The Criterion Collection

[Egbert Souse]

My overall B&N haul (all in-store except for Dazed and Confused):

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (spotted it up front and asked if it was on reserve, which it wasn't)
Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits (I have a cheap DVD set, but I'd like to revisit these)
David Lean Directs Noel Coward (have had my eyes on it for years)
Lone Wolf and Cub
Dazed and Confused
The American Friend
Y tu mama tambien
The Manchurian Candidate
The Palm Beach Story
Boyhood
The Asphalt Jungle (finally got the old WB Film Noir Vol. 1 set upgraded now)
Only Angels Have Wings
Night Train to Munich
The Story of Temple Drake
Salesman
The Great Escape
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Taste of Cherry
Come and See
The Lady Eve

Only title I missed out on was The War of the Worlds since even after 7-8 visits throughout the month, I couldn't find a copy of the Blu in-store. Closest was one copy of the DVD.

So far, that leaves Complete Varda, WCP #3, The Elephant Man, and Pierrot le fou for the October flash sale.

[NeoNical]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

You're overthinking it with the geopolitical implications as I promise you that has nothing to do with the lack of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and other Taiwanese films. My guess would be poor sales or the rights could be with someone other than Criterion. Also, Criterion is notoriously slow releasing some films that they have. BTW, Cohen released Daughter of the Nile in 2018.

I could understand the poor sales and the rights. I guess that really is the answer because there wouldn't be any other. It's a shame there's not much people who're interested in Taiwanese. I'm also pretty bummed a lot of great Hong Kong action films like Wheels on Meals and Tiger on Beat aren't getting their releases.



Change of Subject, looks like Amazon has The Confession (1970) available to buy on Prime. Does this mean it's getting back in print or is our only chance of still watching it is still by watching digitally (Like Z which is available to buy but not physically own.)

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

I could understand the poor sales and the rights. I guess that really is the answer because there wouldn't be any other. It's a shame there's not much people who're interested in Taiwanese. I'm also pretty bummed a lot of great Hong Kong action films like Wheels on Meals and Tiger on Beat aren't getting their releases.

The HK films, I bet are more a case of pesky Miramax owning the rights to a lot of the films we want here. If you are a fan of Hong Kong cinema these days, then you should be getting a region free player with all the gems 88 and Eureka are releasing. For years, I lamented that I couldn't get the Fortune Star films they were releasing in the UK and finally made the decision to get my region free player. With Taiwanese films I would guess it's a combination of poor sales, confusing rights issues, the restorations, and the fact that besides King Hu, there probably aren't many household names for film fans. Even with Eureka lately overseas, besides King Hu, I don't think they have released a lot of Taiwanese output. Granted they do have the early Hou Hsiao-hsien set, though I would be interested in how well that has sold for them.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

You're overthinking it with the geopolitical implications as I promise you that has nothing to do with the lack of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and other Taiwanese films. My guess would be poor sales or the rights could be with someone other than Criterion. Also, Criterion is notoriously slow releasing some films that they have. BTW, Cohen released Daughter of the Nile in 2018

Yes. These film makers appeal to a very select group of cinephiles. It's obvious to me why companies are in no rush to release their films.

As for Goodbye Dragon Inn fitting right into Criterion's catalogue, yes and no. They haven't released that many modern minimalist 'art films' to my knowledge, outside of Costa and Japon and maybe a few others, and I doubt those films have been particularly great sellers.

The days of the 'art film' being popular are long gone. Most of what passes for 'art films' now are just middle of the road dramas. Formalist stuff is not popular and hasn't been for decades, comparatively speaking, with few exceptions. Usually there is a degree of novelty involved if they do garner some attention. e.g Uncle Boonmee

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

My overall B&N haul (all in-store except for Dazed and Confused):

[Show spoiler]Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (spotted it up front and asked if it was on reserve, which it wasn't)
Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits (I have a cheap DVD set, but I'd like to revisit these)
David Lean Directs Noel Coward (have had my eyes on it for years)
Lone Wolf and Cub
Dazed and Confused
The American Friend
Y tu mama tambien
The Manchurian Candidate
The Palm Beach Story
Boyhood
The Asphalt Jungle (finally got the old WB Film Noir Vol. 1 set upgraded now)
Only Angels Have Wings
Night Train to Munich
The Story of Temple Drake
Salesman
The Great Escape
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Taste of Cherry
Come and See
The Lady Eve

Only title I missed out on was The War of the Worlds since even after 7-8 visits throughout the month, I couldn't find a copy of the Blu in-store. Closest was one copy of the DVD.

So far, that leaves Complete Varda, WCP #3, The Elephant Man, and Pierrot le fou for the October flash sale.

Nice selection.

Some good luck there with the Zatoichi set, as it's proving elusive and there's a possibility it will go OOP with no further run.

