The Criterion Collection

[Page14]

Originally Posted by octagon

Disclaimer: I would probably grab any Criterion BD if I saw it used for like ten or less. That said, the stuff that I'm disinclined to buy (as opposed to simply not interested in) would include...

The Hollis Frampton set
The Spalding Greys
Traffic
Robinson Crusoe
Wes Anderson
The two Stillmans
Brakhage
Qatsi

Oh man you broke my heart!

[Show spoiler]

That's one of my favorite Criterions, if not THE favorite (... as my avatar might hint at).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Page14

Oh man you broke my heart!

[Show spoiler]

That's one of my favorite Criterions, if not THE favorite (... as my avatar might hint at).

I love Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I've had the DVD for a few years now, and I revisit this one fairly often. I have a soft spot for the 1950s/1960s science fiction flicks, and that's why I'm glad to see Criterion pay mind to them.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I love Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I've had the DVD for a few years now, and I revisit this one fairly often. I have a soft spot for the 1950s/1960s science fiction flicks, and that's why I'm glad to see Criterion pay mind to them.

I have it on DVD also. I wrestled with whether it was worth upgrading and eventually caved in.

[jayputter]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I love Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I've had the DVD for a few years now, and I revisit this one fairly often. I have a soft spot for the 1950s/1960s science fiction flicks, and that's why I'm glad to see Criterion pay mind to them.

I too love Robinson Crusoe. I saw it on WGN one Sunday when i was 11 or 12 and was instantly in love. When Criterion first announced it i thought it was a cruel joke at my expense. Very happy to have it in my collection!

[Dex Robinson]

I bought a new 60" Sharp Quattron about almost two years ago and the very FIRST Blu-ray I bought to celebrate was ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS. The nearest store that carried it was about two miles away so I walked downtown at -25C to buy it.

Ya' gotta love a movie to do that in a Winnipeg winter (temperature as I type this: -28C, windchill -40).

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by oildude

Allow me to change your mind:

[Show spoiler]Compared with Melville's other films in the Criterion Collection, Leon Morin, Priest is much more dialogue driven. The story takes place in a Vichy village during the Nazi occupation of France, and focuses on the relationship between a widow, who is a committed communist and atheist, and a young priest who becomes her spiritual guide along a road she did not know she wanted to travel.

The conflicts in the film are internally focused as opposed to external as in Melville's other films. They revolve around what it means to have faith and to seek that which is the best in ourselves. This includes a smoldering sexuality, as the woman finds herself becoming attracted to the priest. The way this relationship is handled in the film is one of its highlights, restrained and realistic, with no weepy melodrama. The viewer is drawn into understanding the longings and the denials of both characters, and what it means to be truly committed to something larger than ourselves, with the sacrifice that entails. The film is also filled with rich details and interactions between minor characters that frequently upend preconceptions, giving us a very rewarding recreation of what it was like to be French and living in Vichy during the occupation.

In my opinion, Leon Morin, Priest is one of the best films in the Collection. Jean-Paul Belmondo as the priest does a fantastic job (a career best performance in my opinion) as does Emmanuelle Riva as the widowed communist. And in a supporting role as the woman's young daughter, the movie also features Patricia Gozzi, about four years before she starred in one of my favorite films Rapture. I had no idea Gozzi was in Leon Morin, Priest until I saw her name in the opening credits.

EDIT: And with that, I will also put in a plug for Rapture, available from Twilight Time. Rapture would be right at home in the Criterion Collection, a great 1965 lost-in-the-vault title resurrected on blu-ray, and my best blind buy in years.

Good write-up on Léon Morin, Priest.
It's definitely the odd one out in Melville's films. It's very reminiscent of other films about unrequited love, such as In The Mood For Love and The Age Of Innocence, where sometimes the most dramatic and exciting moment in the film is a gesture or simply one person reaching for another.
I think it deserves a bit more love around here...

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I love Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I have a soft spot for the 1950s/1960s science fiction flicks, and that's why I'm glad to see Criterion pay mind to them.

Absolutely! I'm waiting for Robinson Crusoe on Mars to turn up at my door here in Australia (only bought it recently, so trying not to be impatient!) That film was responsible for a recurring nightmare of my childhood, though, with the silent spaceships tracking the bracelets down and suddenly appearing overhead. Aaaggghhh!!

I know it's not a popular thing to say, but I do wish Criterion had Blu-rayed Armageddon.

[R o d]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Good write-up on Léon Morin, Priest.
It's definitely the odd one out in Melville's films. It's very reminiscent of other films about unrequited love, such as In The Mood For Love and The Age Of Innocence, where sometimes the most dramatic and exciting moment in the film is a gesture or simply one person reaching for another.
I think it deserves a bit more love around here...

I haven't seen it, but after reading some of the comments here, I'll put in on my list. It makes me wonder about other sleepers in the collection that deserve a bit more love. The Makioka Sisters and The Music Room come to mind. And on the DVD side, maybe I Know Where I'm Going! or the other priest movie - you know, the one about the guy in the country who kept a diary.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

I know it's not a popular thing to say, but I do wish Criterion had Blu-rayed Armageddon.

I've got your back.

Also, now that I actually have an HDTV and Blu-ray player, I would not mind watching the vehicle chase at the beginning of The Rock on my new setup.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Good write-up on Léon Morin, Priest.
It's definitely the odd one out in Melville's films. It's very reminiscent of other films about unrequited love, such as In The Mood For Love and The Age Of Innocence, where sometimes the most dramatic and exciting moment in the film is a gesture or simply one person reaching for another.
I think it deserves a bit more love around here...

