The Criterion Collection

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I've heard horror stories about that release.

It's not perfect but for that price if you enjoy the movie it is worth it

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SolidRaider

I just watched The Wages of Fear and I f**kin loved it! My mind hasn't been blown (pun?) by a movie in years.

The Wages of Fear is magnificent. I've owned the DVD for years, and want to upgrade to Blu-ray badly, but both of the Barnes & Noble locations that I've visited have had damaged cases for the film.

Henri-Georges Clouzot was a genius, simply on the grounds of the three Clouzot films that I've seen: The Wages of Fear, Diabolique, and Le Corbeau.

Le Corbeau is a rather insidious film. Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon shares quite a few similarities to Le Corbeau.

[Tin Drum]

Anyone that enjoyed WoF should check out William Friedkin's Sorcerer if you can find a copy. An excellent remake.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

Anyone that enjoyed WoF should check out William Friedkin's Sorcerer if you can find a copy. An excellent remake.

I've wanted to see this movie forever. I read on this site that a (non-Criterion) Blu-ray is in the works, so I'll wait for that release.

[TheHumanTornado]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

So, all this Melville talk got me watching my Blu-ray of Le Cercle Rouge last night.

[Show spoiler]I actually bought this Blu-ray on the same day that I purchased my Blu-ray player back in early December, but I held off on watching the Blu-ray in its entirety for a while, because I had revisited my old DVD copy shortly before that date. It was only a matter of time, though, because I tend to revisit Le Cercle Rouge at least once every three months or so.

Le Cercle Rouge is my third favorite Jean-Pierre Melville film behind Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows, and it has a solid place on my all-time top ten movies list.

Fans of Michael Mann's excellent 1995 film, Heat, will recognize the blueprint established in Le Cercle Rouge of a series of interactions occurring by happenstance that pave the road to an ultimate showdown between thieves and police after characters from both sides are guided by their individual desires, flaws, and failures. Raw elements from Le Cercle Rouge are also recycled in John Woo's 1992 film, Hard-Boiled, where the balance hangs on just one well-placed marksman shot.

Le Cercle Rouge wears its themes of professionalism and precision on its sleeve to work like an elaborate pulley system where each component serves its specific task with nothing more and nothing less. The respective system components (a police detective searching for redemption after allowing a prisoner to escape, a ballistics expert struggling with alcohol detox, a nightclub owner determined to uphold his reputation for discretion, and a chance meeting between a volatile escaped convict and a newly-released criminal who attempts closure from his former ties) are set into motion to risk derailment from friction and chaos, but none of these essential parts lose their cool. In fact, Le Cercle Rouge may turn off some viewers simply because it is almost too precise and icy for its own good.

After his previous lead role in Melville's Le Samouraï, Alain Delon remains the epitome of coolness with the character of Corey, whether he is placing photos of a former girlfriend in his associate's safe to close the door on both relationships, smoking a cigarette in a drab field after a fortuitous introduction to another character, or turning the tables on gangsters who pursue him at a billiard hall. Gian Maria Volontè is more unpredictable, but fiercely loyal just the same. My favorite character in this circle of thieves, however, is Jansen (Yves Montand), a former policeman who must overcome personal addiction battles to serve as the most crucial figure in what becomes one of the most gripping jewelry heist scenes in movie history. When Jansen savors a victory during one pivotal scene, the elation of that moment carries us through the rest of the film with a smile, regardless of final outcomes that await.

There are no explosive special effects to speak of in Le Cercle Rouge, but the film looks great on this Blu-ray transfer, thanks to a meticulous attention to color schemes. Like Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows before it, the overall look is marked by subdued hues and an almost Puritanical grayness, so the introduction of a red rose or a pool table overview commands attention.

Le Cercle Rouge is one of the coolest movies ever made, and, even when it straddles the line over being too cool, the end result arrives with a remarkable grace.

Great write up! I'm really excited about receiving these.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by TheHumanTornado

Great write up! I'm really excited about receiving these.

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing what you think about the Melville films.

[Hendershot737]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I have the following pulled out to watch today / tomorrow:

• Black Narcissus
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Leon Morin, Priest
• Three Colors Trilogy
• Wages Of Fear

Not only envious of how quickly you procured your collection...but also on the free time you have...I still have so many to watch! I can't keep up!

Have fun!!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Hendershot737

Not only envious of how quickly you procured your collection...but also on the free time you have...I still have so many to watch! I can't keep up!

Have fun!!

I only have class a few times a week and I have a break in the overbearing amount of work therefore more free time

And thank you

[Abdrewes]

I just read J Rosenbaum's Excellent piece on the relevance of Antonioni's work after I watched La Notte. Im not even going to comment on La Notte until I get a Region Free player and the Eureka release or until Cc puts it out. It's a film of such startling beauty that a DVD cannot do justice.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago...692#fromMobile

[retablo]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

It might take a bit. I just watched it and want to think on it some (while resisting the temptation to google for others' views!).

