanding of what happened. so I’m going to need that Criterion release sometime this year, but I would prefer Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire came first, even though I know they won’t.
Where in Illinois? If you’re near chicago, go to Facets.
Good God, people are selling this thing for over $150.00. Jesus. Is anyone actually buying it?
Tom-I sold off my copy of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, Her Lover for over $100 and Betty Blue for $75 a couple months ago so some people will pay top dollar for OOP films. I didn’t mind parting with them for a good profit considering they are being rereleased sometime soon.
shit, if i could sell my great vhs copy for a $150, i’ll do it! any takers?
No, unfortunately I’m not in chicago. I’m in Peoria because I go to school at Bradley. Pretty much Peoria sucks—not really any art or culture here.
Bobby-The copies I sold were DVD’s. I forgot to specify that. Old VHS tapes no matter how scarce don’t have much of a market-the quality usually is poor and many people have parted with their VHS players by now.
It played at The Music Box in Chicago back in, like… May. And I’ve been to Facets before. It’s cool. I live in Missouri, though.
Brett Hendricks
I recently read a review of Last Year at Marienbad, having had no prior knowledge of it, and it seems to have captured my attention. However, I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Even Netflix doesn’t carry it, so I’m just curious if anybody has a link or something where I might be able to watch it. Thanks.