Ted Hope sent the following thoughts on Jaman’s current trial offering of free online art-film rentals. Check out Hope’s comments and then, if you are so inclined, click over to Jaman to download the player and watch a movie.

The absolute hostility, at best, neglect, generally speaking, that the American Film Industry displays towards adventuresome work, and particularly such work done in a non-english language, has some nice byproducts.

When no market exists, salesman often resort to the time tested techniques of the drug pushers. Want to sample the product? Find nirvana for free? Here you go friend, feast away, for once there is a market, you’ll be hooked and the price will rocket. But for now, for you friend, special deal: free.

Takeshi Kitano (several), Maroboshi (the first film by Afterlife‘s Koreada), Jia Zhang-ke’s first film Pickpocket, two by Tsai Ming-liang (including his first, Rebels of A Neon God). Not to mention the Dardenne brothers, Jacques Rivette, and Walter Salles.

All from the pleasure of your own home. Okay, it SUCKS that you are not going to see these projected, but that is but a dream world, and in reality it’s wonderful we have an opportunity to see these.

I believe fully, as the guys at Netflix have said to me that their business has proven, that the longer people have access to quality work at a reasonable price point, their appettite for the work of real auteurs increases, AND the more they are exposed to the good taste of others, the same phenomenon occurs.

So alert all you know and love to this great work and this fabulous opportunity to see it for free. I have no idea how long it will last, but thank you Dreammachine (which controls the rights to these films), thank you Jaman (the online site that offers these films at top internet quality), and thank you Anthony Kaufman (who tipped me via his blog to this great opportunity).

The only thing I can say negative though is what is with Jaman that they don’t list the director’s name in the description?