The Criterion Collection

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

Absolutely. If nothing else, it makes logistic sense - slots for UHD pressing are far harder to come upon than BD. If they can do a BD-only edition, it makes things easier.

AFAIK, their policy is still the same on DVDs - they will do a DVD if there’s not an existing in-print DVD on the market.

Thanks, Dimitri, my friend!

[deatheats]

If some of the greatest films of all time don’t deserve 4k upgrades, nothing does.

[Fellini912]

Will the Criterion Seven Samurai 4k have HDR? I could not find any information on their website.

[HenryHill]

Originally Posted by Crispy Noodle

Not sure why you would prefer Godzilla Minus One as Toho is releaseing multiple versions here in the States.

Where? I have not seen Godzilla Minus One for sale anywhere. Also, it's a much better film than the 1954 original.

[Röckzilla]

Well, I'm obviously excited that Ishiro Honda's masterpiece Godzilla (1954) is finally receiving a stateside 4K UHD release.
Just in time for celebrating Godzilla's 70th anniversary too... well, technically like two days after the fact but let's not split hairs here.

Now I'm just impatiently waiting for The Criterion Collection to officially announce a 4K UHD release of Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971) as well...

That one definitely fits my personal definition of a "true cinematic masterpiece"!

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by deatheats

If some of the greatest films of all time don’t deserve 4k upgrades, nothing does.

Weirdly, the needle may not be moving on just what constitutes "some of the greatest films of all time" nowadays, but the success rate of 4K releases of movies that are genuinely anything but "some of the greatest films of all time" has seriously changed the industry and does inject some doubt over what will get the royal treatment and what won't.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Will the Criterion Seven Samurai 4k have HDR? I could not find any information on their website.

No HDR, as the Toho restoration never had it. BFI are adding their own HDR pass to an SDR master, like they did for The Seventh Seal. I would say that version is likely the way to go, since it'll also be encoded by Fidelity in Motion.

[bergman864]

Originally Posted by deatheats

If some of the greatest films of all time don’t deserve 4k upgrades, nothing does.

Just because it's some of the greatest films of all time doesn't mean they'll be great sellers. Labels can have a hard time selling upgrades of their popular titles.

Unless it starts costing less to produce UHD discs or physical media sales rise, just being one of the greats isn't justification.

The Halloween sequels are likely better sellers than the majority of Criterion's greatest films output.

[Colonel Blimp]

Originally Posted by bergman864

The Halloween sequels are likely better sellers than the majority of Criterion's greatest films output.

Yes, so true. This is always the way it is. Like you say, the *DVD* edition of Halloween Kills probably outsold every Criterion Seven Samurai edition that's ever been produced going back to laserdisk,

I'm exaggerating of course, but who knows by how much - but yeah, there's a moral reason to upgrade these classic movies into the best format, but there's not often a financial reason.

Criterions are already a niche purchase, and then the people posting/talking about it here are even a smaller niche within the niche. So it's easy to lose perspective about where all this fits into the larger mass media enviornment.

[Areyakiddin]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Weirdly, the needle may not be moving on just what constitutes "some of the greatest films of all time" nowadays, but the success rate of 4K releases of movies that are genuinely anything but "some of the greatest films of all time" has seriously changed the industry and does inject some doubt over what will get the royal treatment and what won't.

I mean for Criterion, I think the needle has moved. I don't think they would've released Scarface on 4k just two years ago, when something like Arsenic and Old Lace that had Cary Grant, Capra, being a horror comedy, and coming from an excellent looking OCN going for it and ended up with just a standard Blu-ray release

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

No HDR, as the Toho restoration never had it. BFI are adding their own HDR pass to an SDR master, like they did for The Seventh Seal. I would say that version is likely the way to go, since it'll also be encoded by Fidelity in Motion.

Thank you!

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by DinkStain McGrufff

The question is are they gonna do a 4K Godzilla box set? I’ve been holding off on picking up the Blu-ray one

THAT is an interesting question. Have they ever upgraded a box set *ever?* A box set is so much more of a major investment for most buyers.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

THAT is an interesting question. Have they ever upgraded a box set *ever?* A box set is so much more of a major investment for most buyers.

DVD to blu-ray, sure. Like the Cassavetes set was upgraded in full.

[FirstDayBuyBrandon]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

If Criterion has A Simple Plan, I hope it's announced tomorrow. Also hoping for Flowers of the Killer Moon.

Now that Paper Moon is being released we can put these two at the top of the 'Give these to us immediately, Criterion' list.

[Crispy Noodle]

Originally Posted by HenryHill

Where? I have not seen Godzila Minus One for sale anywhere. Also, it's a much better film than the 1954 original.

Pre-order links for Amazon are available directly from this site.

Also live on Target, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart ..... Dedicated threads have links.

At this point the smaller independent dealers don't seem to have pre-orders.

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by dimitril

that is an interesting question. Have they ever upgraded a box set *ever?* a box set is so much more of a major investment for most buyers.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by jshaide

DVD to blu-ray, sure. Like the Cassavetes set was upgraded in full.

Plenty of three-film sets have been upgraded in full (I.e. The Three Colors Trilogy (blu-ray to 4K), The Apu Trilogy (Blu-ray to 4k), the Bergman trilogy (DVD to Blu-ray), Miyamoto’s Samurai Trilogy (DVD to Blu-ray)).

It looks like the Cassavetes set(five features) and Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales(four features and two shorts) are the only sets with more than three films to be upgraded in full though.

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by gbm82

Of course. Thanks!

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by bergman864

Just because it's some of the greatest films of all time doesn't mean they'll be great sellers. Labels can have a hard time selling upgrades of their popular titles.

Unless it starts costing less to produce UHD discs or physical media sales rise, just being one of the greats isn't justification.

The Halloween sequels are likely better sellers than the majority of Criterion's greatest films output.

I just hope they’re not yet committed to UHD to the point they’ll just sit on titles that don’t justify or aren’t economically viable for a UHD release, such as all the Naruse and Eustache films. It seems like they’re going all in on UHD to the detriment of less commercially friendly properties. I also wonder if this is why an upgrade of Classe Tous Risques hasn’t happened yet. It was released on UHD in France, but how many UHD units would that film realistically move in North America? Le Doulos and Bob Le Flambeur, which were both released on UHD by Kino are in a similar wheelhouse, but Melville has more cache than Sautet among anglophone film nerds.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Plenty of three-film sets have been upgraded in full (I.e. The Three Colors Trilogy (blu-ray to 4K), The Apu Trilogy (Blu-ray to 4k), the Bergman trilogy (DVD to Blu-ray), Miyamoto’s Samurai Trilogy (DVD to Blu-ray)).

It looks like the Cassavetes set(five features) and Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales(four features and two shorts) are the only sets with more than three films to be upgraded in full though.

The Rohmer set, duh! I knew there was another big one like that.