The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

My request to them is “please don’t abandon dvd upgrades completely in favor of Blu-ray upgrades to 4K.” They haven’t done that yet but it’s down to barely a trickle. I emailed them last January regarding this and their response was:

We understand your perspective based on our recent releases but we can confirm that some dvd upgrades are on our radar and is something we’re working towards. There are many factors at play in the process so I do appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

Best,
JM

Hopefully 2024 will improve on the number of dvd upgrades of the past year. I remain patient.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by bergman864

I'm saying it's pretty easy to splice a logo at the front of a master. And they could retain streaming rights to old masters while losing physical rights.

I doubt that would happen. I don't think it's ever happened where Criterion was streaming something with the Janus logo and someone else released a Blu-ray.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Joe Cinema

So they would be able to release it on physical media, but it's no guarantee that because Janus licensed it that Criterion will release it? Is there some reason you believe anything Janus will be released by Criterion, especially considering that clearly has not been true? When you contact Criterion and ask about these 300 titles they haven't released in the 15 years you believe they've had the rights to, what is their answer about the hold up? I'm just not seeing why it's constantly stated as fact that Criterion has prevented these 300 movies as well as many more from ever getting a physical release. Just saying to go look at a list isn't enough confirmation for me.

Janus Films is Criterion's parent company. Any film they own the rights to is a candidate for a home video release. They often sit on films for a while. In 2017, a deal was reached between Janus Films and the Czech National Film Archives for 30 films to be released over 10 years. We're still waiting on quite a few. Janus also acquired Eric Rohmer's Four Seasons as early as 2021, but they won't be available on home video until early 2024.

I don't claim to know sales figures. I don't know how popular DVDs and Blu-rays are these days. But I feel pretty confident saying that Asian cinema in general (and culture, for that matter) is very popular, especially with western audiences, so I'm inclined to think that home video releases of Japanese films would sell a decent amount. That being said, obviously Criterion would get more bang for their buck if they invested their resources in producing 4K HDR releases of Wes Anderson's films than they would in releasing films by Nagisa Oshima, Jiri Menzel, Les Blank, etc. So when those releases DO come out (as they should), how do you balance the scales?

[DukeTogo84]

At this point, I can't see Criterion releasing a lot of films with older masters especially Japanese films. I could see them releasing 1-2 titles a year if the films already have a 4K master. I really wish there was a BD line for Eclipse. I think it would make a lot of fans happy.

[Trekkie313]

I wonder if Criterion can get H-Man and The Human Vapor from Toho? They have no HD releases yet...

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

I wonder if Criterion can get H-Man and The Human Vapor from Toho? They have no HD releases yet...

H-Man does. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-H...lu-ray/265935/

It actually looks really good.

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

H-Man does. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-H...lu-ray/265935/

It actually looks really good.

Doesn't seem to be for sale anywhere, including Ebay!

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Doesn't seem to be for sale anywhere, including Ebay!

Hmm. Might already be OOP.

Actually in stock here.

https://www.millcreekent.com/product...in-outer-space

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by dvining

I don't know if you'd like that.

Let me phrase it this way, in five words: Hamlet 2: The Definitive Edition.

Don’t worry, we’d turn around and crucify you then.

[CandymanHappyman]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

You make a ton of interesting points and thank you for that. Still, Criterion has nearly 300 Japanese films that have not had DVD's or Blu-rays with the vast majority being licensed after 2008. So while not recent, it's still not the 80's or 90's.

Also the majority of the films are not Toho, but either Nikkatsu, Kadokawa, or Shochiku. Much smaller labels are releasing their films with almost no issues, yet Criterion have released ZERO new to HD discs of films from any of these studios since October 2022. That's going on a year and half and this point.

Radiance which only comprised of a handful of people was still able to release over 30 films in a year, and Criterion has 60!

Criterion could easily release more Japanese films if they wanted to. At this point, I'm just hoping they lose the licenses to a lot of these films, but it seems like Criterion holds onto a lot of them with iron grips.

• Radiance Films has so far announced or released a total of 13 Japanese films. 12 of these films use old HD scans. Only Elegant Beast features a new scan. Criterion, with very few exceptions, is now only releasing discs using recent 2K or 4K scans.
  
• Radiance has a different business model than Criterion. They have shorter licenses with limited production runs. Some limited to just a thousand copies. Also their license is for the UK only. US licenses are obviously going to be much more expensive. Not to mention that Criterion does not do limited or timed editions. Criterion's goal has always been to have a long standing film library where titles are available not just for months or years, but possibly decades. They regularly re-license and re-release titles that have previously gone OOP.
  
• Radiance Films just listed the top 10 releases that they had to cancel this year due to various issues. 4 of these are Japanese films. https://letterboxd.com/radiancefilms...s-2023/detail/
  
• Visitor Q (2001): "the licensor was moving the goal posts and changing terms of how any license would potentially look."
  
• Demons (1971): "imagine our disappointment when we found out that it is not available to be licensed. This response can sometimes mean it's with another party but - as has been asked of us when we only have UK rights to something - it can mean that there are legal issues with foreign rights or certain territories."
  
• Ten Dark Women (1961): "Sadly we had to drop it from our schedule as the materials proved too challenging to work with."
  
• Lightning (1952): "This was another title we had licensed but sadly fell down due to materials checks."
  
• As I have stated before, I believe this is the primary reason that Criterion has not released more Japanese films in the last several years. The lack of availability and access to new film masters.
  
• The fact remains that most Japanese studios have not spent the time, effort and money to restore and preserve their films at the rate that American and European studios have. This is the availability part.
  
• Almost all the Japanese films that Criterion currently have streaming use old masters. Some are really old and weak, and many range from addaquote to good enough. These are not stellar new transfers begging for immediate release on Blu-ray discs.
  
• I know that you, and several others here, have stated that you would rather have an old HD master on disc than no disc at all. But this is simply not where the market is right now. The home video market has shrunk to the point that the average disc buyer is now a Collector with a capital C. These are people who regularly attack Criterion for perceived deficiencies in everything from color grading to compression to the cover art. They certainly are not going to be OK with disc releases featuring old HD scans.
  
• Japanese companies (not just Toho) are also difficult to deal with and are very protective of their own domestic market. Why would they allow Japanese customers to import the Limited Edition of Akira for less than $60 from the US, when they were selling the same disc and package for the equivalent of $100 in Japan? This is why this major home video title was released in Japan 8 months ahead of the US release. And this was a fairly quick turnaround time for a Japanese release. This is the access part.
  
• To make matters worse, Japan really does not have many robust institutions like The Film Foundation or The BFI or The Cinémathèque Française that can push for restorations and film preservation. They do have The National Film Archive of Japan, but this institution can't "nudge" the local studios the way that their international peers are able to do. Japanese and American culture, especially corporate culture, are very different. You can't publicly shame a company into doing the right thing, the way you sometimes can in western culture.
  
• In regard to Criterion email responses. I wouldn't take what a customer service rep tells you in an email as the gospel truth. First of all, a customer service rep is not going to be privy to all the details of a licensing deal or upcoming releases. Even if they were, they would not, and should not be freely sharing such information. Often times, how the sausage is made is not pretty. You don't want to share all the details with an uninformed public who regularly does not understand the nuances of your business. Not to mention that no licensor likes to look bad in the public eye.
  
• Criterion, like other boutique labels, currently has at least the releases for the next 18 months mapped out. Not every title on that list will be released, much less released on the date it is currently sitting on. Each title encompases a unique situation with many moving parts, and Criterion has to be ready to push forward or move back releases as necessary. Much like everyone reading this, I would love to get a look at that board.
  
• A quick anecdote: My brother owns a fairly sizable company that has licenses for everything from Trolls and The Minions to Marilyn Monroe. All this year he has been trying in vain to get a license for Hello Kitty, one of the most ubiquitous characters and licenses in the world. He tells me the same thing that I always hear from others that deal with Japanese companies. It takes months to get a simple email response from Sanrio, the Japanese company that owns Hello Kitty. I know that a few boutique labels have reported much better experiences when it comes to dealing with Japanese studios, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Hmm. Might already be OOP.

Actually in stock here.

https://www.millcreekent.com/product...in-outer-space

If you click on the "Buy now" button, it takes you to DeepDiscount.com, which has a "Sorry, no results found." message.
Not looking good for this title.

[Ikari]

Seriously Criterion? This is the third one from the last sale... is it so hard to put in the cover insert properly?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by CandymanHappyman

[LIST]
[*]I know that you, and several others here, have stated that you would rather have an old HD master on disc than no disc at all. But this is simply not where the market is right now. The home video market has shrunk to the point that the average disc buyer is now a Collector with a capital C. These are people who regularly attack Criterion for perceived deficiencies in everything from color grading to compression to the cover art. They certainly are not going to be OK with disc releases featuring old HD scans.

Again, appreciate your long and thoughtful response as it is informative, even though I don't like a lot of what I'm reading. The lack of new master is where a major issue arises. Criterion does get a TON of flack for every little details, and I could see complaints if the master isn't perfect. Still, there are a lot of good masters out there. Hunter in the Dark looks excellent in HD and so do a few others. There is still a decent selection of titles with older masters that still look good and what a lot of labels are still releasing.

Still, I don't disagree with the market changing right now. Everyone wants a new 4K or at least 2K scan done. I really think what was mentioned previously about the Eclipse line making a return, but this time to the HD format could be something that Criterion could try and I think depending on the director or titles, it could be a success.

Either way, the main thing I want to see from Criterion is more Japanese titles being released and again while it is complicated in some cases, there are still a decent assortment of titles they could release, unless they really are going to focus solely on 4K restorations.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by JasonMichael

If you click on the "Buy now" button, it takes you to DeepDiscount.com, which has a "Sorry, no results found." message.
Not looking good for this title.

Hmm. Maybe Mill Creek no longer has the rights to it? Either way, great film and was one of the few releases that Mill Creek didn't screw up.

[BudtheChud]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Hmm. Maybe Mill Creek no longer has the rights to it? Either way, great film and was one of the few releases that Mill Creek didn't screw up.

Seems to be OOP judging by it's removal from alliance but Orbit has stock for a good price currently

https://www.orbitdvd.com/products/th...5PITYKlyKDxKFA

[MifuneFan]

I almost got FOMO about missing that, but then I realized I own the Eureka release with both films

[dkelly26666]

I know it doesn't mean a thing, to be on the Criterion Channel streaming, towards getting a Criterion physical release.

But I still love seeing those Ken Russell films on there for next month.

They actually have "The Devils" and "Altered States" on there. I know, doesn't mean a Criterion release is coming.

But somehow it makes me hope again.....

[DonB]

I am incredibly excited about The Runner (Davandeh). It is possibly the greatest film made in Iran, and one of the finest films ever made with a child as its subject.

[Taylor3978]

Originally Posted by dkelly26666

They actually have "The Devils" and "Altered States" on there. I know, doesn't mean a Criterion release is coming.

The Devils was on TCM Underground (I want to say in the last year).

Altered States was on TCM just a few nights ago.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by Taylor3978

The Devils was on TCM Underground (I want to say in the last year).

Altered States was on TCM just a few nights ago.

I have the BFI DVD and a boot DVD of "The Devils"

I have the WB blu and DVD of "Altered States".

I need a BD of "The Devils", and from Criterion would be extra special.