The Criterion Collection

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Every Man for Himself Blu-ray REVIEW





And a superb selection of supplemental features! Fantastic release.

Pro-B

This looks great! Thanks for the awesome review Pro-B! Looking forward to this one.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

Does anyone know if Criterion is planning on rereleasing Fantastic Mr Fox without the DVD and in a regular Criterion case? It's very OCD, I know, but I do want my Wes Anderson releases to match.

I'm sure Wes Anderson would approve

[LPMA]

Originally Posted by GC Riot

Does anyone know if Criterion is planning on rereleasing Fantastic Mr Fox without the DVD and in a regular Criterion case? It's very OCD, I know, but I do want my Wes Anderson releases to match.

They're probably all re-releasing them eventually, but it's more of a matter of when current stock expires than anything else I think.

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Well, I track which ones I have by the production code and still numbers, recorded on a master list. Laura, for example, was Fox production #644; Leave Her to Heaven was #677; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was #712, etc.

I store my stills in acid-free sheet protectors. I file scene stills by film title, in order of their sequence in the actual film, and keep a record of who appears in each photograph. For scenes that were cut from the final release, I place them where they would have appeared according to the original script; if I don't have that information, I place those stills at the end of the file.

For general publicity photographs, Miss Tierney was originally designated as Fox Player F535, and I file those stills numerically. Circa 1950, the studio assigned all their contract players with new codes, and Miss Tierney became Fox Player G59. I keep separate files containing candid or personal photographs, and stage and television performances.

I also have large collections on Barbara Stanwyck (over 1,250 stills), Joan Bennett, Nancy Kelly, Tyrone Power, William Holden, and (believe it or not) David Manners. I started collecting stills in the mid-1970s, when I was an adolescent. At that time, home video didn't exist, and I only saw whatever was shown on local TV stations ... cut and with commercials. Stills were a way of remembering what movies I had seen, and of looking forward to the films I hoped to see someday. Today I still appreciate them for their intrinsic beauty and for the memories they evoke of my development as a film fan.

Thanks for sharing all the detail! As someone with an archives degree, this stuff is interesting to me

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Wow, 3 hours and 15 minutes of extras on the Every Man for Himself release and they all look really good. Definitely interested.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

I echo the love for Tierney. I had never seen her in anything until I caught a double bill of Leave Her to Heaven and Out of the Past (35mm) over the summer. I loved the film, and loved her even more. Watched Laura soon after and now rank her in my "I'll watch this person in anything" group.

Need to pick up those new releases.

me, too... hadn't seen her in anything until I saw Laura, but now there's no looking back - I've actively sought out her films like I do those of a director I like.

I like her role in Heaven Can Wait (worth repeating cause a blu-ray upgrade would be wonderful... I'm sure that the technicolor would look marvelous!) HCW is just a sweet movie - warm, funny, a bit sentimental... just good stuff.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

This looks great! Thanks for the awesome review Pro-B! Looking forward to this one.

This is one of, if my not my fav of the Godard films I've seen.

[sjconstable]

After watching Hail Mary last night, I am now excited for Every Man for Himself - I was a bit unsure before because a lot of his post Weekend output just does nothing for me whatsoever.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

This is one of, if my not my fav of the Godard films I've seen.

I have yet to watch Breathless, which I picked up about a year ago. Maybe I will wait and just do a double feature one night. This one looks quite good.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I've done something similar with movie posters since probably the mid '60s. There were big gaps of time when I stopped collecting but I always came back to it. Over the years I'd shift from 1 sheets to half-sheets and inserts and finally got into collecting lobby cards from the early '30s. I like lobby cards because of their smaller size and the fact that frames for them are easy to find and affordable. Funny that you mentioned David Manners because I focused on a few actors who aren't what you'd call major stars- Charles Bickford, in his brief leading man days; Joe E. Brown, in his '30s Warner Brothers comedies, and (believe it or not) the immortal Helen Twelvetrees! If I can ever figure how to post photos on this site without them being monstrous in size I'd show a few. I do have one sheets for all of Malick's films with the one exception of The Tree of Life.

That is so cool. I have quite a few posters and half-sheets myself, but, like you, I always preferred to collect lobby cards. I have title cards to most of Gene Tierney's films, and a lot of individual cards that remind me of films I love.

You, by the way, have great taste! I'm very impressed by Charles Bickford's work in early sound films, and I've recorded lots of Joe E. Brown's 1930's films onto DVD-R. I think he's highly underrated. And Helen Twelvetrees was a much better actress than her reputation would have you believe; I especially enjoyed her in Unashamed, a great pre-Code melodrama.

I would love the Criterion Collection to release more pre-Code films. It was such an interesting era. (How's that for subtly getting back on track?)

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by jw007

Absolutely CHILLING sequence. I'll never forget that shot of her eyes, nor will legions of movie watchers forget that either. I mean, I think people don't talk about this film enough in general, esp. that scene. I literally felt my hair rise off my skin when I first saw Sister Ruth standing in the doorway towards the end. It was amazing.

You described my own reaction perfectly! I really think Miss Byron should have collected an armload of awards for that performance. Some viewers have insisted that her makeup did a lot of the acting in that scene, but I disagree completely ... that unforgettable look in her eyes came strictly from within.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by buffetfroid

Thanks for sharing all the detail! As someone with an archives degree, this stuff is interesting to me

You're very welcome. I was privileged in college to know Edwin Neal, who appeared in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He had a huge stills collection that he was selling, and he used to let me come over to his house and pour through his file cabinets. I got a lot of good stuff from him.

