The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Random Criterion-related thought of the day...

I wonder if Stanley Kramer's 1959 film, On the Beach, will ever be released in the Criterion Collection. The thought surfaced today, because I read the Nevil Shute novel a couple of years ago and stumbled across it while I was rearranging some things in the apartment.

[The Great Owl]

My third Chaplin Blu-ray, to close out a great weekend of movies...



Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film, The Great Dictator, is a divisive work in the camp of Chaplin fans, but we can all agree that this is a gutsy movie on all accounts. Chaplin, who believed that dialogue stood in the way of action when it came to defining a character, was a latecomer to the use of spoken word in his films. The Great Dictator is Chaplin's first talking picture, and he enters the talkie scene with a bang, to say the least, by way of a brave final speech that, at best, almost overstays its welcome, and, at worst, stands apart from the rest of the film, which, up to that point, achieves a fun balance between physical comedy and tragic pathos. Nobody can accuse Chaplin of lacking spirit, though, and his speech is now justly regarded as one of the most iconic instances of cinema crossing a bridge into the reality of world politics.

I am not compelled to revisit The Great Dictator as frequently as I revisit his earlier works on Criterion, The Gold Rush and Modern Times, and I personally find that The Great Dictator lacks the nonstop physical deftness that gives those earlier films an added buoyancy. Fortunately, The Great Dictator still graces the viewer with some priceless moments. Chaplin's dance with a globe in his role as the dictator Hynkel always brings a smile to my face. The early war scenes include a handful of comedic sketches that remind one of the best situational laughs in The Gold Rush.

Chaplin's portrayal of world dictators as ineffectual buffoons may strike some as inappropriate in the sense that he makes light of the horrors that real-life dictators brought upon the masses. I am personally inclined to defer to the essay supplement of another Criterion title, The Night of the Hunter, that makes a case for the need to laugh at the evils of the world instead of giving them the satisfaction of fear. After all, the political figures who have the power to control the world are only human, and, as such, are just as demonstrative of the everyday follies that we all exhibit.

Once again, Criterion provides a plentiful package of supplements to back up a Charlie Chaplin title. My favorite of the bunch is a 2001 documentary, The Tramp and the Dictator, that includes interviews and thoughts from a variety of high-esteemed figures, including the late great Ray Bradbury. The Blu-ray presentation of The Great Dictator shines on all fronts with a near-perfect video and audio presentation that easily tops its DVD counterpart.

[The Great Owl]

...and the tribe has spoken. I shall be adding Monsieur Verdoux to my collection this week. Since I have never seen this particular Chaplin film before, I am quite excited to experience it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by imnotready

...I will die for happiness. My god. Is there any evidence it could be so? Or just wishful thinking?

Fixed. I desperately want this on BluRay. (As well as the Before films, especially Sunset).

[starman15317]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My third Chaplin Blu-ray, to close out a great weekend of movies...



Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film, The Great Dictator, is a divisive work in the camp of Chaplin fans, but we can all agree that this is a gutsy movie on all accounts. Chaplin, who believed that dialogue stood in the way of action when it came to defining a character, was a latecomer to the use of spoken word in his films. The Great Dictator is Chaplin's first talking picture, and he enters the talkie scene with a bang, to say the least, by way of a brave final speech that, at best, almost overstays its welcome, and, at worst, stands apart from the rest of the film, which, up to that point, achieves a fun balance between physical comedy and tragic pathos. Nobody can accuse Chaplin of lacking spirit, though, and his speech is now justly regarded as one of the most iconic instances of cinema crossing a bridge into the reality of world politics.

I am not compelled to revisit The Great Dictator as frequently as I revisit his earlier works on Criterion, The Gold Rush and Modern Times, and I personally find that The Great Dictator lacks the nonstop physical deftness that gives those earlier films an added buoyancy. Fortunately, The Great Dictator still graces the viewer with some priceless moments. Chaplin's dance with a globe in his role as the dictator Hynkel always brings a smile to my face. The early war scenes include a handful of comedic sketches that remind one of the best situational laughs in The Gold Rush.

Chaplin's portrayal of world dictators as ineffectual buffoons may strike some as inappropriate in the sense that he makes light of the horrors that real-life dictators brought upon the masses. I am personally inclined to defer to the essay supplement of another Criterion title, The Night of the Hunter, that makes a case for the need to laugh at the evils of the world instead of giving them the satisfaction of fear. After all, the political figures who have the power to control the world are only human, and, as such, are just as demonstrative of the everyday follies that we all exhibit.

Once again, Criterion provides a plentiful package of supplements to back up a Charlie Chaplin title. My favorite of the bunch is a 2001 documentary, The Tramp and the Dictator, that includes interviews and thoughts from a variety of high-esteemed figures, including the late great Ray Bradbury. The Blu-ray presentation of The Great Dictator shines on all fronts with a near-perfect video and audio presentation that easily tops its DVD counterpart.

The Great Dictator really is a gutsy film. I don't like it as much as the "essential" Tramp films, but at the same time, I think it's a wonderful, unique comedy.

Monsieur Verdoux is different too but I think you'll enjoy it. I really need to buy the Chaplin films.

[MitchA17]

Picked up Safety Last! and Pierre Etaix in-store yesterday. Deciding whether or not to pick up Shoah is one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make.