The Lean/Coward set is one of my favourite Criterion releases.

[Jr7936]

my agnes varda set shipped from criterion today. should turn up early or right on time

[NeoNical]

It seems like Dersu Uzala (1975) is getting a Spanish Blu-ray release.

Dersu Uzala - El Cazador [Blu-ray]

Hope this indicates that Criterion will be releasing it soon with what may be a new restoration if the Spanish Blu-ray are using it.

[yoloswegmaster420]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

It seems like Dersu Uzala (1975) is getting a Spanish Blu-ray release.

Dersu Uzala - El Cazador [Blu-ray]

Hope this indicates that Criterion will be releasing it soon with what may be a new restoration if the Spanish Blu-ray are using it.

Is the blu from Spain using a new restoration? Lee Kline mentioned on a podcast last year that the we might not see a release for a while due to issues with the source elements.

[ShellBeacher]

Did the Barnes & Noble Sale thread disappear? I just wanted to post a pic of the awful condition my shipping box was received in.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

It seems like Dersu Uzala (1975) is getting a Spanish Blu-ray release.

Dersu Uzala - El Cazador [Blu-ray]

Hope this indicates that Criterion will be releasing it soon with what may be a new restoration if the Spanish Blu-ray are using it.

I'm always skeptical of anything from Spain since almost everything is bootlegs from Spain. Also, as mentioned in this thread Lee Kline said a lot of work needed to be done on this.

[chocolat]

Anyone have any idea why the Varda set isn't listed or currently being sold through Target? They had the Bergman box whenever they manage to get stock in. Does Target just get certain things to sell at a later date than other places?

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Watched Leave Her to Heaven tonight and it was pretty damn glorious. Having only ever owned the DVD previously, I thought this was a fine step up from that. Yes, there's a few softer interior shots but overall I thought the detail and colors were quite crisp and rich.

So I'm quite pleased and I feel my wait for one of my favorite noirs in HD has finally been fulfilled (the TT disc flew under my radar until too late), in addition to being a great birthday present. Any fans of this film shouldn't hesitate to grab it.

[stratford]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

I'm always skeptical of anything from Spain since almost everything is bootlegs from Spain. Also, as mentioned in this thread Lee Kline said a lot of work needed to be done on this.

StarDestroyer52 as long as you buy from Amazon-Spain proper, not a 3Rd party seller you should be safe. Research the title first

[knuckles96]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Watched Leave Her to Heaven tonight and it was pretty damn glorious. Having only ever owned the DVD previously, I thought this was a fine step up from that. Yes, there's a few softer interior shots but overall I thought the detail and colors were quite crisp and rich.

So I'm quite pleased and I feel my wait for one of my favorite noirs in HD has finally been fulfilled (the TT disc flew under my radar until too late), in addition to being a great birthday present. Any fans of this film shouldn't hesitate to grab it.

I watched it for the first time recently, it's now my favourite film of the 1940s.

[Scottie]

Janus Films update

Flowers of Shanghai (1998, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
http://www.janusfilms.com/films/2006

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

I'm always skeptical of anything from Spain since almost everything is bootlegs from Spain. Also, as mentioned in this thread Lee Kline said a lot of work needed to be done on this.

It's from a legit distributor, so not a bootleg. The company released an HD trailer for the film, and it's decent. It's a "digital restoration", which I'm sure means it's a DVD-era master that's been touched up a little. Perhaps even an upscale.

TR�ILER - DERSU UZALA - YouTube

[BroadwayLad]

Sorry if this has already been posted (I only went back a few pages here to check), but I just saw a post on a Broadway site from someone who I think is a very reliable source that Criterion is going to release West Side Story early next year with some new extras.

[zackisthewalrus]

Originally Posted by BroadwayLad

Sorry if this has already been posted (I only went back a few pages here to check), but I just saw a post on a Broadway site from someone who I think is a very reliable source that Criterion is going to release West Side Story early next year with some new extras.

What’s your source on this?

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by BroadwayLad

Sorry if this has already been posted (I only went back a few pages here to check), but I just saw a post on a Broadway site from someone who I think is a very reliable source that Criterion is going to release West Side Story early next year with some new extras.

Just bought the 50th anniversary of this as a blind buy and loved this movie. If Criterion finds some extras that could somehow improve that edition I’ll give it a chance, but I can’t see how.

Oh if they do a Sondheim box with Original Cast Album: Company and some others that would be cool. Maybe we can finally get Last of Sheila.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Just bought the 50th anniversary of this as a blind buy and loved this movie. If Criterion finds some extras that could somehow improve that edition I’ll give it a chance, but I can’t see how.

Not having Saul Bass's opening sequence butchered would make it an easy double dip for me.