CriterionCast

Rare Experimental Nicholas Ray Film Restored, Coming To Venice Film Festival Next Year

If there is ever a better reason to go check out a film festival, it’s not only to see the wonderful new indie releases, but more and more festivals are starting to run new prints of classic films. Venice is set to follow suit.

According to the NY Times, Nicholas Ray’s experimental film, We Can’t Go Home, will be making its way to the film festival, with a brand new print, all to help celebrate the centenary of Ray’s birthday. The print was prepared by Ray’s widow, Susan, who wanted to honor her late husband’s birth with this new print.

Ray is a Criterion filmmaker, with the film Bigger Than Life, so as with any new print of a classic film, this has the making of a new Criterion release all over it. The film was unfinished by the filmmaker, but still made a screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973 in an early form. We Can’t Go Home was also innovative for the filmmaker, as it used something he called mimage, which used a number of different camera images, projected on the screen at the same time.

Personally, while this will more than likely not make it to the states in any extensive form, a new and experimental film from a legendary filmmaker is always a welcome addition to the world. Hopefully Janus will be wise enough to nab up the distribution of this film, and give it a special singular release, or maybe pair it with other rare Ray films in the form of an Eclipse release.

Source: NY Times

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.