Finally Second Run releases Rat Trap and its been reviewed at DVDBeaver - i have not seen this before but from what i heard and read this is a must watch for any serious film fan.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRevie ... t-trap.htm

Enjoy

Thanks for the update. My dad had the screenplay book of Elippathayam so I always wanted to see the film.

I wish Criterion would release some Indian films. Their Asian output is overwhelmingly Japan-centric.

According to this postthere is a possibility that criterion are atleast trying to get some of Ray's titles. I think the Eclipse series is one of our best hopes, perhaps late 2008/2009.

"Satyajit Ray - According to a friend (of a member), in correspondence with staff at UCSC, "Criterion has been negotiating with UCSC to acquire several Satyajit Ray films". Email to member says, "things are moving slowly," but some some more title-specific announcements may be forthcoming later on in 2007. "

One more glowing review of the film - http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=68048

According to this interview, no matter what angle one's coming from, it's virtually next to impossible to get a hold of any film right's of the old auteur's.

So you will also release G. Arvindan or Adoor Gopalakrishnan films?

Yes, I had actually personally spoken to Adoor Gopalakrishnan about it. Rights of some of his films belong to one Mr. Ravi of General Pictures, who basically is a cashew nut exporter, and the conditions of the negatives are extremely bad, they are almost tattered. I really don’t know if some of his old films are even available. I had shown humongous interest in Adoor and Arvindan’s films. Arvindan’s family doesn’t know who has the rights. For example I spoke to Shaji for Piravi (The Birth) as well and there is some kind of a dispute going on between NFDC and himself and that’s why Piravi is not out in the country. So it is very easy for me to bring a film from foreign filmmaker than our own people. The condition in which the films are kept whether in terms of inventory logistics or whether in terms of rights management or disputes of copyrights, for whatever reasons they are not accessible to Indian audience except when you go to national film archives of India for the purpose of research and study.

That's sad. There's a treasure trove of films that people can't see because nobody wants to preserve or keep track of them.

I have a very vivid recollection of Rat Trap when it was shown on Doordarshan looong ago. I fell in love with that movie.