STUDIOCANAL today announce the first ever 4K restoration of Mike Nichols’ (THE GRADUATE, WORKING GIRL, CLOSER) CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971), in celebration of the boundary-pushing film’s 50th Anniversary. The film will be available to purchase on Blu-ray for the first time in select territories.
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE will receive its home entertainment release in France on March 9th, 2022 via STUDIOCANAL, this will be followed by the French theatrical release courtesy of Lost Films this Summer. STUDIOCANAL will also release the new home entertainment edition in Germany on April 21st, 2022. Rialto Pictures will launch the film theatrically in the US later this year.
The Blu-ray and DVD edition of the restoration will feature a brand-new, 28 minute featurette in which renowned French film critic and author, Jean-Baptiste Thoret, analyses the film and delves into Mike Nichols’ wider filmography.
A brand-new poster, designed by Vincent Durpé, and trailer have also been created to promote the release.
Mike Nichols’ bitterly humorous film brings together the formidable talents of Jack Nicholson (THE DEPARTED, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, THE SHINING), Candice Bergen (BRIDE WARS, SWEET HOME ALABAMA, MISS CONGENIALITY) Art Garfunkel (CATCH-22, BAD TIMING), Ann-Margret (BYE BYE BIRDIE, GOING IN STYLE, GRUMPY OLD MEN), who received an Academy Award® nomination for the film as Best Supporting Actress, and Rita Moreno (WEST SIDE STORY 1961 and 2021, THE KING AND I).
Jonathan (Nicholson) and Sandy (Garfunkel) meet in college in the late 1940s and continue to cross paths across three decades. Each pursues a different path in life, Sandy marries and settles into mundanity, whilst Jonathan follows a series of meaningless affairs. As they reach middle age, they wonder who gained the most from their different approaches to life. Jules Feiffer, Pulitzer-Prize and Academy Award® winning cartoonist, author, and playwright, wrote the screenplay.
The restoration process involved a painstaking recovery of the original negative which was very nearly beyond repair. The colours were distorted, with the magenta appearing green in most shots and patches of mould had to be cleaned and removed. STUDIOCANAL worked alongside Technicolor Hollywood who worked to combine the three negatives so that the 4K scan could be possible, and this was the base for the colour restoration. Thanks to their meticulous method, the 1970s production finesse came back to life. Subsequently VDM was able to proceed with the restoration from the 4K scan.
The restoration process involved a painstaking recovery of the three primary colour, original elements; the original negative was very nearly beyond repair with uneven colours and areas damaged by mildew. STUDIOCANAL worked alongside Technicolor Hollywood who combined the Magenta, Yellow and Cyan elements on a 4K scan from which VDM could proceed with the restoration. Thanks to their combined, meticulous methods, the 1970s production finesse came back to life.
SPECIAL FEATURES available on Blu-Ray and DVD:
- Special featurette with renowned French film critic and author, Jean-Baptiste Thoret
Home Entertainment release dates:
FRANCE – STUDIOCANAL: March 9th 2022
GERMANY – STUDIOCANAL: April 21st 2022
Theatrical release dates:
FRANCE – LOST FILMS: Summer 2022
USA – RIALTO PICTURES: Later in 2022
For press enquiries please contact:
Erin Wellings – Erin.Wellings@studiocanal.com
Margaux Audouin – Margaux.Audouin@studiocanal.com
©1971 STUDIOCANAL – Icarus Productions
About STUDIOCANAL (a CANAL+ Company)
STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series, operating in all four major European markets – France, United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain – as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
STUDIOCANAL finances and produces around 30 films per year, partnering with talent to make films in several languages, including English, French, German, Spanish and Danish to name a few. STUDIOCANAL distributes around 50 films per year and owns one of the largest film libraries in the world, boasting nearly 6,500 titles from 60 countries. Spanning 100 years of film history, this vast and unique catalogue includes among others the iconic Terminator 2, Rambo, Breathless, Mulholland Drive, The Graduate, The Third Man, and Belle de Jour. Among STUDIOCANAL’s biggest successes are Paddington 1 and 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Non-Stop, The Stronghold, Black Box, or A Boy called Christmas.
STUDIOCANAL also produces more than 200 hours of TV series each year and operates at an international level, by globally distributing its scripted productions and CANAL+ Création Originale (1,000 hours of current and library content in distribution).
STUDIOCANAL produces its series either directly (such as Paddington which won two Emmy Awards) or through its network of award-winning European production companies, including TANDEM Productions (Shadowplay) and LAILAPS FILMS (Wild Republic) in Germany, the UK’s RED Production Company (Stay Close, It’s a Sin, Years and Years) and URBAN MYTH FILMS (War of the Worlds, Extinction), Spain’s BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES (Two Lives, Jaguar, Cable Girls) and France’s STUDIOCANAL ORIGINAL (Nine Women, Narvalo, Mouche). STUDIOCANAL is also an associate of Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SUNNYMARCH TV (Patrick Melrose) and Danish-based SAM Productions founded by Søren Sveistrup and Adam Price (The Chestnut Man, Ride Upon The Storm).
STUDIOCANAL and the CANAL+ Group, being aware of their responsibility as a media company, producer and distributor of content, share Vivendi’s eagerness to promote ambitious and inclusive creations, which also address the urgency of climate change.
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