[White Dang]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Variety Lights is Essential Art House, not Eclipse. All the EAH films save for one or two are also mainline Criterion releases; they are basically bare-bones versions.

Ahh gotcha. Thanks.

[Spire]

Just watched Safety Last! and I definitely enjoyed it. I think I was worried the humor might be a bit TOO campy, but it totally worked. I also think the lack of dialogue might have helped it actually. You watch some older comedies and the delivery or style of humor might seem dated, but with this its almost all sight gags, and they work. So, thumbs up for Safety Last!

[Stud Spider]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

...and the tribe has spoken. I shall be adding Monsieur Verdoux to my collection this week. Since I have never seen this particular Chaplin film before, I am quite excited to experience it.

It's alright. I'd say don't get your hopes up about it, especially if you really enjoyed his previous films. Of course, this is coming from someone who doesn't like The Kid and ranks Limelight as one of their favorites, so...

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Pantsflakes

Why dosen't Troll 2 have a criterion release

Because it already has an MGM one.

(crickets)

Go over and get some ghostwriting from King Troll; geez, your material's dull!

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Jerry Lewis's Hardly Working was a childhood favorite of mine, so it was on the brain, but signals got crossed.
I wonder how that movie would hold up today if I were to watch as an adult.

The whole Budweiser and Dunkin Donuts' scenes would make Adam Sandler's product plugs in "Grown Ups 2" look downright timid...

[spanky87]

Not a single Michael Haneke film in the criterion collection yet? Whats up with that?

[FrankBlue]

I received Shoah and On the Waterfront in the mail two days ago from Barnes & Noble. I'll be picking up other Criterion Collection movie titles soon.

[joie]

Saw "Purple Noon" on DVD. It's nearly a stylish travelogue and uses color very well. They filmed Ripley walking past Rome's pantheon, although he didn't go inside. Ripley's talents seem to be murder, forgery and identity theft. He doesn't say much, so seems ready-made for what someone has called, paraphrasing, "Melville's cinema of the glance and gesture."

Can Alain Delon act? I have also seen "L'Eclisse," "The Leopard," "Le Samourai," "The Swimming Pool," and "Le Cercle Rouge," but have only seen "Le Cercle Rouge" recently and don't have time to re-view the others in order to form an opinion about whether Delon can act.

"Cinema of the glance and gesture" was a response to "Le Silence de La Mer," if I remember correctly. That's an interesting spin; someone else might have said that Melville couldn't or wouldn't work with a scriptwriter.

[COLD_COBRA_]

Originally Posted by obscurelabel

Excellent performances from Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, and (especially) William Hurt, worth it for that reason alone. The script is a little bit by-the-numbers and can play out like a better episode of, say The West Wing; also I'm not crazy about the ending. But those aren't too-damning criticisms.

By the way, I really wish that Criterion hadn't (this is a real spoiler for someone who hasn't seen the film)

[Show spoiler]included images of Jack Nicholson's anchorman in the menus. I saw this movie in a theater when first released and the first shot of Jack was a big surprise that drew an excited response from the audience. His part wasn't billed and nothing I remember from the promotion of the film at the time indicated he was in it. Of course now with information everywhere it's not such a secret, I still wish Criterion had kept up with the spirit of his unbilled performance and not shown him before you see the movie.

I agree about the ending, very disappointing. Holly Hunter was adorable and awesome throughout.

[COLD_COBRA_]

Has anyone picked up any surprise titles you didn't think you'd get yet? I figure most of us go in with an idea of what we're going to get, and then a couple maybe impulse buys that were somewhere on the radar.

4 titles that came out of nowhere for me so far.

Shoah
Wild Strawberries
Revanche
Rules of the Game

[Namuhana]

I went to B&N yesterday, but I was only able to afford two titles (Beauty and the Beast and Vivre Sa Vie). They're pretty "safe" titles, I guess, but I love both of the films, so whatever. I've actually been meaning to pick up Beauty and the Beast for more than a year, so I'm super excited that I finally have it in my (small) Criterion collection.

I do have a question, though: will there be another Barnes & Noble sale for Criterion/Art House films other than this one?

[SammyJankis]

I'm hoping we'll get something as big as Rosemary's Baby this time around. Doubtful, I know.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

...and the tribe has spoken. I shall be adding Monsieur Verdoux to my collection this week. Since I have never seen this particular Chaplin film before, I am quite excited to experience it.

It's honestly my favorite of his (even though I've only seen the ones released via Criterion).

Originally Posted by COLD_COBRA_

Has anyone picked up any surprise titles you didn't think you'd get yet? I figure most of us go in with an idea of what we're going to get, and then a couple maybe impulse buys that were somewhere on the radar.

4 titles that came out of nowhere for me so far.

Shoah
Wild Strawberries
Revanche
Rules of the Game

Revanche is my 2nd favorite Criterion and definitely somewhere in my Top 15 or 20 films of all time!

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

I'm hoping we'll get something as big as Rosemary's Baby this time around. Doubtful, I know.

Any suggestions?

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Any suggestions?

Maybe something horror-related, such as Don't Look Now (!) or Eyes Without a Face. None of which are as big as Rosemary, but it would be welcome. Or maybe we could get the Before trilogy.

[COLD_COBRA_]

Originally Posted by Julia658

Is Chungking Express worth a blind buy? I haven't seen it yet.

Yes.