The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Jakamarak

The clip on Criterion's site is typical of the film. There's little dialog and scenes play out in long, single takes.

Jeanne Dielman is a masterful film -- even a masterpiece -- and I don't use that term lightly. It reconditions the audience so that it elicits gasps from little things like the dropping of a dish scrubber or guffaws when a character's hair is out of place. It forces you to watch film in an entirely new manner and the running time is an important aspect of that. The first time I saw it, I felt myself adjusting to it for the first 20-30 minutes. Gradually it becomes clear how assured every detail about this film is. The direction is phenomenal.

Some of the reviews for the DVD mention compression issues so I'm hoping it gets a beautiful Blu Ray release some day.

That said, this film is probably best seen on the big screen. It's intimate, but a large image allows you to study all the details -- and almost every detail eventually pays off. Also, I generally prefer watching longer films in a darkened theater where there's less to distract me.

I saw it at BAM a few months back and it's incredible how responsive the audience was. I'm sure it attracts a specialized audience, but if you allow yourself to fall under its spell, Jeanne Dielman is quite accessible. And Delphine Seyrig's performance in the title role is remarkable.

Thanks. I'll give it a try since it starts here at a reasonable hour. I must say though, the clip made me rethink meatloaf.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

Please don't tell us you blind bought AHDN. That is highly frowned upon!

Exactly--Not knowing AHDN is something that should be HIGHLY frowned upon. You should buy it because you already have every line memorized.
While I approve of education, blind-buying AHDN sight-unseen just because "I <3 Criterion!" is like pouring champagne into a sippy-cup.

And the same thing goes for Godzilla.

Originally Posted by jw007

Speaking of music docs/concert films, U2's Rattle and Hum would be cool on Criterion Blu-ray. Failed Hollywood director Phil Joanou directed the film and as a former U2 fan, its funny just how terribly pretentious and overzealous U2 was back then, trying to fit in with Springsteen and Dylan. It's a fascinating film about what a band should NOT do for a music documentary/concert film.

Phil Jouanou was a music-video director who just had the bad luck to direct the better episodes of Amazing Stories' second season, and be "rewarded" with 3 O'Clock High. I can think of other Amazing Stories alumni who fell harder.

As for pretentious, there's no way one could have directed U2 at their heyday and NOT be pretentious. Particularly in the case of wondering whether Bono's sunglasses reflect on the inside.

[zkirkland]

A Hard Day's Night sounds so good on my system. It actually blew me away in regards to picture and audio quality.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Exactly--Not knowing AHDN is something that should be HIGHLY frowned upon. You should buy it because you already have every line memorized.
While I approve of education, blind-buying AHDN sight-unseen just because "I <3 Criterion!" is like pouring champagne into a sippy-cup.

And the same thing goes for Godzilla.

Pfft.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

[Show spoiler]I first saw Peter Weir's 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock, several years ago, after a friend told me that it was the scariest movie that she had ever seen. I personally find the film more unsettling than outright scary, but I am awed at how Weir's ethereal imagery works in conjunction with the ambiguity of Joan Lindsay's story to depict the wilderness of Australia as both an alluring temptation and an ominous threat.

During an outing on the picnic grounds at Hanging Rock in central Victoria, pupils from a girl's boarding school enjoy a Valentine's Day lunch during a sequence that resembles a Monet painting. When four girls, who seem to represent pure innocence in their dainty white clothing, stray from the picnic, climb higher onto unyielding rock formations, and wander through shadowed crevices, the idea that they will be deflowered, at least in a figurative sense, is a likely assumption in the minds of viewers. The ensuring disappearance of three of the girls presents a mystery where any given resolution is nonessential, because each viewer has a different idea of what might have happened based on individual interpretations of the visuals in the above sequences. In the same way that Ridley Scott's Alien plays on our Freudian psychological anxieties with visuals representing phallic images or smothering womblike images, Picnic at Hanging Rock initially entrances us with subtly erotic sequences of girls tightening corsets to venture into an idyllic outdoor world with parasols and gloves, and then adds menace to the picture by way of ants crawling on a piece of cake, lizards perched on boulders, and unexplained sounds that reverberate in the windy catacombs of Hanging Rock. We wonder if the girls fell to their deaths, if they were attacked by an animal, if they were assaulted by strangers, or even if they fell prey to a supernatural force that is hinted at by way of vague Poe quotations and stopped watches. Each viewer assumes the worst, but the varying assumptions are all drawn from our awareness that nature is a mystery in its own right and that its unpredictability flies in the face of our vestiges of proper civility represented by immaculate outfits and elaborately landscaped school buildings.

I have always been intrigued by Australian cinema that juxtaposes the highbrow sophistication of colonist society with the harshness of a land full of deadly reptiles, unforgiving climates, and jagged weatherbeaten settings. Picnic at Hanging Rock, even more than Nicholas Roeg's Walkabout or Ted Kotcheff's Wake in Fright, emphasizes the plight of people who are unaccustomed to and uncomfortable with the chaotic rigors of the wilderness. Instead of focusing on the outlying effects of the disappearances on an entire community, as Lindsay does in the source novel, this director's cut of Picnic at Hanging Rock showcases the aftermath of the disappearances in a more intimate and dreamlike way, so that the end result can equally cater to fans of haunted house tales, supernatural possession films, or alien abduction stories while keeping us grounded in the notion that people have probably met with terrifying fates after venturing out into a landscape that was beyond their comprehension or control.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is one my favorite Criterion Collection titles, and I personally believe that it works best when viewed as a dream or as an impressionistic painting come to life, instead of as a puzzle to be solved with precise deliberateness. This movie has some of the most mesmerizing images in cinema, and they look wonderful on this new Criterion Blu-ray. The disc sounds perfect to my ears, and this is important for a film that draws much of its otherworldly uneasiness from eerie pipe music, wind, and strange shrieking noises.

The Criterion booklet essays, the interviews, and the documentary supplements shed light on various filmmaking choices and themes of Picnic at Hanging Rock without going overboard on explanations. Peter Weir's 1971 film, Homesdale, is also included on this disc, and, although the term, "black comedy", is usually a red flag to me, I rather liked this twisted tale of visitors to an island resort home. The best supplement of all, however, is the Joan Lindsay source novel itself, and I personally recommend reading this novel before watching the film.

Thanks, Owl, I watched this for the first time the other night and, much like Blowup, it's a fascinating mystery that needs to be re-visited. The Rocks themselves seemed alive, like timeless gatekeepers to some unknown. That same night I also watched Wake in Fright and talk about a nightmare scenario-

[Show spoiler]You're blind drunk and the last thing you remember is play-wrestling with Donald Pleasence. The next morning you wake up next to him...Naked! remembering nothing.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

Here's a couple of titles that it seems don't get enough discussion and attention in this thread:

Pale Flower
The Moment of Truth
Fat Girl
Letter Never Sent
Bigger Than Life
The Ice Storm

watched Design for Living today. and was surprised how good the movie is. i never really saw some discussion about the movie at all.

[Ausjdm]

Is Picnic at Hanging Rock worth the blind buy guys?

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Is Picnic at Hanging Rock worth the blind buy guys?

I just saw it and loved it so it's on the list for the upcoming sale. I'd avoid it if you like your films to have a conventional ending.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Is Picnic at Hanging Rock worth the blind buy guys?

I would personally recommend it.

It's a slow-burning, yet extremely haunting film, in my opinion. I was in goosebumps after I rewatched it a couple of weeks ago.

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Exactly--Not knowing AHDN is something that should be HIGHLY frowned upon. You should buy it because you already have every line memorized.
While I approve of education, blind-buying AHDN sight-unseen just because "I <3 Criterion!" is like pouring champagne into a sippy-cup.

And the same thing goes for Godzilla.



Phil Jouanou was a music-video director who just had the bad luck to direct the better episodes of Amazing Stories' second season, and be "rewarded" with 3 O'Clock High. I can think of other Amazing Stories alumni who fell harder.

As for pretentious, there's no way one could have directed U2 at their heyday and NOT be pretentious. Particularly in the case of wondering whether Bono's sunglasses reflect on the inside.

If this is your standup routine I think it's best you stick with your day job. You're tanking bad.

[zoodermin]

The B&N online sale has begun (until July 28)!:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/contai....asp?PID=40727

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I would personally recommend it.

It's a slow-burning, yet extremely haunting film, in my opinion. I was in goosebumps after I rewatched it a couple of weeks ago.

i think it is / or was at avaible for hulu for free.
but im gonna blind buy it...

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

i think it it / or was at avaible for hulu for free.
but im gonna blind buy it...

You're right, with the July sale on at the moment, that is much better than Free.

[jlk5844]

I watched The Third Man since it was on TCM. I gotta say.....it was alright. The performances were great, the cinematography in the night shots and the sewer scene is good, and it's well paced. I just never really understood the plot or the point of it. It wasn't as satisfying to me as it should have been. The premise of finding the third man was intriguing, if not particularly engrossing, but as it went on I became less interested and underwhelmed. I also predicted the reveal. The music is repetitive and usually I don't mind that if I like it but I didn't really care for it here. Indeed, Orson Welles makes the movie more interesting, it sucks he's not in it much. The sewer scene was the best part of the movie, which actually had the most atmosphere and suspense. I didn't get much of a sense of atmosphere throughout the movie, which is apparently a big reason why people like it so much. So yeah, to me the only strong part was the ending. I can see why it's considered a classic, but a masterpiece? I just don't see it, unfortunately, and I hate saying that, because I do love film noir as a visual style.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by EricJ

You're right, with the July sale on at the moment, that is much better than Free.

Please start sending me a breakdown of your budget so that I can let you know what you shouldn't be spending money on.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by EricJ

You're right, with the July sale on at the moment, that is much better than Free.

no bonus features etc @ hulu and i would have to probably watch 40 mins ads

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

watched Design for Living today. and was surprised how good the movie is. i never really saw some discussion about the movie at all.

I love DESIGN FOR LIVING. One of my all-time favorite Lubitsch films and one of the best Pre-Code titles available. I enjoy the play, too, but I think the film is actually an improvement even though almost every line of dialogue has been proudly, almost defiantly rewritten. And that opening sequence with no dialogue at all for about five minutes, followed by the first dialogue of the film spoken in uncomfortable (and unsubtitled) French, is a tour-de-force of acting, camerawork, and editing to convey more than dialogue could possibly get across. Criterion's disc looks and sounds great, as well, with a very nice selection of bonus features.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

I watched The Third Man since it was on TCM. I gotta say.....it was alright. The performances were great, the cinematography in the night shots and the sewer scene is good, and it's well paced. I just never really understood the plot or the point of it. It wasn't as satisfying to me as it should have been. The premise of finding the third man was intriguing, if not particularly engrossing, but as it went on I became less interested and underwhelmed. I also predicted the reveal. The music is repetitive and usually I don't mind that if I like it but I didn't really care for it here. Indeed, Orson Welles makes the movie more interesting, it sucks he's not in it much. The sewer scene was the best part of the movie, which actually had the most atmosphere and suspense. I didn't get much of a sense of atmosphere throughout the movie, which is apparently a big reason why people like it so much. So yeah, to me the only strong part was the ending. I can see why it's considered a classic, but a masterpiece? I just don't see it, unfortunately, and I hate saying that, because I do love film noir as a visual style.

Its pretty simple to follow:

[Show spoiler]Harry invites Holly to cut him in on his black market deal, in which he was diluting either insulin or penicillin (I can't remember which) so he could stretch it out and sell more of it, but that was killing lots of people and causes british officers to tail his ass and he fakes his death to get out of it. Holly shows up and hears he's dead but no ones stories add up and he starts to investigate, finds out everything I just mentioned through others and it leads to the sewer chase and such.

Personally I think it has one of the best scripts ever. Love the characters, dialogue and structure of it.
On top of that I really love the cinematography and performances which adds up to a bonafide classic in every sense.
It just may grow on you too over time!

[Polaroid]

Well with my blind buys I buy them based on genres, directors, stories I can appreciate or love.

I'd never blind buy westerns, or film noir and I'm a bit sketchy with Samaria films, as I said I blind bought zatoichi and watched first film and found story a bit boring however the cinematography and acting made up for that for me.

And I avoid Criterions music related films like AHDN and that Monterey pop thingy... Lol - there are many films I've have looked into blind buying from criterion but wouldn't allow myself to cause I know I won't like it, I'm weird like that


Only reasons I love all my blind buys is because I know what I like in a film and because I avoid the obvious things I dislike.

I blind bought Last Days of Discos and found it wasn't amazing, but it was a good film to chill back to and just enjoy without needing to think.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

Its pretty simple to follow:

[Show spoiler]Harry invites Holly to cut him in on his black market deal, in which he was diluting either insulin or penicillin (I can't remember which) so he could stretch it out and sell more of it, but that was killing lots of people and causes british officers to tail his ass and he fakes his death to get out of it. Holly shows up and hears he's dead but no ones stories add up and he starts to investigate, finds out everything I just mentioned through others and it leads to the sewer chase and such.

Personally I think it has one of the best scripts ever. Love the characters, dialogue and structure of it.
On top of that I really love the cinematography and performances which adds up to a bonafide classic in every sense.
It just may grow on you too over time!

Yeah maybe I'll check it out again when it inevitably comes back on TCM. Thanks for the explanation. That helps.