Definitely. Leon Morin, Priest is one of those films that simply leave you speechless by the sheer amount of talent behind them. I for one can probably call it my favorite from Melville (Probably a tie with Army of Shadows) and one of the best titles in the CC, hands-down. I agree that the highlight of the film is the way Melville (And the actors!) treat the relationship and the way it developes. This is probably the most realistic religious "drama" out there (Mostly compared to those films that treat a similar subject but fail and become melodramatic). I especially liked Belmondo (Again, agree it is the performance of his career) who embodies a character full of convictions and who takes no easy roads. Amazing film, I suddenly feel the need to re-watch it .

[ShellOilJunior]

Thanks to all of you for voting!

2012 Criterion Collection Blu-ray Poll Results

Best Cover Art

1st Place - Rashomon (18 votes)


2nd Place - Belle de jour (17 votes)


3rd Place - Anatomy of a Murder (14 votes)


Worst Cover Art

Tiny Furniture (21 Votes, 26% of all votes)


Best Upgrade - DVD to Blu

1st Place - In the Mood for Love (11 votes)


2nd Place - Rashomon (9 votes)


3rd Place - Samurai Trilogy (8 Votes)


Worst Upgrade

Children of Paradise (23 Votes, 38.3% of all votes)


Best New Spine

1st Place - Rosemary's Baby (25 votes)


2nd Place - Anatomy of a Murder (23 votes)


3rd Place Tie - World on a Wire, The Gold Rush (18 votes each)



What were they thinking???

Tiny Furniture (26 votes, 44% of all votes)


Favorite Blind Buy - (78 votes submitted)
[Votes spread evenly over several titles]

Letter Never Sent


Beer, Wine or Teetotaler? (78 votes submitted)

Beer - 32 votes


Wine - 25 votes


Dry - 21 votes


Best Release of the Year

1st Place - Rashomon - (19 votes)


2nd Place - Rosemary's Baby - (18 votes)


3rd Place - Anatomy of a Murder - (16 votes)


Tied - 4th Place - David Lean Directs Noel Coward, World on a Wire - (12 votes each)



2011 Poll Results:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=41156

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Thanks to all of you for voting!

[Show spoiler]2012 Criterion Collection Blu-ray Poll Results

Best Cover Art

1st Place - Rashomon (18 votes)


2nd Place - Belle de jour (17 votes)


3rd Place - Anatomy of a Murder (14 votes)


Worst Cover Art

Tiny Furniture (21 Votes, 26% of all votes)


Best Upgrade - DVD to Blu

1st Place - In the Mood for Love (11 votes)


2nd Place - Rashomon (9 votes)


3rd Place - Samurai Trilogy (8 Votes)


Worst Upgrade

Children of Paradise (23 Votes, 38.3% of all votes)


Best New Spine

1st Place - Rosemary's Baby (25 votes)


2nd Place - Anatomy of a Murder (23 votes)


3rd Place Tie - World on a Wire, The Gold Rush (18 votes each)



What were they thinking???

Tiny Furniture (26 votes, 44% of all votes)


Favorite Blind Buy - (78 votes submitted)
[Votes spread evenly over several titles]

Letter Never Sent


Beer, Wine or Teetotaler? (78 votes submitted)

Beer - 32 votes


Wine - 25 votes


Dry - 21 votes


Best Release of the Year

1st Place - Rashomon - (19 votes)


2nd Place - Rosemary's Baby - (18 votes)


3rd Place - Anatomy of a Murder - (16 votes)


Tied - 4th Place - David Lean Directs Noel Coward, World on a Wire - (12 votes each)



2011 Poll Results:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=41156

Sad to see I am alone in the notion that A Hollis Frampton Odyssey is probably the best new spine ! Still, glad to see World on a Wire and Belle de Jour in there (Both some of the few highlights of 2012).

[Scottie]

I just watched Requiem For A Dream and wow. What a great movie!

I would love Criterion to pick it up. It was lacking a bit AQ wise, so if it did get an Upgraded upgrade then I would be very happy.

Phenomenal.

[Scottie]

Just watched Following and found it to be quite interesting.

It's good to see how certain directors have evolved from their first work to their latest, especially with a director like Christopher Nolan. He started off as an average director and now he's one of the biggest.

[DarkRyder]

The Lack of The Trilogy of Life is greatly disappointing.

[ZooTv]

Was going through some of my DVDs, Catch-22 (1970) would make a really nice Criterion release.

[retablo]

Glad to see Tiny Furniture getting everything it deserves. A stain and an embarrassment on the Criterion label (even more so than Armageddon and Chasing Amy), but what can you do.

[dsman71]

Such an early review for the Man Who Knew Too Much, now I really wish it was coming sooner than 1/15...

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by retablo

Glad to see Tiny Furniture getting everything it deserves. A stain and an embarrassment on the Criterion label (even more so than Armageddon and Chasing Amy), but what can you do.

LoL. That...is an overreaction.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by retablo

Glad to see Tiny Furniture getting everything it deserves. A stain and an embarrassment on the Criterion label (even more so than Armageddon and Chasing Amy), but what can you do.

The film got so much overwhelming support for What were they thinking? that category could be re-named the Lena Dunham Award for next year.

I mean, the second highest vote-getter in that category was an abstain - N/A.