It’s been so long since Steven Soderbergh announced his recut of Kafka––so long since the thing even premiered at TIFF––that one could assume it was no longer in play. But reemergence, it seems, is in store: Indiewire have announced the U.S. premiere of his new edition, Mr. Kneff, will occur at Nitehawk’s Prospect Park location on November 9, with a complimentary cocktail made from Soderbergh’s Signani 63 offered. Tickets are now on-sale.
The official synopsis is scant: “A writer guy in 1919 Prague uses his dead-end job as inspiration for his fantastical fiction.” But the extent of Soderbergh’s revision is huge: the movie’s lost 20 minutes and, what’s more, all dialogue––silent-movie accompaniment includes an instrumental of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”
If you (like me) aren’t in New York on November 9, it’s comfort to know Nitehawk’s premiere shouldn’t be the end of the road. When I talked to Soderbergh this summer he told me an elaborate set containing Mr. Kneff, reedits of Schizopolis and Full Frontal, and remasters of The Girlfriend Experience, Bubble, and his two Spalding Gray documentaries (plus a booklet) was en route, possibly for the holidays. No word since; one hopes this event engenders a couple more details.
See below for a new poster:
