The Criterion Collection

[Franchot]

Originally Posted by ajburke

A Safe Place was mentioned in a lot of posts a couple of pages back as being among the worst titles in the CC. I definitely get this sentiment, but I enjoyed it more than Drive, He Said, at least by a degree. Does anyone have any thoughts on why Drive, He Said is being spared from the negativity directed at A Safe Place? A Safe Place doesn't have much going for it, but it does have Jack, and I did get marginal enjoyment from the goofy usage of La Mer.

Thanks!

Drive, He Said has a discernible plot. A Safe Place is a film in search of a discernible plot. That's how I look at it.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by ajburke

A Safe Place was mentioned in a lot of posts a couple of pages back as being among the worst titles in the CC. I definitely get this sentiment, but I enjoyed it more than Drive, He Said, at least by a degree. Does anyone have any thoughts on why Drive, He Said is being spared from the negativity directed at A Safe Place? A Safe Place doesn't have much going for it, but it does have Jack, and I did get marginal enjoyment from the goofy usage of La Mer.

Thanks!

"Drive, He Said" is pretty poor. Bruce Dern has some good moments as the basketball coach, but, overall, it's an absolute mess. The main actor and his roommate are both incredibly irritating. Although, the roommate's escalating mental breakdown and radicalization was one of the only interesting things in the film. That's probably a film that could have benefited immensely from Nicholson playing the lead role, though he was probably too old at the time, and a more experienced director like BBS stalwart Bob Rafelson behind the camera.

The only other film role I've seen the lead actor in "Drive, He Said" in was as Tom Hanks' brother in "Bachelor Party". And there's a reason he didn't get much work. He just has zero screen presence. I liked "Drive, He Said" slightly better than "A Safe Place", but maybe I'll give them a rewatch at some point, as painful as that could be, to reassess.

[orbital]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

Is it new? Or used?

What do you mean? This is a new CD from a quality label, released roughly one year ago.

You can read more about it here:

[Show spoiler]An important, world-class film score finally on CD for the first time ever! Leonard Bernstein's magnificent music for Elia Kazan's equally-magnificent, multi Oscar-winning film On The Waterfront - with its landmark performance by Marlon Brando - has until now been available only as an oft-perfomed, re-arranged 19-minute "classical" suite, a brief 2-minute selection on "Leonard Bernstein's New York" album with the Orchestra of St. Luke's plus one short segment on a 1956 Decca collection of Columbia movie themes entitled You Can't Run Away With It. The actual original soundtrack scoring session elements have been missing for ages and were presumed lost for ever. But, incredibly, when Sony unearthed elements for their recent restoration of the film classic on Blu-ray, myriad cans of audio turned out to contain not just effects and film dialog but also the entire scoring sessions, probably being discovered for the first time in a half century. These recordings, captured on acetate discs for playback purposes during the sessions, included music not heard in the finished film! Recorded at Columbia Pictures' own scoring stage at the end of April 1954, with vintage audio and surface noise in abundance, these none-the-less priceless recordings at last reveal the entire score in all of its magnificence. While some nominal restoration was necessarily performed during mastering, Intrada took pains to retain the integrity of the original recordings, avoiding attempts to engage excessive noise reduction (which would damage the upper range, string sonorities and harmonics) or otherwise sonically compromise this important piece of musical history. Several authors have written about Bernstein's lone original film score, including text by the composer himself. The architecture is worthy of the great symphonies, the harmonic vernacular still profound today. The potent violence music, the dramatic ideas, the memorable love theme and all their collective variants are here, including the actual soundtrack performance of the music for the legendary "cab" scene which Bernstein completely dropped from his concert suite. Deserving particular spotlighting is the main theme and how it appears: In an incredibly stark and unusual beginning device, one French horn plays the theme without introduction, without accompaniment. Soon woodwinds, then straight-mute trumpets enter. It's subtle and profound. Then the melody disappears for nearly the entire score (!), finally emerging on a single trumpet late during "Dead Pigeons", prior to the final fight scene. Equally profound, subtle scoring. Then, for his actual finish, Bernstein goes to the other extreme, bringing the entire orchestra into a triumphant, fortissimo climax on the theme worthy of Brando's famous "walk", massive chords pounding, multiple tympani, tam tam & gong crashing. Note also a solo trumpet crying out alone with the love theme high above the rest of the orchestra which instead shouts out the main theme in powerhouse fashion. A brilliant melding of two memorable melodies into one! Film music doesn't get any better than this. As "extras", our CD also offers a rejected take of the main title with trumpets using cup mutes (a warmer sound) as well as the premiere of "The Accident" that was also dropped from the picture. Yet another treat is hearing a surging, powerful full strings treatment of the main theme following the aforementioned "Dead Pigeons" quote. It too was completely dropped from the film but arranged into Bernstein's concert suite. Listeners who thought it was exclusive to the suite will be delirious to discover it's all here! Morris Stoloff conducts the Columbia Pictures Orchestra. Bernstein himself is one of the session pianists. Classic music from a classic film. Own this incomparable piece of American musical history at last!

[substance]

I have the entire Blu-ray catalog, I am now working on adding OOP titles. I hear some of those OOP titles may come back. Also some of the DVD releases may not get a Blu-ray equivalent. Can you help me identify some of the OOP titles which won't be re-released and less likely BD upgrade candidates? thanks

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by substance

I have the entire Blu-ray catalog, I am now working on adding OOP titles. I hear some of those OOP titles may come back. Also some of the DVD releases may not get a Blu-ray equivalent. Can you help me identify some of the OOP titles which won't be re-released and less likely BD upgrade candidates? thanks

any answers to your inquiry would be pure speculation. I thought for sure George Washington would never get a Blu-ray upgrade, but low and behold, it did, and to not much fanfare.

off the top of my head, I can't think of one Blu-ray rumor that speculates that any of the OOP titles are coming back either.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

I think he meant Wings of Desire, although I don't remember it being non-traditional, at least it is linear.



I saw Wings of Desire before Paris, Texas and while they are very different I thought both are excellent, but if I had to choose one Wim Wenders, it would be Paris, Texas.

Yes, I did mean Wings of Desire. I see where that may not have been clear especially that I was referring to the two cities (Hiroshima and Berlin...not Paris, Tx). Paris, Texas is one of my all-time favorite films and Dean's role is top notch.

Wings of Desire was linear in a very loose sense. Seemed free flowing like the poetry used in the film. I don't necessarily like everything spelled out for me, but it meandered quite a bit especially in the film's conclusion. It just didn't strike a chord with me even though I wanted it to based on reviews I have read.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by ajburke

A Safe Place was mentioned in a lot of posts a couple of pages back as being among the worst titles in the CC. I definitely get this sentiment, but I enjoyed it more than Drive, He Said, at least by a degree. Does anyone have any thoughts on why Drive, He Said is being spared from the negativity directed at A Safe Place? A Safe Place doesn't have much going for it, but it does have Jack, and I did get marginal enjoyment from the goofy usage of La Mer.

Thanks!

To me the difference between the two films can be summed up best by quoting Dorothy Parker: "This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it."

For me, A Safe Place is the one with raisins. Both aimless and pretentious, it's doesn't even try to give the viewer enough of anything to justify viewing. Drive, He Said is at least trying to say something, although not in a traditional manner. To put it in context, Drive, He Said came out at a time when American film-makers were pushing the envelop in terms of content and style. Some attempts were more successful than others. Think of films as diverse as Easy Rider, Medium Cool, The End of the Road, Zabriskie Point and Pink Flamingos. For better or worse, they were all trying to tell a story. A Safe Place was more like, "hey look at me, I'm making a movie!"

[italy12]

Originally Posted by substance

I have the entire Blu-ray catalog, I am now working on adding OOP titles. I hear some of those OOP titles may come back. Also some of the DVD releases may not get a Blu-ray equivalent. Can you help me identify some of the OOP titles which won't be re-released and less likely BD upgrade candidates? thanks

I would have to say no.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jw007

5. Antichrist (Not an essential film by any means in anyone's collection. I nearly hated this film and I consider it one of Lars Von Trier's worst experiments. It was directed by a man in a very dark time of his life.)

[substance]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

any answers to your inquiry would be pure speculation. I thought for sure George Washington would never get a Blu-ray upgrade, but low and behold, it did, and to not much fanfare.

off the top of my head, I can't think of one Blu-ray rumor that speculates that any of the OOP titles are coming back either.

Perhaps the Killer, Hard Boiled aren't coming back. I read somewhere that CC had a chance to re-release Silence of the Lambs on BD but passed on it. How about the Studio Canal owned films like Ran, Grand Illusion?

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Say no more. She's one of my favorite actresses, if not my favorite.

You have great taste! Stanwyck's my second favorite, right behind Gene Tierney. In fact, I think I have all her movies in my library with the exceptions of Mexicali Rose (1929) and Broadway Nights (1927, a lost film and her only silent), plus most of her television work.

Since you're a fan, you've got to add There's Always Tomorrow to your Sirk "must-see" list ... Stanwyck gives one of her richest and mature dramatic performances, and she and Fred MacMurray have great rapport onscreen. It's also one of the most subtle and subversive criticisms of the American family and family values circa 1956 that I've ever come across. Great stuff ... I envy you the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

[joie]

Originally Posted by substance

I have the entire Blu-ray catalog, I am now working on adding OOP titles. I hear some of those OOP titles may come back. Also some of the DVD releases may not get a Blu-ray equivalent. Can you help me identify some of the OOP titles which won't be re-released and less likely BD upgrade candidates? thanks

I'll go out on a limb and say that "Knife in the Water" will not be upgraded. But then one of Criterion's honchos said that "Certified Copy" was "lesser" insert-director's-name, so you never know.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by joie

I'll go out on a limb and say that "Knife in the Water" will not be upgraded. But then one of Criterion's honchos said that "Certified Copy" was "lesser" insert-director's-name, so you never know.

but why would you say that? it isn't a bad movie at all. and Polanski is a household name. if it is still in print, then an upgrade is possible.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by substance

I have the entire Blu-ray catalog, I am now working on adding OOP titles. I hear some of those OOP titles may come back. Also some of the DVD releases may not get a Blu-ray equivalent. Can you help me identify some of the OOP titles which won't be re-released and less likely BD upgrade candidates? thanks

One that doesn't seem to be getting an upgrade is Do the Right Thing, as the current BD release has several supplements, I believe some are from the Criterion edition, but for some reason it is not OOP, so while it is in a similar position as Dazed and Confused and Traffic since it is Universal, a reissue doesn't seem justified.

[Scottie]

I know today isn't the 15th, but Criterion added some phantom pages within the past hour or so and they are no coincidence...

A Poem is a Naked Person

https://www.criterion.com/people/123702
https://www.criterion.com/people/123703
https://www.criterion.com/people/123704
https://www.criterion.com/people/123705
https://www.criterion.com/people/123706
https://www.criterion.com/people/123707
https://www.criterion.com/people/123708

Paris Belongs to Us

https://www.criterion.com/people/123709
https://www.criterion.com/people/123710
https://www.criterion.com/people/123711
https://www.criterion.com/people/123712
https://www.criterion.com/people/123713

[SkyAntoine]

I will be shocked if Criterion doesn't do at least one upgrade this announcement. It has been several months now since Downhill Racer, Ikiru and Kwaidan were announced.
I would like to see Bicycle Thieves upgraded to blu, but keep the same packaging. If they can't issue the book, then I'll keep my DVD copy on the shelf and tuck the blu-ray copy away in a drawer. Also, Le Samurai needs to happen.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by jmclick

You have great taste! Stanwyck's my second favorite, right behind Gene Tierney. In fact, I think I have all her movies in my library with the exceptions of Mexicali Rose (1929) and Broadway Nights (1927, a lost film and her only silent), plus most of her television work.

Since you're a fan, you've got to add There's Always Tomorrow to your Sirk "must-see" list ... Stanwyck gives one of her richest and mature dramatic performances, and she and Fred MacMurray have great rapport onscreen. It's also one of the most subtle and subversive criticisms of the American family and family values circa 1956 that I've ever come across. Great stuff ... I envy you the opportunity to see it on the big screen.

Will definitely be doing that.

Yes, I'm grateful for this retrospective. I'll also be seeing Ball of Fire, one of my favorite srewballs - hell, one of my favorite films in general - in 35mm.

[joie]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

but why would you say that? it isn't a bad movie at all. and Polanski is a household name. if it is still in print, then an upgrade is possible.

At Wexner a Kim Hendrickson said that there were no plans to upgrade it. Plans can change, but it might be a good idea to put your chair on rails so it can be moved back, farther from the screen.

[SammyJankis]

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by joie

At Wexner a Kim Hendrickson said that there were no plans to upgrade it. Plans can change, but it might be a good idea to put your chair on rails so it can be moved back, farther from the screen.

ok. good advice.

I had not heard this. not that I'd buy it anyway, but good to know.