The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Sovereign

I'd second Red River.

One of my two favorite John Wayne performances (along with The Searchers). The photography and music seal the deal.

Red River would get my vote, too! It'd be on my short list of favorite westerns, actually.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I may be in the minority here, but I would take Red River. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift are both great playing against each other and Hawks gives you the feeling of being on a cattle drive. As for My Darling Clementine, it's very good but two things bothered me about. The first is that Tombstone, AZ is nowhere near Ford's beloved Monument Valley, and the other is that I could never get used to Fonda in that droopy mustache.

I love both films but I’d also pick Red River. The first time I ever saw MDC I was shocked to see Walter Brennan as a bad guy. At that time I only knew him as lovable Grandpa Amos on tv’s The Real McCoys. I wish The Westerner would come out on BD. That’s my favorite Brennan performance.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by belcherman

That’s a great one, and I actually prefer the original TV version of 12 Angry Men to the movie version.

There is always one!

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by zoodermin

Thanks for the Demy replies. I think I'll watch them on a streaming service before I commit to a purchase. I think I'm going to go with Westerns this time. So, Red River or My Darling Clementine? I heard great things about both (and I own Ford's Stagecoach which is amazing) but if you can only buy one right now, which one would it be?

Very surprised people are picking Red River over My Darling Clementine.

I enjoy Red River, but My Darling Clementine is up there with The Searchers for Ford's best.

(Don't overlook Jubal and 3:10 to Yuma, by the way!)

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Very surprised people are picking Red River over My Darling Clementine.

I enjoy Red River, but My Darling Clementine is up there with The Searchers for Ford's best.

(Don't overlook Jubal and 3:10 to Yuma, by the way!)

Nice call. Jubal's price point is pretty damn sweet too.

The Hellman double feature is awesome bang for your buck-wise, but the audience for those is and always will be rather small.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Very surprised people are picking Red River over My Darling Clementine.

I enjoy Red River, but My Darling Clementine is up there with The Searchers for Ford's best.

(Don't overlook Jubal and 3:10 to Yuma, by the way!)

Same. My Darling Clementine has some incredible moments. Red River is just a good film.

Then again, I'm not a huge fan of Hawks and think The Searchers is bloody overrated and not top tier Ford.

[AaronJ]

Looks like Night and Fog and Twin Peaks:Fire Walk With Me should arrive tomorrow, if the tracking info is of any use.

Received The Beguiled today. Gorgeous Slip. I'll finally get to see this tonight. But tomorrow night will be some Twin Peaks action. I don't think I am up to Night and Fog yet. You really need to be in the right frame of mind for that. Resnais went to the edge for sure.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

There is always one!

Here are three reasons I prefer the original teleplay of 12 Angey Men to the 1957 movie starring Henry Fonda.

1. Technical accomplishment. Director Franklin Schaffner shot it live on a small set (the jurors’ room), yet it never felt stagey because of his skillful use of multiple cameras. This might not seem like a big deal now, but it was then. He had one chance to get it right and he got it right.

2. That damn white suit. Henry Fonda’s character is set apart from the other members of the jury, not just because of his belief in the defendant’s innocence, but through his profession and his dress. He comes off, to me, as superior, like a knight in seersucker trying to convert the infidels. Robert Cummings character, on the other hand, comes off as more of an Everyman, just an average Joe trying to puzzle things out as he goes along.

3. Economy and ambiguity (ok, four reasons). The teleplay tells its story in an hour, and everything you need is there. The movie version just seemed padded in comparison. The movie version gives you a wrapped-with-a-bow ending, while the teleplay doesn’t. It leaves things less settled, and gives the viewer more to think about.

Both versions are great and I highly recommend the Criterion release, but do yourselves a favor and check out all the supplements. They’re great.

On a side note, I first saw TAA when I was younger than the defendant in the movie. Back then, I was convinced of his innocence based on the Fonda character’s earnestness. If I was on that jury now, my vote would be guilty based on the evidence presented in both versions. But that’s a discussion for a different day.

[thatguamguy]

I'm curious what you think of the William Friedkin remake, where the author updated the text a little bit. I don't think it's as good as the original film (haven't seen the original TV movie yet), but the script is so good that it's just fun to watch the great cast go through it all.