More importantly, Ed was employed as an archivist at the Hoblitzelle Library on the University of Texas at Austin campus, and would give me a pass to come up and browse through their massive stills library, which was off-limits to the general public. They had shelves and shelves of binders marked with the names of stars, all crammed full of carefully preserved publicity photos and scene stills. I got a lot of my ideas on how I wanted to organize my collection by studying how their archives were set up.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

me, too... hadn't seen her in anything until I saw Laura, but now there's no looking back - I've actively sought out her films like I do those of a director I like.

I like her role in Heaven Can Wait (worth repeating cause a blu-ray upgrade would be wonderful... I'm sure that the technicolor would look marvelous!) HCW is just a sweet movie - warm, funny, a bit sentimental... just good stuff.

I've always wondered which film would have won the 1943 Best Picture Oscar, if Casablanca had been shown in Los Angeles during the 1942 calendar year, at the same time it premiered in New York. I honestly believe Casablanca might have upset Mrs. Miniver for the 1942 honor; it's interesting to consider which of the remaining 1943 nominees might have prevailed.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I would love the Criterion Collection to release more pre-Code films. It was such an interesting era. (How's that for subtly getting back on track?)

I think that is a grand idea... there are just so many great pre-code films. I really don't know how Criterion does it, there are just so many movies that are worthy of the "Criterion Treatment." I know rights, and deals, etc.. but of what they can do, it must be painful to say no to some and such a joy to say yes to others.

[lordmorpheus72]

Ok, so a little pre-Oscar, Criterion blu-ray question. Of the best picture nominated films for the upcoming Academy Awards, which one would you like to most see Criterion do a nice release of, if rights and such were not an issue? (And knowing that Grand Budapest will get a treatment since it's Wes Anderson)

American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

I'd like to see them go a little left field and maybe do something nice with Clint Eastwood and American Sniper. Or a really nice Imitation Game release. It seems to be more up the Criterion alley, though they do veer all over at times. I haven't seen Boyhood, but really enjoy Richard Linklater. But really, I'd think The Theory of Everything would be a nice companion piece to A Brief History of Time .

Thoughts anyone??

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Ok, so a little pre-Oscar, Criterion blu-ray question. Of the best picture nominated films for the upcoming Academy Awards, which one would you like to most see Criterion do a nice release of, if rights and such were not an issue? (And knowing that Grand Budapest will get a treatment since it's Wes Anderson)

American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

I'd like to see them go a little left field and maybe do something nice with Clint Eastwood and American Sniper. Or a really nice Imitation Game release. It seems to be more up the Criterion alley, though they do veer all over at times. I haven't seen Boyhood, but really enjoy Richard Linklater. But really, I'd think The Theory of Everything would be a nice companion piece to A Brief History of Time .

Thoughts anyone??

Boyhood for sure.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Boyhood for sure.

I'm hoping to see it this weekend, trying to finish seeing all the films before the ceremony. I hear it's really good, and then a few who hated it... but that's how it usually goes. I'm really looking forward to it.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jmclick

That is so cool. I have quite a few posters and half-sheets myself, but, like you, I always preferred to collect lobby cards. I have title cards to most of Gene Tierney's films, and a lot of individual cards that remind me of films I love.

You, by the way, have great taste! I'm very impressed by Charles Bickford's work in early sound films, and I've recorded lots of Joe E. Brown's 1930's films onto DVD-R. I think he's highly underrated. And Helen Twelvetrees was a much better actress than her reputation would have you believe; I especially enjoyed her in Unashamed, a great pre-Code melodrama.

I would love the Criterion Collection to release more pre-Code films. It was such an interesting era. (How's that for subtly getting back on track?)

Or Bickford and Twelvetrees in Panama Flo! I like the artwork of the early '30s movie paper and sometimes the more obscure the film and/or the stars were; the more inventive the artwork is. My son is taking a digital photography course so maybe he could help me get a few images together, if anyone would be interested. Criterion definitely needs to get more titles from this fascinating era but, I suppose, a lot of the titles are controlled by WB. But something like The Story of Temple Drake is a Paramount title so maybe something along those lines might work.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

I'm hoping to see it this weekend, trying to finish seeing all the films before the ceremony. I hear it's really good, and then a few who hated it... but that's how it usually goes. I'm really looking forward to it.

I think even if you don't like the film, you would have to admit it's an incerdible achievement. It's not my favourite of the Best Picture noms, but it deserves to win the category, I think.

It's my third favourite so far after Birdman and Grand Budapest and narrowly edging out Foxcatcher.

I haven't seen Selma yet, and I will never see American Sniper.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Ok, so a little pre-Oscar, Criterion blu-ray question. Of the best picture nominated films for the upcoming Academy Awards, which one would you like to most see Criterion do a nice release of, if rights and such were not an issue? (And knowing that Grand Budapest will get a treatment since it's Wes Anderson)

American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

I'd like to see them go a little left field and maybe do something nice with Clint Eastwood and American Sniper. Or a really nice Imitation Game release. It seems to be more up the Criterion alley, though they do veer all over at times. I haven't seen Boyhood, but really enjoy Richard Linklater. But really, I'd think The Theory of Everything would be a nice companion piece to A Brief History of Time .

Thoughts anyone??

I agree with you about American Sniper. I have no idea what the film is really about, but I've noted all the controversy it's engendered, and I think Criterion could come up with some fascinating supplements. I definitely want to see the film and plan to buy it on blu-ray, no matter who releases it.

And I'm wondering if Birdman might be an interesting candidate for the Criterion treatment! I'll definitely be purchasing it when it comes out; I was very touched by Michael Keaton's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, and was reminded of how much I used to enjoy his acting.

My copy of The Grand Budapest Hotel should be arriving any day now, and I was very surprised when I saw that Boyhood was already for sale at Best Buy this afternoon. For whatever reason, I missed the pre-order date on that one.