Edvard Munch from Masters of Cinema in October
8 August 2007

There can be few films as revered and yet as unavailable for public view as Peter Watkins' study of the Norwegian Expressionist painter Edvard Munch. Described by those who have seen it as anything from Watkins' masterpiece to the greatest portrait of an artist yet committed to film, screenings in the UK have nonethelss been rare and TV showings (despite the film being originally made for television) non-existent. Rejecting the standard artistic biopic approach, Watkins concentrates on Munch's working style and explores elements of his life in free-association non-linear style, an artistic process used to explore an artistic process.

Last year the film finally became available on US DVD through a partnership between New Yorker Video and Project X and the disc was very well received, particularly for its picture quality and Watkins' self-interview. Now Eureka Entertainment have announced a UK release of the film under the Masters of Cinema label featuring the full 211 minute extended TV version of the film, transferred from a new, director-approved high definition restoration. The release will also have newly translated optional English subtitles, optional subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and the always welcome Masters of Cinema booklet with a Peter Watkins self-interview, an essay by Joseph Gomez and a timeline of Munch's life.

The disc will be released in the UK on 22nd October 2007 at the RRP of £19.99.