[GaragePoet]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

I'm curious what you think of the William Friedkin remake, where the author updated the text a little bit. I don't think it's as good as the original film (haven't seen the original TV movie yet), but the script is so good that it's just fun to watch the great cast go through it all.

i really liked the remake. the cast was superb. while i have nothing bad to say about the original, i just wasn't as familiar w/ the cast members. i suppose in some way this makes it more like a "bunch of guys" on a jury, but i really enjoy watching the cast of characters in the remake.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

I'm curious what you think of the William Friedkin remake, where the author updated the text a little bit. I don't think it's as good as the original film (haven't seen the original TV movie yet), but the script is so good that it's just fun to watch the great cast go through it all.

To be honest, I haven’t seen it, which is odd because I usually seek out anything with Jack Lemmon in it. It’s now on my list. Thanks for mentioning it.

[UncleBuckWild]

Happy Birthday Mr. Delon!

Le Samouraï finally arrives on Blu-ray in less than a week!

[javy]

My most anticipated blu-ray releases at the moment are Criterion's restorations of The Passion of Joan of Arc and Night of the Living Dead.

[Ray Jackson]

Sometimes late at night when I'm having trouble sleeping, I lay awake and try to imagine all the hot women that Alain Delon has been with over the years.

All those glorious summer nights in the master bedroom of his Paris apartment.

...then I close my eyes and pretend like I'm spying on them through the window.

[Show spoiler]

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by belcherman

To be honest, I haven’t seen it, which is odd because I usually seek out anything with Jack Lemmon in it. It’s now on my list. Thanks for mentioning it.

Keep an eye on German Amazon, the DVD goes on sale fairly regularly. (There's no Blu, and I wouldn't expect that to change.) I picked it up a few months ago along with Spielberg's "Something Evil", and was pleased to see that it held up to my memory.

I kind of had the same experience as Poet, I saw the original so long ago [they showed it in elementary school at least once] that I didn't know any of the actors, even Henry Fonda. Whereas by the time I saw the Friedkin one, I knew all of them. It's kind of like Shakespeare, once you know the text (which is a bit less complicated than Shakespeare), it's just fun to watch different great actors try their hand at it. (Along those lines, there's also a Jack Lemmon / George C. Scott version of "Inherit the Wind" produced around the same time, but I remember being really disappointed with that one.)

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Sometimes late at night when I'm having trouble sleeping, I lay awake and try to imagine all the hot women that Alain Delon has been with over the years.

All those glorious summer nights in the master bedroom of his Paris apartment.

...then I close my eyes and pretend like I'm spying on them through the window.

[Show spoiler]

... I always thought you were the more adventurous type. #disappointed

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Sometimes late at night when I'm having trouble sleeping, I lay awake and try to imagine all the hot women that Alain Delon has been with over the years.

All those glorious summer nights in the master bedroom of his Paris apartment.

...then I close my eyes and pretend like I'm spying on them through the window.

[Show spoiler]

After watching 30 For 30: Nature Boy Ric didn't have many lonely nights either. Woo!

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by javy

My most anticipated blu-ray releases at the moment are Criterion's restorations of The Passion of Joan of Arc and Night of the Living Dead.

Mine is War of the Gargantuas
http://www.godzilla-movies.com/news/...odzilla-titles

[lilboyblu]

Would love for Hal Ashby’s The Landlord to get the Criterion treatment. Having an MGM MOD DVD-R be the only available format for the film is rather insulting.

[growler]

Anyone here used this?

I sent in Kagemusha which freezes & is on the list of defective discs.
The Criterion Collection
Attn: Jon Mulvaney
215 Park Avenue South
5th floor
New York, NY 10003

Tracking shows they received it 3 weeks ago.
I emailed Jon a couple days ago to check status but, no reply.

For those who did exchange a disc, how long did it take & did you receive any communication?

Here is the list:
The confirmed potentially affected Blu-ray titles are:

SUMMER HOURS
WALKABOUT
PARIS, TEXAS
M
THE SEVENTH SEAL
PIERROT LE FOU
HOWARDS END
MONSOON WEDDING
MONTEREY POP
RIDE WITH THE DEVIL
KAGEMUSHA

“The best way to tell if your disc from the list is defective is by looking on the under side of the disc (the shiny side) and if you see the letters 'BVDL' your disc will be fine. If you don't see those letters you should send in your disc.”