In the meantime, my immediate feeling is that what I liked I loved (Betty reading sides with Rita in contrast with the actual audition; the Coenesque botched murder and its escalations stand out in particular). I also feel lots of missed opportunities and abandoned plans (I know why).

The last thirty minutes remind me of Adaptation, in that there is a massive turn on most every front. In the case of Adaptation I understood midway through my first exposure why and it took two viewings to go from accepting the turn to appreciating it and a third viewing to loving it. In the case of this film, after that first viewing I'm flummoxed but intrigued by, say, what the film may be saying about identity. Tat said, I also have less faith in Lynch, who I perceive to be more willing to let his whims unravel narrative rather than add depth; that may be an unfair bias.

Also, the one piece of trivia I know is this was to be a TV series and its hard for that not to compromise my take. Not because I'm anti-TV, but so much felt like set up for something not reflected in the final act. Those last thirty minutes, where the editing becomes more impressionistic, may likely decide for me whether the film is brilliant or a worthwhile curio.

My favorite distractions:
1) Is that Billy Ray Cyrus? It isn't. Could be. It is. Is it? It is!
2) Boy, Ruth Gordon was born to play Coco; this actress felt like someone said, "This is the girl" and so she was.
3) Did the Coens genetically splice The Cowboy, who looks like Woody Harrelson but talks like Anton Chigur?



Uh oh. I hope that was okay!

That said, I look forward to re-watching it soon. For me, a first viewing is rarely revelatory.

Well,

[Show spoiler]the first shot (or one of the first shots) of the film is a POV shot of a someone (laying down on a pillow... then fading to black (going to sleep). Apply dream logic to the first half of the film and there you have it.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I just read J Rosenbaum's Excellent piece on the relevance of Antonioni's work after I watched La Notte. Im not even going to comment on La Notte until I get a Region Free player and the Eureka release or until Cc puts it out. It's a film of such startling beauty that a DVD cannot do justice.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago...692#fromMobile

If memory serves, on their most recent podcast CriterionCast talked about how one of their readers got confirmation, I think from Mulveney, that La Notte is coming soon.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

If memory serves, on their most recent podcast CriterionCast talked about how one of their readers got confirmation, I think from Mulveney, that La Notte is coming soon.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Found the email, posted to Mubi and the Criterion Forum:

“Thank you for your email, and I have good news for you. The Criterion LA NOTTE is slated to be out this year, hopefully even within the next six months. We’re close! I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns, and thank you for supporting Criterion!”

http://mubi.com/topics/criterion-com...redux?page=108

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Found the email, posted to Mubi and the Criterion Forum:

“Thank you for your email, and I have good news for you. The Criterion LA NOTTE is slated to be out this year, hopefully even within the next six months. We’re close! I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns, and thank you for supporting Criterion!”

http://mubi.com/topics/criterion-com...redux?page=108

Certainly good news! Although LA NOTTE is my least favorite behind L'AVVENTURA, L'ECLISSE, and RED DESERT, but it's been a few decades since I've seen it and I might like it better now.

[The Great Owl]

Mayhaps we can get L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse in a Blu-ray box set this year. I want them in my collection next to Red Desert.

[MTRodaba2468]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Mayhaps we can get L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse in a Blu-ray box set this year. I want them in my collection next to Red Desert.

I would not be opposed to this...

[retablo]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I'm a little over halfway done with Army Of Shadows, but I stopped to take a dinner break.

I love this film - plain and simple. Before I read more into this movie, I thought it was going to be a crusade-type film. I'm glad that I was wrong.

First and foremost, I don't think they could have come up with a better title than this. I was a bit curious what it meant at first, but as I watched more and more, I figured it out. The Resistance group is the "Army Of Shadows", who conduct all of their dealings, etc. underground and out of the public's eye.

When Philippe Gerbier jumped out of the airplane and landed in the woodsy environment, all I could think of was Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I am such a huge Metal Gear Solid and Kojima fan and I immediately made a parallel connection between the two.

I'm curious if this film inspired Metal Gear Solid 3, though.

Another thing I enjoy is the coloring of the scenery. It just feels like it conveys a different mood to me than the film normally would. I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way. Regardless, I can't wait to finish it!!!

No idea, but I'd say doubtful. What's most interesting is that the film was neither widely seen upon release nor well liked. The French attacked it for its politics, and it wasn't even released in the US for over 40 years. When it did finally play in US theaters in 2006, it made a bunch of Top 10 lists.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Mayhaps we can get L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse in a Blu-ray box set this year. I want them in my collection next to Red Desert.

Amen.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Mayhaps we can get L'Avventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse in a Blu-ray box set this year. I want them in my collection next to Red Desert.

I couldnt ask for anything more.

[capnnarcolepsy]

I know there's been speculation about Scanners coming from Criterion, mainly from one of the rooms in the New Years tease. Adding a little more fuel to it is Second Sight announced today that their upcoming release of Scanners, and The Brood, are having to immediately change from being region free to being B locked.